PhotoSpark

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens... ... YOU GET A CAR! YOU GET A CAR! EVERYBODY GETS A CAR!!!!! OK... maybe our Favorite Things episode isn't going to be AS exciting as the amazing musical, Sound of Music OR Oprah giving her whole audience cars. But we are pretty excited about it nonetheless! One of the things we tend to miss about having an office job is the interpersonal relationships you build in a setting like that. You're constantly chatting with co-workers (if you're lucky) about a myriad of topics, including things you're obsessed with at the moment! We decided to bring a bit of that atmosphere to the show this week, and we're talking about our Favorite Things!! Most of them are "semi" photography related, but we weren't too worried about that. We just wanted to dish about some stuff we've been loving lately!! Here's a highlight of our favorite things... tune in to hear more!

• Rothy's: Julie is OBSESSED with her new shoes. These shoes are made from recycled water bottles (yay!) and are SUPER cute and comfortable! The best part is, they're great for weddings & shoots because they're machine washable!! You don't want to be worried that your shoes are stinking up the hotel room when you're taking "getting ready" photos, so this is a huge plus! Go check them out, and if you buy with this link, you'll get a discount! (And Julie will get a hookup, so it's a win/win situation!) https://go.referralcandy.com/share/D8ZDD28
• Podcasts: This is a GIVEN, but of course we are all obsessed with Podcasts! Podcasts help time pass faster, especially while driving or working, and they are educational AND entertaining! We plan on doing a whole episode on our favorite podcasts in the future, so definitely stay tuned for that!
• Playstation Vue: Cable is SO 2014. Kate & her husband have been cable free for quite awhile now, but have always hated not having live TV. Playstation Vue is a new app (you don't need a Playstation for it!) that you can stream to your TV via your phone, or Roku (or similar) device and you actually get live TV along with DVR, on demand, and more! It's great for mindlessly listening & "watching" Fixer Upper while editing shoots!
• Bandolier: This thing is rad. It's like a purse, meets a phone case, meets a wallet. It's a luxury product (not super cheap) but it replaces your phone case & purse! It's SO hard to describe so you have to go check it out yourself, but it's great for photoshoots because you can keep your essentials on your body, it hides your phone (so it doesn't look unprofessional), and it stays around your neck so it's nice & safe. Again, Julie's hooking it up with a referral code, so go check it out for yourself! https://go.referralcandy.com/share/C4X68PH
• Etsy: A lot of people think Etsy is just for handmade items, but there are a lot of awesome digital templates & business-related things on Etsy! It's a go-to place to find a designer, templates, contracts, client gifts, etc!
• Greetabl: Speaking of client gifts, Greetabl is an AMAZING gifting service! It's not just a packaged gift, it's totally personalized with pictures, text, etc. They have such cute stuff on their site, everything from cute office supplies to champagne gummy bears, and more. It's SO easy to order & send straight to your clients. We're obsessed with this company right now!
• Instagram Live: Ashley has been using Instagram Live for awhile now, and she's loving it! She can interact with fans & friends, and people get to see what she's up to at her shoots! IG Live will send out a notification to your followers, so it's a bit more celebrated than just doing a story or regular Instagram post.
• Lipsense: If you haven't heard of Lipsense yet, you must not be on social media. This is an awesome product that's basically long lasting lip color. It's a lip stain plus a gloss, and they have a bajillion options for both. The color does not transfer at all, even immediately upon application. It's perfect for wedding photographers because all you have to do is reapply the gloss throughout the day, and it will stay on forever!

We hope you don't mind us gabbing about our favorite things!! Let us know if YOU have a favorite thing that we should know about and try! Download from iTunes Here

We think one of the BIGGEST hurdles in owning your own business is pretty much being on your own timeline. Without a boss lurking around, it's very easy to put tasks off until later & chill on the couch bingewatching Grey's Anatomy instead of doing your work. The three of us definitely struggle with procrastination on a regular basis, so we decided to do an episode all about it! Tune in while we chitchat about ways we put off important tasks, haha, and hear how we deal with fixing it!

LISTEN HERE!

