Two Scene Machine systems are among the most important tools Brian and Debbie White of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada use to acquire school contracts and increase sales.   Brian and Debbie are not newcomers to the school picture business. They started their Pro Photographics operation 10 years ago covering schools in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Montreal.   Brian was a leader in moving to digital but realized that going digital was not enough.  He felt a strong need to clearly distinguish his offering from competitors who were catching up to him.  Brian says, “I felt that every photographer in my area was doing the same old thing that had been out there forever, and I needed to find a way to be truly different.”

Brian first heard about the Scene Machine Virtual Backgrounds system several years before he actually placed his order for two systems.  After seeing a Virtual Backgrounds exhibit at the Professional Photographers of Canada trade show in Halifax, Brian was hooked!  Brian states, “Once I made the decision to go with the Scene Machine, I couldn’t wait for the equipment to arrive.  I got the equipment just before school started.  We got our systems running almost immediately and put them to the test by photographing 2,000 kids in Montreal in 2 ½ days.  There wasn’t a hitch - everything was perfect.  There was no looking back.”

Brian White’s competition did not sit still for very long.  Several of them have tried to compete by offering background choice through the use of the green screen process.  “The results are not the same as with using the optical VB system.  We get the total image at the moment of capture and not after post processing.  We see it live in the camera.  It saves time.  We can control the focus and the size of the background.  Green screen is not as clean especially around the hair.  It just made sense to go with the Scene Machine.  When we leave a school, we’re finished.  We don’t have to mess with trying to plug backgrounds in and trying to make them look real,” says Brian.

“Using the Scene Machine has helped us secure contracts that otherwise would have gone to one of the national companies.  Administrators get it.  Parents love it.  The kids love it.  We give the kids a choice of six backgrounds.  They choose the background they want from a color photo card.  We use the six shooter carousel to quickly select the background for each child.  We take two shots and select the best expression to print the package.  We are really getting as many school contracts as we want.”

Brian finds that many photographers resist using the Scene Machine.  They find it difficult to understand and are afraid of the process.  Brian states, “You hear negative comments about it.  It’s all foolishness, really.  Photographers just have to do it and they will find out how easy it works.  I love what we are getting from it.  And, I appreciate the great service we get from your company.  VB is very dedicated to being helpful to customers.”

Looking down the road, Brian dreams of the day when he can open a high end portrait studio along with his school work:  “I see endless possibilities.  Many portrait studios just don’t have a lot of creativity to offer.  The Scene Machine will definitely be the key part of my studio.”

Brian states, “Many school photographers refuse to consider the many benefits of using the Scene Machine to enhance their business.  The Scene Machine immediately became part of our tool box that sets us apart from our competition.  We use the Scene Machine for 100% of our school work and our business has doubled!”