Your own worst critic {Delaware Lifestyle Photographer}

I know a lot of photographers struggle with being their own worst critic, and just trying to figure out where you are in your style and place in business. Here's my tip:

Whenever I am feeling down, or unsure, I look back at all the emails and comments from my comments. The ones where they say how much they love their images, the ones where they say they have tears in their eyes because I captured such beautiful memories, those types, and those remind me that my journey is not complete and I am giving people something amazing.

Being a photographer is non stop learning and growing. I may not be where I want to be, but I am a heck of a lot further from where I was. And I thank every single person who has been on this journey with me and loved the moments I was able to capture for them.

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What do I carry? {Delaware Lifestyle Family & Fashion Photographer}

I get asked all the time when I am out on shoots, what kind of camera bag do I have, because my bag is so cute and doesn't look like a camera bag. I take that as a HUGE compliment! I have a serious purse addiction to begin with, so with all of the options of camera bags out there, I know first hand that it can be difficult to pick one. So here is my review of my two camera bags from JoTotes .  Besides being affordable, stylish, and amazing, these bags are really great quality.

My first bag that I purchased was the Rose bag in teal. I purchased this bag well over three years ago, before I had Charlotte, and it has held up amazingly. I am pretty rough on my gear, and this bag has been through countless weddings, being dropped, being tossed into the car, and my gear is safe inside of it.

(all product images directly from the JoTotes website)

The Rose bag was big enough for me to carry two bodies, two lenses, flash, batteries, cf cards, and my personal items such as my wallet and keys.  When I shoot weddings, I am pretty firm on what I shoot with, and that is my 5dMkii with (at the time) my 50mm 1.2 and 70-300 lenses.  If I rented a different lens, or had more gear on hand, I would keep my back up in my back up bag that was with my second shooter, and add whatever gear I needed.  One of the features that I love the best is that the inside is velcro, and the sections are padded, so you can adjust and move the sides to fit your gear perfectly no matter what you want to carry. Also those metal studs on the bottom keep the bottom of my bag from getting scraped and messed up. I now use this bag as my back up bag which has my two back up bodies, two back up lenses, charger, batteries, and battery grips for those cameras.  For a while, I actually used it as a diaper bag for my daughter.  The fact that it had sections that I can move made keeping the diaper bag very organized.


Now, as a treat to myself in 2013, I purchased a new bag when I went through a rebrand of my business. Of course, I already knew that I was going to pick another bag from Jo Totes, but which one?  After an hour of searching and flipping out, and asking my husband and sister which one I should get, I settled on the Gracie bag in the color Greige. A nice, neutral, khaki type color.  Unfortunately the site does not have the bag in my color, so this is it in Butterscotch and Lilac:

I love this bag because of the size. It is nice and roomy, and fits nicely when slung around my body with the include strap.  Plus the metal feet on the bottom. Also, pockets and zippers!  Since being with my husband, he has instilled in me the importance of pockets, and this bag has pockets and zippers galore. Typically I keep my extra batteries, charger, business cards and keys in the front two pickets.  My wallet and person stuff in the inside zipper section, and I can even fit my ipad into this.  Now that I mainly photograph families, this bag hold my main camera body and my two lenses, with room for my water bottle and snacks.

Both bags are made out of high quality faux-leather, so they are vegan friendly.

The Rose bag was $89, and the Gracie bag was $119. In my eyes, money well spent, and again, the waulity has been amazing.  If you are in the market for a great quality bag, Jo Totes is the way to go!

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Shoot for the stars, no matter how far

Why is it that when you ask a child what they want to be when they grow up, we tell them that they can be and do anything they set their minds to. Yet, when an adult is asked the same thing, if what they say seems to be outside the norm or unattainable due to some weird standard, we tell them to be more realistic with their dreams and goals, and are very ready to knock down their dreams.  At what point do we go from telling kids to shoot for the stars and don't be afraid to dream, to telling people that their dreams are too big for them, and to tone it down.  Is it because so many dreams my be unattainable?  Is it because others feel that since they have not accomplished their own dreams, they should knock down others? Who knows?  All I know is that I have a dream list a mile long, and I will slowly but surely cross them off.  Some may seem random, some may seem like they are never going to happen, and some are so big that they terrify me and even I think they are crazy.

