PhotoSpark

Hello everyone! We hope the holiday season has been treating you all well so far! If you guys are anything like us, your plates are CRAZY full right now. Photoshoots, family obligations, holiday parties with friends... the list goes on & on. And to top it all off, you probably have 50 bajillion photos to edit. YIKES. Post production is definitely a huge part of what we do as photographers, and your efficiency with post production can make or break your business! Leon Sandoval joined us a few weeks ago to chat about outsourcing (he's the awesome owner of Essential Edit... listen to his episode HERE), and he's back this week to share some common mistakes photographers make during their post production phase! He lists 7 deadly sins in the episode... keep reading to hear our three favorites, and tune in to hear the complete list! Our Three Favorite Post Production "Sins"

1. Overthinking: We photographers tend to overthink EVERYTHING when it comes to post production!. We overthink what images to give the client while culling, we overthink the amount of photos to retouch, we overthink which presets or actions to use... we overthink it all! We have to keep in mind that our clients do not see things the same way we do. They just want to see clean, consistent images. We need to remember that by downloading a bunch of presets/actions, you're creating more decisions for yourself. Leon suggests finding one preset to establish your baseline, and go on from there. Too many photographers play around too much with presets, which is taking up a ton of time & making your job more difficult!
2. Not Knowing Your Pace: Leon totally put us on the spot & asked us how much time it takes to edit a shoot from start to finish... and none of us had an answer for him! WHOOPS! Everyone should totally know their pace when editing for a few reasons. First, it erases uncertainty. You know exactly how long it's going to take you to process each job, so you're able to plan your schedule accordingly, and helps you predict post production time in the future. Secondly, your efficiency will continue to improve when you know what goal you'd like to beat time-wise. Leon suggests keeping track of every single task you do for a job as your first step to learning your pace, and then improving upon it!
3. Using Un-Calibrated Monitors: Did you know you should calibrate your monitor a lot? Like... every 15-20 days?! Because we totally didn't! Leon taught us that every single monitor strays from its calibration over time. Calibration is a very simple task that can make a HUGE impact on your post production process. It ensures that you're editing photos correctly & that you have accurate prints & consistency within your work. Calibration is such an easy process; you basically stick a calibration tool on your screen, run the software & sit back & let it do its thing. It's really not scary!

We hope you enjoyed reading 3/7 of Leon's 7 deadly sins of post production! Definitely tune into the episode to hear more & let us know if we missed anything by chiming in on our Facebook page! Relavent Links:

• Essential Edit
• Spyder Calibration Tool
• Unstoppable Referrals

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This week, we're slowing it down a bit & just hanging out with your lovely PhotoSpark hosts!! We have all had some crazy things going on in our lives, both personal and business, and we figured we'd take some time to check in & chit chat about what's been going on with each of us lately. So we hope you enjoy these PhotoSpark host updates! So... what have we been up to??

Ashley DuChene

Ashley recently attended her second Coast to Coast Yelp event at Yelp Headquarters in San Francisco! This time was even cooler than the first though, because she was a part of the advisor alliance for the event. This meant she had the chance to give a 40 minute presentation about how to get more Yelp reviews. She was a little nervous at first, but she totally rocked it (we all knew she would)! She had to do her speech three separate times, in front of different audiences. She also attended a women's breakfast, which allowed her to connect with other women business owners (which we totally love) and share stories about the struggles of owning a business, taking care of a family, dealing with competition, and other relevant topics. Ashley also got a chance to sit down with the CEO of Yelp with the rest of the advisor alliance and share her feelings on what our industry thinks Yelp needs to know, which is SUCH an awesome opportunity!

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Kate Mills

Kate has definitely been busy these days. Her son Grayson is 3 months old & she's working on that ever-important family/work/self-care balancing act. If you remember from past episodes, Kate's a bit of a high volume photographer. Her busiest month is usually September (she pushes clients to get their holiday photos done early!) but this month September was part of her short maternity leave, so she's been working a LOT these past couple months to fit everyone in. She took on a little more than she meant to (it's just so hard to turn down money & past clients!), but is finding that the hardest part of this busy season isn't leaving the house to do shoots because she's only gone for a couple hours at a time, but rather trying to get everything done "behind the scenes." It's tough to answer emails & edit photos when baby knows she's home. She feels a little bit like she rushed through her maternity leave, so she's actually going to take all of January off as well & is looking forward to a little time "off" to enjoy her little guy!

