***All images in this post are copyright Jenn Bebb.***

NEXT WEEK: Jesse of Our Labor of Love

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Jenn,  you have had some really fantastic and exciting last few years within the industry.  You have learned a great deal over that course of time about what's important in your life and business.  You've made conscious decisions about being a wife, mother, and business woman.  I can't say enough about how much what you've said here resonates with me.  You've given me pointed reminders and also had me nodding my head in agreement.  You are doing so many things that make sense and you make it sound doable for other women. Your life and business are an inspiration.  Thanks for being on Women and Business!

In 2007 you were named one of the Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World.  How did that change your life and business?

At first, it didn’t really change anything.  Well, we got a lot more blog hits, and a lot more people were talking about us, but it took a while for us to start to really feel the effects of that honour.  One thing that being named Top 10 did was force us to sit down together and really take a look at what our priorities were - what were the things we wanted to focus on, knowing that 2007 was a 45+ wedding season and the beginning of the education side of our business, and that we had two children at home needing their parents.  

In a sense, 2007 was the year everything changed - we made our family our first priority and re-structured our business to reflect our desire to spend real time with our kids (not simply being at home, but in front of the computer), and have spent the past 2 years refining that.  We gave ourselves strict business hours, a strict weekly workflow, and permission to say no to jobs that didn’t match our core values.

By the end of 2007, beginning of 2008 we were starting to really see the effects of being named to the list, both in terms of bookings for weddings and requests to teach.  Fortunately, we had a system in place to help us deal with that and work those things around our family.

What had you done up to that point to become one of the top wedding photographers in the world?

The simple answer is that we worked really hard to master our craft and exceed our clients‘ expectations.

That’s not meant to sound flip or trite - we were so busy working at home (50+ weddings a year) that we had no idea anyone outside of Vancouver knew who we were.  We did not petition for the position (we didn’t even know about the list until American Photo told us we were on it), nor did we really “socialize” online via our blog.  This was before facebook took off, before twitter existed...we were noticed, I think, because we had spent 7 years focussing on our craft and our business.

Were you always in a retail space?  What made you decide to have a retail space?

We’ve always had a space outside our home, occasionally storefront retail, occasionally not.  We have done street level twice - once in 2002-2003 and again 2007-2008.  We’re now back in a private studio (it is retail, but not conventional retail - we have a live/work space with retail frontage for our gallery).  

The first retail space we took on was in a very high profile, trendy area of town.  We did it solely to promote the wedding side of our business and even today we still get inquires that come from that space.  We took on storefront space in 2007 for two reasons - first it was closer to home (just 6 minutes by car) and second, because we wanted to pursue the portrait market more aggressively.  Our goal had been purchase the building, but the landlord refused to sell, so when our lease came up, we purchased the space we are now in.

We have the space outside our home for a lot of reasons, many of which have changed over time.  At first, it was simply a meeting space - I worked from home until 2008 when our youngest son went into full day school.  Now our space is designed both as a gallery/meeting space, but also a working space so that our business is almost completely out of our home now.

What does your workflow look like?  Do you outsource or keep everything in house?

We still do everything in house. Our workflow is simple and streamlined, and a wedding will typically take us a day, two at most, to complete.  As such, it doesn’t make sense for us to outsource that aspect of our business.  So we outsource things like our accounting, which neither one of us is good at.

One of the first things we did, more out of necessity than design, was divide the tasks each of us is responsible for, to capitalize on our strengths.  I, for example, take care of all the email, blogging, etc while Steve handles phone calls and in-person meetings.  This started because I was home with Logan when he was a baby and I could handle email, etc without compromising his care.  Steve was able to get out of the house and go to the office where he could meet with clients or chat on the phone without interruption.  We have continued to divide everything up as our jobs have become more complicated, ensuring that we rarely overlap and trusting each other to take care of their responsibilities.

Our workflow with regards to our wedding images is really simple:  I download, back up and cull the master files using Photo Mechanic.  Steve edits the selections in LR and PS.  I choose blog images and do the blog entry, pre-design the album, and put together their Premiere and/or Fusion piece.  Steve meets with the clients to share their images and start chatting about Art Books and Style Collision Pieces.  I continue to work with the clients on their album and Steve handles print/Style Collision orders.  

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

We are simply ourselves - goofy, self effacing, funny, etc.  We compliment our clients and make their comfort a priority.  We work for them, and we never forget that, and I think that our clients feel that in our interactions with them.

What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

Sit down and really think about what you want.  It is easy to start your business by taking photos for friends and then start getting paid, etc.  But the challenges really start to come when your business starts to become more than a fun way to make money and starts to consume your time.  No one should be working 15 - 18 hours a day for very little money.  

Take the time to write down what you want, what your priorities are, and what you are willing to do (or not do) to make that happen.

You have recently written a book which has been a dream come true for you.  What is your book about?  What was the process you went through to get published?  When and where will we be able to purchase your book?

