NAPCP December 2017 Issue of Inspired Magazine

B Y NA P C P DECEMBER 2017

Featuring Kristen Montgomery of Kristen Montgomery Photography

The

LATEST January Printables, #NAPCPGatherings Round-Up, NAPCP Image Competition and More!

INSIDE 2018 Marketing Summit in Atlanta: All the Details!

‘Tis the season of contemplation and welcoming, and as cold mists blanket the night we’re

filling tall mugs with warm drinks and preparing to glide into the new year with you!

Our final NAPCP Gatherings of 2017 were held during the second and third weeks of this

month. We hope you were able to enjoy fellowship and food with your photographer peers. If you weren’t able to join us this December, NAPCP Gatherings will resume in 2018! We look forward to welcoming a new team of NAPCP Ambassadors, from within our community, in the coming months. Interested in becoming a NAPCP Ambassador? Applications will open soon; be on the lookout in the Member Community and make sure you’re reading your weekly edition of Jubilate, to stay in the know!

Speaking of NAPCP Ambassadors, this month’s issue of Inspired features Charlotte, North

Carolina Ambassador, Kristen Montgomery. Kristen’s photographs are filled with enchantment and heart melting scenes, and we are thrilled to share her work with you. Kristen tells us that she can honestly say that she loves what she does, and she hopes you can see that in her images.

Kristen has placed in NAPCP’s International Image Competitions, a well-deserved honor she is truly humbled by. You’ll feel the sun’s warmth in winter as you peruse Kristen’s feature pages!

With only a few weeks remaining until we gather together in Atlanta for our 2018 Marketing

Summit, time is running out to register for an in-person seat! You don’t want to miss keynote speaker Jenna Martin. Visit our marketing summit website for more information on attending in-person or virtually, and register today!

Finally, just around the corner are NAPCP’s International Image Competition, and

the Inspired by NAPCP Gallery Event! We invite you to join us in submitting your work to both competitions in 2018. If you are not yet a NAPCP member, submit your application now for credits, discounts, and eligibility.

We wish you every simple joy this season.

With flurries ‘n’ fun, The NAPCP Team

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TA BL E O F CO NTE N TS Pg. 4 .................................. January Printables Pg. 5 .........................News & Announcements Pg. 6 ...........................Featured Photographer

Pg. 26 ........................2018 Marketing Summit Pg. 30 .....................................#NAPCPMerry Pg. 31 ............#NAPCPGatherings Round-Up Pg. 32 .................NAPCP Image Competitions Pg. 33 ......Fill-in-the-Blank Thank You Notes

Pg. 34 ...............................Articles You’ll Love Pg. 36 ...................Video Series: Rya Duncklee Pg. 37 ..............................Marketing Mondays Pg. 38 ...............................#NAPCPInstaFaves Pg. 39 .............................Membership Benefits

J A N U A R Y P R I N TA B L E S

NEW

NO TES

WW W. NAPCP

.C OM

SET THOSE NEW YEAR’S GOALS

N E WS & A N N OU N CE MEN T S

Facebook Community We hope that everyone will continue to partake in our NAPCP Facebook Community page! Join now and get involved with the latest discussions, trending topics, news and updates, and much more! Click here to request to join today!

Napcp Store Visit the NAPCP store to get your Spring Marketing Postcard Pack. Our marketing bundles are perfect for getting ahead of the game for 2018! Upload to Artifact Uprising, edit and personalize, and send to clients in the new year. Book your spring simply!

NAPCP Inspired Magazine December 2017 | 5

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER KRISTEN MONTGOMERY

Images by Kristen Montgomer y of Kristen Montgomer y Photography

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Image by Willy Wilson

F

irst and foremost, Kristen Montgomery is a wife to an incredibly

supportive husband; together they have two beautiful little girls and an adorable little boy. Kristen has always loved photography, but it wasn’t until she and her husband relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2008, that photography became more than a hobby. After a successful career in the financial services industry, Kristen decided to pursue her passion and launch her family and newborn photography business. She feels that there is nothing more precious than a baby’s first few days and she loves capturing all of that newborn sweetness!

