T H E M O N T H LY
#ISSUE 14
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A NOTE FROM BETSY: PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION
OCTOBER 2019
And boy, isn’t that the truth? What if we were able to apply that truth to ourselves when we’re trapped in the not-good-enough comparison game? What if we celebrated our progress instead of worrying about perfection or measuring up?
Have you ever been caught in the trap of not feeling good enough? You might recognize signs: comparison, frustration, self-doubt and insecurity. When we get caught up in comparing our journey to someone else’s, we find ourselves competing with emotions that were never ours to own. These things will ROB you of your joy for photography, and they are often the result of unrealistic expectations. Any perfectionists in the room? The improperly folded towel in this picture taught me a valuable lesson about this last week. My seven year old is (finally) learning to hang up her own towel. It occurred to me not too long ago that I have adopted the habit of doing this for her, and it was time for a change. Despite her belief that she’s going to live with me forever (swoon!), she WILL actually live on her own someday, and I’m kind of hoping she’s not a slob. So, we are working on teaching her to be a little more responsible for herself, including the hanging up of her bath towel. My daughter is a perfectionist. Like her mama. She worked really hard hanging up this towel, and insisted on doing it herself. It involved a lot of time, folding, and refolding.
I definitely plan on teaching my daughter the proper way to hang her towel (because let’s face it, what she did here is way more complicated than it needs to be), but for today, I’m going to give her little perfectionist self (and mama) a break, and we’re going to celebrate her progress.
I’ll be honest: this towel is driving me crazy hanging there like that. I really want to fix it. (Like, SO badly).
And I think YOU should celebrate YOUR progress today, too. I have a feeling you’ve come a LONG way. And progress is more valuable than perfection.
But as I stood there looking at her first attempt at hanging her towel completely on her own, the thought occurred to me: Progress is more valuable than perfection.
Betsy
WHAT’S WORKING: COMMUNITY BRAINSTORM RECAP B Y K AT E G U E R T I N
WOWING YOUR CLIENTS:
A SWEET SURPRISE CAN BE THE CHERRY ON TOP! As many of us approach the busiest time of the year, shooting fall and christmas sessions, it’s a great time to remember to wow your clients! This is of course done by taking amazing images, having incredible communication and customer service and a great personable and fun demeanor at their session but a client gift can be a perfect cherry to top off the sundae and a sure bet that your clients will be telling all their friends to book sessions with you too! Here’s some of our members best ideas on what’s working when it comes to gifting their clients a special something to remember them by, conveniently sorted for you by session and client type!
1. FAMILY SESSION CLIENTS Clients that have a young family with babies and toddlers might love a gift to keep their little ones entertained throughout the session! Story books or coloring books can act as a great distraction and even a photo prop and fun candid activity for the family to participate in while you snap away! For stubborn toddlers, lollipops or fruit snacks can be an excellent prize and means of bribery... just make sure to okay it with Mom and Dad before you show off the tasty treats! Speaking of tasty treats, families of all ages will love a yummy baked snack from a local hot spot, think freshly baked cookies from the fun new bakery down the street or a dozen gourmet donuts from the trendy coffee shop on the corner! Speaking of yumminess, try a gift certificate for a cool delicious ice cream or fro yo families can use on the weekend or after their late summer session! Lastly for older families with middle schoolers and teens, we love cc pro member Ashley Whittenburg’s idea of some locally made artisan popcorn and a Redbox code...post session MOVIE NIGHT! How fun!
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
PRODUCT CREDIT WINNERS: K I M B E R LY P H Y F E JESSICA KAPLAN
2. ENGAGEMENT OR COUPLES SESSION CLIENTS Young couples are riding the high of being in love! Think about treating them to a fizzy bottle of champagne to celebrate post-session, some delicious gourmet chocolates or a fun photo book to commemorate their session! Capitalize on this special moment by adding the final touch to this exciting event in their lives. Looking to step things up a notch and really knock their socks off with something unique at any price point? Check out our members favorite site Greetabl for interesting and memorable gifts shipped right to your clients and made for any budget. Click the link above to watch a quick video on how Greetabl works, and sign up for their email list to receive 10% off your first order! (Hint: We highly recommend the Champagne Gummy Bears!)
3. WEDDING CLIENTS Weddings are typically big ticket items, and for clients paying thousands of dollars for your services, it’s absolutely appropriate to build in a bigger budget gift to thank them for choosing you for their special day! Things like custom USB drives in commemorative keepsake boxes inscribed with the happy couple’s name and wedding date, gift certificates for a nice dinner to celebrate their new marriage and surprise wall art with a favorite image from their day top our members’ lists of recommendations!
