Photography is a part of me; it’s more than a passion it’s a must.  I honestly could not imagine doing anything else and being happy.  And I think life is too short to not enjoy what you do.  There is no greater joy to me than capturing people and emotion and knowing I captured this moment in time. And for me, weddings are the perfect place for the type of photography I love.  It basically boils down to, I love capturing love.  I really really do.  A marriage is committing to spend your life with another,  and a wedding is the start of that.  All the gleaming smiles, the happy tears, the nervous chuckles, I love all of it.  I know the pictures I take as one starts this journey of marriage with their true love will be treasured for generations.  The pictures I take today will be looked at in awe by this couple’s children and grandchildren as they flip through their parent/grandparents wedding album.  Just knowing this brings tears to my eyes because what I do means something and matters.  The pictures I take today will still bring back those same feelings 10, 20, 50 years later for the bride and groom and their families.  After all, pictures are not just pictures, they are memories frozen in time so what I do is not photography but capturing moments and memories for people.  I don’t think it gets any better than that.  As I type this, it gets me super excited that the wedding season in Texas is almost here. I’m so excited and can’t wait to capture more fun weddings this year.  

I write this also in hopes of inspiring other photographers. I’ve read on lots of boards, people are discouraged for many many reasons.  It is hard being a business owner and an artist as at times we are so hard on ourselves.  But please I encourage you to look inside and remember why it is you do this.  Answer the questions, Why do I love photography? And please don’t just remember, write it down.  Every time your find your self getting down or being negative go back and read it.  We all need reminders from time to time why it is we love what we do.

I’ve been wanting to write this blog post for awhile now but I didn’t know where to begin (I still don’t).  I think as photographers, as artists, we tend to always think we don’t measure up, my work isn’t good enough, I’m not creative enough, if only I had better equipment/locations, props, lighting etc.    I’ve suffered with this ever since I started photography over 10 years ago and still do.  When I was in college, I would look at my peers work and think, man they are so much better than me, my pictures suck.  It’s one of those things when you look at your pictures long enough, they are no longer new, fresh, different to you but what someone else is doing does have that freshness.  I would get to a point that I couldn’t wait to be done with the project and move onto the next one.  At first, I would get super excited about what I was doing and then the same cycle would set in halfway through the project and again I would begin to wonder, is this any good?  And this was an endless cycle.  What I didn’t realize at the time, was my peers felt the same way I did.

Fast forward a few years and I’m diving head first into wedding photography with a Canon Rebel and a kit lens and a cheapo flash.  My equipment didn’t measure up and it made me feel inadequate.  I kept telling myself that its not the camera that makes the photographer but still couldn’t shake that inadequate feeling.  I then felt super cool when I upgraded to a Canon 40D and a dedicated flash (yep still using the kit lens).  I was starting to get noticed by a few people in the Dallas Wedding Industry and then got asked by Bride Associates (a local wedding planner) to photograph this Faux Wedding they were putting together that would be held at the Melrose Hotel in Dallas.  Of course I said yes, then freaked and I mean literally freaked!!!!  Other people in the wedding industry would attend (ie photographers) and they would so judge us on our lack of equipment, they would realize I’m nothing more than an amateur, and critique our every move.  Karey and I decided now was the time to go big and get the Canon 5D Mark II so at least we had the camera that all the other professionals were using (sorry Nikon folks no disrespect, promise).  We shot the event and I won’t lie, I was shaking and nervous the entire time.  I know we both felt like dorks carrying around our cheap, lightweight stands with our flashes loosely attached and our cheap (non radio poppers) attached to our camera’s hot-shoe.  I was so relieved when it was all over and very anxious to see the pictures.  I stayed up all night downloading them and critiquing my self to death.   But I have to say overall, I thought we did a fairly decent job.  I posted the pics on Facebook and was surprised (in a good way) with all the positive responses and messages I received.  Again, I realized it doesn’t matter how stupid or how basic your equipment is, the end result is what matters. The final picture is what will make people take notice. Since then we have photographed countless more industry events and I’m happy to say that anxiety feeling gets less and less with each event.

To see more from the Faux Wedding visit our FB Page

So what I learned was, I have to do what works for me and not worry about what the person next to me is doing.  I had to stop thinking grass is greener on the other side mentality and realize I do have green grass.  So if I can share this, don’t worry about your equipment and if it measures up to your peers, just take what you have and push the limits of it.  I confess up until a few months ago, I was still shooting with a kit 28-135 lens but I worked it. Be different.  If everyone is shooting to achieve bokeh, go against the grain and don’t do that, if everyone is shooting with natural lighting then use studio lights.  At the end of the day, you have to be happy with what you are doing and with the work you are producing.

For me, it’s about the clients and how happy they are.  I’m here to impress my brides and grooms and not other photographers.  I get way more satisfaction when I receive messages from my clients like this one, “Um I really might die these are SO FREAKING AMAZING!!!!! Thank You!!!” – Laura, then if I impress 1,000 photographers.

