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The Power Video Pitch: How to Book More Weddings and Blow Your Competition Away

by guest contributor Stephanie Padovani

A wedding lead comes in by email. Yippee!

You eagerly click the email open and, surprise, surprise! What does it say?

“I’m emailing about your pricing and packages.” In other words, How much?

Barely a hello and they already want to talk dollars and cents. You email back, answering all their questions with care and concern, and then…NOTHING. It’s like your email disappeared into a black hole.

Wedding Photography is a Bride’s Biggest Regret

We both know how important your wedding photography is to the bride and groom’s wedding day. In fact, when asked about their biggest regrets after the wedding, 75% of the brides I surveyed had regrets about photography. Either they regretted NOT hiring a professional photographer, or skipping the album, or they wished they’d taken more family portraits.

Once the wedding is over, all that’s left are their rapidly fading memories and…if they have them…those gorgeous photos proving how young, beautiful and in love they were. Of course, we know that, but how do you explain that to a bride when all she seems to care about is price, and she won’t even return your emails?

Enter the Video Power Pitch

We learned this strategy from our friend, Barry Friedman of Get More Corporate Gigs, who routinely books his juggling performances (yes, juggling! As in ping pong balls, flaming swords and chain saws) for $15,000 to $30,000. He had to learn how to stand out in the highly competitive corporate entertainment space, and this technique works equally well for wedding vendors.

Instead of replying to a lead with a boring old email, you send a video response. Show off some of your most beautiful photos, preferably of their wedding location, with a personalized voice over introducing yourself and inviting the bride to chat with you on the phone.

When the bride gets a dozen plain text email responses containing nothing more than a pricing sheet, and then she watches your personalized video response, she is going to call you. You’ve just blown your competition out of the water.

Here’s how it works:

  • An email lead comes in.
  • In the next 15 minutes, you personalize your already 90% done template slideshow presentation of photos with the bride’s name, the wedding date and location.
  • You record your screen capture video with a cool, free tool like Animoto or Jing.
  • Pop the video url into an email, and voila! You’ve got a knock-your-socks-off bride booking response.

Why This Works

In weddings, it’s all about the emotion. Brides and grooms aren’t buying your photographic talent, your professionalism or even your pretty photos; they’re buying the feeling of being beautiful, special and in love…and the knowledge that they’ll be able to prove it to their grandkids.

But it’s nearly impossible to convey all that emotion in a plain email, especially when it’s all about PRICE.

A personalized video response makes you stand out from the competition immediately. Your photos of couples on their wedding day are absolutely saturated with emotion, and they explain your value far better than your best sales pitch. By using a video response, you take control of the conversation, turn it away from price and make it all about delivering what the bride really wants.

Sure, it takes a little time to set this up, but once you have a template you can whip up a personalized video response in minutes.

Is your competition doing this? I’ve never seen any wedding professionals use a personalized video response this way…except for the ones who got the idea from us. 🙂

Do this and it will transform the response you get from brides and grooms. Then be sure to share your success stories with me!

How are you using video to market your photography business?

Wedding superheros Stephanie Padovani and her husband, Jeff, share oodles of wedding marketing tips like these at BookMoreBrides.com. Sign up for their FREE 7 day online training event for wedding vendors to learn how to get more leads and book more weddings.

Gifts for Photographers

10 Great Gift Ideas for Photographers

Don’t know what to get your FAVE photographer this holiday season?  Well, we’ve got you covered!!  We’ve put together a fabulous list of 10 Great Gift Ideas for Photographers.  These fun and unique gift ideas are perfect for any photography enthusiast!

1.  The Black Rapid Camera Women’s Strap is designed specifically for women. Part of the award-winning R-Strap line, the Women’s Strap is the world’s first camera strap that focuses on the perfect fit for the female. While maintaining the traditional “Built for Speed” design, BlackRapid’s designers added a sleek curve highlighted with an elegant but slight pattern accent or classic black. This Women’s Strap provides comfort, speed, and durability along with graceful styling.  I LOVE my Black Rapid!!

2. Kelly Moore bags are a FABULOUS way to carry your camera gear in style!  Who wouldn’t love a bag like this for Christmas?  Kelly Moore bags come in a wide range of styles and include bags for both men and women!

3. Check out the Joby Gorillapod SLR-Zoom GP3 Flexible Camera Tripod, and place your camera on almost any surface!  Its sturdy prehensile legs help you achieve a steady shot with your SLR camera and zoom lenses. It attaches to any virtually any SLR, video camera, or tripodhead. The Gorillapod SLR-Zoom can support an impressive 6.6 pounds, yet it is remarkably compact and lightweight.  A perfect tripod to have on hand for all your family photos where YOU want to be in the shot too!

4. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Camera Lens is a great deal for around $100.  If you’re looking for sharper images and love background bokeh, start here.  This is the perfect gift for a friend!  If you’re looking for the 1.4, it’s about $200 more and a great buy.  If you are a Nikon user, check out the Nikon 50mm f/1.8G AF-S NIKKOR Lens.

