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W e met a few couple years ago. And I mean 'met' in the loosest of terms. She was a blog reader, and I was...well...me. Alicia contacted me to shoot her wedding, but she informed me she'd been following my blog for a while, so she was ready to book. That was it. No questions asked, no uncertainty, no doubt. Just Please-shoot-my-wedding-and-thankyouverymuch. She sent me a link to her wedding website, which chronicled her love story with Steven, and I knew we (all three of us) were a perfect match. It was love at first site. (Yes, that was a play on words).
The more I got to know Alicia, the more I liked her. She's a sparkplug, funny, and self-deprecating...all the things that make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Last year, she let me know she was pursuing photography professionally and I couldn't be happier for her. I have no doubt she's going places and going to do amazing things in the industry. When she asked if I'd be able to photograph her for launch of her new website, I was honored. No, really, I was. I was pretty much sure she'd be tired of me (and my annoying laugh) after her wedding, but, nah. We cool. And I'm happy to announce she still likes me...especially after I photographed her yesterday. I had to buy her dinner afterward to win her affection, but I prevailed the victor. It's amazing what Mongolian BBQ will do to a girl! :)
Alicia, you (and your strange love of kittens) rock my world. I can't wait to see all the amazing things you'll do! Stay humble, work hard, and everything will fall into place. Love you! xoxo...J* |
| Alicia had a bag of tangerines in her car, so I thought they'd make a cute prop in the shoot...a splash of her personality, and a splash of color never hurt anyone! |
| Alicia's husband, Steven, bought her a new computer. She named it, Nigel. |
| Ooooh, and Nigel's never looked better... |
    
A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by Angie of IHeartFaces.com, a weekly photography site focused on capturing faces and their various emotions. Each week readers can enter their photos into a contest and a guest judge will pick a winning photo. Well, this week I'm blessed to say I'm the guest judge. Hollllla!
As many blog readers know, I adore capturing people in their element, so I Heart Faces was super exciting for me to be a part of! If you'd like to enter the contest, CLICK HERE to get more information and submit your photos. The contest ends tomorrow at 9pm Central Time, so get crackin'! I can't wait to view your work...Happy Contest-ing! |
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Kisses and Disses : Moonwalking and Showit Design
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I 've debated writing this entry for the past couple of hours. Well, because, I'm quite certain my father will raise an angry fist and tell him he doesn't understand my fascination with pop culture. Afterall, I went to college. Because--in his mind--people who go to college aren't into pop culture. Uhh, Dad, sorry to break it to you, but I only smoke on my pipe and sit by the fire place to read Socrates on Thursday night...other than that, I'm happily entertained listening to music and watching reality television. But don't worry...you can hang my college diploma in your office and pretend I'm smart!
Yesterday I received news (via my Twitter account) that Michael Jackson died. I was literally in shock and sat in my car to collect my feelings. I know it sounds all drama, but I felt like a little piece of my childhood died. I grew up listening to Michael Jackson on a battery operated radio in my bedroom, so the memories I have associated with his music are almost tangible. What the heck, I even owned a pair of LA Gear MJ shoes for crying out loud! And don't even get me started on my high school cheer routine choreographed to Thriller...me and Michael go way back. Oh, Internet, for what it's worth I'm sad to know he's gone.
Dad, you can resume breathing again. Remember, just look at my diploma and pretend you spawned a child with more than a few brain cells! :) And in honor of all my uncollege-like behavior, I think it's time for another installment of Kisses and Disses...holllla
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This week's DISSES go to:
*Polo. Yes, you read that right. My dog gets a big diss this week because as I kissed JD today before going to the gym, Polo ran up to me and started growling. Every time I kissed JD, Polo growled a little more. I swear, my dog thinks he's married to JD.
*My jeans. I'm quite certain they're shrinking. Yes, all of them.
*Wannabe Moonwalkers. Seriously, if you're going to pay homage to a music legend, please do Michael Jackson's dances justice. Skipping backward doesn't count. If you want lessons, hit me up...I tear up the dancefloor because I wanna be startin' somethin'... |
This week's KISSES go to:
*JD at Panera. I receive many emails from people who'd love to get help customizing and building their website with Showit and while I'd love to personally help, my schedule doesn't permit me. However, JD came up with a great idea to meet people who'd like to get free help building their website. JD will be working from Panera this Monday, June 29, 2009 from 1pm-3pm, so if you want to stop by and pick his brain for help, feel free! To get the exact location, please email him at jd@showitfast.com.