 

Key Takeaways

1. UNPLUG. We might be beating a dead horse on this one because we've totally talked about this in the past but it's the EASIEST way to keep yourself from procrastinating. Unplugging from social media, Netflix, texting, heck even your family sometimes will really help you be more efficient with your workflow.
2. Just do it. This applies to that stuff that's awkward or hard that you just kind of don't want to deal with. The longer you put off that uncomfortable phone call, the harder it will be to make it. Ashley's strategy is to pick up the phone immediately and tackle the awkwardness. She makes a great point that she doesn't want her clients to linger on their feelings waiting for a response from her. The faster you just do whatever it is you aren't looking forward to, the easier it will be in the long run.
3. Reward yourself. This is another thing that's tough about not being in a typical office job, you don't really get accolades for your hard work. I mean, at least not from other people. Clients loving their photos is amazing, but at the end of the day, a lot of us need little rewards along the way. This can be something as small as getting your nails done after finishing culling a long wedding, or as big as giving yourself a raise & increasing your prices! Set a goal, finish that goal, and reward yourself. Even tiny things like a cup of coffee or a 30 minute break to watch a TV show will go a long way in keeping you productive & preventing procrastination.

Relevant Links

• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography

HI EVERYONE!!!

Wwwwwwww.... long time no see!! We are SOOO excited to bring you the new, revamped PhotoSpark... season TWO! This season is going to be full of awesome guests, new topics, and maybe even a few special get-togethers to meet you guys!! This first episode is just a quick one to catch you guys up on what's been going on in OUR lives since we last chatted, so tune in to hear some updates from the PhotoSpark ladies!

Julie Ferneau

For those of you who don't already know Julie, she's the wedding photographer of the group! She is a social butterfly who is amazing at keeping up with networking on TOP of her booming photography business! The past few months have been packed with second shooting gigs in addition to her own clients. Julie has had a few THREE wedding weekends over the summer, which to me is completely crazy!

There's really no end to the "wedding season" in San Diego. The weather is amazing year round, and couples take advantage of the cooler fall and winter weather in addition to the spring & summer! So Julie has been knocking it out of the park all year!

Julie gives some tips in this episode about second shooting, as well as outsourcing editing, which she has done for the very first time! For the listeners who have been with us for (almost) two years, you'll love to hear that Julie is outsourcing to Lauren Nygard, one of the original PhotoSpark hosts! She's a new mom now, living in North Carolina, and is helping Julie with editing & matched her style perfectly! Julie is loving the smooth process & having a little less on her plate!

Ashley DuChene

Ashley is a family & child photographer, who also takes on some corporate clients throughout the year! She is keeping busy for sure!! It's been a long road, but Ashley now officially has an assistant, who she trained to help with her photography business. The training process was lengthy; Ashley had to make training videos and teach her assistant all about photography, but she is SUCH a great fit for Ashley! Ashley is enjoying having someone write emails, make/answer phone calls, and help at shoots too! Her assistant has been taking behind the scenes video for Ashley's Instagram feed, so make sure you follow her to watch her stories/live updates!

Ashley gives some tips about having an assistant in this episode. She talks about the benefits of an assistant, as well as the time it took to get everything in place. There were some financial commitments she had to make to get her started, and it's still a little tough for Ashley to be spending more money. She's DEFINITELY making more money though, so it has been worth it for her so far!

Having an assistant & being able to delegate tasks has helped Ashley plow through this busy season successfully! Be sure to tune in to hear about her process!

Kate Mills

Kate is also a family & child photographer who is laughing at the term "busy season" because really it feels like we go from one busy season (summer) to the next (fall/holiday shoots). There isn't anything super new or exciting in her life at the moment, she's just trying to find that work/life balance & chats about how she is starting to wonder if there really IS a balance or if that is just a myth! Currently, she's doing her best to streamline her business better, which will really help get through this NEXT busy season and come out alive!

The best thing she did this year was automating her mini session scheduling! She used BookedIN and set it up so clients could pick their desired date & location from her calendar. They'd click on the time slot they wanted, fill out their contact info, and pay their session fee via PayPal right then & there. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY and has cut out the back and forth that mini sessions usually bring! It also ensures Kate isn't chasing down any session payments. It took some time to set up, but saved a lot in the long run!