The book is about Photo Fusion, which is the mixing of photos with audio and video.  It’s a concept we’ve been exploring, and advocating, since Dec 2008, not without our share of controversy.  

The publishers, Wiley, actually approached me with the idea which I jumped on, of course.  It has been a fairly straightforward process and I have an incredible group of people that I’m working with.  It’s a really exciting time for me, and hopefully this will be the first of many books that I get to be part of.

The book is available on Amazon right now (http://www.amazon.com/Photo-Fusion-Wedding-Photographers-Photography/dp/0470597763/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265657069&sr=8-1) for a great introductory rate.  As soon as it is ready to ship, I’m not sure what is going to happen to the price on Amazon, but I think it will go up.  The book should also be available in most book major book stores.

Your blog post:  “2009-A year of growth and change” sounds like you’ve had a year that had some definitive highs and lows.  What are the 3 things you’ve learned about business this year?  What are three things you’ve learned about life this year?  What have you learned about the industry, as a whole, in relation to your business?

2008 and 2009 were tough years for us, both personally and professionally.  Let me see if I can break it down for you:

The four lessons about business:

1. Because this is our business, we can run it on our terms.
2. Our business exists to provide a life for our family, it does not define who we are, merely what we do.
3. Keeping regular business hours and a regular schedule is key to staying fresh and inspired.
4. Business is as much about creativity as photography is.  Ignore one, and the other will falter.

Four lessons about life:

1. Life is fleeting and every moment counts (cliched, but so very, very true)
2. We can choose to live life of our terms or someone else’s terms.  I choose to live my life on my terms.
3. I will do nothing more important than raising my boys to be good and kind citizens of the world, instilling strong values in them along the way.  And my job will never be done.
4. Living a good life, with integrity, is more important than popularity.  

What I’ve learned about the industry in relation to my business:

Because we essentially have two businesses  - one for our clients and one for other photographers, I’ve had to learn to separate them.  The business we have for our photography clients has very little to do with the photography industry in general.  We focus on making our clients the happiest people we can, and have them advocating for us. 

The education side of our business is, however, impacted in part by the industry.  When our Fusion DVD came out and we stuck our necks out as Fusion advocates, we knew that we would face some backlash, but we were so sure that the concept of Fusion was a positive thing that we were unprepared for exactly how much criticism we faced.  There was one forum, in particular, where our characters were assassinated, and that was shocking, and hurtful to me.  

Interestingly, Fusion is now not only accepted, but has become a hot area for education.  We get email every day from people with questions, requests to do Fusion workshops and more.  And as much as there is a part of me that wants to stand tall and shout “I told you so” to every nay-sayer and hater out there, I won’t.  Because they have to look at themselves each day and be good with their choices - I don’t.

So I’ve learned a couple of important lessons this year:  you can choose to keep your head down and work in isolation, escaping ridicule and criticism, or you can hold your head high, embrace something new and ride the wave of contempt that comes your way with dignity and humility.  Both are valid and valuable ways to live - I choose to embrace the new, attempt to share that information, and ride the wave with dignity.  Eventually, the animosity fades and the reality of what you are offering comes into play - and you watch as the loudest nay-sayers slowly come to terms with the very thing they hated so intensely.

Without risk there is no reward, and despite the backlash, I am intensely grateful to have had the experience and to continue to take risks.

What do you do for fun…that has nothing to do with photography?

I hang out with my kids and husband:  we go mountain biking, we walk the dog, and more.  I spend time with friends, either over a bottle of wine or a meal.  I snuggle on the couch at night.  I read books.  I workout.

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

That my children are able to see me (and their dad) follow my dreams and live life on my terms.  I think that everything we do gives our children the knowledge that if you work hard, stay true to your values, and treat people the way you would like to be treated, good things will come to you.

What do you do to keep your marriage fun? 

We are together all the time, literally, and so keeping our marriage fresh is actually something we need to work harder at.  It’s something you can never, ever, take for granted and give up on, or it will fail.  We do simple things - we go to the kids sports games together and drink coffee in the stands;  we sit together at night and just chat;  we talk, all the time, about everything - we never run out of things to say to each other.  We rarely do the big things, but we have found that it is the little things that make all the difference to our happiness.

What are the top three things you did when you were first getting started in business to bring in clients?

We put our name everywhere - bridal shows, magazines, etc. And we talked to people.  We probably brought in the bulk of our first year of business from the sheer force of our personalities and drive.  After that it was a little easier - we showed the kind of work we wanted to shoot and it was something that resonated with people.

How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?

Our business is like a well oiled machine and we don’t have a lot of conflict there.  The biggest thing we have to watch is that our work loads are balanced.  I will invariably take on more and more until I feel about ready to burst.  Steve has become very good at seeing the warning signs of that and works to take things off my hands for me.  

It works both ways - we have had challenges in our marriage that we had to work hard to keep out of the business.  So it’s a double edged sword in many ways.

