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VTalk Radio Spotlight
Today's Guest: Bev Michel of Bev Michel Photography in Westchester, Pennsylvania
Today's Host: John Bentley

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ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Photography Spotlight is sponsored by morephotos.com the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide. Welcome to the VTalk Radio's Photographer Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: Today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, we have West Chester, Pennsylvania, photographer, Bev Michael of Bev Michael Photography. A little bit about Bev; she was Wedding Photographer of the Year by the Mainline Today Magazine. Also awarded the Master of Photography Degree by the Professional Photographer's Association of America, as well as their Photographer of the Year in 2006 and many, many other awards. Welcome to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Bev.

BEV: Thank you.

JOHN: Bev, tell us a little bit about your photography business.

BEV: Sure. We specialize in weddings and we also do a lot of families, children, and babies. A lot of our customers bring their children to us or previous wedding customers that we photographed their wedding a few to many years ago. So we also throw in a few business portraits, and we're developing a high school seniors market. There's a lot of need for that in this area where there's mostly contract photographers in the schools so that's a real passion of ours to get that market going.

JOHN: Now how long have you been in business, Bev.

BEV: About 20 years.

JOHN: Great, and why did you decide to become a photographer?

BEV: It was just a passion of mine since I was small, and I just explored a couple of areas and decided that I wanted to do what I love to do for a living.

JOHN: Now let's talk a little bit about...you mentioned weddings. Weddings seem to be a springboard into doing family and having continued business. Weddings are kind of a little tricky, because it's kind of a one shot opportunity to get those photographs isn't it?

BEV: Yes, it sure is.

JOHN: Now do you take multiple photographers with you when you go to a wedding photography session?

BEV: Yes, most of our clients chose to have two photographers go to their wedding to get that photo-journalistic style, and also to please the parents and have some formally posed pictures. Our second photographer usually is doing all the photo journalism and a lot of the details shots. We capture every single detail of the day from the rings, the bride's shoes, everything, and I do most of the posing.

JOHN: Now just in kind of a ballpark figure, how many photographs do you think you're actually taking when you take another photographer out there with you. You must go through tons of photos.

BEV: We do. That's the beauty of digital. When a client hires us for a full day wedding coverage, they can expect in excess of 2,000 images and that's a lot to edit, but it really gives them a wide choice of images for the day.

JOHN: Wow, 2,000 images. That is a lot to go through, that's for sure. Well that means...are you guys doing a lot of post production then after you take the photos?

BEV: We do. We typically spend about 12 hours editing and making the images exactly what we want our client to have.

JOHN: Sure. Sure. Now as I said earlier, this usually turns into return business for you, doesn't it?

BEV: It sure does. Most of our business is through referral and a lot of the wedding clients have seen our albums which kind of stand alone. They are nothing like them out there on the market. They'll see an album of ours and call us and that really is our lead in for a lot of wedding referrals.

JOHN: Now not only do you do family portraiture and children, it looks like you also dabble into pets too, huh?

BEV: We do. We've been pretty successful. We do a fundraiser every year for our local schools, and this year we're actually doing four schools and we do a family portrait and the money from that goes to the charity of the PTO and a lot of families choose to bring their pets and we are fairly successful with photographing pets.

JOHN: Now you had mentioned something about seniors so I would imagine this time of the year you're doing a lot of senior photographs?

BEV: Yes, that's mostly from the beginning of the year until July, August, and we're developing that market. We're real excited about...we take a lot of seniors on location around the West Chester area, and we're trying to really develop the market in this area and get people to understand that senior photography is a lot more than just the cap and gown or the drape that they do at the school.

JOHN: And fine arts; tell us a little bit about that aspect of your photography.

BEV: Well that is something I really enjoy doing on my own time, just because I love photography so much. I spend a week in MARS School that's Mid Atlantic Regional School in Cape May where just this past year, I studied with Tony Sweet. He's a well known photographer who does nature photography and so I use that as a tool just to learn and explore new areas. I enter print competitions with some local groups and through the Professional Photographers of America. I'm a member of the Delaware Valley Guild and Delaware Photographers that I participate in print competitions with.

JOHN: Now Bev, we're going to take a break, but before we do that, why don't you give your website address and contact information please.

BEV: Sure. Our contact information is (610) 793-2210 and our website is www.michelphoto.com.

JOHN: Excellent. We're in the studio with West Chester, Pennsylvania, photographer, Bev Michael of Bev Michael Photography and you're listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. We'll be right back after these messages.

