You will, trust me.

If I could offer a mantra to new business owners, this would be it.

If you are as hard on yourself as I am, then you are constantly criticizing your work and desperately wanting to improve every step of the way. Every winter I go through a major depression in terms of our business and my work. During the summer and fall I am too busy working to slow down, but when I finally just sit and look at my work for the past year, I want to do better. I hate to say it, but I can get really down on myself. I am glad that I have Charlie who always reminds me that I am good at what I do, and that I will get even better.

When the New Year hits though, it's an exciting time, it's goal setting time. And there's nothing I love more than making me some plans. As important as it is to look at where we want to be and write out the steps to get there, I think it's equally important to reflect on the previous year and admire where we came from. Today I'll do a little of both.

If I had to choose one thing to be the most proud of this year, it's how far we've come in organization. If you are unorganized, you cannot offer great customer service, when you don't have great customer service, it strains your relationships with your clients, when that happens, your word of mouth referrals aren't going to flourish. That was where we were at the end of last year, but I made it my goal in 2012 to be more organized and prepared, and in turn we've had fewer mishaps and have wonderful repertoire with our clients. There is nothing better than hearing your couples, and their friends, and their families, tell you how happy they are and how they are going to tell everyone about you. What more could you ask for?

Because we have better systems in place now, we are ready to take on more clients, which is where our 2013 goals come in. It may seem obvious that your goal for the new year would be to simply get more business, but if you really aren't prepared for more business, then you should focus your efforts on filling in your cracks first.

My main goal for this year is to find ways to:
1. Be more accessible to our clients
2. Engage our clients more

Overall, I just want to be more involved with people, and get people more involved with our business. I want to move beyond offering "sales" and "deals", and find out what really thrills people. All this is because our work is the most meaningful when more people are engaged. We don't want to be shoot and burn photographers, we want to be your photographers. The one's you can count on.

Baby to be

If you are friends with me on Facebook, then you heard our big news on Christmas... I am pregnant and we are expecting our first baby on July 24!

I promise this wont turn into a pregnancy or mommy blog (I love those, but there are enough already :), but I will post updates every once in a while and I'm sure a bombardment of photo's after baby is born. I also tend to be the most pensive when I am struggling or can't stop mulling over things and that's typically when I like to lay my thoughts out in a post. I'm excited to write today because my pregnancy has been (mostly) a secret until this week, and I haven't gotten to share it with anyone so, time to catch up! 

We found out I was pregnant the day after Thanksgiving. I was previously diagnosed with PCOS and told I wouldn't be able to get pregnant without the help of a perscription drug, so pregnancy was far from a concern of mine. Even after my wonderful monthly gift was a bit late I wasn't too worried, it was far more likely that it was being weird (as usual). But I was having something weird, very mild cramps on and off throughout the week. Finally by Friday I googled it and saw that can be a symptom of pregnancy (mild cramping as the fetus is implanted), and then I thought 'Wow, I really could be pregnant." We bought a test and within seconds the line over the pregnancy window was visible. My heart started racing, I was in disbelief. I called Charlie in, we were both shaking and having a major adrenaline rush. 

That weekend was by far the worst days of my pregnancy so far. I was nauseous every second of the day, I could hardly eat saltines. I was exhausted and could smell everything from a mile away. Not to mention that I was going through a grieving processing over all of my materialistic and self absorbed idols. ('I'm going to get fat, my body will never be the same, it will take me forever to finish school, I have no energy to workout or study.'). The following Tuesday I weighed myself and I had lost four pounds from being so nauseous. After another week it started to get better, and as of now I've gained those pounds back and then some :) 

Throughout the last month, Charlie has truly been a blessing from above. He makes me food without even having to ask, he always makes sure I have my water and whatever I happen to be craving at that moment (oranges!), he wouldn't leave my side for five hours at the hospital while I got rehydrated and checked out. He has been so sensitive to my moodiness and has never given me a hard time for being  tired/emotional/crabby. I praise God for this man!

At our first appointment we got to see the baby on an ultrasound (not normal, but I was having some side pain so they just wanted to be cautious). It was such a sigh of relief finally getting to see that yes, there was a baby in there and everything was normal. We even got to see it's heartbeat flickering on the screen. I have never seen Charlie so happy in my life. 

Right now I am ten and a half weeks along, and greatly looking forward to my second trimester. I haven't had very much energy over the last month, but I'm hoping that second trimester energy isn't a myth! 

