NAPCP March Newsletter 2017

B Y NA P C P

MARCH 2017

Featuring Leigha Graf of Leigha Graf Photography

The

LATEST INSIDE Exciting details about the inaugural NAPCP Inspired Gallery Event!

Free Printables, Announcements, Ambassadors, and More!

Hello friends!

We’re springing into spring! We’ve heard it said that the front door to springtime is

a photographer’s best friend, and this March we couldn’t agree more! As we skip through the changing season, we invite you to bloom. Join us in Atlanta next month for The NAPCP Inspired Gallery Event. Whether you’re submitting your work, want to surround yourself with amazing business minds, or are nurturing the seeds of inspiration by attending both days of the experience, come and thrive among industry leaders and your peers! Visit the Gallery Event page for more information, including the two-day schedule. Come alive through your work.

This month’s featured photographer is Leigha Graf. You might have met Leigha at

the 2017 NAPCP Retreat, or perhaps you recall her encouragement of our community to not only shoot but complete our 365 projects. Leigha seeks out bliss through travel, always being open to learning new things, and her photographic mission of not letting the “big kids” be forgotten in child and family photography. Leigha is a great lover of the Red Deer, Alberta open prairie, and lives on eleven acres with her husband, two teenagers, and two pups. The more we get to know Leigha, the more we adore her, and we are delighted to share her with you.

Full of energy, our NAPCP International Image Competition judges are hard at

work, beginning to score and critique your wonderful images! We want to welcome our new NAPCP Ambassadors with a round of applause -- congratulations on your new status!

Our NAPCP Ambassadors grow and strengthen the global NAPCP community through inspired local connections. Find an Ambassador near you! The first Gatherings of the year are ongoing this week.

Last, but certainly not least -- blossoming on the NAPCP blog are new printables,

including a new printable calendar series you can customize to fit your lifestyle, and cheerful fill-in-the-blank menu cards designed with sunlit meals with the people you love in mind. Hop over to the site to get yours!

Blissfully Yours!

The NAPCP Team

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TA BL E O F CO NTE N TS Pg. 4 ............................March Menu Printable Pg. 5 .........................News & Announcements

Pg. 6.......Featured Photographer: Leigha Graf

Pg. 26..............NAPCP Inspired Gallery Event Pg. 28..................2017 NAPCP Ambbassadors Pg. 30...............................#NAPCPInstaFaves Pg. 31..........................Apply For Membership

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 Don’t forget to get your Spring Marketing Postcard Pack! We have partnered with our friends at Artifact Uprising so that you can use these templates to make unique, customized, and memorable marketing pieces to remind your clients to book for Spring and Summer!

The set includes 8 unique postcard designs perfect for engaging your returning clients.

Get yours today!

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6Images | N A P Cby P NLeigha e w s l e t t e Graf r M a r cof h 2Leigha 017

Graf Photography

FEATURED PHOTOGRAPHER LEIGHA GRAF

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B

ased in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada, Leigha Graf is a prairie

girl at heart. She is first and foremost a wife and mother.

When she started on this photography journey, she had no way of knowing how much it would teach her. Not only about art, creativity, connections and reflection -- but more importantly, listening to her inner voice and living with intention to create art and lead a fulfilling life.

NAPCP Newsletter March 2017 | 9

AT A GLANC BEHIND 1. Started photographing? 2009 2. Officially opened business? 2010 3. Favorite camera? Canon Mark IV 4. Lens of choice? 35mm 5. Favorite Lab? Simply Color Lab

LeighaGraf 10 | NAPCP Newsletter March 2017

6. Favorite subject to photograph?

Faces

CE WITH SCENES

LEIGHA GRAF

8. Favorite musician? Taylor Swift 9. Favorite movie? Heartland 10. Recent Favorite Read? Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert 11. Favorite Client Product? Albums 12. 3 things you can't live without? Food, water, iPhone

F L I P T H E PAG E F O R OU R E XC LUS I V E INTERVIEW WITH LEIGHA! NAPCP Newsletter March 2017 | 11

Leigha, tell us a bit about yourself and how your photography business began: I can’t say that I picked up a camera at age 3 and never looked back. Or that photography was ever really on my radar. Or that once my babies were born, I fell in love with it. My story is a little more serendipitous. Before I started my family I was an event manager in the agriculture field. The one that organized a gaggle of volunteers and tried to point them in the same direction. Fun, right !?!? Once my kids were born I quickly learned that me working a 9-5 job wasn’t for my family, and I became a stay at home mom. It wasn’t until my kids were around the ages of 7 and 4 that my sister said to me on a whim, “Let’s collaborate and start a photography business together!”.

Totally what everyone should do (said with sarcasm!). We quickly learned that even though we

12 | NAPCP Newsletter March 2017

were fabulous together as sisters, being in business together didn’t come as easy. And off I went with a little encouragement from her and a drive to challenge myself.

What is something you would like to achieve in your photography this year? Research, determine and define a long term personal photography project. I am quickly realizing that as my kids get older (almost 16 and 13!!) and into their teenage years, they aren’t so keen on being my constant subjects. That leaves a definite void in my photography. I am not one to do something without meaning and heart so my biggest challenge might be in actually making a decision!

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Will you share a business or photography tip with photographers new to business? Value yourself. Really know what your time is worth. After you know all of your business numbers and have set your revenue goals, remind yourself of a few things: What is this time away from your family worth? Time away from yourself? Your journey to get where you are and the heart you put into each client is of incredible value to those you serve.

