Tuesday, January 29, 2013

High School Senior Reps....

Calling High School Seniors in Vancouver and surrounding areas!!
Calling all up coming Seniors, I will be looking for senior reps very shortly to represent Celtic Charm Photography.  This is an amazing offer, not only do you get a free photo shoot package worth $250, but there are tons of other bonus items available too.   You can apply online at the link below! thank you.



Free rep cards and holder for each of our reps, along with a customized free Facebook timeline to show case your images!





See my website for full details go to www.celticcharmphotography.com and click on the 'High school senior tab'.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Today's tips, tricks (and Photography) freebies, (awesome article about marketing on a low budget)







I have a very limited budget but desperately need to market myself? Got any suggestions?
My all time favorite method of marketing is relational marketing. It’s a concept that seems to be downplayed in most industries, but it goes the furthest when building word-of-mouth marketing. Just like any form of relationship, when you enter into it, it’s going to be the most genuine and going to build the most long term results from your business. We want to be careful to approach others with how you can benefit that other person more than you can be benefited.
It takes some digging to know what is available in your community, so start doing some homework about which local and online businesses are hot and happening that you can approach.
Start with those with the most reach.
See if you can find a local blogger who will showcase you and your business, much like a press release. Offer to do a complimentary session of headshots in exchange for the exposure. Of course, this can be repeated with wedding bloggers, mommy bloggers, and local bloggers to great effect!
Think press.
If there is a local parenting magazine in your area and you’re a portrait photographer, offer to write monthly guest articles. Same goes with bridal magazines, local interest or regional magazines…
Look into having someone edit your writing if you don’t feel confident with handing over your articles sans editing. Everyone on Facebook has at least one friend with an English major!
Again, this gives your business exposure and gets your name circulating among those who are potentially interested in what you have to offer.
Hit the pavement.
Contact five of your favorite amazing local businesses to feature them on your blog. Start (or keep up!) a weekly blog series of what’s hot in your area, doing a write up of why you love them and/or a fun interview. Think spa, high end gym, interior designers, play centers, high-end pet stores, kitchen stores, boutiques, eateries, and home interior stores.
It doesn’t have to have anything to do with photography, it just needs to be the kind of business that you target market would be doing business with. (If you’re selling $1,800 portrait collections, they aren’t shopping for couches at Target, for example. Where are they buying their couches?)
Again, offer headshots of the business owner for your article, and give them the files as a thank you gift for their time. Give them permission to use on their website or Facebook page with a small watermark.
When you post the blog article, tag them on Facebook so that it shows up in their readers’ feed. Not only is this a great way to get their audience’s attention, but it also can help generate word of mouth with them because you were willing to promote their business without asking for anything in exchange.
Unselfish business promotion always reaps awesome benefits.

Practice your thank you note writing.
If you do in-person sales or hold meetings in a coffee shop, send a thank you note to the owner for allowing you to use their space to do your business as well as how much you love their business.
I would flip if someone wrote me a thank you note for something that most people wouldn’t seem to be appreciative for since it’s considered open to the public.
Remember, little bits and pieces of word of mouth marketing are amazing, even if you don’t see instant results.
You don’t know what can come from that stuff and it only costs you five minutes and a stamp. Look for other ways to thank other business owners in the area for benefitting your business.
All of these ideas are completely free and only take time and effort.
They also could be your most effective form of marketing, so start doing a treasure hunt in your community to see what businesses you could start building a relationship with.
Start marketing yourself in a way that will make you feel amazing because you aren’t having to pitch them anything other than an amazing opportunity for their business.
Got other limited budget marketing ideas? Share them in the comments!




How to deal with Criticism well: 25 reasons to embrace it
+Tiny Buddha


by Lori Deschene
“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~Aristotle
At the end of the day, when I feel completely exhausted, oftentimes it has nothing to do with all the things I’ve done.
It’s not a consequence of juggling multiple responsibilities and projects. It’s not my body’s way of punishing me for becoming a late-life jogger after a period of cardiovascular laziness. It’s not even about getting too little sleep.
When I’m exhausted, you can be sure I’ve bent over backwards trying to win everyone’s approval. I’ve obsessed over what people think of me, I’ve assigned speculative and usually inaccurate meanings to feedback I’ve received, and I’ve lost myself in negative thoughts about criticism and its merit.