But, if I don't dream big, what am I even doing here?  So here is a list of some of my dreams & goals, in no particular order:

• Become an actress (basically act in a show and be a member of SAG)
• Be interviewed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon
• Photograph celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce, Steve Buscemi, Tom Hiddlestone, David Tennant and More
• Have a thriving and successful photography career and studio based out of NYC
• Meet Lupita Nyong'o and possibly become best friends
• Have an amazing re-do of my wedding
• Win a major photography competition
• Win the powerball
• Walk the red carpet and attend an award show
• Start a non-profit that creates and gives out packages to homeless people that contain Gore weather gear, packaging that converts to a tent, and money/food
• Start an animal sanctuary
• Be financially stable
• Vacation in Disney World at least once a year
• Meet, photograph and be photographed by Sue Bryce
• Have the wedding of my dreams, well now it would be a vow renewal
• Travel the world for photography
• Be interviewed on a photography blog
• Have my work featured on photography blogs
• Have my work in a magazine
• Attend WPPI

And that is just some of my dreams, just some. I'll be glad to come to this post and cross things off!

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Good work don't come cheap

"Good work don't come cheap", or "You can have cheap, fast, or good...pick two", are among a couple of the sayings that you can find as your journey as a business owner progresses.  If you run a business that is in anyway part of the creative field, you will at some point and time, be asked to do work for free. Now, I am not here to say free work is bad, or collaborating for projects where everyone puts in an equal amount of work for a set outcome is bad.  But there will be people who expect your skill and your time to be given to them freely because you are new, or you are looking for exposure.

Now, I am not going to be one of those photographers who sits and tells you that you are de-valuing the industry by working for free, because I firmly believe that there are clients and photographers for every market out there. From free to six figures. My concern is building my business to where I am successful.  Besides, I haven't been in this long enough to earn those "old head" stripes, and even if I did, I still wouldn't change my view point.

So what's the point of me telling you all of this?  If you do request work, good work, work that people get paid for, for free, do not be surprised when people tell you no. And definitely do not respond like this guy did:

http://www.tickld.com/x/i-wish-i-worked-with-this-manhes-hilarious Pin It

Blogging everyday? Harder than it sounds! {Delaware Lifestyle Portrait & Fashion Photographer}

There's a photographer that I follow for numerous reasons, but the two main reasons is because she is so honest and open with the business aspect of photography and running your own business. She has stated numerous times to blog every day, to be consistent, and your brand will grow.  So for January, I did blog every day. If I couldn't make it every day, I made up those days. Either way, I had 31 blog entries for January, and it was one of the hardest things I have ever done.

I find it easier to strike up conversations with strangers on the street than to pick a topic and blog about it every single day.  I can talk up a storm in person, but writing? I go completely blank.

But I will try. I will try to blog every day. I will continue to work hard and grow my brand, grow by business. And if some days, my blogs get views then great! If not, at least I still blogged?

I don't expect it to come easy, but I do hope that it gets easier as time goes on. That my ability to write interesting and relevant content comes easier, to the point where people are looking at my blog for inspiration.

So does that mean I will blog about other things besides photography? Yup! I hope to keep them relevant to photography though. And if not, peeks into my life, running a business and the like.

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Giving up and sticking it out {Delaware Lifestyle Portrait & Fashion Photographer}

Many of you know that I am a night owl, and I get much of my work accomplished at night while everyone is sleeping.  And now thanks to the new scheduling feature on Facebook, I can schedule my posts in advance without it looking like I never sleep.  Any who, before I go on a sleep deprived rant, I just posted this over on my page:

"You'll hear it a thousand times as a photographer, "Don't compare your work to someone else's". But to be honest, it's the hardest thing NOT to do. You question everything about your work, why you aren't famous, why you aren't successful, etc. And the whole time you are trying to define your own style, stay true to your own style, and make waves at the same time."

