Halloween Sessions Part 2

Well, It wasn't a complete failure. I had 3 parents/4 kids show up to my second week of photos. Now I had fun, but I am far from content with how the shoot went overall. However, this week instead of sulking in my failures I am going to focus on what I learned and what I will be able to do better next time!

Some things I improved on from last week:
-Set up of the backdrops, I moved some things around on my backdrop to be at more appropriate heights for a child shoot.
-I doubled up the backdrop on one of my "stations"

Things I need to do better:

-Backdrops: It was my first shoot so I used tablecloths and scene setters instead of appropriate backdrops. This was one of the hardest parts of the shoots for me, there was really nothing I could do about it. I was forced to try to edit glare and wrinkles out of my images which really hurt my productivity and overall images. I will definitely be investing in a better material backdrop for my next shoot to save me editing time and also the embarrassment I felt when showing off poor attempts at removing the wrinkles in editing.

-Positioning: Although I tried to make sure I got the entire backdrop in frame I sometimes had it crooked. In my group shots I had children too close to the edge which made it hard to crop and edit effectively.

-Being Aggressive and Overall Interaction:
I need to KNOW what show I want to get and take charge. I let the parents have the run this time, and although it was for the most part okay, its my JOB to get the shots that they want. I need to give directions better and be less shy in my interactions.

I am really hard on myself and felt that both of these were just inexcusable mistakes, but looking back I'm feeling a little less defeated. I haven't had any formal classes and I was honest with my customers about this and charged a very low price. The only thing that worries and saddens me as that these clients may not be repeat customers because of the quality of the backdrops and some of the final images. Also I worry that other people will not want to give me a chance if I do Christmas photos because they will think that these weren't that great and conclude that the Christmas ones won't be much either.

Some of the better shots:

I really want to enroll in an online photography certificate program so that I can really start to learn the technical side of photography and really begin to improve. I just have to see if I can afford it and also if my current college will allow it.

Failure is Tough to Handle

I realize that  you are supposed to learn from your failures but sometimes it seems to push you down to a lower point than you started. That's how I am feeling about my latest photography venture.  I decided to do some cheap ($25) Halloween Mini Sessions thinking it would be a good way to get some practice in, and since it was affordable I figured I would get a decent amount of people to come out--even if it was just family and friends.

I planned to do photos on two Sundays, last week and then this week. Last week I only had three people planned but two didn't show up, I was disappointed but not worried. I got my "test-run' in and thought that once people saw some of my shots they would be more willing to come out to this week's shoot. So far I have been wrong.

Very few people are showing interest and I may have to cancel if I don't get more interest. I just feel terrible, not only do I feel that I'm doing poorly in everyones eyes, but I also feel bad for letting people down. My mom really got behind me on this photo session idea, she even paid for some of my props and I just feel like I have wasted her money and time.

Although I am not ready to give up I am just feeling a bit down on myself. I just gotta keep working and learning and see what happens.

Photography Lesson 1-Intent

I have been having a DSLR for almost a year but it saddens me to say I don't feel that I have LEARNED much. Sure, I am a bit more comfortable with my camera and its functions but I am still not confident when I go out and shoot on deciding on camera settings. Recently however I have really started to get into photography and am starting to dream of opening my own photo and design business after graduation...BUT that means I have A LOT to learn about photography.

Since I am already a college senior studying Mass Communications, I am hesitant to spend a lot on photography programs at the moment. (Although the New York Institute of Photography is tempting me) So until I really decide on what's best, I have found a free resource to use: Best Photo Lessons. I thought it would be cool to document my lessons here so that I will have a cool and accessible way to see my progress. If you decide to complete this course as well be sure to discuss with me in the comments!

So here we go, Lesson 1:Intent

1. Things I like about photography: I like that it is capturing a moment, freezing a moment in time that can never be gotten back, a photography really gives you the best look back into that moment. I like the challenge of getting that great shot, of capturing that emotion. I also like the feeling of pride I get when I share the images and receive positive feedback. I like that photography provides a possibility for a different kind of work environment. I don't see myself content as a 9-5er...maybe I will have to be, but chasing dreams never hurt anyone either.

2. What I want to achieve with photography: Starting small I would really like to gain confidence behind the lens. Right now I am nervous about posing and interacting with my clients. I would like to get a solid grasp on my camera settings so that I can build confidence by knowing that I have the technical knowledge and then be able to feel more secure when posing and shooting my subjects. Dreaming big I would someday love to pursue a career in photography (and design). I would like to have my own home studio that I can decorate for each occasion and just be creative with. Making a living off of photography would be amazing. Through that photography business I would want to interact with people and capture their emotions and traits. I don't want to be some uptight photography that poses people to the "T" (at least not in every shot) I want to be laid back and make people feel comfortable and allow us both to have fun because I think that will capture much more real emotion.

3. Subjects I want to shoot: This is tough, I'd really like to capture a lot of different subjects. I want to travel and capture some cool landscapes or just places from my journeys. I'd like to try and get some nature photos, and animals. Of course I'd also like to get photos of people. I am specifically interested in children as subjects, I think that children just give a lot of room for creativity and provide a unique challenge. Pet photography could also be fun. Oh and I love sports so that could also be a fun venture.