5.If you’re not using Lightroom 4, you are really missing out!  We cannot recommend this program highly enough.  This is an indispensible workflow tool that will help you organize and edit your images quickly and easily.  If you’re a teacher or student be sure to check out the Student and Teacher Edition for a steal of a deal!

6.  Another great editing program we highly recommend is Adobe Photoshop Elements 11.   This is a powerful editing program, and a much more affordable alternative to Photoshop CS6.

7. Spyder 4 Express is a fantastic tool for photographers!   We get a lot of questions about how to calibrate monitors and this is a wonderful way to do it. Product Description:  The Spyder4Express is a simple, affordable solution for calibrating a display. Featuring a patented, full-spectrum seven-color sensor that can accurately characterize a variety of wide gamut and normal displays, Spyder4Express lets you use the same sensor to calibrate your monitor, laptop computer, iPad, and iPhone. The fourth-generation sensor uses double-shielded filters for long life and optimum performance.  It is designed for Photo Enthusiasts, Advanced Amateurs, Passionate Photographers and DSLR users of all kinds.

8.  With more than 350,000 copies sold, Understanding Exposure has demystified the complex concepts of exposure for countless photographers.  Now updated with current technologies, more than one hundred new images, and an all-new chapter, this new edition will inspire you more than ever to free yourself from “auto” and create the pictures you truly want.  This is a perfect book for anyone wanting to learn the basics of Photography.

9.  Express your creativity with the Lensbaby composer for Canon or Nikon.   Product Description:  All Lensbaby™ selective focus SLR camera lenses provide photographers with a new way to control depth of field by bringing one area of a photo into sharpest focus with that Sweet Spot surrounded by graduated blur. By bending the Lensbaby lens, the photographer moves the sharp area around the photo for customized creative effects!

10. The Ultimate Pricing Guide for New Photographers from Photographer Depot is packed to the brim with everything you need to know to start earning a real living doing what you love.  It’s time to say goodbye to pulling your pricing out of a hat… and say hello to pricing that makes sense for your business, your market and your clients!

LEGAL STUFF: This promotion is in NO WAY sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook.  All of these gift ideas are items we recommend and some are affiliates to our company.

Guest Contributor

Composition of Newborn Photography

By Guest Contributor Jennie Pyfferoen

When it comes to newborn photography, there are so many aspects that make the photos stand out. Of major importance is composition. It can make all the difference in how a photo looks. I took some poorly composited images to show the difference.

For this pose, known as the “butt in the air” shot, you can do it many ways, but I always find it best to be looking down on the baby, rather than at their level. Here is my preferred composite. I’m looking down on him and I’m to the left of him, showing an indirection of his face and getting the behind blurry 🙂

Here is a composite that is not my favorite. I’m at his level, he is centered and high in the frame. The angle just doesn’t show his features as well.

Same pose, but take a vertical shot and turn it horizontal for a lovely negative space composition.

I love negative space. It really draws the eye towards the best features and makes photos so much more aesthetically pleasing.  Here is one where you see different features than if I had been straight on. I’m slightly to the left of him and looking down, yet again.

Now for the head in hands shot. This one is the one that I find to be VERY important. Now, this one tends to be more centered, but I still look down on baby. As you see in the first shot, I was not looking down and you can see UP his nose. Always try to not shoot up the nose 🙂 In the 2nd image is the better composition, shooting down and centered for this pose.

Here are more images where cradling the corner to get an angled shot can be much more appealing. Angles take practice but can really make for some cool creations!

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About the author:  I was raised in Indiana. I have a background in Early Childhood Education and a B.S. in psychology. My plan was to own a child care with all newborns. I guess I did something close. I never knew I would become a newborn photographer. I describe my process into this career like this: I was walking along one day, and out of nowhere, I tripped and fell into a giant, glorious hole that I call newborn photography. I knew what I wanted to do when I saw Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver on the Today show in January 2010. I haven’t looked back since.

2013 is going to be huge for my business, I have some big plans and I cannot wait to unveil them!

Visit Jennie at her WEBSITE |FACEBOOK pages today!

 

Photographer Spotlight

Photographer Spotlight: Julie Aktabowski

We are so thrilled to welcome Julie Aktabowski to the Blog today! Take a moment to learn more about Julie and visit her website This Little Piggy Photography . Thank you so much Julie for taking the time to share your work with us today!

Where did your inspiration for photography begin?
I first dabbled in photography back in high school as one of my school’s art electives. This was back when darkrooms were the norm and digital photography was still years in the future. I think I may still have the hand-coloring and double exposure print projects from back then in my storage somewhere!

How would you describe your photography style?
I guess I would call it narrative, and magical. I like to develop a little story and make props for a lot of my sessions, especially when the subject is old enough to stay engaged. I try very hard to add a little magic to my sessions, not just for the sake of the images themselves, but to see the delight on my little subjects’ faces. I live for that! My favorite memory from when I was young, is of the day my Grandpa taped my favorite candies all over the trees along paths between our houses, and came to tell me that they were “in bloom”. There’s nothing like seeing that kind of wonder and amazement in a child’s face, and I always hope to leave my families with more than just images.

