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Tonight at midnight is the deadline - so hurry and send in your entries or send out to others you know who may want some free photography :-)This contest was inspired by someone I met recently. A sweet young woman named Cristi emailed me several months ago asking me to coffee so she could pick my brain about photography as she is at a bit of a crossroads professionally and is potentially interested in starting a photography business because she loves it so much.
I am happy to meet with anyone who puts forth the effort in starting their own business because it was the single best thing I ever did for myself, and there were many along the way that helped and guided me. I'm still learning and am constantly influenced by other photographers and business gurus, so it feels good to be able to return the favor. During our conversation, she shared her experience in hiring an affordable (read: uber-uber-affordable) "wedding photographer" for her wedding several years ago. Couples/parents who are simply price shopping for the cheapest photographer you can find, take heed.
The result was disastrous and it still brought tears to her eyes to share the story with me. She told me she cried for months after they received their pictures back as most of them were way too dark to see, or extremely blurry that you couldn't even tell who was in the picture, or otherwise awful. All the important moments were missed and very few shots, if any, were usable. I don't know who the photographers were (and mind you, they were photographers, just not experienced at all in weddings) so this is not a bash on anyone in particular. All I saw was a poor young woman who has no usable wedding pictures from the most important day in her life thus far.
After I saw the actual pictures, my mouth dropped in horror, and I felt terrible for her. I just wanted to do something to give her some decent pictures of her and her husband. So on this note, I am launching a contest to give away a free photo session. I know there are others of you out there who have had similar experiences. If you have terrible wedding day images and wish you'd hired another photographer, this contest is for you. Unfortunately, there is no way to recreate your wedding day short of renewing your vows (and even then, it's not the same...) but the winner will receive a 2-3 hour photography session with me to at least capture some cool images of you two together .... and ladies, you in your dress if you still have it. You can wear whatever you want and we can go anywhere in the Phoenix Metro area to shoot it (that we are allowed). We can at least capture some fun, trendy, stylish photographs of you two together now. And if you are planning a vow-renewal ceremony in 2008, even better! (Up to 3 hours coverage.)
The Jist:
1. You must have been married in the past 10 years (anywhere in the US). (Note: this was 7 years previously, but I edited to include those who may be doing vow renewals for their 10th anniversaries).
2. You must prove your pictures are very bad. Please scan and email, mail, fax or otherwise get to me 5 images from your wedding day. If you need me to return actual prints, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope so I can put them back in the mail to you. Bad means they were grossly underexposed, overexposed, way too blurry, or otherwise technically flawed in nature. We can't account for stylistic changes that happen over time.
3. Tell me your story... how did you find the person who photographed your wedding and what happened?
4. What would winning this contest mean to you and your spouse?
The Deadline:
January 31, 2008
The Winner:
1. Will receive a 2-3 hour photo shoot of you and your spouse together. If you would like to bring your kids along for part of it, that is fine too, but remember, the purpose is mainly to capture images of you two together.
2. Must be willing to have your story and pictures shared on this blog. Don't worry, the original photographer will not be mentioned (I don't even request that info).
3. Must complete the photo session in 2008. The actual shoot will be scheduled once the winner is picked.
4. Must live in the Phoenix-metro area or be willing to travel to Phoenix for the shoot.
The winner will be picked from both the pictures they submit and their story. Stories can be emailed or faxed to 480-503-8149 and must be received by midnight PST January 31, 2008. The winner will be selected and notified on my blog by February 4, 2008.
Do you know people who have had this experience? Send them this link so they can enter.
Good luck!
Labels: CONTESTS, NEWS
Jordan and I spent this past weekend in California visiting my childhood best friend Shauna, and her husband Steve, to meet their new baby daughter Ella. She is six weeks now and so-so-so adorable. I somehow managed to take about 2000 images this weekend, mostly of the baby and new family, but also of Shauna's sister Roshelle (who used to babysit us) and her adorable daughter Ariel. And lots of Jordan too of course. Oh yeah, and Val, the family dog.
We had a great time catching up over baby snuggles, walks to the park, shopping, and of course, a glass of wine or two. I should note that Jordan had a big, HUGE crush on Uncle Steve. I almost (almost) felt bad for him because from the moment she woke up until she went to bed each night, she talked about him nonstop if she wasn't talking to him. Of course it helped that he was so sweet and kind to her, so even if my daughter drove him crazy with attention, he certainly didn't let anyone know.
Jordan to Steve: "Have I told you about my doll yet this morning?"