I'm going to be completely honest, and tell you something, and this is me baring my soul... I want to give this up. Every. Single. Day.  Owning your own business is tough to begin with, but when your job is that of photography, in which you literally put your heart and soul on the line to be judged every time you post an image, as an artist... you must be crazy. Which I suppose why people think most artists are crazy.

This job is not stable.  I work harder than I ever did at a regular job working for someone else.  The finances are up and down. The scheduling, while I am grateful I get to make my own schedule, I have sacrificed a lot of my time. A lot of time with my daughter, with my family, and with my friends.  There were many events that I missed with family and friends because I was photographing weddings, and any other gig that would come my way. I was essentially the starving artist.

Almost every day, I want to give up. I want to sell off the equipment, gear and props that I have acquired, and go back to something stable. Something where I don't have to push for my own creativity. I am told what to do,  how to do it, and get paid for it.

And then I remember. I remember the reason why I started my business in the first place. Another photographer told me I couldn't do it, and being the person I am, I had to prove them wrong.  The drive to prove them wrong kept me going. And then as time went on, many people, including my husband believed in me, more than I believed in myself, and they helped me build myself as an artist and as a business woman. I couldn't just simply give up on them because the struggle is not what I expected.  And then there is my daughter. I have a career, that while it may not stable, I am able to be at home with her, every single day, and I don't miss anything. I get to watch her as she grows, as she learns, and she turns from an amazing baby into the most amazing child I know.  Then of course there is the instant gratification I get knowing that I capture the love between families, the moments I capture, making mothers and women feel like a million bucks with my skills.

Am I where I want to be? Nope! Nowhere near it in my eyes. Am I going to get there? I hope so!  I have worked too hard not to keep going. And I just can't give up now.  I've been invited into too many lives, witnessed and documented too many weddings, too many families going from two to three and more.  Am I successful? Still working on it. Everyone has their own definition of success. I know that I am not where I want to be, and I am continuously working on getting there. The hardest part is not knowing for sure if I am going to accomplish what I set out to.

It's a struggle yes. And every time I find a reason I want to give up, I find 101 reasons why I shouldn't.  It's a constant learning experience. I clap and jump and giggle when I learn how to do something new in Photoshop.  I genuinely get joy out of what I do, no matter how hard it is, and that is why I stick with it. My husband likes to tell me that it took Pixar 12 years to become the powerhouse in animation that they are today, so don't give up. I'm still "new".  

So here's hoping that one day I can have an amazing story like Pixar. Pin It

Workflow, workflow, workflow! {Delaware Lifestyle Portrait & Fashion Photographer}

Every photographer has their own workflow. Some have complex ones, some have easy ones. Overtime, we develop our workflows based on what works for us, time, ease, and the tools that we use.  When I first started out, I was strictly an Adobe Lightroom user. I lived by that program.  That was mainly because I was scared to use Adobe Photoshop! I'll be honest, Photoshop was like being the only person left on the dodge ball court with the biggest, most awesome player on the other team. You size them up, see that they can palm the ball with one freaking hand, they are snarling at you, and you know that you have no chance. Ok, maybe it's not that bad, but that's how it feels sometimes!

I started adding Photoshop to my workflow over the past two years after playing around and teaching myself how to use it. Lots of nights spent testing out the features, watching Youtube videos, reading tutorials, and just lots of trial and error.  As it took me a while to define my photographic style, it took me a while to define my editing style also.

So what is my workflow?  Here is what I do!

1) After the session, I usually come home and upload the images to my computer, IMMEDIATELY!  I have a need for instant gratification, so things need to be put on my computer ASAP! I do not erase the images off of the card.

