Monthly Archives: June 2012

This week’s Featured Photog Friday is with the multi-talented Whitney with Studio 412 Imagery and Studio 412 Boutique!   Connect with Whitney on her websites (Studio 412 Imagery and Studio 412 Boutique) and on Facebook here and here.

Q. Welcome, Whitney! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Well, I’m 27 years old, married to the love of my life and my muse, Nick.  We have 3 unique, creative little boys: Mason (8), Daiden (3) and Eli (18m).  I operate in Myrtle Beach, SC.  I also have a 2nd business making handmade props for photographers, Studio 412 Boutique.

Q. How and when did you get into photography?

I have loved creating art since I can remember.  When I was in 6th grade I won a scholarship to Columbus College of Art and Design’s youth program and while attending I fell in love with photography.  My dad was a nature photographer as well, so he inspired me greatly.  Then in high school I took photography classes all 4 years and just never put my camera down.

Q. How long have you been in business and what do you specialize in?

I have officially been in business for 3 years. In the middle of 2011 I announced my intent to specialize in maternity and newborn photography and in 2012 I added birth photography to that list.  I can’t stress enough how happy I am that I chose to focus on babies, birth and bellies.

Q. Natural light v. studio light?

Right now I shoot natural, but I am flirting with the idea of incorporating some studio strobes in there soon.

Q. Tell us about your camera gear. Any gear on your wish list?

I’m a Nikon girl!  I shoot with the D700 and mostly my 50mm 1.4.  I also own a 60mm 2.8 macro and a 24-70mm 2.8.  My wishlist is about a mile long, but my next purchase will most likely be a super wide angle for beach maternity sessions.

Q. How would you describe your style of shooting; your style of editing?

Hmmm….It has taken me forever to really find my style, I’m finally to the point where I really feel that “this is me”.  I feel like my style is soft and simple.  I don’t use a ton of props, I prefer to showcase baby’s newness rather than crowd my photos with props.

Q. What’s your favorite subject to photograph?

I feel like I should say my children,  but most photographers will tell you that their most challenging subjects are their own kids.

I just don’t think I can pick a favorite because I love all three subjects for different reasons.  I love maternity because it is such a fulfilling thing to make a woman feel absolutely gorgeous when she sees her beautiful pregnant body.  Especially knowing how gross I felt when I was pregnant.  Birth is just indescribable.  I’m a bit of a birth junky, so for me, being in the room witnessing such a miracle, well it’s not something I can put into words.  Then there are newborns, I just love that I’ve been given the privilege of capturing these first days of a baby’s life.  I know that they are over so quick and I take the task as a huge responsibility.  Besides, who doesn’t love cuddling a brand new baby for a few hours.

Q. What’s your favorite time of day to take photos?

Indoors – late morning.  Outdoors – golden hour.

Q. What’s your best marketing tool? Where do most of your clients come from?

Word of mouth, definitely.  Networking with other local businesses has been great too.  Really though, giving a client an amazing experience and having them tell all their friends is the best marketing.

Q. What has been the best advice you have received on your photography journey?

Don’t look at what everyone else is doing, especially local photographers.  It’s easy to get caught up in what everyone else is doing and lose sight of yourself.  I have a great relationship with several local photographers, I do peek at their work from time to time to be supportive, but I do not look to them for inspiration.

Q. What’s something you wish you knew when you first started out?

How to price properly.  Oh geez, this is a big one.  I was totally clueless about pricing and because of that I had plenty of bumps in the road along my journey.  I highly recommend that anyone starting out read Easy as Pie.  It changed my life and my business.  I also wish I would have known how profitable in home ordering is.  No more online web galleries for me anymore.

Q. From what or whom do you draw your creative inspiration?

Honestly, I find inspiration in everything.  I live at the beach and there are so many beautiful sights to see around here.  When I’m feeling uninspired I just take my camera and go outside.  I am also greatly inspired by my clients, each session is different and unique in its own way.  I love incorporating my clients’ personalities into their images.

