NAPCP June Newsletter by Alice Park

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NEWSLETTER June 2012 The Latest News & Announcements, Workshops, Updates and much more!

Featuring the wonderful Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography

INSIDE: a special giveaway from Nations Photo Lab and a fun summer promo!

Hello friends! Risk-taker. Innovator. Trailblazer. Regardless of the title you will find them in every industry, including ours. Taking chances and creating something outside of the box is never easy - in fact, sometimes downright scary. It’s fear of failure and judgement that can hold us back. But there are always those precious few that have the gut to not only answer that great Spencer Johnson question but DO … “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” ... “Who Moved My Cheese?” - a great read.

Someone who knows a great deal about blazing her own trail is this month’s Mem-

ber Spotlight, Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography. Recently crowned our 2011 Photographer of The Year, Stephanie has been a force in the industry for quite some time and a tremendous resource for others. Between her workshops and article contributions, she remains a strong advocate of safety in the child photography industry, providing awareness to both peers and parents alike. Check out her interview accompanied by loads of her gorgeous imagery inside!

As our Featured Vendor this month, Nations Photo Lab also knows the value of

creating something innovative. They have set out to offer new and unique formats to photographers that in turn help clients showcase their images in beautiful ways. They just launched an exciting summer sale and are doing a special giveaway for our NAPCP readers. Take a peek at pg.21 for all the details.

The exciting news does not stop there! It’s time to get your best images ready to

shine. Our next NAPCP International Image Competition launches in July. Stay tuned for our formal announcement including dates, judges, and more. We are also thrilled to share that we will be launching our brand new NAPCP Community page on Facebook very soon as well. We hope it will serve as a place to share, learn and grow for our NAPCP members. We challenge you to let that risk-taker inside of you shine this month and try something new. See you on the forum!

Sincerely

The NAPCP Team

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TA BLE O F CON TE N TS Pg. 3 .................................................... Workshops Pg. 4 ...............................News & Announcements

Pg. 5 ... Featured Photographer: Stephanie Buckman

Pg. 19 ...................................... Tip of The Month Pg. 21 ........... Featured Vendor: Nations Photo Lab Pg. 23 ...........................Facebook Community Page Pg. 24 .................................Apply For Membership NAPCP

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WORK SHO PS Tamara Lackey Workshop Join Tamara for this two-day business-focused workshop, which includes an in-depth shooting clinic. This detailed business program is built to introduce more efficient methods for gaining control over your business processes and home/ commercial studio workflow. The highly interactive and hands-on shooting clinic will help you to master your technical skills behind the camera, as well as teach you how to setup and work with additional light sources â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and better utilize available light in a more controlled fashion. August 6 - 7 | Durham, NC September 13 - 14 | Ottawa, Canada September 17 - 18 | Toronto, Canada

More Info Here! 03 | NAPCP

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N E W S & ANN OU N CE ME N TS Photographer of the Year The NAPCP 2011 Photographer of The Year was announced this month and we could not be happier that it went to such a deserving member. Congratulations once again to Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography!

Follow Us on Pinterest Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right...NAPCP has just recently let our curiousty get the best of us as we took the plunge and joined Pinterest. We would love for you to take a quick spin around our boards as well as help us spread inspiring photography to the Pinterest community everywhere! To follow us, please visit our profile page here! Happy Pinning!

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FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER STEPHANIE BUCKMAN

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Images by Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography

ased in in Burlington, Ontario, Stephanie

Buckman specializes in newborn and child photography, creating timeless portraits through her mastery of light, the lens and a true connection with her subjects. Known for her custom fine art portraiture, Stephanie has been offering newborn mentoring and group sessions since 2009. She is also a strong advocate for newborn safety and continues to promote knowledge and awareness to the child photography industry.

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Tell us your story. How you started and how your photography, brand, and business transformed over the last few years... I started photographing my own children like a lot of other photographers. I remember buying my first DSLR when my second child, my son, was only 8 days old thinking Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be able to do his newborn session myself. That was a complete bomb! But it gave me an introduction to newborn portraiture and a drive to improve. I began photographing for others for fun that fall and before I knew it, the referrals were rolling in. By the next summer, I registered my business. I think my brand has definitely become more defined since hiring a graphic designer to help shape the feel of my business into a visual logo. My branding really started there though it certainly encompasses a lot more than those eggs and nest.

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How did you get started in newborn photography? And how has specializing in this work shaped your business? I think specializing in newborn portraiture was just a very natural progression for me. I seemed to do my best in this area and received the most referrals for newborn work. I really feel my background as a physiotherapist helped me when it came to maneuvering babes into those cozy poses. Specializing definitely helped to shape my business because it defined what I was to people. Instead of trying to be everything to a whole lot of people, I became something specific to a certain subset of people. Choosing a specialty also allowed me to focus on becoming really good at my particular type of photography and also set me apart from other photographers in my area offering many different types of service.

