Paul the Programmer

Julie asked me to write a blog. If you noticed, it has been a while since I put pen to…well, fingers to keyboard in preparation to ramble. I have been busy. You may have noticed a couple of small things we have accomplished this year, like the new website, the new press and album products, and the Baby and Child Contest. There have also been a ton of internal, behind-the-scenes projects that I hope will help us help you. I couldn’t accomplish all of this alone - I have lots of help; the guys at ProLab Solutions have been busy doing the Java coding for the just-released Remote Studio Plus. They also write for the current Remote Studio, and we interact constantly to make sure what you order is what we build here at the lab. While building the website, I hired a consultant who we affectionately refer to as Abe. Abe is sharp and has taught me a few things along the way. Sometimes he makes me feel old (I am) because most of the stuff I know is obsolete. Abe is now updating our web hosting.  

The purpose of this isn’t to pat ourselves on the back. Julie asked me to give her a hard date for the release of the new Album Quick Order program. Initially, I thought we would be able to copy the Press Quick Order stuff and with a few changes use most of its code. Of course we don’t want it to work the same way and the products are different so I had to can that idea almost immediately. The good news is I am about half done with the newer, better Album Quick Order. The database structure is complete and the back-end pieces to create the products are also done. So, I should be testing in a couple of weeks and releasing soon after that. I can’t promise anything though because sometimes I have to stop and fix errant orders, but I will do the best I can. And since Abe has taught me lots of new tricks, you can expect it to work better than the Press Quick Order which I will fix as soon as…well, you get the picture. Thanks for your patience and thank you for your business.

 

Paul The Programmer

When I flew back from vacation last month I took an aisle seat. I was flying Southwest and luckily got a “B” boarding pass both directions. I was surprised to find out that Southwest doesn’t assign seats (can you tell I don’t fly much). Anyway, I took an aisle seat because I am huge and when I tried the window seat I felt like a pretzel. I also choose a seat next to another large person hoping it would deter anyone from sitting in the middle seat between us. Luckily, it worked on the trip down…on the way back, however, the flight was full and I had to find a new strategy.

I ended up sitting next to a couple who were returning home from a cruise. Before the flight, I had chatted with the gentleman in the terminal for better than an hour. He told me the cruise was great fun and he and his wife tried to do every excursion they could. He also mentioned that at every activity there was a photographer. Being in the “biz”, this piqued my interest and I started asking him questions about how that worked. I mean there are a couple thousand passengers on a sizable ship and I wondered how they market the pictures once they take them.He explained that after each stop and subsequent excursions, all pictures would be posted on a big wall. That’s it, it was that simple. If you wanted prints you grabbed the proof off the wall and brought it up to the office to order. If you didn’t like your print you simply pulled it down and threw it away! Of course this works because the cruise ship has a captured audience. Professional studios have a bit more work to do before making the sale but in either case we either have to catch our customers when they are in the mood to spend money or we have to wow them with our product so they feel compelled to buy.

Although the cruise pictures are easy to think of as a “once in a lifetime” product, the “wall” has made it too easy to simply throw that memory away. Pro Photographers have an edge. They have the advantage of personally interacting with the client to explain how precious the captured memory they are presenting is. No situation can be reproduced so even the bad shots have some value and shouldn’t be discarded. They can always be printed in a proof or press book or, if the shots are funny, maybe even on a button.

I think I might take a cruise after I slim down. If I look good I will probably buy the pictures they take of me. If I don’t buy them it will only be because nobody will be there telling me I should buy them just for something to laugh at when I do lose weight….Paul C

I usually try to have at least one blow-out barbeque at my house every year. This year the party is going to be Saturday. Usually word of mouth is enough to fill the house and yard with people but this year, Jim Jamison suggested doing it differently. Now although I can write programs and design computer systems that move images around, I am not very creative. I took art in high school and that’s where my creative juices stopped flowing…along with hair growth juices, thinness juices…well, you get the picture.

Jim’s suggestion was to create a press card invitation and with that, unknowingly volunteered his creative services. Jim is largely responsible for product creation here at Miller’s pro and he and I work closely to bring those products to you. He tells me how the products need to work and I either write order entry code or, like with the new Press Quick Order (which I should be finishing now instead of blogging), I figure out a way to represent the products and options for easy ordering.

I gave Jim the text I thought the card should have, including the “bring a designated driver disclaimer” (I live in the country and the roads are curvy), and pestered him until he designed the card for me. John brought the cards to my office on Wednesday night and they looked awesome! I immediately started handing the cards out to friends around town and the response was incredible. Everyone wanted to know where I got the cards and it seemed like the party information was secondary! Now, I know you are thinking that this is a shameless plug for our press offerings and, in a way, it is but I really, really was amazed at how many people went ga-ga over the card when I gave it to them.

I paid what you guys pay for the cards and compared to the cost of the party, would gladly pay 2x the wholesale price for each card and it wouldn’t break the bank. I hope everyone shows and with the awesome card, they may hold on to it long enough to use the map to get there. Of course the promise of free food and beer goes a long way too. Paul

Jason and I went to Bennigans for lunch today. Lunch is a special time for me. I need to get away from the plant for a bit to recharge. As fat as I am, I should follow Jim’s lead and go to the gym during lunch hour but I hate pain…unless it’s the pain from that last chicken wing poking me from inside my gut.  

The food at Bennigans was as it should be, a bit over priced with portions larger than even I can eat, but the service today was outstanding. Our server, Brit, was prompt, friendly and was ready to refill our glasses before we asked. Jason and I both noticed and he commented half way through the meal at what a good job she was doing. I gave her a good tip (it was my day to pay) and at the end, before we left, Jason thanked her and let her know how much we appreciated the good lunchtime service.