We always say that if the business threatens our marriage, we will get rid of the business.  And I really believe that we would.  That being said, we have been together too long and know and love each other too well to stay in a place that is difficult for too long.

What is the best thing you’ve done to make your business successful?

Been ourselves.  We unknowingly at first and then deliberately, infused our business with our personalities, creating something larger than simply photography.  I think that in a business like this, your photography needs to be good to attract clients initially, but your personality and business skills is what will set you apart and compel clients to choose you.

You are a mom, how old are your children?  What do you do to help them feel part of your business life? 

The boys are now 10 and 7.  They are not a part of our business life.  At all.  We try and keep them out of the business as much as we can - we rarely blog about them, they don’t travel with us very often, and people in the industry rarely get to meet them.  We wanted to give them the choice to get involved when, and if, they choose to.

As they have gotten older, I’ve let down my guard a little bit, but you have to look pretty hard to find photographs of them or references to them.  I want them to be kids, away from the craziness of what we do.  

If you think about it, it’s rare for a banker or accountant, for example, to have their children take any part in their business.  We’ve sort of approached it that way - business is business, and our personal life is just that - personal.

What do you do to keep your family strong?

We compartmentalize.  When we are home, we are home - when we are at work, we are at work.  This allows us to really focus on the time we have with our kids, and not get distracted by the craziness of our business.  We keep very regular business hours - 9am to 2:30pm during the week, and we don’t work on weekends at all unless we have a wedding.  

We are there - whether they are downstairs with their friends or playing outside, we are there.  And I think just being there, available when/if they need us, really makes a difference.  We have dinner together, as a family, 6 nights a week.  We run errands together, do chores together, etc.  We are involved in their school activities and do homework with them every night.  And we never forget that what we do is our job - they are our life.

You travel quite a bit.  How do you make this easier on your children?  How do they feel about how often you travel?

The kids, fortunately, have always lived with the fact that we travel, although we travel a little more now than we used to.  We try to limit our travel to once a month - we’re not always successful with that, but we try.  We also try to keep their routines as stable as possible.  We are fortunate to have family close by so my parents take the kids on the weekends and Steve’s parents move into our house when we are gone during the week.  In truth, I think the kids rarely notice that we’re gone anymore, they have so much fun with their grandparents.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

I try really hard not to take too much on, so I say no to things now.  It’s hard to do that, saying no to things, but I’m getting better at it.  I used to do a lot of mentoring and speaking for free and I’ve learned that I need to make it worth the time away from the business and the kids, so now I’m pretty particular about what I take on.  We still do the things that we feel are important like mentoring, etc, but we are more discerning about what we do and when we do it.

I also learned to cut anything negative and yucky from my life.  I know there are things that I have to do, that I might not love, but I just get those done and move onto the good stuff.  

The biggest thing I do is leave the studio each day with a task completed.  There is ongoing work, of course, but I try to finish something each day and take that sense of accomplishment home with me.  If I don’t do that, I will find myself lying awake at 2 am pondering my to-do list.

I also take time for myself - I workout three mornings a week with a trainer, and one afternoon a week on my own.  I make myself a priority, which is something women (and moms in particular) often forget to do.

What three products or things help you stay organized?

1. ShootQ
2. Things
3. A notebook (I write everything down)

 What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?

 Try to be someone else.  

What is something that you think women in the industry should do?

Respect themselves and the choices that are important to them.  Say sorry when they make a mistake - then fix it.

What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more whole, content, and blissful life?

1. forgive yourself - you will make mistakes and that is alright.  As a mom, you will always feel that you can do more, be better.  And as a business person you feel the same way.  Forgive yourself when you don’t get it all done, when you make a mistake, when you just can’t do anymore.  
2. make yourself a priority - if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else
3. laugh more.
4. fail.  and then learn from those failures.  failure helps define success
5. acknowledge your gratitudes (I do this every night).  When you go to bed at night (or anytime you are feeling overwhelmed) start listing what you are grateful for...you will fall asleep with a smile on your face.

LINKS:

www.bebbstudios.com

www.fusionisnow.com

www.bebbinars.showitsite.com

www.stylecollision.com

 ***All images in this post are copyright Jenn Bebb.***

***All images in this post are copyright Mary Marantz.***

NEXT WEEK: Jenn Bebb

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Mary,  you have done really wonderful things in the past couple of years.  You were on your way to a completely different career when you realized you weren't following your heart.  Since deciding to do what you love and join Justin in photography you've grown your business, helped many other photographers with your Spread the Love tour, and started the Portrait House charity all in a short period of time.  At the same time you are a caring and genuine person who is so good about giving to others.  I've love the your approach to the industry, your business, and life.  Thanks for being on Women and Business!

You were going to law school on your way to being a fantastic lawyer…what happened?  What made you decide that you wanted to be a photographer?

