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  #1  
Old October 26, 2000, 12:36 PM
Boyd Stone
 
Posts: n/a
Default Thought up a unique business

Hi!

First, Dien and Gordon, your forum is now the #1 on my list of boards to visit.

Onward, as Halbert always said in his letters:

Here in Austin there's a big lake nearby and boating is a mini-craze. Austinites love their huge boats and their huge dogs.

So why not give them a photo of their toys that they can hang on their office walls?

What you'd need would be a good camera, a way to get up high (like a builder's ladder or something), a truck to carry the ladders on, photo manipulation expertise, and knowledge about getting free publicity and word-of-mouth advertising.

Before I describe the product, the word-of-mouth advertising would be created by setting up the normal affiliate program, except that people you sell to are affililiates and they make a commission by helping you spread the word. The Web is going local, and this is just another way of making it work.

The product that you sell would be a picture of the boat owner and his/her attractive significant other and/or dog, appearing to drive the boat at high speed on the water.

Actually, it's trick photography: you go to the boat owner's domicile, climb up your ladder, and photograph the boat while it's sitting on its trailor, posing the appropriately dressed owner.

You then strip out the background using photo products that already exist and do this kind of thing flawlessly, and add the water and sky. You could show the boaters happily doing their thing with all kinds of exotic backdrops. You could show them racing the Titanic if you wanted!

Needless to say, the same idea could be used with expensive cars instead of boats. You're selling to monied people, so you should be able to get a fair price for your expertise and artistry.

Hope this was interesting and useful in some way!!

Best,

-Boyd
  #2  
Old October 26, 2000, 01:19 PM
Amber
 
Posts: n/a
Default Boyd, I love that idea...

Hi Boyd!

Go for it!!! :)

I'll be in Austin this weekend - my sons live there and I know just what you mean about the particular opportunities for your idea since it is basically my old hometown, too. Your idea is very cool and ought to work great there.

Best Wishes,
Amber

Hi!

> First, Dien and Gordon, your forum is now
> the #1 on my list of boards to visit.

> Onward, as Halbert always said in his
> letters:

> Here in Austin there's a big lake nearby and
> boating is a mini-craze. Austinites love
> their huge boats and their huge dogs.

> So why not give them a photo of their toys
> that they can hang on their office walls?

> What you'd need would be a good camera, a
> way to get up high (like a builder's ladder
> or something), a truck to carry the ladders
> on, photo manipulation expertise, and
> knowledge about getting free publicity and
> word-of-mouth advertising.

> Before I describe the product, the
> word-of-mouth advertising would be created
> by setting up the normal affiliate program,
> except that people you sell to are
> affililiates and they make a commission by
> helping you spread the word. The Web is
> going local, and this is just another way of
> making it work.

> The product that you sell would be a picture
> of the boat owner and his/her attractive
> significant other and/or dog, appearing to
> drive the boat at high speed on the water.

> Actually, it's trick photography: you go to
> the boat owner's domicile, climb up your
> ladder, and photograph the boat while it's
> sitting on its trailor, posing the
> appropriately dressed owner.

> You then strip out the background using
> photo products that already exist and do
> this kind of thing flawlessly, and add the
> water and sky. You could show the boaters
> happily doing their thing with all kinds of
> exotic backdrops. You could show them racing
> the Titanic if you wanted!

> Needless to say, the same idea could be used
> with expensive cars instead of boats. You're
> selling to monied people, so you should be
> able to get a fair price for your expertise
> and artistry.

> Hope this was interesting and useful in some
> way!!

> Best,

> -Boyd
  #3  
Old October 26, 2000, 01:50 PM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default Manipulating your photos....

> First, Dien and Gordon, your forum is now
> the #1 on my list of boards to visit.

Boyd, that's great! I know, though, that it is very much a GROUP effort.... I have to thank you and the many other "Master-Minds" (that means everyone here -- we're all "Master-Minds") who make this such an interesting place! Even though I'm helping to run the forum, I find it quite addictive myself! :)

About your idea, Boyd, it sounds great! I don't have much experience with this sort of thing myself, but I can relate what I was told by someone....

A couple weeks ago I wrote about a former wedding photographer I met....

Anyway, he used to do some effects-type stuff with his photos. For example, sometimes people would want someone removed from a photo, and he could do that....

What he told me he did was he did it with Adobe Photoshop software (if I remember right).... Apparently you can do quite a lot with that when you know how to use it properly....

Then he could take the files to a developer and they could print it directly on to photographic paper.... Anyway, that's what he told me he did with his wedding photos....

He had very huge file sizes because he needed high quality images, but I understand it depends on how big the final pictures will be....

The drawback of this idea is that people would have to wait for their photos I think (unless there was some easy way to do this yourself directly)....

Maybe there's a kind of "instant" service you could set up with a digital camera and some computer and printing equipment.... I'm sure I've seen something like this, but I don't know the details of how they work....

Interesting idea to test.... :) (But you never know what people want until you test....)

Dien Rice
  #4  
Old October 26, 2000, 03:30 PM
Amber
 
Posts: n/a
Default An instant and creative photo biz...