Did you study photography in school or are you self taught?
The photography end of it, was formal education. I studied photography after high school at a private college. At that point, digital was just barely in its beginning stages, and there were only a few electives that weren’t traditional film photography. After a few years, I took a hiatus from photography due to feeling ill-prepared and frustrated with the business end of it. When I went back to it, there was a whole new (digital) world to learn. That part has been self-taught, and I’m so thankful to have so many resources to turn to online when I’m stuck. I’m not the more technologically-savvy person, and I still feel like I’m always learning.

Do you shoot Canon or Nikon, and what is your favorite lens?
I shoot Canon. My favorite lens is the 85 1.2L. I find the autofocus a bit tricky, but when the focus is spot-on, the detail and sharpness is amazing.

Do you have any tips for photographers on how to find the light?
The hardest thing for me is not to find the light, but to work quickly enough in the short time frame in which the light is ideal. This is especially challenging when my model is young and easily distracted. I generally start my sessions about an hour and a half before sunset, facing west so that the sun is behind my subject, ideally with a tall line of trees behind in the distance. But it isn’t until about forty-five minutes before sunset that I really get the absolute best light, when the sky gets red and golden, and the trees filter out much of the haze, just barely lighting my subject’s hair. Working this quickly can be a bit nerve-wracking, though, so I’ve been known to breathe a sigh of relief when, on a session day, I wake up to a bright, but overcast day!

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about photographing children?
The most difficult thing for me when photographing children, is when I know the parents are hoping for, or expecting more “smiley”, posed, images. I find that children are really less cooperative when given too much direction. Capturing them naturally in play always yields better images for me.

How important is pricing when starting a new business?
This is a tough subject for a lot of photographers. People don’t want to hire a photographer without seeing a portfolio, but that’s not all to consider. The portrait photography business is made up of a lot of word-of-mouth referrals, from my experience. If you set your prices too low, people will always expect it. You’ll find yourself trying to appeal to a whole new market every time you raise your prices, essentially starting over all the time. If I were to do it over again, I’d have started my print prices and creative fee higher, making concessions only for portfolio sessions in which I styled the session and chose my model.

How do you sell value to your customer when the price tag may be higher then they expect?
I really don’t. I understand that not everyone puts the value on photography as an art that I do. I put a lot of effort into my sessions: planning locations, developing a concept, making or buying props, meticulous editing, and I expect to be compensated fairly for it. If someone doesn’t see the value in it, that’s okay. They just aren’t the client for me.

What is a good lesson you have learned this year in photography or in your business?
I’ve learned that it’s very easy to take on too much! I got so busy at one point that I was overwhelmed and not enjoying photography as I should. I really believe that you can’t be creative in something you aren’t enjoying. I can’t give my all to a session when I’m overworked. I try to stay conscious of that when scheduling sessions now.

If you could encourage a new photographer in one area, what would it be?
I hear so many photographers tell people not to compare themselves to others, and to some extent I have to disagree. Before I started getting online to blogs like this and others, I never realized how many incredible, amazing images are out there. It really inspired me to get more creative, and showed me that my technical ability could use some improvement *blush*. While I don’t condone copying another person’s work, I do think comparing can be a good thing, in this sense.

What do you love most about being a photographer?
I love that it makes me feel like a super hero. Who else can take something intangible, like a moment, or feeling, and transform it into permanent, tangible proof of that memory?

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Well, I am a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal, so business-wise who knows where I’ll be. But I plan to continue to photograph for as long as it makes me happy, and I suspect that will be for a long time to come!

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About Julie: My name is Julie Aktabowski and I am the creative talent behind This Little Piggy Photography. I am a portrait photographer based in Chicago, IL.  I am a mother to three amazing little people. I believe that a person’s happiness is entirely dependent upon their perspective. I have a serious cheese addiction and a precarious grip on fashion. I am a little flighty and inclined to act on whim. I fancy myself a city girl but would give it up in a minute to pick up my family and go live on a boat. I’m a dreamer, through and through.

Visit Julie at her WEBSITE and FACEBOOK page today!

Celebrity Mentor Photographer Spotlight

Photographer Spotlight + Celebrity Mentor: Stephanie Pana

We are so excited to welcome Stephanie Pana to the Blog today! Take a moment to learn more about Stephanie and visit her website Stephanie Pana Photography. 

Stephanie is featured as our “Celebrity Mentor” in the Pretty Forum for the entire month of November, so come on over and ask her anything you like.  Thank you so much Stephanie for taking the time to share your work with us today!

Where did your inspiration for photography begin?
I can recall going back about 7 years to when I was 16 years old. I was a Junior in High School & was beginning to really enjoy graphic design. I soon realized I wanted to take my own photos to add into my designs. From that point, I decided to take photography as a full on hobby. It started off with really random photos of simple objects that caught my eye. I would use them to piece together ideas in my head that I wanted to portray through a graphic design. Soon enough, I was head first into photography & really embraced everything it was about.

