Top 5 reasons I don't mind competition

Hi, I am Sally and I am a photographer.

Oh, you are too? What... really ..... LIKE A FOR REAL ONE?!?!?!?


But.... you live in the same city as me... and you have the same style! How will I survive?!


Sound familiar?


I have some advice for you, are you ready to hear it? GET OVER IT.

There are billions upon billions of people in this world and you are upset that someone else has a camera? Has talent? Knows what photography is?

Sure, you have every right to be upset, complain (to other photographers in your photography group on FB) kick and shout.... but while you are doing that, that other photographer is booking all your potential clients.

It's 2015 and if you are still whining about competition in America, you might want to download the 'Reality Check' app.

However, if you are done crying and want to move on with your career, here are 5 tips to help you find something to like about your competition!

1.  They can refer clients to you. Yes, that's right! I have photographer peers refer work  to me all the time. My peers are not threatened by me, why? Well maybe they do better work or maybe they are the coolest people on the planet and people can't say no to them.... who knows but mainly it's because they care more about their survival then they do the opposition. If they spent all their time worrying about barriers in life, they would go no where. This is the difference between the successful and those who fail.

2. They are artist! Isn't that what you like about photography anyways, that it's an art form? You can always learn from them!! Is it that crazy to think that maybe the other photographer might know something you don't or vice versa? And is it crazy to think that the other photographer might actually be talented and inspiring? Not for me, I love my photographer friends and peers. If it wasn't for other artists and photographers I would not be in my current endeavors today. I'd still work some 9-5 office job or retail somewhere. Nothing wrong with those jobs, but I am an artist and I love creating art! I also love learning from others.

3. You can refer clients to them! Go figure! You never know when you need someone that has a similar style to yours. When I got pregnant I was so sick, I couldn't even get out of bed for 3 months. In that time, I had booked a wedding. I was hand picked for my style by the bride and groom. I would have been super screwed if I didn't have a fellow photographer friend with similar style who was awesome enough to cover for me with super late notice.

4. You can trade services!!! If you are a parent you might find that you are taking a lot of pictures of your kid, your kid and your spouse but not a lot of you in those pictures. Let's get real, even with a remote control, it's not as easy as letting your fellow photographer snap a few and agreeing to be paid with the same service.

5. If there was NO OTHER photographer in your area, you'd get all the clients. Okay, this doesn't sound bad at first. This means you get all the clients that don't want to drive 50 miles to the next town and they might like your work, or they might not. And if they don't, boy oh boy will word travel fast and the more unhappy clients you have, the more clients will be willing to drive that 50 miles to the next town. So, variety is good. Get the clients that work for you and the other photographers in your area will get the others.


Look, plain and simple, there will never be a day where you are the only one. I've helped other photographers in my area expand as an artist and with their companies. Yes, that's right, my competition. Why? Because, it's the smart thing to do. So find something to like about it and enjoy the ride!

Nashville Photography: Top 5 ways to Handle the client walking out!

There is a first for everything and today I experienced a business first.

Let me give you some background information and a shameless plug for my awesome SEO guys over at Black Bird Marketing!  I've been working for them a little less than a month and I don't even have a fully functioning website and yet, I can be found on the first page of the results of a certain google search, this is awesome. 

One thing leads to another and I book a client. During that session, just as I am getting started, they decide they want to leave. I am a natural light photographer and they wanted a 'studio' and I assume weren't used to an outdoors studio. 

Whatever happened. It happened. A client left after arriving and after the photo shoot started. They were kind enough to leave me $20 on my piano. 

So, how did I handle this? This is a list of things I did to make myself not feel completely conquered by such a silly situation. I mean I've left restaurants because I didn't like the menu. So this is like that right....?

Here is how I handled my first client walk out:

1. As soon as they left, as soon as the door closed..... I cried. I ugly cried. For like 5 whole minutes. 

2. I FB my best friend, who is also an amazing entrepenure.  We joked about all the things I would have liked to have done or said that would have been completely bad for business. This helped A TON. 

Let me take a minute for a side note: Friends chat, good friends listen. Best friends get angry with you regardless if you agree with them or not. And then, they help you. And then they get you laughing again. That is a true friend. 

We then talked about how to handle this type of situation from even happening in the future. See #4.

