Hope Taylor Workshop Experience

October #HTPworkshop Recap

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed that my feed was flooded last Monday with images tagged with #htpworkshop! If you don't follow Hope Taylor Photography, stop what you're doing and go follow her right now!! Hope is an incredible photographer with not only amazing talent, but a passionate and bubbly spirit to match. She runs a thriving business that she started only about three years ago in high school, and has already catapulted to be a leader in the industry! It's incredible!

Double Duty: Bridesmaid + Photographer

How to Photograph a Wedding When You're In It

Last month, my best friend got married! I had the privilege of photographing their surprise beach proposal, and later that day on the drive home, we were talking excitedly about weddings when she said, "I want you to be our photographer! ...but I also want you to be IN the wedding... can you do that?" she asked. To be honest, I wasn't sure at the time, but we went for it! And it was an AMAZING day.

Preparing for a Double Header Weekend

The double header weekend. Two weddings in a row. Next to the extremely-rare TRIPLE header weekend, it can be one of the most exhausting scenarios for wedding photographers! I imagine this is what it feels like for a nurse who works two 12-hour shifts in a row, with nothing but a few hours of sleep in between. I've got my first of THREE double headers in the next month happening this weekend, and I know from experience last year that there are some strategies I have to put in place to make the weekend a success! If you're about to experience your first double header, here are a few things to know...

Conquering a Case of the Mondays

Ah, Monday.

The day with so much potential, that can set our feet on the path for success throughout the week. Also the day that seems to get the most groans and complaints from students, corporate America, and beyond. I've been a student and also worked a few Monday-to-Friday corporate jobs, but now that I'm a self employed small business owner who works out of my home office, Monday is different. Monday is the day that sets the tone for my week, but since most of my progress is self-motivated and is 100% on my shoulders, I have a choice to make.

My Go-To Portrait Lens

Confession: I've been dying to do a post on how much I love this lens ever since I bought it... or, rather, even before I bought it. This is my holy grail lens, the lens that is on my camera for 95% of my senior sessions (and I use it fairly often during engagement sessions and bride & groom portraits too). Not that I think it's okay to compare a lens to a child, but if I had to refer to one lens as my "baby"... this would be it. I. Love. It.

Free to Be Me Workshop

"You do you."

When I first heard about the Free to Be Me workshop from Rachel, I was so excited! This was the first photography workshop I'd ever attended, and I was so eager to see other photographers in action and learn tips and tricks to help grow my business. Beyond that, I wasn't sure what to expect walking in, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous! Walking into a room full of strangers and putting myself out there is a stretch for me, but I arrived coffee in hand and Rachel and Ellie immediately made me feel at ease. Their encouraging smiles were so welcoming and they had the day planned out so perfectly!

How to Nail the Shot at Low-Light Receptions (Part 2)

Welcome to the second post where I give you my top five tips on how to nail the shot at low-light receptions or ceremonies! If you didn't read Part 1 in this series, go read it right now. :) This post will make a lot more sense after you've read the first one. Otherwise, read on!

How to Nail the Shot at Low-Light Receptions (Part 1)

If you're a primarily natural light photographer like me, you probably loooooooove the the majority of the wedding day. Most of the day will be shot outdoors in beautiful, even natural light. On the best of days, you get to shoot during golden hour with that gorgeous glowing sunset streaming through the frame. And then... there's the reception, often held in dim banquet halls lit only by candles or dim orange overhead lights. No matter how charming and beautiful the venue looks when you walk into the room, it can pose a challenge to the photographer! Between this post and tomorrow's post, here are five tips for nailing the shot every, no matter how little light you have to work with.

The Best Yes

Honesty time.

For the last several weeks, I've been head down in my business. I completely rebranded and did absolutely everything myself (with the exception of a little Illustrator help from my soon-to-be-architect brother! He's awesome!). I designed my new website, and am currently in the process of ordering new business cards, client gifts, stationary, and lots of other things to match my new brand. I'm also have a profile on WeddingWire, which is new for me! Paying for advertising wasn't something I've been entirely comfortable with because I've read about so many photographers who's businesses have successfully taken off completely through social media and word-of-mouth. That was the business I wanted to be, and still want to pursue. However, I did what many photographers take years to do and I quit my day job after my first full year of business. There are so many reasons for that decision (you can read about that journey here and here), one of which being that Josh Staley Productions is booking so many weddings that the DJ business needed attention that Josh didn't have time to give!

