Case Study: John Waugh Photographic Images

Organization Profile: John Waugh Photographic Images is based in Boulder, Colo., and provides full service photographic imaging for the action sports, commercial, architectural, special events and editorial clients. Working in the motorsports and outdoor lifestyle industry for years, John has honed his compositional eye to present rich, crisp, concise images that enthusiastically portray the subject and the situation. His work is published in various magazines, numerous commercial sites, corporate exhibits and private collections throughout the United States and Europe.

Summary:DigiLabs Pro has provided Web Gallery hosting and fulfillment services for John Waugh Photographic Images for the past three years, offering Waugh an additional revenue stream and providing valuable support for servicing clients around the world. Covering some of the most high-profile and exciting racing events, like the 24 Hours of LeMans and the Colorado Grand, Waugh finds himself in rare company with the world’s most exclusive mixture of cars and stars;. Using DigiLabs Pro services and products has established and preserved the image of his business while also growing his brand to reflect the high level of services he offers, ensuring his work is never confused with that of a shoot-and-burn photographer.

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DigiLabs Pro’s Trackside Support Helps Capture Motoring Memories

The roar of the crowd is often synonymous with grandstands full of frenzied race fans fixated on sun-baked tarmac, waiting for the race leader to come pounding down the final straight. Creating a still image out of such speed is what makes John Waugh Photographic Images the go-to source for capturing some of racing’s most celebrated events.

A long-time sports and event photographer, Waugh began the motorsports chapter of his career following his niece’s explosion into the sport in the late 90’s. Liz Halliday of Liz Halliday Racing has been one of the most exciting drivers to participate in the American LeMans Series, setting numerous records, many of them for the first time being held by a woman. After being asked to chronicle her rise from the Kumho BMW Championship to one of the world’s most celebrated and challenging endurance events, the 24 Hours of LeMans, Waugh found a calling and created a new niche for his business. In addition to many signature racing gatherings, Waugh has also been chosen to document exclusive events like the Colorado Grand, where he’s surrounded by up to 150 of the world’s most recognized automobile collectors.

Much of his clientele represent a wealthy and successful base of racing enthusiasts, and meeting their high standards is critical to being asked to return, year after year. To ensure that happens, Waugh relies on DigiLabs Pro to present his work in Web Galleries that can be fully customized to his studio’s brand and identity within this niche clientele community. “I need to be professional and proficient, every single time,” Waugh says.

Keeping the Pretenders in the Paddock

DigiLabs and Waugh began working together shortly after his entry into racing and classic car photography. Throughout his travels, Waugh has been introduced to numerous characters in the motorsports community, from drivers to restorers as well as other photographers. As he began to create a name for himself, Waugh pursued additional training at a sports action photography workshop led by Sports Illustrated photographer Peter Read Miller. During the six-day program, Waugh had a chance conversation with commercial photographer Grant Leighton. After learning Leighton was a high-end wedding photographer who used an online gallery service to boost sales, Waugh was intrigued. “He said DigiLabs Pro was like having a license to print money,” says Waugh. One phone call later with DigiLabsand the rest, as they say, is history. “They felt like we’d be a good fit for each other, and indeed we have,” recounts Waugh.

Waugh uses Web Galleries and fulfillment services from DigiLabs, which greatly simplifies the process for his customers who are looking to purchase photos of their vehicles in action. Whether the photo shows a vintage Mercedes gently coasting down a mountain highway or a high-horsepower LeMans prototype storming down the track, Waugh’s clients want to see their vehicles look as good on paper as they do in real life. Fortunately, DigiLabs makes sure these high-horsepower and high-caliber clients are never disappointed, thanks to the ease at which customers can preview and order photos. For Waugh, this type of trust is vital to his business. “I’m working with clients who are comfortable purchasing vehicles costing in the range of $750,000 to $20 million,” he notes. “That client is fairly hesitant to do business with someone new, so they’re hard to generate and tough to hold on to. You want to treat them well, and to me, DigiLabs does that.”

One of the toughest challenges of his business that DigiLabs helps Waugh to combat is the high number of rouge shooters, usually younger amateur photographers armed with cameras trying to make a quick buck. For instance, following a track day, a shoot-and-burn photographer might post upwards of 2,000 photos online, giving the photos away for $5 a shot while Waugh posts only his best work starting at $50 per capture. For Waugh, ensuring his image stays polished and pure is a critical responsibility he entrusts to DigiLabs. “A professional attitude and professional images separates me from those types of shooters,” says Waugh. Since his galleries from DigiLabs incorporate his masthead and contact info, there’s no apparent change from his site to theirs. “One of the keys to building a branding presence is to repeat your name, repeat your logo and emphasize your product base. You have to differentiate yourself and present a high-caliber approach to engage the customers I’m trying to reach.”

The Ultimate Pit Crew

In addition to working with individual owners of investment-grade vehicles, Waugh’s clients include collector car insurance giant Haggerty Insurance and publications like Sports Car Market, which tracks monthly auction results, and Vintage Motorsports, a high-gloss record of vintage racing activity. These clients seamlessly enter Waugh’s DigiLabs Web Galleries to choose his photos for advertisements and editorial, with zero heavy lifting on his end. At one time, these purchases presented an accounting nightmare for Waugh, who was tasked with chasing invoices and managing payment systems, necessary evils that slowed him down. By enlisting DigiLabs’ support, all that is off his mind.

Of course, his favorite part of the DigiLabs relationship is watching his incremental sales grow almost overnight, a phenomenon he credits to the services and support provided by DigiLabs. On a given weekend, Waugh will see orders for an event shot months ago appear in his inbox, ranging from $200 to $1,200, all while he sits in his office working on other projects. The DigiLabs model is tough to beat, thanks to the easily searchable and always available Web Galleries, which comes in handy during the inevitable sales rebound period. “All of the sudden, the next running of the Colorado Grand comes up, and they’re thinking, ‘Oh geez, I never got photos,’” he notes. “DigiLabs was there and took care of it.”

And like a Ferrari screaming into triple digits on the downhill, Waugh’s sales have taken off. Without using aggressive sales tactics, Waugh has seen his print sales triple, a number he’s confident could be increased with ease. However, treating his customers as delicately as they do the paintwork on a one-off Jaguar is what keeps them coming back, along with outstanding customer support from DigiLabs. When one customer ordered 800 Christmas cards of a print Waugh created, DigiLabs hand-delivered the stationary to the client’s office. As it turns out, they were mere minutes away from leaving on their private jet for a European holiday, and the timely delivery allowed the client’s wife to address her cards on the trip over.

“They’re lifesavers,” Waugh says of DigiLabs. “I know they’re going to treat me well.”

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.