3a. I contacted my SEO guys and at first I was whiney and dramatic. Then, I realized I am not a bad photographer at all. It wasn't about me. It was about the client. I couldn't have been more clear about what to expect, I not only had them view my Facebook page I also sent five examples. Not to mention my words that were talked about over the phone, in writing via email. The client, the person getting the photos, liked the photos. The other, the significant other, didn't.

3b. Learning curve. ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO GET AGREEMENT FROM ANY DECISION MAKING PARTIES. ALWAYS. 

4. I edited two edits, stamped a water mark and sent low resolution to the client. I thanked the client for their time and offered my services for other photography needs. And called it a day.  

5. Okay, okay.... you don't have to do this but I had to... I blogged about it. Because, I have a soft spot for business owners and more specifically small business owners. I am both a business owner and a client or customer. I know what it is to be on both sides. I hope this helps not only the business owner but the consumer. Go out there and spend your money but be nice about it, be smart about it and for crying out loud realize there is a human being on the other side of your transaction. 

Below is the image, sorta. I blurred it because I didn't even get to the contract part of this situation. I usually get them first thing but this was something I thought I could just do at the end. So, to be nice, I blurred it out. You can still see the intended quality. Well, tell me what you think?

That's all for now! 

Nashville Photographer goes 'MOM'

So, being a mom has been the best full time job I've ever had! Combine that with being a photographer and it's the means for a fun life. Busy, but fun life.

All kinds of things happening and life just moves super fast and then I realize, I have a one year old boy and a bunch of phone selfies with him. I AM A PHOTOGRAPHER! I should have galleries filed with portraits of him and I!! It got me thinking, I am sure there are plenty of moms out there that LOVE being a mom and haven't been able to get it professionally captured. 

I gave it 2 seconds thought then put a post out in a Facebook group looking for moms in the area who are first time moms and don't have pictures of them and their sweeties.  I had no idea what I was in store for and I am super happy I did this. 

Here are a few things I found out:

- There are a lot of moms that don't even give it a thought. I mean, I am sure they do but never really do anything to come into fruition.  But when the door is open, many moms are pretty excited to jump at the chance. 

- You just can't give away free services to some people, you just can't! You want to, they want it but it becomes almost too good to be true and before you know it, it's almost like you are handing out poison. I got A LOT of interest but only 4 ladies arrived. In no way am I offended, I was actually relieved. But it was a valuable lesson in learning what to charge for my rates.  The ladies that came and enjoyed their photo shoot, LOVED the pictures and asked about my other services. 

- I am not alone. Not just on the aspect of pictures but, really #thesturggleisreal I think that says it all. 

In the end, I am so thankful for the moms that trusted me as a photographer. They took a chance because I also required that they posted one photo with my watermark on it. Meaning they would be essentially be endorsing my services. Of course a little word of mouth doesn't hurt and it allows the moms to exchange for the service. I never expected business to come from it, just happy moms. 

I also got to learn about other moms, what they have been through, are going through, don't want to go through. Even with the moms that I didn't work with, I found there are some moms out there that just need a tap on the shoulder from someone nice and polite. Not because they are around bad people all the time or at all, just because, sometimes you can feel that way. Like I said, the struggle is real. 

I found out that moms are also happy. Happy to be a mom. And love being a mom just as much as I do. And if you know me, you know... I freaking love it. Not because I am a 'mom' but because of who I am a mom for. 

So, this isn't really that educational for the photographer, but I hope it helped you in some way, even if inspired you to start your own photography project. 

By the way, did I ever get any pictures of River and I? No. I didn't. Some one slap me. 

First up I got to meet Jessica and Wilson. I immediately fell in love with this little man based on pure biased grounds, he's mixed with Asian, specially Korean.  I am not Korean but I am mixed and so is my son. So, it was pretty much love at first sight. I am going to be honest, I really still don't have much reality on other peoples babies. I raise my child probably different than what would socially be normal. I am super used to how my son is, open, loving and interested in everything and everyone that I really don't know what to expect with the babies coming with their mommas. Wilson was not what I expected! He was super interested and easy going, just like River. His mom was super easy to talk to and had lived a highly interesting life, in my opinion. She's traveled all over and has come to the conclusion that she wants to tutor as her contribution to the world. She was quite modest about it and I couldn't help be explain how intrigued and 'jealous' I was. She writes a pretty cool blog for mommies and well, just for anyone interested. If you are in the Nashville area and want some tutoring, contact her, she's awesome! 

