As business owners, it can be scary to be vocal about "controversial" topics. However, it's important to note that issues like race, human rights, and social justice are NOT controversial. They are incredibly important to recognize, talk about, and continue to educate ourselves on. We've always spoken the importance of letting your values show in your business, and standing up for what you believe it. With the current climate, it's even MORE so. We looked around recently & realized our photography community here in San Diego is VERY predominantly white. We've joined the conversation on ways to fix that, but honestly, we didn't really know the right way to go about it. And, we figured, as 2 white people, we definitely are not qualified to lead this discussion. We brought in Renata Williams of Lebanon Valley College & Faith Tiemann of SUNY Oneonta to help us break down exactly HOW to have conversations about diversity, be more inclusive, & talk about race in general.

Hello everyone! We missed you! Truth be told, we are both going through some crazy changes in our lives & schedules, and point blank, we've kinda ignored the podcast. We are SO sorry we've left you hanging, but we are back & we have some awesome episodes on the way!

We just wanted to update you guys with what we've been up to & our stance on things like the EIDL loan, unemployment, and social distancing sessions/weddings. There is a LOT going on in the world today, and we are here for it and for YOU!

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past couple weeks, you've likely seen Front Porch Sessions on Facebook. These are professional sessions of families at home on their porch. They've been highly controversial in the photography world; some people are loving them & finding ways to supplement their income or donate profits to causes, and other people are slamming them HARD, saying they are unprofessional and even illegal. So where do we lie on Front Porch Sessions? Are these a do or a don't?

In Part Two of our Coronavirus Series, we chat with Braden Drake all about contracts, client communication, & cash flow. He brought super valuable information to this show, and helped us with things we should add to our contracts for the future, ways to speak with your clients about your policies, and ways to help your cash flow during the Coronavirus crisis.

We don't even really know where to begin! We do know that COVID19 is a topic on everyone's mind, and we don't want to add to the panic or give anyone anxiety, but the truth of the matter is it's affecting small businesses on a level we've never seen before, and we know you're likely being affected. Wedding & portrait photographers alike are dealing with cancellations, reschedules, and a decline in inquiries. We wanted to reach out to you & provide some help and encouragement. Here are some survival tips for photographers dealing with COVID19.

We are SO excited to launch our brand new website redesign today! We didn't have a regular episode scheduled but we decided to pop on really quick to chat about the rebrand & as a bonus, throw Julie Ferneau some random rapid fire questions!

WPPI 2020 is here & bigger than ever! Whether you're a newbie or seasoned pro, we have some tips on surviving WPPI & getting the most out of your trip!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! We took a short hiatus to spend time with friends & family during the holidays. Well, and to edit millions of photos, but we are BACK! On the show today, we're chatting with Amy Gray, a San Diego based family portrait photographer who specializes in beach photography!

Julie & Kate discuss the new year & how to wrap up 2019 with a pretty bow. Tune in to hear how we're getting organized, prepping for taxes, thanking our clients, & starting 2020 with a clean slate!

Rachel Greiman of Green Chair Stories helps you bring your personality into your photography brand & attract your ideal clients with your website copy!

How do you know you are ready to rebrand your photography business? Britt & Kelsey of Launch Your Daydream are here to help! If you're feeling less than excited about your current brand, this is the episode for you!

Second shooting is amazing for a myriad of reasons. Not only does it allow you to practice & hone your skills, but it allows you to network with other photographers & make some money without the pressure of booking your own weddings. 

In this episode, Julie chats about the do's & don'ts of second shooting.

If you've been in business for awhile, you'll know how often marketing methods change. When I first started, search engines were really the only way people would find your business. If you weren't paying for advertising, chances are you were struggling a bit. Then Facebook added business pages and that became the new place to be to nab new clients. Now, Instagram seems to be the way to go! Is anyone else here having a hard time growing your Instagram following? Julie & I have been working on upping our Instagram game lately (have you noticed?? Be sure to follow us!) & couldn't help but notice friend of the show Melissa McClure's amazingly successful Instagram account. This girl has 11.2k followers and gets HUNDREDS of likes and comments on her posts. We invited her to join us for a chat about growing your Instagram following!

Key Takeaways

• Follow & Observe. Follow accounts that are doing what you want to be doing. Watch what they do! When do they post? How often do they post? What are their captions like? What type of content seems to be getting engagement? If you can watch and emulate your favorite accounts, you'll likely be on the right track to growing your Instagram following too!
• Quality over quantity. The most important aspect of Instagram is engagement. You want to have a LOT of likes and comments, and ideally you want to spark conversations in your comment section. Be sure to reply to every single comment you receive; that DOUBLES your comment number just by itself! DMs also count as engagement, so be sure you're messaging people back when they message you. You should also be messaging others... introduce yourself & let them know what you like about their content! Make sure your captions are fun & add calls to action... it's the best way to get people to comment!
• Get over your fear of stories & just do them already! We get it... stories are SCARY. The best stories usually involve other people seeing your face, and that's something most of us are terrified of. Do we have enough makeup on? Is our hair done? Are we a sweaty mess after a 10 hour wedding? NONE of those things matter... what matters is people seeing YOU & getting to know you beyond your images. Stories are a great way for potential & current clients to see glimpses into your personal life and they DON'T CARE if you have makeup on. In fact, the more real you come across, the better!

