Urban Trend: Featured Photographer, week 3

Urban Trend

::Hugghin's Photography Senior Division::
Studio and Location Photographer
Online: Facebook and Website
Serves: Gwinnett and Athens, GA areas
Market: Seniors
Go to gear: Canon! I shoot with a 5D and LOVE my 85 1.8. I'm working on upgrading my current 50mm.

I decided to start my senior division last year after a few family friends asked me about doing them. I got so busy with kids and babies that it got pushed to the backburner. 

This year, I started planning in January, knowing I wanted to launch it in the summer. I made a list of everything I wanted to do- branding, names, colors, blog posts, even picking potential models. 

I wanted it to look similar to my main brand, but still be able to stand on its own. I was lucky enough to find an amazing make-up artist who set me up with some lovely teens to help me build my style and portfolio. It all went really well and we have had a ton of interest since its launch in July!

Our main focus is to make these high schoolers feel like they too can look like the girls they see in their favorite magazines. I love to show them that no matter what their size or style, they will love their portraits! I struggled a bit with my own self-esteem as a teen, always being the tall and lanky girl, but now it really helps me demonstate poses! My favorite part is during the shoot when I show them a really great shot on my camera and they say "What? Is that how hot I look? I didn't think I could look like that!" It's just the best!

We continue to work on styled and themed shoots to help set ourselves apart from every other senior photog around. I want girls to know that their senior portraits can be so much more! We just finished up a super fun "Back To School" shoot with a junior from a local private school.

We designed the wardrobe, and with the help of my fantastic make up artist and an amazing location, we created an editorial type feel to the shoot. We were able to experiment with posing and makeup, so it was very helpful as well as fun! As with the last few of our styled shoots, we give the models a bunch of Facebook photos to show off and their friends have been raving over them!

We gained a majority of our fans through them and have received several inquiries. We will even be doing a "Sweet 16" shoot in a few weeks! I have been loving how dynamic this division has become! We hope to do so much more in the coming months with the new brand! I can't wait to begin our new Rep Program this Spring! I am loving these girls and hope to do seniors as a majority of my business in 2012!

Lovin' that Urban Trend feel? 

Visit them on Facebook! 

and Check out their Website!

Personal Standards Commitment

One of the most important things that has helped me maintain my sanity and assisted in my decision making about my business is my Personal Standards Commitment. 

This is basically my "mission" statement between my business, my values and myself. It affects both the business and my personal life. 

It can help me put emotionally charged situations into perspective and give me permission to put my personal life first without guilt. 

If you work for yourself, and especially if you work from home, I highly recommend creating your own Personal Standards Commitment. Need some inspiration? Here's mine:

--- * ---

Personal Standards Commitment

of KMS

in regards to The Studio Trainer

I will trust , respect and value my own judgment, but I will also test my work by inviting the judgment of others.

I will trust, respect and value my own talent, and continually engage in education and skill building – for my clients benefits, and my own.

I will do everything in relation to my brand at 200%. I will not compromise, shortcut, quick fix or take an easy solution to create a problem later.

I will run my business today for the business I plan on having in 10 years.

Every decision I make, I will keep my brand in mind. I will also step back and take the personal out of my business, so that my choices may be clear and unaffected by emotion.

I will consistently offer my work and services for sale without bashfulness, sloth or false pride.

I won't compare myself to those who pose as my competitors, and I won't worry about the state of their business because it doesn't affect mine. I try to remember their target market is not my own.

I will strive to maintain professionalism in posts, status, notes, and messages on Facebook, Twitter, and on my Blog (or any other social media that I use).

I will work as close to a regular business schedule every week, to keep a balance between work and family life. I will not choose my business before my family. 

I will be involved in business no more than 5 hours every weekend. 

I will keep my business and personal life as separate as possible online and through social media. 

I won't partner with a business for the sake of partnering. I will only partner with a business out of mutual respect, value and understanding.

I will believe in myself enough to say no … and to say yes. Without excuses or explanation.

I will try to recognize that not every prospect is a good client. If they question my value, then they won't understand it.

I will explore the work of a variety of photographers at every level, and strive to serve the photography community with an open mind and heart.

I will always speak my mind to better the industry and the business, and share my opinions and thoughts without filter, but with professionalism as my standard.

I will advocate for and respect those less experienced, and speak without fear to those who are influential and strong in reach.

I will embrace rejection, criticism, failure and mistakes and openly admit to them. I recognize that I can use all opportunities to grow.

I will listen earnestly, ask questions, and uphold respect in all that I do.

I will take at least one vacation a year, and not feel guilty about doing so.

I will take off birthdays, holidays and at least one weekend every month, without guilt.

I will be authentic and open about my experiences, life and values – both publicly and privately.

I will recognize my own strengths and weaknesses, and I will delegate to those who have greater experience, knowledge and value than I, when it behooves me to do so – and without shame.