I'm so proud of Josh and the business that he's built. He's been able to train and employ two of his friends, and all three of them love to DJ and have been extremely successful so far! He advertises on the Knot and has crazy visibility thanks to them. I've been having to deal with the fact that there are so many more wedding photographers around than wedding DJs. At least at this point in my business, it's hard to book weddings because brides have so many choices! However, I've invested in learning from some great people who have told me, "Invest in YOUR clients. Find the clients who are a perfect fit, and pamper them to death. Give them the experience of a lifetime because you know what you're doing and you are more than capable of delivering! You can raise your prices, because your work is worth it! Don't settle, because a business who settles will never become a business that thrives." So that's what I'm doing! I did some business math yesterday and scared myself at the number of weddings and portrait sessions I still need to book in order to meet my income "goal" for 2016. Would I absolutely love to meet that goal? Yes. Should that be my ultimate goal? No.

Week One at Home

As many of you already know, last week was my first five-day work week as a full-time photographer. I'd been juggling a 9-5 job and my photography business for most of the year, but just before Thanksgiving I clocked out of the office for the last time. Or as my fellow small-business owners would say, I "made the leap."

And what a leap.

You know those videos where you watch someone jump off the high dive? There are two types of people who jump off of a high dive platform. The first type are Olympic types who live to make those leaps. They have done it thousands of times and gracefully arc into twists and flips before shooting into the pool below like an arrow. Then there's the girl who has never jumped off a high drive in her life. She jumps enthusiastically, but her legs and arms flail around like a fish out of water because she has never done this before. She is not afraid, but she is awkward and uncoordinated in the air because she is in a new place. Her muscles don't know what to do yet. She has much to learn before she will ever resemble an Olympic high diver.

I'm that second girl. I've made the first leap, but it's new, exciting, and terrifying all at the same time! I'm not a pro, but I've taken the first step and can't wait to keep going. And I've already learned some things...

1. My work systems need some fine-tuning.

Every successful small business owner says the same thing. Whether I'm talking to them in person or reading their blog posts, they all parrot "SYSTEMS! SYSTEMS! HAVE SYSTEMS!"

I've always been a fairly organized person, sometimes to a fault. I thought I had systems... but they need some fine tuning to make them more effective. They need to be on paper, in a consistent location, and stay the same from client to client. I've found myself missing steps or getting distracted, which only eats up time and creates frustration instead of enabling a clean, streamlined process.

2. Self-discipline is everything.

When you don't have a boss telling you that you MUST be at work at a certain time, it's reallllyyyy hard not to push the snooze button and sleep as late as you want. In fact, I've heard of many people who say, "I wish I could be my own boss! You get to sleep in and work in yoga pants EVERY DAY?!" Well, no. Sure, there are days when I don't have to leave the house. But the idea that I have the luxury to sleep in every day and only work when I feel like it is a myth. Running a business takes a LOT of effort and the only way to get everything done is to push myself. There's no one looking over my shoulder, tracking my hours, asking if all my tasks are done. I've taken on the role of boss and employee, and when I slack off, my client experience suffers and my business can't grow. Without self-discipline, a small business will crumble. Every time.

3. BLOCK SCHEDULING.

Thank you to Amy and Jordan Demos for this one! Block your schedule. Instead of floating from one task to another throughout the day and checking my phone every moment in between, I'm starting to block my time. For example, this blog isn't going up until Tuesday, but I'm writing it today (Monday) because I set aside an entire BLOCK of time to prep blog posts for the week! I'm not on Facebook, I'm not editing, I'm not checking Instagram. I'm writing blogs posts. Period. When this time block is over, I will move on to something else and not have to worry about blogging anymore, because all of it will be DONE! I'm also working on scheduling what Amy and Jordan call Orange Days, where I schedule in advance to not leave the house and knock out a bunch of business-y stuff or editing ALL AT ONCE. Then there will be Stacked Days where I will be out of the house most of the day either at photo shoots, client meetings, or running errands. Not only will I save time and gas by moving all my appointments to one day, but I'll only have to do my hair and makeup once... and ladies, we know how long that can take!

I hope this was either helpful to you as a small business owner, photographer, or that you just enjoyed taking a peek into my day-to-day! I'm so excited to share more exciting news and changes that will be coming for my business in the coming weeks, so don't go away :) Thanks for spending your precious time here on my blog!