Millers Blog

January 2008 - Posts

• Daily Meetings

  One of the methods we use to strive for continuous improvement is daily department meetings.  Each area will gather for just a few moments near the start of their day.  The Department Coordinator will typically lead the meeting, paying particular attention to any new or ongoing problems.  We’ll also then go over any changes coming, etc., then give the other team members a chance to offer thoughts or suggestions.  Just 5-10 minutes a day, fairly informal (as you can see), but they are an invaluable tool for improvement. Here’s the Mount/Finish team gathering for their meeting one day earlier this week. Posted Jan 31 2008, 01:31 PM by Jason Becking with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Millers, Performance

• Marketing the Baby & Child Contest in Your Community

  We’ve made quite a few changes to the 2008 Baby & Child Contest, but the main goal remains the same – helping you bring sessions through your door during the slower season.  We’ve got a couple of ideas to get you started with marketing the contest in your own community:   Order postcards and posters advertising the contest.  We’re offering several templates this year, including a couple that allow you to drop in your own images.  To order, log in and click on Order Materials.   Try some ideas used by Crystal McWhirt from The Crystal Image – Winner of the 2007 Baby & Child Contest Marketing Category.  She rented billboard space and updated her studio website with information about the contest.  She distributed calendars and flyers throughout her community, including high-end daycares, children’s clothing and gift boutiques, and the children’s section of the public library.  She also worked with a local pizzeria, sending flyers out with pizza deliveries to targeted family neighborhoods.  Here are just a few of her marketing pieces from last year.   Of course, we know you’ve got some great marketing ideas too and would love to hear them!       Posted Jan 28 2008, 02:47 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Baby child contest

• Coming Soon - Miller's 2008 Baby & Child Portrait Contest

  We’ve revolutionized the 6th Annual Miller’s Baby & Child Portrait Contest, taking it online so that all of you can help determine the winners.  To participate, all you have to do is post images to our NEW Miller’s contest site, then vote for your favorites.  The contest begins March 1st!  For more details, click here.  Posted Jan 28 2008, 02:36 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Baby child contest

• Construction - The End is Nigh

  We’re rapidly approaching the completion of our new addition.  After some delays due to weather and then holding off on parts of the project to avoid inconvenience during our busy season, they addition is nearly finished.  The electricians and plumbers are working diligently this week to complete their work, with the flooring crew scheduled to begin later this week.   We’ll install the raised flooring that we have elsewhere in the production floor in this new area as well.  That should be complete within the next few days, at which point we will begin to have use of that new room!  We desperately need the space, so are happy to have this nearly behind us.  After complete, we’ll rearrange a little and then the crew will begin work converting some storage space into offices and enlarging our server room. All told, the Columbia facility is now approximately 44,000 square feet, still just over half the size of our Pittsburg facility. Here's the view from upstairs in the back looking into the (crowded) existing space:   And here's the nice big empty space waiting to be filled:   Posted Jan 28 2008, 01:38 PM by Jason Becking with no comments Filed under: Construction

• Miller's Heads to Michigan

  The next stop on the Miller’s Convention Trail will be Michigan!  The convention will be held at Ann Arbor Marriot Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest, February 2nd – 5th.  You can find more information about the tradeshow at www.ppm.org.  David Humphrey, sponsored by Miller’s, will be speaking about senior photography at 7 AM on February 5th – Break the Mold and Break the Bank.  Of course, Ted Vlaz from Miller’s will also be there working the booth so please drop by!   We would love to see you at any of our schedule convention stops.  In February, we'll be at the Indiana, Southwest, and Western States shows -- we hope to see you there! Posted Jan 25 2008, 03:48 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Conventions

• Miller's Stops in Tucson, Arizona at SPA

  The Miller’s Convention Team was lucky enough to spend this past weekend in Tucson, Arizona at SPA.  Although they didn’t have time to bask in the sun, they did enjoy visiting with all who came by to visit.  Here’s a quick recap of the convention from Ted Unruh, who attended the convention:   We just returned from Senior Portrait Artists and if you do senior photography, this is an absolute must-attend event. SPA gives you the unique opportunity to learn hands on with the best in the senior photography industry. We had the opportunity to tag along with David Humphrey during a photo session while at the convention. David is an amazing senior photographer with a high fashion look.  David is also an amazing teacher with the willingness to help anyone who asks. THANK YOU DAVID!!  Visit David’s website at http://www.mastersphotography.com to learn more.  It was great to see familiar faces and also to make new friends. We hope to see you next year at SPA!     Posted Jan 25 2008, 03:42 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Conventions

• Miss America ?

  Dana, daughter of long time Miller’s customers Ric and Lisa Daunis, from Watertown, Connecticut, is currently representing her home state in the Miss America pageant.  The event will be televised on Saturday, January 26.  We don’t want to give away any secrets, but hear she did quite well in the talent competition.  Congratulations to the Daunis family! Posted Jan 25 2008, 02:39 PM by Jason Becking with no comments Filed under: Millers

• The Miller's $100K Charity Program Strikes Again!