Always remember that most of your peers are probably just as scared as you. The best thing to do is to take that fear and push yourself to be better, take risks, get outside your comfort zone and trust me when I say, people will notice

This week our “for photographers” blog post is about branding and the basics of it.  First of all let me start by saying I am no expert, ok with that said,  lets move forward.  So what is branding exactly, its really just a way for consumers to identify your product/service and it helps to build trust.  In my opinion, branding is super important to wedding photographers.  Why, because it allows us to book the type of clients we want to book.  It boils down to, if you show the images you want to shoot, then the clients you book will want those same type of images.  You shoot what you show.  If your website is full of shabby chic details, vintage weddings then that is the type of weddings you will book.  If you show clients having fun, laughing and generally having a good time, then those are the clients you will book.  Branding will make your job so much easier as you will get clients that are of the same mindset as you.  I honestly love all of my clients and they are a true joy to work with.  We become friends in the process of their wedding and I 100 % contribute that to the fact we have branded K & S Photography.  So I urge you to pick 3 words or a catch phrase (make it your own though) that best describes the work you want to produce.

To help you get started (now this is just to reference and not to copy), we want Fun Brides with Creative and Modern Weddings.  I will break down each word

Fun – This word is the cornerstone of our business.  We want fun brides and grooms that aren’t afraid to be goofy, laugh, and have a good time.  We love weddings where everyone is just having fun.  When you look at our engagement session, bridal portraits, and weddings we want you to come away from viewing it and say wow that looked like fun.  We focus on blogging/posting those pictures that showcase how fun everything is.  And guess what, we get those brides and grooms that want those same type of images.

Creative – We love being creative and using different angles, compositions, ideas, etc. for our photos.  Karey and I both went to school at Texas Woman’s University and received our BFA’s in photography so everything was very creative and art-based for us and we feel that really translates into our photography.

Modern – This can be a tricky one to define.  Basically we say modern because we want our images to be very clean and simple, and full of color (don’t discount white on white as that can be very sleek and modern).  We don’t use vintage filters on our photographs, as we love very clean, editorial images.  We love bright, fun colors and show a lot of that on our website and blog.  This doesn’t mean we don’t love shabby chic/vintage weddings because we certainly do (and would love to photograph one).  So basically by modern we mean just simple, clean, colorful images.

One important thing I think that is overlooked when it comes to branding is how you edit your images.  Is it consistent or do you have one super colorful image, another faded and vintage and yet another one dark and moody.  If so, then you need to work on getting a clear-cut way of editing your images.  Why, because one image can be edited 100 different way and that will affect the tone/mood of the photograph.  There are just a handful of photographers that I can tell their image because of how it has been edited/processed.  It really just helps to streamline your brand, make your photos distinguishable, and gives you a direction.  In other words, your work looks more cohesive and like it all fits together.

I hope this helps and until next week good morning, good afternoon and good night

Ok I was going to do a blog post expanding on branding today but in light what I have see and discussions that have gone on in the past week, that got pushed to the back burner.  Instead this week we will talk about integrity, ethics, being professional, and respecting others.  There are too many photographers out there that feel it is ok to lie, cheat, and steal.  Sorry folks but I’m here to tell you that is NOT ok!  I’m going to address the top 3 offenses I see the most often.

1) Don’t Steal Images

Simple as that.  All the images on your site should be ones that you took.  If an image is on your site, you are telling the world, hey this is an image I took, its my work.

Stealing according to Dictionary.com is

1.to take (the property of another or others) without permission or right, especially secretly or by force

2. to appropriate (ideas, credit, words, etc.) without right or acknowledgment.

So in other words, if you take an image off someone else’s Facebook, blog, site etc without their knowledge and put it on your own Facebook, blog, site, etc you are stealing.  This includes the written word.  You cannot copy another person’s About Me Section, FAQ section, even email response as pass it off as your own.  I remember in school that plagiarism, or the stealing of another person’s words without credit, was a huge offense and could cause you to fail that assignment.  If you wanted to use the exact wording, you had to quote it, reference the material, the author, the page you found it on, etc.  Well that does not change as an adult.

Also when you steal someone else’s work, written and/or images you are being fraudulent to those customers that end up hiring you.  They are hiring you based on the work they are shown on your website/blog/Facebook.  You are then in turn stealing money from your clients because you can’t possibly produce the work that they have seen.  So all you are asking for here is lawsuits brought against you for copyright infringement, stealing, committing fraud, etc.  Ok I’m not going to pretend to be a lawyer here but I do know there are several crimes that could be brought against you.  And that is not a good way to start a business.  Honesty and doing things the right way, will only bring good karma your way and help your business grow.  We are a service based business and rely heavy on word of mouth referrels.  Well, when you steal images you not only lose referrels from that client, other photographers, other event professionals you cause a backlash especially from the client as they will tell everyone they know to never use you and what horrible experience they had.