I work at minimizing this type of behavior—and I’ve had success for the most part—but admittedly it’s not easy. I remember back in college, taking a summer acting class, when I actually made the people around me uncomfortable with my defensiveness. This one time, the teacher was giving me feedback after a scene in front of the whole class. She couldn’t get through a single sentence without me offering some type of argument.

After a couple minutes of verbal sparring, one of my peers actually said, “Stop talking. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Looking back, I cut myself a little slack. You’re vulnerable in the spotlight and the student’s reaction was kind of harsh. But I know I needed to hear it. Because I was desperately afraid of being judged, I took everything, from everyone as condemnation.
I realize criticism doesn’t always come gently from someone legitimately trying to help. A lot of the feedback we receive is unsolicited and doesn’t come from teachers—or maybe all of it does.
We can’t control what other people will say to us, whether they’ll approve or form opinions and share them. But we can control how we internalize it, respond to it, and learn from it, and when we release it and move on.
If you’ve been having a hard time dealing with criticism lately, it may help to remember the following:


The Benefits of Criticism:


Personal Growth

1. Looking for seeds of truth in criticism encourages humility. It’s not easy to take an honest look at yourself and your weaknesses, but you can only grow if you’re willing to try.
2. Learning from criticism allows you to improve. Almost every critique gives you a tool to more effectively create the tomorrow you visualize.
3. Criticism opens you up to new perspectives and new ideas you may not have considered. Whenever someone challenges you, they help expand your thinking.
4. Your critics give you an opportunity to practice active listening. This means you resist the urge to analyze in your head, planning your rebuttal, and simply consider what the other person is saying.
5. You have the chance to practice forgiveness when you come up against harsh critics. Most of us carry around stress and frustration that we unintentionally misdirect from time to time.

Emotional Benefits

6. It’s helpful to learn how to sit with the discomfort of an initial emotional reaction instead of immediately acting or retaliating. All too often we want to do something with our feelings—generally not a great idea!
7. Criticism gives you the chance to foster problem solving skills, which isn’t always easy when you’re feeling sensitive, self-critical, or annoyed with your critic.
8. Receiving criticism that hits a sensitive spot helps you explore unresolved issues. Maybe you’re sensitive about your intelligence because you’re holding onto something someone said to you years ago—something you need to release.
9. Interpreting someone else’s feedback is an opportunity for rational thinking—sometimes, despite a negative tone, criticism is incredibly useful.
10. Criticism encourages you to question your instinctive associations and feelings; praise is good, criticism is bad. If we recondition ourselves to see things in less black and white terms, there’s no stop to how far we can go!

Improved Relationships

11. Criticism presents an opportunity to choose peace over conflict. Oftentimes, when criticized our instinct is to fight, creating unnecessary drama. The people around us generally want to help us, not judge us.
12. Fielding criticism well helps you mitigate the need to be right. Nothing closes an open mind like ego—bad for your personal growth, and damaging for relationships.
13. Your critics give you an opportunity to challenge any people-pleasing tendencies. Relationships based on a constant need for approval can be draining for everyone involved. It’s liberating to let people think whatever they want—they’re going to do it anyway.
14. Criticism gives you the chance to teach people how to treat you. If someone delivers it poorly, you can take this opportunity to tell them, “I think you make some valid points, but I would receive them better if you didn’t raise your voice.”
15. Certain pieces of criticism teach you not to sweat the small stuff. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter that your boyfriend thinks you load the dishwasher “wrong.”

Time Efficiency

16. The more time you spend dwelling about what someone said, the less time you have to do something with it.
17. If you improve how you operate after receiving criticism, this will save time and energy in the future. When you think about from that perspective—criticism as a time saver—it’s hard not to appreciate it!
18. Fostering the ability to let go of your feelings and thoughts about being critiqued can help you let go in other areas of your life. Letting go of worries, regrets, stresses, fears, and even positive feelings helps you root yourself in the present moment. Mindfulness is always the most efficient use of time.
19. Criticism reinforces the power of personal space. Taking 10 minutes to process your emotions, perhaps by writing in a journal, will ensure you respond well. And responding the well the first time prevents one critical comment from dominating your day.
20. In some cases, criticism teaches you how to interact with a person, if they’re negative or hostile, for example. Knowing this can save you a lot of time and stress in the future.