Q. Any parting words of inspiration or tips for those starting out?

Take it slow and have fun with it, but remember it’s a business.  Too many photographers start out with the passion and desire for photography and completely overlook the business aspect of it.  I am totally not a business mind, but I have learned to love that aspect of it as well and my business is better off for it.  If you treat it like a business from the beginning you have such a better chance of being successful, and who doesn’t love being successful doing something they love!?

Thank you, Whitney, for sharing with us!!  It was such a pleasure.

This week’s Featured Photog is Stephanie with Dahlias and Daisies Designs!!

Q. Welcome, Stephanie! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a Texas girl!  Born and raised in the Dallas area. I have one very supportive husband and beautiful baby girl who will be 2 only July 4^th!  I should also mention our zoo, we have two Siberian Huskies, a Shih Tzu, and a cat.  For the past 14 years I’ve been a web designer working in the Advertising Industry.  I struck out on my own 3 years ago, leaving the agency life, and have loved every minute of it!  I had intended the photography business to be more of a hobby and a side thing, but it has slowly taken over the most of my time so I split my time between the two as needed.

Q. How and when did you get into photography?

Taking pictures of my little one!  Before Dahlia was born, I had a fun little hobby of cooking and taking pictures of the food (they weren’t that great really, but it was fun!).  I’d go on vacations and spend half my time behind the camera… I think I spent 60% of our Italian honeymoon behind my camera shooting statues and churches!  Once Dahlia was born I loved taking picture of her daily for a book I was doing that was to contain 1 picture a day of her first year.  I made it to 7 months, haha!  I was posting pictures of her on facebook and friends started asking me to take pictures of their babies and one thing led to another!

Q.  How and when did you get into graphic design?

In college I was a Dance major at The University of Texas (Hook em!).  We had studied this NY choreographer who was wheelchair bound and in order to get the choreography to his dancers he made 3d animations of each dance for them to learn from.  One of my professors at UT was really into this and he would create dances on his computer and project the 3d dancers up onto the stage to dance with his live dancers (keep in mind that this is mid 90’s).  He started offering this as a class and I was obsessed!  I taught myself Photoshop so I could put my dancers in interesting scenes.  After the class was over I continued to learn more about Photoshop and the rest was history!

Q.  When do you decide to combine both photography and graphic design?

When I first started out portfolio building I thought it would be great to have a business that was centered around creating photo cards.  So I do a photoshoot and you use the pictures on a card I design for whatever holiday was near.  It was cute in theory but unrealistic because of the amount of time invested in making the card.  Now I have a handful of cards people can use for birth announcements and birthday cards but it’s no longer my business focus.

Q. How long have you been in business and what do you specialize in?

I started portfolio building in Feb of 2011 with just babies and kids and didn’t start PBing with newborns for a few months later.  I only did the portfolio building for a few months before things just took off naturally.  So technically I’ve been in business for about a year.

I specialize in babies 1 and under.  I could say Newborns, but I do love my 6 month olds and 1 year olds!

Q. Natural light v. studio light?

Natural light until about week ago!  I made the jump over to studio for a few reasons.  Being that my schedule was so busy running both businesses If I ever had to reschedule a shoot due to weather it would throw my entire week off.  The room I was shooting in had amazing natural light, but it was just to small.  My props were slowly taking over the room.  So I moved into a larger, more professional looking room, but the natural light in there just isn’t the greatest.  So studio lights it is!

Q. Tell us about your camera gear. Any gear on your wish list?

I’m shooting with a Canon 60D, but will be getting a Mark III in two weeks!!  My favorite lens is in 50mm 1.4.  I tend to use it for everything!  I have a 100MM that I use for those sweet macro shots of my newborns… flaky toes, pouty lips… makes my heart melt!   I also have a 24-70 2.8, but tend to use it the least.  It comes in handy in my small studio when can’t move back as far as I need to for certain shots.  I’m getting more comfortable with it outdoors.

