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Photography and your Business
IMAGE CREDIT: LIMELIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY
So one of the most frequent questions I get asked is “how did I start out with great photos on our site?”
Photoshoots: Now this can be a beast in itself. I’ll be honest, had no idea what a photoshoot or what was expected from my end. Luckily the very first shoot I did was partnered up with MMD Events and Limelight, two partners that were able to tell me exactly what the feel for the shoot was–color palette, overall style, design, etc. From there I realized that photoshoots were a great tool for me to decide the type of shots I wanted.
What to do once you have pictures: Besides jumping up and down because you can FINALLY see your work through a professional photographer’s lens, is decide how the pictures are going to be used. Is the intend of the photoshoot to submit to a great, wedding or entertainment blog, promote a venue or product, or was the photoshoot simply a tool to build the photographer’s portfolio and of course, your own? There can be a multitude of reasons, but either way, just make sure that you are on the same page as everyone else on the team.
The shot (above) was submitted to a great entertainment blog, called The Cake Blog. Got me some great buzz off the feature and right from the start. Of course, the pictures were submitted only after getting the “okay” from the other photoshoot partners (Limelight/MMD Events) and in the end, they were thankful since everyone involved, recieves credit (no questions asked). Again, this goes back to building on those relationships!! If a photographer or other industry partner, sees the value in partnering up with your business, you’ll find that the opportunities will start coming.
Other ways to use photography (with photographer’s permission and credit): I created great photobooks that I take to all of my personal consultations and bridal shows. The books are my voice and I go to them constantly as a point of discussion, for inspiration, ideas, etc.
Investment:Every vendor’s investment in the time, work, products/services put into a photoshoot are different. In my case, my investment was not only time, but an actual product (candy/desserts). This forced me to evaluate my marketing costs and what photoshoots meant to my work. What is more valuable to me right now? Spending money on ad space in a magazine, or getting involved in a few photoshoots where I could build what, at the time was a weak portfolio. In my case, the answer was clear.
Trade-outs: Sometimes I was able to build on my portfolio without having to do a staged shoot. Whether it be agreeing to do a dessert table for a photographer’s grand opening or a Holiday party for a networking group, I always ensured I would be able to recieve the images afterwards. Again, just simple ways vendors can create opportunites for eachother.
IMAGE CREDIT: CARRIE WILDES PHOTOGRAPHY/STUDIO LAUNCH
Finally….it’s okay to be picky: Now that I’ve been in business a few years, I have adjusted a bit, but overall, I continue to wholeheartedly believe in the value of photography and what great shots have meant for my work. Are there times I say, “No?” Of course. Everything has be a great fit–is this the type of photoshoot you want to participate in? Is the timing right? Can you afford to do a shoot at this time? Is the ultimate purpose of the shoot in line with what you are looking to build on? Don’t be afraid to ask yourself these questions (everytime).
Well, I hope I was able to provide a bit more insight into my relationship with photography and it’s value to my work. Will touch on advertising in a few weeks…
Natalie PLUS Baby Preston (37 weeks and counting)
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Real Wedding: Don Vicente Wedding by Kenzie Shores Photography
Vendor Credits:
Photography: Kenzie Shores Photography
Dessert Table Concept and Design: Chic Sweets
Linen: Connie Duglin
Venue: The Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn
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Marketing–In the VERY Beginning
So every now and then, I receive a few emails from other designers wanting to know how I got started in the VERY beginning, how I started up my site with amazing shots and styled photoshoots of my work, referrals to great partners in the industry, and typically I hold off on responding because the truth is, there were quite a few steps in the journey so I thought I would share a bit of personal insight from when I started.
1. Research…Research….Research (FREE): This is a big, okay huge, one for me. I knew from the moment I decided to become a business owner, that I wasn’t going to rush the process. As much as I wanted “the now,” I was going to take my time. This led me to the big question, of “how the heck do I get myself out there?” I spent hours scouring different businesses in the industry: florists, photographers, planners, wedding blogs, event designers, venues, etc. High-end, low-end, I wanted to soak it all in. I made a spreadsheet with every site I had been to, along with all of their contact information. I also got in touch with NACE, a great organization (along with a few others) that seemed to cater to the businesses I had been researching.
2. Your Visual Brand ($50+): I did spend some time on this, even it wasn’t pretty at first. And if you can invest in this step, I say go for it. A few weeks ago, I dove much deeper in the topic of visual branding here. I purchased my domain through Go Daddy and got going through Fat Cow, and had a friend help me with a template (my current site) which had basic functionality, to upload my content and my photos. I designed my current logo using Microsoft Publisher and clip art (if you can believe that). Using my logo, I also created my business cards ($50.00 to $250.00). In the beginning, yes it can be hard, but I told myself that it was more important to just get out there and when I could elevate the look of my product, I would.
3. The Big Plunge, Making Contact ($150.00 to $200.00): I knew off the bat that whatever came out of my hands had to beautiful. At this point, I had done less than a handful of dessert tables with some “okay” pictures but I had to make it work. I went to Staples and got white, glossy laminated folders, clear labels and photo paper. On one side of the folder, I made a personalized letter (not dear Vendor, Dear XX Events) and on the other side, I did a one page collage of the work, along with a mini-bag of jelly beans. I took my Excel spreadsheet of contacts and just went at it. Was this time consuming? Yes! Halfway through, did I want to give up? Um, yes, but then I figured if I stopped then I probably wasn’t built to be a business owner in the first place.
