love. LIFE. Hello Friends! Over to the left you'll see all of the categories that you can check out. If you're a photographer make sure to check out the For Photographers page. I just launched the new Family GTKY kit and the NEW Insight Kits Blogsite!!! Click here to see the new site! LOVE. LIFE. TIPS. These posts will help anyone who is trying to keep or get back all of the things that they love in their life and/or business. The tips are packed with ways to manage a hectic life, kids, business, meaning, love...and more. Also, make sure you check out the new Women and Business series! (Click here) Also, see how Day with Davina can come to you. (Click here) My favorite pricing guide (that I wish I had when I started my business over 8 years ago). You need this guide! Easy as Pie. Click here to visit Served Up Fresh. (affiliate link) Thanks for stopping by...and don't forget to leave a comment...or two...I want to hear from YOU! And make sure to TELL A FRIEND! |
Entries from June 1, 2010 - June 30, 2010
Women and Business: Shan Renee
***All images in this post are copyright Shan Renee.***
NEXT WEEK: Cheryl Muhr
{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!
Shan, You have been working in photography since you were a young girl at your dad's side. I love the way you are able to see and create lighting situations that are intimate and dramatic. The effort you put into lighting gives your work a great cinematic sensibility. You've gone through times of being too busy and come out on the other side having a stronger marriage and better life. You have some great ideas and tips to share. Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business!
How long have you been a photographer?
I have worked as a professional photographer since 2003. I worked as an apprentice for one year before starting my own business. I am focused mostly on weddings and all they entail, but I also shoot families, seniors, and maternity.
What drew you to photography?
I have loved photography for as long as I can remember. My dad introduced me to photography when I was very young. He was a serious hobbyist who had his own darkroom. I would spend hours with him developing pictures from the age of about 6. He gave me my first point and shoot when I was 7. I took pictures of everything then we would develop them in the darkroom together.
Is photography your only job? Are you the primary breadwinner in your family?
Yes, photography is my only job. There was a time when I was the primary breadwinner, but now my husband and I share the responsibilities equally.
Are you married? Do you have children?
I am married, but I do not have children (yet).
What does your workflow look like? Do you outsource or keep everything in
house?
My workflow is fairly simple. After a wedding, I download and back up twice - once to an external hard drive, and once to DVD. I sort and do basic editing in Lightroom. Then, I choose my favorite files and fully edit them for upload to an online gallery as well as for use in slideshows and albums. Then, my wonderful assistant designs an album and creates a DVD slideshow. Our album designs and slideshows are custom designed for each client. Roughly 2 weeks after the wedding, the client receives a DVD slideshow in the mail and an email with the link to their online gallery and album design.
What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a
photo shoot?
I don't know that I have a specific formula for helping people feel at ease. One thing I have found that definitely relaxes and excites my clients is to constantly exude enthusiasm about the shots as we go. I get very excited while I am shooting, and I let it show. I will jump around and screech with excitement (sometimes even when I'm not in love with the shot). The enthusiasm is contagious! And, the more confident I am, the more my clients are too!
What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?
I think two of the best things you can do is constantly educate yourself and network! The more you know, the more tools you have in your toolbox. I love to constantly push myself and keep growing. This industry is very competitive, so you must stay on top of the newest technologies and such. Networking is also very important. If you shoot weddings, word of mouth is extremely important. Brides will pass your name on for a time when they are in wedding mode themselves or with their friends. But, the people in the wedding industry think about it everyday! It is definitely to your advantage to have a strong network with other vendors and photographers in your area. Also, don’t ignore the business side of things! I made the mistake early on of not keeping great records…get a good program and keep up with everything!!!!
What do you do for fun...that has nothing to do with photography?
I love to read – mostly medical mysteries, science fiction, and nonfiction. Ted Dekker is my favorite author! I love anything to do with water – swimming, skiing, scuba diving.
What are you most proud of as a business woman?
The thing that makes me happiest is knowing my clients love the images they receive. I make it a priority to know my clients and to give them a product they will be happy with.
What do you do to keep your marriage fun?
My husband and I are good at playing together and being silly. We have learned to prioritize fun time together. Also, we love to travel. Even if we take a short overnight trip, we try to get away with each other as often as we can. It helps us break away from the norm and feel refreshed.
You love to use dramatic light. How do you see those great lighting situations? What have you done to train yourself to notice where cool light is?
The first workshop I ever went to, Joyce Wilson said, “Light is your hero.” I have made that my philosophy for years. I will seek out good light more than specific locations. If I love a location but don’t like the lighting, I will create it myself. I like to pre-visualize my sessions…I am definitely a planner. I speak with my clients in advance about outfit choices, style, location, mood, etc. Then, I scout locations based on the tone we are trying to achieve. I will also plan my lighting at each spot. Sometimes this amount of planning isn’t possible. I think that is where training your eye is important. I constantly look at magazines, books, websites, etc. I like to evaluate each shot I love and decide why I like it. Is it the light? Pose? Then, I try to get in the photographer’s head and see how they executed the shot. By studying lots of shots, you train your eye. Also, there is nothing that replaces just getting out there and trying things!