Self Confidence

21. Learning to receive false criticism—feedback that has no constructive value—without losing your confidence is a must if you want to do big things in life. The more attention your work receives, the more criticism you’ll have to field.
22. When someone criticizes you, it shines a light on your own insecurities. If you secretly agree that you’re lazy, you should get to the root of that. Why do you believe that—and what can you do about it?
23. Learning to move forward after criticism, even if you don’t feel incredibly confident, ensures no isolated comment prevents you from seizing your dreams. Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff; takes what’s useful, leave the rest, and keep going!
24. When someone else appraises your harshly, you have an opportunity to monitor your internal self-talk. Research indicates up to 80% of our thoughts are negative. Take this opportunity to monitor and change your thought processes so you don’t drain and sabotage yourself!
25. Receiving feedback well reminds you it’s OK to have flaws—imperfection is part of being human. If you can admit weakness and work on them without getting down on yourself, you’ll experience far more happiness, peace, enjoyment, and success.
We are all perfectly imperfect, and other people may notice that from time to time. We may even notice in it each other.
Somehow accepting that is a huge weight off my mind.
Photo by keepitsurreal

About Lori Deschene

Lori Deschene is the Founder of Tiny Buddha. She recently launched her Tiny Wisdom eBook Series which includes one free eBook. Follow Lori on Twitter @tinybuddha



Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Today's Tips, Tricks and Freebies from the Web.


I've just designed some free facebook timelines available for anyone who has Adobe Photoshop.  These were designed in CS5, and are a great way to showcase some of your images for clients or fun!  Click on link below to be directed to my dropbox location. I'd be so grateful if you could visit my facebook page and like me!!! thank you!
















Get the Photography Clients You Deserve from Google Search

by Guest Blogger on 01/08/2013
Get Photography Clients From Google
This week’s post is a guest post from Zach Prez.

You take stunning child portraits that can change the attitude and environment of an entire household simply by displaying your work on the wall.
Why doesn’t Google see your website in the same light and reward your quality photography with an outstanding rank?
First, search engines look at your website differently than clients. Search pays special attention to titles, URLs, and image text that clients ignore.
Second, people search for more than a “photographer in city X.” Clients search a particular style, season, and price all in a single phrase. This post outlines how to rank well for dozens of key topics in your niche so you can finally get the business you deserve from search.

Google Views Your Site Through a Different Lens

As a photographer, you know better than anyone how the same subject can deliver a completely different message by changing the lens. Think of your website the same way. Posting a session and expecting Google to understand the detail and depth of the page is like trusting a client to see the beauty and perfection in a raw photo.
To cast the best light on your website content, it helps to know where search engines weight keywords. When a potential client searches “photographer in city X,” Google’s job is to find a page about that topic. The closer the page matches the search topic, the better chance of ranking.

Ranking tip #1: Use keywords in your title that will be searched by people who don’t know you.

If you know the basics of search engine optimization (SEO), you know the page title (and URL) is the the first place search engines look for the keywords searched by the user. Many photographers thus title their homepage “Cityname Wedding Photographer.”
Sample Title Text
The title shows in the very top left of the webpage window (above) and as the link users click in Google (below). You actually don’t need your business name in the URL, because it takes up valuable space, making the page less about wedding photography and less likely to rank for ”cityname wedding photographer.”
Search Title
Hint: You can see all your titles quickly by typing site:http://www.yoursitehere.com into Google.

Ranking tip #2: Choose very specific keywords in titles of your subpages, galleries, and blog posts.

