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Stargazing : Stephanie Klein
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I t all started in law school. Back in 2005 I started reading blogs as a way to escape the rigors of case briefs and also find a connection with people, even if they had no idea who I was. I loved reading about their lives, idiosyncrasies, and shortcomings. I loved it all. The first blog I ever RSSd belonged Stephanie Klein. At the time, she lived in New York City, chronicled her dating life, and was excruciatingly honest in her writing. I was shocked someone could be so raw on the web. And I was hooked.
Since then, Stephanie married, moved to Texas, wrote a bestseller, and had twin babies. And I've remained reading. When I decided to start the Stargazing posts, I contacted her to say thanks (she, essentially, taught me how to blog) and wonder if she'd write a little sumthang, sumthang to explain who she is and why she blogs. I'm honored to introduce famed blogger, Stephanie Klein. |
--I wet the bed until I was in sixth grade.
--Growing up, when we played spin the bottle, it landed on me, and the guy asked for a do-over.
--My nickname was Moose, and my parents shipped me off to the fatty farm.
--I once kept two therapists at once and cherry-picked from their advice.
--I'm a storyteller.
Before the publisher of my first memoir Straight Up And Dirty became my publisher, she'd read my book proposal about moving on after living in an awful relationship with a husband whom I came to refer to as the "wasband." Then, she scoured my blog. She read writing samples, saw that I photographed red carpet events, and noted that New York's Hotel Gansevoort furnished all it's rooms, suites, and corridors with my photography. She wanted to know, "Now, wait. Are you a photographer or a writer?"
Rather than responding, "Both," I simply told her, "I'm a storyteller." Sometimes I tell it with a lens, and sometimes it comes out in words. Really, it depends what I have on hand. Photography and writing are simply different vehicles, different mediums of storytelling. And yeah, they utilize a different skill set, but the attention to detail is the same. Capturing that gesture takes technique, but noticing it takes talent. Technique you can learn, but talent is instinct.
What I've learned as a storyteller is that it takes courage (and a modicum of confidence) to move in the direction of your dreams. It's not about finding your "voice" or your unique "style." It's not about mimicking the style of those you admire. It's about having the courage to do it your way, without apologies. It's about taking risks. Letting go of the familiar, pushing your boundaries and exploring. Taking a different path home each day, sitting at a restaurant alone for dinner, leaving what you know, so you're forced to see things differently.
On my blog, I write about things that everybody thinks about, but doesn't have the audacity to admit. And I put my name on it. We all have secrets, things we're ashamed of, things we really don't like about ourselves, devious things we have done or that have been done to us. Instead of hiding them in a journal with a lock, I expose them under a macro lens. I don't do it to shock people, or just for the sake of it. I do it because I think our vulnerabilities are what make us human, and quite frankly, the truth is never boring.
Do I ever worry about what people will think? Hells yeah. But then I remind myself that this is my life, not theirs, and I'll have no one to blame but myself if things don't work out the way I'd hoped. At a certain point, you cannot be walking around worried about what people will think of you. At the end of the day, all that really matters is what YOU think of you. Even if people say great things. Horrible things. Their opinion shouldn't matter more than your own. And that's the story I try to live. |
    
Y esterday I sat at my desk and spoke into the phone while JD sat on the floor typing away at his computer. That's when it happened. The quiver in my voice, the sting in my eyes. My nose turns red right before I'm going to cry, it's a dead giveaway. There I sat like Rudolph the Reindeer and tried to keep my ish together. I thanked the guy on the other end of the phone for his time and hung up.
I leaned my head back on my chair and fought the tears. I was fine until JD reached up from the floor and touched my hand. Much like touching a full sponge, I leaked. As the tears fell, he promised everything was going to be okay. Not like all dramatic and soap opera-ish (cue the soft lights, the stringed music and please throw in a line that starts with By God I shall never leave you...). It was more like we've been here before.
It's just that I feel lost and I don't know how to connect the dots, I said.
