Susie Coleman, journalism teacher at Greenfield Central High School, (right) included students such as the Catamount yearbook editor, Jenna Stevens, in a process to determine a new photographer for the school. Coleman conducted surveys, compiled a list of goals and organized a committee of parents, and students along with IHSPA's Diana Hadley to listen to presentations from senior photographers.


A committee approach to finding Mr. Right

•By Susie Coleman
Greenfield Central High School

Last spring I dumped my boyfriend.

Now before you think that I was cheating on my husband…I wasn’t. I changed photography companies and it felt like I was firing my boyfriend. The company I was originally with was wonderful and I really wasn’t looking to change until the process started and other companies seemed to fit our needs a bit better.

One of our main concerns was the lack of seniors who were having their senior headshot taken to be included in the yearbook. Last year we had 45 of  275 seniors not pictured. When we informally asked students why, overwhelmingly we heard that they did not want to drive to Indy for their session. (I still don’t get this one…we are only 20 minutes from the studio…but that is what they said.)

Another concern was our lack of equipment. We were not totally digital because we could not afford to buy the right cameras. I knew when I negotiated a contract I wanted some stipulations to help us get the right equipment.

I tried to include my staff in the process as much as possible. I truly believe they are my link to the student body. They hear what people are saying and also have some great views of their own. When I started the process I wanted to make sure that I listened to what they had to say.

In my mind, as anal as it is…I believe this article will be most helpful if I just list and explain the steps my staff and I took in hiring a new photographer.

  1. In the fall, my staff conducted a survey of the current senior class. We asked them the following questions:  Where did you have your senior pictures taken?; Why did you go to this photographer?; Do you like having your yearbook senior picture in color?; Would you be willing to pay a small fee to keep your senior pictures in color?; Have you liked the quality of senior pictures in prior yearbooks?; and, What’s most important to you? (setting/props, cost, other)

Once we compiled these results, we made our wish list and wrote letters asking for proposals. The letter included a list of our needs…Senior pictures, underclass pictures, ID cards, extra shooting opportunities, Commencement photos and commission.

2.  We invited the major companies to send proposals as well as few local photographers. We requested written proposals by the holiday break so that we could take time to look over and analyze the information we received.

3.  Once we received the proposals, I made a spread sheet on which I tried to compare apples to apples. My major areas were Senior info (how we received it at the school, ie CD or hard copy), Senior cost (this one was hard…I did my best to choose similar packages), Underclass info, Underclass cost, ID cards (if there was a charge, how soon they arrive, if we get a machine we can use to make new ones), Extra photo visits (shooting Homecoming, group pix day), Film (in case we needed it!), Commencement (shooting the standard shake hand pix), Commission (Show me the money!) and any other areas they highlighted in the proposal. I also asked for references.

4.  Once I obtained all the info, I shared it with my principal and pinpointed the photographers I wanted to invite for presentations. I eliminated some because of cost, ability to handle our school size and other reasons.

5.  Next, I invited students, parents and an outside party to sit on a committee for the presentations. I chose two students (a current senior and junior), two moms (again, a senior mom and junior mom – both also had previous students/experience with senior pictures) and Diana Hadley, IHSPA Executive Director. My principal was awesome…he gave me a day out of the classroom and let me have the whole day for presentations.

I gave committee members a feedback sheet that covered the following areas:

Things they liked about the company; things that concerned them about the company; further questions/areas to explore; and finally, their recommendation. I encouraged everyone to be brutally honest and specific. I truly valued their input and really wanted to know what they were thinking.

On the day of presentations, we allowed 45 minutes for the presentation and 15 minutes for de-briefing. The de-briefing time was invaluable. This 15 minutes gave everyone the opportunity to share concerns, ideas, whatever right on the spot.

  1. After the presentations, I had all committee members order their companies by preference. Two companies rose to the top. Now came the hard part. I had to make my decision. I took the info gathered from the presentations back to the yearbook and newspaper staff, our two major concern areas…seniors and equipment…became our focal point. My staffs felt it was important to have a photographer who would come to the school and take senior headshots. While they valued and liked the idea of a studio session, they felt we would get more seniors if they were done at the school. The easy part was that the leading companies both would provide equipment.
  2. After a few weeks of negotiating and sleepless nights, I dumped my boyfriend….or in other words, fired the company I had been with for seven years. I wasn’t unhappy with their service or reps…the other guy just came in with a better deal.

So far, four months into the school year, we are chugging along. We have hit some bumps along the way…you always do when change occurs…but my new boyfriend has been there to smooth the way and make sure things are they way they should be.

And the most ironic part, my new boyfriend and my old boyfriend now work for the same company as the two have merged. Now I have the best of both worlds coming my way!