For me, it wasn’t so much that I knew I wanted to be a photographer as it was  that I knew I definitely didn’t want to be a lawyer. I knew that I wanted this business with Justin. I knew that I wanted our lives to be different and Un-Ordinary and to follow the road less traveled. But for the longest time, I didn’t know whether I would ever pick up a camera or not. In our company, I was the business side of the business. I was contracts and pricing and marketing manifestos. Because that stuff has always come easy for me. And it was an easy win. But photography...well that was a whole different beast. That was something that I could try and very easily fail at. And failing is NOT something I’m a big fan of. :) I did, of course, eventually end up picking up a camera and “Justin & Mary” was born. But if I’m being totally honest, it took a long time before I could bring myself to say the words “I am a photographer.” I would always say “We own a photography business,” or “We shoot weddings,” or “My husband went to school for photography.” But to call myself a photographer, to make a claim like that when I didn’t have any of the background or formal training that I thought was necessary to say something like that, well... I felt like a fraud. And I was embarrassed. But I am not embarrassed anymore. Hi, my name is Mary and I AM a photographer!! :) :)

What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry? 

If we had to start all over today back at zero, I know exactly what we’d do. We would price ourselves on the lower end of that “juicy middle” of the market for wherever we were (but not fall outside of that middle and go totally budget) and we would book as many weddings as we possibly could that first year out. We would also take care though, to make sure that the couples that we were booking were a good fit for us and that we would actually be able to make them happy. Then we’d just go crazy! We would rock out that year taking the best care we possibly could of all those clients, their vendors, and their friends & family. We would do the work to come up with a bangin’ customer experience, to get discs and cards out to all the vendors and locations quickly, and to give the friends & family a reason to come check out the pictures afterwards, so that they could start referring us too. When we were booked we would also give the best referrals possible to other photographers in our area that we respected. We would use that year to create a firestorm of word of mouth momentum from clients, vendors, and other photographers and get our name out there. And then we would start steadily raising our prices until we got to the price point & volume that we wanted. If there is just one word that can be gleaned from this advice, let it be this: Momentum. Because if you can build up a freight train of word of mouth momentum you can do pretty much anything with your business. For Justin & I, although we have set our prices to be more on the high end now, we still love doing high volume. Because we love our couples. And the more awesome people we get to work with, the more awesome people we have out there referring us to everybody!

What does your workflow look like?  Do you outsource or keep everything in house?

Our workflow looks a lot like a pyramid, with Justin at the top (and OHH how he loves hearing that!) When we shoot a wedding, he takes it and downloads it and backs it up to our Drobo. Then he also puts it on three Lacie rugged drives. One comes to me for blogging, one goes to Julia for our vendor edits & discs, and one goes to our in-house editor for all the bulk adjustments. I will end up blogging somewhere around 100-150 images per wedding (which is a LOT, but here’s why...) and then that folder also becomes our favorites on Pictage and the set for our first mock ups of our albums. So then it’s all done! And then all of the edits (the blog, the vendors, and the bulk edits) go back to Justin to be backed up on our Drobo for the final folder. The whole process can be turned around in a week.

I’m sure many women see you and Justin and this fantastic marriage and business set up and they wish they could have the same thing but their husband is very happy in his job or wants nothing to do with joining their photography business or they are unmarried, etc.  What advice do you have for them?

I think my answer to this question is the same one I would give to anyone who is just getting started and doesn’t feel like they have everything they need to run a successful business (whether that be the equipment, a studio, or a good support team), which is: you start with what you’ve got and you build from there. You start with you. How you view life & love & the world. Market that. Have a vision for your business and find good people who care about you and could catch that vision. You have to be careful with who you allow into your business, but once you do find someone who is the perfect fit don’t ever let them go! That’s how it is for us & Julia (who is a past bride of ours). We never could have imagined a more perfect fit for our company than her, and now that we have her we’re going to do everything we can to keep her! So work to build a team, even if that just means you have to start with yourself.

What do you do to keep your marriage fun? How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?

You draw the line. Ask yourself, “If I could have all the worldly successes I ever dreamed of for my business, but in doing so it would mean that I would have to give up my marriage...would I do it?” I think all of us would obviously say no. But the thing is, those choices are made everyday when we aren’t even looking. It’s putting an album design above date night, an editing job before dinner. It’s staying on the computer just a little bit longer, which turns into all night. It’s losing who you are as a couple because of who you are as business partners. For the record, I think you can have both success in your marriage and success in your business. It doesn’t have to be either/or. But just remember the priority goes in that order. A good friend of ours, John Sanderson, twittered this: Married Photographers...remember it’s the first part that counts. It’s so true. So when the business is getting too stressful and it’s taking too much (and it will....it will take as much as you are willing to give it), we draw the line. We go and lay in the hammock, we hit up a movie, we take a walk with Cooper. We get away from the computer and away from business so that we can just be us again.

