Jasmine Star and Branding

For the past few days I've been enticed by my new favorite photographer's blogsite, Jasmine Star, a world renowned Wedding Photographer based in the OC (orange county, Cali). Not only have a I drawn inspiration from her regarding my photography skills but also regarding starting a business. I mean after all that is my goal, I do want to start a business - I'm just amazed that she was able to grow hers practically over night - in a matter of 3 or 4 yrs she is BOOMIN!

What really stuck out to me over the past few days of exploring her posts was that she is such an advocator of branding your business and helping others - her philosophy: help others and help is bound to come your way! {Note: I know this "philosophy" is nothing new loL and many people advocate for this way of thinking as well, but I'm not talking about those wonderful people right now, I'm talking about Jasmine ;-) } I like to think of myself as a giving and helpful person, but I'm sure many people would like to think of themselves this way - I know I have a lot to work on.

My first thought was: 

do I genuinely care about people (i.e. clients/potential clients/people in general)? Of course I do! I love making people happy. I don't always go out of my way to help someone (this is only if I know they aren't in need) but I think that has a lot to do with trying to keep my sanity and partly because people have taken advantage of my kindness.

Second thought:

is it possible that I can stay optimistic about the path I currently am taking? YES! I've learned this from my best friend DJ. He is the most positive person I've ever met and he encourages me to look at the positive over negative always (I love him for that)...I tend to worry about not looking professional - I don't have a "pro" camera nor do I own the $2000 lenses that I want loL..but the fact of the matter is...I'm not a  professional (then again, what actually classifies you as being a professional? loL) I would call myself...well, I was going to say photo enthusiast but I think I've passed that phase...so I actually don't know what I would call myself, but its not professional yet. I am constantly growing, learning and practicing and to get eventually where I want to be I know it will take time =) so as my dad always says (particularly when I was learning how to drive) "Patience is Key"

Third thought: How can I brand myself and my future business? 

*** Branding: creating a strong, emotional tie between a company (or in my case, myself) with the client you are connecting/communicating/working with.

I might as well start now, right? I mean ever since my website went live www.ngracephotography.com I've been getting more and more business (yay!), so when I do start my business how do I want it? I notice when I interact with clients during the shoot I try to stay "professional" and {in the most serious tone of voice you can think of} serious, all about business and getting the job done. Cut and Dry. But how BORING! First of all that isn't me at all, I like to laugh and have fun. And second of all, I'm sure the clients find that awkward, annoying, and boring as well.

1) smile.....a LOT :) 

 2) ask the question: what do I do or rather, what do I want to do? I capture a moment in time that evokes a particular emotion or memory - whether if its in my portraiture work or, I call it, "noun" work (pictures of persons, places or things). My goal when photographing people is to get the client as excited about the pictures as I am, not because I took the picture, but because they are seeing themselves in the most flattering way and feel good about themselves.

3) show a genuine interest

I guess I can look at it this way: I don't want to be around anyone who can't stand me or my personality anyway; when you get N~Grace Photography you are getting Nina Grace.

 {start working on that smile Nina ;-)}

 

Photo Credit: Enchanted Forest Photography

Suggestions from Rosie...

The following question was answered by Rosie Hardy {photographer from England} the advice is pretty helpful and something I'd most definitely want to keep in mind when photographing couples who may come off as shy:  

"Rosie, how do you get people to pose for you? Some couples are either brutally awkward or they just don't seem to care enough...I'm lost at times! Thanx!"

From what I've found, 90% of couples don't know too much what to do and for good reason - only p

professional models usually have a good idea! :P The thing I try and steer clear of mostly is cheesiness. Adding to that I think the #1 cheesy thing you can do is have someone doing something that's supposedly natural in an awkward, posed way - usually with the couple looking directly at the camera with uncomfortable smiles plastered on their faces. only a few photographers can pull these poses off and not make it look cheese, i certainly can't, so I'd say go in a different direction completely.

When it comes to poses (we're talking wedding/engagement yes?) first thing you want to do on a wedding is say "i'll make this as quick as possible because i know u guys are dying to get back!" that way they start off on your side. that'll hopefully get them to co-operate more.

