Bobbi & Mike

Bobbi and Mike's session was jam packed with so many good tips and full of inspiration. I took lots of notes during their session and compiled a few that really stood out to me and that I plan to implement into my business.

-You're not just a photographer. I loved this statement. I have always put the word 'just' infront of my profession for as long as I can remember. When I graduated and wasn't going to hair school yet I worked at a couple coffee shops. When people asked me what I did for work I'd say, "Oh, I'm just a barista." When I got my license for hair styling and was working at salons and then eventually at my own home I would still tell people, "I'm just a hair stylist." And now with photography, I often say, "I'm just a photographer." Seriously! What kind of job do I have to have in order to validate myself??? Geez louise! I am NOT just a photographer, I'm A PHOTOGRAPHER! And proud of it and of how far I've come in just one year!

-Own who you are. See last two sentences of previous paragraph! And along with owning who I am I want to own what I do.

-Show what you want to shoot. This concept has been on my mind for SO LONG now. I always think about this every time I post pictures from a shoot, or even ones I take at home of my daughter. Why should I post pictures on my blog or Facebook page that don't really showcase the style of images that I want to take? Take weddings for example. I'm not a stand-beside-each-other-and-look-into-the-camera-and-give-a-cheesy-smile kind of wedding photographer. Sure, I take a few of those posed pictures because Grandma wants to frame one of them, but you won't ever see one of those pictures on my blog or website. If those are the types of images that you want, the more traditional posey posey kind, then please don't contact me, because you won't be happy with the result! Anyway, I want to really think strategically about the images that I showcase and ask myself if each image captures the feel and real-ness that I love to photograph. If it doesn't, then I need to leave it.

-Your Goal: To show the them that they are when they're alone in their living room. I love this! Bobbi was referring more about family shoots for this, but you can still transfer the concept to weddings and engagements. You want to create an atmosphere where the clients can feel at home. Along the same lines, Bobbi and MIke said to "put yourself in your client's shoes" and that "you're not going to get 'real' until you show it yourself", meaning you need to be real with your clients if you want them to relax and open up to you and your camera and be real themselves.

-Shoot every wedding as if it's your own. Touchez. Good point. In this case, put yourself in your brides shoes and, if you've been a bride yourself, remember how nervous you were the morning of your wedding and how everything really did have to be just right. Don't slack off for one wedding because you're not feeling excited about this particular wedding, whether the decor isn't quite your taste or the bride is a little too Bridezilla for your liking. It doesn't matter. Get off your high horse and do your job with pride and remember that this is HER day, not yours!

-The art always comes second to taking a beautiful picture. Your priority is to take flattering photos, NOT just taking photos that will look great in your portfolio. Mmm. This was a great point! It really echoed in my head for a while after! Every once in awhile, or probably more often than that, I come across a photo where I just LOVE the composition and the lighting and all the artistic aspects of the photo, but the bride's eye is squinting and/or the groom just happened to lick his lips at that moment. So much of me wants to use that image anyway, despite the risk of totally mortifying this poor couple that has hired me to document their wedding day forever! The last thing I want is for my client to NOT want to show their friends one of my images!! So, despite the fabulous composition and artistic layout, that image has to GO!

-When you give mediocre images that's all the client will see. This statement coincides with the previous one, but it really needs to be emphasized! Bobbi and Mike were so true in saying this, and that by giving your clients so many pictures, including the ones that are just ok, they won't see the handful of amazing images amongst all the mediocre ones. I need to work on this, big time. I need to only produce about 60 images from a portrait session/e-session, and have those be my 60 or so most favourite images. The images that really resonate with who I am and what my style is and what my branding is all about.

-There are going to be enough people who DO like you. So encouraging. How often have I thought to myself, "what if they don't like me? Or my pictures? Or my personality?!" Who cares?! There are enough people out there who do. Even if it's just my mom. Big deal! I've said this before and I'll say it again, I'm doing this for me, in a sense. Yes, my clients are a big part of it too, but as far as the artistic, creative stuff goes, that's all me! So if you don't want to hire me because I don't care if my skies are blown out in order to properly light my subjects face then please find a photographer who does care about properly exposed skies!

As you can see, Bobbi & Mike's session was jam-packed with so much knowledge! I was busy writing for most of the talk! I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and do check out their blog for some good reads and great images!

I don't have any pictures to share from that session. Sorry! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, I sure did! I'll have to write about it another time. Today I've been lying in bed with one of the most severe headaches I've ever had. And just overall not so good. A couple hours nap didn't help the headache ease up either. Thankfully my mom lives near by and didn't mind coming over to help take care of Cheyenne while I try to not wince in pain every time I move my head. Fun. I hope your Tuesday is starting out better than mine!