Redemption

I'm not afraid to share my failures with you guys. Hopefully if you've read some of my past posts you have seen that already. I love to learn from my mistakes and share them in hopes that you can feel encouraged in areas that you've made mistakes, or even avoid them altogether (possible? Who knows.).

Today's story is a great one for me to share, because it's about a time when I made some mistakes and thought I had lost a client forever, only to have them give me a second chance to redeem myself. In our business we more often have trouble with customer service than we do with the satisfaction in our actual work, but obviously we strive for both of these things to be top notch.

Last September Charlie and I shot our first solo wedding together as Have Heart Photography for a couple of friends from our church. The pictures were fabulous and we were happy to have them as friends. A few months later the bride e-mailed me to ask if we would be available to shoot her companies Holiday Gala that December. She works for a financial consulting company, and most of their clients are wealthy business owners. She specified that they would like individual portraits of each family as they arrived at the gala, and that they would like to send out the photo's in a paper frame to each family with their Christmas cards. The event was on a Saturday evening, and she said they would like to have the prints and frames all ready to send out by the following Wednesday.

We were excited to shoot the event as we had never done anything like it before. Our inexperience would prove a challenging obstacle, but what is your first time if not a learning experience? We rented a single strobe light that ended up not being enough lighting for the extremely dark corner we were placed in. This forced me to spend extra time editing each photo to lift the shadows to where they needed to be.

But here is where my real mistake took place. We did not know how many families to expect, so we held off on ordering the frames until after the gala. Our photo printing lab consistently ships prints in one day, so we knew that as long as we placed the order by Monday, there would be no problem. It was not the same case for the frames, however. The shipping costs for two day shipping were outrageous, over $100. I let our client know that even at that price, the frames were not guaranteed to be there by Wednesday. She stated that they really needed to send them out by the end of the week, and were willing to pay extra to do so. The company ended up paying an extra shipping fee, but the frames did not arrive until Friday.

I felt so awful that I did not deliver what I had promised that I ended up giving them a large discount on what they owed us. I was sure that I had left a poor impression in their minds and that I had possibly burned a bridge with a repeat client.

Imagine my shock when a few months ago, the same client contacted us to shoot their gala again this year. I was thrilled to have a chance at redemption! She said they wanted the same things as last year, and she didn't even mention the mishap.

The event took place last Saturday and I was so much less stressed out than the previous year. We rented two lights and I barely had to edit the family portraits. I ordered the frames last week, and since we didn't have an official headcount, I ordered plenty extra. On Sunday night I ordered all of the family pictures and sent them to our printing lab and had them shipped directly to my clients and they arrived Tuesday afternoon. I finished up the rest of the pictures that night, and I dropped off the frames and DVD on Wednesday. Because of my planning, it didn't even feel rushed or hard to pull off.

This may not seem like a huge mistake in your eyes, but in my opinion, great customer service is doing what you say you're going to do, and beyond. Not only did I not follow through last year on what I said I would do, but I inconvenienced by clients because of my poor planning. This is a great example of how you not only produce better work over time, but you also learn how to give your clients a better experience and manage your business more efficiently.

Merry Christmas!

Ouch.

Do you guys ever go to sleep feeling restful, calm, motivated, and happy, but then wake up feeling exhausted, sore, and dreary? That's how I feel today. As I said in my last post, I finally signed up for a new gym. I love working out, but I have not yet learned how to deal with the next day soreness.

Not only did I start working out again... but I also signed up to take a Certified Personal Trainer course. Which means over the next three months I will be working out and studying my butt off for the exam. It's something I've thought about over the last six months or so, and I finally decided to go for it. Not only do I plan on gaining a wealth of knowledge about the human body, but I am also going to push myself to a level of fitness I have never achieved before. Now if I could just deal with the morning after...

On mornings that I feel like this, I like to get warm and cozy (if I weren't at work I would have a blanket) and make myself a big cup of tea. I'm trying to be happy my muscles are sore and remember that I am a little stronger than I was yesterday. I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of these mornings.

How was your long weekend?

Trial and error

It is chilly in the PNW, Charlie and I spent the weekend shut inside working on homework (him) and going out with some of our friends. I also finally joined a gym in town! I worked out at 24-hour fitness for a year and I loved it, but when I moved I had to find a new place. So far Anytime Fitness seems to be a great replacement. 

Anywho... On to some more advice about business success. 

It's important to constantly experiment when it comes to your business. When you are starting out you can experiment with promotions, marketing techniques, the policies of your business, even the type of work you take on. You can experiment with these things later on as well, but typically after some tweaking you will find some things that suit you and stick with them. Today I'm going to talk about some experimenting we've done with our photography business, some things are a big hit, and some aren't, it's all about trial and error.

