Ron Martinsen’s
Personalized Service Offering
On January 18th, I asked the readers of this blog what type of services that they would like me to offer. The top responses were Portfolio Reviews and Personalized Training. In this article I’ll address the first request by offering some services based on the responses I received. At a later time I’ll address the topic of Personalized Training.
Based on your feedback, it was clear that the budget for a portfolio review was a huge spread. One reader suggested free (sorry, that’s not gonna happen unless you are close personal friend, paid student or volunteer) up to $800 for an exhaustive review by another reader. However, the consensus among most readers was that they wanted flexibility to chose an offering that was in line with their budget and expectations. This is my attempt to make offerings which align with those requests and the value of the limited spare time I have to do this work.
Bronze – $60
You send Ron a link to your website and he will send you a personal email with the following feedback:
- Overall impressions of your site along with any recommendations for improvement on the overall presentation of your web site.
- Ron’s picks for the top 5 photos on your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved in the areas of composition, exposure, and post-processing.
- Ron will offer recommendations on books, software, and/or gear that you may want to consider acquiring to take your portfolio to the next level.
- You may submit one question (with no subparts) and he will provide a personal reply.
The time spent reviewing and composing the email will be a maximum of 45 minutes.
Silver – $120
All of the Bronze features in a personalized private video instead of email where Ron may offer more observations and tips as he reviews your site on his MacBook Pro.
For this service Ron will pick the top 10 photos (total) for your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved.
You may submit two questions (with no subparts) and he will provide a personal reply via email and/or video.
The video will be a maximum of 15 - 20 minutes, but the time spent preparing for the video will be one hour. He will also offer a limited follow up email with links to related information discussed in the video.
Gold – $250
All of the Silver features in a one on one phone call (Skype, Lync or Messenger may be used when possible) instead of email or video.
For this service Ron will pick the top 15 photos (total) for your site along with any recommendations on how those photos may be improved.
Ron will spend a maximum of 90 minutes on the phone and offer a limited follow up email with links to related information discussed over the phone.
Platinum – $250/hr ($500 minimum)
You make the rules. Ron is available to field your questions, review your images in the format of your choice, and communicate his feedback via the mechanism of your choice.
If a face-to-face meeting is desired then contact Ron for a full quote based on your plan. This can include travel (you pay the expenses) and one on one instruction using your gear at the location of your choice (including Ron’s studio, your home, or even a travel destination of your choice).
Topics may include Photography, Photoshop, Lightroom, Printing, Working with Models, Studio Lighting and more.
If models are required then you will be required to pay all costs for models and assistants, although every effort will be made to keep this cost down to a minimum.
Limitations & Requirements (Excluding Platinum)
To offer the most helpful advice, some preparation work is required on your part. The following will be required to participate in this service:
- The photos that you wish for Ron to review should ideally appear in one gallery, but a maximum of five galleries will be reviewed. The maximum total number of photos in all of the gallery links submitted should not exceed 40. It is also recommended that you make your best effort to limit your photos to your best selections and try to avoid more than one from the same shoot and/or spot as much as possible. Under some circumstances a review of prints or email attached photos may be considered, but please discuss with Ron in advance as certain restrictions or fees may apply.
- The server hosting the photo galleries is expected to load and display photos in a timely fashion (within 5 – 8 seconds per image). In the event that the site is too slow you will be contacted for one reschedule review, but if the performance still remains slow this may impact the number of photos that Ron picks and discusses.
- Ron is only available for phone calls, video chats, etc… on Monday’s, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 PM until 11:30 PM Pacific time. He may also be available for limited weekends from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM on select Saturday’s and 3:30 PM – 6:00 PM on Sundays – Pacific time. Please keep this in mind if you choose a service that requires personal interactions. The platinum service is an exception, but will be booked based on different schedule limitations.
- Once work begins, this service is non-refundable. Ron is happy to discuss any concerns or complaints via email should you be anything less than 100% satisfied. When possible he will make every effort to ensure your satisfaction using remedies at his sole discretion.
- In the event your portfolio includes material that violates any laws or is questionable (i.e., stolen work, inappropriate images of minors, peeping tom footage, etc…), the service may be terminated immediately. In cases where this is determined early enough a partial refund may be made. Reviews of nude or sexually suggestive material is acceptable when all laws have been obeyed and in some cases model releases and age verification (license or passport evidence) may be required. Illegal material such as inappropriate images of minors will be reported to the authorities immediately and without warning.
- Ron’s opinions offered are just that - his opinions based on his experience as a photographer and a well-known photography/photo editing blogger. He makes no guarantee of any specific outcome of your future performance as a photographer based on this feedback. In short, your future is in your own hands and this service is Ron’s attempt to offer his opinion on where you are at the moment in time of the review.
- This is a service offering and not an employment arrangement. Fees will be paid in full in advance of the service being performed via PayPal only. You are responsible for informing Ron of any laws (i.e., tax or otherwise) which may apply to your area.
- Each review or Platinum service will be reviewed and accepted at Ron’s discretion. Terms will be established in advance
- Prices and service availability subject to change without notice. Your confirmation email will include details of what is included for your service and you will have the ability to cancel anytime up until the service work begins. An email will be sent notifying you of when the review related work has begun.
For questions, please use my contact form.
Payment Information
Please use the following link or contact Ron if you wish to use another method:
Platinum payment will be billed after the consultation email exchange.
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