2) Don’t put down other Photographers

This goes back to the simple statement we all heard as kids, “treat others as you would like to be treated.”  Don’t go posting bad reviews about other photographers.  This is seriously not cool.  Would you want someone do to that do you? No, of course not so just don’t do it!!!  And this will not increase your business so please don’t be a bully and put others down so you feel better about yourself.

Instead be proud of the work you do but keep striving to improve.  That will take your business places you have only imagined and keeps you postive and on the up and up.  Trust me people will take notice and in a good way

3) And third, Don’t pretend to be a Inquiring Client

Don’t email other photographers pretending to be a bride/client to get their prices, marketing materials, pricing sheets, email responses etc.  I get several emails a week from other photographer price shopping us (which I don’t understand since I have pricing posted on our site) or did see how we respond to clients or to get our brochure etc so then they can copy it (this goes back to #1, don’t steal)  I love helping out other photographers and will answer any question that is asked but just be upfront.  Yes starting a business is hard but certain things that work for me, may not work for you and vice versa.  As a photographer/business owner you have to try different avenues and see what works best for YOU.  Please don’t try to be someone else.  You are unique, wonderful individual and so use that and showcase that and I promise people will respond to it.

I’ve seen and heard too many of these things happening to myself and other wedding photographers from Dallas and other parts of the country.  I know there is a lot more that could be addressed but these are the top 3 offenders I have seen/experienced.  So to wrap this up, if you take nothing else away from this post, Be Yourself, “Treat others as you would like to be treated” and Be Honest.  And this is for all businesses not just wedding photographers. Thanks Everyone  and Happy Tuesday

Oh and I want to leave you with a happy picture so here are some cute pics of my fur kids taken with my iPhone so don’t judge

For our third installment for photographers we will address the fear of failure and  getting started.

I’m sure you’ve noticed by know I’m a horrible writer, seriously.  But just like with photography, if I keep doing it, I will get better.  That is why I push forward and continue with my ramblings and bad grammar.  My family always makes fun of me because of it and I honestly proofread these posts and have my husband proofread them.  I still make mistakes.  But I figure, that’s ok, I’m not perfect and I do make mistakes but I try and learn from them.  The same goes for photography.  I think as a society we have this fear of failure.  We must succeed at everything we do, the first time around.  Reality tells us that is not true.  If you fail at something, don’t quit, as that is the worst thing you can do.  Analyze why you failed and apply what you learned to the next time you go out and shoot.  We are our own worst critiques so use that inner voice and strive to get better with every photograph you take.  I can tell you that when I was in college going through the photography program, I had to re-shoot every one of my assignments because I failed at something.  But I learned from it and when I did my reshoot, I didn’t make the same mistakes. So please know that failure is not a bad thing and it leads to growth and actually makes you a better photographer.

So how did we get into wedding and portrait photography, honestly it just happened.  I had friends, my brother’s friends, friends of friends, and friend’s exgirlfriend’s brother’s fiance’s contact me to photograph their wedding.  Haha did that last one even make sense, it is very much true though.  They all knew I had a degree in photography so they felt I had the knowledge to photograph their wedding.  In reality, I had no idea what I was doing when it came to wedding photography as it is a completely different ballgame than any other time of photography.  I knew nothing of working with flash and I was shooting with the first model of the Canon Rebel.  I did charge, maybe not very much, but  I did charge because I wanted to put a value on the service I was doing.  Things just kinda snowballed from there and before I knew it I was running a wedding photography business and loving it.

I do want to point out though that because I had studied photography in school I knew the technical side of photography and had a solid foundation with that.  If you are not comfortable with ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speeds and how to control each one to get the picture you want, I suggest taking classes.  Community Colleges have really good programs and you can learn a great deal there.  Plus the classes are only $100 and you get a professor to teach you for 3 months and help you one on one.

So now comes the business side of things, and how to legally set up a business.  I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on this part because I most certainly am not.  I know you need to get a DBA from the county clerks office, set up a tax id number, get set-up to pay sales tax etc.  Each state and each county is different though and my advice would be to talk to a photographer in your area or go up and chat with someone at the county clerks office.  They can help you much more than I can.  Also read what it says on the county clerk’s website that can give you a lot of valuable information.

Since this post is getting pretty long, I will end with a list of other things you need to help you get started.  I’m sure this will leave more questions, so just leave a comment or go to our FB page and leave questions under our discussion tab (or just click here to go there directly)

- You’ll need a website, just google photographer’s template website and you can easily find several of them.

- A logo. That can be really simply or really complex. It depends what you want.  We wend the very simply route and just used K & S to create our logo. You can see our logo with the K & S in the picture below.

- Start branding yourself.  Pick a few words that describe your images and then show images that fit those words.  You will attract the type of clients you want.  It has done wonders for our business.

So until next week, I leave you with practice, practice, practice as that is the only way to get better.