Outside of newborn images, Kristen’s favorites are natural, candid photos ... the ones from which you can almost hear the laughter of the child bursting forth from the image. We’re extremely excited to introduce Kristen Montgomery to you!

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AT A GLANC BEHIND 1. Started photographing? 2008 2. Officially opened business? 2013 3. Favorite camera? Nikon D750 4. Lens of choice? Sigma 35 Art for newborns & Tamron 70-200 2.8 G2 for families 5. Favorite lab? Miller’s Image by Marena Rudy

Kristen Montgomery

6. Favorite framer? American Frame & a local framer 7. Favorite subject to photography? Newborns 8. Favorite musician? Lifelong Celine Dion fan

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CE WITH SCENES

KRISTEN MONTGOMERY

9. Favorite movie? Elf 11. Recent favorite read? Three Wishes by Lianne Moriarty 12. Favorite client product? Lifestyle Wall. This is something I created when we moved into our new house and I wanted a unique way to display a lot of pictures without using a lot offrames. I even worked with a 3D printer to design a tool to help space and level all of the images. I started offering them about a year ago and have several clients building them with photos I’ve taken of their family from multiple sessions.

12. 3 things you can’t live without? Family, chocolate & coffee

F L I P T H E PA G E F O R O U R E XC LU S I V E I N T E RV I E W W I T H K R I ST E N !

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Congratulations on being our feature NAPCP photographer this month, Kristen! Please tell us about yourself and how you got your start as a professional photographer. Thank you! I’m so excited and humbled to be featured. My interest in photography goes back to high school when I took a dark room class. I loved it but never thought of it as a potential career even though I was always the one with a camera. In college I majored in finance and had a minor in entrepreneurship. I went on to work in the banking and investment world for 9 years. When my husband and I moved to from Cleveland to Charlotte in 2008 we only knew a handful of people. A co-worker asked me what my interests were and I mentioned photography. He suggested I take a look at the Light Factory in town. It’s a small photography museum that also offered photography classes from some amazing instructors. Since we didn’t have kids yet, I took just about every class they offered and as part of my “homework” I started photographing co-workers and their families, and then their friend’s families, and pretty quickly I had a little side business. We had our first daughter in 2011 and our second in 2012, and shortly after that I realized the investment world was not as family friendly as I had hoped. I had another job offer to join a larger financial firm but asked my husband for six months to put all of my efforts into my little photography business before taking a new job in the financial world. The photography business took off and we’ve never looked back! I still pinch myself that this is what I get to do!

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We love your use of light in your studio. Tell us about your studio and how it works for you. I have been very lucky to have a studio in my home. My children are 6 (almost 7), 5 and 2, and this has allowed me to be around them while still having a career. My husband jokes that my number one prerequisite when looking for our new house two years ago was that it had a dedicated office and studio space. My studio is the bonus room of the house with extra tall ceilings and three large windows so there is a lot of light even on dreary days. I do have a large PLM that I set up on exceptionally dark days but mostly just in the winter months.

I have explored the idea of an outside studio space several times but for now having a home studio makes the most sense for me. It keeps my monthly expenses reasonably low and that allows me to pay myself a decent salary, reinvest back into my business, contribute to retirement accounts (there’s that finance background) and save for my dream studio (like what NAPCP co-founder Alice Park has built) down the road. That being said, the logistics of a home studio can be a bit tricky. While it is nice to be available for my kids, they often forget that I am “working”. We have to keep the house together all the time - which means that every time I have a session, I’m not only setting up for the session but also cleaning the house.

And with three kids, there are usually a lot of things that need to get put away before it is “client ready”!

It is a delicate balance but one that works for us for now and one I am very thankful for.

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1 4 | N A P C P I n s p i r e d M a g a z i n e Ju l y 2 0 1 7

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If you could offer one tip to new photographers wanting to “go pro”, what would it be?