*Dan X Nguyen - business lawyer extraordinaire. Dan is an friend from college and occasionally emails me links to articles I may find useful in my photo business. He recently sent me a link to this patent, copyright, and trademark blog in regard to licensing music for slideshows and DVDs. It's a good read and makes me understand music usage rights a little better! :)
*Up by Disney/Pixar. I saw this movie yesterday and I was bawling in the first ten minutes. It was SO FABULOUS!! Seriously, I fell more in love with life, JD, and adventure after viewing it.
Happy Friday! |
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FAQ : How to Build a Photo Portfolio
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I often get asked how I started my business. And to be honest, I don't know. How, that is. I just did. But this is how most people start their business, right? People take what they have, make it work, and strap on combat boots for the long road ahead. Oh, and the combat boots was just a figure of speech...please don't think I have a closet full of knee-high Doc Martins. That's so 1991.
I didn't have steps to take, a business plan, or even the right gear, I merely started. Somewhere. While I knew I needed to buy pretty much everything, I started with a Canon 20D and a 24-70, 2.8 lens. And business cards. That's pretty much it. I realized I needed to build my portfolio, so I began asking people in my immediate network if I could take their picture. Much to my disappointment, most people said no. Flat out. I tried to not let it get me down (UH, WHO WOULDN'T WANT FREE PICTURES?!?), but I realized my co-workers and people at church viewed me as nothing more than a girl with a nice camera. Not a photographer.
So then I was stuck. I needed a portfolio, but had no one to practice with. So I called my best friend and asked if she'd be willing to pose for an engagement session. Sure, but I'm not engaged...and I don't even have a boyfriend, Brianna said. We hatched a plan to convince her roommate, Bashir, to pose with her...and he agreed as long as I bought him dinner! :)
I drove down to La Jolla and shot my first 'engagement' session...which lasted 22 minutes. I was terrified and--quite frankly--had no idea what I was doing. But I bought Bashir a few margaritas to make up for it...in fact, he probably thought I was the best photographer ever! I drove home having accomplished my goal. Kinda. I wanted to practice shooting an engagement session and I wanted photos to blog. At the core of it, I did this. And it made me proud. Of course the photos are quite different than what I shoot now, but here are a few from the shoot....
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J* Advice for Building a Portfolio
*Reach out to your inner circle of friends and ask if they want their photos taken.
*Cajole your best friends into a photoshoot...they can never say no.
*Volunteer your services at church/community events. People will begin to ask you to take their photos when they see you documenting events at a venue of authority. This is awesome because you're sharing your gifts with non-profits, as well as building your business!
*Shoot for free. If you're just starting out, you gotta give a lot....in fact, my mother told me I could never out-give God, so I held onto this notion when I began my business. I photographed people and kids for free in exchange for their time to pose for me. Yes, I gave them a disk of images, but these opportunities allowed me to practice shooting manually and forced me to learn my camera. All without the pressure of Oh-my-gosh-they're-going-to-want-a-refund looming over my head.
*Word of Mouth. When you're building your portfolio and shooting for free (or very cheap) and doing a good job, your name will spread like wildfire. Why? Because you're good and free! Once the ball gets rolling, you'll have a ton of business lined up. But be careful...once you have too much demand, it's time to start charging for your services. I started charging $250 per session, and once the demand grew again, I stopped accepting portrait and children's sessions. Why? Because I didn't want to be a portrait or children's photographer. I used the free sessions to hone my skills for wedding photography, so I needed to make sure my focus was always kept on weddings...even if it meant turning away business. Trust me, as a new and struggling photographer, this was HARD. But I have no doubt I made the right decision.
*If all else fails, buy them margaritas!
I hope this information helps a little bit, and if you're still interested in the inner workings of how I started my business, feel free to check out my my first photo blog...and you can also check out other FAQ Posts here. Happy Thursday! |
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Interviewed by Crash Taylor
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| Recently, I was contacted by one of England's coolest photographers, Crash Taylor. Beyond his talent for photography, he's known for interviewing photographers and posting them to his site, Interviews by Crash Taylor. I've been following his blog for a while, so you could just imagine my delight when he asked if I'd be interested in being the week's featured photographer. Hollllla! Crash asked a ton of questions--both personal and professional--so if you'd like to get to know me a little better, CLICK HERE to check it out! |
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