On Wednesday, Gene Mangiante was featured on ABC 24's Eyewitness News Midday. The topic was "Looking your best in senior portraits". Please click the link below to download and view this segment!

Anne Mangiante, Office Manager

As of this month, many high school juniors can officially say they are seniors - something I know is a great thrill. As juniors become seniors, one of the first steps is having senior portraits made. Our office photographs hundreds of seniors every year, and this year is no exception. We not only take a photo for the school's yearbook, but also a cap and gown portrait. Another great option is having casual sittings, both indoor and outdoor, done by a professional photographer.

As with our other markets, our seniors receive extremely personalized service. Our staff knows how important senior photos are, and we try to help each senior personalize his/her session. How do we do this? First, we encourage all our seniors to bring props, such as sports equipment, friends, musical instruments or even uniforms that help tell their story. We have even done portraits with mothers and daughters together!

Second, we offer our seniors specialized products that are very unique to our company. Our proof books are printed on actual photographic paper, which gives our customers a better idea of how their photos will actually turn out. We also offer Metallic Paper to our seniors. This paper creates eye-catching colors, flattering flesh tones and a three-dimensional look to the images. One of our last specialized products is personalized wallets. With more than 25 colors to choose from, our seniors can list their name and/or graduating year to give their photos that extra something special.

You may not personally have a son or daughter ready to have portraits made, but you most likely know a family member or friend who would benefit from this service. For more information on our senior portrait services, click the link below to view an electronic version of our senior brochure!

Anna-Beth Drinkard, Office Assistant

By working with different photography studios in the Memphis area, I have come to recognize the most important aspect of the business: the customer. The customer drives us to work harder, think creatively and brainstorm solutions to problems. Ironically, that same customer can cause us to lose our patience, our cool and ultimately our business if we do not pay close attention to their wants and needs. Through my experience in dealing with both easy and difficult customers, I have made mental notes as to what exactly every customer deserves from photography services.

One of the first observations I have made is that customers deserve variety. They need a variety of products to choose from because not everyone wants the typical 4x6 photo - some enjoy magnets, plaques, statuettes or even photo key chains. They also need a variety of prices that can target customers of every socio-economic level to make the products affordable for all. Customers need a variety of skill and talent among the photographers, as well, so they have confidence that the photographer knows how to approach each shoot. Without variety, a customer would not be getting what they deserve.

Customers also deserve convenience. Let's face it, our lives are getting busier as time goes by, and we really hate to do things that inconvenience us. I have witnessed many customers get very frustrated because dealing with their pictures was just too complicated. Customers need to be able to place orders at their convenience, whether it is online, over the phone, mailing or stopping by the office. They also deserve to get their pictures back in a timely manner. A high school senior, for example, does not want to wait weeks on end to see his/her pictures. In fact, I believe the longer they wait, the less desirable the pictures will be. Basically, customers deserve convenience because we realize that everyone has a million other things going on in their life, and taking and ordering pictures should not result in added stress.

And finally, customers deserve a company that is excited. When people are unhappy about working, it reflects in the level of service. A company should always be motivated and happy to satisfy the customer. There is no perfect company or perfect customer. However, when a company is excited to show their customers how special they are, perfection is always within reach.

Gene Mangiante, President

Mangiante Photography is proud to welcome two of our newest clients, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School and Christian Brothers High School. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic School is a parochial school under the Catholic Diocese of Memphis, serving nearly 300 elementary students and located in Germantown at 8151 Poplar Ave. Christian Brothers High School is an all-boys Catholic high school with nearly 850 students in grades 9-12. CBHS is located at 5900 Walnut Grove, and has been in Memphis since 1871!

The future of our business truly depends upon the satisfaction of our customers, and we are happy that you have chosen to become part of our family. We strive to provide all of our customers with fast, efficient service, along with the highest quality products available. Welcome!