As for the wish list, there’s nothing too specific.  I would love to test drive about 5 different lenses right now and see how I like them.  I have a friend who is a camera gear geek and has all sorts of gadgets and gizmos and they make my head spin!

Q. How would you describe your style of shooting; your style of editing?

For newborns: sweet, colorful, & cute.  I love the sweet blanket shots, but sometimes it’s just fun to see baby in an Oscar the Grouch hat!

For babies and kids: fun, whimsical, & colorful!  I’m all about color and it makes me very happy when potential clients make a comment about how they love how colorful my portfolio is.

Q.  What’s your favorite subject to photograph?

That’s tough.  When I have had a long string of newborns I start to miss babies and vice versa!  I’ve become much more at ease with newborns because I know if they decide to get sassy with me I’ll just wrap them up in a pretty scarf and do shots like that.  If  a 1 year old throws a fit the session is over!

Q.  What’s your favorite time of day to take photos?

Well I am NOT a morning person, at all.  I used to wake up and do outdoor morning shoots at 7am but that was just miserable!  I don’t do mornings now unless there’s a special circumstance.  So now it really just depends on the location.  I have this amazing little spot I use in the fall that is amazing at 3:30 because the sun is just right with the trees and give a beautiful glow.  Other locations are usually shot between 6:30 and 8:30.  I’d prefer 7:30 or so but since most of my clients are in bed by 7:30 it kinda puts a damper on that.  I’ve thought about getting into the older kids a little more so I can get those golden hour shots, but I just love my babies too much!

Q. What’s your best marketing tool? Where do most of your clients come from?

Facebook!  I get a ton of clients from tagging images on facebook.   I did raise my prices this year and thought that might hurt word of mouth a little so I worked real hard on my blog and got it up high in the google rankings, so now it’s a mix of facebook and google.  I’ve recently invested in sticky albums and that is starting to show a return too!

Q. What has been the best advice you have received on your photography journey?

Be open to the advice/opinions/constructive criticism of other photographers.  They can really open your eyes up to things that you never considered or never saw.   It helps you grow!

Q. What’s something you wish you knew when you first started out?

I didn’t realize it was such a competitive industry and it can get kinda ugly at times!  I’m blessed that I have a few amazing local photographer friends who were my friends before I started that have been very supportive and helpful, but not everyone is like that! It’s quite different in the design industry.

Q. From what or whom do you draw your creative inspiration?

I LOVE to prop shop! Sometimes I don’t have much of an idea for a shoot but I go to the local antique store and find stuff that sparks my imagination!  There’s a town about 1.5 hours away that the weekend before the first Monday of every month they open up miles of booths where vendors sell their junk, antiques, or goods.  We’ve been taking a family trip down there for the last 4 months and have the best time.  My husband is very creative so he’s great at pointing out stuff I miss!

Q. Any parting words of inspiration or tips for those starting out?

#1 – Take a workshop!  Yes, they are expensive but it was hands down the best thing I did for myself and my business.  I was stuck when it came to posing my newborns and this helped me over that hump.  Not to mention the marketing and workflow information were just beyond valuable.  It will be by far the best investment you make in your business.

#2 – Everyone says it, but it’s so true.  Get all of your marketing ducks in a row before opening up for business.  Once you open you’ll get so busy you will have no time for it and it will always be this nagging thing in the back of your head!  TRUST ME!

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Thank you so much, Stephanie, for taking the time to chat with us!!

You can find Stephanie here at her WEBSITE or here on FACEBOOK.  Go like her page and leave her some love!

Welcome to Teaching Tuesday!  Today we’re going to be talking about the different legal entities for your photography business.

Why is this important?  When you’re self-employed and in business for yourself, it’s important to realize the legal risks associated with owning and operating any business, from opening yourself up personally to potential creditors to lawsuits from clients/customers to tax consequences.  Which corporate structure you choose will have an impact on these matters.