How would you describe your photography style?
I would love to describe my style as modern, bold & natural. I just adore to showcase the natural beauty of all of my clients. Each and every one of them are so unique. They ALL have such a modern style & truly understand the latest up to date fashions. I love to make bold statements, even with the simplest poses & backgrounds. It’s always been a profound part of my work to stay true to the client.

Did you study photography in school or are you self taught?
I would definitely say I am primarily self taught, although I have had some formal training through out High School, as well as Columbia College Chicago’s Photography Department. I learned all the basics one would ever want to learn while in school, but I certainly came into my own and learned SO much more when it was just me, myself & I. It felt so much more organic and I truly enjoyed the fact I was able to learn things on my own. To this day, I’m still learning so much!

Do you shoot Canon or Nikon, and what is your favorite lens?
I shoot Canon! Started off with a Canon Rebel XTi for a few years & when it was time to upgrade I found myself with the Canon 5D Mark II. Current lenses are the 85mm 1.2L & 50mm 1.4. I haven’t been able to tear my 85mm off my camera for a bit, so to say the least, it’s my favorite!

Do you have any tips for photographers on how to find the light?
Light is SUCH a key point to my style. Whether it be backlighting, direct light or open shade – to truly understand each of these AND what they do is key to taking great photos no matter what the scenario. Knowing your surroundings & comprehending what type of light to look for is something I’ve grown accustomed to and truly take pride in! Also knowing what type of lighting scenario will work best for your shot is important. Each type of lighting scenario brings forth a different vibe!

You specialize in High School Senior Photography, what is your favorite aspect of photographing seniors?
Photographing this age group is SO important to me. I went through so many changes when I was in High School, but primarily during my Senior year is when the biggest changes happened to me. You are officially becoming a young adult and embracing who YOU are. I think it’s so beautiful to capture that glimmer of hope of your future & the maturity that is glowing through each of these girls.

What is a good lesson you have learned this year in photography or in your business?

This year has been based a lot about finding myself & my style in my work. I felt so lost when it came to this aspect for so long. I didn’t know what I wanted MY images to look like. I knew I loved so many other photographers, but kept falling into the same patterns of trying to be like someone else. Once I realized I needed to find ME in my work, the rest fell into place. I know my style is constantly evolving, but I know now that it is something staying true to my personal style.

If you could encourage a new photographer in one area, what would it be?
Don’t rely on others to get you there. Be yourself!

If there is one thing I’ve learned over this past year, it is that depending on others will only get you so far. When do YOU start to shine through in your work? I went on for so long feeling bad about my work because it didn’t look like someone else’s who I admired…but why should it? That’s when things started changing and getting much better for me. People will take notice to individuality in a such a heavy saturated field, where they have PLENTY of choices to sift through. What is going to make you stand out amongst the rest?

What do you love most about being a photographer?
I can only choose one aspect?! There are truly so many parts about this job that I feel completely blessed about. The fact that I am doing what I absolutely LOVE for a living just makes me tremendously happy. Though I think what it comes down to at the end of the day are those little moments I witness my clients have either during or after their session with me. They just light up knowing they are truly beautiful. Feeling their confidence radiate just makes my heart full!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In a generalized aspect, I hope to be married or in the process of doing so! 😉 From a business standpoint, I hope to have gained enough confidence in myself to take my creativity world wide! More than anything, I hope that this love of photography can help me travel the world to see new places & new faces. That would be incredible!!

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About Stephanie: Chicagoland Area Stylized Lifestyle & Portrait Photographer focusing solely on High School Seniors & Teens. Stephanie is an up and coming natural light, on-location photographer for the Chicago Suburbs. Stephanie brings the utmost styleand atmosphere to every photo she captures. It is a guarantee that you will experience life, confidence and vibrancy in a browse through her portfolio as a whole.

Visit Stephanie at her WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER page today!

And don’t forget, you can “Ask Stephanie” anything you like in the Pretty Forum for the entire month of November!

Guest Contributor

Styled Session 101

by Guest Contributor Helen John

In case you didn’t already know, fellow photographers are one of the most valuable and indispensable ingredients for your own photography business. In many cases, being a portrait photographer is a one (wo)man show, and connecting with other photographers who share your passion, not to mention challenges, is an amazing way to feel uplifted and comforted all in one swig. I’m forever grateful to all my photographer friends who are endlessly supportive, and especially my photog BFF Rachel Garay . She and I lead similar lives chasing after little ones around the same age, all while attempting to balance our photography careers and mommy roles. (Some days better than others.) We bounce ideas off each other, swap client nightmare stories, trade props, location hunt together and so on. Her friendship is priceless. I could go on about all the fabulous reasons to have a buddy or two in the field, but I’ll save those rainbows and unicorns for another blog post. hehe

Recently, Rachel and I pulled off an amazing styled session-playdate with a “vintage circus” theme. I knew I wanted to do a styled session with our kiddos and some local vendors, and Rachel brought up the theme since her gorgeous daughter Abby had been begging to have her very own circus. Here’s how we brought our vintage backyard circus to life…

Once we had our theme nailed down, we debated possible locations. My mom’s luscious green backyard with a pretty wildflower patch ultimately won since there was easy access to facilities in case we needed them for the little ones.

