Hello, Nice to Meet You

I found this designer, Sam Edelman, yesterday. I'm sort of in love with him right now. I would wear any of the above were it not for the fact that I can't handle 5 inch heels, and I don't have several hundred spare dollars to spend on ankle-breaking shoes. But wouldn't any of them look fantastic with my $700 DVF dress that I posted below?

I also really like these for some reason:



I would wear the shit out of those umm... snow shoes? Cosmonaut boots?

I warned Matt that if he ever makes us rich I'll probably blow all of our money on furniture and clothes.

In other news, by the end of the week I should be listed as a local vendor on The Knot. I'm not really a huge fan of the way they go about pushing the "dream wedding" on girls, but I do think that it's a really great place to start your search for wedding info. They've got crap tons of resources on there.

I'd also like to have a feature on Offbeat Bride since the kooky gals need love too, but those are a little pricier and the Omaha market is considerably smaller on there. And by "considerably smaller" I think we're talking maybe 10 people total. But I love them and they don't discriminate against any type of wedding. Most of my weddings so far have been pretty unique: a park, a hospital chapel, an old school Italian restaurant... so I'd like to make sure my bizz has exposure the non-traditional market too.

Target Anonymous

I've decided that I MUST save money for a new Zeiss lens to badassify my camera for weddings in the fall. I need a high quality zoom lens for shooting. The best lens I have is my 50mm, which I love so much I would marry it, but it's not really a convenient at-all-times lens. When I'm trying to get a nice close up shot of someone standing at the alter, I don't think the bride and groom want me hoovering twelve inches in front of their faces. It might be a little... oh distracting maybe?

So, I'm going to save for a Zeiss lens. Which is a lot of saving to be done in three months. To expedite the process, I'm putting myself on a Walmart diet. I am not allowing myself within 100 yards of a Target until I have enough cash in my pocket to buy it. I shouldn't be able to breath the crack-laced Target air from outside that range.

TCB Ya'll

This last weekend was a good one! Friday night Matt and I hung out with new people and ate some amazing homemade Creole food. Gumbo, red beans, cornbread, fried catfish, okra, crawfish etouffee. It was unbelievable. The food was particularly authentic because we ate it in a house without air-conditioning, on a night that was probably 90+ degrees. It was sweaty and miserable, just like being in NOLA!!!

I stayed sober Friday night so I could get up and run on Saturday morning. (Example #317 that I'm getting old and dull.) Jen and I ran 6ish miles in 60 minutes, which is putting us at a really great pace for the 1/2 marathon. It was ungodly hot at 8:30 in the morning and we stopped for water 3 times, so we were both blown away by our overall time. NICE!

I then edited 50+ wedding pictures and an entire senior session, cleaned my office, and geeked out looking at office supplies at Target. OMG - Target sells French Bull supplies. Someone help me... It's gotten to where I'm so excited about working at home that I'm asking my parents for business accouterments for my birthday. (Example #318.) I also worked out a plan to get some really awesome business cards and wedding handouts taken care of in one shot. I want something that's a little different than just a business card but doesn't look gimmicky or cheesy. I think I have a good idea and it's not something that I've seen anywhere already. It's also time and money efficient which is concern numero uno since I'm spending every penny I make on my business at the moment. Well okay, every penny I make minus a few pennies that I spent on a Betsey Johnson dress last week. But hello, 85% off, who could pass that up even if they are technically broke?

That just about rounds out my productivity. Unless of course "productive" can be defined by watching most of the first season of Weeds on DVD in one afternoon.

The Wedding: A Day of Terror

My photography blog is where I appear to be a professional person who knows what they're doing.

This blog is where I tell the truth.

I photographed an entire wedding on Saturday and I left the reception feeling like a complete failure. It was a day so terrifying and exhausting I fear having to do it again. Seriously, I'm afraid to photograph another one after the first one. I know the first time doing anything is hard and sometimes shitty, so I'm just trying to keep reminding myself that it can only get better from here.

I learned that I seriously need to learn to use my flash. Who in their right minds photographs a reception without knowing how to use a flash??? This girl apparently. I thought I could get by with the available light in the hall, but then they turned off the available light and I was left with lighting from a string of Christmas lights and a window.

It was bad.

I got by for the most part using my 50mm 1.4 lens and my ISO cranked about as high as possible, which is so very unkosher. I didn't know what else to do though. I used the flash on some shots and they were freaking horrible. I stuck to the low-light lens and prayed that I got some in focus. It worked for the most part but there are some that are really grainy due to the ISO. It was certainly a learning experience.

TCB

Just a little Takin Care of Business post... Things have been going really great the last couple of weeks.

-I ended up doing five shoots in June. So far, I have four shoots booked for July.

-I've had four emails from brides asking about weddings for Fall 09 and 2010.

-I was contacted by a wedding cake baker who offered to do some networking/referral exchanges. She also offered to help me out with cracking into the business, which bridal shows are the best, etc.

-I'm going to have my first ad running this summer for senior portraits in a program for Ralston High.

-I'm still soliciting for faux brides if anyone is interested!

I'm really behind on editing photos right now. I have three shoots from last week, as well as some edits to my senior pictures and a wedding shower that I never finished going through. If feels good to have *work* to do though. I'm honestly not complaining about it!

Proving That I'm a Grown Up Business Woman

I've been thinking lately about my need for a legitimate home office, a place where I can consult with clients and not be horribly embarrassed by the pile of shoes under the desk and the stack of junk mail covering the keyboard. Right now the nearest Starbucks is serving as my meet and greet place.

