April 2017 

THINKING OF INVESTING IN VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS?

VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS IS NOT FOR EVERYONE

​Virtual backgrounds is not a tool for every professional photographer…especially not today where so many people in the business are snap shooters.  Virtual backgrounds is a special tool that works best in the hands of the photographer who wants to be clearly different from everyone else…who has an area for a studio or is willing to set up a little studio on location…and most important, one who has creative ideas.
 
The fact it, most anyone can take a subject around town or to a park and shoot snaps but it takes a creative professional photographer to use virtual backgrounds where they are in total control of everything.  Total control means total responsibility.  They have to choose the appropriate backgrounds, and the appropriate poses and clothing, and adjust the lighting, and where appropriate, add props.  Then they also need to adjust the background to be just the right size, just the right brightness, just the right focus, and just the right color hue.  All of this just takes seconds or a minute or two but it enables the photographer to create an end product that is just right…and then change to create another look, and another look all within a short photo session.  With virtual backgrounds, the photographer really has total control 24/7.  They even have control of the wind.  If they want a wind-blown look, they can add a fan.  And they have total privacy with no one watching and interfering with what they’re doing.
 
Just ask any serious virtual background user about their system and they will most likely talk your ear off…unless they want to keep you from being competition.
 
So, if you are serious about your photography and want to be really special, look into the exciting world of virtual backgrounds.

IS GREEN SCREEN CHEAPER THAN VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS?

Yes…and no.  You can get into green screen for very few dollars compared with virtual backgrounds, but you will be paying for that decision forever thereafter.  Contrary to what you may hear, green screen is full of issues.  It was made for TV and the movie industry and not for still photography.    Virtual Backgrounds has a wide variety of important advantages not the least of which is saving you valuable hours fighting with the computer to paste in backgrounds and make repairs.  Before you jump into green screen because it appears to be so cheap, you owe it to yourself and your customers to discover what virtual background is all about. We have both new digital and refurbished digital systems and refurbished slide based systems available.  Take a minute to check and see why so many of our customers tell us that without VB, they would not be in business.  AND, VB is pure fun to use…where the photographer is the master.

GIVE US TWO MINUTES AND WE’LL CHANGE YOUR WORLD OF PHOTOGRAPHY​

Click on the arrow to view the video!

CAN I REALLY MAKE MONEY WITH PROJECTED VIRTUAL BACKGROUNDS?

Do your homework and learn how investing in virtual projected backgrounds can be the best investment you ever made in photography that will grow both your creativity and profits.
THERE ARE 100 VIDEO CLIPS ON YOU TUBE WHICH DEMONSTRATE WHAT THIS PHENOMENAL PROCESS KNOWN AS VIRTUAL PROJECTED BACKGROUNDS CAN DO FOR YOU.  GET THE FACTS.  SEE FOR YOURSELF.​

SEE AND TRY A VIRTUAL BACKGROUND SYSTEM FOR YOURSELF 

​Besides coming to the Virtual Backgrounds headquarters in San Marcos, TX you can visit Peter Budraitis in Long Island New York.
​ Just call and make an appointment
​
​Visit 
Peter Budraitis
 and see VB in action.
Call (516) 674-0227
Email: studio@pmbphoto.com
Website: www.pmbphoto.com

Visit
​Cindy Cofer Barclay in Louisville Kentucky

Watch this short video to get a personal invitation from Cindy to come visit.  You'll be amazed. 
Click on the Arrow to view the Video. 
Call Cindy at
​ (502) 266-9119 or 
Visit Cindy's Website
​

Visit
Waldo Berry
in Junction City Kansas

Call Waldo at
(785) 238-6944
​and see VB in action!

Send Waldo an email 
Email 

Visit WB Photography
Website
​​CLICK TO SEE THE JANUARY 2017 ISSUE OF THE BACKGROUNDER​​

​CLICK TO SEE THE FEBRUARY 2017 ISSUE OF THE BACKGROUNDER
​
CLICK TO SEE THE ​MARCH 2017 ISSUE OF THE BACKGROUNDER

WALDO BERRY’S PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS IS GOING GREAT
​
WHAT ARE HIS SECRETS?

