I have to admit every year I get bit just a tad by the sale bug and get the urge to brave the crowds and lines and dive into the chaos that is Black Friday. Getting this itch is a bit of a tradition but the actual Black Friday dash is NOT in my family. Though Ryan and I once, in high school or college, decided to brave black Friday in the early AM hours to stand in line for something (I cannot even remember what) which they ran out of 2 people in front of us in line so we stuck around for a portable hard drive because we were there and were NOT going home empty handed.
Another year, we braved what I recall was a late NIGHT Thanksgiving day (ahhh I know where were my holiday scruples) to get my momma a $200 HUGE TV (that one is probably the best one I’ve done yet since it was all about giving and not getting for us, I also introduced her to the Cassava Bingo which she ended up loving).
And each year we do venture out we inevitably leave the store after hours of line waiting to get in, to get the item, to pay and then to get out of the parking lot and we swear to never, ever, do that again….. well, another year is here and ya’ll I have the itch! I’m not sure if we’ll do it, but I’m looking for a reason to get out and about for some crazy BF deals this year again.
Anyways…. Black Friday shopping at SJP is a bit less hectic (though still full of CRAZY deals – like really I nearly always wonder if I’m nuts for offering this!). I have nothing but GREAT news for you with this year’s sale. For one, it’s SIMPLE – one BIG % off for anything you’d like in 2018! That’s 40% OFF EVERYTHING!!!!! Two, it’s not just for 12 or 24 hours. Nope, shop at your own pace whenever you can NOW through midnight on Cyber Monday 11/27.
So what’s on sale? Your entire portrait experience of 2018 is on sale! Shop small or load the cart full to save even more. Our most popular full experience sessions are on sale: Senior Art Session (reg $195 only $117) or Classic Family Session (reg $95 only $57). Plus, our quick and simple Limited Edition sessions are on sale too for something short and sweet. Personally, I think the LE sessions make the BEST gifts! These sessions are 15 or 30 minutes and are the perfect way for your friends, family, employees, etc to try on the SJP portrait experience for their kiddos, family, pets, seniors, etc. And starting at only $27 (ya that’s not a typo) for the sale it’s super easy for you to give the gift of portraits to everyone on your list.
And lastly, GIFT CARDS are on the BF sale too! Yes, that means you can stock up for yourself and for everyone to buy everything they want in 2018 for 40% OFF (see, this is where I wonder if this is just completely nuts). But hey, it’s out there now so we’re doing it, crazy or not!
Just a reminder, the sale is for 2018 sessions/orders. Gift cards may not be used on already completed or booked sessions/weddings or toward existing balances. Happy Thanksgiving and happy shopping!
I cannot tell you how reinvigorating my week in this Tennessee mountain cabin with 19 other EXTREMELY talented photographers was for me. I have always thought that continued education is a MUST for our industry. I’ve been in business full time for 7 years and another 6 before that part time and I can tell you photography as a whole looks nothing now like it did nearly 14 years ago when I started and I guarantee it won’t look the same in another 14. But while I’ve attended HUGE conferences with thousands of photographers, learned from hundreds of instructors from all over the US and the world, I’ve never been to a retreat like this one.
In three days, this group of 20 photographers went from ‘omg we are legit living with these people for three days’ to ‘omg how are we going to be states away now?!?’ … friendships were formed that I expect to last for years to come. And while we learned from two top-notch educators we also learned from each other. Seriously, guys this cabin was dripping with talented photographers yet somehow no egos, it was a beautiful thing.
Ok, enough about everyone else, what about ME (haha)… this retreat is just what I needed! I LOVE (like LOVE LOVE LOVE) what I do and thanks to all of you I’ve been able to build a business doing what I love right here in Central IL but I want more. No, I’m not talking about wanting more money, more fame (ha) or anything like that. But I felt I wanted to give you MORE. That I wasn’t giving all I had/could but I couldn’t see where to go next, what to do next and I’m THRILLED to tell you that both instructors connected these dots for me. Not only do I know what we were missing but I know HOW to give it to you and our road forward is not only bright and exciting it’s flipping paved in glitter (ok ok I might be just a bit excited).
So what does this mean for SJP and specifically YOU? I promise you’ll see very soon but for starters you’ll want to follow us on snapchat and instagram if you don’t already because that’s where we’ll be leaking a few early peeks at what I’m working on for you. And sign up for our monthly E-Zine which will hit your inbox ONCE a month with the latest news and exclusive offers ONLY available to our VIP list.
Hey photographers! This post is for YOU!! Are you a seasoned photographer looking for a way to spice up your portfolio or reinvigorate your business? Are you in your first years of business and still ironing out the kinks and looking for ways to streamline your workflow and make sure you’re on the right path? Or are you a new photographer with a passion for the art but still green in the inner workings of how to turn your love into a career? Well, then this conference is the place for YOU.
