by Anna Asbury, Account Manager

Do you remember your school photos? Do you remember how your kids school photos were taken and distributed this fall? Except for the transition to digital cameras, the process was probably the same. In fact, very little has changed through the years for school photography. Many companies simply offer fall portraits, possibly spring portraits, and occasionally a graduation.

I have spoken to school administrators and yearbook coordinators at all grade levels who find their photography coverage lacking. With sports, clubs, special events, dances, and graduations, many schools have to take these photos themselves or hire different photographers throughout the year. It should not be entirely the responsibility of the school staff to provide photos for a yearbook. Wouldn’t it be much easier to have one company providing every photography service you may need? We also make the process of distributing photos and ordering pictures easier for our customers. Photos arrive to the school pre-sorted by class/homeroom and ready to go home within 5-7 business days, no matter how many students the school may have. Also, customers may place orders directly with the photographer via our website, fax, mail, or phone. We have a full-time staff ready to assist our customers!

School photography encompasses almost every service Mangiante Photography offers. From portraits to candid photos, groups and graduations, we can photograph whatever may be needed for the yearbook, as well as capturing the special moments students will remember long after their school days have passed.

We currently photograph the following events for our school customers:

• Fall Portraits
• Spring Portraits
• Dance and Prom (Posed and Candid Photos)
• Sports (Teams and Individuals)
• Clubs
• Graduation
• Class Group Photos
• Award Ceremonies
• Hall of Fame
• Field Day
• Fundraisers
• Picnics
• Party Pics

Are you unhappy with the way your children’s school photos are handled? Do you work with a school that is unhappy with their photographer? Pass the word along – a company does exist that can make the process easier. I’d be glad to tell you about it, too.

by Michael Spikes, Operations Manager

Some of you may remember the Olivia Newton John song “Physical”, and if you do, then you may remember this stuff called film. In the old days people would buy it, put it in their cameras, take pictures and then get them “developed” into prints. Now, we have digital cameras.

Digital cameras come in a variety of sizes, shapes, end even colors. While you can choose one based on your outfit, I would think more about some of the following features.

1. Size – It's important. If you want to be the shutterbug of your group, consider one you can put in your pocket or purse. Some of the cameras out now are as small as a credit card. If you don’t mind carrying around a camera pouch then feel free to go larger.
2. Resolution – When it comes to mega pixels or MP, there is no limit it seems. The question is, how much do you need? If you shoot only for Internet, or email use, then you can get away with a camera that shoots only 1 or 2MP photos (if you can find them). Most cameras are at least 3MP now. If you want to print your pictures, then you need to consider what is the largest size you want to print? Most people only print 4’ x 6’ size prints, if that is the case for you then a 4MP camera would be fine. Any resolution larger than that will give you the ability to make larger prints.
3. Storage – When you shoot a digital picture it will normally be stored on some type of memory card. There are several types of cards out there and many solutions about getting them into your computer. Most cameras will now plug directly into your computer with a connection cord. This method can sometimes be slow, especially if you are transferring large numbers of pics. Card readers are a great solution for this. Card readers function like any drive on your computer and it will allow you to use the memory card to store word files, music, programs, or whatever on them. Some readers even take multiple card types, so if your digital camera takes one type of card and your MP3 player takes a different card you can use the same device for both!

There are hundreds of options on today’s cameras, the best camera is one that you can afford, one with features you will use, and the one that can capture the memories you want. Now, I think I will sit back and listen to some of my records.

by Anne Mangiante, Office Manager

At Mangiante Photography, one of our most important goals besides high quality products is great customer service. Each member of our office staff is highly skilled at being able to help any customer that calls our office with placing an order, tracking an order or even providing advice on photo orders.

When a customer places an order by mail, phone, fax or online, the order is linked to a unique order identification number. This number allows our office staff to track an order through our photo lab and also lets our staff know when it mails out to the customer. Each order is printed and shipped directly from our lab within 48 hours of being ordered! Another feature we offer is direct mailing from our lab to our customers. We are one of the only firms in Memphis that offers this feature. Rather than having to wait for an order to be delivered to a school, church or other organization, we ship directly to the customer. By shipping directly to the customer, they receive their orders much faster than other studios are able to produce. We also offer our customers a 100% satisfaction guaranteed policy.

After each of our sports, graduation, and school events, we have a unique system of identifying each customer to a unique pin number. This system aids us in individual proof printing and customized e- mailing for customers. Our e-mails are able to send customers a link to the website as well as embedding a photo proof in the e-mail for quick viewing.

Another goal we try to meet is answering our phones quickly and with a smile. We all personally feel that each customer we interact with should be treated in the same manner we would want to be treated in the same situation. Promptness and friendliness help make our clients feel as though we care about them just that much more.

• Gene Mangiante, President
• Michael Spikes, Operations Manager
• Anne Mangiante, Office Manager
• Anna Asbury, Account Manager
• Bob Miller, Florida Manager - Flash Foto