There are a number of options for business entities including, but not limited to, sole proprietorship, corporation, limited liability company (LLC), partnership, or limited partnership.  However, the business entities that are likely most relevant to self-employed photographers are the sole proprietorship, corporation and LLC, which will be discussed in turn below.  *Disclaimer: you should always speak with a local attorney and accountant about your specific situation to determine what is right for you.*

Sole Proprietor

When you are starting out in business and you have done nothing to formalize it, then you are most likely functioning as a sole proprietor.  A sole proprietor is someone who is in business but has not formed a formal business entity; no papers have been filed, nothing has been done to create a corporation or an LLC, for example.  The main benefit of this is that it’s free.

The main downfall of being a sole proprietor, is that you and your business are one and the same.  There is no legal distinction or separation between you personally and your business.  This means that you’re opening yourself up to liability from creditors and clients if they sue you and win (meaning, you could then owe them money).  A creditor can reach your personal assets (for example, your savings or checking accounts), instead of being limited to the financial assets of your business, if your business was a corporation or an LLC.

When you are a sole proprietor, you will most likely need to file a fictitious name application.  This will be discussed in a later post.

Corporation (for profit)

A corporation is a business entity that is separate from yourself.  The corporation has it’s own legal identity that is separate from you personally.  A corporation is formed by filing Articles of Incorporation (though sometimes it’s called something else, like a Certificate of Incorporation as in Delaware)  in your state, usually with the Department of State, Division of Corporations (though each state may call it something a little different).   A corporation is more formal in that you need governing documents, such as Bylaws that govern how the corporation is to function and how decisions are made, and written Minutes/Resolutions that approve certain actions that you take.  You will also issue stock to yourself as the owner of the corporation.

The benefit of being a corporation is that you personally are a separate legal entity from the corporation, so that there is limited personal liability and it is more difficult to get to your personal financial assets (there is still the possibility in some circumstances (too lengthy to discuss here), so it’s not absolute, but it’s definitely another layer of protection you do not get being a sole proprietor).

The downside as compared to being a sole proprietor is that it does cost money to form the corporation and it takes a bit more work to maintain the formal paperwork, including an annual report that you will need to file with the division/department where you formed the corporation.  However, this is a small price to pay for separation of your personal assets from the business liabilities.  Also, this cost should be viewed as the cost of doing business – it’s important to be set up with the right business structure.

Taxes: you need to speak with an accountant if you choose to be a corporation because traditional corporations are taxed at both a corporate and a shareholder/owner level (double taxation).  However, you can file to be an S-corp so that the profit/losses flow through to your personal taxes and you are only taxed once.  Again, TALK TO AN ACCOUNTANT!

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

An LLC  is a business entity that is similar to a corporation in that it is a legal entity that is separate from you personally and therefore provides protection from personal liability.  An LLC is formed by filing Articles of Organization in your state, usually again, with the Department of State, Division of Corporations.  The LLC is governed by an Operating Agreement and has members with member interests instead of shareholders like with a corporation.  You can be a single-member LLC so this works well for a self-employed photographer who is the only member of the LLC.

The main benefit of being an LLC is the protection from personal liability and the taxation as a partnership (see below).  You have a lot of flexibility when setting up how the day-to-day operations are managed and how decisions are made.

The downside is that there is more work upfront to get the Operating Agreement just right for you, but requires less paperwork down the road (compared to corporations that require more formal meeting minutes, resolutions, etc.), which is also a benefit.  Again, as with the corporation, you will have to pay money to file the Articles of Organization and to file an annual report, all the cost of doing business.

Taxes: with the LLC, you can choose to be taxed as a partnership, which means that the profit/losses flow through to you personally, which means there is one level of taxation (as compared to a traditional corporation that has double taxation).  Again, TALK TO AN ACCOUNTANT.