We love the way you capture teens and tweens. What is it about these age groups that is so special to you? So much. I think that these ages could easily be labelled the ‘forgotten years’ by society. Parents often go back to work, kids are pushed to be more independent, and many parents and caregivers feel their goal is to get through this time. And yes, the first few years are magical and full of a sense of wonder. And who wouldn’t want to capture that!

However the teens and tweens is where I feel so much impact can be made. Making them feel special (because they are!), truly seeing them, collaborating with them, listening to who they are. It’s in the smallest corners where we can make the biggest difference.

Thank you so much Leigha!

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Three Tips F O R L I V I NG A N D W O R K I NG I N T E N T I O N A L LY | BY L E I G H A G R A F

1- Use the rear view mirror. - Take time every now and then to really reflect on where you have been, lessons you have learned and anything you might want to change. In order to truly carve out the life that is true to us, we can learn a lot from where we have been.

2- Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 15 years? - What do you want your life as a whole to look like? As independent business owners, the world is our oyster, so to speak. We have complete freedom to live the life we imagined. That is incredible. However, the funny thing is, sometimes this is really, really hard.

There is no one else to set our hours or tell us what projects to work on, and if we aren’t careful, we can end up with no structure, floating through our days and frustrated with where we are.

3- Margins are good. - Is there anyone else out there that is a little of an “all or nothing” personality? This is one of my biggest lessons in all aspects of my life. If I allowed myself, I would be a burnt out work-a-holic, living off of Cheetos and chocolate. Grace is a good thing. Rest is a good thing.

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CAMERA BAG ESSENTIALS WITH LEIGHA GRAF

B O D I ES • Canon Mark IV • Canon Mark III

L E N SES • Canon 24mm 1.4 • Canon 35mm 1.4 • Canon 55mm 1.2 • Canon 85 mm 1.2 • Canon 70-200mm 2.8

E X T R AS • Shootsac • Kelly Moore Bag • Memory Cards • iPhone

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BEHIND

We visited Leigha’s Instagram feed and gathered some of our favorite captures of her

SCENES

WITH LEIGHA GRAF

every day life. Follow her at instagram.com/leighagraf to see more beautiful imagery!

Registration NOW OPEN

APRIL 27 & 28 26 | NAPCP Newsletter March 2017

We are fusing together three events for an amazing experience! The NAPCP Inspired Gallery Event will feature 100 beautifully printed and matted images (submitted by YOU) for open viewing, a cocktail reception (with dessert) to enjoy as you network with your peers, and as the grand finale -- a business and pricing intensive class to take your livelihood to the next level. Attend one portion of the event, or be our guest for the entire affair!

THE DETAILS

day one 7:00PM - 9:00PM Gallery Reception At Park Studios & NAPCP Headquarters GALLERY SUBMISSIONS

RECEPTION TICKETS

$35 Member (Limit 3)

$10 for Entrant

$70 Non-Member (Limit 2)

$25 for Non-Entrants

9:00PM -11:00PM Optional Meet-Up at Eclipse di Luna

day two 8:00AM - 8:30AM Morning Mingle & Coffee

8:30AM - 12:30PM Make More Money, for Photographers at ALL Levels, with Liana Hall EDUCATION PRICING $139 for Members $199 Non-Members

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

NEW! More locations for excellent local connections!

AMY LAW

CRYSTAL MERCREDI

DEANNE MROZ

Hong Kong Hong Kong

Alberta Canada

Algonquin, Illinois United States

DIOGO LOUREIRO

DYAN WITT

ELISHA GUEST

EMILY VACCARO

HANNAH DREWS

Victória, Espírito Santo Brazil

Norfolk, Virginia United States

Saskatchewan Canada

San Francisco, California United States

Chicago, Illinois United States

JANIS ROCHA

KERRY MCFARLAND

KIMBERLY TANK

LENA ANTARAMIAN

MARY OKNER

Ontario Canada

Lake Oswego, Oregon United States

St. Marys, Georgia United States

Ridgewood, New Jersey United States

San Jose, California United States

MICHELLE KIMAN

PHILLIPA DUGAW

RAQUEL LANGWORTHY

RYANN LADEN

SHELBY FINKELSTEIN

Moyock, North Carolina United States

Seattle, Washington United States

Berkeley Heights, New Jersey United States

Springfield, Virginia United States

Orlando, Florida United States

Please visit our website to see a complete list of our 2017 NAPCP Ambassadors.

SHEENA MAGNESEN

UTE-CHRISTIN COWAN

WILLY WILSON

Naperville, Illinois United States

Milford, Connecticut United States

Denver, Colorado United States

WELCOME to our NEW 2017 NAPCP ambassadors!

We are elated to accept 21 NEW NAPCP Ambassadors for 2017. Expanding our global Ambassador program means that we are able to extend our community’s industry leadership, kinship, and peer encouragement even more this year. Our Ambassadors are the eyes, ears, and face of our global association and they kindle personal relationships and connections for us on a local level. We love that our members want to take a role in building thriving communities of artists in their area!

Our topic this month will be Marketing and SEO. As photographers, our slow season is usually during the first few months of the year. Because we aren’t needing to focus our attention on clients and editing, our focus can shift to important business items like marketing strategies, SEO, website/portfolio updates and any other business aspects that may have been pushed to the wayside during the busier time of the year.

The first NAPCP Gathering of 2017 will be taking place THIS WEEK! Please come out and join fellow photographers in your area for conversation and community. Our Ambassadors would love to meet you!

F I N D A G AT H E R I N G I N YO UR AR E A

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# N A P C P I N S TA FAV E S Check out the feeds of these amazing photographers and make sure to follow along!

For your chance to be featured, tag #NAPCP on Instagram.

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NAPCP Issue 52

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