While the above may be good homepage SEO, most photographers stop there, resting an entire SEO strategy on one phrase and one page. That’s the equivalent of opening a bookstore and only selling the Harry Potter series. What about the 100,000 other niche “titles” that sell one-to-two copies a month and make the company a profit?
That’s where photographers need to title each page something specific that might be searched.
This means no more client names in your photo gallery or blog post titles. Sorry!
The good news is that clients won’t notice or care while Google will suddenly understand your page is not about “Jacob and Sohpia Photos” and instead about “Apple Orchard Family Photos in Sacramento.”
I like how this approach to titles attracts an audience much broader than the one family who hired you. A specific title works well in Google, Facebook, and email newsletters to attract people who are interested in apple orchard photos (pretty unique). These topic-focused pages get more clicks across the web and have less competition, making it easier to be found by prospective clients.
Otherwise you will be competing with your homepage to rank for the same phrase.

Ranking tip #3: Describe your photo sessions in detail on the page.

Although clients don’t need or want text on the page, Google uses it to understand what’s happening on a deeper level. The well written post above goes beyond the title and uses text on the page to describe the session. Words like brother, sister, beautiful, pictures, red, and session are all very searchable variations of the main phrase.
Google wants about 300 words of text to feel confident that there is enough substance for the user to want to see it.

Ranking tip #4: Describe your images naturally with alternate text so Google can see them.

Since search can’t see the images like your clients, they need to be explained in the alternate text (html code behind the image). Hover your mouse over the first image to see ”brother pulling sister in a red wagon through an apple orchard for their portraits.”
Example Alt Text on an Image
Image Credit: JillCarmel.com
Now, if everything else on the page was blurred out, I would still know the topic of the page based on the first image alone. So does Google. Multiply that by dozens of images across hundreds of posts – Google can understand exactly the types of sessions your shooting, all from simple alt text invisible to clients.

Ranking tip #5: Focus on ranking your best/most important pages, and sell yourself clearly on those pages so searchers hire you.

Optimize Your Best Pages, Not Your Most Recent Pages!
If I could guarantee one page from your site would rank well tomorrow, which page would it be? Probably not your latest session that doesn’t showcase your best work. You’d probably create a new post, showing your best photos, and a clear offer so that the searchers are sure to contact you.
That’s what a post like ”Sacramento spring mini sessions” will do for you.
It targets a very specific phrase that not a lot of other photographers compete for. It shows a variety of work and includes reasons to hire and a clear link to book a session at the bottom of the page. Imagine how your business will take off when every post you write ranks for something unique AND gets the searcher to call and book you every time!

Want to learn about how to get more traffic to your website?

Get Zach’s free eBook called 5 Traffic Sparks for the Online Photographer!
Zach PrezZach Prez is the author of Photography Spark and brings 10 years of internet marketing experience to his blog and ebooks for photographers. When his fingers get tired of web work, he’s probably having a cup of tea, coaching soccer or riding his bike along the Sacramento river.

Check out Zach's free ebook (5 traffic sparks for the online photographer)
http://photographyspark.com/free-ebook/



Portrait photography tips -

5 common mistakes that will lose you business


5 Common Mistakes That Lose You Clients (and How To Attract Your Ideal Clients Like Crazy) Free eBook from The Modern Tog


Check out the Modern Tog's awesome book and many more freebies for photographers.


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Tips, Tricks & (photography) freebies from around the web!


+Clickin Moms have an awesome giveaway this morning....



follow this link to enter, or find them on facebook!
 http://www.clickinmoms.com/cm-2013-giveaway-and-digital-gift-pack/



Creative Motion Design

Are having a 90% off sale on their fantastic photography learning guides.

http://bp4u-photography-tips-guides.myshopify.com/



  1. Photo: Can you say Deal-O-Rama? BP4U Photography Tips & Guides sure can...Check out the amazing sale on some of the Best products and guides in the industry...
Click here to save BIG time--> http://bit.ly/Zv33Pm





Tips For Selling Your Photography

By: Mike Brown

You’ve got the camera, you’ve taken some classes, and you’re ready to turn your love of photography into a gold mine. Or, are you?

Selling your photography
From the earliest beginnings of modern photography, photographers have been on a mission to turn the images they create into money. While many have been successful in doing so, many have struggled to survive in a market that is becoming more competitive everyday. The advent of the digital camera, in conjunction with the digital darkroom, now available on your home computer, has made it easier than ever to create and share images. You don’t even have to mix chemicals.