In my opinion, it shouldn’t be a surprise to get good service. However, I have several friends who have made careers serving and I see how it takes a toll on them sometimes. Poor tippers, mean people and the workload can combine to make even the best server have an off day. On the other hand, if I were a server (I am, in a way) I would do my best at every table so when the whale-tipper happens to be paying, I get to cash in.  

So what does this have to do with professional photography or programming? Well, nothing if we all worked in a vacuum. Since you have customers and I have customers (you, our production staff, Richard, etc), excellent service means everything to both of us. Richard mentions our service level every day. In fact, sometimes I want to scream at the numbers but they don’t lie. Those numbers tell us who is getting it right and who needs to redouble their efforts.

Everyone here at Miller’s is responsible for our products being delivered on time and accurately and we take that seriously every day. As a programmer, I routinely work with everyone to find better ways to check your orders and to help move the work more quickly through the plant. I know everyone else does their best at their jobs because the numbers show it.  It is in our best interest to get it right with every order and our tip is simply knowing that someone is hanging our (studio + Miller’s) product in their home.

Paul

I grew up in the 70’s. Well, I really never grew up but I was a kid when most of today’s “classic rock” was new. Now-a-days, to keep sane during the day, I have loaded most of my music collection on my portable jukebox. Mind you, it is legal. I mean come on, I work with copyrighted pictures all day and would be pretty stupid not to follow the same rules with my music. Besides, I make enough money to pay for CDs and I just can’t buy in to the electronic storage. I guess I have just replaced too many hard drives.

Anyway, I had some Led Zeppelin cranking yesterday afternoon after the others who share my office area had left for the day (those Mpix guys are squares) and, as I was toiling away thumping my head against my monitor, Black Dog came on and I immediately flashed from some session variable problem back to 1978. Flashback or not, there I was, driving my old Rambler down the Clearwater causeway to the beach. Back then, Clearwater Beach, Florida, was kid-friendly rather than condo central. I could always count on meeting a few of my friends there. With gentle gulf breezes and no crowds, it truly was paradise for a young person back then. The problem is the only memories I have are the ones in my head and most of them are clouded by the excesses of an 18-year old drinking age. What I wouldn’t give to be a kid again (who wouldn’t) and have the gadgetry kids today have to capture their youthful experiences.

Misty Mountain Hop is playing now and I am trying to figure out how big my cardboard picture box would be if I had to store the number of images kids are taking today with 70’s technology. I would need a tractor trailer! Which begs the question, what are today’s kids doing with all those images? Let’s face it, phone pictures are crap but they might be ok in a press book. Most pocket camera pictures, if you are lucky enough to get a crisp one, are more than adequate to print even at 8×10 size. So here is a test to see if anyone is reading these blogs: How can I help you – the studio – get your customer’s printable images to a place where we can both make some money from them?I am worried that although kids are taking pictures, uploading them to Facebook, MySpace, PhotoBucket, etc. they aren’t properly archiving them. Our parents had Super8 film projectors and dare I say (we are a Kodak lab) Polaroid instant pictures. Today’s kid shots are laying on some hard drive or on a CD that may become unreadable in three years after the substandard glue releases and the shiny aluminum layer no longer shines.After 20 years in this business, I believe whether it’s press or silver halide, printing is the only way to make sure our customer’s most valuable memories will be there to help them remember the “good old days”. What I would give to have a snapshot of the 2 empty six packs we drank while cruising down the causeway with the windows down and Stairway to Heaven blaring…

Paul Cushing

So now I am a blogger. No problem. I think it will be fun giving you (our customers) a glimpse at what it takes to deliver your pictures accurately and on time.

There is one problem though. Samae, our marketing person, wants to give you more than a glimpse at my work, she wants to take my picture and post it along with my blogs! She said it should be a “fun” picture. Let me tell you, it isn’t any fun sitting at my desk. Catch me at home on Saturday afternoon when the lawn is mowed and I have a cold beverage in my hand, that’s when I am having fun. Besides, I am the quintessential programmer. I am out of shape…yeah, really out of shape, and I am VERY camera shy. Most of the time it isn’t an issue since nobody really wants a picture of me. (does late at night in the chatroom count?)  I just have an aversion to having my picture taken.

So we are at an impasse here. I have to decide if you guys are more important than my idiosyncrasies and since I work at a photo lab you can guess how things will go. I do have to pay the mortgage. Anyway, I am almost ready to start testing the web portion of the Press Quick Order program. This is the worst part since I have to begin accepting criticism about how I did things. Oh well, it’s the programmers’ cross to bare.

Paul Cushing

  Edit:  Picture inserted by admin, 7/30/2007 2:42 p.m.

When Jason came to me last week and asked me to start blogging, I was excited. I mean, for the most part, the only people I share what I am doing with are Richard Miller and my fellow IT staffers. I started thinking that posting something for our customers to read would be an honor.

Over the weekend I thought some more about blogging and realized that you guys have already seen some of my writings on our website and in our ordering programs. I can’t take full responsibility for everything you see as there are quite a few of us here toiling daily to make our electronic offerings better but you have “read” some of my work. I am not talking about content mind you, I am referring to the underlying code that makes our sites hum. Of course programming isn’t about the program and you are not really “reading” it, but about the results the program delivers.

Lately I have been working on a new press ordering program dubbed “Quick Order”. It is a four-step program that will allow you to quickly order press products using your existing images or layouts. It should be extremely easy to use. The program is completely web based so will be PC and Mac compatible. I am excited about this because it is the first web project I am completely responsible for writing. Despite over 20 years experience in the industry, I’m still learning! Please go easy on me once it’s released. I will do my best to make it into exactly what you need to easily order any one of our myriad of press products.

I hope to be able to share more later. Until then, we value your business and I appreciate the time you took to read this.

Paul Cushing