Raves
“Oz brought his solution to our offices when it was nearing completion. I was immediately impressed by the clean appearance and intuitive approach. It illustrated that he really knows what a photographer needs to keep track of, if they are to stay on top of the demands on their time. He has taken the power of FileMaker combined it with his domain expertise and created a solution that is a ‘must have’ for independent photographers. The fact that Foto SF was short listed in the FileMaker Cube Awards08 – Developers of Excellence, is a real testament to the quality of the product. It’s a real bonus that Oz is a really nice guy and I picked up a few tips as a keen amateur photographer myself!”
Tony Speakman, Filemaker, N.Europe
“A handful of elite photographers put their names to software packages such as album designs or Photoshop actions, endorsing them with their reputations for creative or business flare. Uzair Kharwala has achieved far more difficult and more sustainable than the trends for creative shortcuts.”
The British Journal of Photography
“Foto SF offers productivity hike and slick admin for stressed snappers. The database solution for photographers who can’t stand databases could well bring an end to sleepless nights.”
The Photographer Magazine, British Institute of Professional Photography
“A simple and very effective database which has been designed in a very logical way. No more excuses for any part of your business being disorganised! This is a powerful piece of software which will immensely increase your productivity.”
Jakki Moores, Nikon UK
“This is a software which promises to revolutionize the way you run your office. Does it live up to its hype? Well, after trying it out for a few days I have to say that it really does seem to deliver. So, the big question: would I, as a working photographer, buy Foto SF myself? The answer has to be yes: in a heartbeat. I have to say I don’t generally like databases software as I find them overcomplicated and … well, quite frankly, they’re a little dull. However, as Oz has taken all the hard work out of the equation and has developed a piece of software that is designed specifically for what we do as photographers and, given his in-depth knowledge of our industry, it really is a hard piece of software to ignore.”
Photo Pro Magazine
“Foto SF which runs on Ma or PC makes previous studio management software seem like a mental assault course. Foto SF is a thoughtfully designed client database.”
The Master Photographer Association’s Magazine
Martin Grahame-Dunn needs no introduction. A very well respected photographer and a brilliant trainer in a career spanning 30 years of professional photography, he now runs his academy for inspiring photographers from his beautiful villa in the heart of Spain. He is also the author and administrator of the “Mentor Me” programme for the SWPP & BPPA. Over almost the entire period of his professional career he has been actively engaged in the training of photographers from the four corners of the globe covering every major discipline. Here are his views on Foto SF:
“In my many years in the photographic industry I have tried and used many forms of software, but I can’t think of any that have come close to Foto SF.
I had heard about Foto SF on the grapevine and spoke to Oz at the Nikon Solutions Expo for more details on this software which at face value seemed to be quite a complete package. I was given a very comprehensive demonstration and was immediately impressed at both the simplicity and functionality of the programme. The price is also attractive and if it could save me valuable time then it would be an invaluable resource.
Unifying my client and supplier records from our Excel spreadsheets was the simplest of operations. I now have all my records in one place and the ability to generate reports, invoices and handling enquiries is a dream. This has saved me so much time and has enabled me to concentrate on more important business issues. Personalising the product was a ‘piece of cake’! Integration of my business logo was so simple and as for inputting the variation in currencies and tax codes into Euros…it couldn’t have been easier. This is clearly software without borders.
Photographers are traditionally their own worse enemies, often using much of their valuable time in ways that fail to enhance their businesses. The ‘make do’ approach by attempting to make non bespoke software manage their businesses prevents them from doing the most important thing…generating more work. Not only does Foto SF undertake the essential management functions, file handling and basic book keeping, it is also a tremendous marketing tool. I would heartily recommend it to anyone in the photographic industry wanting to run a successful business!
I am happy to endorse Foto SF to all my students at the Illuminatus Academy of Photography as an absolute winner!”
Illuminatus – The Academy of Photography, Spain
Based in the Jersey, Channel Islands, Christian Keenan runs CKP Weddings. Rated as among the ‘Top 10 UK Wedding Photographer’ and ’5 Star’ by Grace Ormonde Wedding Style Magazine, CKP Weddings turned to Foto SF for organising their business.
“We have been looking for the right system to suit our businesses needs for at least two years with no joy. Once we experienced FOTO SF it did exactly what we wanted in order to keep control of all of our client information. Most importantly is the access all of our team have to all of the data and the freedom that gives me to keep doing what I enjoy and that is taking pictures.“
Christian Keenan
Julie Oswin run a very successful photography business. She also run workshops & seminars for other professional photographers. Her unique, creative & emotive photography has resulted in Julie winning the prestigious UK Wedding Photographer of the Year Award twice.