4. Follow Up, Follow Up, Follow Up (FREE): Two weeks after my mailers went out, I went back to my list and followed up with EVERY one of my conatcts via email. And it just wasn’t any email. Every email was extremely personalized. After my “research phase” I would regularly visit my contacts websites so it was easy for me to say “Hello Amanda, my name is Natalie from Chic Sweets. Hopefully by now you’ve recieved a packet of information. Can I just say, that I love your latest blog entry from the wedding you did at XXX. Fantastic!…..” Or something along those lines. And you know what? I was getting responses back! Once they responded, I went onto the next (scary) step which was scheduling meetings.
5. Face to Face Follow Ups ($20 to $25): Again, kind of nervewracking if you’ve done anything like this before, but as I mentioned before, I was determined to make things happen. Although there were a few that did not have the time to meet, for the most part I was able to catch up with quite a few. Before I went into each meeting, I always had a plan/agenda in mind:
- Introduce YOU: Be honest. Be yourself. Be Authentic. I made a point from the very beginning to put it out there. I was new; still working full time; still trying to make connections; still working on my (weak) portfolio. And you know what? As humbling as it was to be so honest, there wasn’t a vendor I spoke with that couldn’t relate at some level, which in return always made for good conversation and more importantly, great advice and further connections.
- Get to know the VENDOR: Not everything can be about you, right? Just like a job interview, I went into each meeting, knowing as much as I could about that vendor. Visited their website, their blog, facebook page, other vendors they had worked with in the past. At times if I felt nervous or that there was a lull in the conversation, I would go back to what I knew about the vendor and take it from there.
- Marketing Materials: Although I was working full time, I didn’t want to spend a fortune on creating materials for each visit, so I kept it somewhat simple. Since I’m a “sweets girl” I created a small favor package full of sweets, with not my logo but THEIR logo on the package. I just assumed that I was one of many “newbies” reaching out to these industry vendors on a weekly basis, so why not give them something that was personlized for them? Great response from this AND many times the vendor would go back (after our meeting) take a picture of what I had created for them and post it on facebook or twitter….with something along the lines of “chic sweets visited us today! Yummy sweets” Again, just another small tool that created a buzz.
Okay, so I’m sure there are a few things that I’m missing, but hopefully this gives you a general idea of where I took my buisness for the first few months. Will aim to touch on my experiences with photography, press and advertising in future posts.
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Halloween Inspiration: Daytime Segment
Hello Everyone! This will be one of the last weekends before wedding season hits us in full force, so I can honestly say it feels beyond amazing to have a day, with minimal plans and with my family. BUT (big BUT) being the woman whose wheels are always turning, I’m gearing up for a Halloween Dessert and Fall dessert table in the next two weeks for a wonderful corporate client, which brings me back to a few segments I did for the morning show, Daytime with Cyndi Edwards and Lindsay MacDonald.
This was the first of a few segments that we did and it was an amazing, amazing experience that I will forever be grateful for.
So on that note, enjoy the segment and your weekend!
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Meet the Team: Chic Sweets’ Attendant/Designer/Stylist…the list goes on.
Very excited to (finally) have a moment to shed a little bit of light into those that help make Chic Sweets happen. People sometimes give me far too much credit for the work we do and don’t get me wrong, I’m always so flattered by the love but it would be dishonest if I ever gave anyone the idea that I do it on my own. And trust me, I’m still there at times, and there are quite a few days (I call them “the black-hole days”) where we do everything out of our home and I look like a crazy-mess. But as Chic Sweets starts to evolve I’m forever reminded of the constant help that we have and in trying to keep it real, I’d be nothing without them.
So let’s start with Vanessa. I met Vanessa when I made the decision to collaborate with my dear friends over at MMD Events on a Style Me Pretty photoshoot with Limelight. It’s funny, there she was…looking absolutely gorgeous and little did I know that months later, that we would connect again. And I’m not going to lie, I was nervous since up until that point, I had been at every wedding, every event, but Vanessa managed right from the start (well, the first 5 mintues) to ease any fear that I have.
In addition to being a Chic Sweets’ “Candy Girl/Attendant,” Vanessa is also helping out on the creative side as well. She has set up tablescapes entirely by herself and her sense of design and style are just plain impeccable. Not to mention her personality makes for great company and well, let’s face it y’all, dealing with a 3rd Trimester mommy and “the boss man” hubby is not easy.
Lookin’ forward to working with Vanessa for a long long time and am excited to share more about her, starting with a few questions…
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AT CHIC SWEETS? “Candy Girl” 😉 I wear a lot of different aprons at Chic Sweets; I am an attendant, assistant, candy taster, roadie, expert bow tier, and table designer/stylist.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SWEET? Chocolate!
CHILDHOOD CAREER DREAM? As long as I can remember I have wanted to be an event planner! For about 5 minutes in high school I thought I wanted to be in politics. I enjoy the discussion, but don’t have it in me to go that route…parties are much more fun!
WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE? In life: Working and being a full-time student for four years was one of the most challenging things that I have done, but I was determined to graduate on time and with no debt! SUCCESS! With Chic Sweets: Neiman Marcus’ Fashion’s Night Out event, adults attack candy tables in a way that children never do…so incredibly CRAZY busy that night!!! Out of tons of candy in only an hour and a half!
WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PART OF BEING PART OF THE CHIC SWEETS TEAM? This probably sounds cheesy, but honestly I have made two AMAZING friends! Natalie and Steve are awesome and have instilled so much faith in me. They have given me such a wonderful opportunity to learn about the industry and to have a REALLY YUMMY creative outlet!
WHAT TWO ADJECTIVES THAT BEST DESCRIBE YOURSELF? Thoughtful and Energetic