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Julie Ferneau

Julie just got back from an AMAZING trip to New York. She, her boyfriend Luis, and her pup Bella took off for 3 weeks! They attended Photo Plus Expo... and Julie got a PRESS PASS for being part of PhotoSpark! This was a super cool moment for all of us because how freaking rad is that?! We're legit media, people! So exciting. Julie's favorite part of the expo was finding a new USB company (stay tuned for images & info!). She also had the chance to do some photoshoots while she was on vacation. Remember Megan Brown's episode about Two Bright Lights? Julie got to do a photoshoot with Meghan on the Brooklyn Bridge! She also took Julie to the Two Bright Lights/The Knot offices! She said their offices were AMAZING. The only downside of Julie's trip is that she didn't have great internet access, so she didn't get to work as much as she planned... which means she now faces a HUGE to-do list!

Well, we hope you enjoyed our PhotoSpark host updates! We're excited for the holidays & ready to tackle 2017 & bring you guys even more awesome guests & great content!

Relavent Links:

• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography
• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Yelp
• Photo Plus Expo

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This week, we decided to show some love for our wedding photographer listeners and talk about arguably the MOST important part of planning (and photographing!) a wedding... wedding day timelines!! To chat about this, we brought in epic wedding photographer Derek Chad! Derek goes over his top rules for wedding day timelines... tune in to hear all of them, but check out a few of our favorites below! Key Takeaways:

1. Be VERY involved in the creation of your couples' wedding day timelines. Not everyone has a wedding planner, and if your couple doesn't, this is your chance to create the perfect timeline. Make sure you're knowledgeable enough to know how much time you need for family photos, bridal party photos, and couple photos. We always suggest giving yourself extra time if possible. If there IS a wedding planner, still make sure you triple check the schedule and that it works for you. Not every planner knows how long photography takes, and it's your responsibility to be pushy if necessary to get the amount of time you need!
2. Inform the clients of just how long it will take to do large group shots. A lot of clients assume they'll be getting FULL extended family photos at their wedding, but they don't tend to budget time for it. Make sure you educate the clients on just how long an extended family shot will take to organize and shoot; they probably have no clue! It's a great idea to try to narrow down their list to their most important shots, and try for any additional shots during the reception as candid, dance floor shots.
3. First looks are AMAZING. They are not only a special moment between the couple itself, they also help the photographer tremendously. They allow for more photography of the couple, and they allow the photographer to not rush through family & bridal party photos after the ceremony. Make sure you talk to clients about how amazing & beautiful first looks can be- a lot of couples worry that a first look would take away from the magic of their ceremony, but they definitely do not!!
4. People are typically willing to listen to your recommendations. Don't be afraid to chat with couples if you feel their wedding day timelines aren't perfect. Most of the time they are just unaware, and will be happy to listen to your advice & change it accordingly!
5. When you have a proper timeline, take your time when taking photos!! Derek will take time to completely pose large groups during family shots at weddings. He gets picky about details (he hates hands... it's his thing... haha). By making sure the couple leaves enough time in their timeline for these group shots, Derek is ensuring he has enough time to pose everyone properly so he's satisfied with the photos!

Derek chats with us about even more amazing timeline tips... be sure to download the episode to hear them! Relavent Links:

• Derek Chad Photography
• Derek Chad's page on The Knot
• Derek Chad on Facebook

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Well hello there November!! I know I'm not just speaking for myself when I say 2016 has FLOWN by. I can't believe we are already full swing into the holiday portrait session madness! If you guys are anything like us, you're slightly drowning in photo shoots, emails, phone calls, and.... retouching!!! Outsourcing retouching has always been a long term goal for me, but I never really knew how to go about doing it. What company should I hire? How would I deliver the images? Do I have to cull them first? I had a million questions. Thankfully, we brought Leon Sandoval on the show this week! Leon is the owner of Essential Edit, a company that provides post production services to photographers! They offer everything from culling to color correction to full retouching, so he was the perfect person to chat to about outsourcing retouching! Key Takeaways:

1. Why outsource retouching? Outsourcing retouching essentially allows you to shoot more and work less! The more you shoot, the more money you can make. Let's face it, most of us didn't decide to become photographers so we could spend time in front of the computer, we chose to be photographers to spend time behind our lens! So by outsourcing retouching, you're freeing up more time in your schedule to spend behind the camera! Retouching companies (like Essential Edit) are a great way to go because you don't have to spend time with one person, training them exactly how to edit & retouch your images, and hoping they do a good job. This company is full of professional retouchers... so you can rest assured they're going to retouch & edit your photos to your liking!
2. How do I make sure their retouching style remains on-brand for my company? All companies are different, but Essential Edit is awesome because they will color correct 12 sample images for free before taking on a full job from you. This way you make sure their color correction, tones, contrast, etc is exactly your style & what you're looking for. This also helps ensure consistency in your work, which clients love to see.
3. How do you know you've found the right retouching company? This part is all about trust. You have to trust the company (or person) you hire 100% or else they aren't the right fit for you. They should offer some type of sample work so you know their retouching is appropriate for your images, and ideally they wouldn't charge you for additional edits. For example, if you send an image to them and they retouch it & you aren't totally happy with it, they should offer to fix it for free. This helps establish trust in their company too because you know you won't be paying for images you aren't happy with!
4. Don't be afraid to let professionals take over parts of your business! For example, most photographers starting out tend to try to do EVERYTHING on their own... usually because they don't have the budget to outsource yet! I know when I started, I created my own website, logo, business cards, etc. However, once I became established I knew I needed to improve these things to professional quality, and I hired a company to do that for me. Retouching is no different! Allow professional editors to come in and take over that part of your business & you'll be pleasantly surprised at the change in your workflow & the extra time you have to spend on other things!
5. Be open with your clients about your outsourcing: By letting clients know you're hiring professional retouchers for their photos, you open yourself up to more of a profit margin. You can tell them that basic retouching and color correction is included, but then you can price additional services accordingly. By charging them more than what you're paying your retouching company, you're making more money without really doing any work! Also, they know the sky is the limit, and if they're willing to pay for crazy retouching work, you are prepared to offer it to them and aren't limited by your own Photoshop abilities!

This episode is one of our longest ever and is jam-packed with great information from Leon, so be sure to tune in! We also chit chatted about our Audible sponsorship & some of the books Leon is currently reading (he's reading a LOT!), so we'll list those below & you can check them out! Relavent Links:

• Essential Edit
• Autonomous Smart Desk
• Rich Dad Poor Dad
• Do Cool Sh*t
• Hooked
• The Power of Habit

Mark Mikelat joins us in studio this week to chat about TWITTER! Twitter is a mystery to us.. we'll just come out and say it: We kinda suck at Twitter. We don't understand the whole 140 characters or less, abbreviations, acronyms, etc jam that is Twitter. So we REALLY needed to have Mark in-studio to help us! Mark is an online marketing expert who specializes in helping small businesses with their marketing systems. As small business owners, the biggest mistake we can make is being great at what we do (photography... what what!) but not learning how to properly market ourselves so nobody knows we exist. So here are some tips from Mark on how to get your voice heard on Twitter! Be sure to tune in for more: Key Points:

1. Understand the advantages and disadvantages of Twitter (and other social media networks): Mark used the following analogy to describe Twitter marketing vs. Facebook marketing: Twitter marketing is like a conversation in a hallway. It's super fast but it's dispersed. You might only be chatting for 30 seconds, but other people might overhear you. Facebook is like a conversation in a bar. It's longer, friendly, and more casual, but people can change the subject on you. Once you understand WHY you should be using Twitter, you can better understand HOW to use it.
2. Avoid selling to people on Twitter: Don't go on Twitter and tell people to BUY THIS BUY THIS BUY THIS. Instead, use Twitter to stir interest in yourself and your product/services. Use hashtags (2 to be exact) to connect with people, and have a conversation with someone via Twitter about your work, your product, etc. You want to create engagement instead of just selling to people. Here's another analogy: think abut your favorite celebrity on a late night talk show (I'm going to imagine Justin Timberlake on Jimmy Fallon... just saying). They chat about their life, funny stories about their kids, etc for quite awhile before mentioning the real reason they're there (to market their film, album, etc). They're marketing themselves but they're not being super obvious.
3. Keep an 80/20 ratio: You want 80% of your social media chatter to be engaging, inspiring, and educating your audience. The remaining 20% can be spent promoting yourself. This way you're using Twitter marketing to create interest without only selling yourself and boring/annoying people!
4. Create engaging posts that make people want to know more: You want your Twitter post to be super brief but super interesting, so people really want to click it to hear more. Asking your user a question can be a great way to do this. Think about the last marketing post YOU clicked on. Why did you click on it? What made you interested in that particular article or post over others? Try to infuse your twitter posts with the same technique.
5. Decide your business vs. personal post ratio: This is something we've always wondered. Should we have a business-only Twitter account and then a personal Twitter? Or should we mix them together? We actually struggle with this with ALL types of social media. Mark says it's totally fine to keep them separate, depending on your threshold of sharing your personal life with the world. However, if your fans are okay with your it, it's not a bad idea to share some photos of your personal life on your business social media. It lets people get to know you better and relate to you more. So don't bombard people with your pets, kid, etc...but don't be afraid to share enough for people to feel like they know you on a personal level.

Mark has a bajillion more tips for you (this is one of our longest episodes) so be sure to tune in and download our podcast to hear more! Mark is also sharing his Twitter success kit absolutely free for you guys! This is a fantastic resource; he wants to make all of us Twitter rockstars! There are 20 videos here that show you guys exactly how to be a Twitter marketing expert! These videos cover a ton of different topics, including how to get followers on Twitter, how to monetize on Twitter, etc! Go HERE to download! Mark ALSO wants to give you the email marketing success kit! This is another amazing tool (and possibly another show topic!)... this kit includes 20 videos again, but these are all about email marketing! To get this kit, text the word "Mark" to 22828. How fun is that?! Relavent Links:

• Mark Mikelat
• Mark's Twitter
• PhotoSpark on Twitter
• Audible Free Trial

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If you guys joined us last week, you'll remember Jeff & Erin Youngren of The Youngrens.  These two are amazing photographers & business-people... they run three separate photography businesses here in San Diego which takes an insane amount of work & organization! While we have a million topics we'd like to chat with them about, today we're speaking with them specifically about running an associate photography business. This can be a great way to make some additional income as a photographer, but it definitely takes some skill and business sense to make it successful! Jeff & Erin run Clove & Kin, which is an associate portrait studio completely separate from their other brands, so they're the perfect people to chat with about running an associate photography business! Here are some of our favorite tips from our episode... but be sure to listen for even more awesome info from these guys! Key Takeaways:

1. How do you know if an associate business is right for you?
   1. If you've hit a ceiling in your business: Adding associate photographers to your business is a way to make more money and take on more clients than you could on your own. If you've reached a point in your business where you have hit the limit of what you can accomplish on your own, you may be ready for an associate business.
   2. If you know your metrics: You need to know your metrics in order to know if you're ready for an associate business. How many leads are qualified to hire you? Are you sure you have enough inquiries coming in that have the budget to hire you? You need to know why people are booking or not booking you.
   3. If your systems and workflows are dialed in: When you add associates into your business, you're going to have to be able to handle business on a larger scale. You'll need to be using email templates, workflows, etc. If you can't handle the extra work, you might not succeed in running an associate photography business.
   4. If you LOVE business: You need to be okay with being a manager, leader, and CEO when running an associate photography business. You'll be doing a LOT more on the business side of things, and you need to be sure it's not going to drain you or burn you out.
2. Decide how you'd like to do this: There are two ways to go about running an associate photography business and there are pros and cons to both. You can add associates to your current business, which comes with the benefit of already being established, having a name for yourself, etc. OR you can decide to start a completely new business & make it an associate business. The benefit to that option is IF something goes wrong with an associate photographer, your original business will remain separate and safe.
3. Be careful about legal issues: Make sure you get contracts from each of your associate photographers & be careful about getting all agreements & expectations down in writing. This can be tough, especially if your associate is someone you're friendly with. However, this protects both of you and is just good business practices. Also, you'll need to make sure you define the difference between interns & associates. Legally, this is something super important to keep separate!
4. Learn your associate's strengths & play to them: If you have a business with multiple associates, you'll want to make sure you distinguish them from one another. For example, if you have an associate who loves shooting in ballrooms, don't set them up with a rustic, garden wedding. Make sure you show each photographer's portfolio on your website, and allow clients to select their own associates if desired.