  This past weekend our convention team made a stop in Tucson, AZ for the annual SPA convention.  Once again, the Miller’s $100K Charity Program generated lots of excitement among attendees with $5,000 given away.  SPA winners include:   ·         Josy McIntyre of TruPhotography   ·         Lisa Slotsve of Lisa Slotsve Photography:  Donating $1,000 to RAINN   ·         Thomas Varano of Varano Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Abundant Life Christian Center   ·         Melissa Rakow of Countryside Studio:  Donating $1,000 to HospiceCare Foundation, Inc.   ·         Shelly Miller of Shelly’s Portrait Gallery:  Donating $1,000 to Pet Helpers   We’ve already had 25 winners, but still have $75,000 to donate in 2008.  Visit us in Michigan (Feb. 2 – 4) where we’ll be handing out another $2,000!   Posted Jan 23 2008, 11:27 AM by Julie Brown with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Charity

• Miller’s $100K Charity Program – Another $5,000 Awarded at SPI

  The Miller’s booth at SPI was busy with attendees signing up to win $1,000 to donate to their favorite charity, but we were only able to draw five names!  SPI winners included:  Richmond Gibbs of Photo Concepts:  Donating $1,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida Kendal Frank of Portrait Creations:  Donating $1,000 to Lois' Lodge Desiree Labrie of Bill Buttram Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Hope House Jerry Lang of University Studios:  Donating $1,000 to the American Cancer Society - Relay for Life of Citrus Springs Randy Taylor of Taylor Made Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Fine Arts Institute of Edmond, OK Don’t miss your chance to register for the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  Drop by our booth at SPA this weekend – we’re handing out another $5,000!   Posted Jan 18 2008, 02:07 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Charity

• $15,000 Donated at Imaging USA!

  The Miller’s $100K Charity Program was a big hit at Imaging USA with $15,000 given away!  Our fifteen winners included: Cathy Nocera of Nocera Photo: Donating $1,000 to the Cape Coral Fire Fighters Benevolent Fund Edward Regan and Sandy Gans of Florida Digital Gallery:  Donating $1,000 to 4Kids of South Florida Peter Horn of Ahh! Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Frisco Education Foundation Michael Timmons of The Portrait Gallery:  Donating $1,000 to the Buddy Stewart Scholarship Fund George Knotts of G and G Studio:  Donating $1,000 to United Cerebral Palsy of Central Maryland Fabiola Rodriguez of Fabiola Fotography:  Donating $1,000 to the Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Dance - the Next Generation Joey Liu of The Vine Entrepreneur:  Donating $1,000 to the River of Life Christian Church Tammy Bryngelson of Capture the Moment Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Voice for Children Latonya Scott of Scott’s Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Central Alabama Chapter Bob and Debra Hancock of Hancock Photography:  Donating $1,000 to Cambria County Humane Society Chris Johnson of Austin Imagery:  Donating $1,000 to Blue Dog Rescue Lisa Mendelowitz of Lisa Mendelowitz Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Earth Charter U.S. Dave Cain of Flash Photo:  Donating $1,000 to First Baptist Church Branson - Varsity Awana Dan Rakofsky of Dan Rakofsky Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Broward County Police Benevolent Association Hope Fund Robin Ewing of Robin Ewing Photography:  Donating $1,000 to the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Foundation Thanks to all who registered!  Come see us again at any one of our scheduled tradeshows for a chance to win!   Posted Jan 17 2008, 09:58 AM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Charity

• Miller's $100K Charity Program

  We’ve kicked off a new program at Miller’s this year – the Miller’s $100K Charity Program.  With your help, we’re giving away $100,000 in charitable contributions during the 2008 tradeshow season.  All you have to do is drop by our booth and register.  We’ll draw names throughout the show, and if you’re a winner, we’ll donate $1,000 to your favorite charity, in your name. Posted Jan 16 2008, 03:44 PM by Julie Brown with no comments Filed under: Charity

• Conventions & Forums

  We've changed up our booth and examples for the 2008 convention circuit.  Naturally, everyone at Miller's likes it but we were excited to hear good reviews from customers upon their return.  Check out "Yay Millers" on the forums for more.  Or check out their t-shirt creation for a brief summary.   Posted Jan 15 2008, 10:25 AM by Jason Becking with no comments Filed under: Millers, Conventions

• Color Experience

  One of the many things that sets Miller's apart is the number of employees with many years of color experience. We work for you, our customer, to try and customize your preferences to suit you and your customer. During our rush season this past November and December, I noticed many orders from new customers and I wanted to make sure everyone was familiar with the methods used here to help you receive orders to your satisfaction. When most of us started our color training, we were working with film. We could adjust color and density and used what we called a Shirley, or a reference print, that had what we considered the normal skin tone and the proper amount of lightness and darkness. We still use a print, or several for reference, but with digital we now have contrast, gamma, and saturation to add to the adjustment process. What is considered normal to one person might be completely wrong for another customer. The subjectivity of our job can be quite difficult at times, but not impossible. Some might like their images to look as close to a film image as possible, others might want that extra punch you can get with the addition of saturation or contrast. At Miller's we have several different tools to customize your preferences. We can add specific instructions to your account that will apply to every order. Here are some examples I see on a daily basis: slightly lighter/darker than Miller's standard, no extra yellow, add 10% contrast to all color files, just to name a few. You can send in a guide print for us to use on your orders or we can arrange to have one color person assigned to your account. However we can, it is our privilege to serve you! Thank you, Nema Velia Columbia Posted Jan 10 2008, 11:27 AM by Jason Becking with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Color

• Windows and Walls

  It seems to me that the majority of our new addition project is windows and walls.  Guess that's what happens when you build a (largely) empty room. The construction crew has completely removed the former existing east wall of the original building.  This first photo is from inside the original structure, looking southeast.   And this photo is from the opposite corner, looking back at our temporary wall of plastic.   Posted Jan 08 2008, 03:00 PM by Jason Becking with no comments Filed under: Columbia construction

• Upload Proofs additions

  We’ve recently added some new options to our “Upload Proofs” web software, playing catch up to our Remote Studio software. For proof portfolios, that ordering software now allows you to order: a full-page image as the cover and/or an Order Sheet.  For all proofing products, you can now order: a Slideshow (delivered to you on DVD) and/or our FREE ProFiles2Go service.  More information on both of these services can be found here. Happy 2008!   Posted Jan 04 2008, 09:30 AM by Jason Becking with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Millers, Proofing