Secondly I was lucky enough to have a brief meet up with Lauren and Knox. KNOX! He is my kind of 18 month old! Sweet, interested in EVERYTHING and not shy at all. He mafia tossed an activity table (you know the ones that help toddlers stand) down my stairs. Twice. I can honestly say, it was highly enjoyable. And if his mom didn't have to leave, we would have  done it at least once more. One of my favorite things about Lauren is she is super in tune with her artistic side and allows that to live with Knox. I've known Lauren before we both went down the mommy path and worked with her in an art show she's put on as well as a wedding she planned. She's got it together. She makes a great mom because she can handle what life throws at her and I find that inspiring.  It's also a great to have that skill as an event/wedding planner. If you have a wedding or an event that you need help planning, I HIGHLY recommend her. Contact me for her info!

Coming in 3rd is a wonderful mom with a baby that literally just absorbed the camera. Super handsome, calm and sweet. Jane and Christopher. He was a character! You wouldn't know at first glance due to his calm and collected demeanor but this boy made some of the best faces! Luckily we went outside to snap some shots and he saw a kitty that was similar to his kitty at home and this got him talking up a storm, calling the kitty 'Ro-Ro'. I literally died from cuteness overload! The thing that stood out about this lady is that I kept apologizing for being on the weird side. She said it was fine, because she was weird. Gotta love the weird ones out there! She makes it go right in being a 'stay-at-home-mom' by being a nanny. Other people trust this woman to take care of their kid, that's how awesome this mom is! I would too! She's kind and gentle and so is Christopher.  I almost lost track of time capturing them, they were such a great pair!  We didn't get to talk too much but I enjoyed having them over. Felt like an old friend. 

The last momma I got to work with is Kayla and Ellie. OMG. O.M.G. The one and only girl I got to work with on this project and it was AWESOME. This little girl is confidant. She knows what she is okay with and what she isn't okay with. She didn't let the 'physical universe' take control of her, she was in control of it and I like that in a lady. Her mommy forewarned me about a little bit of a black eye she got running into a table (I think...) and that she also barrel rolled down some stairs like a champ. I would say, this gal is one tough cookie! She made herself right at home when she came over. She was dressed in a cute dress and knew EXACTLY what to do with our piano and toys. She wrapped up the photo shoot putting her dolly to sleep like a good momma. I was more than excited about this. I love spunky girls and she is one of them! I didn't get to talk much to the mom, but she was rolling with the punches.  These are some of my favorites!

Photography in Nashville - What to stress out about!!

Okay first off, it's been WAY too long since my last blog.

A few of these things may or may not have happened since my last writing, I will leave it up to you to decide!

- I had a baby!
- I ran away with the circus.
- I moved, twice.
- I got into a car accident, and survived!
- I battled an Alaskan bear!
- I saved a family from a burning house along with their pet cat and dog!!
- I got a new camera.
- I had to swim back from the Arctic because I ran out of cash, but boy are my arms... frozen.
- I broke a lens and bought a replacement. Broke that and now on my 2nd replacement.

Well, you get the point, I was out there and living life. I was also keeping busy fulfilling Nashville with as much as my photographer services as I could!

Running your photography business is fun, exciting but also a tad bit stressful. So for all those photographers out there starting out or fighting the good fight, keep it up! People look up to you, regardless if you know it or not.

In Nashville, photography seems to be a hot subject. And rightfully so! There is all kinds of needs for it. You have the musician, the model, the actor, the professional. You have the southern weddings, the amazing sunsets, the great outdoors and of course families! Lots of people move to Nashville to raise their family or start one out, like myself!

Another popular thing out in Nashville is that people are highly ambitious and start their own business. The good thing about starting a business out here in Nashville is that there is a lot of respect for locally owned business as well as a huge support for small/local business.

As much as I am a supporter of both the locally owned businesses and the arts that thrive in Nashville, I can also see how it can get stressful. I have seen some things throughout my social networking and a few topics and/or sources of stress seem to be reoccurring in the photography field. I thought I'd share a few tips and point of views to help those stressed out!