2) I take those raw files, and save a copy of those to my external hard drive.  You never know if your equipment is going to fail on you, and it's better to be safe than sorry. I've had my whole motherboard fail on me before, and felt as if my world was crashing down. Especially being that it was in the middle of my busiest season, and I had weddings and some family sessions that I didn't edit yet.

3) The images get uploaded to Lightroom.  Like I said, I used to use Lightroom exclusively to edit my images.  I use it now to cull my images, and save the catalog as an extra back up for the images.  I have heard many praises for PhotoMechanic that makes it very easy and extremely fast to cull images.

4)  I export the images from Lightroom, to Photoshop. I run an action on all of the photos using my basic retouching action (exposure, levels, curves, etc).

5) I then go through each image and edit from there. Fixing skin, stray hairs, removing objects, extending backdrops if needed, sharpening, etc.

6)  I then use another action to close all the layers, and save all of the images as a jpg in the same folder that the Lightroom images were exported to.

7) Now, this is important. In the past, I have gotten trigger happy, and have deleted images accidentally.  By having the regular jpgs from Lightroom in the folder, and then having an extra folder with the newly edited images, I have two back ups.  At this point, I create a folder of the session name "Family-Insert Name Here" onto my external drive, and copy and paste the images that are in that new jpg folder of the original location to it.  Then I deleted the unedited jpgs, and move the edited jpgs to the folder.

8) I next use Pixieset to upload the images to my clients gallery to be ready for their viewing and ordering session.

And that folks, is my workflow!



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A word to photographers, both new and old. {Delaware Lifestyle Portrait & Fashion Photographer}

2013 is out the door, and here we are on the fifth day of 2014.  A whole new year to do new and amazing things.  This past year, the photography community has been in somewhat of a buzz. There have been plagiarism issues, company issues between big name photographers and companies, sponsors, rock star photography drama, and the list goes on and on. And of course there is the never ending battle of new photographers coming in,that's making lots of veteran photographers angry.

When I first started, I was told that I wouldn't be able to do this.  And I will admit, while hard, I am still here. Most new business give up within three years.  This will be my 5th year in business, and I am so happy. There have been a lot of things that I have learned from others and within myself. Some mistakes that I made in my business, but I came out stronger than ever. So with that said, here is a word to photographers, both new and old:

Make 2014 about YOU. Don't compare yourself to other photographers. Don't wonder why they got to where they are, worry about why you are not where you want to be. And then change that. We hold our cares in our hands, and no one but ourselves can hold us back.

It's ok to look up to other photographers, and gain inspiration, but remember, you are not them, they are not you. No two photographers are the same. We are each unique artists with a different flair to add to our work.

Besides technical aspects of your work, do not let anyone define your style.  Every photography should know how to take a technically sound image, but how you present that image, your artistic image is completely up to you. Do not let anyone define who you are.  Your path to success is completely different from someone else's.  You can both do the same things, use the same equipment, but your work will look completely different.

It's important to be yourself and shine.  Don't let anyone take your light from you.

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Tips: Photographing lifestyle sessions at home {Delaware & Pennsylvania Child and Family Lifestyle Photographer}

As a photographer, I am constantly presented with many challenges when it comes to the location, lighting, and backgrounds at my sessions.  And I pride myself in being able to flex and bend with these different situations.  When I have a session, it's done in one of three places.  Outdoors, my clients home, or in my home studio.  Okay, my home studio is more of a dedicated room, which technically is my dining room, but it's my office & studio now.  I wholeheartedly follow the sound advice of Tim Gunn, "make it work!".

Today, I am going to talk to you about working within your clients home for sessions.  I typically photograph in home sessions for maternity, newborn, and families (especially when they have large families...the largest being 37 people so far!)  I utilize much of the space in their home, and there are some definite go to shots that I do.  Homes are more intimate, and many clients, especially their children feel a lot better being photographed in their own space.  You can get your clients to relax more when they are in their own surroundings, and let me not forget the benefits of air conditioning indoors when you are having sessions during the summer!