I have to stop there because you just HAVE to download and listen to this episode to hear more. Jeff & Erin give a million more tips about running an associate business in our episode! Also, they had an amazing giveaway last week and this week they have another one!! They're offering their model release COMPLETELY FREE. This release has a $50 value and is an absolutely fantastic resource! To download Jeff & Erin's model release, click HERE! And as if THAT'S not enough, if you download the freebie above, you'll be automatically entered to win a copy of their Associate & Second Shooter Contract ($100 value). This contract is literally step one of preparing for running an associate photography business, so it is a fantastic resource! Related Links:

• The Youngrens
• Clove & Kin
• Bauman Photographers
• Download Jeff & Erin's Free Model Release

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If I said the word "dreamie," what would you think of?? Well, if you're Erin Youngren, you'd think of your PERFECT dream client. You know the type... the ones you just click with instantly. They're those clients with the perfect job, perfect style, and perfect personality to fit your brand. Erin & Jeff Youngren have perfected their brand (actually... their brandS; they have three!!!) & are experts in finding their dreamies; their dream clients! We are SO excited to be joined by them in studio... they're KINDA a big deal here in San Diego, so we are flattered they wanted to hang out with us for an hour and chit chat about their branding tips & dream clients! Key Takeaways:

1. Build a business that is LIFE GIVING. There's nothing worse than driving home from a photoshoot feeling like you didn't get paid enough for the job you just did, and feeling like you're so glad that job is over. That means that particular job (and client) was NOT meant for you. The best way to build a life giving business is by finding your dream clients who bring you joy. They love your art and appreciate you & your talents. This is also the key to not burning out, and making sure that you love your job more & more each year instead of starting to dislike your business.
2. Figure out your dream clients and what they look like (Erin & Jeff even named theirs!!). What kind of car do they drive? What kind of shoes do they wear? Where do they shop? Then... go deeper. WHY do they shop there and wear that? What is the key aspect of their personality and background that makes them make those decisions & why does that make them your dream clients? You cannot find your dream clients until you know exactly what they look like and how to market toward them.
3. Here's a great exercise to get started. Write down 5-7 of your favorite past clients to get a picture of your current clients. Ask yourself these questions about each of these clients to help yourself form a picture of who these people are & what they have in common, which will help you determine why they're your ideal client:
   • Were they profitable? Meaning, did they pay you what you're worth?
   • Did you have a life-giving connection with them? Was their style perfectly matched to your style? Did you connect on a personal level?
   • Referrals; did they refer you out to other people? Did you get more business because of them?
4. Take your time. Molding your business & branding it around your dream clients isn't something that can be done overnight. You're still going to have to pay the bills.. so take the jobs that you need to take in order to make money, but start being more aware of the jobs you're looking for, and don't be afraid to start turning away clients that aren't ideal for you. Don't get frustrated if your business isn't full of dreamies in the first few months of branding... as long as you're working toward your goals, you're on the right track!

I know you just read all that but seriously though... you NEED to listen to this episode. There is SO MUCH MORE information packed into this episode. We guarantee you'll finish listening & feel inspired to go make some changes in your business to find your dreamies!! Also, the Youngrens have been SO kind to give us some awesome stuff to giveaway to you guys!! They've actually give EVERYONE a freebie... a free copy of their guide, Five Steps to Discovering Your Ideal Clients. This is the perfect download to compliment this episode! While we give you guys a lot of tips & we chat about a lot with these two, this guide has even more information!! Go download it now HERE! The Youngrens are also giving away an amazing prize to ONE lucky listener... a free enrollment into their Discover Your Ideal Client Master Course. This course is AMAZING and all three of us are super jealous of you guys because we can't win it. It has an almost $300 value... and it could be yours completely free! All you have to do is download the freebie above & you'll be automatically entered. Go do it now because you only have until the end of October to enter! Download HERE. Related Links:

• The Youngrens
• Clove & Kin
• Bauman Photographers
• Our Giveaway
• Start With Why