Kate also speaks about mini sessions... a lot of photographers are moving away from them which is totally fine, but she finds that they do provide some financial security during the holidays. She talks about why she does them, some regrets about them, and how to make them work for you!

THANK YOU so much you guys for your patience with the launch of Season Two! I promise we'll be good with our weekly episodes from here on out! Please feel free to check us out on social media & drop us a line!

 

 

For this week's throwback episode, we decided to re-release a fan favorite episode about newborn photography with Sophie Crew! Sophie is a top photographer here in San Diego and her work is BEAUTIFUL. She joined us to chat about how she became a newborn photographer and what she's learned along the way, so we decided to re-share some of her tips on the blog! Download the episode to hear more about Sophie's story & how she gets those stunningly perfect shots! Sophie's Tips:

• Age- Ideal age for newborn photos is 7-8 days. However, she still has luck with older babies, even up to 4 weeks old! They just take a little longer to get to sleep, and they're a little bigger so poses and props are different sometimes.
• The 5 S's- A soothing technique for babies! The 5 S's are: Side/stomach position, shushing, swinging, swaddling, and sucking. It's her go-to when babies are super fussy and having trouble falling asleep!
• White Noise- When making white noise/shushing, make it REALLY loud. Like... way louder than you think you should. Babies love it because it reminds them of the womb!
• Maternity Photos- Sophie also photographs maternity clients; she suggests scheduling between 34 & 36 weeks.
• Feeding- Sophie always sends out a pre-shoot email to her parents before a newborn shoot. In this email she suggests they feed the baby RIGHT before leaving for the studio. She also suggests they arrive a little early to the studio to feed once more. A full baby is a sleepy, happy baby!!
• Length- Sophie's typical newborn session lasts approximately 3 hours.

Be sure to download this episode to hear more tips from Sophie! And get excited about Season Two of PhotoSpark... coming soon! Follow us on Facebook to be the first to hear our special announcement! Relavent Links Sophie Crew   Download from iTunes Here

We LOVED recording this embarrassing stories episode last year... it's my absolute favorite personally. So we wanted to share it again while we prep for Season Two! This is definitely an episode you need to listen to to get the full impact, so this blog post won't really do it any justice! Ok... now that I'm listening to this, it's definitely mostly MY embarrassing stories (spoiler alert, Kate does the blog posts). So if you want to hear about the time I swallowed a fly and barfed during a shoot, ran into a client at a concert while reeeeally drunk, and/or the time I got pooped on by a pelican, tune in! Julie, Ashley, and guesthouse Terran DO contribute some funny stories too, don't get me wrong! But I'm starting to think this is maybe my issue.... hm..... Let us know what you think!! And PLEASE share some of your own embarrassing stories on our Facebook page to make me feel better!   Download from iTunes Here

This week, as we prep for Season Two of PhotoSpark, we decided to share another favorite episode with you guys. We know one of the biggest mistakes business owners make regarding taxes is waiting until the last minute to get everything together. At least, I know that's MY issue! So we are hoping that releasing this Throwback Episode again NOW in the middle of summer, you'll find inspiration to organize everything you have for 2017 so far... thus making your life easier come April of next year!   Key Takeaways:

• DO #1: Have a business checking account. One of our most important tax tips for photographers is to have separate accounts for your business and personal transactions. Melissa admits that she commingled the two for awhile (I’m not going to lie; I totally did too!) and it made things a bit of a mess when she got audited. She ended up having to claim income for deposits that weren’t actually business related, which cost her money in the end, because she couldn’t prove they were personal deposits (things like gifts for birthdays, payments from friends, etc). So definitely make sure you have two accounts and keep them separate!
• DO #2: Have a reputable CPA you can trust! The guy who was doing Melissa’s taxes at the time she was audited, kind of left her high & dry when it came down to it! He also wasn’t giving her advice that was 100% accurate, which ended up meaning she owed money to the IRS that she didn’t even know she owed. It’s very important to know whoever is helping you with your taxes (and yes, you SHOULD definitely have someone helping you with your taxes, unless maybe you were an accountant in your former life) is trustworthy & knows their stuff!
• DO #3: Keep a record of EVERYTHING. This is probably the number one tip in our tax tips episode, and it means keeping receipts, keeping contracts, keeping track of people who have worked for you under a 1099 form, gas logs, mileage logs, parking fees… EVERYTHING. And keep it organized as you go. Melissa learned the hard way that her auditor didn’t really care to see a shoebox full of random receipts!
• DON’T #1: Don’t be afraid to talk to the IRS. Kate can attest to this as well as Melissa, because she had a situation a few years ago that caused her to set up an installment plan with the IRS. She was nervous to call & get scolded, but in the end, the tax guy on the other end of the line was super nice, super helpful, and set up an installment plan for her pretty easily!
• DON’T #2: Don’t wait too long to find a tax person! Melissa’s tax person is pretty famous among San Diego photographers because she’s excellent at photography-related tax issues. She books up pretty instantly each year, so make sure you don’t procrastinate when looking for a CPA… chances are the good ones in your area will book up quickly too!

Relevent Links:

• Melissa McClure
• Send us your Questions via email: [email protected]
• Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow
• Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow
• Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast!

Download from iTunes Here

We have some BIG news! We are launching SEASON TWO of PhotoSpark this summer! EEK! Season One was awesome... we have learned SO much about Podcasting & have enjoyed chatting with tons of special, amazing guests! We've applied so many of the lessons we've learned to our own businesses and are reaping the benefits. Now that we know exactly where we're headed, we decided to take a few weeks to get our content together for Season Two! In the meantime, please enjoy this throwback episode from last year! In this episode, we chat with Melissa Mitchell about improving SEO and Google results! Key Takeaways

1. Image names MATTER. When you're blogging or adding images to a gallery on your website, you want to make sure they have keywords that represent exactly what you'd want them to pop up for in Google. Naming them after the client might be an easy way to keep your images organized, so you can go ahead and keep doing that for yourself, but when uploading online, you want to rename them. For example, if you did a wedding at the Hotel Del in San Diego, you'd name a handful of files "hotel-del-wedding-photography." This helps anyone who is googling that phrase to see your images pop up. The rest of the images in the set can be descriptive (like "bridal-portraits" or "beach-wedding-photography."
2. Don't worry TOO much about consistency in old posts, but keep consistent with current ones. Melissa stresses consistency as key to improving SEO. You want to be blogging consistently, posting on social media consistently, and have a consistent style that pops up in Google. When it comes to style consistency, don't worry about going back into your archives and retouching old images to match your current style, but you should make sure all new blog posts are representative of this style. That way when your images pop up under a Google search, they're appealing to your current, target demographic.
3. Link it up! The more often you link outward to other people, and the more often they link to you, the better! The bigger the website that is linking you the better (for example, a link on Style Me Pretty is going to get you tons of traffic and helps with improving SEO). Linking back to people additionally helps SEO but it's a great way to build community & relationships within your field.

We hope you enjoyed this week's Throwback episode! We can't wait to bring you even more awesome guests like Melissa in Season Two of PhotoSpark!   Download from iTunes Here

This is a perfect time for photographers to start considering ways to improve their workflow. Wedding busy season is in full swing, so wedding photographers are realizing just how much work they're doing on a daily basis, and holiday season is right around the corner so family portrait photographers are trying to put strategies in place to make that as easy as possible. One of the best ways to streamline your photography business is by hiring an assistant! Hiring an assistant can be scary, so we're here to help! We invited Jennifer Dery on the show this week & she's worked with many assistants, second shooters, retouchers, etc... so she's the perfect person to chat with about this topic! Enjoy! Key Takeaways:

1. Watch for good composition right off the bat. This tip applies to second shooters. Jennifer mentions that you can totally teach technical things like exposure, posing, etc... but you typically can't teach good composition. People tend to either have an eye for photography or not. You want to make sure you find someone who you don't have to sink a TON of time into training. There will of course be a learning curve for them, and plan on spending some time teaching & helping them help you, especially in the beginning, but the less time you have to spend on that the better!
2. Find an assistant who shares your communication style with clients. One of the biggest concerns when hiring an assistant for client communication is that they will have a completely different "voice" than you do when speaking to clients. If you find someone who writes emails in a similar style AND chats with clients over the phone in a similar style, you're golden! You want to make sure you're not missing out on your ideal clients because your assistant isn't properly representing YOU. You also want to empower employees to make decisions, while also making sure they defer to you for client questions. They shouldn't take over the client relationship, they should add to it. This will help clients still feel connected to YOU and not just your assistant.
3. Be honest and upfront with your job description. Not only do you want to make sure you find someone who is open to constructive criticism, you also have to make sure you find someone who is willing to do all the jobs you want to ask of them! Take some time before hiring an assistant to figure out exactly what you want them to do for you. Are they coming to your home? Working remotely? Are they expected to pick up your kids from time to time or are they ONLY doing photography related tasks? Will they be shooting during photoshoots or just holding equipment? All of these things are things to consider and should be included on paper in your assistant's job description. It's better to think of everything you need help with ahead of time, so you know they're up for the task!

We hope you enjoyed this episode about hiring an assistant! Ashley's new assistant starts soon, so she's definitely going to be sharing about the process in future episodes and keeping us posted on how everything's going! Have you hired an assistant? Do you have any tips to add? Drop us a line on our Facebook page! Relavent Links

• http://www.jenniferdery.com
• http://www.buttersage.com

Photo Cred: Amy & Jordan Photography As photographers, we have a lot of competition. Thanks to digital photography & improving technology, more photographers are coming out of the woodwork than ever before. The truth is, up to 85% of these new photography businesses will fail. Why is that? Well, this week we are trying to figure it out! Our guest Cole is a fantastic resource... he started a photography business almost 10 years ago & is now the creator of Cole's Classroom, an online resource for photographers. Cole joins us in the studio this week to talk about how to succeed in photography! Key Takeaways

1. Ask for advice... but take it or leave it. Cole & Kate started their businesses in the same year, and it was right around the time digital photography was beginning to take over. There was a huge battle going on between up & coming digital photographers & portrait photographers who were struggling to keep their film businesses afloat. This led to a lot of harsh criticism of new photographers. One could argue, that harsh criticism is still there today. It's always a good idea to ask established photographers for critiques, because they most likely can help improve your photography. However,  know that everything is subjective. Take their advice into consideration, and then decide whether or not you want to take it. Photography is art, and at the end of the day, art is personal. The more time you spend perfecting YOUR art and YOUR style, the better you will succeed in photography!
2. Be honest with yourself about what it takes. Being a successful photographer is HARD. There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes, and unfortunately it isn't just taking photos. Many people who fail as photographers do so because they don't have the work ethic to run a successful business. They could have amazing photography skills, but at the end of the day if they aren't prepared to put tons of time and effort into their business, it will fail. Ask yourself if you have what it takes to get to where you want to go. Remember, success is different for every person. What does success mean to you?
3. Check your pricing. We can ramble on about style and consistency and marketing and work ethic for hours, but at the end of the day, if your pricing isn't correct, you will not succeed in photography. If your prices are too low, you are undervaluing yourself, messing up the market for other photographers (which makes networking awkward), and you're likely to burn out because eventually the awe of doing photography for a living will wear off, and you'll be left feeling like you aren't getting paid what you're worth. On the flip side, if you're overcharging, you won't get booked. Many people talk about finding your ideal client (hello lady who drives a BMW and lives in a mansion overlooking the beach, right?!) but they fail to mention that only works if your work is good enough for that type of client. Don't be afraid to make adjustments to your pricing as needed depending on how many shoots you're booking.

Relevant Links:

• Why 85% of Photographers Fail & How You Can Succeed
• Official Site - www.colesclassroom.com
•  Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ColesClassroom/
• Cole's Clique $1 Trial Special - https://www.colesclassroom.com/spark

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