Steps to produce a Spoiled Rotten Portrait

Published on July 12, 2017

At SRP, there are many steps that we take to deliver beautiful portraits to parents.  Below is just a quick overview of the steps we go through to produce our portraits. Each step is discussed in detail later in the ops manual.  This is a high-level overview.

  1. Market our product to the parent.  

    • Deliver posters, handouts and portraits tomorrow stickers, send emails, have a school display (optional).
    • Deliver 3 weeks before for sign-up sessions, 2 weeks before for non-sign-up sessions.

  2. Create Accounts.

    • Sign up Sessions:  Parents go on-line on our website (www.SpoiledRottenPhotography.com) and sign their kids up for the session (sessions that require sign-up include mini-sessions, outdoor portraits, family portrait days, fundraisers, and charity events).  When the parents sign up on-line, our system creates a session ID for them.
    • Non-Sign Up Session:  Schools provide contact info to us. (campus candids, cap and gown, class photos).  We upload a comma delimited file (.csv)  to EZGo (events, upload subjects), EZGo creates account numbers.  Log into EZGo at www.EZGOphoto.com/admin use your assigned username and password.
  3. For sign up sessions, review what the parents wrote about their kids and see if there is anything you need to prepare for or accommodate (in EZGo, select event, view subjects- click “session notes” button).
  4. Coordinate logistics with School Director for times, locations and schedule.
  5. Print Session Notes to take to school for your session – in EZGo, select event, view subjects- click “session notes” button
  6. Print Barcode stickers one day before the event (in EZGo, select event, barcode report).  You’ll photograph a sticker before each child to identify them.
  7. Send emails to director and parents one to two days before the event to remind them of upcoming portraits (use EZGo, go to event, send email).
  8. Create beautiful portraits!
  9. Download all memory cards to your primary and back-up drives.
  10. Choose the images you wish to show to the parents (in Bridge or Lightroom).
  11. Make general adjustments (exposure & crop) to the selected raw files in (Raw).
  12. Make original .jpg files and save in “Originals” folder (open in Raw, save at full resolution).
  13. Make web .jpg files – Open files from original folder in Raw and save as web size (1200 px @ 72 dpi) in “Web” folder.
  14. Upload files to EZGo.
    1. Open FTP program, move files to your barcode import folder.
    2. EZGo will sort the files into folders using the barcode information that is on the sticker.
    3. Check sort to make sure all barcodes were read- manually adjust if needed.
  15. Alert parents that their proof sets are ready.
    1. Use EZGo to send parents the gallery notification e-mail.
    2. Print contact handouts – (in EZGo, go to events, click Contact Handout) and print two copies of this report- it will print one gallery per page.  Have directors hand out first copy asap.  Have director send 2nd copy of report home about 3 days before the order date.  (add sticky notes to reports to remind director what day to hand out).
    3. Make or Print “Order By This Date” flyers for schools to post where parents are most likely to see them.
  16. Send director the “proofs posted” email and send electronic copy of the access codes (in EZGo, click event, send email, select director proofs posted- make sure to change contact to School Contact).
    • This will tell the school contact to also use whatever means they communicate with parents to remind them of the deadline (Facebook or other social media, email, newsletter, etc).
    • This email also asks the school contact to complete a feedback survey.
  17. Remind parents of upcoming ordering deadline.
    • EZGo will automatically send emails every 3 days, the day before and the last day of ordering.  Dates are based on dates in EZGo (not PhotoCart).
  18. Pull the files that were ordered.
    • Run script that pulls the files from the originals folder and moves them into the orders folder (Photocart, choose gallery, more tab, “Get Lab Batch File” Or “Get Mac Lab Batch File”)  Save file to originals folder.
  19. Run batch file.  (The batch file re-sizes the file to the appropriate size (sizes the file to the largest size that is ordered.)
  20. Prepare the files to be sent to the Lab.
    • Use Photoshop to retouch the images.
  21. Obtain lab report from Photocart. (choose gallery, more tab, “Download Lab Report” – this is a comma delimited text file that tells the lab what images to print and what size to print them).  Save file to Finals folder.
  22. Upload files and lab report to Lab.
    • Use ROES Events software to transmit file to lab.
  23. Receive and prepare portraits for delivery.
  24. Check each portrait with its order sheet to ensure the proper product was printed.
    • Inspect each portrait for quality issues.
  25. Correct and re-order portraits that do not meet our quality standards.
  26. Package portraits according to SRP standard.
    • Sort orders by class.
  27. Write a personal note to the director.
  28. Write a commission check.
  29. Deliver Portraits to the school.
  30. Deliver commission check with the portraits
  31. Mail orders that selected and paid for home shipping.
  32. Use EZGo to send parents the “portraits delivered” e-mail.
  33. Schedule next session with school director.
  34. Analyze feedback.
    • EZGo sends a survey as soon as an order is placed.
    • EZGo sends a survey to all the contacts that did not place an order.
    • Review feedback from parents.
    • Review feedback from school coordinator.