First, let's talk about why "experimenting" is important. I call it that because most of us are afraid to fail. If we put all of our heart and soul (or time and money) into something, and then it's unsuccessful, we feel defeated and discouraged. But, if we try something new with an open mind that it could either be yay or nay, we don't feel as let down. 

So often when people start businesses they first look at what others are doing and mimic them (I'm no exception). But experimenting is taking that basic business model, and making it work for you and your clients. How do you know what your clients want if you never offer it? Doing something different can set you apart from the general market and possibly give you that edge you need. 

So let's talk about some failed experiments with Have Heart Photography. 

1. The portrait sale. 

So if you follow us on Facebook you probably know that this is our current portrait sale. I did one earlier this year as well, both during times when people's mind tend to be on family (the Holiday's). Our portrait sessions start at $445, and come fully loaded. Normally we don't offer any "mini" sessions or discounts, so I thought this would be a good opportunity for those who can't afford one of our all out sessions. But just like earlier this year when I ran the sale... no one went for it. Not one. Single. Person.

So I will put the portrait sale in the "fail" box and try to brainstorm some new ideas for our slower times. I had a great idea at the end of October for a new seasonal special that wouldn't involved a lot of work and would be a great idea to get our name into the community. Unfortunately the time has past, so we'll wait until next year to try it! 

2. "By the hour" wedding photography coverage. 

There is essentially two types of packaging structures when it comes to wedding photography: Pay per hour or all day coverage. During our first wedding season, we had a "build your own" wedding package system. Where our clients could select 6, 8, 10, or 12 hours of coverage, with the optional additions of prints or an engagement session. 

The benefits of this is that it can often lower the cost of the package for your client. If they are having a short, small wedding, the six hour package would fit nicely in their budget. 

The problem with this system was that it interrupted our philosophy of photography, being that we are storytellers. We would be at a wedding, and then suddenly our time would be "up"... just as the bride and groom were having their first dance. We always stayed until the end, even though the bride and groom didn't pay for it. We would never leave part way through someone's wedding, it is our job to tell their story! 

So while most couples would initially like to save a few bucks by cutting their photography short with fewer hours, we know they will be happier when they have the whole day to look back on. This is a challenge for the weddings that are shorter, since couples don't want to pay a full day price for only six hours of coverage, but we know that the long days far outweigh the short :) And at the end of the day, we know we're not the photographers for everyone. 

3. Offering press services in our wedding packages. 

The last two years we have offered a printing credit in our wedding packages for Save The Dates and Thank You cards. All in all, I don't think this is a bad idea, but it can get messy. It's really hard to help someone print things that are so important to them, and in general it's just easier to cut out the middle man (which was me...). I now simply let our clients know the different products we have access to, and if they're interested in having anything printed through us, we're more than happy to help. 

And now for some successful experiments! 

1. In home sales. 

Selling prints and products to people is hard. You know they'll love them so much more when they hang them on the wall and mail to family... but getting people to that point is challenging. Online sales do not work, they just don't. You know how many sales I've made through sites like Pictage and Smugmug? (I've had both). One. I had one client buy several photo's... three years ago! Those sites charge a monthly fee, and I would be shocked if you made it back. 

Then there's the old shoot and burn, where you give the client their DVD and tell them to call you when they want to order prints. Don't wait by the phone, cause they ain't gonna call. 

But there is actually a successful way to get clients to order their beautiful photo's through you... by coming to their house with beautiful photo's. When we shoot a portrait session, we do not do "sneak peaks" on our blog or Facebook, we build the anticipation. We usually only take a week or two to turn the photo's around, but by the time we come over to our clients house, they are so excited to see their photo's! We don't show them on a laptop screen however, we order 4x6 proofs so they can actually hold and look through their photo's. This also makes it easier to choose which ones they want to order (mom's love to make piles). Every time we have used this method we have had print sales, it's majorly successful! 

I hope this post has helped to show you why it's important to experiment with your business. At the end of the day, go with your gut! If something feels like a scam, then don't do it! If something makes you excited, it will probably make your clients feel the same way, so go for it! 

As always, I'm here to take questions. 

You don't have to pretend.

Don't try to be fancy, just be real.

It's okay to...

Not say "we" on your website if there's just one of you.

Turn down a job you really, really don't want to do. If you say yes the photo's wont turn out good anyways.

To do a job you really do want to do for free. Fun times!