Melissa has about 30 million more amazing tips during this episode regarding everything from hashtags to sketchy ways to grow your Instagram following, and more. Be sure to tune in to hear the rest!

Also, be sure to check out Melissa at instagram.com/chasingbacklight as well as melissamcclure.com. And if you haven't heard her previous episodes, you can find them here:

http://photosparkshow.com/episode-10-taxes-are-no-joke/

http://photosparkshow.com/the-other-side-of-the-lens/

What's more fun than a styled shoot? You not only get to take pretty pictures, but you get to meet new vendors, and basically design your ideal shoot! We always preach showing off what you want to shoot more of, and this is a GREAT way to do it!

Sarah Kay Love joins us on today's episode! Sarah is a Creative Consultant, specializing in content strategy and digital marketing, devoted to helping companies build brands that differentiate themselves and increase business. She chats with us today about ALL things styled shoots, especially how to set them up, WHY to set them up, and how to get the most out of them! Here are a few of our favorite takeaways from this episode.

• Styled shoots help build vendor relationships: If your business comes through a large amount of referrals, this is ideal way to connect with industry leaders and gain recognition and make friends! It's also a great way to get to know the people you'll likely be working on future weddings with. You want to make the process as easy as possible for them, so we suggest explaining the expectations of the shoot clearly beforehand, as well as making the file delivery/download process quick & easy as well. If you're easy to work with, they're likely to refer you to their clients in the future!
• Market towards your ideal client: Again, this goes back to showing what you want to shoot. For example, setting up a high-end styled shoot will help you get into the high-end wedding market. It will give you a plethora of awesome images for your Instagram & blog, which will help you attract the right type of client. If you're wanting to go for more boho weddings, setting up a boho-themed shoot will attract that type of client. Basically, a styled shoot is a great way to showcase the type of work you want.
• Exposure! Ok normally "exposure" is a bad word in our industry. People often ask us for free stuff in exchange for exposure. Usually, that's not going to help you a ton, and we have always advised against it. However! Doing a styled shoot will get you in front of potential clients; they can see that your work reflects exactly the aesthetic they're looking for. It will also increase your SEO as you're tagging & being tagged by multiple vendors on Instagram, blog posts, etc. Styled shoots are also a great for publications. Focus on making your shoot as attractive & unique as possible, so it really stands out to publications.

One of the hardest parts about running your own business and not having co-workers is the lack of water cooler conversation.

We don't really have anyone we can vent to or ask advice from on a daily basis unless we connect with other photographers who understand! While we all LOVE our jobs, I'm sure, there are definitely times where it's not all rainbows & butterflies. In this episode, Julie & Kate commiserate a little about some of the less awesome parts of our jobs and common photographer pet peeves. We chat about frustrations & we help each other solve issues & work toward preventing them in the future!

Here's just a quick sneak peek at some of the stuff we chat about on today's episode!

"Reasonably priced" photo shoot seekers: I'm sure we've ALL received inquiries looking for a reasonably priced photographer. What does that even MEAN?! Do we cave in and give a discount if we're desperate enough?! The correct answer, of course, is NO... but when we receive these emails it can at times be tempting to negotiate with people. The solution to this is to make sure we know our value by figuring out our cost of doing business, goal-setting, and deciding how much our time is worth, and then stick to your guns!!

Crickets upon file delivery: What's worse than delivering a gallery to a client and never hearing back?! NOTHING! It sucks! If you're anything like me, it makes you question whether or not they're happy with the photos, which in turn can make you question your talent & your work. Here's the thing... most people are really busy. They might not think that they need to reply. They know your work is good & they hired you because of it. They're going to assume that YOU know your work is good, and they don't need to tell you so. The solution? Reach out & follow up with past clients! Pop into their inbox & tell them you want to check in & make sure they received their gallery/prints/album and everything is good! This is a great way to tie your session up with a bow & ensure they have a good feeling about their shoot!

Taking the blame for situations out of your control: Dad's late getting home from work, traffic on the way to the shoot is horrible, & baby spit up on their outfit, and by the time they arrive at their shoot, everyone is stressed beyond belief. And now it's up to you to take the reins and wrangle everyone into some awesome photos. There's only so much you can do. It's certainly frustrating when this happens, but you really want to do your best to manage expectations before the shoot even starts. Tell them about anything they need to know about the location (dog poop, flies, sand, etc). Try to emphasize the importance of picking outfits ahead of time & leaving work early... anything you can do to manage the stress of photo shoot day for your clients.