It’s hard to pick one! I honestly think that building your business and technical skills before launching is so important and not to be overlooked. Understanding the costs to launch your business, how to price your services, plan for short-term and long-term expenses, and understanding how your website works -- as well as how to make it be seen by the major search engines. I often tell people that learning how to build a website and make it SEO friendly is like learning a foreign language, but taking the time to do that when I was first starting out was probably one of the best investments I made in my business.

You photograph a little bit of everything (or everyone ... newborns, babies, milestones, children, families, maternity ...). How are you able to stay not only consistent, but fresh, in your work across genres? My tagline for my business is “capturing growing families”. I love starting with a family and their newborn and then continuing to photograph them as they get older and potentially have more children.

I feel like my photography style is a natural extension of my own personal style and personality. I don’t try to emulate other people’s work, that I would never consider my style, even though their work might be fabulous. Trying to do something that isn’t a natural extension of me would be exhausting. I love getting inspiration from the changing seasons, traveling - especially to the beach - and different textures. I’ve really enjoyed being able to have a studio and have outdoor options, thanks to North Carolina’s moderate climate, and have loved finding ways to bring natural elements from outside into the studio. I also love to learn new things and that helps keep the creative juices flowing. Every few months I take some time just to be creative - I get out the glue gun and make headbands or use my very basic sewing skills to make little pillows. I’ve also gotten a lot of ideas from taking little classes around town like floral crown design, knitting (I was TERRIBLE), and hand lettering.

Anytime I get to exercise the creative part of my brain I usually return to the studio refreshed and ready to create something new.

Thank you so much, Kristen!

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Three Tips F O R G E T T I NG T H E M O S T O U T O F Y O U R N E W S L E T T E R

by Kristen Montgomery

1- Take advantage of their personalization feature! - This is similar to a MailMerge in the old school word processing software. This is especially helpful when you are trying to communicate during busy season or have mini sessions. I offer Santa minis every year and this year I booked 65 families. Instead of sending 65 individual emails confirming dates and times, I took advantage of the MadMimi personalization feature and was able to send one newsletter to my Santa clients that greeted everyone by name and reminded them what day and time their session was.

I was also able to include some great Santa images from years before - way more fun than a plain old email! They have a great tutorial on personalization on their website: https://help.madmimi.com/using-personalization-feature/

2- Take the time to make a template for your newsletter that includes your branding and logos. - Make this a seamless extension of your website, business cards, etc. You can duplicate the template each time you want to send an update.

3- Use newsletters often! - Without fail, every time I send out a newsletter I get responses back that lead to booking a session. Sometimes this is a client’s reminder, telling me that they are expecting a new little one or they need to schedule a milestone session.

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CAMERA BAG ESSENTIALS WITH KRISTEN MONTGOMERY

BODIES Nikon D750 & Nikon D810

LENSES Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art, Nikon 50mm 1.4, Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 G2, Sigma 85mm 1.4 & Sigma 105mm Macro

EXTRAS Batteries, Memory Cards, Business Cards, KIND Bars, Lip Gloss & Hand Warmers

NAPCP Inspired Magazine December 2017 | 23

BEHIND

We visited Kristen’s Instagram feed and gathered some of our favorite captures.

SCENES

WITH KRISTEN MONTGOMERY

Follow her at @kristenmontgomeryphotography to see more beautiful imagery!

At the NAPCP Marketing Summit in Atlanta, GA, we’ll help you learn to develop a strong business year around your unique brand identity, to create content with your personality and vision in mind, to connect with your target audience, to conquer the social media platforms that will benefit you most, and to finally have a full editorial calendar in place. You’ll take in expert, honest advice about self-promotion and social media, and learn about organic ways to increase engaging traffic. You’ll also learn the basics of blogging consistently, writing copy, building e-blasts and ads, and how to plan your campaigns. We can’t wait to help you take your business to the next level!

S O C I AL MEDIA C LAS S The most successful businesses adapt with the changing times, and at this moment in time, there is no such thing as a comprehensive marketing strategy that doesn’t include a strong social media presence.

This class is designed specifically for photographers looking to use their social media platforms to create a significant online presence, develop and grow their business, and turn followers into paying clients.