Before the session, I always recommend my clients remove any clutter or objects that they don't want seen in the photos.  Particularly in the living room, the bedroom, and the nursery.  And if there are a couple of blank walls, with great window light all the better!

Walls are the perfect in home backdrop! Utilize them to their fullest potential!

Another favorite spot I like to photograph my clients in is their bedroom.  It's a simple yet meaningful location, especially when you are photographing a tiny little newborn on a giant bed.  If you have the whole family cuddling onto the bed, even better! For bed shots, I usually photograph straight on, and depending on the action from the side. It more so depends where the light source is coming from.

For bedroom shots, I always recommend that my clients either have an all white, down comforter, or a light, solid color comforter.  You want the bedspread to be as simple as possible as to not distract the eye from the subject.

Windows are also another favorite spot for me to photograph in. I totally adore back lighting, and windows provide the perfect light.  Typically when I photograph clients in front of windows, I tend to overexpose by two stops to blow out the light from the windows.  

I pride myself on making sessions work at any location that I am at.  Before going into a session, I typically have a layout of what I plan to shoot, and where. When I arrive, I usually ask for a tour around the house to see what works best, and how easy it is to transition.  Especially when having sessions with newborns, you don't want to move them around too much, especially the new mom.

In the end, make it work with what you have!  If you are a lifestyle photographer, and you don't have your own space for a studio, embrace that challenge and maximize it! Find different spots in the house that have gorgeous light, go in with a plan of attack so to speak so that you transition easily through sessions.  While it would be totally awesome to have your own studio, realize that you don't necessarily need one, especially if your focus is lifestyle photography.  The only thing holding you back is you, get out there and show your talent!

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Fear. The good, the bad, the force.

Fear.

It is crippling, it is terrifying.  Sometimes it makes you want to curl up in a ball and shut the world away.  Let me tell you something about me.

I am scared all of the time.  I was scared to start my business.  I still get scared right before I have a session.  I'm fearful that I won't make it, fearful that I will let myself and those that believe in me down.  

Fear can also be a good thing. It can be the driving force behind you, so embrace it.  Because I am fearful I push harder, because I am fearful, I strive to learn and grow more.  My dreams are so big that they scare me,  and you know what?  That is probably the greatest thing ever.  For if my own dreams don't scare me, I am not dreaming big enough.

If you are fearful, embrace it. Turn that fear into power, into courage, and set yourself on the path at achieving your destiny.

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Your success, their success, it's all about success! {Delaware & Pennsylvania Lifestyle Family Photographer}

It's easy to want to follow someone because they are successful. As a budding photographer, you can't help but think "If I shoot this way" or "If I do what this person does" then you will be successful.  And that may be true, but for most it's not. Because your path to success is as unique as you are.  No two stories are the same. Sure, they can be similar, but they are never the same.  Different circumstances, different mindsets, different life experiences make each one of us unique. And on our path to success, it can be very easy to measure our success against someone else.

Stop it. Stop it now.

That is probably one of the worst things that you can do to yourself. Sure, there is nothing wrong with learning from people, and growing. Nothing wrong with taking the advice they have to give and applying it to your life, your business.  But if you continue to measure your success based on the success of someone else, you will never truly get to where you want to be.

There was a point and time for me when I thought that being successful was being a name known throughout my peers in my industry, and teaching others.  That's totally not for me.  Not anymore.  When I realized that my value as an artist to my clients is more important than my value as an artist to other artists, it was a game changer for me.

Am I where I want to be? No. And I don't think I will ever get to that point, and that's a good thing.  Because it will keep me pushing for more. Pin It

But this photographer will give me that! A breakdown of different business models. {Delaware and Beyond Lifestyle Photographer}

One of the reasons why I decided to pursue photography as my career is because there are not a lot of photos from my childhood.  There is one blue book (in which no one can find) that has most of my toddler photos, some photos floating around in a bin at my mothers house, and the dreaded school portraits (which I hate with a passion).  Other than that, nada. Nothing really to show me as a laughing, goofy, clumsy kid. So that's why I not only decided to pursue photography, but after having my daughter is when I made the switch to focus primarily on families, babies, and kids.  Because I love being able to freeze the moments of childhood, and all of the love that a family has.