PictureWaldo Berry
​At a time when many professional photographers complain that they can’t make a living in professional photography any more, Kansas photographer, Waldo Berry, is doing very well.  But there are a variety of specific reasons for his success.  His secret is in many ways simple Business 101.  He is a highly creative photographer who works hard to please his customers with services and product his competitors don’t offer and results his clients cannot produce on their own.  And, he is an avid user of virtual backgrounds to clearly enhance his work.

​Waldo was introduced to photography by his grandfather who gave him his first camera and taught him darkroom techniques when he was just 11 years old.  But photography got set aside while he earned a master’s degree in information systems and became employed full time by the Kansas State University as an IT support manager for help desk operations.  However his enthusiasm for photography eventually pushed him to learn the basics of professional photography and in 1996 he opened his first studio in his home.  When he moved to a new home in 1998 he made sure he had adequate space for his studio and specialized in weddings and then added portraits including seniors.  He also got active in the PPA degree programs and the associations, earning the degrees of Craftsman and Master of Photography and he also served as President of the Kansas association, became a PPA counselor and received the National Award from PPA.
Waldo later started in the event side of the business, photographing primarily military balls which are very popular in his area.  He started with a single background but soon progressed to three.  He wanted more options especially when clients would ask, “Is this all you have?”  Waldo first saw Virtual Backgrounds at the Kansas school where he took a class with Joseph and Louise Simone. He bought his first Virtual Background system 5 years ago and quickly realized how great it would work for his military balls and dance recitals.  He has used VB on location and in his studio ever since.
 
Quoting Waldo…
"Customer response to Virtual Backgrounds has been absolutely great.  I tell them we can provide up to 75 background options for an event and that we use a professional portrait system.  I shoot three shots of each couple at an event.  They get to view their images on a large screen right there at the event."
 
"Virtual backgrounds is very important to my business.  I was shooting as many as 20 military balls a year which was bringing me very significant dollars. The system offers so many different applications…photographers just don’t think through the potential of all it can do.  It enables me to push the boundaries.  My pictures look perfectly realistic.  I often balance the backgrounds with a foreground that provides more depth.  I photographed my old studio backgrounds and now they are in storage.  Virtual Backgrounds provides me with a major edge over my competition and I don’t have to labor over my computer as I would with green screen."
 
"Photography is not my full time work but it makes a very significant contribution to my income and offers me a great deal of satisfaction.  I love being independent and that is what photography brings me.  My sales at a military ball range from 25.00 to 75.00 per couple.  I mostly work in Kansas but have gotten requests to do military balls as far away as Nashville because my work is so unique."
 
"Seniors absolutely love my use of Virtual Backgrounds because of the unlimited possibilities and unlimited outfits…and they don’t have to go on location.  I mostly work in my studio.  I match their backgrounds to their clothing and pose.  In a one hour session I might use 15 or more backgrounds and several outfits.  Most of my sessions are an hour long but I sometimes go for 3 hours.  I don’t leave the studio.  Seniors prefer to stay in the studio although I am willing to go on location.  It is much easier for me and them to stay in the studio which gives me more options for them.  Other photographers and parents just shoot on location which greatly limits them."
 
"There is a lot of work out there for professional photographers who are willing to do what they need to do to satisfy clients with unique images.  If you don’t innovate and if you don’t offer customers more, you will not be successful.  This VB system is innovative and offers clients more options that they cannot reproduce themselves…even if they try using green screen.  I invite any professional to call me at (785) 238-6944 or write me at waldo@wbphotography.com   I invite you to take a look at my web site which is wbphotography.com  "
 
NOTE:  Waldo Berry is willing to show other professional photographers his studio and how he operates his virtual background system.  Simply call him to arrange a convenient appointment time.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Magazine

PictureBill Hedrick - Editor
​If you open up a copy of THE PHOTOGRAPHER Magazine, you will notice a few things that set it apart from your typical “state affiliate” publications.  First of all, it is one of the few remaining “printed” magazines for a state affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America.  In a time when nearly all the rest have abandoned a printed publication and have opted for an online version instead, this magazine continues to prosper because of its quality and its content.

When Bill Hedrick took over as editor in 1997, his first goal was to get away from the typical content of most “newsletters” where they simply covered things that had already taken place... a term that journalists refer to as “the club met” articles.  Instead, Hedrick envisioned this magazine as both an educational tool and a way for professional photographers to share with one another.  But the primary emphasis would be on “professional” imagery.