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What has been the best piece of advice youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve received starting out? Why? I think the best piece of advice I received was to value my time as much as my children value my time. It really helped me to price myself accordingly because I knew how much my children value the time I give them and I wanted to make sure that I still had plenty of time to do just that! I made the decision early on that I would never pay myself less than I knew I was worth. That decision alone has propelled my business more than any other. It allows me to be more than a photographer. It allows me to have a personal life and to find balance which in turn, means I run a more efficient business and can deliver better service to the clients that choose to hire me. Who has been your your biggest inspiration in your work? Man. This is always a tough one because there are some really great newborn photographers out there. Not only this, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also that standard answer that the babies themselves inspire me. I think for me, inspiration is not something I seek out but instead something I let come my way. Occasionally itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a book, a movie, a poster or sign I see while driving. A picture in a lullaby 11 | NAPCP

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collection, a colour or pattern on a piece of clothing or the look of another photographer’s work. I don’t necessarily think there’s a “who” in my source so much as a “what” if that makes sense. What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your first few years? The biggest challenge for me has been the accounting. It’s definitely a weakness on my end and a good lesson in when it’s appropriate to hire out. I’m definitely not trained in this area and it’s money well spent in my opinion to hire someone who knows the ins and outs and can keep you on track in this regard.

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Tell us about how you maintain balance between your business, your 3 adorable children, and yourself. I think pricing myself appropriately really afforded me the opportunity to achieve a little more balance in my life in this regard. My littles are just that... little. I know they’re not going to stay that way for much longer and I’m so glad I made some necessary changes to my pricing while expecting my 3rd baby. As much as I love spending time with other people’s babies, mine are not yet in full time school so I still want and need to spend a great deal of time with them too. Balance, of course, is something I’m still refining and it’s never a perfect balance but I feel like it’s a lot better now than before upping my prices. NAPCP

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Who are some of your favorite vendors? Oh my gosh. Really? Right off the hop, I have to go with Silky Knits, Baby Joy Studios, Whimsy Hats and Headbands, After the Bump, Handcrafted Crowns, Pinch Knits and a new and recent favorite, Zin Frames. Of course there’s also my personal knitter and fellow photographer and friend Jaime Coyle (Love ya girl!) and it doesn’t hurt that they all sponsor the Baby Vogue Workshops either! What are some of your best selling products? How do you market them & why do you think your clients gravitate towards them the most? I’m going to have to go with my Pixel2Canvas Luxe Canvases. I think they’re so popular because they’re modern, easy and don’t require any additional work (i.e. framing) to get them up on display on the walls of your home. I can’t wait to get my new displays up at my recently acquired studio space. There’s nothing like showing the products you like to sell and these canvases

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practically sell themselves. Other than canvases, I sell quite a few albums as well. I truly believe that albums are the best way to display a full sessions worth of images as they are beautifully crafted, archival, professionally printed works of art. We love how open and honest you are within the NAPCP community. What would you like to see happen within our specialized industry? I’d love to see some sort of requirement for safety measures when working with newborns, babies and children. With all the information readily available on the forums and internet in general, I’m still consistently shocked by the surfacing of videos and imagery depicting dangerous and inappropriate posing of these young subjects. I really feel it’s the responsibility of each photographer to research safety procedures and, even better, seek out training before jumping into situations in which tiny subjects may be endangered through their involvement in their photo sessions. Endangering a baby is just never going to be ok in my books. To see more of Stephanie’s work, please visit her site here, and her blog here!

Thank you so much Stephanie!

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TIPS OF THE MONTH BY STEPHANIE BUCKMAN

HANDLING MULTIPLES Make sure you have an extra set of hands at the ready when working with multiples. Not only is it handy for keeping those fingers and toes perfectly positioned while working with the babies, it means an extra set of eyes and arms for keeping babies settled and safe

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WO RK I NG WIT H PAREN T S :

Parents can sometimes be awkward or uncomfortable both holding a posed baby and being in front of your camera. Put them at ease by getting them to interact with baby. Gazing downward, a loving kiss on the cheek or even getting them to close their eyes and give you a small smile all lend perfectly to images with an emotional connection between parent and babe. Just remember, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re likely very hot already. Add to that the body heat of their little babe and you might find it best to be quick in your captures.

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With this book youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll learn how to use backgrounds that complement your subjects, set up and shoot in-studio, light your images anywhere with straightforward lighting setups and diagrams, pose your subjects in a beautiful but natural way, nail your exposure, and create meaningful family portraits that leave everyone feeling and looking their honest best. 21 | NAPCP

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FEATURED VENDOR NATIONS PHOTO LAB Nations Photo Lab’s “SET SALE THIS SUMMER” Promotion 50% Off Our Most Popular Print Enlargements Including all paper types of our 16x20’s / 20x30’s / 24x30’s / 24x36’s / 30x40’s Now thru July 31st, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST Visit www.nationsphotolab.com to shop this amazing Summer sale.

GIVE AWAY Want a chance to win a $75 gift card? 1) Like both Nations Photo Lab and NAPCP’s Facebook pages 2) Leave a comment on the NAPCP Facebook page to let us know you have entered the contest and tell us which product you would buy with your $75 credit!

Contest ends Tuesday, June 26, @ 11:59 pm EST

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FACEBOOK COMMUNITY PAGE Coming Soon!

We are very excited to be launching the brand new NAPCP Facebook Community page! The page will be setup similar to the forum with hot topics, discussions, image critiques, but with a much more casual feel. As with all Facebook pages, they are by request only and will require members to contact an admin if they would like to join. We hope that everyone will partake so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We will send out an announcement next week with the administrators to contact to gain access to the page.

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