How do you fit so much into your life?  You have a business, a tour, a charity you run, and more…

We are definitely guilty of taking on too much, and we are trying to be much better this year about leaving space for our lives. Of “making every last one of our choices, from the food we put in our mouths to the commitments we put on our calendar, something that moves us toward the life we love.” That being said, we are totally those people who would rather be busy than bored! And we love having a lot of irons in the fire. The best solution we’ve ever found for balancing those two is just being really structured with our time. I am not a person who naturally eats at the same time, works out at the same time, answers email at the same time. But what I’m finding is that the more structured we are with our routine, the more actually gets done. And it happens when it’s supposed to during “work hours,” instead of the time when we should be home relaxing together.

You have a “Spread the Love” tour and workshop that you’ve created.  Tell me the basic idea of the tour and how it came about.

The basic idea of “Spread the Love” is that you have to go to work and build a business with Momentum, a business that actually works for you rather than it always being the other way around, in order to carve out a real and lasting space for getting your life back. We show you how to build that momentum and how to create the systems that will put your business to work for you, so you can start taking those steps back toward having a life. The dream for this workshop actually came about two and a half years ago when we were on our honeymoon. It just felt like something we had to do. Two years later, when it feels like we are at an all time epidemic scarcity of Hope...it just felt like now was the time.

I’ve gotten to chat with you on several occasions about keeping it real even when a person’s popularity gets bigger than life.  You and Justin have certainly become extremely popular within the industry.  I don’t know if I’ve met someone who doesn’t know you!  What does it mean to you to keep it real and what steps have you taken to make that happen?

What does it mean to keep it real? That generally means taking a risk that you’ll look stupid. Or weak or scared or flawed or vulnerable. But you do it anyway because it’s the truth. And you know that a lot more good can come from telling the truth and risking looking stupid, than pretending to be more or better than you really are just because it makes you feel good. Because you start to realize that other people are listening to what you say and acting on it. And that if someone is going to go out and makes choices for their lives and take risks for their family based on what you said, it had better be the truth. So we try to just put it all out there- the good, the bad, the dirty laundry- on our blog and in our talks. If you see me in person and ask, I’ll be the first one to tell you we don’t have it all together. And we don’t. But we have figured out some things that work for us. And we’ll be happy to tell you about that too.

You are an excellent writer and you constantly post on your blog.  What do you do to keep up with that? What’s your secret to being able to post so often?

Oh how I WISH there was some secret to posting often or quickly!! The truth is that it is a full time job. Every wedding post that goes up takes me about 8 hours or more to do. It’s a commitment! But it’s something that drives our business and is so responsible for any success we’ve been having. So I’m happy to commit to it. It’s also something I just love doing. Especially when we’re all caught up (not like the 24 posts we fell behind last year!) and we can blog things as they happen. When you’re still really excited about whatever it is you’re posting about, that makes it a lot easier!

What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more whole, content, and blissful life?

Be willing to let go. Whatever you’re doing that doesn’t fuel your business or your soul, be willing to let someone else take care of it.

Be authentic. Spend the time to figure out who you really are & what you really love. Then only be & do those things. Don’t let anyone else tell you it’s not good enough.

Be the CAN in your life, because there will always be an abundance of people willing to tell you you CAN’T

Take care of your financial house. Nothing is a greater enemy to bliss and contentment than stress over money.

Live life Un-Ordinary. Because extraordinary after all and when you think about it, really just breaks down to extra ordinary. More ordinary. And who wants to live a life like that?

To see more of Mary's work:

blogsite

spread the love

***All images in this post are copyright Mary Marantz.***

***All images in this post are copyright emilie inc.***

NEXT WEEK: Mary Marantz

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Emilie,  You are an amazing woman!  There are so many other words to describe you as well...caring, genuine, depth, visionary, organized, thoughtful, authentic.  I am in awe of the amount you have accomplished in a short period of time since leaving your photographer/editor positions at major national newspapers.  You have created a fantastic photographers workshop, started a charity from the ground up, moved into a new retail space studio, hired a number of employees, and gotten married!  You ability to manage it all and keep a sense of abundance and not a feeling of being overwhelmed has my attention.  Thanks so much for being here!

You have gotten married in the last year. How did that affect your business and the way you work with clients? What changes have you made? 

Experiencing how my clients feel both from a planning perspective and the emotional level of the wedding day script has certainly impacted my business. With 250 weddings under my belt, brides often look to me for advice when making pre-wedding decisions and guidance on the actual day. I feel a greater sensitivity to the dynamics between a couple and the supporting relationships now, something I couldn’t have known from the inside-out previously. Getting married was wonderful, but exhaustingly stressful too!

What does your workflow look like?  Do you outsource or keep everything in house?

Everything is done in-house. Leads and bookings are done by my studio manager with ShootQ. I edit every wedding in Lightroom (I have two associate photographers too), my production manager tones and uploads images to Pictage, my designer completes an album pre-design and I create a blog post all within a week after the event. It’s very structured, but works for us and allows us to approach each weekend’s weddings with a fresh start.

