Hey Girl, Nice Shot

500+ Subscriber Celebration Contest - Results

Taking inspiration from the Pay it Forward blog, I thought it would be fun to have my drawing of the winner of the $25 Super Certificate recorded and now that I have a fancy new laptop that has a built in webcam it was pretty easy to do.  Sorry folks, I probably should have put on a little makeup or at least lipstick before I recorded this.  You do get a sense of my life....I had my almost 3 year old help with the drawing (check him out making faces into the camera while I talk), my dog barking the the background, and even my 1 year old baby girl yelling from the kitchen table.  Yes, a 40 second slice of my life...and a contest winner....

Business Marketing Packages

Lots of graphic designers with a focus on photography have recently come out with their marketing packages to help you look more professional.  There are so many styles to choose from.  Here are some of the options:

Jamie Schultz Designs: Ordering Essentials ($55)
While not a traditional marketing set, this set of templates provides an ordering guide as well as a brochure featuring the wall collections.  I so wish that she had a marketing collection because I love her simple style.

Design Aglow: Simple Marketing Set ($125)
Simple and yet elegant, this set includes two accordian fold brochures, business card, gift certificate, letterhead and envelope, packaging sticker, and a price list design all in a set of PSDs so they can be customized.

Design Aglow: Modern Marketing Set ($150)
Bright blocks of bold color make these marketing materials stand out.  The same collection of materials as in the Simple Marketing Set - just BOLDER.

Elentari Designs: Three Different Branding Designs ($85-135)
Three different sets: Black Tie for a formal look, Leather for a rustic look, and the Brown and Teal for a modern look.  Each includes letterhead and a #10 envelope, a referral wallet, front and back postcard, front and back business card, front and back thank you card and a front and back trifold brochure either 5×5 or 8.5×11 (denoted in example image).

Pink Grapefruit Designs: Green Apple Marketing Kit ($165)
Clean yet flirty this is the design I'm currently looking at for myself.  When you buy your design it is exclusive to your zip code.  Includes PSDs for two trifold brochures, a double sided business card, a double sided postcard, two referral cards, two packaging stickers, and a folded bookmark.

Pink Grapefruit Designs: Simply You Marketing Kit ($165)
Basic black and white design will highlight your photography. When you buy your design it is exclusive to your zip code.  Includes PSDs for two trifold brochures, a double sided business card, a double sided postcard, two referral cards, two packaging stickers, and a folded bookmark.

Updated to add...
Pink Ink Studios - Marketing Sets ($65)

Mobile Studio Setup

I've gotten a lot of questions about my mobile studio setup so today I went ahead and set it up my living room since my baby girl was NOT interested in taking an afternoon nap.  Let me preface this with "I am not a studio lighting specialist" but this is as much as I know how to do.

So I usually start out putting up my background support system.  I have the Impact Portable Support System.  It is two stands, a cross bar made up of four bars so you can use two or more depending on the width you need, and a carry bag that it all fits into.  For the setup shown in my living room below I just used two of the bars connected which I think makes about an 8 foot length.  I have three backdrops: Black, Blue, and a textured blue.  All are 10'x20'.  I use the black one the most.  I've used it a bunch for newborn sessions which are typically black and white with the black background.  I've never used the bright blue (my husband wanted it to blue screen stuff).  I have only used the textured blue one a few times.

Recently I added three 53" rolls of Savage Paper.  The one shown is Rustic.  I heard a rumor that they plan on coming out with another size that will be between the 53" roll and the 107" roll which is great because the 53" roll is okay for one kid but not much more than that.  This was actually my very first time trying out the paper and I still need to fine tune my technique but it was cool to try it out.

For my lights I have the Digi Bee package from Alien Bees.  Alien Bees are a good beginner lighting system because they are not super expensive and they are pretty easy to get started with.  I choose not to upgrade to the B800 because I didn't think I needed the extra output since I typically shoot individuals but if you plan on doing families and larger groups you might want to opt for the higher output lights.  The package included two lights, two light stands, two carry bags, a silver/white umbrella, a shoot thru umbrella, and the transmitter/receiver combination for firing off the lights.

