by Kelli France | Editor-in-Chief

Chic Critique loves working with other fabulous resources for photographers, including Design Aglow.

I’ve recently been working with them on 2 projects: 1) sharing my marketing ideas in their amazing Photographer’s Marketing Guide and 2) being a Featured Artist on their up and coming ProjectLife 365!

I’m gonna share a little about both of these projects with you.

PHOTOGRAPHER’S MARKETING GUIDE

Do you have 1,001 ideas for the New Year but have no idea where to begin? Do you start, but never finish, projects? The Design Aglow Photographer’s Marketing Guide is a 41 page guide that has the answers to these questions that will help you plan, organize and act in a way that will ensure success in the upcoming year. Check it:

PROJECT LIFE 365:

If you are an Instagram fanatic like me, then I’m sure you’ve already heard about the exciting new Project Life 365 by Design Aglow.

Project Life 365 is an interactive photo a day challenge that helps you develop your creativity by guiding you through daily prompts that engage your imagination.

I am honored to be a Featured Artist on Project Life 365. Project Life also offers a Field Guide where I, personally, share some of my own phone-photography tips.

Join the #projectlife365 fun at www.projectlife365.com and follow me on Instagram at @kellifrance and @chiccritiqueforum 

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Rena, what camera do you use and what is your favorite lens?
Canon 1Ds Mark III and 5D Mark II. My favorite lens is the 70-200mm 2.8 ISL

What has been the most helpful critique you ever got on an image?
An important bit of advise I had received when I initially began pursuing commercial and fashion editorial work, was to shoot ‘real moments’ rather than just portraits.

What 3 words would you use to describe your style?
Vibrant, Authentic, Happy

Where do you pull your inspiration from?
I think you can find inspiration anywhere, you just have to look. I have found inspiration looking at other photographers’ work, illustrations, art, movies, books, songs, poems, an outfit can inspire me, colors, props, you name it. I enj

oy keeping up on fashion magazines, commercial and fashion photographers.

What is one specific way that you balance work and family?
That can definitely be tough at times especially when your ‘job’ is something that you really love and enjoy. you can easily lose track of the hours you spend on the computer and neglect the people and things that are the most important in your life. I find that if you try and keep to a schedule and set ‘work hours’ for yourself then that helps. I also try and set aside a couple days a week where I don’t work at all (if I can) especially Sundays so I can go to church and spend time with my family.

Best biz/photo advice?
I think it is fine to look at other photographers work and ask yourself what is it about their work that you like but not try and copy them. Find your own style…also you don’t always have to fit in with the standard either. Just because everyone else seems to be doing it, doesn’t mean you have to too. Find what drives you and makes you feel excited and inspired and shoot that!

What have you learned the hard way?
One thing I learned as a photographer, is to always shoot variations of each ‘look’ for your commercial/editorial clients. I did a photo shoot with a celebrity where they were wearing a hat and I failed to get any shots without her wearing it and the magazine ended up hating the hat! Needless to say, after kicking myself for not getting any shots without the hat, I had to spend quite a bit of time in post removing the hat and replacing it with the top of her head from other looks. Always get a variety from each outfit as you never know what the client will end up liking and how it will look within the layout of the feature.

How does your business deal with the rise in photographers. What have you done to standout and compete?
Who you are as a photographer can be what sets you apart form the ‘competition’. Who I am (my personality, being fun and easy to work with, etc.) is equally important to my photography.

Where have most of your 2012 clients come from (besides WOM)?
Most of my clients have been from me just getting out there and making connections (for my celebrity, commercial and editorial work). I also do actor headshots and those has come from agent and manager referrals.

What has been the best workshop or convention you’ve attended so far?
I really don’t know what has been the best but probably the most memorable would a convention in San Diego back in 2003. I had just started pursing studio photography and went to a workshop by celebrity photographer, Jerry Avenaim. It was great to see how other photographers worked, to hear their stories and learn editing techniques they use. I believe that there is always room to grow as a photographer and something new to learn.

What is your most popular product?
Digital Files

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I love on-location shooting, but I wanted to have something that wasn’t readily available to other photographers.  Something that gave my images a consistency.  I wanted a studio.  But I didn’t want all the overhead expenses and stress of a retail space.  The whole reason I started photography was to have a flexible schedule so I could one day stay home with kids.   I knew the perfect situation was a studio on my property.  So when my husband and I were looking for a house, I was looking for a set up where I could have my studio at home.

What we found was a detached garage that was north facing and provided the most beautiful light.  Once we snatched up the house, we went to work on transforming it into my little gem of a studio.  The house was a foreclosure when we got it, so it needed quite a bit of work.  We fixed up the backyard first and then went to work on making the garage look more like a chic studio instead of a nasty old garage.  We put wallboard and a laminate floor and the big project was swapping out the 16ft  garage door for 2 sets of 8ft french doors.

Now when I go to work, I can just walk out my back door!

