{Styling a Photo Shoot} Dallas-Rockwall Family Photographer

Recently I watched a competition on The Food Network and Professional Food Stylists competed for a prize. Their day jobs are to take food that a chef has prepared and make them look pretty for a picture. Often they are hired by restaurants for the commercial images that will be used for advertising purposes. Like food, people are also used to model clothes, jewelry, shoes, makeup, etc. Stylists are also used to prepare the model for a photo shoot. They make the best of what they've been given and create beautiful combinations of "eye candy" for a pleasing final image. Below is an inspiratin board and my attempt at being a clothing stylist to prepare my family for our upcoming family portraits. It's the first year I've done it this way so I'm hoping that my efforts will produce breath-taking final images! I'll let you know ;)

Business Ethics

I saw this article today and it hit a spot in my soul. It's a soft spot that says, "Jennifer, give them the benefit of the doubt because they are going through...and they need you to give them a break." That soft spot in my soul that gifts me with mercy, tends to get rubbed, bruised and eventually hardened by bad experiences in life. I don't want it to happen but it just does. Well, I'm sure anyone who has a business has dealt with this type of issue regardless of what industry you are in. I also realize that my clients and potential clients deserve to see the "Ins & Outs" of my business to know WHY I do what I do. It just makes for a better working relationship. To avoid that soft spot in my soul from becoming hard as stone, I hope to address issues, questions & concerns before they become such so that you, my client, will be a lifelong client. My goal is to blur the line between good friend and client because life is too short not to be able to work with good people that bless my soul (and keep it from hardening)!

Enjoy the read and leave me a note to let me know what you think. How have you dealt with issues like this and what advise do you have for me?

To Get Paid on Time, Be Ruthless - BusinessWeek

Because I don't want to leave a post pictureless, here's an image of my guys having some fun. They all 3 LOVE to fish!

What is Custom Photography? + Before & Afters

Many of you who read my blog are one of three kinds of people; other photographers who like to look at photographers' blogs for inspiration and networking, a potential client stopping by to see my work, or just friends supporting me in my endeavor.  However, all of you may ask some of the same questions.  Thankfully, Marianne Drenthe, a fellow photographer, has written a well thought out piece educating consumers about "custom photography" and how it relates to the rest of the photography world.  It is very informative and educational so please check it out by clicking the link.  I am adding it to my marketing toolkit both written and digital.  

Also, don't want to add a blog entry without including some photos.  What better way to "show" you what custom photography is than to show you a few before/after images.  The before images are the files right out of my camera.  The after images are after cropping,  digital retouching and artistic enhancement.  There are a few "oops" shots that I'm reluctantly showing you just to prove I don't always do it right the first time, but I've found ways to fix many, not all, mistakes.

Leave me a comment if you found this interesting, educational or just to show me that you love me!  Positive reinforcement, like I'm learning to do with my children! ;)