There are instructors here who specialize in everything from newborn to wedding portraits, business, art and even video! I’ve spoken in the past at The Reset Conference about studio lighting and this year I’m excited to speak on the business side of things. I know that pricing and sales can be intimidating… but they can also be the things that make or break your business. There are SO many questions when evaluating your pricing and sales process that it can feel overwhelming and scary. Are you charging enough to cover costs on every product? Are you charging enough to earn a living yourself? Can you afford to outsource/grow at these rates? Does your pricelist make sense? What does it say about you/ your business? Does it help you make a sale? Are you making the sale you need from every client?
My goal is to make your pricing (and your pricelist) work for you, to make sales easy, fluid and even FUN (yes I swear it can be FUN for you and your clients!). AND the best part is my pricing and sales classes should combine to make sure you leave the conference with a product line and price list that represents YOUR business brand/style and the confidence that you can sell your work without having to be salesy.
I cannot wait to share this content with you all AND as a special bonus I’ll be doing facebook LIVE videos to critique/review 5 attendees pricelists (since we won’t have time for this during the classes). Email/message me for your chance to have your pricelist be one of those reviewed (don’t worry it’s done anonymously if you prefer!)
I saw an article pop up in my facebook browsing this week that had me intrigued, confused and mostly just a whole lot of ‘oh no you didn’t’ … The article was the 5 reasons you shouldn’t get engagement photos (let me insert a big fat sad face right here to start). This was one of the rare cases where I couldn’t just keep scrolling SO with this bonus extra blog post for the week I’d like to tell you why I think you SHOULD have engagement images!
Granted there’s really no way that this ‘rebuttal’ doesn’t come across as self-serving (you know, because I’m a wedding/portrait photographer who, yes, sells and profits from the creation of engagement portraits – eh). BUT, I promise, I want you to get engagement portraits even if I’m NOT the photographer who creates them for you (and I’ll tell you the reasons why below).
ONE – It’s the most in-depth wedding photographer interview you can ever hope for! You hire your wedding photographer 6 months to 2 years in advance. Hopefully, you’ve done your research and have viewed past wedding work, whole galleries, finished albums, heard reviews from past clients (maybe even personal referrals of friends), etc etc. You’ve met with them or at least chatted with them and you feel good about your choice. BUT, of course, they showed you their BEST work, they put their best foot forward to impress you and win your business. More than likely what you see IS what you’ll get, but wouldn’t you like to KNOW for sure?
What if you could work with this photographer and be photographed by them on a before your one and only wedding day? This would give you a little preview of how they work, let you see if you interact well with them, if they get you, if they make you feel comfortable. AND if they can give what they’ve promised. You’ll be able to see if you like their images of YOU (not just past clients) before your big day. Imagine how confident you’ll be when they walk in at the wedding when you already KNOW they can produce images of yourself that you love and deliver on everything they promised, because they already have once; at your engagement session!
TWO – It helps your photographer prepare for your wedding day! Just as much as it can be helpful for you to work with your photographer before the big day, it can be even more helpful for them to have previously photographed. As a photographer, I study people. I study your face to see what angle is most flattering, if you have one eye that closes a bit more when you smile, if you’re a squinter or fake smiler, and I work to pose you in ways to highlight your best features! Time and time again my client’s will have more favorite images toward the end of their sessions for this reason. It takes me TIME to see these things so the images of you just get better and better as I photograph you more.
I am also able to see what images of yourself you liked best. Did you fall in love with the romantic fun images we encouraged or did you gravitate toward the traditional portraits we posed and crafted? This information lets me custom-tailor your wedding-day photography to what YOU love most. If I know you or your fiancé is a little more reserved or shy when there is a crowd we might plan to have some solo portrait time where you can both relax and be yourselves away from others. On the other hand you may both be more comfortable and come alive in front of your friends and family and feel too ‘in the spotlight’ when it’s just us…. I could go on and on about all the things I’m able to learn about you from 45-90 minutes at your engagement session but it might start to sound a little creepy (just know that I’m watching…. bahahaha <<< see creepy!).
The fact is, engagement sessions HELP me create better wedding day images. And as Ms. Emma Mcgowan (writer of that article I mentioned above) points out in her article, weddings are expensive so might as well get the best bang for your buck and ensure I can do the best job possible on your big day.
THREE – They are more authentically YOU! Ok, sorry Emma but this is in direct contrast to her reason number two NOT to get engagement portraits because they can be inauthentic according to her. This reason of hers actually made me LOL. Just curious how many times you wear a frilly white gown and your man is in a tux surrounded by all your friends in matching chiffon, taffeta and holding or wearing flowers. My guess is this is not how you spend most of your weekends.