What is your best advice in using off-camera lighting?
Practice and keep it simple. Almost all of my lighting is done with Canon 580 EXIIs and Pocket Wizards. When I wanted to learn off-camera lighting, I kept it simple at first. I started with one light off-camera. After that felt comfortable, I added to it. Practice in a low stress situation before trying to add it at a wedding or sometime stressful. I think the most important thing is to visualize it before you shoot. Try to determine what the light will do before you shoot. Do you want your flash to balance the ambient situation? Do you want your flash to be the main light? What are you trying to achieve? I think many people feel intimidate by flash, but if you know your equipment and what you are trying to achieve, you can create any situation you can imagine. The first thing I wanted to learn was to light my subject to bring down the background. So, I read and studied lighting and my equipment then went out and practiced until I was comfortable.
What are the top three things you did when you were first getting started in
business to bring in clients?
Word of mouth has been my greatest advertisement. I definitely went over and above for my first clients to achieve word of mouth. Small things make a huge difference. Learning how to optimize my website was also important. I am blessed to be married to a man who knows how to do that for me. That definitely helped things grow quickly. Networking with other vendors was also important. I would send free prints to florists, bakers, locations, etc.
How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?
I think you have to work to achieve that. While my business is home-based, it is separated from our living area. You have to have some separation of home and business. So, we plan our time each day. It has taken years to figure it out and reach that point, but we have learned to schedule and guard our time. I know when you are first starting or feel busy it is hard to walk away from the business. But, it is vital to guard your time. We have made a pact that we will have a certain amount of time each week where business is not allowed.
What is the best thing you've done to make your business successful?
I think it is vital to push yourself. Keep learning, growing, creating. Don’t be satisfied with the same thing. I have a rule about going to locations a certain number of times. Or if I return to the same place, I have to change it up. I try not to do the same thing twice. I think that has been important in my success.
What three products or things help you stay organized?
Financial software – Quicken or QuickBooks (whatever works for you)
Microsoft Outlook
My assistant
(I am more traditional about organization – more paper based calendars, folders and such)
What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?
Your business is important but not at the expense of your faith or family. It can be so overwhelming to run a business. It is also very fun and exciting. That combination can lead to an imbalance in your life. I believe maintaining balance is extremely important. It can be very difficult, but in the long run, it is worth it! Also, don’t over-promise and under-deliver!
What is something that you think women in the industry should do?
Make your own rules. This is your business. You have the freedom to do what you want with it! I am currently revamping my business to add more of what I love and remove the things I don’t enjoy. Your business doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more
whole, content, and blissful life?
Create goals and write them down
Stay organized
Maintain balance
Make time for yourself
Be yourself
To see more of Shan's work:
***All images in this post are copyright Shan Renee.***
Women and Business: Barb Uil of Jinky Art
***All images in this post are copyright Barb Uil of Jinky Art.***
NEXT WEEK: Shan Renee
{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!
Barb, Your work is gorgeous and natural and fun and captures the whimsy and sweetness of childhood and family relationships. You make life and photography feel so simple and easy. I love that you are doing such a great job managing family and business. You make it all seem so natural! I'm excited that you are coming to the USA for a tour of workshops...as I'm sure many other photographers are as well. Thanks so much for being here on Women and Business!
You are married and a mom. How many children do you have and how old are they?
I have 3 girls - 1 year, 7 years and 9 years.
How did you get into photography?
My website use to be a "photoblog" back in the day when photoblogs were a new thing. We were putting pics of our day to day activities on there and then it snowballed from there.
Do you have a retail space or a home studio space? What made you settle on this choice?
I have a home office, as well as a studio that I work out of if required at another location. I think my style of work more lends itself to this set up as I shoot as much commercially as I do for family portraits.
What does your workflow look like? Do you outsource or keep everything in house?
I am the queen of outsourcing - the only thing I dont outsource is the "taking photos" and photoshop.
What do you do to help your clients be so comfortable with you during a photo shoot?
I think its important to just be yourself.
What are you most proud of as a business woman?
I think being able to support my family soley. Its something I never dreamed I would be able to do. My husband is a stay at home dad.
What do you do to keep your marriage fun?
We spend all day together, so its lucky we are great mates. We travel a lot for work, so I think that helps us as we just stay busy and focused.
Your sessions are so creative. Do you let your clients lead or do you brainstorm ideas and make plans for a session? How much guiding do you do in a session?
Thank you! =) I do abit of both, its a collaboration.
Do you have a method to your shooting style that helps you get great action images, beautiful portrait images, and those perfect detail images all in one session? Is there some formula or thought process you go through to make sure you see and capture all of those things in a session? How long are your sessions, typically?