Here's a rough diagram of my setup:

I have one light set to light the backdrop.  The amount of light you have hitting the paper will alter the look of the paper.   I took a few test shoots and adjusted as necessary to get the look I wanted.  I probably should have pulled out more of the paper so the subject would not be as close to the background/backlight because it did create a shadow.  I used the shoot thru umbrella with the second light to light my subject but with a softer light thanks to the umbrella.  I used my Sekonic light meter to measure the light so I could get the amount of light I wanted.  Normally you'd want your subject to be about 6 feet from the background but I didn't have quite that much room. 

Here's the setup in my living room...Abby helped me out!  She just started walking so she was all over the place.

And here is a picture from this setup.  BTW, the yellow duck is from Michael's and it is a hand puppet that quacks.  Abby thinks it is so funny so it is great to use when I need to get a quick smile from her.  I also did a quick black and white conversion so you could see how the paper looks in black and white.

By the Numbers

It has been very exciting to watch as my blog traffic has grown.  I'm glad so many people have found my little bits of information helpful.  I LOVE getting email from readers and I read every comment.

I made a deal with myself that when my number of subscribers got over 500 I would sponsor a contest.  And yesterday I peaked at 547 subscribers!!!!

I'm always shocked when I come across a blog that does not have a way to subscribe. I LOVE seeing the update posted in my reader and when I can't put you in my reader it is much less likely that I'll remember to come and check every day for your update.  So if you don't already have a subscribe option - GO HERE to learn how to add one.  After all, don't you want to watch your readership grow too!

In addition to my subscribers I have roughly 200 visitors a day that come to my website from other means (direct link, google search, link from another site) so I'm excited to be able to offer my first contest.

Contest Rules:

Post your comment ON THIS POST telling me What question or topic would you like to see covered on this blog?  This will help me as I try to come up with new posts and if it is something I don't know maybe it is something I can find out about at a certain upcoming workshop.  You have until midnight Central time  Tuesday  January 29th to post your entry.  One entry per person please.  Please make sure you include an email address with your post so I can contact you if you are the winner.  I will draw one comment from those received to win a $25 SuperCertificate from giftcertificates.com which can be redeemed for goodies like a Starbucks card or iTunes gift card.  Okay, starting now....

Sold Out of Secrets

If you hesitated about reserving your spot for the Secret Workshop in Austin you are now too late.  They sold out in ONE DAY!!!!!   Don't despair though, Flint MI still has some openings and the Phoenix class hasn't opened registration yet so you still have hope.  Definitely add their blog to your RSS reader so you can get the updates.  What's an RSS reader?  If you don't know look over here....

My Little Secret

So, for those folks in my day to day life, this will come as no surprise but I've become obsessed with the Secret Workshop.  I remember when I heard about the first one it was too late...it was already booked.  Then they announced the two in California and they booked up quickly too....too quickly for me to get myself together enough to book or convince myself and my husband to spend the money. 

So I became obsessed with the Austin workshop.  It is driving distance which means I save on airfare and I can get by with only two nights in a hotel.  And after hearing me talk on and on and on and on about all the awesome feedback I've seen about how life changing the Secret Workshop is my husband gave me the thumbs up to go. 

So for about the last month it has been a waiting game as I've visited the blog and workshop website a few times a day hoping that there would be information on Austin and this morning I was rewarded when the workshop registration opened!!!  The first thing I did this morning after brushing my teeth was hit "send money" in paypal to pay my registration fee for the Austin workshop which is April 30-May 2 at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin.  While that processed I called my sister-in-law (mind you, at 7:30 am) to tell her registration was open and she dashed home between dropping kids at school to hit "send money" in fear that it would sell out before she got home from car pool.  So now that the two of us have hit "send money" I feel like I can share.  I just wanted to make sure we reserved our seats first.   FYI...Austin registration has been open for only a few hours and it is already half full!

Have you been to a Secret Workshop?  Are you going to one of other locations or the Austin one?  Share!!! 

The Secret Workshop Website | Blog

Take Action

Pink Grapefruit Designs just launched and they are having some grand opening specials on their storyboard actions!  Hurry over and check out their specials!