No, your wedding day is not authentic to your daily life, nor should it be, it’s a BIG event, do it up! But I often suggest to my clients that we do showcase who you are on a more regular basis with your engagement session. Wear what’s more typical for you, choose a location that might have personal meaning or at least showcases your personalities a bit. Maybe we revisit a favorite date location, proposal spot or iconic home town monument. The fact is your engagement sessions are your opportunity to be authentic. To tell your love story! Which leads me right into reason four….
Taken at their first date location! (Plus the DOG! What’s not to love??!)
FOUR – They tell your story… As we already said above these portraits can tell your story at a depth we aren’t always able to create in the time we have on a wedding day. But your story isn’t really ‘told’ until we have a medium to showcase the images. Personally, my favorite way to do this is with one of our custom-designed guest books (see some designs below). This replaces the old tradition of just having a lined book where guests sign their names (who ever looks at THAT after the wedding day?!?!). Instead of this, we create a beautiful custom album design featuring 20-45 of your engagement images, showing off your whole story (locations, outfits, personalities, pets!) with blank areas for your guests to sign their names and leave well wishes for you to hold onto forever. Now imagine flipping through THAT book with your kids or grand kids in the coming decades!
We also create wall art for nearly 80% of our wedding clients with images from their engagement sessions. The fact of the matter is that your dress (however stylish today) will be outdated in a decade or less (think about your mom or grandmother’s dresses… were there shoulder pads? a huge veil/headdress? long fluffy sleeves?). So a portrait of you on the wall in that dress in 10 years is going to LOOK 10 years old. But what about a portrait of your engagement session … in love, yes! outdated, no!
FIVE – Just a bit of time that’s all about you and your LOVE. My absolute favorite part of my own engagement session (and even my husband’s as well) was that it was a little bit of time, carved out of our lives where it was, not only all about us, but it was all about being in and showing off our love. In the hustle and bustle of our lives how often do you just stop, slow down and hold your man? How often does he just stop and run his hands through your hair in a movie-worthy long slow kiss? Not often enough, I tell you!
But on your session… that’s exactly what we do! We laugh, we play, you kiss, you hug… you slow down to just focus on the fact that you LOVE each other and it’s an amazing thing.
SIX – Because you WANT to! (Ok, I really planned for this to be 5 reasons but I guess there really are MORE reasons for than against hahaha). After all this it’s really just a bunch of she said, she said… Whether you listen to Emma or me, the last real reason to have engagement images is because you WANT them! At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if I think you should (and I do) or if Emma things you shouldn’t. You are only at this time in your life once, enjoy your engagement just as much as you do your wedding (and all that comes after it) and if engagement images are part of that joy for you do it! Don’t let anyone steal that from you. And if you DON’T want them, I’m really surprised you read this far, but you’re free to go on not having them taken.
Thanks for sticking with me through this out of the box blog post for me! The most fun part was getting to flip back through some past engagement portraits!!
In my industry I see this all the time. People get hurt/bitter/mad/etc (‘butthurt’ as my husband and other workaholics fans would call it) when another photographer ‘steals’ their signature pose, lighting style, location… but really unless your Amazon (who apparently invented and recently patented the idea of photographing on a white background) you more than likely didn’t invent the idea of posing someone in that way. Nor is it likely that you are the first to photograph on that brick wall or patch of grass.
BUT instead it’s more likely that one of two awesome things happened 1) someone was INSPIRED by you to push their own style and create images using your style as an inspiration. Your work opened up a world of new possibilities for them and encouraged them to push their work farther, outside their comfort zone and to try something new. And yes, they may even do it BETTER than you (ooo I know that burns sometimes). OR 2) (as unbelievable as it may be) they in their unfailing creativity may have thought of the same idea that your genius mind did (ever hear ‘great minds think alike’?!?).
In either case, the theft of these ideas is leading to a growth in the industry. And I would wager that you yourself have ‘stollen’ an idea or two and with a spark of a stollen idea you may have added your flare/flavor/style to that idea to grow an even bigger/better one. In our industry I think it’s VERY important to find your own voice (as a popular blog post I shared on my facebook page this week said: http://dedpxl.com/essay-i-hate-wedding-photography/) but I think the taking/sharing of ideas is the foundation of creating a well-rounded aesthetic.
I’ve seen this in my own work and that of those in my market too…. A year ago I photographed nearly ALL (99.5%) of my work with off-camera-flash but greatly admired the work of others in my area who worked nearly exclusively in natural light. SO (while I’m still at about 75-80% flash work) I have branched out and work to create at least one or two looks per session using only natural light to create a variety of style for my clients.
Conversely, I taught a class last year to other working professionals in this area on how to shoot with OCF and have seen recent work by some of those natural light photographers using ‘my’ techniques for OCF to create BEAUTIFUL work ‘like mine.’ These techniques aren’t mine and their work is completely their own, I’m happy they found value in what I had to share and have taken those ideas and run with them… often creating work I admire greatly!
So to any photographers who read this, jump in, explore the blog and STEAL away!