Next Steps

While I cannot tell you what is best for you without knowing your exact situation (which is why you should speak to a lawyer in your state), LLCs is often a popular choice for new businesses.

Even though you can form a corporation or an LLC by yourself by filing the correct paperwork in your state, it’s always better to consult a lawyer so that you know you’re doing everything right.  Or, if you’re going to form the entity yourself, at least consult a lawyer so that you have the proper governing documents because forming a corporation or LLC is not the only step needed, just the first step.  You can’t just form a corporation or an LLC and call yourself a corporation or an LLC, you actually need to operate and function as a corporation or an LLC.  I see this all too often – “I’m an LLC” – when really, all they did was file Articles of Organization but don’t have an Operating Agreement or formally function as an LLC.  You could lose whatever liability protection you have by not actually functioning as the business entity you claim to be.

Next Week

Next week’s Teaching Tuesday will discuss fictitious names.

DISCLAIMER:  Information found on this blog is not legal advice, it is merely a discussion of legal topics that affect photographers for educational purposes only.  I am not your attorney and there is no attorney-client relationship or privilege of any kind.  Further, this discussion is not a substitute for legal advice.  

This weeks Featured Photog is Alicia Mick of Mick Luvin Photography!!

Q. Welcome, Alicia! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Thank you so much!  Well, I am a single mom to 2 totally perfect kids, a 5 yr old boy and a 9 month old girl!  I love to record and preserve things; I am the keepsake-keeper and family-tree maker and photo album collector of the family.   I have a full-time day job as a paralegal, but hope to one day focus only on photography!

Q. How and when did you get into photography?

After my son was born in late 2006 I naturally became a photocopter mom – had my little Kodak point-n-shoot in his little face 24/7.  All of the zillions of snapshots I took of him led me into the world of digi-scrapping, and I started making scrapbooks and learning basic photoshop template skills.  After a year or more of using Photoshop solely for making awesome scrap books, it slowly dawned on me that maybe just maybe I could use Photoshop to actually improve all of my snapshots!  So, I started playing with actual photo editing a bit.  And then I got a bit more into it and took a good look at all of my snapshots and tried to figure out what I was missing!  I knew it was SOMETHING!  Nothing I could do in Photoshop was magically turning my snapshots into the awesome baby photos I was seeing online.  It took me a great while before I figured out it was this thing called “Photography” – and that there was a whole entire universe encapsulated by it!  I started reading general tips for improving your photography; tips like: Turn off flash. Ahhh! Ok, something I had never done!  NOW my photos rock!  Well, actually, they are just slightly better snapshots.  Hmmm… still I KNOW I am missing something…  So I joined a few online photography communities (without a clue as to what I was about to get myself into), and started reading ALL the dizzying facets of this thing called photography.  Realized pretty quickly I’d need a better camera if I was ever going to rise above the snapshot.  Bought my very first DSRL in December 2009 (Nikon D40) and proceeded to take about a brazillion horrible, underexposed out-of-focus shots – all of which I believed to be true photographic masterpieces!

Q. How long have you been in business and what do you specialize in?

I was portfolio-building for about 1 solid year before I started charging in December, 2010.

Q.  How did you come up with the name Mick Luvin Photography?  :)

My last name is Mick, and as you’ve probably guessed, one of my favorite movies is SuperBad: “I. Am. MickLuvin!”  Hahah – I just spell it differently!  (“It was either that or Muhammed!”)

Q. Natural light v. studio light?

Natural Light.  It is all I know at present.  And I actually like the challenge of shifting, changing, uncertain lighting conditions.  No two sessions are ever the same!

Q. Tell us about your camera gear. Any gear on your wish list?

I started with a Nikon D40 and upgraded after about a year to the D80.  When my D80 broke I bought the D90 and loved it!  I started back-button focusing on the D90 and that pretty much marked the first positive turning point for me in my work.  I shoot with primes only for now – my two main lenses are the 50mm 1.4 and the 105 2.0.  I have the 35mm 1.8 and the 85mm 1.8 but rarely use them nowadays.  I would LOVE to go full-frame one of these days!