I wish that Jordan wasn't hiding her face here, but we didn't get too many good ones because Jordan was uber-cranky by this time. Oh well, such is photo-taking-life with toddlers.
Jordan was pretty into Ella too. How could you not be? She is super-smushy-mushy.
More Ella infant and family pictures coming soon!
Labels: PERSONAL
Another beautiful couple! I met up with Chris and Allison recently at The Royal Palms for their engagement session where we had a great time. They are both so cute and nice, and they have such of sense of easiness between them, so I'm really looking forward to their wedding this April at Brophy Prep and Desert Botanical Gardens. Here is a little montage from our time...
 Labels: ENGAGEMENTS
I recently had a super fun engagement session with Ginny and Dave at Brophy Prep in downtown Phoenix, which is near and dear to them as they attended the schools there. Ginny and Dave live in Chicago now, but are getting married in San Diego this summer at one of the brand new resorts there. They are such an adorable couple and so much fun, so I can't wait for their wedding in August. Dave is the brother of one of my friends, so not only will their wedding be beautiful Im sure it will also be so much fun.
 Labels: ENGAGEMENTS
I was excited to see that Megan & Benjamin's wedding from last February was featured in the January-February edition of The Wedding Chronicle. It was a nice surprise to relive their beautiful wedding! 
It was also fun to see images from Hollye Shumacher's wedding on the cover and inside as she was my own amazing wedding photographer a few years ago!
 Labels: NEWS
Occasionally I receive emails from aspiring photographers with questions about how to get started as a professional photographer and asking what I did to begin (or what lighting techniques I use, or other various questions about gear, approach, etc). I have decided to start sharing some of these emails because I know there are others who have the same questions and it is easier to post the info here so others can have access to it too. And sometimes I can spend much too long searching for previous emails I have sent with similar info, so this way it is publicly archived for me as well :). I'm happy to share info as others have done the same for me along the way too...
The first Q comes from Tasha Jones in Indiana and it is probably the most common one I receive: Tips on Getting StartedFrom: Tasha Jones
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 1:21 PM
To: jen@jenniferphotography.com
Subject: Amazing Pictures
Hi Jennifer,
As a single mother of a highly energetic two year old son, I am always looking for ways to capture each spectacular moment. I was just browsing the internet at photographs today and stumbled upon your website. Your photographs are absolutely amazing!!! I have a passion for photography and would like to expand my passion into a career. Currently, I have a full time job that utilizes my college education in accounting, but it has become somewhat redundant. As a busy single mother, I find it hard to figure out what the first step needs to be to start exploring my passion further. If there is any way possible that you may be able to give me any insight as to how you got started or any pointers that you might have I would be highly appreciative. I would love nothing more than to quit my J-O-B and pursue my passion without jeopardizing my income. Again, your photographs are amazing; I have yet to find any quite like yours where I live in Indiana. Some of your wedding photographs left me speechless and a little teary-eyed.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I hope to hear from you soon. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks again,
Tasha Jones
A: Thank you Tasha! First, I can only imagine how busy you must be as a working, single Mom. My hat is off to you because it is the hardest job one can ever have, especially when it's just one person taking on both roles. You should feel blessed that you have found a passion -- and one such as this that can be a great opportunity to have fun, provide for a family, and still have freedom. One of the benefits of being a mom/photographer is that it does give you the flexibility to work when you can and still allow time with your child(ren). The downside is that you sometimes find yourself working through the night to make up the time you may lose during certain days. While I cannot imagine doing anything else, I do work longer hours now than I ever did in my previous life in corporate, agency or campaign/fundraising jobs. (Well, the last one is a close tie for the amount of hours.) But that being said, I absolutely love what I do, so it's not really "work" to me.
I understand and respect your need to not jeopardize your current income, and you can get to the point where you will eventually replace your income and potentially make more than you currently do. I think the road is different for everyone in getting up and running, but for me, the following things have helped me to become pretty successful so far. Here are 10 tips that I think are important:
1. Set clear goals. Write down what you want to accomplish and by what dates, and post them where you see them every day. Visualize yourself in the role you hope to achieve.
2. Teach yourself everything you can about photography. Check out books from the library, take a class at a community college if you are able, or join online forums where photographers share info. Open Source Photo is a free online forum, and a great place to start lurking, asking questions and learning from pros. Digital Wedding Forum is another great place to learn and grow. I would also say that attending workshops or seminars is probably one of the best places to learn and grow inspired.