JD and I are working on a new project and for the first time in a long time, I feel like my world is rocked. Strangely enough, this is how I started my photography business. And I'm feeling quite the same way. Lost, frustrated, worried, overwhelmed. I'm posting this blog entry because I want to remember. Remember the emotion that comes with risk and being on the cusp of success. Or failure. Oh that blurry line I so strongly detest.
I know there might be a few others who know how I'm feeling right now. Oh, Internet, I get you. I tangibly know the feelings of frustration and worry ... but I also know the emotion that accompanies risk: joy, excitement, and fear. I hope this post makes you feel less alone. Or, really, makes me feel less alone. Because if I was totally being honest, all I really want is for a random blog reader to find me in the street today and say By God I shall never leave you...
I kid, Internet, I kid.
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Orange County Wedding : Brandon + Kristin
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© Jasmine Star. This post cannot be republished without permission. Stealing makes me sad. |
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S he turned to him and promised one day he'd learn. One day her husband would learn to play the electric violin, just like he said he would. But one day you'll learn, Kristin quietly said as she looked into his eyes. The entire room erupted in laughter when Brandon's brother toasted him during the reception, but while others heard the punchline, Kristin saw the plot. Where others erupted in laughter, one of the first things evident in her love was Kristin's undying devotion to Brandon's dreams, even if they come in the most random form of an electric violin. That's what makes them, well, perfect.
Kristin and Brandon met in high school and even after they graduated and went their separate ways, their hearts remained intertwined. When their paths crossed later in life, they both knew their love was destined from the start. They've watched each other pursue their dreams and supported each other through every bend and twist life sometimes throws. Best yet, they've given each other the space to lay their own roots, yet somehow keep their branches tightly locked. So locked is their love that even despite jokes of forlorn electric violin playing, they remain hopeful it'll one day happen. But this time, they'll learn to play together.
Brandon and Kristin, I know you're in St. Lucia right now and the last thing you'll be doing is getting a sneak peak of photos, but if you found an Internet cafe just off the beach where you're sipping frosty beverages with umbrellas, please know I'm sending lots of love. I adore you both through and through. You emanate God. No, literally, you shine with a beauty that is so pure, caring, and kind that I know it can only stem from a divine love. Thank you for allowing me and JD to document your love. It was an honor of the highest regard. Much Love and Appreciation...j* |
| I didn't know until later, but I photographed Kristin's wedding shoes in a memorabilia box belonging to her grandmother. I loved the vintage box... |
| The light pouring into the room was just amazing...and special thanks to Sandi of Sash Makeup Artistry for making Kristin look extra fab! |
| Brandon and Kristin decided to see each other before the ceremony to allocate a lot of time for photos....and to help calm an over abundance of nerves. Just passed this bridge, Brandon waited... |
| ...and THIS is why I love when a couple will see each other before the ceremony...moments like this... |
| Many thanks to Lauryl of Lauryl Lane for all the gorgeous florals... |
| After the First Look, we photographed the bridal party and they were a pretty awesome group of ladies... |
| ...and the guys cleaned up pretty well, too... |
| After bridal party photos, we spent some time taking more wedding pictures around the Orange County Nature Center.... |
| The morning light was amazing.... |
| Then it was time for a perfect ceremony...thanks to JD for both these pictures... |
| The processional photos are always some of my favorites from the day because they're so emotion filled... |
| After the ceremony, we found this empty mine, so we thought it made a great background for wedding pictures! :) |
| The reception was supposed to be outdoors, but had to be tented in light of the recent rain and hailstorms, but the evening was perfect and went off without a hitch! |
| Like always, I'm thrilled when I get to work with Melody of Sweet and Saucy...she always produces the most amazing desserts! She and Eva of Red Velvet Occasions produced such a cute dessert station! |
| Loved this photo JD captured of the First Dance... |
| Special thanks to Tasos of Atmosphere DJ for playing some of the best music ever and keeping the party so fun... |
T his is my story. This is how I started the business. It is not meant to be right, wrong, or incredulous, but merely meant to share how everything began and how the ball started rolling. I receive countless emails everyday from photographers asking me how they should price their worth, or where they should begin their pricing period. Let me start by saying I HAVE NO IDEA.