Class Highlights • Understanding Facebook & Instagram algorithms

• Creating constant follower growth on Instagram

• Creating an effective ad campaign on Facebook

• Getting the most out of hashtags and photo tags

• Decoding Facebook insights

• Creating user generated content on Instagram

• What to post, when to post it & how to phrase it

• Contests & collaborations on Instagram

• Creating a consisten feed aesthetic on Instagram

• Why should you have a blog?

• Increasing interaction on Instagram

• SEO, hashtags & meta-tags

• Creating user generated content on Instagram

• Social media backlinks

• Increasing attraction on Instagram

• Email lists and services

M E E T JEN N A MARTIN Jenna Martin has been sharing her ever-evolving knowledge of social media for several years, teaching from her experience. She has written, developed and produced workshops on social media marketing, as well as styled portraiture, and is a highly sought after photography coach and mentor. Jenna has presented at TedX, is a featured speaker for Shutterfest 2018, and is also speaking for Canon in January 2018.

When she’s not taking pictures, she’s usually spending time with her family, taking in stray animals and participating in general, all-around rule breaking.

WHAT ’S IN C LUD ED? 2018 Marketing Guide & Inclusions Fill-in-the-blank calendar templates and worksheets. These worksheets analyze everything from what is working in your business model, to defining your ideal client. Each section builds, culminating in custom marketing campaigns aimed at bringing maximum success to your brand .

12 Month Content Calendar Use this to plan your posts well in advance. Blog post and social media ideas and prompts for the entire year are included! If you want to improve your engagement and grow your blog and social media followings, this calendar is for you!

Email Marketing Guide PDF guide to assist you in your mastery of email marketing. Create subject lines and use linked keywords that CLICK! Boost your bookings and fill your schedule to fit your lifestyle.

TWO Complete Marketing Campaigns These campaigns are created with order deadlines, cost and profit analysis, and reminders for all the items you need to remember for a successful event. We did the work for you, here!

TWO Professionally Designed Marketing Collateral Sets Fully designed marketing pieces to coordinate with the campaigns above, including social media graphics and print media that you can easily customize to fit your brand.

Creative Copy Guide How to take your ideas and turn them into polished blog posts, business copy, articles, and client guides, sure to attract the attention of your target audiences. Includes sample professionally written blog posts, client emails, about and biography formats, and more for you to fill in and put to work!

Styled Stock Photo Collection An exclusive, stunning set of photography-focused images to enhance your social media presence.

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R EGISTE R FOR THE SUMMIT In-Person Attendees The 2018 NAPCP Marketing Summit will take place January 17-19 in Atlanta at the beautiful Park Studios. Our in-person attendees will receive the Social Media Marketing Class with Jenna Martin, plus a full, printed 2018 Marketing Guide Binder and all of the inclusions in the download.

$350 Member | $450 Non-Member | $500 Become a NAPCP Member & Save on Both!

Virtual Attendees Our virtual attendees will receive all of the inclusions in the download, plus Facebook Live access on Thursday, January 18th to watch Jenna Martin’s Social Media Marketing Class LIVE!

$99 Member | $199 Non-Member | $249 Become a NAPCP Member & Save on Both!

N UA RY 1 9 I WANT TOJASN AG MY SPOT

SPON SORE D BY

NAPCP Inspired Magazine December 2017 | 29

@emwillphotos

@hayleyjophotography

@jamiesappphotography

#NAP CPMERRY Some of our favorite images from the December @NAPCP tag on Instagram. Our January tag is #NAPCPNEW; play along for your chance to be featured on Facebook, in Inspired, and in our Instagram feed!

@ jennifer.schultz

@melissazimmerphotography

@tracylphotography

Colorado

C

t u c i t c onne # NA P C P G AT H E R I NG S

ROUND UP We wrapped up this year’s #NAPCPGatherings with holiday gatherings all over the world! We are so happy that many of you were able to make new connections with photographers in your area this year. We can’t wait to see how NAPCP

Georgia

Gatherings grow even more in 2018!

