Through the Lens - CLOSED

Joe Duffy - get a life! by Dominic Lee, AMPA

If I received a voucher from Louis Copeland’s Menswear for 50 Euro and I came out of the store having purchased two new suits, several shirts & three ties, and if I then rang the Joe Duffy Show to complain about having to spend thousands on top of the voucher value, I would be told to get a life and stop wasting their time.

Please Joe, before you entertain such trivial complaints about photographer’s prices (again), ask them did the photographer drag them into the studio at gunpoint? Ask them were they tied down and tortured till they agreed to buy several portraits of their children?
            Tell them the same thing you would tell any other shopper who encounters a good sales person; that if the salesman allowed them to buy only goods to the value of the voucher and didn’t attempt a bigger sale that he would not be doing his job.

 
            Why do you feel the need to fuel their misguided belief that successful businesses must be “exposed” on the show? Silly question; we know the answer.

            Offering some form of discount is common across the spectrum of all business.
When supermarkets offer a “loss leader” they clearly intend that customers will buy more products when they're in the store.

So it's a discount to attract business. Where's the big mystery? Where's the conspiracy? It's on page two of The Idiots Guide to Marketing. Read it and get a life!

Dominic Lee

Bertie & Twink by Dominic Lee

Carla Bruni got 60,000 Euro and French President Nicolas Sarkozy got 1 Euro but RyanAir just gave us a lesson in how to get a shit load of publicity in every newspaper and TV channel around the world for the price of one advert in a magazine and a petty fine of 60,001 Euro.

Now where is that photo I took of Bertie & Twink?

PS It’s worth mentioning that RyanAir have offered to donate another 60,000 to a charity, very commendable.

Dominic Lee

Canon Spring Collection

I was at the Canon Spring collection in London last week. It was an impressive affair and Canon added two nice professional lenses to their range. For photographers starting out they also introduced an entry level SLR, the EOS 450D, which has many features which were historically the preserve of more expensive models. In addition they also launched a couple of attractive HD Video Cameras for those of you looking at moving into the multimedia arena. However what impressed me most about Canon was not the range of innovations to compliment their already extensive range but the plans they have to service the Irish market and build on their No1 position in the region. Canon already provide training on their products but now they hope to be more visible at various events providing on the spot advice and possibly on the spot servicing - if they can work out the logistics of same. They also offer a loan replacement for equipment should a customer have a problem. But these are just the top line plans that they chatted about with me. I am sure they have other plans which will be unveiled over the coming months. It is good to see a camera manufacturer taking a serious look at how they service the professional market in Ireland.