| Visual Technology moves to new location | ||||||||
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| Bayles
launched Visual Technology in 1995. He caught the fever for digital
photography years ahead of others. "I saw the need to go digital back in
1995. People looked at me like I had three heads. I saw that technology
was evolving, the bottlenecks were opening up." Bayles, who lives in Downingtown, has been an avid photographer since his grandmother gave him his first camera at age 11 -- a Brownie box camera. He saw firsthand the many processes and people involved in handling film-based photography, and the many errors that inevitably crept in. "I saw a way to capitalize on minimizing those errors," he said. For Bayles, this meant going headlong into digital photography. He wrote up the business plan, found some private investors and established his business first in North Coventry, and then Downingtown. Space was always a problem for Bayles, until he drove by Ken Fordham's Family Dentistry practice on Byers Road near Chester Springs. The former creamery preserves the look of a barn with silo, which contains an entrance and stairwell. The historic structure has been dramatically renovated and subdivided into leased units. Visual Technology's studio is in the basement, which Bayles says is excellent for controlling light on his photographic shoots. "The old space was very disjointed. Here the workflow is much better." The 2,500-square-foot suite near Eagle accomodates two photo shoots and is equipped with a shower and makeup room. "We'll eventually grow the shooting room into a fully networked production facility," Bayles said. The space is fully wired for Internet use. Macintosh computers handle the graphics chores, and PCs are used for office administration and file serving. Bayles has been moving into the new, renovated space since July of last year from his old location. The larger of the shooting stations has a built-in rolling CYC wall to eliminate shadows. The smaller of the stations is for product photography. The studio makes use of two high-end digital cameras: a Leaf DCB2 and a Nikon D1. Digital photographic images are grabbed in 48-bit color using software called leaf capture. The use of high technology imaging enables Bayles to streamline production and save his customers money. "For instance, customers can do remote proofing. A client can view color proofs on the Internet from the comfort of their office." Forty percent of Visual Technlogy's business is traditional photography, and 60 percent is digital. Bayles' client base includes portraiture and new product photography for corporate and industrial clients. He works both in the studio and on location. Bayles recently completed a huge job for Sports Authority and Bluelight.com (Kmart) -- shooting 5,000 products in 5 months. Two staff members have recently been added to the small business: Mike Myers, a fulltime photographer and graphic arts specialist and Anne Lacey, an office administration and bookkeeping assistant. Soon Bayles will be looking to add interns to act as production assistants. 75 percent to 80 percent of Visual Technology's business is picked up through referrals. Five percent to 10 percent comes from cold calling companies, and the remaining 15 percent comes from soft leads. Like any small business, persistence pays off. One of the company's clients, AMETEK in Paoli, was courted by Bayles for four years before landing his first product photography assignments. Despite the economic slowdown, Bayles maintains his business is great. "People need and want quality photography to push new products. Digital photography can help eliminate 40 percent of the production costs, so as marketing budgets tighten, companies are looking to us as a resource." |
| İDaily Local News 2001 |
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