To blog "personal" photo's, what are "impersonal" photo's anyways?

To not show the world that shoot you did with the family who insisted on wearing all white.

Add your clients as friends on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, but choose not to follow their wedding Pinterest board.

But it's not okay to...

Make up prices based on what you think people are willing to pay. You won't make a single dime. If you're comfortable charging it, it's probably too low.

Say yes to a free job if you don't want to. Even if your friends/sister/uncle make you feel guilty about it. They should be ashamed!

Personal Post: The dreaded intolerance.

Let's stop for a minute to talk about my ailing body. A long running joke with my friends, about how I always get the "weirdest" ailments, and I'm probably just a 90 year old grandma with good skin. For example, I don't really get the cold or flu, but a few times a year I get horrible tonsillitis. I have a joint in my foot that is partially fused together, causing severe pain below the knees my entire adult life. 

But it's time to talk about a not so comical pain that plagues me everyday. Headaches, joint pain, fatigue. About a year ago I was terrified that I might actually have rheumatoid arthritis. The odd joint in my foot is so rare, the possible symptoms it could inspire are really unknown. For so long I've labeled everything as a repercussion of my sore feet.

But I am slowly starting to see that might not be the case. In the past, my legs always ached, the muscles were sore and tight, I blamed my feet. But after joining a gym and using a foam roller for the first time, the soreness was gone. Who knew that the pain in my legs could be cured from stretching the outer myofascial tissue. The tension headaches I was getting everyday were significantly alleviated with massage therapy (hallelujah!), but I do still wake up with severe stiffness, especially in my neck, joint pain, and a different kind of headache. All in all, it feels like I have been struck by a large moving vehicle. 

Throughout my entire life I was always bloated and had gastrointestinal issues. I won't go into details here (because that's gross). But essentially, every morning when I woke up, my stomach was bloated like a balloon. It would take hours for this to go away, and eating was uncomfortable. My manager at Starbucks suggested I try cutting dairy out of my diet, and holy moly, it worked! So for that last year I have self diagnosed myself as having a minor lactose intolerance. I still eat the occasional cheese or sour cream, but nothing compared to what I was consuming before. 

Also within the last year I have learned that I have PCOS, a hormonal condition that has led to temporary infertility. My doctor said there is a medication I can go on when Charlie and I are ready to have kids, but until then, free birth control I guess... 

And still my body aches. I wake up in a fog. And until yesterday morning, I have not had a clue as to why. But on Thursday night, I had an early dinner of homemade (by my mom) chicken noodle soup, with a crusty baguette on the side. I'm always happy when she makes dairy free meals. I felt great, went to bed. The next morning when I woke up, my stomach was like a balloon. I retraced my steps, I didn't have any dairy the previous day. My stomach was in pain. As I sat at my desk at work, my upper intestine felt so bloated that the pain radiated in my chest, giving me heart burn. I drank some hot water, but at 5 o'clock that night, the bloating and pain had not subsided. 

And so I Google the thing I have never wanted to learn about, gluten intolerance symptoms. Let me quote them for you... I have put in bold all the one's I am experiencing. 

• Weight loss or weight gain
• Nutritional deficiencies due to malabsorption e.g. low iron levels
• Gastro-intestinal problems (bloating, pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea)
• Fat in the stools (due to poor digestion)
• Aching joints
• Depression
• Eczema
• Head aches
• Exhaustion
• Irritability and behavioural changes
• Infertility, irregular menstrual cycle and miscarriage

A light has been turned on in mind, a possible end to my pain and exhaustion. I am not putting all my eggs in this basket. But seeing as my mother and grandmother are also sensitive to gluten (although they do not eat GF), my hopes are high. I am starting today with gluten free eating. I will be keeping a food journal and I will try to keep this blog updated as to whether or not I am seeing a big difference. If anyone one of you had any advice or recipes, I would love to hear them. 

Don't let comparison steal your joy.

*Side note before I start: For all you photographers, Charlie and I are hosting a workshop next month! Get all the details here. 

Now... 

I consider myself really lucky to be blessed with a sense of urgency and passion. I've always considered myself driven and motivated, and these are things I wouldn't trade for the world. But like every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. And just like my obsessive motivation, I'm also an obsessive over-thinker. I'm very rarely content, and while I try to justify my discontentment by labeling it as "drive", I'm realizing that no matter what, if I don't change my perspective, I'm never going to be content.

To put this in perspective, Charlie and I booked four full priced weddings and one discounted wedding with a trip to Maui this year. The number that we are working towards as a business is between 20-30. This number is what we would consider full time and financially stable enough for only one of us to work a day job.