I will always maintain helpfulness, resourcefulness, and selflessness as guiding forces in my business.

I will strive to be approachable, understanding, and trustworthy in all things.

Hugghins Photography: Featured Photographer, week 2

Studio and Location Photographer

Serves: Gwinnett and Athens, GA areas

Online: Website, Blog, and Facebook

Market: Maternity, Newborns, Children

Go to gear: Canon! I shoot with a 5D and LOVE my 85 1.8. I'm working on upgrading my current 50mm.

Business Story: After college, I knew there was nothing else I was meant to do. I didn't want to work full-time and luckily I had a husband to do that for me! After the recession, I was forced to get serious about owning my own business. I designed my own logo, business materials, and joined a few online groups to continue my education. 

My advice if you're new in the industry: I love helping out new pros because I feel like we are all one big family in the photo world! I have a few blog posts specifically geared towards those wanting to learn more about their craft. I still have so much more to learn, but if my little bit of knowledge can help a struggling photog, then I am a happy girl!

One big mistake I see new pros make is not taking the time to learn about light. It is the essence of photography and still people think they'll just "wing it". It doesn't work that way. Research, research, research, then practice, practice, practice!

I think the biggest thing you learn from those who have been around the block a few times is to learn from their mistakes. See what they aren't doing, because there is probably a reason for it! Don't copy, but be inspired by their work. Try out new techniques and see how they work for you.

It took me quite a while and many trials and errors to find my shooting style, so don't expect it to come overnight! You don't necessarily have to be trendy- just shoot what feels right to you. Oh, and don't "specialize' in EVERYTHING! Pick what you love best and study the crap out of it!

Visit Hugghins Photography on Facebook 

Visit Hugghins Photography Blog

Check out Hugghins Photography Portfolio 

Kristie Bradley Photography -- Featured Photographer, week 1

Kristie Bradley Photography

      View Kristie's Bio Now!

Kristie, a Virginia lifestyle photographer, is thrilled to be entering her second year in business. “The last year has been a whirlwind filled with many ups and downs, lessons learned and moments of sheer happiness”. 

Read more about Kristie and her photography in the interview below.

Tell us more about what inspired you to start your business?

I have always loved photography and was drawn to landscape and floral images. After a while I wasn’t feeling inspired and my photography fell to the wayside. I began teaching (which I love) and felt like there was more for me in my own photography.

My sister was my inspiration. She began photographing when her son was born and started her own business. We really enjoyed talking photography and sharing ideas and tips with each other. I saw what I was missing in her enjoyment. 

A few years later, after some planning, research and designing I launched Kristie Bradley Photography and haven’t looked back!

What equipment do you use?

I am an on location natural light photographer, but I daydream about owning my own small studio someday. Images of Organic Bloom frames (my new favorite product) and huge windows dance through my head on a daily basis! For now though my bag consists of:

Nikon D90

50mm 1.4

24-70mm 2.8

SB600

An assortment of reflectors

I keep it all in my Kelly Moore Bag! (well not the reflectors)

What is unique about what you do and what you offer?

I would like to think that what makes me unique is my customer service and personal touch and attention I give to each of my clients. I try to find original locations for shoots, spend some time with my clients to choose outfits and help them design wall displays for their home. This seems to be a characteristic of small boutique photography businesses and in my area I hope to stand out in that market. My clients are like friends and I get to know them and want them to be ecstatic over their images and the experience.

Do you have a favorite session?

I have been loving the high school senior sessions and have a few that are on the top of the list. However, I have had the opportunity to be a part of a very special event, The American Cancer Society’s Cure by Design Fashion Show of Survivors. I am so honored to be a part of this and was elated to be asked to photograph the Featured Model for 2011. This amazing husband and father of three has such a positive attitude and fighting spirit. Meeting people like him make my job more amazing than I could have imagined.

Best advice that you have been given regarding your business.

Don’t give away your work, believe in your work or no one else will.

This is the hardest and most helpful advice I have gotten. It is so easy, especially when starting out, to want to give discounts and free sessions. What I learned was that if you give it away to a friend that friend will always expect that discount or freebie and won’t ever want to pay full price. Your work is being devalued. You have to value your work, time and talent.

Five fun facts about you.

1) I would eat ice cream for every meal if I could!

2) I believe laughter is an essential ingredient in life and my son provides me with giggles and belly laughs on a daily basis (love him!)

3) I love the beach, but am afraid of what is in the water...haha

4) My dream vacation would be a trip to Fiji with my husband

5) I have an identical twin sister

More from Kristie Bradley Photography:

Connect with Kristie Bradley Photography Online!

Interested in our Featured Photographer Series? Click here to apply!

In Person Sales Techniques Online Class

Do you need help with your In-Person Sales Techniques? Do you want to see one start to finish? Or maybe just have a chance to ask questions about In-Person Sales?

The Studio Trainer is excited to announce their first ever online class about In-Person Sales. There are limited spaces available per class, so we recommend you register early to make sure you get a spot! Plus, there's a great bonus if you register by September 30th!