1. Cancelations!!!

Grrrh!!! As a photographer, this SUCKS. I am sure other businesses out there that depend on the client keeping their word that can agree with this statement. Even businesses that sell a product and the client wants to return it, IT SUCKS. But it happens. There are a few ways to handle this:

i. Reservation fees which are NON-REFUNDABLE. This at least helps take the edge off the cancelation should it happen. It's also smart because during the time of the booking and the cancellation you might get more clients wanting that specific date, it's happened to me. And you lose potential clients as well as the initial client. The reservation fee, aka retainer fee, aka booking fee is a life saver. I personally mark it at 25% of the over all cost. You can do what ever makes you feel comfortable.

ii. Ask them to keep you in mind for any other needs should you feel like there is a possibility for such.

iii. Figure out how they found out about you and do more promotion in that area. It pulled the interest of one person, it is fully capable of pulling the interest of more people.

iiii. If it's a return, salvage the sale and make a clearance sale! Sure you won't get as much as you should have but you will get something for it and trust me, you can get repeat business from clearance items!

2. Requests to break a part of a contract. 

Now, this hasn't really happened to me but I see it. I see it a lot and it's enough to annoy even me. Just on the sole reason that it's not handled correctly and really, HOW DO YOU HANDLE IT?

Fast answer, NO. Don't do it.

Long answer: You don't want to break your rules once. If you do it once, it's easy to keep on doing it. That is the purpose of the contract, to protect you. If you allow breakage of your contract with the wrong client you might be digging your own grave.

I know, I know, 'But what about those awesome clients?' No. Just don't do it.

Ways around having to say no? Ask the client to REALLY read the contract. Have them ask ANY questions about it. Ask them if there is anything they would like to add and if it's agreeable, add it. If it's not agreeable find a compromise that can be agreed on. That way before it's signed both parties are signing a contract they are okay with signing and chances of them wanting to break it are slim to none.

It's true, not every client is the same so not every contract should ALWAYS be. This is my opinion and it's helped me from telling someone NO when you really want to say YES. My client is always fully aware of what to expect from me and me from them.

A side note, anyone wondering if mom, sister, dad who is paying for it, husband etc... should also sign it, well in my opinion is any one paying any amount of money for your service should. If the clients have family members whom they want to have a say in the product or service should. If you are a photographer and the bride ONLY wants her and the groom on the contract, that's fine. Let them know that you will only deal with them and that no one is to contact you about the service and terms.

If not, you are opening the door to a potential full on nightmare.

3. Competitors!! 

There are VERY few areas or fields where competitors are scarce or nonexistent. I do know the bigger the city that you live in, the bigger the competition. Competition not only is a threat to you losing business but they can actually be really amazing at what they do as to discourage you from even being in business. Competitors might even cause you question your style or how you operate. This can be highly stressful!

First off, make friends with them and actually look at their work, service or product. You might find they are good people, they might be willing to work with you or send you business. They might offer something you don't and vice versa. And most of all, I found this to be true, is that you might even find how unique you are.

Another factor to consider is there is no way that you can never get business. There are clients out there that want YOUR service. There is no shortage of business and getting to know your competitor might even help you find different ways of getting business.

I can't tell you how great it is to have friends in the industry that you are in! Because I do have friends in my industry, I was able to salvage some work I had booked but couldn't uphold due to being sick and on bed rest for 3 months due to pregnancy. Otherwise, not only would I have screwed myself I would have screwed my friend who got me hired let alone the people who hired me!

Make friends and get to know your competitors, you will feel much better about it and way less stressed.

Also, don't let your competitors prices discourage you. Charge what you are worth, they will do the same. If you think that their prices are a good idea, then charge a similar rate, if you don't then keep charging what you want to charge. Simple as that.

4. NOT GETTING AS MUCH BUSINESS AS YOU'D LIKE

YIKES!

This is probably one of the most stressful parts about being in business for yourself!

