Tuesday's Tip: How to get the Photos YOU want

Hi there!

Today I want to talk about how to get the kind of photos that you actually want. I have heard many people complain that they hired a photographer but then didn't like the pictures that they ended up bringing home.

There are 3 steps that I recommend when choosing a photographer that will help to make sure that you really get the pictures you were looking for.

1) Actually to talk/meet your photographer. While most photographers are friendly and easy to get along with, there are some who are very shy, super quiet or frankly kind of weird. If you can meet or talk over the phone you'll get a glimpse of how comfortable you are likely to feel with that person. You will remember having the pictures taken and if it was an awkward experience you will look at your photos differently. If it was a good experience the pictures are more likely to bring back those happy memories and make you feel good while you look good in them.

2) Look at other pictures they've taken. Some degree of stocking your potential photographer is ok :) Dig through their work. Look for both photos you like and photos that aren't your favorite. Do they all have a similar look to them? You'll want to find a photographer who has lots of their old work to look at, it helps you know that they've been around the block a few times and that they know what they are doing. It may not all be on their official website often time though photographers will have a blog or Facebook page with even more pictures to look through. You'll also want to image yourself in some of their photos. Every photographer comes to develop their own style by the way they take their pictures and the way they finish them. Some like very bold colors or strong black and whites, while others keep things more natural- pick what's the most appealing to you. A warning though photographers who have a little bit of everything on their websites can be "wild cards" and they may surprise you with a new way of doing things with your pictures.

3) Contact past clients. This suggestions can be hard to do if you don't already know someone who has used a specific photographer. Despite a certain level of awkward shyness it can be one of the best things do to. Listen to the persons opinion but most of all ask them WHY they feel that way and think to yourself, "would I feel the same way?". As I photographer I'm more than happy to give you the contact information of people I've worked with in the past. I tend to work with people year after year and I really enjoy those clients who have become like friends.

So to summarize getting the pictures that you want is as easy as: talk or meet your photographer; make sure you like their other work and can imagine yourself in it; and make sure past clients were happy too!

As a photographer I do my very best to understand what my clients want so that I can make them happy- it's a huge part of my job and I really enjoy that personal touch of getting to know people.

Comment and let me know what you think is the most important thing to look for in a photographer

Tuesday's Tip : Blogging

I'm not an expert but I have learned a thing or two about blogging to promote my business. As a photographer the 2 most important things is that 1) you have a blog and 2) you post pictures!

I have recently learned a few things about content that tends to go viral there are 3 important things.

1) Positive does better than negative: people like positive tones. So more "do lists" will thrive over "don't lists" generally.
2) Emotion gets shared- strong (positive, if you follow point #1) emotions inspire people to share.
3) Practically useful info does better than fun random facts.

So if you are new to bloggin those 3 tips should help you direct you content and give you a better chance of having other share your posts.

Now since I'm a photographer here are some pictures!
Waiting for baby.. I can't wait to meet the little guy :)

Ahmad Family * Calgary Family Photographer

A beautiful evening for the Ahmad's family photo shoot, just as the sun started to turn downward and set below the nearby buildings. The light was warm and soft. Sev was a shy little guy but I was able to catch some great little smiles. He is one loved little buddy! It was a wonderful session with this adorable family. The session was quick, sweet and lots of fun.

Tuesday's Tip: Picking a Focus for your Photography

So today's tip for aspiring photographers is to focus your photography- but I don't mean with a focusing ring... although that's important too! What I really mean is focusing your business on a type of photography.

There are many areas of focus that I know very little about such as travel photography, landscape photography and wildlife photography. The extent of my understanding of those focuses is that  making a business out of them is more dependent on selling prints or stock photography.

So the areas of photography I know more about are centered around people. My secrets out! I really like people!!! I love the more obvious emotions that photographing people brings. If it involves people I've shot the vast majority of it but I'm not really a "people photographer" I'm a maternity and newborn photographer.

How did I make up my mind? It was a process of exclusion really and an introspective look at what I liked to do most. When I was starting out I did some weddings but they are often fast paced and I found it stressful to get all the shots I wanted to. I loved the emotions and the atmosphere but wasn't a fan of the fear that I might miss something- so I decided I wasn't going to market myself as a wedding photographer. Then I did a lot of model photography. Those shoots were awesome! I met some wonderful people who are still my friends and professional contacts... but there was an emotion lacking from the shoots for me. Then I did more and more maternity and newborn photography and I was frankly overwhelmed by the love of a family expecting a new baby. The love a mother has before she has ever met her child is one of the most profound things I've ever experienced. And working with the babies after they arrived just seemed natural to me. I knew what I wanted to promote and market about myself.

Focusing my work didn't limit me. I can and still do weddings, models and boudoir but I'm a newborn and maternity photographer taking a step outside my focus when I do those shoots. Often when I'm practicing lighting, I image how someone expecting or a baby would look in that light. I frequently shoot things other than my primary focus to develop skills and stay busy working. I enjoy every shoot I endeavor to do. I love to have people look their best and get the images they desire.

Focusing my photography helps me stay set on what aspects of my craft I want to develop the most and what marketing I should do. It even helped me pick a name!

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Mel + Josh : Bun in the Oven!

These two are insanely cute... I can't wait to meet their baby!!! Such a good looking power couple is bound to have the handsomest little man. I was thrilled to be part of their preparation getting ready for a pair of little ears in their home.