Q. How would you describe your style of shooting; your style of editing?

I would have to describe my shooting style the same way I describe my life – just wing it!   I have never once planned a session, or done any research other than basic location-scouting.  I have never sketched out poses or discussed a session plan with a client or done any kind of pre- prep work.  I just get there, see what my clients are wearing, look to see where the sun is, give the clients a general idea where I want them to be posed, back myself way far away and just shoot.   I direct as little as possible.  I try to get a mixture of classic posed shots and natural candids.

My editing style is a bit more fine-tuned, however!  I shoot in RAW and first edit the raw using Capture NX2 (similar to Lightroom but designed specifically for Nikon nefs).  This is where I fix the white-balance, levels, curves, and sharpen.  Then I bring each image into Photoshop to have a little fun with it!  I add gradient layers, clone out distracting background elements, smooth skin, whiten teeth, and really look at the details here in CS3.

Q.  What’s your favorite subject to photograph?

I love photographing large groups – photos with more than 4 subjects!  Since I am just not that up-close, in-your-face photographer, I’m most comfortable with the distance required to shoot large families.  And I like building little family pyramids and posing the members just so, and making them get closer than they ordinarily would!

Q.  What’s your favorite time of day to take photos?

Always around sunset.  It is gorgeous light, it is beautifying light, and it is directional light that I can wrap around my subjects and mold with.  Any other time of day is a bit more challenging for me, as I’m looking for open shade, patios, garages, or anything to help give light some direction and not be so harsh.

Q. What’s your best marketing tool? Where do most of your clients come from?

I need to invest in marketing more!  Most of my family-session clients live out of state and find me on google.  Most of my maternity and newborn referrals come from the local Midwife Birthing Center where I have hung a bunch of canvases!

Q. What has been the best advice you have received on your photography journey?

The best advice is more like my personal goal or mantra – and that is to slow down, to relax, to think, to see, to feel – and to do all these things in order to grab the shot I want, and not just walk away with the shot I got, kwim?

Q. What’s something you wish you knew when you first started out?

I really wish I would have put a pricing plan in place before I even started portfolio-building.  Pricing is something I’ve just recently been working on and it would have been so much less traumatic for everyone if I had a solid foundation way back when because my pricing now seems as if it just came out of nowhere.

Q. Who or what are your photography inspirations?

I’m most inspired by photogs who are consistent in their awesomeness and who have developed and honed their own unique style – their work is recognizable as theirs and theirs alone!

A few of my favs in no particular order are:

Brooke Logue (http://www.facebook.com/brookeloguephotography)

Cayden Lane (http://www.facebook.com/caydenlanephotography)

Dawn Gordon (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dawn-Gordon-Photography/119838351381995)

Sylvia Cook (http://www.facebook.com/SylviaCookPhotography)

Amanda Leatherbury (http://www.facebook.com/aleatherberryphotography)

Molly Wassenaar (http://www.facebook.com/MollyWassenaarPhotography)

Jason P. Odell (NX2 master) (http://www.luminescentphoto.com)

Q. Any parting words of inspiration or tips for those starting out?

Because I seem to ALWAYS be without my camera at the exact moment something spectacular is happening, this quote is an awesome reminder to me.  I try to get over that angst and just be grateful that I’ve been given the opportunity to be present IN the moment and not just thru a tiny viewfinder: “There will be times when you will be in the field without a camera.  And, you will see the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed.  Don’t be bitter because you can’t record it.  Sit down, drink it in, and enjoy it for what it is!” – DeGriff

Thank you so much, Alicia!!

Alicia can be found on her website and on Facebook!  Go give her some love and follow her work!

Welcome to Teaching Tuesday!  This is the first blog post in a series called Business and Legal Essentials for Photographers!