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PHOTO CREDIT: Aaron Watson Photography We're SO excited to chat this week with Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting. Meghan has a RAD job... she basically works with wedding professionals to help them get published & market themselves! The world of wedding public relations is a tricky one to navigate, so it's great to have an expert in the field on the show to help us with some tips on how to make it easier! Key Takeaways:

1. What are some things we as photographers focus on from a wedding public relations standpoint?
   1. Photographers should focus on getting real weddings published both in blogs and in print: select images, write the couple's story, and find your place in media.
   2. When you're in a saturated market, you can also try to gain third party credibility. Ideally, you want to be the "expert" and be the go-to person for quotes from credible sources like The Knot or Wedding Wire.
   3. If you've been in business a long time, you can look to elevate your brand among your peers. This includes things like speaking engagements, getting awards, and more.
2. How can I get started on the correct wedding public relations path?
   1. Set goals for yourself. Ask yourself: "Why am I doing this?" Also, focus on who you're trying to impress. What market are you interested in?
   2. Decide which sources of media you are attracted to the most. You want to pick a media source that matches your ideal client.
   3. Give your portfolio a good, hard look. Does it represent your best work? Does it compliment your ideal clients? While we know our own work and the story behind it, it's super important to make sure it comes through in our portfolio as well.
3. How can photographers pitch ideas to the media?
   1. Look for themes in your body of work. Is there anything that stands out from recent weddings that could work for a piece? Maybe you've shot a lot of beautiful cakes recently... figure out how you can turn that into a story
   2. Think about any bloopers or funny stories that have popped up recently. Think about if there's any chance you can turn that funny story into an article.
   3. Take 15-20 minutes once a week and catch up on current events in the wedding field & try to find a way to write a spinoff piece focusing on something that's been in the news recently.

Listen to the full episode to hear even more awesome tips from Meghan! Related Links:

• OFD Consulting
• Two Bright Lights
• Help A Reporter Out

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photo credit: Hello Foto Studio (Jen Acosta) Hello everyone!! We're so excited to share another episode of PhotoSpark with you guys. Melissa McClure joins us as a special guest this week while we chat about what it's like to step over to the other side of the lens! It's super important as photographers that we get OUR photos taken every now and then (we suggest at least once a year!) for SO many reasons. The ladies of PhotoSpark have recently stepped in front of the camera for two half-day branding photoshoots, and we realized we learned quite a bit by doing so! Melissa is the perfect guest for this episode too because she's no stranger to getting her photo taken... and she's getting married next year so she brings another level of knowledge to this episode! Here are some of the best things we've learned from being on the other side of the lens! Key Takeaways:

1. The importance of great outfits (and how to pick them!): One of the most common questions we get asked by clients is "what should I wear and how should my family coordinate?" We all typically try to steer them away from the dreaded "matchy-matchy" look of white t-shirts & jeans so that's the first step, but then what do we do after that? We found for our shoots, picking two-three colors and mixing them into different outfits was an easy way to coordinate without looking too stiff or outdated. For Melissa, when she planned her engagement shoot outfits, she started with her own outfit & picked something she really loved for herself & then built her fiancé's outfit around that! It's much easier to give your clients tips on how to coordinate their clothes once you've been on the other side of the lens and can relate to their struggles!
2. A sneak peek into the stress of a shoot: Photoshoots are stressful! They're a lot of money, which means a lot of pressure is put on whoever is booking the shoot to do everything THEY can to get a good result. Picking and coordinating outfits is a tough (and expensive!) job also, and scheduling hair/makeup appointments isn't always an easy task either. Add to that the stress of getting kids ready on time, leaving the house on time, possible traffic en route to the shoot, potential parking nightmares... it's a never-ending list of stressful situations! It's no surprise that a lot of couples get into arguments on the way to their shoot. As photographers, we know if this happens to US, it definitely happens to our clients too! It's awkward when a family or couple shows up to their shoot and they've been bickering, but at least being able to understand the stress of prepping for a shoot will allow us as photographers to try to "disarm" them so to speak, understand it's nothing personal, and do our best to help them relax and have a great time!
3. How to tailor shoots to your couple or family: When Melissa was thinking about what type of theme or location she wanted for her engagement session, she decided to base it on two of her fiancé's favorite things: beer & astronomy. They started their shoot in a brewery & ended with a nighttime shoot under the milky way. The results are absolutely breathtaking AND she achieved the sometimes impossible task of making her fiancé happy with & excited for the shoot! Men aren't always the MOST willing subjects when it comes to couple's or family photos, so picking something that you all vibe with for your shoot is a great first step in the right direction. If a client has questions about what location they should pick, do your best to find out as much as possible about them & their family to help them make the decision that's best for them. The happier the guy is, the happier everyone will be (there's nothing worse than dealing with a grumpy dude during photos!), so taking his interests, style, and hobbies into consideration is a great way to make your shoot more successful!

