Diet Coke Homage

My first professional website is near launch, and I've been working with web designers to create something simple, colorful, and user-friendly.  For the "About Me" section, I've decided to do it in pictures, not words.  So I've spent the last few weeks taking photos of things near & dear to me.  Besides my husband, puppies, and other special things, I realized that there is something that I'm just SLIGHTLY addicted to...Diet Coke.  :)  So I grabbed my trusty mini cans out of the fridge and took some fun pics, put them together in a collage, and can't wait till they're on the site.  I shared the photo with the Diet Coke page on FB and they called it "extraordinary"and asked to share it with the rest of the FB community...yay!

Supporting Local Businesses

I think all small businesses are difficult to launch.  It needs to be a mix of paid and free advertising, word of mouth, and hard work on the owner's part to get the name and/or product out there.  In this overexposed social climate, interesting things to look at and buy are a dime a dozen.  Photographers, talented and not so talented, are also a dime a dozen.  How does one distinguish oneself from the pack?

I don't have a niche quite yet.  I started out taking headshots and then moved on to families, kids, pets, products, couples, weddings, staged shoots.  I would love to focus solely on engagements/weddings, but every time I try to focus on that, I find myself drawn back to love of photographing, well, EVERYTHING!

I do love taking pics of people.  It calls to me.  Getting that secret smile, or that faraway dream, captured in the eyes.

And I love Love.  I can't help saying it.  I think when you live your own fairytale you can't help but be enamored of the romance in those around you, especially the ones caught up in the giddy excitement of planning their wedding.

Now on to the hard part...getting maximum exposure for the business without being that annoying person who is always plugging her business.  I have some really wonderful supporters and friends...those who share my FB page with their friends, who give me photo credit when I've taken their pictures that they use...the ones who mention my name when people they know are looking for a good photog...and those who link my websites with theirs.

I wish everyone could be so great and take a minute to support a small business.  I try to pass along the word to everyone I know when I have a talented friend growing a business.  I become a fan of so many different local pages.  I tried a cupcake (pictured above) from a DC Area cupcake place and it was heavenly...so I promptly snapped a shot, friended their page, and shared the photo with my delicious sentiments with my friends.  It takes me just a few minutes to do it, and no skin off my nose.  I do it without thinking what *I* will get out of it...I think that's the only way to be.

I also need to become a little more of a shark when it comes to business, I think.  It's not my nature...but it might be the best tool for swimming and making it to shore in a very full ocean.  :)

The Beautiful Brunettes

I love to shoot headshots.  For the last few weeks, I've been lucky enough to shoot several headshots for talented actors.  This weekend, I got to shoot back to back beautiful dark haired gals!  Jamie is a teen actress, making her way through school.  Samantha is an up & coming local talent, trying to break into the pro circles.

Both girls were awesome to photograph.  We worked with different backgrounds and approaches and ended up with shots that I think really capture their vibrant personalities.  Both are equally beautiful but very different, and I think that comes across in their pics.  I hope their photos bring them much success in their auditions!!!

Thanks for a blast this weekend, ladies! :)

Happy Shots

I finished four photoshoots in the last two weeks and they were all successful.  Two were headshots...one for a beautiful young actress who couldn't take a bad picture, and the other a talented established actor with a poet's face.  Both were a joy to shoot.  I like when there are too many choices instead of not enough!  :)

I also did my first professional jewelry shoot for a woman who creates amazing and unique pieces.  She needed some updates for her website and I hope I did her gorgeous work justice! 

Lastly, I met a terrific couple who interviewed me for their upcoming DC wedding.  We did a mini couples session and their love was tangible and fantastic.  Even if they don't end up picking me as their wedding photographer, I had such a lovely time meeting nice people who love each other.  And I caught a lot of that on film.  That's why I do what I do and why I love it so much.

Three of the shoots were done in the cold, rainy, gray muck that has been our area lately.  And somehow, it worked.  The people "popped" against the bleak backdrop, and everything seemed that much sharper.

I also went to NYC for the day yesterday and while I couldn't take any shots walking around, I had fun working my "NYC from the moving car" skills.  ;)

Love what you do...

Not only did I get to eat a Dove chocolate, but it provides little sayings.  The other day it told me I looked good in red...today it told me to "Love what I do"...how perfect. 

Being a photographer feels really right.  It's really hard, and sometimes it's daunting and frustrating, but I absolutely love it.  Making it a business was a scary step for me but it's been a thrilling step.  I just have to always keep sight of the fact that it must continue to be something I love and not something I have to do, a gift and a treat and not "work".  The business end of it is definitely the work part, but taking photos?  Pure joy.


I'm keeping this wrapper as a reminder to always stay true to myself and to always keep loving what I do.  :)

Preparing for a Shoot

Preparing for a shoot involves more than packing your bag with your camera and lenses.  In getting ready for a double shoot weekend, I thoroughly cleaned all of my lenses before packing them away, and then made sure my lens cleaning kit with brush, q tips and microfiber cloths were re-packed in case of on the job emergencies.  Then I charged my double battery pack AND my back up battery.  Then I packed my three memory cards.  Then I put new batteries in my hotshoe flash AND packed a back up set.

My bag also includes numerous things to hold my hair back, note cards with my prep notes for the shoot, pens, lipgloss, and random pills (NSAIDS, TUMS)...everything I need to perform to the best of my abilities.

The car also holds my tripod, portable reflectors, and an umbrella as well as a blanket for clients who don't necessarily want to sit on the ground or the pavement without protection.  I've recently ordered a rain proofing bag for my unsealed camera in case of those occasional drizzles.  I have lots of other camera accessories on my wishlist but for the time being, I'm doing the best I can. :)

It's good to feel ready.  That way, 100% of my focus can be on taking the best photos I can for my clients in a confident and fun way.