3. Network with other photographers. One of my largest sources of new business (now) is through referrals from other photographers or other vendors within the industry. You'll also find that when you start out, you will eat, sleep and dream photography, so its fun to make new friends with whom you have a lot in common, and you may find that some of them become very good friends. You can find local groups by google searching that in your area, joining your local PPA chapter, or attending one of their meetings for free.
4. Invest in the best gear that you can afford at the time. I do not recommend running up a large credit card bill initially by buying a top of the line camera and lenses because that is hole that will be difficult to get out of, and it is not necessary when you first start. But I would say you do need a digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses and manual settings. You won't fully learn the technical aspects of photography and how to manipulate light with an automatic point and shoot (plus, you will always miss "the moments"). The Canon Digital Rebel (I am a Canon girl, but there are almost-equally great Nikon starter kits) is a great starter camera and will allow you to get accustomed to shooting manually and controlling the light. However, it is more important to invest in good lenses first, rather than the camera body. An excellent lens for those starting out is the Canon 85 mm f/1.8 portrait lens or the 50 mm f/1.4. They both have a wide enough aperture to get that background blur (bokeh) and to allow you to shoot in low light conditions without flash and are both affordable as far as good lenses go. Ideally, you want your lenses to have an F-stop of 2.8 or smaller.
5. Practice, practice, practice. That means offering your time and services for free at first. Take pictures of your kids and your friends kids for free just to practice. If you like wedding photography, let other photographers know you are interested in assisting for free, and be ready to show your work (and work ethic). When you are practicing, turn off your flash. Flash can really distract from the quality and mood of the image. (That isn't to say there are not times when flash is necessary or that it cannot be used creatively off camera, but initially you want to turn it off and learn to manipulate the light by adjusting your manual settings.)
6. Show your work. In other words, put together a website. This is critical to you getting off the ground. There are plenty of companies out there who do beautiful template websites for photographers that are very affordable. Expect to spend between $400-$1000 for a template site and upwards to $3000 for a custom site. I highly recommend these template sites because everything within the site is still somewhat customizable to your look and feel and will showcase your work much more effectively than a quick, do it yourself site (unless you are very knowledgeable in HTML or flash.) Put you work up there and keep refining it as you get better and better.
7. On the topic of look and feel, it is also important to eventually establish a brand. Your brand is more than just your logo -- its an extension of you, and who you are, and the feeling people get when they see your brand. It ideally should reflect you and what you offer, but also affect those in your target market. Are you playful and fun, fresh and funky, elegant and savvy? What five words would you use to describe yourself? Branding and marketing is a large subject area and I think an important one in creating a successful, long-term business.
8. Tell people what you do. Once you feel that you are ready to start taking on clients, tell people you meet that you are a freelance photographer. Share the word that you are available for work! Get yourself some free business cards at www.vistaprint.com or very affordable and higher quality cards at places like www.overnightprints.com
9. Invest back into your business. This was easier for me to do when I first started because I still worked full time while I slowly built my business as a freelancer. I worked on the weekends or evenings after work and was able to take all the income I made from photography and invest it back into better gear, software, sample albums and marketing. If you are lucky enough to have a spouse or other investor front your new business venture, then you may be able to invest in these items up front, but Tasha for you and most others, you will need to move slowly to build your business and get yourself to the point where the photography income will replace your current J-O-B income. This is doable; it just takes a little longer. The upside is that you learn your mistakes along the way without unwisely "paying" so dearly for them.
10. Don't put all your eggs in the advertising basket. One of the biggest challenges for any new business is getting new clients. I am not saying you should not advertise, but realize that simply taking out a magazine or internet ad will not guarantee clients. What it does do for you however, if you advertise smartly, is get your name out to the vendors who may eventually refer new business to you. The name of the game has always been to network, network, network. But understand that effective networking can take years to build up and depends a great deal on your personality and how you come across to others. Above all, be yourself and be professional. Follow through. Don't pretend to be something or someone that you are not. People will see through that quickly. In the end, people refer who they know and like. Be likeable.
I have one more tip I feel is crucial: #11 -- READ BOOKS. Read business books, read psychology books, read books on getting organized, read fiction or biographies and obviously photography books. Just read. In the end, a successful photography business requires what any other successful business requires. Diligence, follow-through, motivation, people-skills, communication skills, talent, and the positive mindset that you will be successful. If you don't believe that you can do this, it's likely no one else with either. That, I feel, is the most critical component to being successful at anything.
