Have last-minute holiday clients? Guide them to dress with style by using our What-to-Wear Guides {value of $48/yr.} They are FREE to forum members!

Each style file comes complete with UP-TO-DATE corresponding links of what’s retailing right now for every outfit!  That means your clients can go buy those clothes online today!

You can also showcase your (watermarked) style files on your blog, send them to all your clients via e-newsletter, or email them to individual clients whose sessions are coming up.

Monthly style files include one family ensemble plus an additional file for either couples, seniors, children, or babies.

GET YOURS FREE IN THE FORUM

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Next Monday, December 10th, Nichole Van will be sharing her juicy secrets about Photoshop Composites. You don’t wanna miss this LIVE web event!

In this 90 minute live web event, you will learn:

• Planning a fine art composite, from brainstorming to shooting elements
• Collecting and photographing different elements of the composite so they will merge seamlessly
• Merging varying elements in Photoshop
• Tips and tricks to mitigate common compositing problems
• Plus, you can submit videos & questions for live critiques and Q&A! (Videos & questions will be selected at random)

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Eeeek! We have TWO big secrets that we’ve been dying to share! Here’s the first one:

Our biggest celebrities are coming together for one amazing workshop in Seattle!

• 8 top photographers sharing their juiciest secrets
• A private one-on-one photo critique with one of our Speakers (15 minutes)
• 2 of Seattle’s most creative Event Planners planning this workshop. You’ll be in Pinterest Heaven every.single.day.
• Seattle’s most popular places including Ride the Duck & Pikes Place Market
• A photo scavenger hunt in Pikes Place Market
• An Elegant Dinner Soiree
• A Limo ride
• A modern meeting venue in the heart of downtown Seattle
• Catered meals featuring Seattle’s finest food (one meal per day)
• Scrumptious snacks and sweets
• Daily Swag Bags
• Over $1000 in Giveaways
• A morning fun run on the boardwalk (optional)
• A Mini Trade Show featuring our Speaker’s favorite products
• Get featured in Chic Magazine in the Retreat Review
• Personal headshots photographed by some of our Speakers
• A live newborn shoot
• A unique, hands-on Off-Camera Flash presentation (bring a flash)
• An interactive Photoshop presentation (bring a laptop)
• See a mock sales presentation & consultation in action
• Styled sessions with a variety of gorgeous models including a boat & a bride, newborns, kids, seniors, families, couples
• Photo shoot rotations with our Speakers sharing what’s in their bag, camera settings, posing tips, smile tricks, as they shoot
• Shooting opportunities for the attendees to photograph models during the styled shoots after the Speakers have shared their shooting secrets

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OUR SECOND SECRET:

Love giveaways? We do too so we’ve created a new website called CHIC GIVEAWAYS where some of your favorite photography vendors will be giving away FREE STUFF EVERY DAY starting today!

Check it out at www.chiccritiqueforum.com/giveaways

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by Amy Lyn, Wedding Editor

Are you on Instagram?  Many of us already love the app for its ease in sharing our favorite life moments, whether it be one of our kid’s latest successes, a particularly breathtaking view, or whatever else catches our eye.  But, are you using the power of Instagram in your business?  Here are three ideas to get you jumpstarted.

1. Reward Clients for Gramming 

Offer your clients a small incentive (an extra 5×7 for example) for “Instagramming” your work in their homes, a wall gallery or framed portrait for instance.  Ask them to add your business name with a hashtag (i.e. #AmyLynPhotography).

2. Share Your Latest Ideas

Get people excited to check your business out.  Share your images of a new session location or product you’re dying to try.  Tag a beautiful wedding reception or ceremony location that others would be interested in seeing.

3. Host a contest

Ask people to Instagram themselves with one of your products or prints.  Post the images to your Facebook page or blog and ask people to vote for the most creative.

Have you used Instagram to promote your business?  What ideas do you have?

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Amy Lyn is a Certified Professional Photographer working near Akron, Ohio.  She lives with her two adorable kiddos and hubby on eight acres of a photographer’s dream.    Check out her sites and “like” her photography page.  It makes her happy.

Wedding Site | Portrait Site | Facebook | Instagram

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by Kelli France | Editor-in-Chief

I hear a lot of photographers tell me they are struggling to get clients. So I ask them what marketing efforts they are doing to get clients. Their response is typically followed by silence or sarcasm.

I think sometimes we forget that we have to take action if we want things to happen in life and photography. We hope that clients will just somehow magically find us. After all, isn’t word of mouth the most effective marketing tool?

However, getting clients requires action.Thinking about your lack of clients and doing nothing about it will only lead to feelings of self-doubt. We must act and not wait to be acted upon.

So get your booty off the computey! Take action and your efforts will not be fruitless. You may not see immediate results but you will eventually.

I remember when I first moved to Colorado a few years ago (I’m now in Utah.) I decided to network with a local exercise studio. I asked if I could take pictures of the entire group of aerobics instructors as well as some individual shots. I didn’t make much money off those head shots but I did get several clients 1-2 years later from that effort.

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by Whitney Taylor, Phone-ography Editor

Wish I could say I lived in the polaroid era, but the only real experience I’ve had with an instant camera was with my fujifilm instax (which I love by the way), but lets face it the film is totally expensive. However there is a new generation of instant photos being that of instagram.  Your phone is there 24/7 allowing you to instantly document your life.  I have gone through many stages of photo apps on my phone and one app that I’ve had fun with is Shakeitphoto. This app. is both spontaneous and reminiscent of a polaroid camera.  Over this last summer I documented a few photos with shakeitphoto.

Shakeitphoto gives you the option of taking the photo with the app or uploading one from your photo library. If you’re documenting a fleeting moment, I would suggest uploading your image from your library because this app does take awhile for the photo to “develop”.  Although shaking your phone does help the app in developing your “polaroid” quicker.

Nothing compares to the charm of a true polaroid, but apps like this are second best and there’s no $$ spent on film.

The results are a consistent pop of contrast and color!

ABOUT WHITNEY:

Whitney Taylor graduated from Brigham Young University in Studio Art. She’s a painter who loves to photograph her life and two daughters.  

Being busy with family life, photography becomes her creative outlet most days via Iphoneography and Instagram (MRSWHITTAYLOR). 

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