photo credit: Tim King We have TONS more tips and lessons about what we learned from being on the other side of the lens packed into this special episode, so be sure to tune in to hear more! Relavent Links:

• Melissa McClure Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Julie Ferneau Photography

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Hello everyone! We all agree that one of the most valuable and awesome parts of being part of a close knit photographer community is getting to ask each other for advice. We're lucky enough to have a TON of awesome photographers here in San Diego that we constantly ask advice from, and we hope you guys do too! However, just in case you don't, we figured we'd take an entire episode just for answering listener questions! If you have a question about something, chances are a bunch of other people do too! We grabbed a few favorite questions from our email & social media for this episode... if you have a question you want answered on the air, drop us a line!! Listener Question Highlights

1. I'd like some tips on how to gain confidence to turn away clients that might not be the best fit. Sometimes I struggle with taking sessions that aren't right for me, and I don't enjoy the work.
   1. Don't worry if you aren't booked up for the year yet; it's only the beginning of fall! If you take a shoot you're not quite excited about, you're potentially filling up spots on your calendar that could be used for a shoot you ARE excited about!
   2. We know that we tend to not give 100% on shoots we don't want to do. So gain confidence to turn the client away by knowing you're not only doing what's best for YOU, you're also doing what's best for THEM by sending them to someone else who will suit their needs better.
2. How do you take the initiative to get clients to book early for the holiday season?
   1. We are already entering the holiday season!!! Ashley will message clients individually to remind them it's time to book. She starts with December and November clients & lets them know she has a limited number of shoots available for this time of year, and sends her availability their way. This is a great way to reach out to past clients to make sure they book (and that you don't fill up before they do!) and make them feel special too!
   2. Offer an incentive to book now. Whether this is a small discount, extra prints, etc, consider offering something to clients as a bonus for booking in September or October... before the REALLY busy season begins, so you can get a jump start on holiday sessions.
3. What do you carry in your camera bag that is not photo related?
   1. Ashley: Mints or gum, pepper spray (you never know!), chapstick, wet wipes
   2. Julie: Mints, command hook (to hang the wedding dress!), sewing kit, corkscrew & bottle opener, snacks, & a plethora of other items
   3. Kate: Gum, hair tie (for windy beach shoots), mirror, small bottle of hairspray, chapstick
4. How do you handle silent acceptance of photos? The client has shared photos on social media but never said thank you or anything else. How do you handle this?
   1. Ashley basically chases people down until they give her feedback (good or bad). She sends an email asking clients if they have downloaded & if everything looks good or if something needs work. This is a great way to get ahead of any potential problems (or bad reviews!), and keep the lines of communication open with clients.
   2. Kate & Julie tend to hope that if a client has an issue, they'll bring it to our attention. Kate figures if a client has shared photos on social media, they're probably happy with them, and Julie feels no news is good news. We have to remember that the client picked us because they love our work, so they probably assume we know our work is good, and maybe don't think we need the extra reassurance. As artists, we DO second guess ourselves so praise & reassurance is always helpful, but perhaps someone who isn't in our field doesn't really understand that, and might be less likely to say thank you for their product.

We hope you enjoyed the time we spent answering listener questions this episode! The questions above are just a small sample of the questions we answer this episode so be sure to tune in! And like we said earlier, please send us an email if you have any questions you'd like us to answer in future episodes! Relavent Links:

• Julie Ferneau Photography
• Ashley DuChene Photography
• Chasing Daylight Photography (Kate Mills)
• Audible.com (free audio book download with a 30 day trial!)
• ShootQ

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