The next step was to come up with costumes and props for our performers. Abby is super charismatic and a natural entertainer, so she made a perfect little ring leader for our circus in her scarlet red leotard and tutu. A few simple accessories turned my sweet boy Landon into our magician. Rachel’s baby, Noah, was our “strong man,” sporting a bandeau diaper cover with his heavyweight balloon barbell. My little guy, Lukey, was an adorable circus spectator in his vintage seersucker pants and plain white undershirt. Mary, my friend’s chubbaliscious baby girl, showed off her delicious rolls and smiles in a dainty pink tutu. Portia the shih tzu willingly donned a red tutu that belongs to one of Abby’s dolls. Oh, and mustaches. Pretty much everyone wore a stick-on mustachio from Michael’s at one point or another that afternoon.

It’s a unspoken rule that every playdate has to have great snacks. After all their hard work, our “performers” needed refreshments, of course! We designed a dessert table using lots of inexpensive elements mixed in with the spectacular vendor-made items. I found the popcorn containers and vintage candy boxes at Dollar Tree, the peanut baskets from Michael’s, Coca Cola bottles from Costco, and the mason jars were in my mom’s basement, which I just filled with the dollar store candy. I found the “tickets” to decorate the table from a seller on Etsy for just a couple bucks. The refreshment table is an antique that’s been in my family for decades.

Getting vendors involved in a styled session is a fabulous way to establish new relationships, get your name out there, and help local small businesses. I happen to know the super talented Kristen (owner of Lilly Magilly’s Cupcakery) since high school, and shot her a message about our circus session. I really had no idea what she had in store for us, and was absolutely floored when she came over with the glorious circus cake on the most adorable cake stand. Sarah of Bundles of Cookies was involved in a styled session I photographed not too long ago. All I did was send Sarah an email about our idea and she surprised us with the most elaborately detailed cookies for our little backyard circus. They were the absolute perfect “vintage” look that we were going for! (And they were rather delicious.)

With all the detailed planning/preparing squared away beforehand, the day of our circus was all fun and games! The kids had a blast showing off different tricks, playing pretend and getting seriously silly! Rachel and I had a laughed our way through the afternoon capturing the shenanigans of our little vintage circus, meanwhile getting some amazing shots of our kids while flexing our artistic muscles. Satisfying, productive and hopefully a little bit inspiring! Now we want to see the eye candy from your styled sessions!

Vendors:

Styling and Photography: Helen John Photography  & Rachel Garay Photography 

Cake: Lilly Magilly’s Cupcakery 

Cookies: Bundles of Cookies

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Helen John specializes in modern baby and family portraiture and is located in the DC Metro Area. When she’s not busy chasing around her two wild boys, she strives to capture the authentic interactions between families and the precious connections within each relationship. Be sure to check out Helen’s website,   blog, and visit her on Facebook or follow her on  Pinterest.

Rachel Garay is a photographer and mother of two little ones in the DC Metro area.  She specializes in contemporary portraiture.  She loves her job and considers herself very lucky to be able to snuggle babies and laugh with her clients for a living!  Be sure to check out Rachel’s  website, and visit her on  Facebook page today.

 

 

Business & Marketing Guest Contributor

Baby Plan Package Success

by Guest Contributor Tara Swain

One question I get asked quite often is about my Baby Plan Packages. I actually started offering these about 2.5-3 years ago. One of my clients asked me if I had packages that offered portrait sessions throughout the first year. I had been asked this before, but I hadn’t sat down to put anything together. I told this client I would work on it. When I followed up with her, she booked a package. I then received an email from a friend of hers who already had a newborn session booked with me as well and she also booked a package. I then posted that I was offering this option and booked SEVERAL more right away. In the past few years, I’ve not only booked babies for baby plans all over, including some that lived 6+ hours away, but I’ve had numerous REPEAT baby planners who booked for their 2nd child!

I LOVE baby/child sessions and 1st year baby plan package are a great option to offer your clients that allow them to let you capture their child’s unique personality more often, as well as bring more children through your studio. I have to admit that I believe these sessions might be my favorite. After working with these families for so long, you can’t help but form a relationship with them. I watch these babies grow up as they come to visit me, or I them, every few months. You’re a big part of their experience throughout the first year and I enjoy that so much.

If you’re interested in offering these types of packages, here are a few key tips to insure they are a success:

Give your clients options. Not all of my clients what the same milestone sessions. I’ve got several packages of which include combinations like–

  • Newborn, 3 month, 6 month, 9 month, 1 year
  • Newborn, 6 month, 9 month, 1 year
  • Newborn, 6 month, 1 year

I also offer my clients the option to add a maternity session to any of the packages at a discount.

My rates are all-inclusive, which means all of my sessions includes the price of a disc. Clients can choose to order prints or products in addition, but they will also receive the disc in the cost. Some of my baby plan packages include the basics, which would be the number of milestone sessions they wanted and the discs of edited images with a print release from each session. Other packages include additional items such as prints from each session or a coffee table book with images from each session that they would receive after the 1 year finale. Baby Plan Package clients will also receive a discount on additional items they would like to add on at any point during the child’s first year. This discount could be used on items such as brag books, prints, custom newborn or birthday announcements or any other print products I offer.