Hawaii

A lb e r t a New York

NAPCP Inspired Magazine November 2017 | 31

Coming Soon Get your images ready! The National Association of Professional Child Photographers (NAPCP) recognizes the accomplishments and creative excellence of its child photographer members. Our International Image Competition rewards talent with medallions, priority listing in our directory, vendor endorsements, Photographer of the Year points, titles and professional recognition. The purpose of this digital competition is to learn, improve, and elevate the imagery in the child and family photography industry.

In contrast to our International Image Competition, the NAPCP Inspired Gallery Event is more creative in nature and gives both members and non-members the chance to place in one of three categories. The purpose of this event is to provide an opportunity for professional photographers to explore their creativity in new ways. A print gallery is judged in person at a truly artful event.

Categories, dates, and official announcements will be made soon!

the NA P CP 2 0 1 8 I N T E R NAT I O NA L I M AG E C O M PE T I T ION

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FREE

F I L L- I N -T H E - B L A N K THANK YOU NOTES

We’ve made writing holiday thank you cards easier for your kiddos with these darling printable cards you can print at home. These thank-yous are super easy to personalize, and fit in a standard letter size envelope.

S H O W YO U R G R AT I T U D E

NAPCP Inspired Magazine December 2017 | 33

ARTICLES YOU’LL LOVE Inspiring words written by our members, for our members.

Why Limiting Mini Sessions is Good

I’ve been in business for almost six years and every year I’ve dreaded mini sessions. At first I was worried that I would only book one person, when I needed three to make it worth it — then, it became more than that.

As a lifestyle photographer with a focus on connection both between my clients and myself, and my clients and each other, I found mini sessions so difficult to execute well. I missed that connection every time and this year I decided to find out why.

After months of waffling on whether I wanted to do them or not, and if I did, how to make them better, I discovered my answer: limit them in any way I could. If my problem was connection, I discovered, I would need to eliminate all the things that were distracting me and my clients at the session. This year, I found my perfect formula for minis.

Read more.

Meet Cristin More: Cristin is a Bay Area photographer and mother of two, who has been encouraging tickle fights between siblings and couples to make out on camera (you know, in a classy way), since 2012.

How to Take Pictures of Holiday Lights What’s more beautiful than holiday lights at night? Whether you’re driving through the neighborhood with your family, or walking through the snow with hot chocolate, it’s a magical experience. It’s often so hard to capture the beauty of the lights that you see in person through your camera… so we’ve put together a few tips to take some great shots of this heart-warming holiday tradition. Read more.

Meet Kristen Smith: Kristen is a graphic designer and custom-lettering artist based out of Atlanta, GA. She loves to find ways to include non-digital elements (watercolor, acrylic, calligraphic, etc...) into her work whenever possible.

Simple Ways to Dress Up Your Holiday Table

With New Year’s and Valentine’s Day around the corner, now is the perfect time to make sure your tablescape plan is ready! Maybe you’ve searched high and low through every feed on Pinterest and just can’t find the perfect setting. Or maybe you’ve finally finished editing and, hooray!, you’re also hosting a holiday dinner this weekend. NAPCP co-founder Alice Park of Alice Park Photography is here to help with some real-life inspiration.

Our creative leader worked to keep her holiday table simple but festive. We think you’ll love this celebration as much as we do. Keep reading for Alice’s styling tips! Read more.

Meet Alice Park: Besides being a co-founder for NAPCP, Alice is a passionate photographer, grateful wife, devoted mother of two, active board member for non-profits centering around children and mothers. Alice loves to dream big and genuinely believes that “Life is too short to not do what you love every single day.”

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# N A P C P I N S TA FAV E S The images of these amazing photographers caught our eye in December. Visit them on Instagram and follow along! Tag #NAPCP on Instagram and you may see your work in a future issue of Inspired.

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winning image by tina krafts

Membership Benefits Read about NAPCP and see the many benefits of NAPCP membership, on our site. Download freebies and preview member-exclusive videos; get to know the heart of our association!

LEARN MORE

Please visit napcp.com or email us at info@napcp.com with questions or inquiries.

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THIS ISSUE

NAPCP Inspired Magazine December 2017 | 39

NAPCP Issue 61