Good Vs Bad Students

Just in time for the new school year, there is a great article today on the PhotoshopInsider blog, by Scott Kelby.  Most of you will know Scott as “the Photoshop guy.”  But in this article, he talks about how to get the most out of a workshop and how to be a good workshop student.  I have had notes to write about this for awhile, but Scott came up with some issues that I wasn’t even considering, so go check it out.

Focus on the Forums

There are a ton of photography forums out there. Some are amazing. Some are just getting started. Some, I could live without. Each has it’s own little culture and mix of people and styles, so some are a better fit for me than others. Online forums can be a great place for learning and networking with other photographers, as well as keeping up with the latest trends and techniques. I am involved with two that are focused on professional portrait photography, and they have been great educational tools for me. Then there are a few places I drop in on because I’ve made friends with some of the other photographers, or there is a certain emphasis on other types of photography that I just enjoy looking at. You can find most of them in the blogroll links to the right.

For today, we’ll stay in The Republic. For Texans and the surrounding states, TexasPhotoForum is a great place to network with other photographers in our region. You’ll find people at all levels of experience, from brand new hobbiests to full-time professionals who have been in the business for many years. They have some really amazing nature photographers over there, so it’s fun to go and see what the regulars are posting from their excursions. It is a free board (with the option to become a premium member) so it is easy to go check out. But as with any board, the value is in posting and getting to know people — you will always get more out of a forum membership if you post than if you just lurk. We’re all busy, but the little bit of time you spend getting to know people will pay off. They’re having a membership drive right now so if you go and look around, tell them I sent you.

It will be another busy week in the studio but I hope to be able to post a few entries this week. Another big thank you to Jennifer Nace for being our featured photographer this month. You’re a hit, Jen!

August Featured Photographer: Jennifer Nace

Waseca Photographer Jennifer Nace attended our Minnesota workshop earlier this year and she’s become one of my favorite people. She’s got such a positive outlook and you can really see how she takes everything she’s learned and immediately starts incorporating what will work for her work and her business.

Where are you from? What kind of work do you do?
I’m from a small town in South Central Minnesota. It’s about an hour south of the Twin Cities. I kind of photograph anything LOL- newborns, babies, kids, families, seniors and take a limited number of weddings. We just built a brand new studio that I LOVE so I do mostly studio work.

How long have you been in business?
2 years exactly.

What drew you to photography?

I got started the same way a lot of us did. I started playing around with photoshop and digital scrapbooking in 2005. Before my 2nd son was born, Idecided to get a Digital Rebel XT so I could catch the little smiles and stuff that I missed with my crappy point and shoot. He was born March of 2006 and at that time knew NOTHING about photography. I started making birth announcements and cards online around this time, and in June of 06′ my friend had a baby and asked if I’d snap a few pictures with my ‘nice camera’ to use for her birth announcement. I taped a white sheet to my wall and did some horrible newborn images. After she sent out the announcement I had made, people started asking where she got the pictures taken and soon random people started emailing and calling. At this time I figured I should learn how my camera worked LOL. I joined a few forums and soaked up SO much information. I have pretty much been crazy busy ever since! Every session has been a learning experience.
I really feel like things happen for a reason and feel so blessed to finally have found my passion! Before this, I really felt lost and didn’t know WHAT I wanted to do with my life (besides be a Mommy

What’s your favorite age to photograph?

I really love the variety of ages I get to work with but I’d say my favorites would be 7-9 months or 3-4 year olds.

The one thing in your camera bag (besides your camera) that you couldn’t live without:

My 24-70L lens

Some of your inspirations:

Fashion and Bridal magazines. I also love visiting other photographers websites.

Favorite non-photography sites:
www.gap.com and www.gymboree.com LOL LOL. What can I say- I like to shop

What was the best thing you learned at the workshop?

Oh, I learned so much. I completely changed the way I set up my collection pricing. The first client with these collections bought the largest package and I had a $1500 sale! I also love how Shelby shoots from different angles– for instance, from the side so the shadow side of the face is to the camera- Mom’s love this shot and I try to do it with every session now.

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Thank you, Jennifer! Be sure to check out her blog, because she has some lovely portraits up. Here is some more of her beautiful work:

Bad Blogger

Yes, I know I’m neglecting the photographer’s blog.  I’m teaching on two different sites this month and that is taking up my extra blogging time.  The big learning is going on at ProPs and Phaunt Actions.  But we do have a few cool things coming up for you all here on the blog.