Now if I had a healthy perspective on this year, I would be grateful for the five that we did book (and the fantastic trip to Maui), I would be focusing on the couple's who we delivered great photo's to, and I would be content with the fact that we have maintained a great friendship and reputation with each of our clients. Having happy clients is the number one thing to generate future referrals, so I should be encouraged! These are all great things.

But the obsessive, discontent part of me can't stop over-thinking. "Are we really getting any better? Are we really worth the higher prices we've set for next year? Are we going to continue only booking five weddings a year? Does anyone even like our work? Are we to similar to all the other photographers out there? Do we stand out?"  These are insecurities, and I know that every artist has them. I wish I could reveal that I had the secret to overcoming them, but I don't. But I do believe that with little changes and persistence, I can change my perspective and learn to ignore these voices.

Because the real problem, is that when I'm insecure, I produce horrible work. If I go into a shoot with this mindset, I can't let go and be creative, I can't feel inspired. Because inspiration comes from confidence. After the shoot I mull in my failure and disappointment with my work, and the cycle starts all over again. I try to think of ways that we can differentiate and be better, but the truth is that confidence and inspiration are the only thing that makes anybody's work stand out, and by hanging onto my insecurities, I am holding myself back from that.

So what small changes am I going to make to shift my perspective?

I am going to count my blessings, the things I listed in the third paragraph. The truth is that Charlie and I are doing a great job. We don't cut corners, we don't use cheap tricks or shoot like amateurs. We practice, we improve, we perfect, and we work hard. Those are things to be proud of, and they will pay off.

I will choose not to compare myself to others, based solely on the fact that it hinders my confidence and creativity.

I will focus more on the relationships with my clients and discovering who they are, because caring about people and their big day is the most important thing.

I will remember why I wanted to be a photographer in the first place. Before I ever thought about money, business, success or accomplishment. I shot for fun, for the people I loved, and to create beautiful art.

What inspires you?

Inspiration can be such a loose term with artists. Everything under the sun can "inspiration", which can sometimes be more hurtful than helpful.

I've found that it's taken me a long time to really narrow down what inspires me to be more me.

There are thousands of amazing photographers in the world. People so talented, so creative, so experienced, and so skilled. When I first started investigating other people's work I was overwhelmed. Everything was so good. I wanted to make art as well as all of them!! But that was not inspiring, it was hindering. My only goal then was to just get better, to make amazing photo's, but that's not very specific, now is it?

Over the years I have learned to listen to myself more when I look at other peoples work. I'm able to distinguish between a photographer who is great, and a photographer who I want to learn from. I've learned that no matter how great a photographer is, it doesn't mean that their style is similar to what I want for my business.

For example, when I first began studying photography, I followed a very random assortment of photographers. I found these people via google, flickr, friends and other local sources. Some of my favorites were:

Julie Watts 
Ross James
Ryan Flynn
Susan Stripling

Now if you are familiar with photography at all you should be able to tell that that is a very eclectic group. And surely if I was a photographer just starting out, trying to find inspiration, all those different styles would be down right confusing and exhausting. Imagine if I tried to take after every one of those photographers, they're all so different! But what I didn't have at that time was a sense of my own taste. Like I said earlier, the only thing that I was in tune to was that they were all great photographers, and much better than myself.

But once you do start to become aware of your own taste, don't be afraid to close the door on other inspirational sources. I've found that what I am really drawn to is natural, real, story telling photojournalism. Which is why out of the four photographers I mentioned, Ryan Flynn is the only one I still "follow", and in fact, he is shooting mine and Charlie's wedding next year! I'm inspired by his ability to make me feel like I am in a room he is photographing. I'm also inspired by Sean Flanigan, and the way he is unafraid to photograph the unconventional moments, the one's people think aren't "art". I'm inspired by how natural and consistent Julie Harmsen is with her color.

These people inspire me not to try to be like them, to copy them or to do what they do. But they inspire me to stop, dig into myself, and listen to what I love. They inspire me to have a unique taste for what I do. They inspire me to be unafraid and go my own way.

Listen to yourself and don't be afraid to be different. Learn from people who's art makes you feel, learn from people who have a good sense of who they are as photographers.

Part three: Sweat the small stuff.

This is the third post in a series about what you should be focusing on during your first year starting a photography business. 