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

This may sound cheesy, but I am just my usual self. I don’t feel like I do anything different with my clients than I would do with my friends, and therefore always appreciate the compliments I receive from couples who liken me to just that, a friend.

What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

Be active! Ask questions! Learn! But most importantly, seek out a mentor. I earned a degree in photojournalism from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University where I was the photo editor of the school’s daily newspaper, had multiple internships with different newspapers and studied abroad for a semester in London with National Geographic photographer Ed Kashi. I strongly believe in paying your dues/ slow-and-steady wins the race/ letting the kettle boil approach to learning vs reading a book or just buying a camera and calling oneself a photographer. There is no quick and painless path to being a photographer and starting a business. If you’re in this for the long haul, you need to be diligent and explore all avenues. There will be bumps in the road, but amazing successes too, as you find your way. And finding your own way is key, as everyone’s path to success is different. What worked for one person may not be right for the next. I pour my heart and soul into my business and that’s been my secret ingredient for success. If you don’t have passion for what you are doing, you’ll eventually burn out.

What do you do for fun…that has nothing to do with photography?

My favorite thing to do, hands-down, is to take our dogs to the beach. We’re fortunate to live on the coast in Maine just a few minutes from some of the prettiest beaches. Escaping there to run and romp with the dogs and throw the ball has become a much-needed escape to my day and place I have found such peace. Have you read the poem “maggie and milly and molly and may” by ee cummings? It ends with: “For whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it’s always ourselves we find in the sea.” If we’re not at the beach, we’re taking a Sunday adventure ride, something I’ve done since I was a kid with my father and now with my husband, where we get in the car and head nowhere in particular to explore without a planned destination.

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

My proudest moment was hanging my sign outside my studio. As a girl I used to play office. No, not house, office. I had a portable file with my imaginary customers I would tote around and talk to my parents about business transactions. I have no idea how that started or why, but have always dreamed of running my own business. I used to work at USA Today and the Washington Post as a photographer and photo editor, two remarkable achievements I still can’t quite believe are a part of my resume. But it was the process of creating and opening my own shop that makes me the most proud because it was 100% me achieving a lifetime goal. Tho business was just fine when I operated from my kitchen table, I skip through my studio door every morning with a smile on my face that doesn’t get old.

Overall, I think I am most proud of how much the emilie inc umbrella has grown. Aside from photographing weddings and running a studio with employees, I also started a non-profit (www.pinkinitiative.org), a national directory (www.newsweddingphotographers.com) and a photojournalism workshop (www.rootsworkshop.com). Next month I am starting an in-studio workshop series (http://blog.emilieinc.net/2010/01/branding-blogging-workshop-announcement.html).

What do you do to keep your marriage fun? 

We’re so fortunate to be in the same industry (my husband J is the wedding development manager for liveBooks and shoots weddings with emilie inc. on the weekends. He used to be my account rep at Pictage back in the day and that’s how we met!) which enables us to have a solid common ground. Both of our jobs entail quite a bit of travel, which is a perfect balance for us to tickle our sense of adventure and escape from the everyday. Our routine is never quite the same which keeps things fresh and fun.

You have created great relationships with vendors in your area, how have you done that?

More than 80% of our brides are from out of state, most of whom we don’t meet until their wedding day (http://blog.emilieinc.net/2009/08/emilie-inc-2009-booking-trends.html). A few years ago, I started photographing the process of area vendors I love working with as a way to give these brides planning from afar an inside peek at their process and, in turn, massage those valued vendor relationships. At this point I am only paying to advertise on one website, as most of my work comes from word of mouth referrals. Vendor and venue relationships make up a huge percentage of those bookings. I prefer to link arms with like-minded talent and forge ahead together. http://blog.emilieinc.net/search/label/vendor%20tours

How have you made your business grow and thrive in such a small town? 

Portland is a small business mecca, with very few large corporations to support the employment workforce. Therefore it has the infrastructure and resources in place to support and help grow small businesses like mine. I have no formal business training, my growth can be attributed to an exhaustive trail of trial and error. Now in my 7^th year, simply put, my business has grown from never wavering from my initial model: to always love what I do and to provide a consistent superior customer experience.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

I tend to take on a lot, but rarely feel overwhelmed. Lists help! For me, I always prefer busy over bored, so am constantly looking for ways to improve and grow my business. I suppose if I ever reach a point where I feel uninspired, then it’s time to move on to something new. 

You seem to be a very grounded, purpose driven person. What steps do you take when you make decisions?

First and foremost, I try to embrace risk. I’ve never been one to follow the pack, and instead prefer to be out in front forging my own way. Taking chances and trusting instinct is my personal compass. But for back-up, I always make a pros & cons list. May sound simple, but the age-old practice has helped me make major life decisions. 

