Changes will be underway over the next few days. Hang tight.
Blog
A new addition
In case you missed it, I recently decided to back down to portfolio building. I’m also in the midst of redoing my website to reflect the changes and yet have it still be informative of where I am now and where I’m going. But, I also have recently decided I want to add a more personal touch to this blog. I think I’m going to do this in three ways:
- Participate in the I Heart Faces weekly competition. This will be a weekly feature on Monday when most entries are due.
- Try to photoblog about something once a week. That means me and my camera go have quality time somewhere and I come back and write about whatever inspired me about the session. This will likely be on Wednesdays, Saturdays or Sundays, depending on what’s going on.
- Start selecting a photo of the month from all the photos I’ve taken and fully processed each month. This includes sessions, I Heart Faces pictures and photoblog pictures (I should come up with a good name for that series. If you have any ideas, let me know!
Anyway, while I am too late to enter this week’s I Heart Faces challenge, Jump for Joy, I’m still going to post what I would have entered anyway. It’s just too perfect :)
Ashley March Photo Shoot
I need to start coming up with better names for shoots :)
Ashley and I took pictures for about half an hour on Friday, mostly so I could practice some manual techniques on my camera. Things went pretty well — although there has to be a more streamlined and time effective way to achieve what I was trying to do. It’s been a bit of a frustrating transition from the XTi to the 50D. I knew my XTi like the back of my hand and could make it do pretty much what I wanted by the time I upgraded in November. The controls on the 50D, however, are pretty different and still take some getting used to in order to switch and change things quickly. I’ll get there — I just need little mini sessions like these more frequently!
Anyway, this was also a good session for starting to document my workflow. Processing these images took a little long, but most of that was due to the speed of my computer, still, I think I can cut down on some things and come out not spending quite as much time but still achieving very similar (if not the same) results.
Thanks for coming out Ashley and letting me take your photos! The cherry trees were beautiful and so were you! :) I hope you like them!
Goals for Portfolio Building
I realized a couple days ago that my goals that I had written out in January no longer applied since I’ve changed my perspective on how to do this for the next couple of years. So I figured I’d write a new set of goals.
- Familiarize myself completely with my camera. I’ve come a long way already and know a lot more about my camera than I did two years ago, but there’s always more to learn and I need to get comfortable adjusting settings in manual on the fly.
- Develop a distinct shooting and editing style that is unique and just me. I’m currently trying to figure out ways to bring in my love for Russia and all things Slavic into my photography. It sounds weird at first, but we’ll see what I end up with. It’s going to take a lot of research, and I’m okay with that.
- Hone my workflow. I want to know exactly how many hours it takes me to process a group of 30 photos, and I want it to be as low as I can get it without sacrificing quality. This will impact the number of clients I can take on in the future.
- Start zeroing in on the types of shoots I like the most and what my target audience / clientele will be in the future. Get to know the types of products they want, and start developing a product line accordingly.
- Develop a strong business plan that I’m able to start rolling out as soon as I’ve decided it’s time to start business.
- Nurture relationships with those who get involved in the photography building process and grow a sizeable following to my blog/website and my facebook fan page.
They actually seem pretty simple and to the point when I write them out like that, but every single goal in there is a huge step toward launching a successful business when I’m ready. I appreciate the support I’ve received so far for my decision and I only hope that it continues in the future. Thanks so much!
News
A new addition
In case you missed it, I recently decided to back down to portfolio building. I’m also in the
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Portfolio
Ashley March Photo Shoot
I need to start coming up with better names for shoots :) Ashley and I took pictures for about half
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Personal
A new addition
In case you missed it, I recently decided to back down to portfolio building. I’m also in the