In the beginning, you insist that it is the little things that will get you noticed. I was sure that once we hired a graphic designer to make us a "real" logo, that people would think highly of us. Once we got a Prophoto blog and started looking professional, that the inquiries would begin to flow in. Business cards. We Must. Get. Business Cards. These things are important, and for people like me who are perfectionists when it comes to presentation, these things are a must. But it's important to realize that these things are not "the key".

Because there is no one key. There are a lot of keys, and a lot of time, and a lot of work. Instead of spending months obsessing over the things I described, ensure that every interaction you have with someone is positive. Become friends with your clients, become friends with their friends. Have coffee with them, listen to them. Being a great photographer is a must, but without building a lasting friendship with your clients, you are losing a lot of potential referrals.

My friends sister recently got married and hired a well-known, husband and wife photography team to shoot their wedding. I respect this couple's work and from the few interactions I've had with them, they seem polite. But one of my good friends was at the wedding, and he noticed the photographers being rude to the family, friends, and even bridal party during the portraits. He overheard one of the photographers chew out a guest for shooting over his shoulder, which really stressed the bride out. My friend was shocked and disappointed when he left the wedding.

My main focus during a wedding second to taking photo's is keeping the bride relaxed and happy. Often they will apologize to me for running behind, which I always refuse to accept and give them a kind smile. It is their day, they are not burdening me! I am merely a fly on the wall, stepping in when they need me, and tagging along when they don't. At our last wedding the bride thanked me for being so relaxed and easygoing and told me I was reducing her stress. That made me so happy! Photographers often get stereotyped as being all business and schedule bound. But I insist on going with the flow during every wedding, no matter what. Because the bride and grooms happiness is the most important thing, not your portrait time. If you have an hour to take wonderful portraits, but you rushed the bride and made her feel guilty for holding you up, you have lost.

Your patience, kindness, friendliness, and helpful attitude during a wedding will gain you friends and future referrals. I often get friend requests from bridesmaids and family members after a wedding, and I can remain confident that I not only left a great impression on these people with my work, but from the interactions I had with them as well. And that is the type of person you suggest when your best friend is getting married.

Part Two: How to shoot for free (or cheap) and get the ball rolling

This is the second post in a series about what you should be focusing on during your first year starting a photography business. 

There is no shame in shooting for free or cheap when you are practicing your art and trying to get your business off the ground. In fact, if you are unpracticed and inexperienced, then you absolutely should. Charging people a lot of money to perform a task that you have not yet mastered is shameful and wrong.

As I talked about in part one, the main purpose of shooting a lot is to practice. This work eventually builds up and represents your business through your portfolio. Your portfolio shows your work to the world, it shows what you can (or can't) do, your style, and your passion. Your portfolio should also focus more on the type of work you are aiming for. Just because you shoot something, doesn't mean it has to go in your portfolio. If you don't like it, aren't proud of it, or don't want to do it again: don't put it in your portfolio! 

The business advice I'm about to give you is not for professional business owners. This advice is by no means mathematical or intended to be used long term. This advice is for beginners only, a starting point to get your business off the ground.

So here is my advice to you beginners, on how to shoot for cheap and get things rolling...

1. Make a list of what you want to do. Finding your niche or specialty may not come to you in the beginning, but it will form while you do more work. But start by making a list of the work that you want to try. For example, family photography, engagements, weddings, children, newborns, maternity, events, car shows, food, etc.

2. Make a list of the absolutely essential things you need to start your business. If your current equipment is hindering you from doing a great job, it's time to upgrade. Do you need a business license, a website, a blog, a logo, or some business cards? Write down what you need, find out how much it will cost and create your goal.

You want to be looking at a short term window, one year or less, that you will try to reach this goal and purchase the things you need. For example, let's say this is your list:

-A new Canon 5D MkII $2500
-A Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens $399
-A Prophoto blog $300
-Logo/business card design $400
Your goal to "raise" in one year: $3,600

3. Look at your portfolio and see what it needs. If you are just starting out, that probably means everything. But if you have some work under your belt, look at your portfolio and see which area is lacking. Even after years of being in business, Charlie and I will still look to see what our current portfolio is lacking and will exercise the next few steps to fill the gap.