My office certainly isn't in bad shape, it's just not a place that says, "Professional and Capable Person Who Deserves your Business." I need to ditch the clutter, get a cafe' sized table and chairs, and print off some high-impact examples of my work. I recently got a membership through a canvas and photo printer and I get one free canvas and 40% of sample canvases for being a professional member. It would be really awesome to be able hang some examples up and show off what my work looks like in print. I also need to get together some subject-specific albums: babies, teens, weddings.

Right now I don't have a huge need for this, but eventually I'm hoping that I do. Wedding consultation is really the big reason I want to be able to have a nice home office. Brides and weddings is like "big time" for me. I adore wedding photography. I want this so badly. I need this. I've never been this ambitious about anything before and I think the progress I've already made has been great. My goal is to be self-employed by 28 so I'm moving right along...

I've also been reading more and more about business management and researching networking opportunities for creative fields and small businesses in Omaha. My friends and family have been of more help to me than I could have ever asked for, but it's also nice to have other people out there throwing my name around. I know that I'm not a top-notch, world-changing photographer, but I think I have what it takes to be a startup professional in this industry. With time, knowledge and help I think I can really do this.

Understanding Exposure

Throughout the course of this photography quest I've been on for the last six months, I've struggled a lot with trying to figure out how to shoot in full manual mode. Or at least what is considered full manual mode on a DSLR. I'm fairly certain that I would earn a big FAIL if I tried shooting with a film SLR.

Depending on who you talk to, some photographers say that shooting in M really isn't that big of a deal and others say it's the only way to go. Regardless of who's right, I still couldn't completely understand it. As a major anal retentive learner, I had to figure it out whether or not I would ever use it. I understood the concept of it - needing to set the ISO, shutter speed and aperture to all create perfection together - but I was hopeless at actually making it happen. I've been shooting in A and P for the last four months, ignoring the M.

But then, the clouds parted, I heard the angels sing, and the hand of God blessed me with the knowledge I was missing. AKA, I finally read this book: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition).

I read it and I couldn't believe how utterly freaking easy it was to figure out! For the love!!! Everyone who wants to learn how to use a DSLR should read this book. It goes on to explain a lot more than just manual shooting too. So far it's the most valuable resource I've found for demystifying the magic of digital photography.

Work Work Work - Bring It!

Yesterday I posted a shameless self-promotion everywhere. I put it on my blog and Facebook. Jen also put it on her Facebook and Cat put it on TheNest. Out of that I got five inquiries about weddings, a one-year child shoot, a possible family shoot, someone asking for pictures of his new recording studio, and a job designing a logo.

Daaaaaaang.

I'm still offering to do weddings this summer for el cheapo if anybody knows anybody.

I finished editing Sarah's senior pics last night. I need to print off some copy to include with her disk. Price sheets, package lists in case she needs anything else, release forms, etc. Then, done and done. Job complete. I'm really hoping to get a few references out of it. I had a lot of fun doing senior pictures. If memory serves me correctly, teenagers are solely concerned with looking cool so if I tell them that a picture is going to look "cool" they'll go with it and not question me. Plus kids aren't jaded to the Old Market scene and they think it's hip to go take pictures down there. I want to find a really carefree, artsy type teen who will be down with like standing in an alley and getting all moody and edgy. Parent's wishes be damned, that kid will look cool.

Tax Laws?

I'm starting this lovely Memorial Day by researching/begging for help with understanding tax laws. Apparently in Nebraska, you have to pay taxes monthly. I had my very first official paying client yesterday and it's got me hot and bothered about tax laws. (obviously by "first official paying client" I mean "first client who paid me in a check - with a paper trail - and not with equipment/coffee/museum admission/a fist full of cash")

I needed an EIN back in April to open some accounts with professional photography services. I didn't really think much of it until this morning when I made an invoice for my client and I got all hung up about whether or not I needed to include sales tax in it. I'm thinking the answer is probably yes. But maybe not?

That Feels a Little Bit Better...

Sometimes when misfortune craps on you, fortune shows you a little pity. I booked my first senior portrait session today! I'm really excited. I get to bust out all the cool shots and angles and filters. We're going to start in the Old Market (naturally). I also want to try to find an open field somewhere. I loved shooting photos yesterday of my nieces and nephews playing in the flower (aka dandelion) field yesterday. I'm not well informed on good places to go that will appear secluded like that though.

I like the feeling in photos when there's so sign of civilization anywhere and nature stretches on as far as the eye can see. That's kind of what I have in mind for the first bridal shoot I do this summer. Jen... I'm talkin about you here... I think that would look so peaceful and romantic. Just a bride and groom together, alone, with beauty all around them.

Now We're Talking!

I might have a photography website as early as next week! I met with some web cohorts today and we're doing a work-exchange for it. So, the site is free sort-of-but-not-really. As long as I don't have to write a check to someone, I'm happy.

Now I need clients, clients, clients to take pictures of.

Do any married ladies out there want to dust off their wedding dresses and do a bridal shoot with me? I want to do a practice round of wedding pictures to get a feel for it. I guess it's technically a "trash the dress" but I promise no trashing will be done. You wear your dress, I'll buy you some flowers, we'll go find some cool place to take pics, fun will be had by all. And if your husband doesn't happen to be busy maybe he'd like to come along too?

Email me! cburright {at} gmail dot com.