“We were introduced to Foto SF upon recommendation at an event hosted by the MPA and were quite intrigued as to how much it can do for our business and how we would be able to save time doing repetitive administrative jobs. We purhcased Foto SF and immediately released the benefits of the software. We now have time to focus on the core running of the business. The database is run over a network where both of us can work simultaneously. We had the database tweaked to our requirements to cover the various aspects of our business to include the Fine Art work, training and the Wedding & Portrait business, this was completed very efficiently and professionally by the tech support guys at Foto SF. “
Julie Oswin
Keith Trainor is one of the leading Event Photographers in the UK. Based in Manchester, Event Portraits cover events nationally. Keith is a former recipient of the prestigious “Event Photographer of the Year” Award at the British Professional Photography Awards (BPPA).
“I bought FotoSF because I knew it would make life a lot easier with our busy events business. I can retrieve customer data and orders extremely qiuckly saving us so much time. We have now started using it in our studio as a management tool.Great work Uzair…well done”.
Keith Trainor
“Foto SF is the complete back office solution for the professional photographer. The software is capable of managing nearly everything in your photographic business. Foto SF puts together all the essential tools needed to run your photography business in one easy to navigate package.”
Sean Kelliher, Mitsubishi Electric UK
Tim French is a photographer covering a wide range of Events, Weddings, Proms & School photography. He uses Nikon gear for his work and tells us the reasons why he chose Foto SF for organising his business:
“I started out as just a wedding photographer and soon turned my hand to other spheres and now found myself needing a way to manage the growth I can see. I never had a system that collected all my contacts and helped me see those as assets, not just the work knowing those people brings, but the people themselves as part of an intrinsic network. It has made me collect emails vigillantly at events and reminds me to target, I could say alot more,….all you guys need to know is that it does what it says on the tin…..I would pay in advance for the next FotoSF upgrade!!
My business started to grow at a rapid pace and went from 5 weddinsg on my books to 24 in a matter of months…then also at the same time from 3 events to 18 events, meeting a lot of people. The other decider was the sincere advice given to me by Oz while inquiring about FotoSF. I do not mind giving hard earned cash to hard working and gracious people. I will never forget the look of approval on my wedding couples face when I presented them with the wedding sheet printed via FotoSF with all the wedding details like venue addresses, emergency contacts, shot list, etc. There words were, ‘we know we are in good hands’.”
Tim French
The Societies, Convention Show Guide
One of Europe’s largest photographic convention, The Societies Show Guide featured Foto SF in their Annual publication:
“A well thought out and logical piece of software which will increase your productivity and profitability. Foto SF includes powerful features that automate repetitive tasks and speeds data entry. Runs seamlessly on a Mac and PC and can be run over a network.”
The Societies
Master Photo > Digital Magazine
“Oz Kharawala continues to amaze us. His studio, SF Digital, is successful; he conducts training courses for Nikon; he has produced a DVD explaining wireless flash location lighting for events and social photography.
Now he has harnessed the power of the best database ever designed, FileMaker Pro, to create a standalone application called Foto SF which runs on Macs or PCs and makes previous studio management software seem like a mental assault course. Foto SF is a thoughtfully designed client database which can be set to prompt all the necessary reminders (anniversaries, birthdays, seasonal shoots) and deliver well designed mailings or e-mail shots without using additional word processing or web design programs.
It includes modules for organising events and weddings – pre-shoot planning – as well as all the post-shoot selling and production. Oz has written this to meet his own exacting requirements and in the process delivers a 21st century update to all those photo business management progs which updates to Mac and Windows systems seem to have stymied.
Foto SF will also handle some basic sales and purchase ledger functions, replacing manual book keeping and raising very tidy looking custom designed invoices. But it is not an accounting program, does not offer an audit trial or deal with depreciating assets, Euro VAT, payroll and similar things. The idea is to use Foto SF to record all routine income and expenditure, control credit and stay on top of cash flow. The reports are suitable to passed to an accountant for VAT and annual returns. It is possible to try Foto SF free by downloading the runtime application. When purchased, you also receive FileMaker Pro 9.0, which comes with templates for dozens of other tasks and can even run a photo library.”
Master Photo > Digital Magazine
