Let me start by saying, Amanda Hedgepeth is one insanely awesome lady! She has selflessly given time away from her growing family to teach and inspire other photographers who are starting out or growing with their own business!
I know it has been awhile....ok MONTHS and MONTHS since I last blogged. I don't know why I stopped, what made me stop, but I do know that this Q&A Workshop has sparked me to be more on time with blogging, among other things. We talked about so much at this workshop that got me really thinking about my business.
One of the biggest things I started thinking about was running a photography business while being a wife to a Marine. It has surely proven to be one of the bigger challenges in this adventure. When I started doing this photography thing in California, I NEVER imagined it becoming something I wanted to continue and make something of it. Honestly I didn't even realize that I could be a photographer on my own, without having to work at like JCPenny Portraits or Picture People! I met photographers who were mostly stationary but a few were miltiary spouses. I felt an extra connection to them being that we have the commonality of PCSing every few years! They as well as Amanda and the others offered great advice above relocating and marketing to a new audience. Networking was one of the main points and I think that after two duty stations, our next one might not be so difficult to get KCP off the ground. KCP has endured one PCS so far and I'm sure there will be many more! Starting my business again in a new area, with new people and clients was difficult but slowly it has grown and I'm happy with how it is evolving so far. I learned a few things at this workshop that gave me a more positive outlook on this whole pick and move mentality my business has. I am very excited to have this fresh new outlook!
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| Talking about our cameras, settings, trying to figure new things out =) |
Another thing I really started thinking about was the WHY. WHY am I doing this?? I'm not in this business to make a living off a photography. I am doing this because I LOVE it. I want to capture memories for others, to preserve moments in others lives for generations to come! Cheesy enough for ya?! Well it's the truth. I knew when I decided to make my business official, in the state of Viriginia at least, that I wasn't in it for the loads of cash I'd be reeling in. I did it so I was doing it the right way and was legitimate. Talking to the other photographers there, all of us at different levels and points in our business, reminded me of this. I had a passion for photography and for so long I thought I had to keep increasing my prices to make more money. These ladies reminded me about the passion. As we all sat there scarfing down our delicious Mexican food, I could see the passion everyone had for the industry. We all had our technical and marketing questions but we always went off on a tangent on our much we loved this that and the other thing when we were photographing a session. So I am determined to make my business more about my clients. I want to personalize each session to that specific family. I want to capture their true personality as a family or couple. If and when I change my business plan and pricing structure it will be to benefit my clients and not because I want to make more money (which would be nice but I'm a people pleaser and my clients come first =))
On top of all these and other things I didn't mention about what I learned about myself and my business, I learned some technical things at this workshop. Back button focusing has been AH-mazing and has changed the way I shoot, my images turn out so much more sharp now! SEO...I didn't even know what that was before this and now I'm fixing everything I do so I show up in Google more! Pinterest....who knew that it could be helpful for a business! But besides all the technical and marketing mumbo jumbo stuff most of you probably don't care much for, I learned that there are LOTS of other photographers out there feeling the same things as me! There were photographers of all levels at the Q&A and it was so amazing to be with a group of people doing the same thing as me, to talk and to brainstorm, and all of whom weren't there to one up each other or be better than you. We were all there to learn and help each other grow. This industry can be so cut throat and negative it was insanely refreshing to meet a group of photographers out to learn and help each other. I could go on and on about how I feel about this part of our industry but I'll save that for another post!
Long story short, I've created some awesome networks and friendships from the workshop. I learned more about myself and my business than I thought I could learn by just meeting at a restaurant with other photogs. I am determined to make my business succeed, to try to give you a more personal edge, to make my business about my clients, to give more to my clients. I'll be revamping how I do things little by little so keep your eyes peeled for whats to come!!
Last but not least, a huge thank you to Amanda of Amanda Hedgepeth Photography for hosting this wonderful day! I started following Amanda's photography when I moved to VA and when she mentioned the Q&A's I jumped on it the first chance I got and am beyond thankful I did. She is one the sweetest ladies I have ever met and the other ladies I met are amazing as well! So after we talked each others ears off, we headed outside to a small grassy area on the side of the restaurant with our cameras and took turns playing model! Here are a few more shots that ended the amazing day! Enjoy =)
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| The beautiful Carrie of Tupilo Photography |
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| Tupilo Photography |
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| Kristy of Kristy Carranza Photography and Amber of Amber Lane Photography |
And thanks to Jessica of Jessica Emmaleen Photography for
this photo of myself! I am such a dork, but thought I would post one anyway haha Take a good look at that long hair because I'll be chopping it off soon and donating it!! It's been three years since I did anything major with my hair and if you know me I have a pretty steady hair cycle and the time for change is here =)
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