4. How I feel about those subjects: Travel/landscapes-Since I haven't traveled out of the gulf coast area in quite awhile these photographs would represent adventure to me. Exploration. I feel anxious but excited about these types of photos, it would be me widening my horizons and capturing that in a photograph seems very exciting. Nature photos-again these photos can open the door for exploration, but this time I don't have to go very far. Just taking the time to look closer and appreciate the things around me in nature, even in my backyard. They are all miracles and that is pretty inspiring. Things in nature can also be scary such as lizards and lighting...but just because they are scary doesn't mean they wouldn't make stunning photography subjects. Children- These make me nervous. Although I love children I don't have much experience with them and it can sometimes make me uncomfortable, that being said with a little work and loosening up I think I would love children's photography for the creative and fun aspects to it. Pets-I LOVE my pets, and just animals in general. I think that pets are very intriguing because they can't speak to us, yet we form this incredible bond with them. I think the challenge of capturing a pet's personality sounds incredibly fun and rewarding.

Well sorry this was lengthy and text-heavy post, but I really liked how this exercise made me really think through all of my goals and thoughts on photography and helped to bring up feelings about various subjects and aspects that I may have not reflected on otherwise. Did you try this exercise? Did you discover any new feelings?

Next time: Lesson 2 (Basic Exposure)

My Portfolio

This summer I decided to open an Etsy shop. If you don't know about Etsy you MUST check it out, it has pretty much all the wonderful handmade items you could want! At first I was very discouraged because I had kind of got my hopes up too high, but I now usually sell an item or two a week and things are starting to get going. I haven't had as much time to work on new items as I would like to, but with some more hard work I do think it can become something. If you are also starting an Etsy shop or any kind of small business I wanted to share some of the things I have done, and plan to do to get off the ground.

1.) Clean up your listings Whether you are using Etsy or another online shop you definitely want to take the time to make your listings look professional. This means photos AND text. I still have work to do on some of my listings, its not the fun part but it is definitely an important one. Buyers want to be CLEAR on what they are buying so you really need to spell it out (this will also cover you later if they say "I didn't know" Put your policies right in the description to avoid trouble later. For example, I sell digital invitation files so I state the item description, time it will take to be completed,what size the item is, and also clearly put that I recommend sending it to a photo center, that the item is not physical etc. So far so good.

Also the pictures need to clearly show your items from different angles. Since my items aren't physical I usually post my JPEG item photo and also another photo of the item on a faux background because it makes it look more real to the buyer but I plan to eventually take photos of physical prints too.

2.) Create a Facebook page dedicated to your business  Although my business page hasn't gotten many followers yet (I haven't paid for advertising yet) it is much better to start with a small following that cares rather than try to bug all your Facebook friends with frequent business posts...trust me they will get annoyed. This also gives you a link to share with your customers so they can keep up with your items in the future. It hasn't lead to many new sells for me yet, but once I get more items I will probably promote my page with FB advertising and hopefully it will spark some new sales.

3.) Business Cards this is particularly important if you are shipping out physical items. You can get some basic cards printed at places like Office Depot or online via Vista print and they start out rather cheap! Vista print often offers x amount  of basic cards for $10. I am currently working on creating my own design but most sites will give you a template to customize if you aren't into making your own. It would be a great idea to attach a business card to a nice thank you note when you send out physical items. Since my items are digital I will probably use my physical cards to tap into the local customer base by doing some personal handouts and maybe attaching some sample files for them to see. 

4.) BLOG While the purpose of this blog is not for me to promote my business, it does offer me ways to network for it. Posting "how to" videos and subtly promoting my items can generate interest. Also if you get a decent following you can start networking with other bloggers and doing guest post for one another. I am no where near that point now but I really hope to be there after some hard work and a few successful posts! Blogs do take time and effort so don't think it will quickly bring in lots of customers, but if you are in it for the long haul it is definitely a worthwhile time investment. 

There are many more options and ways to promote, but I think this is a good starting point. If you have any questions or tips for me please leave a comment! If you want to check out some of my designs you can  view my shop here! 

This post is for school...but I am secretly enjoying it.

Nintendo is a company that is not afraid to step out of the box and do something different from its competitors, not only is this true with their hardware design it is also true for their online identity. 

Last year when Nintendo announced they would largely scale back their presentation at E3, the biggest gaming conference of the year, in favor of online "mini presentations" people were shocked. Some people, including myself,  thought this was a terrible move, but like I said earlier Nintendo isn't afraid to do things differently.  Nintendo has begun outputting self-produced informational videos through a service called "Nintendo Direct" and to be honest it is BRILLIANT. Every couple months they release an online video via live streaming discussing their upcoming games and products. This allows them to be in charge of what the consumers first see of their products, rather than relying solely on other sources to cover the news for them. This allows Nintendo to get more control of making a good first impression on the consumer with their products. The only thing I would like to see them do better is to involve their other social media sites more by including hashtags during the presentation to help build excitement and unite the fans. 

CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME NINTENDO DIRECT PRESENTATIONS FOR YOURSELF