I always try to capture different angles rather then just the standard one of each scene. My sessions usually last around 1 - 2 hours.
What are the top three things you did when you were first getting started in
business to bring in clients?
Blog every sesssion, reshoot when the quality wasnt up to scratch, and wear my heart on my sleeve.
Your work has a very nostalgic feel to it without having the overdone vintage look at the same time. How do you do that?
Well, Im so pleased you think that as its really where my heart is at. I just love the nostalgic feeling with a realistic twist, which is kind of how childhood really is. I think my biggest thing is really trying to see throug the childs eyes. Sometimes I set up stuff too much and it takes over - I just get "pretty pictures". What I really love to do is get "pretty pictures" with a twist. And I dont acheive it every time.
You do both commercial and portrait work and workshops. How do you fit all of them in to your schedule?
With much craziness. hehe.
Do you have editors that work for you? How do you keep up with the amount of time you have to spend on the computer culling, editing, and photoshopping?
I do all that stuff. I just work at the sessions slowly. I never sit down and work on one sessions to its end because I find I rush it and miss opportunities - even to brighten up a leaf that could have made a photograph sing. So I take my time on this to ensure I dont miss things. Other then that it doesnt take long to work on a singular photograph - these days photoshop is so nifty things can be done in a jiffy.
Do you have ordering appointments in person or do your clients purchase and see everything online? How has this choice helped your workflow and time management?
I upload to a gallery and my clients choose from there. Im happy with this as Im not a sales person.
How do you keep your marriage safe from the stresses of your business?
Ahh, well...............thats a very good question. Its not always safe. We both work very hard to juggle family and business life. Its hard work - theres no two ways about it.
What do you do to keep your children from feeling that they come second to your business...or computer?
Why that’s just part of understanding mum goes to work to help support the family. They know why Im working so hard. We spend alot of time together and travel together always so that helps.
You travel quite a bit. How do you make this easier on your children? How do they feel about how often you travel?
My kids have the travel bug now. Penny announced the other day that she had spent way too long at home and needed to go some where and stay in a hotel. The kids LOVE it. I think as they get older and get stronger friendship they will likely be less likely to want to come with us. We will just cross that path when it happens.
You have a tour planned to in the states. How did that come about? Are you bringing your children with you?
The kids are coming - as always. We receive so many requests for workshops in the states, so we thought - why not!
What do you do to get such beautiful color?
A mix of exposure (I have to say that..its true!), and photoshop. My actions are at http://www.ittybittyactions.com
What do you do to keep from feeling overwhelmed?
I walk away. Its important to put everything down, turn of the computer and walk away. I tend to have what we call "Down weeks" where I spend very little time working due to the heavy workload of previous weeks.
What three products or things help you stay organized?
People! I have a fabulous team of people around me - ask any workshop attendee who has witnessed the scurry of stuff that goes on. Im truly lucky.
What is something that you think women in the industry should not do?
Be nasty to each other online!!!!!!
What is something that you think women in the industry should do?
Be loving to each other online! There is so much talent, and so much work for that talent.
When are your next workshops here in the states?
It’s in July - we are super excited.
What five suggestions do you have for women who are trying to have a more
whole, content, and blissful life?
Let it happen and run with it, rather then seeking it out. I tend to wait for the opportunities and so far it has worked.
Want to see more Jink Art work?
***All images in this post are copyright Barb Uil of Jinky Art.***
I'm going to be in Utah!
wohoo!
I am so excited to be in Utah after what seems like way too long. My kids are totally jealous and wish that some miracle would happen that I could take them with me or that they would fit inside my luggage.
All of my premium sessions are booked and we have some mini sessions. They are available on the afternoon of June 11th. To book your mini session contact the studio at info at davinafear dot com or 801.628.2893
Utah. LIFE.
Charlotte Today: Charlotte, NC family photographer
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surreal.
This morning I had the opportunity to appear on Charlotte Today and share my thoughts on photography as well as some tips on taking better pictures. My friend Lisa Brownstead {she's a yoga instructor and owner of Pretty Postures} connected me with Colleen, who is the host of Charlotte Today.
I've never been on TV or anything like it and I have to say it was so fun to see the behined-the-scenes and getting to chat with Colleen. I had no idea that everything was so low key and laid back...at least that's the way they make it look! It seemed like each person on the set had perfect timing and knew just how to make every little moment run smoothly. Everyone was so friendly and available...you can tell that they all enjoy working together.
I had so much fun being on the show and meeting so many really wonderful women. {If you need some tips on what the best bra is for your summer wardrobe there's a segment for you, too...and if you want to hear a beautiful story about forgiveness you won't want to miss that tidbit either...well, just watch all of the little bits...you won't be sorry...}
To see more family lifestyle sessions...click here.
Thank you so much Colleen and Lisa for such a great and fun opportunity!
crazy. LIFE.