What three products or things help you stay organized?

iPhone, Google Docs, liveBooks, ShootQ.

You are the founder of pinkinitiative.org. What inspired you to create this organization and how do you fit it into your already busy life?

I was raised to always make time and money for charity. I came to a point with my business when it just made sense to give back, simply put, because I could. I chose to donate a portion of all my wedding profits to breast cancer research because it is a cause that is close to my heart and affected my family as a child. The response was humbling, somuchso that I decided it needed to grow beyond emilie inc. I formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit in 2008 so that all wedding vendors could contribute to this worthy cause and it’s caught on like wildfire. We have more than 100 vendors from all over the country giving time and money, hosting grassroots events and creating products to benefit Pink Initiative. It’s mighty awesome.

You are an extremely genuine and caring person in an industry that can be very selfish and ego driven.  How do you keep those aspects of you as strengths within your business? 

I’m not sure I would know how to do it any other way. Since giving has always been part of my make-up, I feel the most purpose from helping others, not winning contests or receiving accolades. This summer I will be hosting the third Roots Workshop for a week in July on Cape Cod, an intimate photojournalism intensive with 12 students and 9 staffers under the same roof on the water. It’s a summer camp of sorts that achieves a gentle balance for serious learning in a beautiful surrounding. The lack of ego is what makes the experience magical and safe to push one’s boundaries.

What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?

Assimilate. It took me a long while to not feel pressured to adopt the latest trends and styles in our industry, but rather embrace my own and trust that there’s an audience for everyone. How boring it would be if everyone were exact replicas of each other.

What is something that you think women in the industry should do?

Support each other. When I moved to Portland from Washington, DC, I was surprised at how little sharing was going on among wedding photographers. Selfishly seeking girlfriends, I organized a twice-yearly luncheon for women wedding photographers. There were 12 of us at that first luncheon, now our group is more than 60 strong! It’s a saturated industry, but one of the most loving of all. We’re blessed to document joy, so it only makes sense to share that love and kindness in all aspects of our business, especially with our peers.

What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more whole, content, and blissful life?

If I knew that magic equation I’d be a multi-millionaire! Personally, I don’t think a perfect balance exists. I appreciate that everyone aspires to achieve a state of whole or else we would be a mighty dull species settling for second best. My contentment comes first from accepting who I am and all the good and bad that makes me me.

 To see more of emilie's work:

www.emilieinc.com

blog.emilieinc.net

www.emilieink.com

www.rootsworkshop.com

www.rootsworkshop.net

www.pinkinitiative.org

www.newsweddingphotographers.com

***All images in this post are copyright emilie inc.***

*All images in the post copyright Sandy Puc*

NEXT WEEK: Sandy Puc

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Sandy,  you've been in business for many years and now you've toured the country at least 3 times helping other photographers create successful business in that time.  You are also a mom to 4 kids and have a wonderful husband.  You seem to have mastered managing life and business.  Thanks so much for being here!

What is a day with your family like?

We travel a lot together as a family. Some of my most memorable bonding experiences with my family have been on the road.  When we’re not traveling, my kids enjoy being homebodies.  

How do you separate business and family life?

I have a hard time with that.  I struggle with Mother’s Guilt just like every other working mom out there. I always strive to find balance.  

How many kids do you have? How do you help them to not feel bugged at your business?

I am the mother of four wonderful children and have had 40 foster children. My studio has always been very family-friendly.  My kids have grown up in the studio and are received more like siblings and friends to studio employees.  

How did you create such a strong marketing/branding presence?

By listening hard to my clients’ needs. I also have an innate passion for marketing.  

What are the three most important things you do as a businesswoman?

1.  Always thank my clients.
2.  Share mistakes with my entire staff so we can all learn.
3.  Streamline the workflow system at the studio to ensure employees are always on the same page. 

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

My top three tips: 1. Relax, 2. Never let them see you sweat, and 3. Project confidence.  

How many people work for you? And how did you get to that point?

I’ve grown my current staff of 34 employees literally one at a time.  

What is the most important thing you do as a mother?

I maintain an open relationship with my children.  My logic is that I’d rather have my kids ask for my input on tough topics rather than asking someone else. My children are all very independent souls. I’ve taught them to take ownership of their decisions and choices.

What are you most proud of creatively?

Pride, to me, sounds like a destination. I like to think of myself more as constantly evolving and improving.

You recently did a Tots 2 Teens tour and you have another coming up in January.  How did you work that hectic schedule with your family?

I’m actually on my 2010 Family Tour right now! Travel has always been a part of my business. My family takes turns spending time with me on the bus when I’m on tour.

What do you do for fun that has nothing to do with photography?

Martial arts. My goal is to fight in the 2010 World Champions.

 What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?

Honestly, I’m most happy when things are chaotic.

What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?

DON’T buy new equipment and software. Just shoot from your heart!

What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to lead a more balanced life?

