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WOW! I am so excited that the Folks at PhotoIdentities have been featuring my BLOGSITE! I have to tell you that because of this I am getting a TON of questions from people who want to get a blog or blogsite through them. I can NOT say enough good things about this company and their product. First off I see HTML code as a foreign language but was still able to make tweeks easily, AND Vera from PhotoIdentities not only answered my very lame questions but also helped me out with a few things! So YES YES YES, get a blogsite or blog from them and you’ll be super happy!

If you are interested in attending my workshop in March, hopefully they will have a little incentive for my attendees as I just emailed and am awaiting a response. They may WILL just be one of MANY product sponsors…..stay tuned! It’s gets more and more exciting everyday! XXOO

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I am already getting emails, which makes me excited. I don’t have a definite date yet but it will be a weekend in March. I will be having a workshop! YEAH, I am so excited! I LOVE photography and teaching (finally get to use my MA Degree! Woohoo!) Well, it will focus on the beginning professional. This means that we will cover how to start the business, networking, resources, vendors, contracts, how to use basic photoshop, portfolio building, and more! It will focus on family in natural light settings. My goal for this workshop is that you leave with enough photos for your portfolio to build a website, all the resources and information you will need to start to charge! Those who sign up for this will need to have basic understanding of their camera settings. More information will follow but shoot me an email if you’re interested and I’ll put you first on my “first to know list”. It will be a small workshop with no more than 10 spaces as I am a kinesthetic learner and believe that hands on is the only way to go! XXOO……(I’m super excited about it!)

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Of course starting anything takes perseverance, for sure! Nothing comes easy to people and with the economy today, NOTHING is coming easy. If you are starting a new business you may feel a little defeated, a little humbled and perhaps “over it”. Well, that what makes any business GREAT, YEP! You see, those who make it through this, are those that will rise above all the competition now and later. Those who don’t push or try harder, just aren’t going to last. But that’s capitalism for you. Being a professional photographer takes more than just taking a pretty picture, it involves a lot. My first post about this subject was to inspire you, this one is to give a concrete example of WHERE to start.

STEP 1. Here we go, starting your photography business. You need to find out what kind of photography you want to do. There are tons of different kinds of photographers out there, you may love families, you may love adults, stills, architecture, nature. Finding what you want to do will probably change, but find a focus or else your scope may be too large to tackle.
STEP 2. Find someone you admire who takes the kind of images you LOVE and will LOVE to take. See if you can attend a workshop of their’s. You will learn from people but be careful NOT to copy, no one wants a replica and you’ll never be them. Take what you can from workshops or seminars and make it your own.
STEP 3. You may be able to switch 2 and 3 but, buy or rent your necessary equipment. TRY not to buy everything (believe me it’s not worth it and your needs will change and grow as you do). Buy what you need to learn, and even practice your craft of the style you are seeking to become professional at. There is so much equipment out there it’s hard to say what you need, but for sure a camera body (Canon 5D a +++) and lenses (so many I can’t begin but MY MUST have lenses are, 16-35mm 2.8L, 24-70mm 2.8L, 70-200mm 2.8L, 50mm 1.2L, 100mm Macro, plus —580X Flash, Quantum SC Battery Pack) I am a believer in buying once even if you have to wait.

If you are at this point, this is just the beginning, the part when you may not even be charging people yet. You are your friend’s photographer and that of your family. That is all FINE as you are practicing right now and finding out IF this is what you want to do professionally. See, your investment so far is in equipment and an education that can create a great hobby. SO no loss, you’re not in SOOO deep yet that you are stuck if you want to stop at this point, or at a financial and emotional loss. Get back to me, what to do next will follow. Part III will include, how to START to CHARGE!!!!

Here are some Helpful Links:

Workshops:
www.davisimpact.com (Bob Davis)**
mikecolon.net (Mike Colon)**
ringstorattles.com (Alycia Alvarez & Kevin Jairaj)**
thesecretphotographyworkshop.com (Cheryl Muhr)
expressionsphotos.com (Sandy Puc)
audreywoulardblog.com (Audrey Woulard)
www.fasttrackphotographer.com (Dane Sanders)

TBA: Probably in March , I will be teaching a workshop in Southern California which will include, starting the business, keeping the business, contracts, resources, simple photoshop and a portfolio build. Like I said, the teacher in me, just can’t wait to teach! It will focus on family portraits in natural light setting. The idea is once you leave you have all the tools to start your business or have a spectacular hobby and all the resources to practice! I will keep you posted! It will be a Saturday/Sunday ~ Send me an email if you’re interested, I’ll put you on the “to know” list first!

Equipment:
www.durys.com
www.bhphotovideo.com

Remember, at this point if you are at this point, you have enough to be dangerous. You can’t walk into a uniform store, buy a Gi and call yourself Royce Gracie. You might actually need training. Workshops will need to researched to find which one is right for you at your level. Most contain business advice, photoshop techniques and actual portfolio builds. I have been to each of the ones listed and can recommend them, as well as their instructors. Those with a star are close to my heart! Good Luck and let me know how you’re doing! XXOO

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This has been in the workings and it’s not done, not yet. There is a lot to get done to get our exempt status but it’s pending. Yet, I feel it is time that we actually start to give back. It’s the first time APP will be giving back, so this time it will be only as big or as little as the volunteers and the clients.

