***All images in this post are copyright Melanie Nashan. ***

Above image:  Melanie and her husband taken by James Emerson

NEXT WEEK: Me Ra Koh

{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!

You’ve been in business for 16 years.  What process have you gone through to get to this point?  

There have been a lot of trial and errors over the years.  The most important things for my business have been perseverance and knowing what my weaknesses and strengths are.  I think being able to realize your weaknesses and then hire people who are good at those tasks is imperative to running a successful business.
 
From all of your experience, what are 5 things you recommend to women NOT to do?
Don’t try to do everything.
Don’t forget your priorities.
Don’t take yourself or what you do too seriously.
Don’t do things that you are ashamed of.
Don’t be too hard on yourself.
 
And on the other side of things…what are 5 things that you’ve learned that women must do to succeed as a business woman?
Do what you LOVE.  And LOVE the people you are around.

Surround yourself with people who do their job better than you can.

Exceed your clients expectations.

Try to live a balanced life, take care of yourself and have fun.

Diversify.  I love wedding photography, portrait photography, working on assignment for magazines and hosting workshops for groups and for individual photographers.

Dream big and do your best to make them come true.
    
 
You are very busy.  What do you do to keep things normal at home with your family?
I work as little as I possible can so I can stay home with my kids and husband.  My husband also owns his own business, the Montana Watch Co., and while that is sometimes difficult it also offers us the opportunity to be very flexible.  I am involved in my kids school and try to coach at least one sport for Colem our youngest child.  (I did the same for Keegan when she was younger.)  We live out in the woods, about 20 minutes from town, which is time consuming to commute, but it provides a place that is quiet and away from distraction.  I also cook as many meals at home as possible so that we can eat together.  We also travel a lot as a family.  We have always taken our children with us on trips and LOVE to travel together.
 
What are your top 3 tips for bringing in the clients that you want and love?
Know what your market is and focus on those clients.
Exceed every clients expectations so they talk about you to their friends.
Take the time to make a personal connection with everyone I work with.
 
You have a huge studio with 7 photographers in addition to you.  How did that change the dynamic of your business and family?  Are you glad you did it?
In one regard I am glad that I have a lot of photographers working with me.  I really enjoy each and every one of them.  One is my daughter, the other my sister, another a friend from middle school and the rest people that I have met along the way whom I really respect and enjoy.  I am actually trying to focus more on my work in the future rather than gathering associates who work with me. The people who work with me now know their job well and do it to the best of their abilities.  They are lovely to work with and take little of my time to manage.  Over the years having associates has taken a lot of my time and energy and I now think I could have spent some of my time a little more efficiently.  
http://nashan.com/artists.htm
 
What are some of the most important things you learned in taking on additional photographers/team members?
I try to treat everyone with the respect that I would want if I were them.  In return I think for the most part my associates have done the same thing to me.  All relationships take time and I am happy I spent that time with the people who work for me.  There was one incident of an associate who took some liberties that I believe were not fair in our relationship.  So in hindsight I would be very careful choosing the people who you work with.  If you don’t know them very well I would have them sign a contract spelling details out.  Some of the details include ownership of images, expectations on both sides of the relationship, payment schedules, etc.
 
What are the three most important things you do as a mom?
I am present with my children when I am with them.  They know that I love them unconditionally.  I give them the tools to be independent thinkers, self motivators, and encourage them to take responsibility for their actions.
 
With so many people working under one roof, I imagine that you have a pretty tight workflow set up that works every time.  What are some of the things that you believe work best to have a simplified and efficient workflow?
My father once told me that every job should be done so that another person can come in and pick up where the last person left off. We try to make sure we have processes and procedures written down and follow the same order of tasks each time.  Unfortunately as we get bigger it is harder and harder to do because there are so many details to manage.  I am NOT good at doing repetitive tasks. I think I am good at taking photographs, establishing relationships with people, thinking of ideas that are interesting for my business and treating the people who work with me with respect.  I am not good at managing details and being consistent with tasks for each job afterwards. So Chieko, Cindy and Angela do those tasks and they do them really well.  We have a checklist for every job that we do so we know who did it. Each client has their own folder and has their booking form, contract, backup cd’s, and the checklist in it. We also back every job up in three different locations on hard rives and DVD's.
 
Your 16 year old daughter is one of you seven photographers and she shoots her own weddings.  How did this come about?
Keegan started photographing weddings with me when she was 7 years old, as did my son who is now 8. She has a natural aptitude for seeing beautiful things in a way that is very unique.  I LOVE shooting with her for several reasons primarily because we can communicate by just looking at each other.  She knows when I need something covered and vice versa.  We also have a healthy competition with each other at weddings trying to always photograph something in a way that the other doesn’t see.  I have tried to make it fun for her and she enjoys photography.  She has photographed some of her friend's senior portraits and is shooting weddings independently.  I have encouraged her to photograph weddings because it is easy work for her and is a wonderful way to earn a living wherever she goes in life.
 
What are your three favorite creative tools and how do they help you to be inspired?
I love looking at other people’s work in magazines and on the web.  When an image inspires me I try to make it my own.  

People’s personalities inspire me to create images that reflect who they are and the connection they have with each other and the people they love.  

The feeling that I get when in a certain place inspires me to document that visually.
 
What do you do that your clients rave about most?  

I think people enjoy the moments  that I capture that reflect their relationships with the people they love.  I think they also enjoy the fact that I fit into weddings as though I was a guest instead of being the obtrusive photographer.
 
What is the best thing you’ve done to make your business successful?  

Getting my first wedding published and all of the subsequent weddings into a variety of magazines.

What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed? 

I wake up early, like right now, and get things done when nobody needs me.  I had read Madeline Albright balanced her family life by doing that and I started doing the same thing eleven years ago when I started working on my Masters Degree.  I also spend time with my girlfriends hiking, skiing, running, and playing tennis instead of working solo in the gym.
 
What three products or things help you stay organized?  

Omni Focus has been a great tool, my calendar in my office and on Google, and the women who work with me.
 
What made you want have to have such a large studio?

It evolved into what it is today.  I hadn’t planned on it being this large.
 

 
 
To see more of Melanie's Work:

Website

Blog

Melanie and her team taking a break from a day of work to hike a mountain together...