Business of Wedding Photography // C. Tyler Corvin Studio Workshop

Well, friends, the month of June has been an absolute whirlwind. At the beginning of the month, Nathan was in Alaska, and I watched my baby sister graduate, then drove back home to shoot a wedding the next day. Fast-forward one week, and Nathan left again on a two-week business trip. Meanwhile, I traveled to Washington, D.C., for Jasmine Star's workshop, then drove to Charlottesville the following Saturday for this one (with a portrait session in the mix as well). I have learned so much this month and loved every bit of it, but I am ready for July to have a much slower pace!

Tyler Corvin's workshop focused a lot more on the nitty, gritty not-so-fun but oh-so-necessary business side of wedding photography. There is so much to think about, from taxes to marketing to SEO and everything in between. As a photographer, the fun and exciting part is what everyone sees - portrait sessions, weddings, and travel. And then during the week is all the behind the scenes details that you do out of absolute necessity - sales tax, quarterly tax, website rankings, directory listings...you name it!

The Business of Wedding Photography covered everything from A to Z. Some of the most helpful parts of the workshop were things I didn't even know I had to learn! Tyler talked about how to set up your business, and since I just made the switch over to an LLC, I had no idea where to go from there! We talked about marketing yourself, both on social media and on Google, Bing, and Yahoo. We chatted for awhile about pricing and how to write contracts to make sure you and your client are both covered in case ANYTHING happens.

I could go on and on, but this workshop was invaluable to my business! As much as I would like to pretend that all I do is take pictures, that could not be farther from the truth. Having someone come alongside of you to make sure your business is set up to allow for steady, sustained growth is absolutely priceless. I am so grateful to have learned from Tyler, Jasmine, and Justin & Mary all in one year, and I can't wait to implement everything I now know as my business continues to grow!

Brian & Ana // Washington DC Wedding Photographer

Here is my part 2 of the Jasmine Star Workshop Experience! If you missed part 1, you can find it here. One of the most exciting parts of the day was being able to not only participate in a mini stylized shoot, but watch Jasmine work her magic with posing, lighting, and more.

Jasmine really emphasized MOVEMENT instead of stiff and static posing, a concept that Justin and Mary taught me last October, and one that I've seen has put life into my photography ever since! We talked about how to use harsh lighting to our advantage, where to go during a portrait session, and a ton of other concepts and ideas that will help me so much in the future.

Meanwhile, Brian and Ana completely rocked out the shoot. They are engaged with a wedding date in 2015, and if they can pose half as well as newlyweds as they can now well...they will be in great shape! Brian was a great sport and brought his own touches of style and class to the shoot, and Ana was simply elegant in her gown.

Many thanks to the team that brought it all together...they are awesome, so be sure to check out their work!
Workshop: Jasmine Star (with Stephanie Scott)
Dress: Ellie's Bridal Boutique 
Hair: Up-Do's for I Do's
Makeup: Kristine Marie
Florals: Highway to Hill

What I Learned from Jasmine Star // Spady Sunday

I am so blessed. I just have to acknowledge that publicly every once in awhile. I am blessed to be able to go to workshops, blessed to be a photographer, blessed by a husband who not only allows me but PUSHES me to do everything I can to be a better person, and blessed to have met people like Jasmine, who pour so much of themselves into everyone around them.

I honestly cannot remember the first day I heard of Jasmine Star, but I have been following her work for quite sometime. She is a top notch wedding photographer who not only takes amazing pictures, but gives away so much of what she has learned through the years for anyone wanting to grow their business on her blog. So although I do not remember the first time I looked at her images, I remember exactly where I was when I saw that she was making the trip from California to Washington, DC, for a workshop.

I remember calling Nathan and telling him and I remember what he said to me: Do it. I protested a little because it is a big investment. He did not care one bit what I thought: Do it. Do it. Do it.

So I did. I signed up, and we celebrated together like two goofballs. Fast-forward to June, and I was on my way into downtown DC to meet her and learn from her everything I could pack into a 12-hour day.

I have a lot of notes from that day, and I am honestly not ready to share every single detail yet, because I plan to incorporate a lot of what she said into my business. But I learned that my voice - my branding - is present from the first time someone comes across my Facebook page to the last email I send in preparation for the wedding. I learned the importance of continuity in EVERYTHING I am doing. I learned to think about every. single. cost. involved in what I do, not to pinch pennies or be stingy, but to be realistic in thinking about how to budget in a wow that allows me to both wow my clients and continue in business.

Our main goal, Jasmine said, is to make people feel something. About you, about your business, about the session you just had with them. Make them feel. In the words of Maya Angelou: "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Above all, the thing that stuck out to me most was when she said to find people who blindly believe that you can succeed (even more than you do). You are those people. You who read my blog faithfully, who like my work on Facebook, who send me encouraging emails and leave the sweetest comments, or compliment me in person. You have believed in my ability to succeed, even beyond what I can. And for that, I am truly, truly grateful.

I am so thankful for Jasmine, and would take her workshop again in a heartbeat if I could. Look for some big changes coming up soon for me - things that will hopefully surprise and delight my clients while keeping me organized and maintaining manageable goals and expectations. Jasmine, thank you for ALL you taught me, both before the day I met you and then over the workshop and dinner that night when I peppered you with questions. I am truly grateful for you, who believes in my ability to succeed and gives me tools to help me along the way. Much love to you and JD!