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Tuesday's Tip: Common Pitfalls in Outlook/Attitude

Today I wanted to talk about outlooks or attitudes that I feel are common; they are things that I would try to stay away from as a photographer starting out.  I've seen others make these mistakes I don't think sets them up optimally for success, I'll try to explain why I think so as I go through.

Find Personal Fulfilment in your Craft 

I love this photo

I understand when people really like something they are likely to buy it but I have personally found that some of the most vocal individuals are people who were never going to buy. For example, another children's photographer is unlikely to hire you to take pictures of their kids, so it isn't a big deal if they don't like your pictures of children. Likewise someone who is already married doesn't need to be in love with your wedding photography- it's great if they do but they're not your target market. There are some real trolls out there, some of them are other photographers who get off on criticising others.  I find that photographers who are too involved in what everyone thinks about their work have two big problems 1) They chase trends and try to please everyone instead of developing their own style. 2) They lack confidence in themselves and their work, regardless of their skills or their works artist merit. Do listen to people, sometimes they have a point that could be realistically improved upon but don't take photos to please the masses. Look for personal satisfaction in your work and aim to please the people who are actually buying from you. Even when you don't have clients, keep shooting to develop your personal style and acknowledge the value of your skills and the images you have.









Be open minded; Be teachable

I took this photo at a workshop I did

I have heard it said that there is no such thing as constructive criticism- there is only criticism and good advice and although they may come one right after the other they can't be dealt out simultaneously. Often times I think that in trying to not let criticism hurt, artist can be closed minded to all feedback. In a way this is the opposite problem of the aforementioned pitfall. While its great to have confidence, there is a place for people who are creditable and legitimately trying to help. I find the best way to be teachable is to go into a situation where you are obviously the student- like a class taught by a reputable teacher. some of my best experiences have been great classes. Although, not every class I've taken has been amazing. Frankly, some have been downright crumby but even the crumby ones improved me somehow- if only my patience :) While you may or may not be hanging on their every word, you can always practice listening and decide to take away at least one thing from the class. That is also how I listen to people's advise, I listen to it all and try to initially respond positively to all of it without letting too much sink in yet. Then after the conversation I then decide to take one or two points away and actually work on them. Assessing the creditability of the advise is also very important- while great advice can come from an amateur and horrid advice from a pro statistics favor the opposite.










There is No Magic Pill

 I'm still working at it

There are no lighting fairies or glass gods out there. Your destiny in photography is not the result of luck, fate or even a photo deity. It's your practice and hard work that make the difference. The end point of your work will depend 99.9% on you! Go shoot, go shoot, go shoot, then edit, edit, edit, network, network, network and REPEAT. Likewise there is no magic class you can take that will automatically transform you or piece of awesome equipment that will make all the difference the day you purchase it. Yes, everyone possesses different talents but every photographer is going to have to put work into some aspect of their business. There really is no substitute for hard work and rather than comparing the amount of work others seem to be doing keep you eyes on your own prize!

I recently read this quote

" Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work."
- Thomas A. Edison

Thursday's Tip????

Sorry Ya'll

This is the second time I'm writing this post and I really hate it when that happens. I was apologizing because I missed writing Tuesday's tip after having schedule a bunch to post every Tuesday... I guess it felt like I had written more.

 Anyway, if I was to really give you a Tuesday's Tip it would be to :

" Take some of those rods out of the fire!!!"

I keep myself like break-neck speeds crazy bus. Not the half of that is photography related but it still adds up and when I'm a stressed basket case my work suffers.

P.S- All potential photography clients out there should remember that a stressed out photographer equals sub optimal images!!! So be nice! I've had to "go to my happy place" in a couple of shooting situations.

So yeah my tip is "medium" amounts of photography related and it's to slow down and take your time. My creative juices just don't flow the same when I feel stressed or under a lot of pressure... unless you count this series of webcam shots I just took of myself :P

 

I think it's true for 99% of us, that while a little push is good... overt stress is BAD! So by doing things like not over booking yourself (keep in mind that you need time for life outside of photography too), smelling some proverbial roses and shooting for the sheer joy of it once and a while you'll keep yourself from creating your very own pull-you-hair-out photo montage!

So obviously I'm not a master at this yet but I actually employed a trail and error system to find my limit (this also kinda helps with pricing determinations too). I endeavored to book as many shoots as humanly possible and filled in "extra" time with fun shoots and then saw how long post processing took and my turn around to in the clients hands. I then cut back until I felt I had a maximum work load that I can handle, I have determined for myself that I can do about 6-8 photo shoots a month without spontaneously combusting. It's not much of an issue in the winter but as baby and wedding season comes up it can be a bit dicey and as my person life ebbs and flows that number needs to change too. I also try to never have more than a morning shoot and an afternoon shoot so that I don't need to worry about running out of time before the job is done to my satisfaction. That is unless I'm having a photo event day (like renting an awesome hotel room and doing 4 boudoir shoots) but then I usually set things up to run smoothly well in advance. 

It's easy to forget but how long post processing, advertising, client meetings/customer service really takes but making time for it is really important. Slowing the pace and not over booking are skills that I'm still working on but I think I'm getting better :)

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Seriously please if you read this DO SOMETHING LISTED ABOVE!!! and then go take some awesome pictures :D