First of all, if you would be interested in a New Braunfels workshop this fall, email me at workshops at shelbylane dot net.  I will be doing some travelling and speaking AND it’s my busy season, so I’m not sure if we’ll really be able to make it work.  We’d need at least 10 people for a Sunday afternoon/Monday all day/Tuesday morning workshop.

Also, we’ll have a new featured photographer up on the blog later this week.  Another of our former attendees has kindly agreed to let me showcase her studio here on the blog.  So be checking back for that.

Hope you’re all having a great week and that things are picking up for you now that school is about to start again!

In the Spotlight

I’m doing “teaching double duty” this month!  For those of you who are members of ProPs, Cher and Mary Beth and the gang have asked me to be their In the Spotlight photographer for August.  Thanks, everybody!  I have some good discussion topics planned and I’ll get started posting those tomorrow after my sessions.  If you’re not yet a member of ProPs, you can still check out the interview on their blog.

Last Day

This is the last day to get the Marketing Collection at the introductory price of $175! After midnight tonight, it will be going up to $250. Here’s the scoop about what it includes:

• Over 60 samples of marketing pieces we have used in the studio, including business cards, t-shirt and bib/onesie designs, drop cards, promo postcards, samples of our “Simply Elegant” line of holiday and birth announcement cards, thank you notes, ads for local publications and events, price lists for the regular studio offerings (and an in-store promo mini-session), and our current Circle of Friends promo emails and postcards. These are great to help jump start some inspiration for your own pieces! I do not do mass/direct mail, but I have included some of our mailed invitations that we’ve sent out to selected members of our current client list.
• By popular demand: our newest partnership proposal template, in layered PSD files, including the generic pre-written partnership proposal letter. Add in your own information and go!
• Four of our Promo Slideshows
• Full session contact sheets from a maternity, a newborn, a 6 month, a 9 month, and a 12 month session.
• 10 “mini-lessons” to help you get started thinking about building your OWN brand and style, with exercises.

I think this kit will be a great resource to help you start your brand building and your marketing plan, just in time for you to gear up for the holiday season! If you’d like to purchase the kit and are outside of a 100 mile radius of the studio, drop me a note at workshops at shelbylane dot net. And Shannon, your CD is going out today! Thanks for being so patient.

Hello, Phaunties!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone out there at the Phaunt Actions forum!  I’m their VIP Speaker this month and I feel so honored that Kylie invited me to hang out and talk a little bit about what I do.  It’s going to be a great month!

Stuck in Customs

I’m about to head out for another looooooong day at the studio, and I feel like I need some inspiration. I’ve been busy shooting portrait after portrait for the past few weeks and sometimes, I just need a change. So this morning, I snuck a peek at the new posts on Stuck in Customs. I love Trey Ratcliff’s travel/landscape photoblog. As some of you know, I don’t like the Lucis filter much. When I see it used on portraits, it is so often run with a heavy hand and it tends to make angelic baby faces look dirty and harsh. But I love it on this type of work. The richness of the color, the intensity of the skies, and the sharp detail make for some amazing images. Be sure to check out Trey’s HDR tutorial if you have some free time today.

Building Your Brand

Hey everybody! It has been a busy few weeks at the studio but I am still here. Instead of posting something of my own today, I’m sending you to another site. I have another long post about “setting yourself apart fromall the millions of other photographers out there” brewing but I just haven’t found the time to type it out yet.

I have talked with many of you lately who feel like you don’t have a strong enough brand to really set you apart in your clients minds. This is a slower time of year for photographers, and all of us portrait folks are gearing up for the super busy holiday season, so this is a great time to take a good, hard look at your business and see what is working and what is not. Not Just Pretty is a good place to start. Professional designer Erin Ferree has written some fantastic articles about branding, marketing, design, and search engine optimization tips, and I think that all of us can find something useful on her blog.

Ooooooklahoma!

It’s official — I will be speaking at the Professional Photographers of Oklahoma State Convention this September in Tulsa.  If you’re in the area, come on out!  I’d love to meet you, and it’s a great opportunity to network with other photographers from your own area, see all the new stuff the vendors bring to the trade show, and learn some new techniques and business ideas.