There are (loosely) two school of belief when it comes to pricing your business when you start:
1. Price your business in order to get your name out there, get busy, and practice your craft in real scenarios. This runs the risk of being the 'cheap' brand, clients undervaluing your work, and/or creates a referrals within a distinct price range.
2. Price your business according to your worth. This avoids being the 'cheap' brand and being compared to Uncle Bob photographers.
Lucky for me, the decision was made for me. Back in 2006, I was contacted by a bride. She informed she wanted an Engagement Session, 10 Hours of Coverage, Two Photographers, and Disc of Images, and her budget was $1,000. I never shot a wedding before and I wanted this wedding more than I wanted LA Gear Pumps back in 90s. Badly. But at the same time, I wanted her to value her investment, as well as the enormous amounts of time that goes into the backend of wedding photography. Thus, Jasmine Star Wedding Packages were born.
Package One : Engagement Session, 10 Hours of Coverage, and Two Photographers : $1,000
Package Two: Engagement Session,10 Hours of Coverage, Two Photographers and Disc of Images : $1,500
Thankfully, the ever fab bride booked me for Package Two and my business officially began when I shot her wedding in October 2006. I received the best advice from my dear friend David Jay shortly thereafter and he said if I was learning more, going to workshops, and investing in my business (which I was), I had to continually raise the package prices because I was becoming a better photographer, and, therefore, was worth more. He encouraged me to raise my prices $300 for every three weddings I booked. In 2007 my wedding business mushroomed and I booked 38 weddings, so my prices have changed a lot since then, as well as a lot of things in regard to my packages.
So, I know this leads, naturally, to more questions about my current prices and collections, but I'll save that for a future FAQ, where I can get into depth about other aspects of pricing, including the inclusion of albums with my services. I debated posting this because, well, it makes me feel vulnerable and silly. But then JD encouraged me because we stand by the decisions we made. Yes, we lost a lot of clients by raising prices so quickly as our business grew, but being a singular photographer, demand was outmeasuring supply (i.e. I could only book one wedding on a given Saturday), so price was used to monitor my growth. If I didn't raise my prices, I could have easily shot more weddings at a $1,000, but I wouldn't have had measurable business development and further define my brand to be, ultimately, what it is today.
If you're just starting out, I hope this information helps out a little bit. If not, my bad. This was just my experience and how my business unfolded. Like I mentioned before, it's awkward posting this stuff on the web, but after all the emails I've received, I think bringing this subject to the surface might help one person. Or two. |
| This picture is so random, I know. I found my point&shoot camera this morning (stuck in a purse I thought I lost) and found this photo. I took it at a yummy Thai restaurant we visited in Napa. Totally ghetto fab hole-in-the-wall, but the yellow curry was divine. Seriously. |
S o, you know that feeling when you walk into the cafeteria during junior high and all the cool kids are sitting at The Table. You know, corner of the popular universe where gel stays perfectly in hair, girls smile like they're auditioning for Colgate commercials, and food never gets stuck in teeth. The Table. This is precisely the place where Joseph Tessier will sit with his tater tots and with a single wink make your world come crashing down.
You know that feeling? Well, I felt like that today. But way, way uncooler.
I recently heard my blog was nominated for a Bloggie Award. And this--my dear friends--is like Joseph Tessier winking at me with a MACK TRUCK OF TATER TOTS AT HIS SIDE. I was nominated for Best Photography of a Weblog Award and while this a huuuuge honor, I was kinda embarrassed too. Because, really, the other blogs nominated in my category are so incredibly legit I feel like such a dork. So legit, in fact, I've blogged about most of them here on my blog as people who inspire me....and...wait for it...most of them have books. Like, books they've written themselves and I've purchased. As in, they're the popular photo bloggers and they're sitting at The Table in cyberspace.
And I'm standing in the cafeteria with my trembling tray and spinach stuck in my front tooth. With my fly down.
The bloggers on the list are so incredibly amazing and I'm honored to be a part of this competition. For those of you who already voted, thank you. Regardless of the outcome, I'm incredibly blessed to do what I do and I appreciate the time you spend coming here.
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