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P erhaps I was avoiding this last post. Because that would make things official. Officially over. I'd officially be home from vacation, home from Australia, and home from two fabulous workshops we hosted in Sydney. The photographers I met blew me away and their collective talent, passion, and joy were amazing, so naturally I wanted the warm and fuzzy feelings to linger a bit longer. I truly love teaching and the connections I make with every students makes me feel so lucky.
As I referenced in this post, The Workshop was hosted at The Cruise Bar in Sydney (how I loved it here!), and the day brought so many fabulous elements and connections. It was the first time I've ever hosted back-to-back workshops and the second group BROUGHT IT. They came ready to work, listen, and rock things out. Totally inspiring and made me pick up my game because they're weren't messing around! :)
A verrrry special Thank You must go to...
*Catherine Coloubriale for her amazing wedding gowns, and her unique ability to be overwhelmingly fabulous. Loved her!
*Daisy Chain Florist for creating beautiful floral arrangements and sharing your talent so freely!
*Lyndal Quinn-Tuccarone for a lovely job with hair and makeup, and being a woman of many talents!
*Cathy Crawley for helping orchestrate the day!
*Kara Tranner for being an amazing model and being overly kind and flexible!
*Karim and Alana for being truly fabbbulous...they're a gorgeous couple who took a break from their doctoral studies (they're smart AND hot) and flew from Adelaide for The Workshop...I'm so thankful!
The day started with an instruction of using natural reflectors and a typical bridal portrait... |
| ...then I broke the group in half and started having some fun with Karim and Alana across the street... |
| We photographed in The Rocks area of Sydney and though we stayed under the radar, the port authority stopped JD and asked the group the move. While JD talked to the security to buy us more time, I snuck the group off to the side and quickly shot a session in open shade since it was very bright out...gotta love security... |
| Alana, you're too beautiful... |
| Kara...you're simply divine...really, you are. |
| And here's my favorite photo of the day... |
| To my new Aussie friends, thank you. Thank you for being so incredibly awesome and making me realize just how lucky I am to follow my dreams...and have your support. Your stories, encouragement, and passion revived me and just proves the insane amount of talent that resides in your beautiful country. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you and I know you'll all change the industry on photo at a time. Much Love and Appreciation.... j* |
    
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. |
I 'm sitting at my desk overwhelmed with what could be sheer warmth and passion for photography. For sharing. For teaching. I am, beyond all doubt, living my dream. And for this, I thank you. For those of you who visit my corner of cyberspace, I'm honored and I appreciate who you are. And, especially, for those photographers I've been blessed to meet at The Workshop, thanks for molding my heart into a new shape. I owe you.
I'm excited to post a few pictures from the first Sydney, Australia workshop. As I mentioned before, being in the Land Down Unda was a dream come true, and meeting so many amazing photographers was a total bonus. With many thanks to Cathy Crawley for her help planning The Workshop in Sydney, the day was a complete success. I walked away feeling like, quite possibly, the luckiest girl on the face.of.the.planet.
I'd be remiss if I didn't thank the following vendors for making the day possible...
Venue: Cruise Bar (Katie, Georgie, and Belinda...you're my girls and I can't wait to hang out again soon!!!)
Wedding Dresses: Catherine Colubriale (Catherine...you're amazing...and kind...and a true artist...thank you from the bottom of my heart!)
Models: Evan+Lacey (I can't thank you enough from flying in from Queenstown...I adore you both to bits and pieces!) and Kristie (who couldn't be a better muse...love her!)
Florals: Daisy Chain Florist in Castlehill (Aileen...you're a total gem...I can't thank you enough!)
Hair+Makeup: Ellie Vierboom of Ella Bella (thank you for working so fast and gracefully under pressure...so awesome!)
Could you just imagine my delight when I realized THIS was our view from the conference room at the Cruise Bar?!