I schedule the newborn session within the first 2 weeks after birth. The 3, 6 and 9 month sessions are actually scheduled at about 2 weeks after they reach that milestone. You have to remember that not all babies develop at the same rate. Some babies may be sitting up by 5 months and others not until after they reach 6 months. Scheduling these sessions a little after they reach a milestone age, insures the baby has a little longer to master a new milestone such as:

  • Holding their head up well and smiling big by 3 months.
  • Sitting up and even sometimes crawling by 6 months.
  • Pulling up, standing and even sometimes walking by 9 months.

The date I schedule the 1 year session depends on if the parent wants to use the images for a birthday announcement, when the party is, etc. I normally like to schedule these about 2 months prior to the birthday. I want these to be as close to the milestone as possible, while still allowing me to get some of the images completed in time to get them to the client for the party.

Make these sessions memorable and fun for the babies as well as the parents–

  • Include something that represents the child at that age. Include their current favorite toy or something that represents the babies nursery.
  • Style the sessions around the season. For example for a baby that is born in September, the newborn session would most likely be done outdoors, in good weather and would include some fall themed props. A 3 month session (in December) would be photographed in the studio, with some wintery themed clothing and props like a sled or Christmas lights. A 6 month session (in March) would be photographed outdoors, most likely in some lush green grass or a location with wildflowers and with bright colors and a very Spring like feel. A 9 month session (in June) would be photographed outside as well possibly with a kiddie swimming pool or an intertube.. maybe swim trunks for a little boy or a swimsuit for a little girl. The 1 year session would be a toss up. We would schedule it in studio or outside, depending on the style of the shoot we plan for, the weather and the preference for the parent. 1 year shoots are usually just a combination of the likes of the child, the 1st birthday theme and anything we can get them to cooperate with—(meaning, lots of little toys and things to keep them happy and busy. 🙂

Show how much the child has grown. I’ll often have a parent bring a special item to use in the session. I’ve had clients bring a particular stuffed animal, or maybe a strand of pearls. If they won’t bring anything, sometimes I’ll repeat a prop that we used before; like a small chair. We would use this object at each session, then looking back through the milestone sessions after the child turns one, you can see how much the child grew in comparison to the item we used. It’s something sweet and sentimental for the parent, especially if it’s a unique item they bring of their own.

When booking a Baby Plan Package I have my clients pay a retainer for the package, then the remaining balance is broken up into equal payments due at each of the milestone portrait sessions. So the package can be paid out throughout the first year of the child’s life.

Since your clients will be booking possibly up to 6 sessions upfront, you’ll want your packages to include a nice discount off your regular rates. At the same time, make sure not to shortcut yourself, since these will take up as much time as a regular session and these prices are locked in for a year or more from the time they book. The point is to make this a little more affordable for those who would like to be able to have YOU document their child’s first year.

After a client decides they want to book a baby plan, I email them a Baby Plan Agreement that they will fill out and mail back. The plan agreement includes all of the basic information my Portrait Session Agreements include, but with an added portion explaining how the baby plan sessions work, when payments are due, etc. It’s important to have a signed agreement with your baby plan parents so there is a mutual understanding as to what is expected on both sides. You’ll be working with these families for quite some time, and I want my clients to know what to expect from the beginning. My baby plan parents normally book during their first trimester, meaning I’m usually working with these parents for 18+ months. There are different websites where you can purchase finished agreements, but it’s always a good idea to have it looked at by an attorney to insure that it’s legal for YOUR business.

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About Tara Swain: Hi, I’m Tara! I’m a wedding and portrait photographer based in Paris, Texas. I love bright colors, a vintage, eclectic feel and whimsical ideas. My passions are weddings and child photography. My favorite color is green, my favorite movie is “The Man in the Moon,” I’m NOT a morning person, I’ve been happily married for 6 years with a beautiful 1 year old little girl and I love to blog!!

Visit her WEBSITE  and  FACEBOOK 

 

Guest Contributor

Evolution of an Image

by Guest Contributor Brenna Gentry

Photographers have many roles & talents, but in my opinion a discerning eye is probably the most valuable. You may or may not come by this naturally, but either way it can/should be developed & trained. I find my ability to quickly decide what works/doesn’t to not only help me in setting up my shot, but guides me completely through my post processing workflow. Not everything can be perfectly planned out & most of the time we find ourselves having to work with what we have & make it look GOOD. Below is a complete evolution of a recent image. Hopefully it will help you think about your own thought process & how you can modify it to get the most out of whatever setting you are in.

SETTING UP: I found myself in a part of town I hadn’t shot in before or ever even scouted. So what do I do? We walk….and walk.. and walk. As we walk we will stop if something catches my eye. What am I looking for? Light first & location second. I already have a certain look in my head, developed from the styling. I just need good light & the RIGHT spot. I find it…. it’s random & nothing special alone, but is PERFECT for my look & the vision in my head. There are just a few problems I have to deal with.. and more importantly I have to decide if it is worth it in the long run. For me, I thought it would be worth it. This image did require a lot of work. Way more work than most of mine, but sometimes those are my favorites:)

STEP 1: Testing the location, finding what I like & don’t like about it. Then adjusting what I can in-camera to help me in the post processing.

