My Book List | Personal - Business

Sadly, when I look at my bookshelf, I don't see tons of books that I've read, but many books that I've purchased and never read. Does anyone else feel that way or am I the only one? :)

To add to the irony, I have recently checked out a few books from the library. I like books, if you can't tell. Or maybe it's just the information books bring. 

I have been amazed lately at a few books I've been reading. One of them is called Permission Marketing, by Seth Godin. GREAT book on marketing. 

You see, whenever I started this 'business' over a year ago, I never really thought I'd be starting a business. If you have read the "About Me" section on my website, you will see that I wasn't trying to start a business - you could say that it fell on my lap. In Dallas I know tons of people and they know and trust me, so I constantly was having clients. It was a lot of fun!

In contrast, here in Phoenix it's been a little more difficult. I don't know anyone - except a few friends that are apart of the internship we're going through. So, I have found myself starting over, in a sense, trying to figure out how to stand out - how to show that you can trust me and what I have to offer. It's been making me reevaluate why I am a photographer and what my goals are in this industry. 

The book is great as it has brought some new perspectives on marketing - things I've never thought about. Maybe I'm just an extreme novice, but it's been very helpful to me in how I think "Marketing". Check it out if you haven't read it.

Another book I have checked out but haven't touched yet is Personality Not Included by Rohit Bhargava. It looks really good, but haven't really dove into it yet. I plan to after I finish Permission Marketing. If anyone has read this and has any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.

And the other book that I have been reading slowly is Guerrilla Marketing in 30 Days by Jay Conrad Levinson and Al Lautenslager. It has been a very good book (I have read other Guerrilla Marketing books) and has opened my eyes to new concepts and how I should be thinking. 

As you've noticed, these are all Marketing books which I have been thoroughly enjoying. I think it's good to always be reading, inputting new concepts and ideas into your mind to wrestle with. As I commented in a previous post, you should always be wanting to upgrade your skills in your industry. And mine being photography, I not only need to be upgrading my skills of taking pictures, I need to upgrade my business skills and ability to market myself.

So, that is my current book list; it will probably change soon, but for now, that's what I'm reading.

Have you found any useful books in your industry or in the photography industry? I'd love to hear them!

My Top 3 Mistakes During a Session | Business

I don't know about you, but I've made my mistakes during a session. Or if you are just starting to do photo shoots, I can guarantee that you will make a mistake. It's inevitable - especially if you're trying to grow the skills that you have. 

So these are a few things I thought of that I've caught myself doing before in a session:

1. I forgot to look at my ISO setting.

It's always a good rule of thumb to look at your ISO before you do any shoot. And, if you're like me and you don't shoot at the same place, location or time every time (and it's outside), chances are, you need to change it.

A few times I have taken a shot and by chance I've looked down on my screen and saw this 'washed out' picture that was anything but good. Fortunately, I've always been able to adjust my settings and take another picture and it turned out great, but this is definitely something to look out for.

2. I get excited and forget to do a certain pose.

Call me a dork, but photo sessions get me SO excited! If you've ever done a shoot with me, you will hear the common phrase of, "One more..." or "This is looking so GREAT!" with a big smile. I just LOVE to photograph people and be creative. 

I even get more excited when I see something different than I saw before and do that too. 

Even though excitement is great, sometimes I forget to do what I was wanting to do!! Now this is easily correctable (especially if you haven't changed locations or anything) but I have caught myself doing this as well. Whoops! This 'mistake' isn't that tragic, but sometimes I am disappointed after a shoot when I realize I didn't get one of the shots I was hoping for.

What I do to change this, is sometimes I will write down specific shots I want to make sure and get. Sometimes the lists in my head don't make it into my lens, so it's better to write it down, just to make sure I don't forget it.

3. I don't have suggestions from the client on what they want from the shoot.

On weddings, I have sheets that the Bride/Groom fill out before we even get to the day so expectations are crystal clear. But my sessions are really laid back and we just go with the flow. Whatever creative idea comes into my mind while we're shooting, we do it. Even client's suggest things - which I LOVE, by the way. It makes it more fun whenever everyone is creating together.

But, I do think that it is imperative that you should ask your client before the shoot what they want from their session. When setting up a session, I generally ask them what they are looking for in a shoot and they tell me what they're thinking - like I want park pictures, or something urban - and then they leave the poses up to me. Most of the time, they tell me that they don't know what poses they want and that they will leave it up to me. And that's totally fine, but I have found myself not asking enough (even during the shoot) if they want anything else or that sort of thing. 

It's good to cover all your bases, you know?

What have been your mistakes during sessions? What do you want to grow in?

I hope that this maybe encourages you today in your ventures in photography. Hope you have a great week! Yay for Monday's! :)

They're Here!! | Business

So, been a little bit behind the past few days and meant to post something yesterday and Sunday, but we've had a few computer issues (we're pretty positive we have a virus - if you know how to get rid of them, I'd appreciate it!). But, of course I have no excuses because we have another computer. :)

So, in spite of all the crazy PC troubles, guess what came in?

My business cards! Yay!

This is what they look like:

This next picture is the back of the card - there are two different backs. One is a picture of the sweet couple of Melissa and Zach, and the other one is a cute picture of Ella. 

So, what do you think? I'm really stoked about them. It was fun designing them, and I think they match the brand of my site really well. 

And now you know how to get a hold of me. :)

Facebook | Business

So who doesn't like Facebook?? If you're anything like me, you at minimum check it twice or three times a day! When I say that out loud I think to myself - I need to get a life! :) 

Anyways, Transparent Life Photography is on Facebook now! Can I get a 'WHOOP WHOOP!'

So let's make it official and you can be my friend over there by saying you like what I do. You can even just click on the below picture and it will take you straight to me!

See you over there!