Here are a few tips that can and should help get the flows going:

i. Flyers. Make some! No matter how cheap or low quality they are, make some!  Make sure they speak to your clientele and give a way to contact you. Even if you have a white piece of paper that says 'PICTURES! Contact me at 555-5555! That's better than nothing!

ii. PASS THEM OUT!

iii. Contact your past clients to see if they need any more of your services or products or if they know of any one that might! If you want to sweeten the deal, offer a commission.

iiii. Go to social gatherings or places where being social is the order of the day like a coffee shop and strike up conversations that lead to your business. Yes, you have to be bold and willing to meet strangers but those strangers are potential clients and potential clients are strangers. So, getting over this might be easier said than done, but it's vital if you want the work!

iiiii. USE SOCIAL NETWORKING! It's so easy! Once you get going you can't stop! Find people that have businesses or services that have things in common with your business. Cross promote if possible. Example, wedding photographers, find other wedding vendors. If you are a personal trainer, find vendors that sell workout clothes. Think outside the box! If you refer them, they are totally willing to refer you!

I hope these tips work in getting rid of some unnecessary stress!!  It's helped me and as always, if you have questions, feel free to ask!

Tips for the Traveling Photographer!

Starting out in your endeavor of photography you start out in your local area and branch out. After a year of working in Nashville as a photographer I got my first out-of-state gig! For any photographer this is a huge bonus because it shows your work is worth a clients while to pay for you you to travel to them for their photo shoot! It doesn't stop with your first one. With luck you have many to prepare for.

Traveling in general you have to be prepared, don't forget the extra underwear, your tooth brush or toothpaste! So when you have to make your business mobile it's worth your while to make sure you are prepared to travel. If you forget something, kind of defeats the whole purpose of you going out in the first place. I put together a bit of a check list to help keep things in order for my fellow photographer.

0. Make a list of what you need and want to take. This will completely cut down forgetting something by like 95 percent. This only works as long as you don't forget to put something on the list. Other than that, it's organized and allows you to be side tracked and not forget what you where packing when you come back to it.

1. Pack your clothes and your equipment separately. Doesn't matter which you start off with first but if you handle your clothes and personal items first and then your work equipment you will have a lot less confusion and you are less likely to forget something.

2. Make sure you have correct packing equipment for your work equipment. If you have tripods and light equipment you want to make sure it either all fits or you have a safe way to travel with it. You don't want to forget anything, you don't want to lose anything and you don't want to break anything. Too many bags you might risk losing in the process of travel and delay your work. You don't want things to break, that just sucks all around and too many packages might even cause you to forget something. Never a fun feeling. If you are packing light a suitcase might just do fine. It's one thing to check, supposed to a bunch. It's as secure as you make it. If you think you can fit it all into a carry on, you might be deceiving yourself. Unless you are taking hardly anything at all, it might work. That leads me to my next point.

3. Try to travel light. Now with bigger jobs, that might not be an option. But for simple easy  work that you are more familiar with like an artist portrait or a wedding, try to be light. I was able to keep my flash kit with my clothes and it all fit just nicely. I didn't need to take extra reflectors or this or that. Just a flash kit, two lenses and a camera. I can see taking a spare camera but not much more. Granted this was for an out door wedding so light wasn't much of a concern to me. Another thing this helps with is most likely you are traveling alone. Carrying 5 bags by yourself can never really bring pleasure or joy, at least not for me.

4. If you are traveling by car it's very important that you don't keep your camera equipment, such as your camera and lenses, in your trunk. It's not a well ventilated space and the heat or cold might ruin your electronics. If you are taking a film camera to the airport be sure to let the TSA security know. Letting your film go through the x-ray machine could ruin your film. Your digital camera will be fine. If you DO NOT want your equipment to run through the machine request a bag check. Tell them you don't mind your bag to be checked but since it's thousands of dollars worth of equipment you rather be the one to handle the equipment. This might not always work but you can always ask them to treat your equipment with care.

As far as I have experienced these tips have helped me a great deal. If you have any further tips, please feel free to leave it in the comment section below!

Nashville Wedding Photography - The different types

Wedding photography is a lot to take in. If you don't have a friend or family member already a photographer not sure what type of photography you are interested in this article will help you! Getting married has it's exciting moments true. It's the planning that can cause some stress. The wedding world has PLENTY of choices to confuse you with and you don't want to make any wrong choices.

Here is some information on the different types of wedding photography, or photography in general. 