Now there are many photographers out there, many with different business models, and I understand it can be confusing to potential clients why photographer a does not offer the same as photographer b.  So I wanted to take some time to break down how and why I run my business and offer the products that I do.

First, let me say that I believe memories are priceless. And I do believe that there is a photographer for every budget. There are also different skill levels to go with those budgets.  Not everyone places photography high on their values list, and that is okay. But for those who do, I love them even more.  I get asked why do I charge so much?  To be honest, there are photographers who charge way more than me, and way less than me!  I charge for my experience and time, cost of doing business, and what I need to maintain a living for my family and I. There are some businesses who have supplemental income to photography, and sometimes they don't charge as much. There are some business in which photography is their only income, so besides having to be able to pay their own family bills, there is also the cost of running a business too. Which involves equipment, taxes, fees and subscriptions and more.

Still with me? Good!

The next big thing I get asked is why I don't offer all of the digital files, or just images in general with my sessions.  Well, I will admit something. I used to. I used to give away everything plus the kitchen sink, the dog, and the deed to the house when I first started! But with years of doing this, having my skill grow, and learning more, I decided that is not the business model for me. I don't include any digital images because I know, from experience, that most times they sit on your computer or the disc, rarely to be seen again. I want the images from your session to be displayed proudly on your walls so that everyone can see! And if you want to purchase the digital files, that is ok too!

For me, I like my business model to be simple. I have a session fee, which includes pre-session consultations, your actual session, and editing. From there, we have an in person ordering session which you get to see your images for the first time, and you can order prints and products a la carte. Unless of course, circumstances lead differently, then you will be sent a gallery.

It works for me, and I am happy with that!

So thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way, and appreciated all that I put into my business and into my clients. You are amazing!




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Happy Birthday to Marisa Taylor Photography!!! {Delaware Lifestyle and Wedding Photographer}

I've been talking about this surprise for a while. Well it's not really a surprise, but more of an announcement. Are you ready?

...............

!!!!!!!!!!!


Marisa Taylor Photography turns 4 years old today!!!

4 cupcakes for each year. And yes, I plan on eating them all. Don't judge me!

Wow! That is crazy to say. I have been in business for myself for four years. FOUR WHOLE YEARS!  I started this journey professionally in 2009, with the push from my husband to get out there and do it. He said that if I didn't do it then, I would never do it. And I would end up regretting that I didn't do it.

Thank goodness I have him by my side.

The journey has been long, and tough. There have been times when I constantly thought "what the heck am I doing?!?!"  But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I am so thankful to be where I am today. I am thankful to have a career that I genuinely love. One that gives me the time to shine light on others lives, and let's me stay home with my amazing daughter.  A career where I get to meet new people, make new friends, watch families grow, give women confidence, and make people smile.

I went from my Canon rebel, and one kit lens and shooting on location or in my apartment.  I know have better equipment, a dedicated studio space, loyal clients, amazing friends and family and supporters.  There are days that I am still in awe and disbelief. I have been featured on wedding blogs, wedding planner blogs, and have been in the magazine, Delaware Bride, twice!  I've grown to know some amazing photographers, receive some amazing advice, and watched the table turns as I was the one giving advice and helping newer photographers.

I still can't believe how far I've come. But I will tell you what, I am definitely looking forward for the journey ahead.

So thank you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart.  I would not be here if it wasn't for you! Those who believed in me, supported me, trusted me. Those who have been with me since the beginning. Those who have spread the word about me and my business, and have helped me grow. You are more valuable to me than you will ever know.

And thank you to my husband, Wesley.  For pushing me to step off of the ledge, and for believing in me when I didn't believe in myself. Pin It