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These are most of the areas I focused on when starting out. I have always kept myself in the black by not incurring unnecessary debt and have kept my eye on where I want to go professionally. My business has grown faster than I could have imagined and I am always learning and evolving, which keeps things interesting. Having a business is a lot of work and like anything, there are downsides too. But the positive definitely outweighs any negatives. I love the yearly WPPI show in Las Vegas and also credit the seminars and networking as a big source of inspiration each year. The trade show alone is worth the cost to attend. I also think that blogging is important to help your clientele and potential clients to get to know your work and who you are. Blogging is free, easy and pays off in spades -- though it can be time consuming! For some great photography blogs, click here, here and here.
It's late so I can't think of too much else to add right now, but since this is such a long post, I feel I need to add a photo. And who better than my Jordan.
Good luck Tasha! Keep me posted on your progress...
 Labels: FAQ, RESOURCES
I have MUCH, much to post in the coming days, but in the meantime.... a little soapbox post here. I am a big advocate of voting. I think it is important that people actually get out to the polls and vote for the candidate of their choice, instead of just sitting on the sidelines and complaining about who is (or is not) doing what in office. The problem is, sometimes we don't know who we are best matched with -- or we may be swayed by someone personally but find we are not idealogically matched with them once they get into office. So, on that note, I stumbled across a self-test type poll that is actually pretty decent and comprehesive -- one that just doesn't ask what issues you deem important, but also how important you deem them. You may be surprise with the results!http://www.votehelp.org/Labels: RESOURCES
U23D
Monday, January 07, 2008
I can only hope this is coming to the Phoenix IMAX! One of my favorites bands of all time, this 3D movie looks almost as good as the real thing. Check it out!  Labels: NEWS, PERSONAL
There is a brand new and very cool album company offering very high end, one of a kind albums for brides who like couture/one-of-a-kind products. I am excited to now offer Couture Book hand-made wedding albums. The company is the brainchild of local Phoenix fashion and high-end wedding photographer Phyllis Lane.
You can check out the website for more information, album descriptions and see the different samples. They also take you through the Couture Book hand-made binding process via an intro movie when you load the website, which is pretty cool. If you are interested in ordering one of these books, please let me know.
There are five different lines with different options within each line: Italian, French, German, NYC and Himalayan, so there is something for everyone here style-wise (images all credited to couturebook.com website):
     The books are available in 60 page, 100 page or 200 page. Depending on style, size and page count, these books will range from $1,800-$5,200. If you are interested in ordering one of these books, please let me know.Labels: ALBUMS
Happy New Year to everyone! I've taken a little time off this past week to recharge, hence the no blogging. Its been nice to have a little much need hiatus. I always appreciate the coming of a new year because it is a time of renewal, hope and inspiration to me. I enjoy the holidays and spending time with family, friends and being busy in general, but there is something so cleansing about starting a new year with fresh perspective and goals. Slimming down from the excess of the previous season. Decluttering. Emerging a little wiser.Each year my husband I set our goals for the coming year (I prefer not to call them resolutions because it's more likely I won't keep them), and for the past four years we have achivied roughly 80% of what was on our list. Maybe it's because we are both driven to succeed or maybe we just like crossing things off our list, but I'm proud of all that we have accomplished personally, professionally, spiritually and wholeistically. We also know we are very blessed to have our health, our families, our friends and each other to keep one another grounded and the compass pointed in the right direction. It really is about the journey, and we strive to remember that each day.2007 was an amazing year. A busy year; a year of great growth and learning. I shot 20 weddings (the max I shoot per year) and roughly 60+portrait sessions. I met so many wonderful people and made new friends. I launched a new website, a new custom blog, new marketing materials, attended some great seminars and tradeshows, and learned so much. I look back and wonder how I ever did anything else besides this. It fulfills me in ways that isn't always easy to express. I love being a mother and a wife, but I also love being a photographer, and the pure joy that comes from doing what I love. I believe that discovering your passion and your purpose is one of the greatest gifts that God and this life can give you. I am thankful for this every single day. Im in a reflective mood, so I wanted to share some of my favorite images from the past year. This is mostly weddings with a few portraits shots thrown in and in no particular order. Just shots I love for some reason or another. ( Im planning a seperate slideshow version of my favorite portraits since there are just way to many to include here. Stay tuned....)                          I just noticed for the first time how every person in this shot is looking at someone different. I love that! They are all watching each others faces :) This one might be a top contender for me for that reason ... there is so much emotion in this shot.                              Whew! That was tough since there are so many I love, but my arms are tingling from sitting too long. Which one is your favorite?
Labels: NEWS, PERSONAL, PORTRAITS, WEDDINGS
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