Valentine Goodies

The Christmas rush is barely over and already we're thinking about the next add-on option for increasing sales.  Valentines are a great add on.  For me, since I've taken a couple of weeks off, Valentine's offer a way for customers to use the individual pictures from their Christmas sessions when they used a family portrait for their Christmas card.  In addition, I had some sessions around Christmas time, and I have a few coming up so I'll have some additional opportunities to offer the Valentine's to customers.

I had been scouting various Valentine options via the large number of template designers I stalk online but held off on buying anything to see if someone came out with something better.  Finally, with an email from Connie, I was encouraged to go back and check out the Vintage Valentine's from My Lil Creations.  Because I won't have as many customers buying cards, and I'm not charging a setup fee for Valentine's, I decided to limit myself to ONE set of templates and these vintage valentines were great.

I ordered my cards today!  I ordered this card with my almost 3 year old son on it to send to preschool with him on the watercolor paper from White House Custom Color (these cards also have coordinating backs for a great finished product).  I also ordered one of the other designs with my 1 year old daughter in her pettiskirt on the Pearl paper.  Valentine's are a GREAT way to take advantage of WHCC's Winter Sale which currently includes special pricing on press printed cards.  I'm able to offer these cards without a setup fee since I can actually make a little more in the prints which makes my customer's happy.   My thought is that they might even want to order different cards for different family members like I did!

Not every designer offers Valentine's cards but there are some free ones out there (definitely check out the shares on ILP).  Here is a list of some of the other designers offering Valentine templates for sale:

• My Lil Creations
• Jaime Schultz Designs
• Pink Ink Studios
• Shabby Chick Design Shoppe

Explaining Cost

The world of photography is obviously changing.  I can't tell you how many customers as me if I provide images on CD.  I can't tell you how many have previously gone to a pro that did.  But is a pretty high percentage of my customers.  Without charging huge session fees it seems like it would be challenging to make a good profit selling images on CD instead of prints - especially when time is factored in.  But, since I didn't take a paycheck last year maybe I'm not the best one to talk.  Ha!

This year I decided to do things a little differently.  I increased my session fee to $100 which includes no prints (last year it was $100 but you got a $50 print credit).  In addition, I'd like to see my print sales averaging around $400.  This is not a huge jump from last year and I think it is totally possible.  And I'm willing to make some changes to what I offer to make it happen.  For example, if someone orders $400 in prints I'll give them 4x6 prints of all their proofs.  This should cut back on the low profit 4x6 sales when people are just buying a bunch to stick into an album (which really makes my stomach hurt-BTW).  Also, if they order within 2 weeks of their online gallery posting I'll give them 5 LOW resolution images which they can use for emailing, posting on a website, or using with a digital frame.  The disk will be labeled that they are not released for printing.  In addition, if they meet the $400 minimum they can add on a disk of all the proofs in low resolution format for an extra $100.  I'm hoping that these changes will help me increase my sales, while at the same time offering options for folks that really want the images digitally for one reason or another.

One of the challenges facing photographers these days is the educating of clients about the cost of prints.  When we charge $25 for a 5x7 that might cost $1 at Walgreens they want to know why it cost so much.  I spend a lot of time talking to clients about what it has taken to get me to this point (in education, experience, and equipment) and the amount of time it ACTUALLY takes for each session.  The one hour of taking the pictures is just the tip of the iceburg and I think that many of my clients have a better understanding of the level of effort after talking to them.

Recently I came across a well written explaination on another photographer's website as to what you are really paying for when you buy a professional print.  If you have a chance, head on over to Caught on Film Photography and read their "Why are Professional Photographers so expensive" webpage.

Scariest Article I've Ever Read...

I came across this article yesterday by photographer Mike Colon.  Honestly, it would have kept me up at night if the baby wasn't already doing a good job of that!  He was selected for a Sales Tax Audit and the whole thing sounded pretty horrific.  Considering it sounded like he had great documentation it has caused me to pause and reconsider how I enter data into quickbooks and how I record some of the sales.  After reading it I went back and re-read some of the information on sales tax in Texas and realized that I didn't know that I had to show proof of SHIPMENT for sales that were out of state and hence not charged sales tax. 

I'm lucky in that I hardly ever deal in cash so at least I have a good paper trail but still, Ick! 

Seriously, give it a read then give your accountant a hug!

Sales Tax Audit!  A Word to the wise...