***All images in this post are copyright Tanja Lippert***

NEXT WEEK: Carrie Viohl

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-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 }

What 5 things have you learned as a mother?

I have learned that I will never live up to my own ideals as the kind of mom I always thought I would be before I actually had kids and that my kids still love me despite all that.

I have learned that having a glass of wine (or three) in the evenings is a coping mechanism and has saved my sanity many times.

I have learned that my kids are amazing!

I have learned how NOT to feel guilty sleeping in when I really need it

I have learned that the secret to making it all work, is having a good husband.

What 5 things have you learned as a business woman?

I have learned that I am only one person and I truly cannot do it all by myself

I have learned that I feel successful not when I am making money, but when I am helping other people

I have learned to be more faithful and more grateful for the blessings

I have learned patience

I have learned to be true to myself in my work

How do you stay so inspired and fresh from wedding to wedding, session to session?

I must admit, sometimes I do struggle with this one, especially at the end of wedding season. However, I get inspired by the beauty surrounding each shoot. I get inspired by wardrobe, shooting locations and light. I love creating a fantasy for my clients.

I also get inspired when brides have taken the time to make their weddings personal and unique, I get inspired by unique details.

What do you think sets you apart from other photographers and business people?

I think there are many things that set me a part. I am my own unique person and I consider that fact a huge asset to my business. I know me. I know what I love and I trust that. I believe in having fun, being adventurous, spontaneous and creating an adventure for myself and my clients. I am really good at making people feel comfortable around me, which in return helps my photographs feel more natural. I also am a 100% film shooter, which sets my images apart from the masses who shoot digital. I think it has forced me to become a better photographer and artist. I also believe in giving back. Any way I can, I try to give back and be grateful. Another thing I practice is staying positive and looking at life and business in an encouraging way. Life is too short to be cranky or be around cranky people all day :0)

What is your workflow like? How do you keep from spending too much time working in your business?

I don't think I have mastered not spending too much time on my business. Sometimes I feel like that I all I do is work. Truthfully though, I LOVE my work. It does not feel like work to me when I get to do things that I love. I have learned however, that I cannot do it all by myself and so now, I delegate. I have learned to let things go and trust other people to help. My workflow is pretty crazy, but we have pretty much created a system for it. I spend the day creating gorgeous images on FILM for my clients. Then, I send the film to my AWESOME lab in Los Angeles, Richard Photo Lab. They develop my film and scan everything onto high res discs. When my film comes back from the lab, it's like Christmas for me. I have my assistant go through and put everything in chronological order. Then, I go through and delete the images that are not keepers. Because I shoot film and use a fantastic lab, there is VERY little if any Photoshop work needed. Once I have the images in order and editted, I create an online slideshow for my clients and then all their photos are uploaded to an online catalog (I use pickpic). Then, when my clients are ready, they will come into our gallery and order products. Or, they can order through our online catalog as well.

What has changed the most in the last year?

The biggest change in my business over the past year has been the creation of Tanja Lippert Photographers. Instead of taking on associate photographers, it really appealed to me to work with photographers who were already established in their business and understood what it took to run a successful photography studio. In order to be able to pay for all the things I wanted to do (like hire studio managers and have gorgeous storefront studios), I found it to be much more beneficial to work with other photographers in a team environment while keeping our own studio identity and branding. In a co-op situation, we are able to share the expense and operational overhead.

What has stayed the same in the last year?

My passion for creating the best images possible for my clients. I absolutely LOVE my job.

What does a day in your life look like between family and shooting and business and husband and everything else in between?

I get up early and help the kids get ready for school. Crawl back in bed for a 15 minute moment of "oh how nice it is to be in this big bed alone in a quiet house." Have my coffee while checking a few emails....quickly dress and get out the door to meet my personal trainer for an hour and a half of working out! This helps me keep my sanity throughout the day. Get home and quickly shower and do my best to make myself cute! Head out the door to my studio, which is more like a boutique gallery in downtown, Los Gatos. I usually arrive to the studio around 11:30. Some days, like today, I have a photo shoot scheduled. On other days, I work at the studio just trying to get my list of "to do's" done or I have client meetings that I schedule during this time. At about 2:30, my hubby heads out the door to pick up our kids from school. When he gets back with the kids, I usually wrap up my projects and head home with the kids (I have two btw- 9 yrs and 7 yrs old)...I usually give my kids a snack and have them start on their homework, while I get some more computer work or emails done. At this point, my husband is usually getting home from closing our gallery and ready to make dinner. We either grab dinner on the run, or one of us (okay, usually him) will make dinner....I sit down to dinner with my family and then, we usually have family time after....sometimes American Idol...sometimes....hang out with friends. Once the kids go to bed at night (usually by 9pm)...then, I am free to jump back on my computer and work until I get too sleepy....usually about 1am....that's a pretty typical day in Tanja Land!!!

How do you keep up with the constant change of the photography industry?

I don't. I am a dinosaur and I love it!!! I just keep pumping out the best images I can and thank GOD the phone just keeps ringing. I do, however, blog more regularly now....I can't keep up with the whole online twitter thing, it just boggles my mind!!!

What do you do outside of being a mother and photographer/business owner to have fun?

I love hanging out with my family and friends....dinner parties....BBQ's.....beach trips...all that good stuff....oh, yeah, rollerblading and thrift store shopping are awesome too!!

What are five things you would recommend to other women in the industry?

Build a strong team. You do not want to go at this alone, running a business is too much work for one person. Also, follow your heart and pour yourself into your work. Be patient and most of all, have FUN!!!

You have a wonderful sense of fun, playfulness, and humor? How do you keep that up when you’re feeling stressed out?

I assign all the stressful parts of my business to other people, so that I get to do all the fun stuff. My husband is like my manager and my muscle. He fights all my battles for me too. I know, I am blessed!!! When I do feel the sting of stress start to come my way, I do a lot of praying...I release all the negative things to God, he's the only one who knows how to sort them all out....I fight for staying positive and looking on the bright side of things. Last week, on a photo shoot, my stylist and I got our car stuck in the mud. We were not just run of the mill stuck, we were REALLY REALLY stuck. So stuck that we had to call the shoot and a tow truck. Instead of getting stressed out though, we decided our energy would be much better spent MODELING for each other in the rain on the side of the road while waiting for our tow truck...yep, we just hung out and waited....first, I modeled for her, then she modeled for me....we modeled ourselves silly on the side of the road with our iphone....it was pretty darn funny. When the tow truck arrived and decided that he could not pull us out....instead of freaking out about it...we just took pictures with the tow truck man, our stuck car, the rain, the street lights....made friends with the tow truck guy. He gave us a ride back to town, where we made friends with a sweet man in an Italian restaurant who let us taste his pasta while waiting for a friend to come pick us up. Turns out that we got to pray with the tow truck man, since he revealed to us that he had not gotten to see his 4 kids in 3 years since his wife took them and left him. Then, the really nice man in the Italian restaurant turned out to have a really big interest in film photography and even has some of the same cameras as me. Two days ago, he emailed me and said he would LOVE to assist me on some photo shoots. See, how cool God works. Also, the other cool thing about our car getting stuck in the mud that day was that we had to reschedule our photo shoot that we were working on. Which was a huge blessing as well. You see, we were shooting sexy pictures on one of my brides and we were able to get 2 really cool shots done in the rain BEFORE we got stuck. Because we had to reschedule, we also got to do some AMAZING sunny skies pictures pictures as well, the following Friday which turned out to be our favorites......you see, BLESSINGS GALORE!!!!!

To see more of Tanja's work:

website

blog

***All images in this post are copyright Tanja Lippert***