STEP 2: I am now in Photoshop ready to work on my image. I give it a quick crop & rotate before I do anything else. Then it’s time to use that discerning eye to get rid of any distractions I had no control over while shooting. I am a strong believer that small details make the biggest difference & can greatly improve an image. In this case we had to cover several blocks in a short amount of time so the luxury of waiting for people/cars to pass wasn’t available.

STEP 3: Huge difference, right?

STEP 4: The next step is similar to last, but instead focusing on the model.

STEP 5: Fixing this was quicker than the last one. Just making sure the model looks her best & fix the ear distraction. This is something I would usually make sure was fixed while shooting, but the wind that day was not being nice.

STEP 6: Now the image is ready to do any color editing I want. I already had a look in mind while shooting that went along with my vision. So I accomplished the colors/tones using Florabella’s Colorplay Actions(read my review of the set).

So here we are at the before & after:

Do I still think it was worth all the work? ABSOLUTELY. Now, say you have more than one image you want to use from the same spot? Do you want to do all that work on the other images too? Probably not, I know I didn’t. So get the most out of your work & don’t fear using a composite image to cut editing time down.

So the next shoot you go on keep an eye on the details. The WHOLE image & not just the subject. Envision what your post production workflow is going to be & cut out what you can in-camera. Once you are in Photoshop start the whole process again. Soon enough you will not even have to think about it & just automatically know what to do & what works or doesn’t.

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Brenna Gentry specializes in stylized portraiture & online photoshop mentoring for photographers. She holds live online photoshop classes twice a month & also offers 1-on-1 photoshop classes for a more customized experience. Want her to edit one of your images? Follow her on Facebook for the weekly “You SEND it, I’ll SHOP it!” event.

Visit her WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | BLOG pages

 

Photographer Spotlight

Photographer Spotlight: Jean Smith Photography

We are so excited to welcome Jean Smith to the Blog today! Take a moment to learn more about Jean and visit her website Jean Smith Photography . Thank you so much Jean for taking the time to share your work with us today!

Where did your inspiration for photography begin?
I can pinpoint a very specific time in my life. Right before we moved to China in early 2006, I received my first DSLR camera, and my love for photography began. While we lived there, I spent hours and hours of reading and studying. I then started practicing in every type of situation I could…low light, noon light, rain, dusk, sunrise, indoors. I experienced sounds, textures, food, and pretty much anything else you can think of for the first time, but I quickly found that I was extremely drawn to two things…light and people. Six years later, light and people remain my main inspirations and I am always striving to improve or find new ways to work with light and people in my photography.

How would you describe your photography style?
I think three words…emotion, relationships, and lifestyle…pretty much sum it up.

Did you study photography in school or are you self taught?
Self taught, baby! I had always appreciated art and photography growing up, but it wasn’t until I got my first “real” camera and moved to China, that the obsession and passion for this art began. In the beginning, it was all reading and studying. Then it was learning my camera. Then it moved to photographing objects and people. And finally, practicing in every kind of light possible and trying new things.

Do you shoot Canon or Nikon, and what is your favorite lens?
Nikon. My favorite two lenses are my 24-70mm 2.8, and 85mm 1.8 (with my 70-200mm 2.8 in a close third).

Do you have any tips for photographers on working with light?
First, look for good light over anything else while shooting. I notice many people worrying about posing or location over lighting. None of that matters if you don’t have decent or great light on your subject. Second, start noticing light without a camera in hand. Understanding how your light will effect your subject or an image is the single most important thing in photography. Third, learn to create your own light. Natural light is the most beautiful light available (in my opinion), but it can be limiting in many situations. You can use natural reflectors (building, sidewalk, etc), photography reflectors, video lights, or learn basic off camera flash to manipulate the light so you can create the exact image you have in your head.

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about starting a photography business?
Balance. Find balance from the very beginning of your business. I let my business rule me for 3 years, and finally figured it out after much stress and many tears. List your top priorities and everything else comes second. For me, this meant deciding on a schedule that made me happy and sticking with it NO MATTER WHAT. It also meant pulling away a bit from photography related things (blogs, Facebook, etc) to take care of myself and spend time with my family.

How do you sell value to your customer when the price tag may be higher then they expect?
I think a lot of this has to do with confidence. You don’t have to be the most creative or inventive photographer out there to boast value and quality. You just have to be confident that you can produce quality images (focus, white balance, exposure, composition) every time at every session/wedding/shoot and NEVER apologize for your price tag.

What is one of the best tips or pieces of advice you have learned in the past year you can share with photographers?
Get rid of anything that sucks your joy.