4. Make a plan to meet your large goal. This means setting a price for your work that you feel comfortable with, and shooting as many sessions as you need to to reach that goal. For example, for your first six months you could charge $50 for a normal portrait session and $250 for a wedding. After you've gotten some work and feel a little more comfortable, you could raise portrait sessions to $100 and weddings to $500. Your year could break down something like this:

First six months:
7 portrait sessions @$50 each
3 weddings @$250 each

Next six months:
10 portrait sessions @$100 each
3 weddings @$500 each

Total of: $3,600

5. Identify people you know to meet your "needs". The above layout for one year is a lot of work! While it may seem tempting to put yourself out there for anyone to have, don't. Be picky. Select your target demographic that you want to photograph, and solicit yourself to them. If you want to shoot engagement and wedding photography, hit up your couple friends. Let them know that you are starting a photography business and are in a portfolio building stage for a limited time, and you would like to offer them the chance to have a portrait session with you for only $50 (or whatever price you decide upon). Contact as many people as you know who fit into your criteria for what you need, don't wait for them to come to you.

Continue this letter writing and phone calling until you have reached the amount of work you need, then raise your prices. Be flexible, if people aren't biting at your dollar amount, then work out a deal. Tell them you will take $10 off for every person they refer, or offer them an incentive for advertising your services on their Facebook page or website. Negotiate the talents you have for the connections they have.

6. Never work off of craiglist, no matter how tempting. There are so many reasons for this that deserve their own blog post, but just don't. It is unsatisfying, ungratifying, exhausting, depressing and meaningless. Only work within friends of friends of friends.

If you don't feel comfortable charging people yet, that's okay, shoot for free and get to a level where you can start charging. You can save up money from your day job to help meet your goal (that's what I did) and practice for free in the mean time.

So to sum up this post: Create a goal for your business and what it needs, make a plan for how to get that goal. At the same time, focus on practicing the kind of work you want to do and building the portfolio you want to show.

Questions? I'm always here.

-Sara

Have Heart Photography

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Part One: The Importance of Practice

This post is the first part of a mini-series about what you should be focusing on during your first year of photography business.

When you are starting a photography business, the best thing you can do for yourself is to practice. If you love photography you probably have a hard time putting your camera down anyways, so it shouldn't be too hard. 

It will take a long time to really know what you're doing and feel comfortable doing it. I know you just read that sentence and understood, but I want you to read it again. It will take a long time to really know what you're doing and feel comfortable doing it. I'm emphasizing this because that time in between where you know what you want and when you get it can feel like suffering. It feels like it's never going to come. But it does. It just takes practice. 

I cried the first time I ever watched this video, the man spoke directly to my heart and put me at ease. I never knew anyone else had felt the way I did everyday. Listen to the quote and be encouraged!

Ira Glass on Storytelling from David Shiyang Liu on Vimeo.

I share this with all of my friends who are starting out in photography. If you don't know what this guy is talking about, and you think your work is awesome all the time. Then you probably don't have the good taste he's referring to. It takes most of years for our work to match our taste.

This is a photo from the first family portrait session I ever did in 2009. They were mutual friends and since it was my first session I offered to do it for free. I was terrified and I had no idea how to pose them. Even though, in my mind, the pictures turned out horribly, the mother was still grateful and gave me a sweet present in return since it was around Christmas. Did I have good taste and know what I wanted in 2009? Absolutely. But without practice I had not gotten there. 

Fast forward about 9 months to another family photo session. It's worth mentioning also that in the first shoot I was using a Canon Rebel XT and a kit lens, and in this one I had purchased a 5D Mk II and a 24-70L f/2.8. More important than my upgrade in equipment though was the practice I had been doing throughout the year and the research I did on posing families. I memorized a few poses to be able to turn to during the shoot. These were also really close friends, practically family, so that helped create a natural flow.

I was a lot happier with this shoot, and I was proud to give them their photos. While I got some nice portraits of them I knew that I wanted to take more photos that were unique and different, something they couldn't get from anyone else. I was still disappointed at this point that my taste wasn't matching up with my work. 

This brings us to our session last fall in 2011, with my cousin and her beautiful family. After years of practicing I felt comfortable and confident going into this session. Together Charlie and I shot dozens of images that I would be proud to show anyone. And finally, I feel like my work is starting to catch up with my taste. 

You're never done improving, even after you start your business, even after you shoot dozens of sessions, even now, we will never stop getting better. With constant practice you will grow. Critique yourself, but don't be too harsh. Identify trends in your work that you like and that you want to see change, and then stay conscious of them while you are shooting.

As always, send any questions or comments my way.

Love,
Sara

Have Heart Photography

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What's your specialty?

When you are starting your own business in a saturated market, it can feel like you're never going to match up with other long-established businesses that are doing the same thing that you do.

The number one reason I believe small businesses fail comes down to two words: competitive differentiation. This is essentially what makes your business different from your competition. To have competitive differentiation you have to have a niche, a specialty.