ANNOUNCER: This VTalk Radio Spotlight is sponsored by www.morephotos.com the online photo sales solution to professional photographers worldwide.

VTALK RADIO: VTalk Radio.

ANNOUNCER: Did you ever wonder why the groom is supposed to carry the bride over the threshold? What does the saying something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue mean? Visit www.weddingdetails.com and click on the lore and tradition section. We've got culture and tradition information from around the world. Visit www.weddingdetails.com tonight. We now return you to the VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight with your host, John Bentley.

JOHN: We are back in the studio with West Chester, Pennsylvania, photographer, Bev Michael of Bev Michael Photography.. Welcome back to the program, Bev.

BEV: Thank you.

JOHN: Now we've been talking about the many facets of your photography business. There are a couple of things that you do that are kind of unique to your business; one is the Story Book Club. Can you tell us a little bit about the Story Book Club?

BEV: Sure. A lot of our wedding customers will have children in a year or so or a few years and they bring their infants back for a newborn portrait or they may even start with a maternity portrait and for a set price they can come back three to four sessions during that year and get discounted prints and that way they can either get wall folios or an album that documents their child in their first year and how much they've changed.

JOHN: And also you do something called limited edition. I find this to be kind of a special little thing. Tell our listening audience what the limited edition is.

BEV: Sure. A limited edition happens a few times a year. One of our very popular ones is our Father Christmas special where we have Father Christmas come in, and we have the outfit, and we have the whole set made up with a fireplace and a tree with presents and it's very popular with the children and a lot of our customers will get Christmas cards with their kids with Father Christmas as opposed to taking them to the mall with Santa Claus.

JOHN: Sounds like a nice little keepsake treasure you can have.

BEV: Yes. It's great.

JOHN: Now you do some work for charities as well. Tell us a little bit about what you've got going on with charities.

BEV: We sure do. Every year we do a fundraiser for our local school district and we've been even asked in surrounding schools to do it for them. We will donate a family portrait session and a print the proceeds from that will go to the actual school PTO for whatever they choose to use the money for. It's been very popular in the school district and it builds in popularity every year. This year, we are actually doing four schools in the Unionville School District, and we hope to raise thousands of dollars for them. And in addition, every year I've done the Delaware Breast Cancer Coalition photographing survivors for their big gala where they try and raise money for breast cancer research and last year and this year, that happened at Longwood Gardens here in Kennett Square so we're looking forward to doing that again just in a few weeks.

JOHN: Now what is Operation Smile?

BEV: Operation Smile is an organization that provides surgical help for kids in underprivileged countries for kids that have princess cleft palette and things that need to be corrected and the parents can't afford to have the surgery done. So it's a charity that sends surgeons over there to help the children in underprivileged countries. Now Professional Photographers of America has ear marked that group and started a fund where you have a special family portrait operation going on and the proceeds for that will go to Operation Smile.

JOHN: Well that's very commendable that's for sure. Any time we can do anything for children around the world, I love that. Now let's get back to your photography business a little bit. Let's talk about some of the cities and communities around the West Chester, Pennsylvania area that you service.

BEV: Sure. We service locally Chadford, West Chester, Mainline area, and some Philadelphia area. We do have customers in Delaware, Wilmington, and I do travel also not too frequently, but some times down to Abalon, New Jersey, and the shore to do beach portraits or a wedding down at the shore.

JOHN: And what is the most extravagant photos session you've ever had a photographer?

BEV: Extravagant. Well we just did a wedding a couple of weeks ago where it was a 12 hour coverage and over 300 guests at the hotel, DuPont, and we also went to Gibraltar which is a beautiful gardens in Wilmington to do portraits there. So that was pretty extravagant.

JOHN: Sounds like it.

BEV: Yes.

JOHN: Well we certainly appreciate you joining us today on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Bev.

BEV: Thank you.

JOHN: Before we let you go, though, why don't you give your website address and phone number again.

BEV: Sure. Our phone number is (610) 793-2210 and our website is www.michelphoto.com.

JOHN: Thanks again for joining us on VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight, Bev.

BEV: Great, thank you.

JOHN: We've been in the studio with West Chester, Pennsylvania, photographer, Bev Michael of Bev Michael Photography, and you're listening to VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight. I am your host, John Bentley, and with my recording engineer, Damien Allen, we'd like to sign off. Have a great afternoon.

ANNOUNCER: You have been listening to the VTalk Radio's Photography Spotlight; only on www.vtalkradio.com. Radio for the 21st Century.



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