Not all cover materials are created the same. There is a high level of quality and craftsmanship that goes into curating and developing the perfect product. Our team invests a significant amount of time to ensure the materials we choose will stand the test of time and offer something unique for you to present to your clients.
volume ordering software solutions
Which volume ordering software should you use?
If we’re being honest, when it comes to our volume ordering software solutions, the names can be misleading.
Here at H&H, we commonly get the question “Should I use hhsports or hhschools”? The simple answer is “it depends”. We work with many studios photographing more than just underclass who find hhschools is the best solution for them. But that’s not always the case.
Instead of getting stuck on the name, think more about what we have to put into our project. Both programs have similar product offerings, with some key differences (which we’ll dive into below). Both programs allow you to group individuals to teams or groups. And both programs allow you to associate information about the subject with images. Both programs also allow for one of the fastest and most reliable cropping tools in the industry, eliminating the need for pre-cropping your images.
hhsports
Are you photographing a small league, intramural sports, or even a preschool? You probably don’t get subject data before you photograph everyone. Are you looking for a straight-forward ordering process, with a minimal learning curve? Are you selling with prepay order forms? Do you not need knockouts or ID Cards? Well, then, hhsports is the solution you’ve been looking for.
hhschools
Are you photographing school pictures, a dance school, or even a large league that can give you data? Would you like to have the ability to utilize one of our 6+ data match capabilities (.csv data leading into a Post-Shoot Scan or Time Sync Scan data match)? Do you plan to proof your images before parents make a purchase? Are you planning to utilize one of our knockout services? Do you need the ability to order service items such as composites, admin / yearbook exports, or ID Cards for the school office? If you find yourself in these situations, hhschools is going to be your solution.
Workflows
Workflow. This 8 letter word terrifies some and makes others look like rockstars. When it comes to volume school and sports photography one of the biggest hurdles is matching images to data for thousands and managing the mountain of orders that ensue. Wondering what’s the best way for you to get the right data matched to the right image? At H&H we don’t limit you to only one option. There are several good choices. The right one will depend on a few factors. The most important one is what you have in hand before picture day.
But you need more than just knowing what your best option is. You need a reliable checklist that will help you make sure every time you place an order, no detail is missed. One of the services we offer is Order Entry Services (OES). Every fall this team coordinates with studios on entering orders for thousands of schools and leagues with hundreds of thousands of images and data for each person photographed. The secret to our success is checklists. Every order has a set of instructions to make sure no detail is missed. The beauty of partnering with H&H is you have access to the same project management and ordering software as OES. And now you have access to use the same checklists they use. When you’re ready, take the quiz to learn which checklist is best for you.
Need a little more info first? That’s OK. Read below to see the different options available and recommendations when to use each one. Then take the quiz to get your free checklist.
The first thing we need to talk about is data. Can you get it before picture day or not?
If you don’t have data:
There are two useful methods you can use to combine data with images in a project. Both of these methods require that data be collected at photo day. The minimum recommended information to be collected is first name and last name. For students that have a student ID, it is important to collect that as well. Packages (if they are being ordered at this point), teacher / homeroom, grade, team name, etc are also good pieces of information to collect here. Keep a run sheet of subject data collected, in the order photographed (or prepay flyers if you sell that way).
In order to match the collected data to the images, either:
If you do have data:
hhschools offers several methods for a streamlined way to match the data you get before picture day to the images you take. All of these methods let you import the student and player data into hhschools when creating the project. Then it will format and generate reports so you can print either camera cards, shoot lists or ID labels—each one with a unique barcode for each person. You can either disregard these barcodes and use the report to match the data to each imported image in our Match Data Wizard. Or you can use these barcodes with a scanner using one of the following methods:
Post-Shoot Scan
Why should I choose a post-shoot scan workflow
This method does not require scanning at picture day. Pick this option if you get data ahead of time, and want to save time on your data entry, but feel like adding scanning to the rest of the picture day chaos is one more thing you’ll mess up. We recommend this option if you have 1-5 schools or leagues and get the data before picture day. Think this is the best option for you?
How post-shoot scan works
Simply pass out the camera cards or labels as each person lines up to be photographed. Then the photographer collects them, and keeps them in the order photographed. Or if you are using a shootlist, record a jpg name or sequence number next to each person you photograph. Once you’re back at the computer after the photoshoot, import the images for each camera into hhschools. Then open the match data screen and use a USB scanner to scan the Subject ID barcode to match that person’s data to each image. You don’t need to buy this scanner from us. There are several models of handheld scanners, which can be purchased online or at your favorite office supply, that will work. If you would like some suggestions, give us a call.
Time-Sync Match
Why should I choose a time-sync match workflow
No, this is not a tethered scanner. This scanning on-site option is faster than your traditional tethered shooting model. Use this option if you get data before picture day and need the fastest, scalable workflow in volume school and sports photography. This method requires a specially programmed Opticon scanner at each camera station (and a backup just in case).We recommend this option if you have 5+ schools or leagues and get the data before picture day. Think this is the best option for you?
How time-sync match works
Because this scanner must be specially programmed, you will need to purchase from H&H Color Lab. Click here to order an Opticon scanner. This scanner is not tethered to the camera or a laptop. This wireless scanner is synced using a sync barcode scan and a sync image at the beginning of the photo shoot. Watch this short video to see how. Once synced, the scanning process is as simple as scanning the barcode on the subject’s camera card, label or shoot list, then photographing that subject. You can take as many images as needed to get a good pose or expression. The scanner will match them all to that barcode until you scan the next one. Then when you’re back at the studio, connect the scanner to the computer and import the scanner data when you import the images from the camera. Watch the magic happen as all the scanner data is matched to each image.
But what about the packages and backgrounds from all the prepays? Well you have 2 options to enter this data:
Which should I choose?
Still not sure which workflow is best for you? Take the quiz to find out now.