Dien,

Your post reminded me of another instant creative photography business.

A friend of mine was in Las Vegas about a year ago and saw a photographer set up with a kiosk (mobile cart) business. He had a stool beside his workstation where he sat his customer to photograph his/her face.

In only about 5-6 minutes, my friend walked away with a great photo of herself...but it was her face on the body of a Las Vegas showgirl! She loved it and brought it home and framed it for all to see.

She was so interested in the idea that she spent a few minutes talking with the photographer. She told him that she was from Texas and thought she might want to do this herself on weekends or at festivals, etc. He shared with her that it was extremely profitable.

I think she paid $25.00 for each 8x10 photo. In fact, she later told me that she had the photo taken of her face for use on 3-4 different 'bodies' wearing all different kinds of sexy outfits with the big feather head-dresses.

The photographer had a manual which offered all sorts of backgrounds for instant printing with her face on them.

She is a high school art teacher and took one to school - just for fun - on the last day of school, and told her class that was REALLY her in her 'former profession' and they believed her! It looked SO authentic! :)

I thought it also sounded like a good idea in the right setting. Just thought I'd toss this one out since it just came to mind.

~Amber

> Maybe there's a kind of "instant"
> service you could set up with a digital
> camera and some computer and printing
> equipment.... I'm sure I've seen something
> like this, but I don't know the details of
> how they work....

> Interesting idea to test.... :) (But you
> never know what people want until you
> test....)

> Dien Rice
  #5  
Old October 27, 2000, 06:32 AM
Julie Jordan Scott
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: An instant and creative photo biz...

Hi Amber and all!

> In only about 5-6 minutes, my friend walked
> away with a great photo of herself...but it
> was her face on the body of a Las Vegas
> showgirl!

***When Bianca, now 19, was 9 or 10 we had something similar to this done in Las Vegas except it had her face on a princess' body...princess' blonde hair, etc and it was probably much more rudimentary than the one you describe.

We had a t-shirt made. It was QUITE the hit. I wish we still had the shirt, she would get quite a kick out of it now....but in Junior High...."Mom! So embaressing!!!!"

Gotta love kids.....

:-)

JULIE
  #6  
Old October 27, 2000, 12:34 PM
Gary Reed
 
Posts: n/a
Default Boyd - Julie brought up a very . . .

> Hi!

> First, Dien and Gordon, your forum is now
> the #1 on my list of boards to visit.

> Onward, as Halbert always said in his
> letters:

> Here in Austin there's a big lake nearby and
> boating is a mini-craze. Austinites love
> their huge boats and their huge dogs.

> So why not give them a photo of their toys
> that they can hang on their office walls?

> What you'd need would be a good camera, a
> way to get up high (like a builder's ladder
> or something), a truck to carry the ladders
> on, photo manipulation expertise, and
> knowledge about getting free publicity and
> word-of-mouth advertising.

> Before I describe the product, the
> word-of-mouth advertising would be created
> by setting up the normal affiliate program,
> except that people you sell to are
> affililiates and they make a commission by
> helping you spread the word. The Web is
> going local, and this is just another way of
> making it work.

> The product that you sell would be a picture
> of the boat owner and his/her attractive
> significant other and/or dog, appearing to
> drive the boat at high speed on the water.

> Actually, it's trick photography: you go to
> the boat owner's domicile, climb up your
> ladder, and photograph the boat while it's
> sitting on its trailor, posing the
> appropriately dressed owner.

> You then strip out the background using
> photo products that already exist and do
> this kind of thing flawlessly, and add the
> water and sky. You could show the boaters
> happily doing their thing with all kinds of
> exotic backdrops. You could show them racing
> the Titanic if you wanted!

> Needless to say, the same idea could be used
> with expensive cars instead of boats. You're
> selling to monied people, so you should be
> able to get a fair price for your expertise
> and artistry.

> Hope this was interesting and useful in some
> way!!

> Best,

> -Boyd

interesting point in her post. "t-shirts" That could be a very nice additional product. A great t-shirt for the guy/gal to ware on their next outing. Just thinking out loud.

Good Luck!

Gary


Q+
  #7  
Old October 28, 2000, 11:23 AM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: An instant and creative photo biz...

Julie, Amber, Boyd, and Gary, I've seen this sort of thing before too! I just came back from one place where they did this sort of thing....

It's a small shop in a touristy area here in Sydney.... I spent a few minutes talking to the person running it....

At this place, they'd take your photo against a green background. Then they could manipulate your photo onto any background you wanted (there were many to choose from)....

Then, they'd print the photo onto a glossy kind of paper, and they could frame it if you wanted....

The technology didn't seem that complicated, I don't think.... With a green screen background, it should be easy to replace the green with any other background you'd like (and do some editing too)....

This place only printed on glossy paper (from little tiny photo sized to poster sized pictures).... They didn't do T-shirts. But the technology just on to glossy paper seemed straightforward enough, I thought.... :)

It'd be a fun idea.... :)

Dien Rice
 


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