Tell them to act like you are not there. Any smiling should be 100% like a natural smile, not a "posed for a photo" smile. By eliminating you as a factor in the shoot (somewhat) you're allowing the moments to be more private and so the pictures will be more intimate and natural.

Tell them to move - it's good to learn a few start of poses in case you get a couple who really are reluctant. I take pictures of a few poses i like and store them on my iphone to interpret on the day - so I'll arrange them into a pose I like, step back, and then tell them to just mess around from there and I'll give direction if I spot something really awesome working. The moment that I like to capture isn't the set pose, but the private moments in between when they're laughing at each other and fixing themselves up. The forgotten moments, if you like ;)

Lastly, an awesome trick I like to use if I'm working with a groom especially who doesn't like photos, is I tell the bride to stand in front of him and close her eyes. Then I tell him that he has to stand behind her and at his digression JUMP on her and let her have no idea when he's going to do it. It usually provokes awesome smiles and laughter and gets some pretty nice, fun pictures:

(Photo credit: Rosie Hardy)

Amanda {Pair} : Chicken soup for the beginner's photographers soul.

All of the following advice was given by Amanda {Pair} a photographer from Alabama. I read it and thought, this is just too good not to pass on (or forget about, for my reference) Thank you so much Amanda for being so open and honest with your readers =)

http://www.amandapair.com/

 

—–

So for those who are just starting out and wondering what the heck to do next, the following is a short list of what I recommend. This is by no means the only way to make things happen. My hope is that it gives you a little insight into what has worked for me.

TEACH yourself to shoot manually. Full manual mode, full time. I remember how hard it was to mentally manage all of the aspects of a session when I first started. The ONE thing that could be controlled for me was my camera. I took advantage of that thinking and my images suffered because of it. Shooting in manual is the only way to have complete control over the final look of your images.

INVEST in a good website. Your website is the world’s first impression of your business and should present your work with it’s best foot forward. Template websites are great when you are just starting, but you can set yourself apart ten-fold with the introduction of a custom site. I use Showit as my website platform which allows you to create and manage your own site easily. I’m not a designer by any stretch of the imagination, so I hired Spilled Milk Designs for my design. The switch from template to custom has been one of the best business decisions I have ever made. So many new photographers get caught up in what lens they should buy next or what equipment should be part of their next upgrade. We all know that professional equipment AIN’T cheap. If you have $1,500 to spend on an L-series lens, then you have $1,500 to put toward the launch of your brand new custom website. Trust me on this one! 

PROVIDE your clients with a great experience. When you are first starting out, it’s easy to doubt that a client base will appear out of thin air. But remember that all it takes is one cool client (or really good friend whose session you shot for free) to recommend her cool friend and now you have two cool clients — yay! Providing good customer service to the clients you do have is extremely important. I won’t lie, there are some clients that I have mentally fired in hopes that don’t call me again. But knowing when to bend over backwards for a client I value is worth it every time. I’d venture to say that 95% of my business comes directly from my current clients in the form of repeat business and referrals. The rest comes from random places like Google (see tip #2) and Facebook. 

ATTEND workshops and seminars. If I compare launching my new website to my discovery of tools, then attending Melissa Jill’s workshop last year sparked my invention of the wheel. Does that even make sense? What I’m saying is the education I received at her workshop and the other I attended last year changed the course of how I manage my business. I learned so many things that put me light years ahead of where I had been in this little journey of photography. It is important to know how to shoot accurately and consistently, but it is even more important to know how to run a successful small business. But BE CAREFUL. There are a lot of photographers out there offering workshops. Make sure that you do your homework and don’t fall into the trap of “celebrity” photographers looking to make a few quick bucks.

REACH OUT to other photographers. The microcosm of the photography world can feel a bit like high school. It is intimidating to reach out to other seemingly-established photographers and ask for advice or try to set up a coffee date. In regards to my business, I have always lived by the you-don’t-know-till-you-try rule. Sure, I’ve been met by the occasionally snobbiness, but more importantly I have made most of my best photography friends through the exchange of e-mails and blind lunch dates. Reaching out to other photographers (especially those in your area) and offering to buy them lunch or assist them is the best way to build those friendships.

Teaser.

Here are just a few shots I took today....I spent the evening with the wonderful Marlene and her niece Joanni :)