"Can we just get like... ONE photo tomorrow for our Christmas cards/birthday invites/business card?" Nope. Hahaha, basically that's the gist of it. The best way to handle this situation is to have a rush policy/fee. Something like "gallery will be delivered within 48 hours for X amount of money," Make it high enough that most clients won't want to pay it (because it's definitely stressful), but high enough that if they DO pay it, it's worth it for you.

We have a few more points in our vent sesh/brainstorming sesh, so be sure to tune into the episode. You can listen by clicking the link below. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes as well!

Hugs,
Julie & Kate

We are joined by Amber Dugger, founder of Profit For Keeps, a system developed for online entrepreneurs to end the stress and anxiety around numbers.  It is a holistic system combining personal finance and business cash flow strategies using Profit First and YNAB (You Need a Budget).  She has helped hundreds of coaches implement this system and has helped thousands more calculate revenue goals that actually make sense!

PhotoSpark Show Episode 103: Julie Ferneau & Kate Mills chat with the ladies of Launch your Daydream. They explain why it's important to niche down while giving action steps to attract the right clients. 

Kate is the Queen of email organization and let's just say... Julie has #emailgoals. This episode is all about email organization 101. Kate is sharing how to start, tackle and organize your email and gives us tips on how to manage it once you get it down to zero. Email maintenance is super important.

First things first - A cluttered email inbox is the same as having a cluttered house. When you have a tidy house, let's be real, we feel on top of the world and ready to tackle our next project. When the house is messy and cluttered, your mind constantly thinks about it.

Here's how to tackle your email inbox and get it completely organized.

EMAIL CLEANUP

• GOAL is to get your email inbox to ZERO!
• Schedule time
• If you're scared of deleting emails, archive them.
• Just start. Scroll, Look, Select all, Delete. Repeat.
• Keep any important emails you have in your inbox or if you already have folders created, file them away

EMAIL ORGANIZATION

• Create folders such as receipts, clients, follow-ups, vendors, etc.
• When you get your email down to just the important ones, respond to them in order of importance.

EMAIL MAINTENANCE

• To prevent email buildup in the future, use unroll.me. It's life-changing and helps you get a handle on just how many companies you have opted in their email list and then immediately unsubscribes or rolls them up in one pretty little email.
• Don't subscribe to anything with your business email - give your gmail email instead
• Do try to use your business email for client and vendor communication.
• Stay on top of it. Schedule a time or two times each day for your email time.
• Use email templates. Either save drafts in gmail and copy and paste your email or use a CRM like ShootQ and have your templates set up in there.

There you have it! Happy organizing, Sparksters! You got this!

XO,
Julie & Kate

Favorite Tip 1

Erin Brant of The Leo Loves was a guest on Episode 73. She taught us to prioritize play over posing during photo shoots which is her wheelhouse. Her style is very candid, playful and fun.

Favorite Tip 2

Meghan Brown of Two Bright Lights joined us on Episode 32 and shared so many valuable tips on getting published. A few of our reasons to get published are:

Julie has now been published - which is a big deal for her!

• It establishes Credibility
• The backlinks from other blogs help your SEO
• You have additional things to share on social media. Who doesn't love getting published!? People love seeing themselves on blogs.

Favorite Tip 3:

Tracy Petrucci of Petrucci Marketing shared a wealth of knowledge in Episode 17 all about social media. One of the biggest takeaways was that Twitter has a big effect on SEO.

Favorite Tip 4:

Episode 36 with Bethel Nathan taught us to show what you want to book. Her episode was all about the modern couple. We as photographers and other creatives need to showcase and feature diversity on your website if you want to book more.

Favorite Tip 5:

Mary Fein Brandt is a LInkedIn expert. She was our Episode 59 guest and she served up bite-sized tips for us. With 460 MILLION people on LinkedIn, we listened up. Update your LinkedIn account right now by updating your headshot, bio and making sure you have a well-established page.

Favorite Tip 6:

Going way back to this oldie but goodie to Episode 9, with Melissa Mitchell of Melissa & Co where she dished out so many SEO tips, you have to go listen! It's a good one, we promise!

BONUS: What we've learned over the the past 100 episodes:

1. Done is better than perfect
2. Sound quality does matter
3. If we curse and offend someone, it's ok- 37
4. Setting a set recording schedule works and setting boundaries
5. Planning meetings are essential
6. Change will happen - embrace it

Heidi Thompson of Evolve Your Wedding Business is on PhotoSpark today talking about creating marketing plans for photography businesses!