4. NEWBORN/FRESH 48 CLIENTS When we think Newborn and Fresh 48, we often go right to the adorable new bundle of joy who is the subject of our session! And while the babe certainly deserves a happy welcome to this world (our members are loving gifting monthly photo swaddles, story books and baby books, and custom photo logo onesies).
you something that makes those sleepless first days just a little bit easier or more enjoyable can really make an impression! Think about texting your clients before their session to see if you can pick them up some coffee. Bring along a New Mom Survival Kit like CC Pro member Kimberly Phyfe who says, “I make a New Mom Survival Kit! A beautiful little gift bag with hand soap, tissues to dry your tears, dish soap for all the bottles you wash, hand sanitizer, boogie wipes, tea bags, and chocolate! Plus a handwritten card that simply says she looks beautiful, she’s doing an amazing job, and I’m so happy to capture this special time in her life - even when she feels like it’s a blur!” Lastly let mom pamper herself with a gift certificate to a local spa or nail salon!
These ideas are just some of the great ways you can put that extra special touch on your client experience. Going above and beyond doesn’t have to be super expensive or time consuming... remember to build in a budget for client gifts when pricing your sessions so your clients are covering your over head. They don’t even realize it’s built in but the impact it can make on your relationships and client referrals might shock you! Remember that something as simple as a hand-written thank you note mailed after their session (something we recommend for every client type!) can have your clients returning for years to come. Great client experience goes beyond the camera lens. We can’t wait to see all the ways you wow!
But the best advice our CC Pro members can dish out is to remember the mama! Being a new mom is hard work and having someone remember to give
T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
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3 TIPS FOR NEW PHOTOGRAPHERS B Y L O G A N FA H E Y
Everybody starts somewhere and I’m hoping these tips will help you skip making some of the mistakes that I made when I first started out.
Tip 1: Look for the light I see so many new photographers placing their clients with the sun hitting their client’s face. This not only makes your client squint their eyes but also adds uneven shading on their face. Try to position your clients with their back to the sun. If you are shooting in harsh sunlight, look around to see if you can find something to block the harsh light.
Tip 2: Know your camera! If you are shooting in auto mode then your camera is choosing everything for you, from the shutter speed to aperture and SO much more. To get the results YOU want, YOU need to be in control of your camera. Don’t let your camera be in control of you!
Tip 3: Have a contract This one is HUGE! Have a contract! Most people don’t think it is important to have a contact for model calls when they first start out but let me tell you…YOU NEED ONE. You can easily get yourself into a sticky situation where your client is asking for more digital images or saying they thought x.y.z were included in the session and without a contract you are stuck giving them what they are asking for. The last thing you need when you are starting out is a bad review because you didn’t outline the expectations for your client.
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T H E M O N T H LY S N A P S H O T
PRO MEMBER SPOTLIGHT:
TABITHA ROSSMAN WHERE I CALL HOME: Las Cruces, New Mexico YEARS I’VE BEEN IN BUSINESS: 7 Months MY NICHE / WHAT I SPECIALIZE IN: Pet photography WHY I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY: It started off as being a nice creative outlet and a reason to get out of the house, especially when I was either stressed with work or school. Now it’s given me a reason to go into another career that I am passionate about: being able to still work with animals while taking care of my health. ONE CHALLENGE IN MY BUSINESS THAT I’VE OVERCOME: Getting clients! It took me a while, but I have done networking and handing out business cards. Word of mouth and referrals have also come in. It took a lot of just pushing myself out of my comfort zone and talking to people, for I am very introverted, especially in large groups. I am usually the quiet one in the back of the class trying to get past my awkwardness. ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT COLE’S CLASSROOM IS: I love a lot of stuff about Cole’s Classroom, but since I can only pick
one thing, I will go with the education, for I have learned so much just by watching the videos the mentors have spent so much time making and putting together, as well as the writers that are in the group writing articles. I am the one who feels like you can never stop learning and I have several notebooks filled with notes from just Cole’s Classroom. I feel like I get a lot out of the education that the mentors provide in the group and on the website.
3 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME: 1. I have 2 fur babies; they are both basset hounds. 2. I enjoy hiking and caving in my spare time when I can, even though after a day or two it starts to take a lot out of me. But it’s always good to know your limits. 3. Before my photography career I was a Wildlife Biologist.
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PHOTO TIP OF THE MONTH A RT I C L E A N D I M AG E S BY E D E L C L A R K
USING HDR EXPOSURE BRACKETING IN-CAMERA
4. Select whether this is applied for just the one shutter click, or until you switch it off
Ever have a situation where you expose for your subject (or building, or whatever!) and it blows out your sky? There are lots of ways to capture a good exposure on ALL parts of your image - and HDR in camera is right up there! You’ll probably find the button somewhere close to your screen at the back of your camera. I use a Canon 5Diii, and it’s situated to the left of my screen. 1. Hit the button
5. Decide on the number of stops of exposure either side of middle exposure you want
2. Scroll across to HDR mode 3. Choose “Enable”
6. Then just compose your image, and take the shot! Hold the camera steady (or use a tripod if super shaky hands) - it’ll take three shots in quick succession: one over exposed, one under exposed, and one middle exposure. You can then simply bring them into lightroom, select all and click Photo Photo Merge - HDR and combine them!
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