Want to register now? Click here!

Or, if you want to see what else we offer, visit our Consultations/Classes page.

Want more? WE OFFER A FULL PRODUCT LINE HERE

Senior Reps, pt.1

So, you may have noticed that I titled this post with a part number. I do anticipate this to be a series of posts regarding the program that I've found to be successful.  Here in part 1, I want to talk about Defining a Rep Program, Goals and Planning.

Disclaimer: This is what I would do, how I would run my program. Feel free to tweak it, or even disagree with me. This is what has worked for me. 

-----

Reality Check #1: I will be the first to tell you, a successful Rep program can be extremely time consuming. At the very minimum, you will need to spend an hour a day on it during busy season, and more in slow season.  Recruiting, securing, training and photographing your Reps is a full-time job. If you cannot commit the time to do this, please find an intern or hire someone to help you. It will pay for itself.

-----

What you believe about Reps is the very first thing you need to address when you're planning your Rep program. So many photographers see these teens as their means to an end. They think of Reps as their key clients and that you want to make sure you don't give them too much stuff or they won't spend anything. 

WRONG. Want to truly define a Rep program that will pay off? You have to realize that the point of a Rep program is create controlled word-of-mouth experiential marketing placed strategically within your market reach IN ORDER TO BRING IN REFERRALS.  These are those awesome branding interns that are out there in real time (think of them as living, breathing social media) ... they are a means to an end.

Referrals are your key clients. You just have to trust that you can build a program to recruit the right kind of Reps, so they bring in the clients that can support your business. This lets you spoil your reps - they're out there working hard, shouldn't they be rewarded?

Let me tell you why I believe this. With the hundreds of Reps I've worked with, the biggest thing they need to know and feel is that they matter. That this is exclusive. That they've been chosen for this program because you believe in them. They need you to keep them interested and energized. 

So what's in it for them? They need to know that if they're going to put in effort (even intangible effort), they're going to be recognized for it. They need to know that you're not just going to photograph them, hand them a stack of referral cards, and send them out the door saying "bring in 5 people to me who spend x amount, or you don't get anything else from us"... and then not hear from you again until you want them to place an order. 

BRAND OUCH. Yet, so many photographers do exactly that. 

Your Reps are your brand. You would spoil, invest in, pamper and spend a lot of time on your brand. Right? (I am imagining you saying yes here. I would really hope no one would actually say no)

Define your Rep program as a part of your brand and not a part of your income. Define your Reps as Brand Ambassadors and not as dollar signs. Besides, you're gonna build such an awesome Rep program, all the people they refer will be enough to support your business. The Rep orders will just be icing on the cake :)

Now that you've defined your program, its time to set Goals. When you start to think about your program, think about how many schools are in your market, the amount of time it will take to complete your parts of the program, and how many referrals you can take on the highest end of the spectrum and still have a real life. With your family and friends ... sans camera. Think about the students you will want to have involved. 

For the schools you want to target, plan on having no more than 1 rep for every 50 students enrolled. Many programs can do well with 1 per every 100. The goal here is to balance saturation. Try to recruit students that have varied friend groups within the school and their outside activities. A school with 400 enrollment should have 4-5 reps. 

You'll need to plan time for phone call interviews, in person interviews (and program enrollment), brand training, photographing their rep session, showing them their images and giving them their tools, sending out newsletters and idea emails, keeping in touch and answering questions, keeping track of and informing them of credit earned, follow up throughout the program for self-checks and assistance, and eventually orders. That's the bare minimum involvement I would recommend. 

How many referrals would mean how many kids can you realistically photograph during your season. Don't over-recruit and end up being unable to book referrals from excited reps. Know your limits. How many referrals will you expect from each Rep in your program? How will you monitor that and enforce it? (I don't recommend requiring a certain number of referrals. I find the less pressure, the higher percentage of reps that refer. Seriously -- this one change took a rep program from 22% participation to 95% in ONE season). 

Figure out your target Rep. Are they involved at school? What about outside of school? What traits should they have? What kind of personality and interaction level? Are they influential? Are they involved online? Also define what kind of Rep you don't want. What doesn't represent your brand at it's best? Don't just take anyone who's interested and has a heartbeat. Someone who lives your brand authentically will do your brand a better service than someone who just came to you for the "free" session. 

Now that you have all that in mind, you can start Planning your program. We will go into this part in a lot more detail further in this series, but I did want to touch on it now. Having a good plan in place is essential. 

It is almost impossible to say "Hey, I want to run a Rep program" and then launch it a few weeks later and have it be crazy successful. Take your time. Plan for everything you can think of. 

Try to discover the loopholes, the questions, what feels right for you, what you love. Start planning now, and launch it next year. You'll be glad you waited and made sure you had everything in place.

Who's ready to see how I do things?

-----

... more to come soon, watch for pt. 2 ...