For many, creating for creation’s sake isn’t enough; the lure of selling your art is strong. Others do it; why can’t you?

You can! Here are some tips from someone who has traveled the rough road of the business end of photography.

- Presentation vs. Representation

We’ve all done it, we’re all guilty; at some point, we have shown our glitziest, most bedazzling photographs to lure potential clients. While there is nothing wrong with showcasing your abilities, you’ll be doing yourself, and your client, a favor by showing them a broad spectrum of your work. Don’t be afraid to show the range of what you’ll likely be offering to a client. Remember, all they will have to use in their decision-making process is your presentation, so make sure your presentation is a good representation of your work. If all they get to see is your best work, then you should be prepared to produce your best work for every job you get, because…

- Expect Expectations!

The best intentions can be ripped to shreds by a difference in the expectations of a client and what the photographer actually produces. It’s so important to openly and honestly communicate with your clients. Don’t leave anything to chance. They pay you, and entrust you, to provide a service for them, and they likely have a resulting vision in mind. Try and find out exactly what their vision of the finished product is. Be honest about what your capabilities are and the timelines in which you can deliver them. You’re better off losing a client to an honest presentation before a job than losing a client after a shoot because of miscommunications.

- Expect the Unexpected!

Being organized and prepared for anything will prepare you for the monkey-wrenches that will inevitably be thrown into your plan. Have back-up plans, back-up locations, if needed. Carry redundant equipment and memory cards. As advanced as some of today’s photographic technology has become, the unfortunate truth is failures in the system happen. Be ready to react and carry on.
- Explore the Terrain!
How much do you charge? What is your time worth? There is no set-in-stone answer to these questions. However, somewhere between the extremes of “too much” and “not enough” is a median. You can pin-down what kind of investment you’ll be requiring of your clients by doing some homework. Look for other photographers, in your area, doing similar work for similar clientele. Do research on the internet, make phone calls, ask questions; most photographers, despite the possibility of new competition, will tell you about what they do and how they charge.

- Products & Production

Okay, so now the shoot is successfully shot, and safely backed-up. Files are archived and you’re ready to sell this baby, right? How? The end product you’ll offer is paramount in showcasing the images you put so much time and effort into. In the end, the products from the shoot are all your client is interested in. It’s not that they don’t appreciate the preparation, the time, the effort…the blood, sweat and tears…understandably, they just want their product. This brings us back to honest representation that would have taken place early on in the presentation. If you’ve delivered what has been expected, you’ll have been successful.

- The Legal Mumbo-Jumbo

No matter what type of job you’re taking on, the importance of a contract, a written agreement between both parties, can’t be overstated enough. It will serve as a written blue print of the the expected services you will deliver, and the compensation the client will deliver. And, in what manner these expectations will be fulfilled. You can find sample contracts for a variety of photo jobs online, or, if you’re really immersing yourself in the business, talk to a business attorney who can steer you in the right direction.
No matter what you’re photographing…weddings, portraits, sports, landscapes, interiors, architecture, products, pets…you can be successful if you present yourself honestly and conduct yourself around your clients in a professional manner. Long after the campaign to attract new clients through Search Engine Optimization, Facebook posts, Twitter blasts and word-of-mouth has happened, you’ll be remembered, and either hired or rehired, for the work you’ve done. My experiences have shown that my past clients remember either very good or very poor partnerships. What would you like to be remembered for after a paid shoot?


Tips on selling your photography (via Creative Motion Design, written by Mike Brown) for more of Mike's work see www.facebook.com/PhotographyByMikeBrown