1.  Family always comes first!
2.  Exercise
3.  Commit to yourself
4.  Make it happen
5. Take time for yourself

If you live on the east coast, Sandy's Family Tour is coming to a city near you within the next 14 days!  You know you want to go....

To see more of Sandy's work:

Website

Blog

*All images in the post copyright Sandy Puc*

*All images in the post copyright Bobbi of Bobbi + Mike*

NEXT WEEK: Sam Puc

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

Bobbi,  you've been in business for four years and made huge strides in that time.  You have a very loyal blog following and your work is ful of energy and fun.  You are admired by many photographers.  You work together with your husband and you are great at being true to yourself.  Thanks so much for being here!

How long have you been in business?

A little over four years.

What brought you and Mike together? How did you decide to have a photography business together?

We’ve been dating since college… he’s my everything! When I decided to take on this idea of being a full time photographer he was a pilot (hot, huh?!). And for those that knew us back then… That’s why the business was originally named Photography by Bobbi.  However, as we were building the business, he still shot EVERYTHING with me… after a while, it became something that we BOTH loved.  Soon after, he quit flying and bobbi+mike was born.
 

What is it about you and Mike shooting together that makes your images so great?

Without Mike, I’m not confident in myself… I really do NOT like shooting alone.  I lean on him for everything…. Too much probably.  I know that if I’m struggling with something, he’s picking up my slack.   I’m SOOO incredibly lucky to have him in my life.

 
What’s the BEST thing about being a married couple and being in business together?

I can snuggle with him until 10am on a Monday if I’d like…. And often do!

What’s the WORST thing about being a married couple and being in business together?

That our lives are ruled by our careers…. And even when we ARE snuggling until 10a on a Monday… we’re probably talking about our business.
 

What does your workflow look like?  Do you outsource or keep everything in house?

We keep EVERYTHING in house… We once tried to outsource our editing and found out the hard way that I’m WAY too much of a control freak.  As far as our processing workflow: Mike edits through the images… checks for sharpness, I then do another round of edits… then process them all in Lightroom.  I write the blog entries and design albums, he handles emails and scheduling, wedding day logistics and all accounting.  See, told you I was lucky to have him!
 

What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?

To get genuine reactions… you have to be genuine.

 
What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

Don’t try to be anyone else.  Quit comparing yourself and your successes to other photographers… We all start somewhere!

What do you do for fun…that has nothing to do with photography?

Honestly, we’ve been so focused on our business for the last four years… I’ve sort of forgotten what I like to do for fun… We’re hoping to change all of that in our VERY near future.  Lately I’ve really enjoyed cooking.  In my past, I enjoyed painting. 

What are you most proud of as a business woman?

I’ve always been an incredibly determined and driven person. If I wanted something, I worked my butt off until I got it.  In this life, we are owed nothing, we have to make it happen.  It’s because of my drive that we have a flourishing business in an overly saturated market.
 

What do you do to keep your marriage fun?

Mike and I LOVE to make each other laugh. If I’m in a bad mood… he will stop at NOTHING to get me to smile.  Also, there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t dance, at least once.
 

How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?

These last two years have been especially hard for me.  Stress and pressure have absolutely gotten the best of me too many times.  So, to answer your question, it’s not something that I’ve fully mastered. Luckily for me, I’m married to THE most patient man in the world.  Three things that ALLLLL husband+wife teams need: separate offices, headphones and instant messenger.

What is the best thing you’ve done to make your business successful?

We’ve always been focused on having a strong brand.  I come from a marketing and graphic design background… so that part was a no-brainer for me.  I think it’s a huge mistake when new photographers are more concerned with buying a new lens rather than investing in their brand… Just sayin’

What have you done to get clients that you really love that want what YOU do?

I recently read this quote shoot and it really encapsulates how we run our business, “Let your work determine your clients. Don’t let your clients determine your work.” -Marc Climie
 

You are such a fun person.  What keeps you going?

HA! I’ve always been hyper, happy and full of energy!  I also come from a happy/loud family… I suppose it’s “in my genes”.  Aunt Karen always told me that if you’re not happy, smile anyway… and eventually you’ll forget why you weren’t happy to begin with.

 
What have you done to have such a strong blog following and have so many people that comment?!?

I genuinely don’t know. It’s pretty fun, though. We do have the best blog readers around.  They motivate me.
 

What three products or things help you stay organized?

In no particular order: Entourage, Mike, my sketchbook
 

What do you do to get such great color in your images?

I get this question more than any other question… and it’s quite the easy formula: good light, a nailed exposure and good lenses.  People think they can take an awesome photo with a funky background and add a crazy action… but that’s SO far from the case.  I’d take good light over a fun background ANY day!  Anyway… I process all photos in Lightroom, then for photos that are printed/blogged, I apply a LIGHT dusting of Photoshop…  BADABOOM BADABING! 

To see more of Bobbi's work:

Website

Blog

*All images in the post copyright Bobbi of Bobbi + Mike*