So you want to start a photography business and you’re not sure where to start?  Or things grew so quickly from being a hobbyist to portfolio building and at some point you were in business without even realizing it?  You may not have all your ducks in a row and now you’re scrambling to go back and take care of the often “not as fun” side of the business of photography.  Well you’re in luck because this is the beginning of a series of blog posts that will be released each Tuesday that will discuss Business and Legal Essentials for Photographers!

Over the next couple months, we’ll be discussing the following subjects in detail:

- Choosing a business entity for your photography business

- How to form a corporation or an LLC, governing documents of a corporation or an LLC

- Fictitious names

- Business bank accounts, accounting, working with accountants

- EIN (employer identification number)

- Sales and Use Tax

- Business Licenses

- Considerations re: Home Studios/Offices

- Insurance, equipment coverage, general liability, E&O coverage

- Contracts, why you need them, what to include

- Installment Payments

- Hiring Independent Contractors

- Hiring Employees

- Electronic signatures

- Model Release and Property Release

- Copyright, Copyright Infringement, DMCA takedown notice

- Print Release v. Copyright Release

- Copyright v. Trademark

- Licensing, personal v. commercial, exclusive v. non-exclusive, perpetual v. limited

When possible and appropriate, we will include state-specific information so that you know what needs to be done in your own state.  So sign up for our newsletter and follow our page on Facebook to receive this information each and every Tuesday!

DISCLAIMER:  Information found on this blog is not legal advice, it is merely a discussion of legal topics that affect photographers for educational purposes only.  I am not your attorney and there is no attorney-client relationship or privilege of any kind.  Further, this discussion is not a substitute for legal advice.  Thank you for understanding!

Today’s featured photog is Sarah Bray Photography!  Her work is dreamy, bright and airy.  Simply put, just amazing.  She’s also one of my studio mates and one of the sweetest and most kind-hearted people I know.  I am so grateful for this crazy photography journey of mine, otherwise I would not have met her.  :)  Enjoy!

A. Don’t rush things, let them evolve naturally.  Be open to trying new things and figuring out what you truly love.   Find your own style and work on refining it.   Also, make connections with other photographers – most love to help others who are just starting out; just be respectful of the time and hard work they’ve put in to developing their craft and don’t expect them to give all their secrets away

Thank you so much, Sarah!  You can find Sarah here:

Website

Blog

Facebook

This week’s featured photog is Amanda Leatherberry Photography!  I just love her newborn work and you will too!  Enjoy!

Q. Welcome, Amanda! Tell us a little bit about yourself.

A. Well, I’m 34 (for a few more months!)….I’ve been married for going on 15 years now and we have four amazing children….a daughter named Loudon & 3 sons, Abe, Tommy & Gus. We live outside of Pensacola Florida.

Q. How and when did you get into photography?

A. I toyed with my dad’s old film camera while in high school and I always loved taking pictures but I didn’t get really serious about photography until my third child turned one. I had a desire to learn to take beautiful photographs of my kids so my wonderful husband bought my first DSLR and I began shooting (with my children) & learning everything I could by practicing and reading. It became a slight obsession and I fell in love with it.

Q. How long have you been in business and what do you specialize in?

A. I’m currently in my second year of business. I drug my feet with starting a business because I wanted to be absolutely sure I was ready   I think too many people just jump straight into business after getting their first camera….I didn’t want to be that photographer

I specialize in newborns. I love everything about them. Newborn sessions can be long & tedious but so much fun! I’m honored every single time I get to photograph a new baby. I get to be there to share in the joy of these new parents and I get to be the one who preserves this tiny, fleeting period forever. I get to freeze time.

Q. Natural light v. studio light?

A. All natural light at this point.

Q. Do you shoot in a studio or at the client’s home?

A. Up until recently I was shooting in my clients homes….I still offer that option but I also have created a small shooting space where I live and I’ve done a few of my latest sessions there. The light there is so beautiful.   I’m hoping to build a small studio on our land soon where I can shoot newborn sessions and maybe even capture a few outdoor images in my fields too.