Tips For Winning A Photography Contest

By: Jade Wills

Use Your Photography Passion to Win the Photo Contest


Photo contest announcements always say things like, “Show your passion for photography!” or “Share your dynamic talent for taking pictures”. The clue as to what the contest originators want to see in the photo submissions is found in the descriptions. Creating dynamic photos requires talent and creativity. However, winning a photo contest also requires a willingness to follow the rules and to follow your passion.
Follow the Rules…
Yes, it is true. Life is full of rules. You can submit the best photograph the world has seen and still not win the contest. When this happens, it is usually due to the photographer failing to follow the contest rules. So the first rule for winning a photo contest is to precisely follow the rules.
  • Adhere to the contest theme – If the contest says to submit wedding photos, then you should not submit nature pictures. Oh, it seems so obvious but photos are rejected all the time because the photographer went off theme.
  • Submit the correct number of images – If the rules say you may enter up to 3 images in one category, then do not enter 4 images in 2 categories. It seems so obvious, but people who are proud of their body of work sometimes have trouble narrowing their submissions.
  • Follow the specific directions – Many photography contests provide instructions that specify file formats, image size and other details. It is critical to closely follow the instructions to prevent disqualification.
The truth is that photography judges will require strict adherence to the rules because it enables them to narrow the field of submissions. Any photographer that does not follow all the rules will be disqualified.
Follow Your Passion…
Entering photography competitions is important because it gives you a frame of reference for evaluating your photos. You may think all your photos are perfect, but it is amazing the level of creativity that exists in the world of photography. Contests also provide an opportunity to see diverse bodies of works.
The best place to get ideas on how to win a photo contest is by listening to the advice of past contest winners, professional photographers and contest judges. Following are some of the tips they have offered photographers with a passion for their work.
  • Judges should look at the photo and say, “I wish I had taken that…”?
  • Put your passion into the photo by showing you have a different way of looking at the topic
  • Pay attention to technical details like lighting
  • Make sure all the pictures elements come together in a beautiful composition
  • Only submit high quality photographs
  • Use innovative techniques
  • Add a ‘wow’ factor to the photo
  • Submit pictures that will evoke a viewer response or emotion
  • If multiple photos are allowed, they should be linked in terms of theme and technique but without diminishing creativity
A photo should tell a story. However, the story must be interpretable by the contest judges. This means that whoever is looking at the photo should be able to identify the photo’s meaning or what it is meant to achieve.
There are many different types of photo contests held today. They may ask you to capture particular emotions or conceptualize an idea. Sometimes the theme is left open which gives you an opportunity to truly express your talent without limit. Whatever contest you decide to enter, always remember the two basic guidelines – follow the rules and follow your passion.

Via Creative Motion Design (https://www.facebook.com/cmdwebsites)




Tutorial Tuesday: DIY Doily Banner – Part 1{Best Prop Blog} 

This week we are making a ….

Doily Banner



Materials Needed:

4 – 8″ Doilies (Found HERE for $7.99/Dozen)
1 Package – Bias Tape Extra Wide Double Fold (Under $2 – Wal-Mart, JoAnns, Hobby Lobby, etc)
as well as ….
Straight Pins, Scissors, Thread, Sewing Machine

Step 1: Gather your supplies.
FYI: I used a cutting board, plastic measuring board and rotary blade to make the next step easier.
Step 2: Cut your Doilies into equal halves.
The straight edge ruler and rotary blade made this very quick and easy!
Step 5: Start pinning your doilies into your bias tape.
I found the middle of the bias tape and matched the middle of my first doily to the middle of the bias tape. This ensures that a doily will be in the center of your banner when hanging.
Step 6: Space additional doilies 3″ apart from the center doily and pin into place.
This was extra easy using the gridded cutting mat.
Step 7: I was able to get 7 of the 8″ doilies on the bias tape.
Step 8: Sew the bias tape and doilies together.
This is really easy … Just a straight line! To make the stitching a bit more interesting I used a zigzag stitch.
Step 9: I added a knot at the end of each side. This is completely optional of course.

Here is my DOILY BANNER in action …
I made TWO of the Doily Banners (7 Full Doilies Total & 2 Packages of Bias Tape) for the setup above.

Next week there will be a DIY Tutorial on how to Tea Stain your banners to give them a vintage look!

Via Confessions of a Prop Junkie.  http://confessionsofapropjunkie.com/?p=12226




23rd January 2013

I've just designed some free facebook timelines available for anyone who has Adobe Photoshop.  These were designed in CS5, and are a great way to showcase some of your images for clients or fun!  Click on link below to be directed to my dropbox location. I'd be so grateful if you could visit my facebook page and like me!!! thank you!