If you could encourage a new photographer in one area, what would it be?
Figure out what it is that you dislike in your business, and get rid of it. Much of it can be solved via outsourcing. Hate taxes? Hire an accountant. Hate album design? Outsource it! Hate editing? There a million online editing companies. Hate cleaning? Do an extra session or two and hire someone to do it for you. The list goes on and on. If you want to continue to love photography, and be in business for the long haul, you have to let go of things that are overwhelming or are taking up too much of your time.

What do you love most about being a photographer?
Wow, so many things. But, I think the fact that people pay me money to do my favorite hobby in the world still tops my list.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I always feel I should specialize in one genre. But, I just don’t think I could give up photographing newborns…or kids…or weddings…or high school seniors. So, I think I’ll keep them all, but I will have added in more commercial and editorial work. Hoping Anthropologie calls soon. I’ll also accept Tyra Banks 🙂

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About Jean: I am a photographer living in New Hudson, Michigan, with my husband and four little boys. I adore my family more than anything, and also love exercise, reading, travel, travel, travel, and delicious food.

Visit Jean at her WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and BLOG page today!

Celebrity Mentor Photographer Spotlight

Photographer Spotlight + Celebrity Mentor: Lisa Holloway

We are so excited to welcome Lisa Holloway to the Blog today! Take a moment to learn more about Lisa and visit her website LJHolloway Photography! Julie is featured as our “Celebrity Mentor” in the Pretty Forum for the entire month of October, so come on over and ask her anything you like. Thank you so much Lisa for taking the time to share your work with us today!

Where did your inspiration for photography begin?

I’ve always been an artistic person and looked at the world a little bit differently than most, but my real inspiration came when I became a mother.  I wanted so badly to capture every moment of their lives as they grew and explored their world.

How would you describe your photography style?

Thoughtful, soul seeking, dramatic, rich, & warm.

Did you study photography in school or are you self taught?
100% self taught

Do you shoot Canon or Nikon, and what is your favorite lens?
I am a Canon girl and my favorite lens (today) is the 70-200mm 2.8L II IS.

Do you have any tips for photographers on how to find the light?
This is something that takes a lot of practice.  Something I like to look for when scouting for locations is an area with light coming in one one side and the light being BLOCKED on the other to help create dynamic, 3-dimensional lighting.  A perfect example of this would be a covered porch, a garage, or even an area of open shade next to a grove of trees.  I also love using filtered back lighting.  I’m not a fan of haze, so I like to filter my back lighting through bushes or trees.The lighting in your pictures are gorgeous! Any tips or tricks you would like to share with wedding and portrait photographers?

What do you feel is the most challenging thing about photographing children?
I LOVE photographing children!  The biggest challenge lies in the fact that every child is different, and you have to find a way to genuinely connect with each child you work with.  Of course, this really applies to any subject age.  Just remember that some children are going to be quiet and shy, while others are silly, outgoing, or even less than happy that they are getting their pictures taken.  You have to get creative and find a way to bond and connect with each child – if you can create that genuine connection, the pictures will be amazing!

What is a good lesson you have learned this year in photography or in your business?
Well, this is something I’ve learned and also something I need to work on – I really need to concentrate on my own work and my own business and not waste one bit of my time worrying about what my competition is doing.

If you could encourage a new photographer in one area, what would it be?
Stick with it, and keep shooting!  Seek out honest critique, and even if it is painful, take the necessary time to digest it and learn from it.  Push yourself outside your comfort zone and never be afraid to try something new.

What do you love most about being a photographer?
Honestly, this is so cliche, but I love being able to contribute to my family’s finances doing something that I absolutely love.  I LOVE seeing the look on my client’s faces when they see their pictures – it is priceless!

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully I will have expanded my portrait business, had more time to work on my landscape photography, maybe be published, and have another kiddo or two. 🙂

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About Lisa:I’m married to a wonderful man and the mother of 9 great kids (6 boys and 3 girls ranging in age from 15 years on down to 11 months).  They keep me super busy!  I’m an ex-Navy nuclear specialist so making the switch to photography was a bit odd, but I’ve always been a creative person so it’s worked out well for me and provided a much needed outlet from mommy-life.  In my spare time (when I’m not busy taxying kids to various activities, cooking meals, cleaning up catastrophes, changing diapers, nursing the baby, helping with homework, etc etc…haha) I do custom portrait photography.  I shoot everything from maternity and newborns, babies, children, families, as well as high school seniors – everything but weddings and events.  Additionally, I mentor new photographers in natural light shooting techniques and post-processing.  I’ve been in business since 2008.  I absolutely LOVE what I do and really strive to give my clients a one of a kind experience and amazing keepsakes for their family.  I feel very blessed to have ‘fallen into’ this field!

Other loves of mine, in no particular order: cooking exotic meals, baking, reading, hiking, archaeology, camping, astronomy, taking that dirt road on a whim just to see where it goes, exploring new places, and loving on my family.  I love the mountains, wide open spaces, fresh air, thunder storms, sunsets, dark skies at night so you can see the stars, and getting away from it all.  🙂

Visit Lisa at her WEBSITE, FACEBOOK, and TWITTER page today!

And don’t forget, you can “Ask Lisa” anything you like in the Pretty Forum for the entire month of October!

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