One popular types is Lifestyle. As far as I know, it is mainly used with portraits and closely related to photojournalism. It's more controlled than photojournalism but captures life similar to photojournalism. I am starting to see a lot more photographers chosen to be a part of weddings because of how much it captures joy and happiness. This style is also quite popular for fashion as well as musical artists. 

Here are a few pictures that fall under this category: 

A cousin of this type of photography, as previously mentioned is Photojournalism. In my opinion, you can have shots that are lifestyle also be photojournalistic but it's not always the other way around. You might see couples hiring photographers that just do photojournalistic as well as a traditional photographer because you can't really find many that do both. What you will get from this photographer is nothing posed, nothing controlled total fly on the wall situation.  It's life as it's happening. It tells a story and it communicates. It does get confessed with lifestyle, and it can be universal. But the biggest difference is the story behind it. Yes, it's mainly uncontrolled, meaning not posed. But you can find some that are naturally posed like sitting, standing or laying but that's as posed as it gets. If the person decided to do something as you take their picture, that's awesome and again, not controlled. 

Here are some examples:

Then you have some traditional photography. This is classic style utilizing a lot of creative and classic poses. This is created by the photographer and is meant to capture a great picture from the start. This is one of the most popular styles you find in the wedding photography world. It's highly controlled and it takes a lot of practice, as a photographer to keep poses fresh. One of the biggest challenges with this style is keeping smiles genuine. A tip to this is have the subject make a funny face and yes take the picture and be ready! The laugh will come and you will get a genuine smile. This is traditional because way back when the camera was still brand new people had to stay still as you see pictures from the 1800's. The more photography grew the more people started to get creative with taking pictures and started creating more poses.  This still continues today as you see in traditional wedding photography. Sometimes the poses start to mimic lifestyle photography, but it's created and not captured on the spot as a real moment. 

Here are some examples:

 There are the types you might encounter when shopping for your wedding photography. You might find a specialist in one or a photographer that specializes in all. Hope it at least helps you decide on what you want! 

www.toyelephantphotography.com

Nashville - Love is in the air!

If you are in Nashville, watch out, love is in the air! If you are a wedding vender, you know what I mean! Just go to one wedding and you will feel the buzz! And the way Spring has been going, it seems like Nashville can take all the 'love' it can get.

Okay, so the weather isn't ALWAYS sun shinning, but there is a lot more sun these days, take advantage of it! Here are some fun ideas for couples and for couple portraits!

These ideas are for any one, wether you are a photographer, a couple looking for some great 'going-out-for-fun' ideas or a combination of both please feel free to get some great shots and send me your pictures!


Bike riding! - You can get some great shots riding or riding to a destination. Biking actually gets you out in the nooks and crannies of Nashville or in any city or neighborhood actually. As a photographer, you'd appreciate some of the locations you accidentally stumble upon or they make great character shots if you get real creative with them. Below is a picture my husband took of me Downtown Nashville. I do recommend if you are biking to take pictures make sure you have or invest in a caring case that is appropriate for biking. Or, if you invest in a GoPro camera you are lucky and will have fun for years! The GoPro camera is made for just about any outdoor occasion. Underwater, falling from the sky, cave diving, diving, biking. It is made for it all.

A day in the park! Seriously guys! I've come to realize not only are there A LOT of parks in the Nashville area but a lot of cool spots in each park! You get to go out for a walk and have some fun. This usually means a lot of good 'ol natural light too. This is great for beginner photographers and even the professional. Sunlight is unmatchable for light. There are lights that can mimic the Sun, sure. But if you got it shinning outside, go and get it! Below is a self-portrait of my husband and I at a local park. We had a great time and got some fun photos from it.

Hiking. I know. Hiking?! Yes. Hiking. I can't tell you how much fun hiking is with your loved one. It's even great when you can snap a few pictures while you do it. I have taken a couple on a small hike for their engagement photos and I got AMAZING shots. Also, I was lucky enough to get some of my and my husband on a short hike. So, get onto google and nail down some easy trails. Below are two examples. I have so much to put in this category, but then I would be bragging.

I know these are all pretty much a given of locations for photography and for fun. Maybe you've been there, done that, maybe not. But I am always trying to find ways to combine my business with pleasure. My husband is not only also my best friend but he is also a photographer. You never know what creative bud this will strike with your loved one!

Don't forget! Send me a picture from your day out, keep the 'love' in the air!