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| When we started the shoot, we began shooting Evan+Lacey and I realized they're just so much fun in front of the camera! |
| Kristie was a modern bride and totally fabulous in front of the camera... |
| I adored the ribbon in Lacey's hair and she reminded me of a romantic Robin Hood bride! :) |
| Kristie can make even a delivery entrance look amazing... |
| Don't ask me why, but these are my favorite photos from the shoot. Maybe it's the bow on her wedding dress, or the barely visible Sydney Bridge, or Kristie's smile...or a mix of all three things. Or maybe I just feel these are really my style... |
Okay, I lied. THIS is my favorite photo from the day. The group shot always is! The energy and passion of this group was palpable and I learned so much from them.
To my new friends, thank you for making a dream come true. Not only were we able to photograph brides in Sydney, you inspired me. I can't wait to see what the future holds for all of you and I sincerely hope you make a change in the wedding photography world in Australia. You're destined for great things...I just know it! Much Love and Appreciation...j* |
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Making Things Happen Workshop : Lara Casey
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I know I've stated it before, but I'm a firm believer in learning from others. Learning in a variation of forms, but when I first started my business, it came in the form of workshops. I went to as many workshops as I could afford and they accelerated my growth in so many ways. I've always been a proponent and will remain well into the future.
When I heard Lara Casey was hosting a workshop in Los Angeles, I immediately signed up. I didn't even know what the workshop entailed, but I knew Lara...and her flair, and her determination, and her business saavy. So I signed up. I've watched Lara --Editor of Southern Weddings Magazine, branding expert, photographer rep, and many other things--from a distance and admired her growth, so I wanted to soak up everything I could. Better yet, she announced that Jose Villa and Jeff Holt would join as her guests, so it was an easy decision. |
| Jose, like usual, was affable, kind, and giving....I love him! |
| I can't say enough good things about this workshop. I decided to make 2010 a year of growth for me. Not as a photographer (although I remain to work on this), but, more, as a person. Lara Casey's workshop really fine tunes your goals, how you want to grow, and personal development. I walked away inspired, challenged, and hungry to be a better person. For this, I'm incredibly thankful. |
T he best thing about vacation is eating. Of course the museums and the historic statues are cool too, but the local cuisine is what I live for. Just after dinner every night, I'm planning where we're going to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner the following day. This behavior just didn't start one day. It's been like this since I was child. Heck, it was even worse then.
I grew up very overweight and just in case you're wondering, I weighed more than my father when I was 11 years old. As far as chubby (fluffy, rotund, pudgy) kids were concerned, I was legit. Food was comfort. Food was home. Food was safety. When boys made fun of me, I'd grab a jar of peanut better and a loaf of bread and hide under my bed until I was in a sugar coma and the pain went away. This dependency on food has never disappeared. I look at the scale every morning and vow to start again. Start the battle against the bulge. Yet again.
On vacation, there weren't any scales. Well, if I was being honest, I'd admit there was a scale in my hotel bathroom while in Australia, but I covered it with a bathmat. I knew I was eating a lot. I knew I was eating too much. But JD promised me we'd run it off the following day. Internet, I could've RUN BACK TO AMERICA and still not burned the calories I consumed. To be honest, though, I'm not sure I care.
I'm sitting in my office about to take off for the gym, but not without remembering the Australian pastries we ate late one night. Or the ice cream sundae we ordered to our hotel room in celebration of our last workshop. Or the multiple servings of Thai food in New Zealand. I've come to realize that while I may never look like the person I want to in my head, I also know that I'll never be okay with who I am on the outside, if I'm not okay with who I am on the inside. On this recent vacation, I tried to appreciate me. All of me. The thickness. The jiggle where it shouldn't. The parts I referred to as fluffy while growing up....that still remain fluffy. Everything is still there, but I'm working on it. And I'm trying to be okay with me. All of me. |
**EDITED TO ADD**
I don't have very many pictures of me as a child. For one, my parents didn't own a camera, and, two, I avoided the lens like I avoided the Black Plague. I asked my my sister if she'd be okay with me posted the one photo I have of us during our awkward phase. There were moments when I was bigger, but for those who asked, this is me. Just fluffier. |
2010
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2009
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2008
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2007
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