Date: December 13, 2008 Saturday
Time: 10:00am
Place: Irvine Regional Park

The What: APP has decided to benefit families who are starting over. Could be an illness, death, abuse, or even loss from fire, flood etc. We all know that sometimes professional portraits are not affordable and truly not on the top of the list if you just suffered loss. Imagine a life without photos? For me it would be like erased memories. Therefore the intent is to give the gift of portraits to families that are starting over, or in need. Each family that participates will get a high resolution disk of a family portrait session.

The Who: Who qualifies? It’s not hard to qualify, you just need to be a family who is starting over or in need. You may know a deserving family, nominate one, nominate yourself. To be a family who participates in next Saturday’s Portrait Project Session, you need to write your reason on this blog. You don’t need to be public about your name, you just need to give me a real email address when leaving a comment. This is kept confidential and only I will have access to this. Your reason to participate must be clear and again the amount of families accepted will depend upon how many volunteer photographers we have and how many families. Please be aware I will try and help everyone, if we don’t meet your needs now, APP will do our best to meet them soon. Those who participate will be required to sign a model release, your images will help spread the good of our cause. Names and locations will never be used. If a family wants to call, they can do that too. 949.521.4764. They will be calling me at this time until we have a working phone number.

The Volunteers: I have a list of MANY photographers who want to volunteer for this cause and I love you all for it. But for purposes of this day, please write on this blog not only to show your support to help inspire and motivate other photographers but also to make it easier for APP to see who is volunteering since we don’t have an active website/email system yet. Don’t worry we are prepared to be reading A LOT. Photographers will not be able to use these images as a portfolio build. Please blog about us to share your efforts, just without the photos! Please note that part of your contract will be that APP will have full copyright over the images you take. You are burning the disk and you will be responsible for a quick turn around time, just a few days. All of this will be made clear in a simple contract.

Each volunteer photographer will be matched with one family for a family session. The family session will last 1 hour.

I have no idea who would be available, or what kind of response this will get, but I can say that Kristie Blake and I (APP’s CSO) are so excited to start this. We have a booth at WPPI to help get more volunteers around the state and country, but like everything, it has to start somewhere.

For some reason and I’m guessing it has to do with Anton’s magic, but I have gotten a few more emails from other photographers lately than usual. They seem to be mostly mommy’s like me, wondering HOW I do this with small children and WHAT have I done to get here. It makes me giggle and it humbles me. I am not sure where “here” is, but perhaps the best way to answer that question is to start with saying……..I am never “here”. The kind of person that I am doesn’t believe in moderation. I never did, all or nothing BALLS OUT! I like to accomplish, had my BA at 21 years old, and an MA degree by 22, 2 classes short of having another master’s degree but decided to move on. Taught, loved it, hated it, loved it, became a Mom and loved it most. Took too many pictures, loved other photographers, hired them, spent too much $$$$ and decided, my next journey would be photography.

“Here” with teaching was me pushing my boundaries and challenging the system, because it needed it. “Here” in this career is kind of the same thing. I’m always wanting to do more, accomplish more and gain more experience. BALLS OUT or nothing right? But I’m not here, not yet, no where near!

My first moments as a professional were of tears, I SUCKED, had no idea what aperture was and thought a 35mm lense had something to do with 35mm film! LOL, all you can comment on how much I needed to learn! I bought things I didn’t need, spent too much $$$$ and was way over my head. But I KNEW what I wanted to do I know exactly where I want to be (when I get there, I’ll tell you, but it may take 100′s of years). I push myself to learn, the more I learn, and still this remains, the more I realize I STILL need to learn.

It’s been about 2 years since I started and I have grown, LORDY have I grown and one day if I have the guts I’ll share pictures from my FIRST session and then from a current one. You’ll laugh as I cry but I’ll laugh with you too. So How did I do it? How have a grown to what people are writing to me as a “here”…….. This is not a formula, just what I have done, and still please know, I am nowhere near where my dream is…….because I am never content.

1. Learn from those you admire (this can be hard, but find a NON GRUMPY to share and go to their workshop, or read their blog, but learn from others.
2. TEACH to others, I have yet to do my own workshop, but the teacher in me knows it will happen one day, but offer up what you got BABY! YEAH yeah I know, cliche, but we all have something to share and offer, what this is, is art, subjective and creative, art.
3. RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH before you leap, my costly mistake but try and get as many opinions as you can this could save you BUCKS on a website to camera equipment
4. Make goals, revisit and make new goals. Goals however are nothing without a plan. Your plan and ability to achieve those steps will enable you to reach your goal, which you should continue to change and push
5. READ FAST TRACK PHOTOGRAPHER written by Dane Sanders. Seriously, if I had read this book earlier in my career, it would have paid off ten fold. Read it, you’ll discover a lot about yourself and this career and the choices that we make.
6. NETWORK, you need to FIND the people in this industry to get to know YOU. They aren’t going to magically find you first, at least not in the beginning, find them, get them to know you!
7. Love what you do. I have been to workshops where I’ve paid $1000 to listen to an amazing photographer complain about what they do….and honestly it made me angry. For all I know the group of 20+ of us just paid off a car to listen to someone who is burnt out. GET REFRESHED, seek fun in everything you do, change it up, find “it” before your grumpy! (again get Dane’s book and you’ll get it!)

It’s a start, a small explanation to how I got to this point which truly isn’t anywhere for me, at least no where near my goal. Yes the videos, the beautiful website, all steps in working to my goal which I stay focused on. My goal? What is it you ponder? That’s another post. But I promise you, that once I see I’m close, it just gets bigger, I keep going.