Q. Tell us about your camera gear. Any gear on your wish list?

A. I shoot with 2 cameras…the original Canon 5D with a Canon 100mm macro 2.8L for my detail shots & a Canon 5D MkII with a Canon 50mm 1.4 lens typically. (Using 2 cameras during my newborn sessions helps my flow…no changing lenses out when I want some gorgeous close up detail shots).   I own the 24-70 2.8L & 85mm 1.8 (both Canon) but I usually reserve those for outdoor sessions. My 100mm lens is a great outdoor portrait lens too. I’d love to get the Canon 5D MkIII & the 50mm 1.2L at some point but I’m happy with what I have for now.

Q. How would you describe your style of shooting; your style of editing?

A. Simple. I will throw a cute hat or sometimes a headband or a wrap in a few photos but I hate prop heavy images. There is nothing more beautiful than a new baby…what else do you need? I like the focus of my images to be the baby so that my images are timeless. And I’m a tad bit obsessed with detail shots…ask anyone who knows me! The lashes….the fingers & toes….belly buttons….those little mouths….gah! Some of my favorite images. Think about it. 10 years down the road, most parents can close their eyes and picture what their new baby looked like….but do they remember how their daughter’s eyelashes curled up on the ends? The cute oval shape their belly button made? How their son’s top lip came down slightly over the bottom just on the right side? I get to preserve that for my families. How awesome is that?!

My editing is clean & simple. I don’t do much editing…I want these babies to look like they did in person…no unrealistic skin tones and rarely do I remove red from their skin either unless they are extremely red babies.  I like to leave a little bit of that natural pinkness in place.  I do very minor tweaking in ACR (if needed) and then very minor adjustments to midtones and contrast in CS5….other than a few skin touch ups with the spot healing tool or some minor cloning (if needed), that’s about it. I will use Portraiture at a very low opacity if I have a baby who needs a little extra help with skin smoothing.

Q. What’s your best marketing tool? Where do most of your clients come from?

Hmmmm….marketing? That’s probably my downfall. I don’t do enough. Most of my clients come from google & referrals or word of mouth.

Q. What has been the best advice you have received on your photography journey?

A. To believe in myself. You want to be a newborn photographer? Do it! What’s holding you back? You will never regret the risks you take in life…only the ones you don’t take! (my hubby is a smart man!)

Q. What’s something you wish you knew when you first started out?

A. That I wouldn’t use half the props I had hoarded for the few years I practiced and prepared. I found out after I started….I’m a simple girl.

Q. Who or what are your photography inspirations?

A. I honestly don’t have a lot of free time to look around at other photographers work. I adore the newborn work of Kristen Cook (Melbourne, Australia). I wish I had more time to follow her work consistently.

Q. Any parting words of inspiration or tips for those starting out?

A. Practice. A lot. Get your photos as close to perfect straight out of camera as you can. Editing should be done to enhance a photo…not fix it. Don’t just jump in immediately with a business either. It’s tempting to want to start a business right away but you need to make sure you’re ready first. Start with your pricing…I think pricing is one of the biggest errors new photographers make. Your pricing has to be profitable and running a photography business is expensive.

And be original.  There’s nothing wrong with gaining inspiration from other photographers….but you want your images to scream YOU….not a copy of someone else’s work.

Also…shoot what you love.  There is no reason you have to shoot everything.  As a matter of fact, why be mediocre at ten types of photography when you can be fabulous at one type?  Shoot what you love….It shines through in your images….I’ve been told that it does in mine

Thank you, Amanda, for taking the time to sit down and chat with us and to share your work!

You can find Amanda at the places below.  Be sure to visit her Facebook page and leave her some love!

WEBSITE

FACEBOOK