Chris Keating - Biography

Chris Keating photographic resource.
Proud Dad and passionate Husband.

It is going to be great to connect with you.

Both of my parents are teachers, and when I was a child they worked all the time. Often they were gone from before I woke up in the morning and didn’t return home till late at night. It had a direct impact on how I felt about myself, and I didn’t feel good. That is what motivates me to work so hard to help other photographers earn the income they deserve, while at the same time work less. Photographers work hard, they put in long hours, but all to often it’s on the wrong things. I love to show photographers how they can make simple steps to improve their business.

It is my hope that by working together, we are able to get your business to a place where you not only earn the income you deserve. But that you may also have the free time to let the people you love, know just how much they mean to you. It is also my goal to aid you in creating a photography business that is a source of pride for you, eliminating some of the frustration we feel when we just can’t seem to get the traction in the market place we yearn for.

We are in a new era of business, how we operate, what we sell and how we relate to our customer, has changed. What was working as well, as recently as a few years ago is continuing to work less and less. Our market place has changed. The world view of our market has changed and if we as photographers don’t change to accommodate this new world view, we will be left behind as our customers choose other service providers.

It is my aim to show you what is going on in our society, what is changing and why. I would like to layout how to take advantage of these new changes in our photographic industry. You will find a new world approach to the foundation of solid business practices and finally have a clear vision on how to proceed for the future.

Connecting with your client isn’t the same as it once was. Facebook, Youtube and Google have changed our world, and it doesn’t matter if we like it or not. We not longer have the luxury of trying to figure out if it is good or bad. We need to come to terms that this is the way it is going to be, deal with it and take big action to make it work.

Heck we might even have some fun!

My studio, a source of pride, fulfillment and money. In what ever order I choose that day.

Towne Photography in quaint McKenzie Towne, Calgary Alberta. Was founded by one of Towne's photographers, Chris Keating in 2006, After the birth of Keating’s first son, Vallen.

"I took a month off. When Vallen (the was born and there was just no way I could go back to working downtown" says Chris.

Chris used to run a commercial photography practice on 17th Ave. SE. A business he half jokingly calls his bad photography studio, alluding to Towne Photo as his good studio. "my old studio wasn't good, I kept everything in my head or on scraps of paper. It wasn't good for my clients, me or my family. I wasn't utilizing staff or technology to run my business putting way to much pressure on myself resulting in failure. Creating havoc and a lifestyle that wasn’t conducive to the family I wanted to create for my children". Despite his short comings business thrived.

In creating Towne Photography he resolved to do it differently. “Having a baby, my Wife and I were having many appointments and buying many different items. It be came painfully clear that there was a something missing in these experiences.” Chris met with over 250 studio owners and even toured many of their locations.

Chris goes on to say;
I was looking for was ways to create a photographic experience that worked. What I did is not my idea or even unique. I took my idea from a guy you may have heard about before. Do onto others as you would have done onto you. Regardless of what your religious views are I think we all can agree it’s a great principal. So that is what I did. I started thinking about what I didn’t like about the experiences I was having and found ways to avoid them in my practice.

One of them I hated was going to the doctor and having to wait sometimes over an hour for our appointment. This drove me crazy, why make an appointment if you aren't going to respect your clients time. Although this was an easy fix for me. 1) no waiting room and 2) only work with six clients a day. Giving you the time you deserve and allowing me time to recoup between appointments so I can be prepared for my next session.

Two I hated going to an expert to buy or have something created for me. Only to be forced to answer all the questions and make decisions myself with little or no input from the pro. For example a cabinet maker, painter or landscaper. These guys do it everyday they must have better ideas and suggestions than I do a guy who has never done any of this yet there I was left to my own devices to know what was available and if it would be the best option or not. Although I am now thankful as it has helped me help you. Because of those trying times we have revolutionized the ordering experience. You'll never be at a loss for ideas, opinions, or suggestions. Don’t worry you are still in charge. It’s your family portrait after all.

These are just two of the 86 aspects of the photography experience that we identified, modified and improved.”

Towne Photography specializes in creating fine family photography. With a emphasis on legacy art work.

We have entered into an era of history. In which we are the most photographed and documented. You would think this is a good thing and normally he would agree, but the trouble with all of this is that the photography and data collection is in a medium that is not tangible, it’s all in 1’s and 0’s on disc. Plus we are documenting it at such an alarming rate that we will not be able to filter through it, make adjustments and create final items to enjoy. Let alone backup and store the date properly.

Photographers, are more important than ever, as society puts a greater importance on documenting and as a market we grow larger amounts of expendable cash, It has never been a better time to be a photographer... if you can learn what you need to and get to work.