It is not uncommon to open the pages of some major photography magazines and see images that would not even “hang” at professional print competition.  Whether it be to attract non-professionals or to “make everyone a star,” publishing images that are “less than professional” does very little to actually educate the reader.  So, Hedrick made a decision early-on to publish professional quality images that reflect positively on our profession.  But the articles he publishes are more than just pretty pictures.  They are written to both inform professional photographers and to encourage perfection in their work.

To accomplish this, Hedrick has developed a network of well-known and not-so-well-known photographers across the country to contribute to this publication.  A Master-Craftsman himself, Hedrick realized in the very beginning that “good photographers are anxious and willing to share with other professionals.”  This has been a key element in the success of this magazine.

But the magazine is also a vital membership benefit for the Texas Professional Photographers Association as well as other surrounding state affiliates.  It shows readers the importance of belonging to an organization dedicated to professionalism.  While other magazines have obviously compromised on much of their imagery, THE PHOTOGRAPHER stands out as a classic example of an idea that we all need to reach for the stars.

Cris and Deanna Duncan
comments
- "LIGHTING FOR SALES" 

WHAT IS PHOTOGRAPHY?
​
Cris and Deanna Duncan have published a great answer.  "Photography is an art that melds light and subject together to create an unforgettable image. By combining your artistic vision with the mastery of the technical science of photography, you can create the images that you see in your dreams. It is not a recipe... its knowing what each ingredient does so you can create your own signature style.  How do you do this? You learn lighting. Strobes, off-camera, studio, location, natural light, mixed light and more--they each can help you propel your business.”
To read more from Cris Duncan Click on the link 
 
At Virtual Backgrounds the only thing we find missing in Cris and Deanna's published thoughts is no mention of the background.  The Virtual Background philosophy is that the background can be a very powerful component of a photograph but most photographers often forget about the importance of the background.  It can help set the mood or meaning of a photograph.  Sometimes it is subtle and sometimes it needs to be powerful.  The beauty of a projected virtual background is that the photographer can work in a studio where they are in total control of everything including the lighting and the background.  

Photography is so much more than point and shoot.  Anyone can do that. But only a few are real artists.

THE MARKETING MACHINE

​It is infinitely easier to market your photography if you have something really special to market.  Every photographer brags about how good they are but is this the best approach?  Far better is to have features/technology that clearly places you far above your competition.  Today most photographers shoot snap shots on location…often hundreds of them using natural light or flash on camera.  How much better it is if you have a real studio, even if that studio is in your basement or garage, but is equipped with professional lighting and with a virtual projected background system that brings a whole world of backgrounds into the studio where the photographer has total control over the elements such as wind, rain, clouds, temperature AND can offer 100% privacy. You can brag that you can operate  24/7/365 and how important it is to use proper lighting and backgrounds to bring out the best in a client and produce the greatest variety of images from which to choose.

WHO FAILS AT USING VIRTUAL PROJECTED BACKGROUND?

Yes, some photographers do fail with using virtual backgrounds.  For them, it is not a good investment.  The most common causes for failure are the following,
 
1.  Refusal to read the instructions and practice using the system.
2.  Lack of any effort to market the product VB enables you to produce.
3.  Lack of creative ideas for using virtual backgrounds.
4.  Refusal to emphasize styles of photography that tug at the heartstrings and not done by others.
5   Placing too much emphasis on the background and taking away from the subject.
 
Virtual backgrounds prides itself on the many methods we use to help our clients become highly successful with their virtual background system.  This includes the instruction manual that comes with the system and books we wrote such as “Background Power!” and “How To Make Money With Virtual Backgrounds”, and the personal consultation that is always available.

PROPS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE
​in virtual backgrounds

When using virtual backgrounds you can just position a subject in front of your background screen but, sometimes the end results looks like a super sharp subject and then a somewhat diffuse background.  In some cases it can look artificial.  But if you incorporate a few props into your image, it can make a world of difference.  A prop can be an artificial ficus trees, a potted plant, a chair back, or almost anything that makes sense.  Position the prop either in front of your subject or better yet, usually, between your subject and the background screen.  Then the end result blends together.  Once you get into using virtual backgrounds you will not only be continually searching for new backgrounds to capture but you will also be looking out for props.  Virtual backgrounds can dynamically change the way you do photography.  You won’t just be pointing and shooting at various locations.  You will be creating just like cinematographers do it in Hollywood.
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