If you were to ask someone why they buy coffee from Starbucks, they are likely to tell you that no matter where they go, they can count on their drink to taste consistent. That from Seattle to New York, and everywhere in between, your "two pump, stirred, no-whip, mocha" should taste the same. Starbucks designs their branding and stores to reflect this consistent, "coffee house" specialty. No matter where I'm at, the stores always look pretty much the same, all the way down to the barista's uniform.

By heavily marketing themselves as a consistent chain, Starbucks knows that they are shutting out the customers who prefer a more local, personal cafe. But Starbucks knows that you can't be everything. You have to choose your niche, and make it your identity. 

Businesses that lack a specialty are afraid to committing their identity to one thing in fear of losing money. These businesses remain vague, and people walking by aren't able to identify what the business is "about", so they move on.

I worked at a Starbucks store in a mall for years. Another coffee shop opened up on the other side of the mall, they sold coffee and smoothies and tea and juice and red bull and muffins and cake and sandwiches and panini's and salads. Even though they served so much food the interior didn't feel like a restaurant, it felt like a combination of a bookstore and a cafe, it had carpet and a fire place... it was weird. The identity of the business was vague. The ladies who worked their weren't experts in making coffee or panini's or salads, they had to do a little bit of everything. If I was in the mall and wanted a great sandwich and cup of coffee, I would go to Subway and Starbucks. If I wanted an okay sandwich and cup of coffee, I would go to this place.

I was not surprised last year when the cafe closed down. Their lack of identity, presence, and differentiation made them vague and undesirable.

When you're starting your business, you have to ask yourself, "What makes me different? What makes my business special? Why would people choose me instead of the competition?" Highlight the answers to these questions in your advertising and don't be afraid to cut out the area's of your business that don't.

To give a personal example, there is a fantastic photography studio in our area who is great at what they do. In the few years they've been open, they have had amazing success. If people are looking for studio photography, I don't have a problem highly recommending them, because that's not what Charlie and I do. To differentiate our business from theirs, I focused on what we do great, such as finding unique locations for every portrait session and including all the digital files in our packages, which is not something that every photography business offers.

Make a list of some things that you think your business is awesome at. It may be different from what your competition is doing, and that's okay. Don't shy away from something just because it's not the norm. Make another list of things you feel like you have been doing without even giving a lot of thought to, just because it's what everyone else is doing. Narrow down your speciality, and capitalize on it!

I want to hear your questions or fears about this, so please comment!

Love,
Sara

Have Heart Photography

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Welcome to my brand new blog

(This paragraph might seem a little vain, but please bare with me). Over the years I've felt called to entrepreneurship. I have always been a natural leader and planner. I'm not afraid to take risks, I'm not afraid to fail, and most importantly, I insist on succeeding. The latter is both a blessing and a curse, sometimes I don't know when to calm down and just be patient. I love managing everything. People, money, projects, it's just what I've always done. I also love learning about the ins and outs of marketing and advertising (no, they're not the same thing). Charlie and I will often go into a small business establishment and he'll have to listen to me breakdown all the ways the owner is failing to competitively differentiate their business. Again, sometimes this is a curse, like when Charlie just wants to eat his ice cream in peace.

Now I also have many things I'm not so good at, like doing my homework and taking tests. But I'm in school nonetheless. This is the logical side of my personality forcing myself to finish school because it's the smart thing to do, even though the other side of my brain is reminding me that school isn't for everyone. When it comes to learning about business or photography, however, you can't pull me away from the computer. I do a lot of reading and learning online, through other photographers and creative professionals, and I soak up everything like a sponge.

But overall, one of my favorite parts about owning my own business is learning personal lessons over time. The things that you can't teach someone from a book. There are deep, emotional struggles that come with not only owning your own business, but a creative business; one that is selling your art or your services to the world. Some businesses don't have a huge emotional aspect to them. "You want this candy bar?" "No, thanks." No hurt feelings.

So I have decided to start this blog to inspire other people who are starting a business, especially a creative one, or who are within their first few years. I will write about personal lessons I have learned so far, strategies that have succeeded and failed, marketing tactics I think are being overlooked, and how to succeed at being fearless, shameless, and insisting on yourself. The overall theme of my posts will be to insist on success. Insist on moving forward. No one is going to help you or hand anything to you, you must insist on succeeding.

So as I write, I want to hear from others. Please comment, ask questions, e-mail me. I want to connect with the other people out there who are walking the same path in life.

Love,
Sara

Have Heart Photography
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