BEFORE:

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ABOUT TIFFANY:

Tiffany Angeles left her corporate cubicle to use her artistic talents in photography instead of Excel.  She is a high-spirited photographer capturing fun & stylish portraiture for hip, modern families.  Recently named top kids photographer in Los Angeles by CBS, she and her photographer-husband have also been featured photographers on Bravo, published in Rangefinder, as well as many other top publications.   She enjoys the challenge of creating fun images of rambunctious kids but considers herself a Renaissance soul as she dips her hands in many interests.  The portal to her photography and various lifestyle interests is at www.tiffanyangeles.com

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by Kelli France | Editor-in-Cheif

A friend emailed this poem to me a while back and I just love it!

Not sure who wrote it (if you know, please share) but it’s very inspiring:

——————–

If there was ever a time to dare, to make a difference,
to embark on something worth doing,
IT IS NOW.
Not for any grand cause, necessarily…
but for something that tugs at your heart,
something that’s your inspiration,
something that’s your dream.
You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
HAVE FUN-DIG DEEP-STRETCH-DREAM BIG.

Know, though, that things worth doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
And there will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you
that you are pushing yourself which you are not afraid
to learn by trying.

PERSIST.
Because with an idea,
determination, and the right tools,
you can do great things.
Let your instincts, your intellect,
and your heart, guide you.

TRUST.
Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friends.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new brings the hope of something great,

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

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Do you post on your blog only to hear crickets? Do you sometimes feel like you are talking to yourself (and maybe your Mom) on your blog? Do you need some LOVE?

Chic Critique is here for you, girl. In 2013, we are doing a weekly feature on our blog every Saturday called “BLOG LOVE” where you can showcase your  blog posts on Chic Critique for lots of love.

SWEET BENEFITS:

• Use this as motivation to blog at least once a week
• Boost your SEO: your thumbnail will link back to your own blog for lots of publicity and SEO lovin’!
• Get blog comments from our fans
• Show off your work
• Get published! One of your images might be featured in an upcoming issue of Chic Magazine

It’s so easy! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

You must be a member of Chic Critique forum to participate 

1. Post some pics on your own blog with a link back to Chic Critique
2. Every weekend, submit your permalink (not your main blog address) from your own blog post to the frog icon (see sample below) to our weekly Saturday “Blog Love” blog post
3. Your image will then show up as a thumbnail on OUR blog and allow our readers to click on your image to check out YOUR blog.

Need a reminder? We’ll help remind you in our weekly newsletter and on Facebook so be sure to become a fan and subscribe to our newsletter.

ENTER YOUR BLOG POST IMAGES FOR THIS WEEK BY CLICKING ON THE FROG BELOW:
Don’t forget to leave a comment on the other entries because that is half the fun! Also, submit your photo early since those seem to be the ones who receive the most comments.

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By Amy Fraughton, Photo Business Tools

Many photographers enjoy the benefits of being able to work from home.  Slippers replace the heels, snacks at any time, and no boss breathing down your throat to get this done by yesterday!  However, as a small business owner, you also face the challenge of running every position in your little company from Marketing Director to Chief Financial Officer to Janitor and let’s not forget you’re still the Photographer.  To handle the many responsibilities that your business requires and still enjoy your life and business, it can be a great relief to be able to delegate tasks to others.   But, how are you going to pay for help?  I know, I’ve been there, as you are starting out, it’s imperative to keep costs down in order to bring home a check.

Check out 3 ways that we’ve found to delegate your tasks without “hiring help” and make more of your time!

1.  Buy actions.  Many photographers actually hire someone to do their editing, but until you have the funds and the amount of work coming in to support that, consider using actions and other time saving tips to help speed up your production.  There are so many tools and tips that you can learn to cut your editing time in half.

2.  Don’t design.  Once upon a time I decided I wanted to design my own website.  One full week went by of many frustrated hours spent trying to learn how to develop the website, and changing the design over and over till it looked decent.  However, the problem was, it still looked home made and truly sub-par!  Fed up, I finally changed my course and paid for a fabulous template that was 1/3 the cost, completely done for me and professionally designed!  Happily, I learned to continue my love and passion of taking pictures and leave all other tasks to the pro’s.   Seriously though, with all the amazing designers out there, don’t waste time trying to make things on your own.  Whether it’s cards, marketing materials, or websites, I’ve found the professional designers can do it better every time at a fraction of the cost for me.  You should be spending a majority of your time shooting and honing your photography skills.

3.  Find functional services.  Again, instead of hiring an employee, find services that will relieve your stress and make you look great!  This can cut your time down and drastically reduce what you might have spent on an employee’s hourly wage plus taxes.  This can be anything from a maid for your home to an accountant to a marketing company.   Take a look at your business, what your goals are and what the core areas are that you need to do and then find ways to delegate everything else!\

As a fan of The Chic Critique Forum, for the next 2 days enjoy 30% off our Newsletter Nanny Service and create more customers and sales while saving yourself gobs of time!  Use code: nanny30

ABOUT AMY:

Amy Fraughton is the owner of Photo Business Tools, in Gilbert, Arizona.  She loves helping women learn and grow their businesses as well as creating tools to make their lives easier!  She is happily expecting baby number 5 while helping thousands of women across the world make more money and develop successful businesses!

website | blog | facebook

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