Featuring Jed Taufer of WHCC
As the premier professional photography printing lab in the country, White House Custom Colour (WHCC) has been serving photographers from around the world for decades. As a family-run company with a 35+ year history, WHCC has grown to offer hundreds of products to photographers, solidifying its place at the top of the “one stop shop” photo lab industry.
With so many on tap, we wanted to introduce you to just a few of their stand-out offerings such as wall art and albums, as well as how they—above all other photo labs in the country—put the photographer (and photographer sales) at the forefront of their mission.
Click here for more info on White House Custom Colour.
Wall Art With White House Custom Colour
Have you ever heard a client say: “I want a really big print for my wall! Give me the 8×10.”
Truth is… most clients don’t know an 8×10 from a 30×40 when it comes to how the printed product looks on their wall. And let’s face it — the digital revolution has presented some challenges for photographers regarding conveying the importance of printed products to their clients.
Many young couples don’t naturally place a high value on wall art because they grew up in a time when their memories were captured and shared digitally. Empowering photographers to convert those hesitant millennial clients into printed product believers is where WHCC really shines.
So how can you convince your clients that bigger is better and printed products are where it’s at? We checked in with Jed Taufer for some of his thoughts on why White House Custom Colour Wall Art matters.
Jed is the producer and host of “This Conversation,” a much loved and listened-to podcast at WHCC. He has also owned V Gallery, a photography studio, for 20 years with his wife, Vicki.
With hundreds of products available, Jed says there’s a style and design from WHCC that will suit every home. As a photographer, familiarizing yourself with all of the product options can seem overwhelming at first, so Jed suggests new WHCC users start by “focusing on wall art.”
These products are what it takes to convince those 8×10 clients that bigger is better. He says, “the big deal to me about the wall art” is two-fold. First “that you can order it as a photographer and have it show up completely finished. It’s framed and ready to hang.” That seems to be one of the things photographers love about WHCC. Most of the products they offer—such as framed prints, wood prints, bamboo paneled prints, and metals—arrive completely finished. “A lot of times our studio can deliver and install the wall art in a client’s home right out of the box. It arrives ready to hang.”
Next, he says that photographers should feel good about providing their clients with something tangible — something they can cherish forever. A father of small children himself, Jed shared that “At the end of the hallway of our children’s bedrooms, there’s a big portrait of each of them and their dog between them.” Even though they may not be consciously looking at it, Jed says they see the portrait everyday and constantly remark on it. “They ask us when that was taken or where we were. And they have all these feelings associated with that.”
Jed cites scientific studies that support just how important hanging photos can be in a home. “Studies show that when children see portraits of themselves on the walls of their home, it provides a loving and warm environment and helps with self-esteem and a sense of security.” The value of printed products goes beyond their impact on children’s psyche — it translates into adulthood as well. Jed remarks, “when there’s a fire or tragedy that is threatening someone’s home, the photographs are the first things they go for.”
WHCC offers the most impactful art you can provide for your clients to turn their beautiful images into a statement piece for their walls and impact the well being of their children. That’s a total win-win!
To see all the amazing Wall Display products that WHCC offers, click HERE.
WHCC | Think Outside the Print
Let’s not stop at wall art! Jed also speaks very highly of the albums and books WHCC offers. Where better to showcase the images all in one place than in a hand-crafted, beautifully printed heirloom that can be passed down to the next generation.
You might hear clients say something like “I love them all, but I don’t have wall space to hang all of these images.” That’s your cue to suggest an album or a book — a lovely way to have all their favorite images in one beautiful product that they can show off and pass on.
Why WHCC albums? Jed says “The albums are top-notch. Our quality is second to none and always sets us apart from everyone else.” You can select paper types, album covers in fantastic fabrics and leathers, and even add embossing. Check out the album and book catalog HERE.
WHCC also offers a host of unique products but, especially in the Holiday Season, two that are mention-worthy are their Ornaments and Holiday Cards. The Ornaments are available in metal, wood or in mini-frames. These are a fantastic way to share something special that clients can buy as gifts for their family or that you can buy and gift to your top clients. The possibilities are endless!
WHCC Cards are an all-year-round product offering and can be perfect for client Save the Dates, Newborn Announcements and High School Graduations. But this time of year, cards are all about celebrating the Holidays. There are so many combinations you can choose from and you can customize everything from paper type, to adding embossing, to envelope color… they even offer matching address labels! The sky really is the limit!
These unique products are just a small taste of the many products WHCC offers that open doors to photographers for extra photography income! Check out their Holiday Inspiration link HERE for more ideas!
Super-Fast Turnaround Time
If you’re still not convinced that WHCC is for you, let’s talk about turnaround time.
WHCC promises photographers that work will be delivered at the highest quality and on-time — especially around the holidays! “That’s one of the best things we can offer at WHCC… we are fast and reliable.” Jed says while other companies advertise late cut-offs in November, WHCC is working on shipping products right up to the days just before Christmas. “Two or three weeks into December and we still have people ordering products they can expect to receive by Christmas.” Jed says the company stands behind the promise to deliver as fast as possible, without sacrificing the high quality WHCC is known for.
Are you feeling inspired yet?! Or maybe just a little overwhelmed?! Never fear! Photographer success is important to WHCC and Jed suggests three easy steps photographers can follow for how to offer and sell any of the printed products WHCC offers.
Three Easy Steps to Sell Printed Products:
Step 1: Show It to Sell It
Make sure you’re showing large prints if you want to sell large prints. Don’t show products that aren’t congruent with your style or your brand. WHCC even makes it easy with albums as you can order sample albums at a 25% discount.
Step 2: Inspiration Guides
“We have four different types of inspiration guides that you can use to sell to your clients. They are printed catalogs that are like brochures to use during sales appointments to show the client what their options are and what the finished product looks like in a home.”
White House Custom Colour Inspiration guides are “a catalog that you can distribute to your clients, featuring photographic products in real home settings. The Inspiration Guide is a great sales tool to present to clients when you first meet with them. It also carries value throughout your entire process, all the way through the final sales session and beyond. There are four editions of the Inspiration Guide available: Families, High School Seniors, Newborns & Children, and Weddings & Engagements.”
Click HERE for more info!
Step 3: Studio iPad App
Jed says “Studio is an online presence and an iPad app that you can use to sell wall groupings and wall portraits during an in-person sales presentation.
You can be standing in a client’s living room with your iPad, take a photo of the space and create a beautiful wall grouping designed specifically for them, that features their images on their wall in under a minute and they’re part of the process.” Just go to WHCC’s Studio resources page to find the latest Studio tools.
As a Professional Wedding and Portrait Photographer, you really can count on WHCC to get you the best products and fast. Jed says at the end of the day, WHCC is a family run company with the photographer’s success in mind. And just as important as offering hundreds of products to help elevate a photographer’s income, WHCC gives its users something even more valuable — Time.
“You can always try to make more money, you can always try to offer more products, but you can’t manufacture minutes.” The tools available to photographers using WHCC are designed to cut down on time and streamline their workflow, freeing them up to spend more time with their friends and family around the holidays and all year round.
If this doesn’t convince you that White House Custom Colour is THE place to go for you—the photographer looking for personal attention, product variety, and quality that is unmatched—then try this: ShootDotEdit chose WHCC as one of the two labs we allow EXTRA users to utilize when offering free 8×10 prints to their wedding clients. That’s how much we love, and trust, WHCC to deliver amazing products. And so should you!
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