Case Study: Jacklyn Greenberg, JAGstudios

Organization Profile: JAGstudios operates with the motto, "Conscious photography for conscious people." Based in Connecticut, it was voted one of the Best Photography Studios in the New Haven Advocate's Best of New Haven 2007, 2008 and 2009 polls and was a Top 10 winner in the WEDCOMP (International Wedding Photography Competition) in 2008 and 2009 One of the fastest growing photography studios in New England, it also has locations in Boston, New York and Atlanta, and its photographers have shot events around the world.

Summary: JAGstudios owner Jacklyn Greenberg has been able to establish and follow her professional dream of running an eco-friendly photography business and still see sales skyrocket with the help of DigiLabs Pro and its online Web Galleries and expert photo proofing and fulfillment solutions. She has been able to double her prices yearly into the start of fourth season as she has expanded her professional portfolio to increase new bookings.

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Studio's Sales Spike, Photo Pro Embraces Eco-friendly Mission with Help of DigiLabs

Jacklyn Greenberg, owner of the New Haven, Conn.-based JAGstudios is one of the few prestigious professional wedding photographers who could honestly say she hated the events prior to starting her business. She previously thought of wedding days as depersonalized occasions that create a huge carbon footprint. Her attitude did a 180-degree turn-around after shooting a few of the events for friends and hooking up with DigiLabs Pro, a professional photography services company to which she credits a good deal of her success in her businesses' first four years.

Referred to the company by admired photographer Ben Chrisman, Greenberg was impressed by DigiLabs' high-quality, fully customizable proofing and print fulfillment solutions. It mirrored the attitude of "professional responsibility" on which she was building her own studio.

"I started finding other professional photographers, doing what they love, making it in the industry, creating images, winning top awards. It was life changing. I wanted to emulate them, but add my own spin. Now I do what I love, and I can be me. I provide people with aesthetically pleasing finished products and I get paid for it," said Greenberg who studied environmental sciences before finding her niche in photography. "DigiLabs was a perfect complement to my growing eco-friendly business. I need to work with people and businesses that care about the environment, that care about their customers."

DigiLabs' innovative and straightforward software for Mac and Windows allows Greenberg to combine a simplified workflow with robust digital photo management, editing, product creation and tools that empower her to manage and edit an entire shoot. Now, she can upload to the Web a photo gallery from an event in minutes with DigiLabs, instead of the hours it took using another software product. And it saves her - and the environment - the trouble of having clients drive to her office to review hard copy photographs before making print or album purchases.

Also, Greenberg can point to using DigiLabs Pro Web Galleries for photo proofing as a key driver for print sales because her clients had an easier time viewing and ordering photos online than they did reviewing and order from physical proofs.

"DigiLabs was my saving grace. My sales went up 100 percent once I started using its services and products. DigiLabs made me feel like it was ok to be me. I love that the company is always growing, creating, reinventing, listening to its clients, finding out what is going to help real-world pros, like me. They are my silent partners, and I love them for it," said Greenberg.

Bolstering JAGstudios' eco-friendly mission, Greenberg said she is extremely happy that her customers are able to proof one of DigiLabs' highly customizable coffee table books online before they are printed.

Thanks to the depth of DigiLabs' feature-rich software Greenberg also plays an interactive role in helping her clients select their purchases. Within the Web Galleries created with DigiLabs, her customers can create folders of their images - such as favorites, those earmarked for 8-inch by 10-inch prints or photo for parents - and she can interact with them via the online gallery to guide them on their decisions. Her clients can also post directly to Facebook or Twitter from their galleries.

Greenberg said she has been able to double her prices yearly into the start of fourth season and sees an increasing number of events being booked every year.

"I don't have 30 or 40 weddings to shoot in a year, like a lot of larger photography studios. So, I need to create my portfolio with perhaps less than 10 events. With those weddings, I need to create something emotionally compelling for my portfolio and I need to prove myself drastically so that I can grow my business growth each year," said Greenberg. "With DigiLabs I can easily create coffee table books, also, to market my business, like I did the for WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International in Association) 2010 tradeshow."

DigiLabs also enables Greenberg to populate her Web galleries with her own business' branding, it's own edgy style, because the galleries seamlessly integrate with her own website with no mention of DigiLabs Pro. She said she appreciate that it appears to customers that they are just doing business with her, and not a third party.

Greenberg said she is excited to begin incorporating DigiLabs' new flush-mount albums into her photo packages, and is particularly interested in the Marina model's animal-friendly cover option. She is also impressed with the release of StudioShare, DigiLabs' new free studio branded iPhone app that allows pros' clients to view, share and purchase from the ease of their iPhone anytime, anyplace. The app is like nothing offered by any other company in the photo industry, she said.

"I like to have my level of creativity pushed to new area with all of my photo jobs. I want to say to clients, 'Let me give you something that will blow your mind.' By collaborating with DigiLabs, I know I can focus on my art and on growing my business and they will take care of the rest," said Greenberg.

About DigiLabs Pro
DigiLabs Pro provides professional photographers with a comprehensive, cost-effective and flexible online proofing and fulfillment solution with advanced tools and widely popular product creations. DigiLabs remains invisible in to end customers, showcasing only a professional photographer’s brand. Offerings include e-commerce services such as web galleries, highly customizable flush mount albums, coffee table books, proof magazines, greeting cards, calendars and superior photo printing services. DigiLabs’ iPhone application allows photographers’ clients to access web galleries and to make purchases, anytime and anyplace. Thousands of photo professionals rely on DigiLabs products and services to help make their businesses more profitable and to distinguish themselves in their field. Founded in 2001 and based in Palo Alto, Calif., DigiLabs Pro is a privately held company. More information is available at http://digilabspro.com.