Chairmen of the Board
Louis Tonsmeire
Cr.Photog., API
PPA Member since 1988
Shoots: Portraits and Weddings
Location: Cartersville, GA

• Read his bio.
• Read his Board Spotlight interview (August 2007, June 2006), featured in Professional Photographer magazine.

Bio
Louis Tonsmeire of Tonsmeire Studio in Cartersville, GA has been a member of PPA since 1988. He has served the organization in a variety of roles, including positions on the Education Committee, the Convention Committee, the Affiliate School Task Force and the Imaging USA Task Force. In 1996, Louis received the PPA National Award in recognition of his outstanding service to professional photography. He has pursued an advanced education through PPA by earning his Photographic Craftsman degree and becoming an Approved Photographic Instructor. Louis is also a graduate of Ann Monteith's Guerilla Marketing Workshop.

Louis' other association affiliations include Professional Photographers of Georgia, through which he served as a Councilor from the state of Georgia. He was also the Director of the Georgia School, one of PPA's Affiliate Schools. In what little spare time he has, Louis also works as a professional auctioneer. Needless to say, his upbeat personality and enthusiastic nature makes it so there isn't a place in the country that Louis goes where he doesn't know someone or someone doesn't know him.

Board Spotlight, August 2007
An Essential Factor: Client Relationships
By Angela Wijesinghe

Think about it: the photography world is opening up to basically anyone. So how do you make the professional photography world more attractive to customers? It’s all in how you sell yourself.

“Years ago, photography was just about taking a pretty picture,” comments Louis Tonsmeire. Now it is about the experience…the relationship that is formed between photographer and client. But how do you start to create relationships like that? As Tonsmeire says, “You gotta be a people person. And exceed expectations.”

Frankly, everyone wants to be treated well. Use that knowledge to your advantage and go beyond what clients expect every time. People tend to be loyal once they’ve had a great experience. And Tonsmeire knows the meaning of this client loyalty. He recently received a postcard from newlyweds on their honeymoon, thanking him for the “great experience”…without even having seen the wedding photos.

This focus on client relationships does have one potential downside: not everyone can connect. Tonsmeire remembers having to turn some prospects away because they couldn’t relate. “When you’re starting out, turning anyone away is hard,” he says. “But it’s smart. Trust your instincts.” Chances are, if you try to change your personality or style for them, you’ll wind up with an unhappy client. If you feel they want a different style than what you provide, refer them elsewhere. That referral, in itself, could inspire trust.

After being in business for 30 years, Tonsmeire has had great success with his relationship building. Client referrals are one of his largest sources for new customers. “Web sites are great, but they’re impersonal,” Tonsmeire notes. “People’s emotions aren’t in their fingers…emotions are in relationships.” If you focus on and excel in service and relationships, you’ll be the difference between professional and amateur.

Board Spotlight, June 2006
Louis Tonsmeire paid twice as much for his first camera than he did for his first car, a 1969 VW Beetle. Only seventeen at the time, he was able to go in the bank and get a loan without a co- signer. “I knew the bank’s president and actually bought the camera from him,” he laughed. He would borrow it from time to time, spent a lot of time with him and thought naturally he would give him the camera. “He wanted me to work for it,” he added.

That experience is one the many reasons Tonsmeire loved growing up in a small town. His family moved to Cartersville, Georgia when he was six, and the Birmingham native continues to make his home there. ”There is nothing like living in a small town,” he said.” You get know so many people.” He marvels at the fact that he is now doing second-generation weddings. “I have watched these kids grow up,” he said.

His start in photography is a random as the jokes he tells. While in high school, he was in search of a senior with a car to ride with. His “ride” was on the yearbook staff and he tagged along. “It was cool, I got into all the games for free, just for having a camera around my neck.” He has been shooting ever since.

“I will photograph anything that moves,” he laughed. He admits he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up, but if he weren’t doing photography he “would be a professional golfer. Seriously.”