Business

The Inspirations: Elizabeth Messina

Kat

March 28, 2012

When I say that I'm thrilled about today's interview... well I really truly mean it. 'Thrilled' is just one tiny little word but it's probably the only plausible way to describe how I felt when the email reply agreeing to this feature arrived. Elizabeth Messina is a wedding and portrait photographer who shoots on film. No stranger to wedding blogs (or print magazines for that matter!) she's had her incredible imagery featured on pretty much all of them. Her eye for love and emotion is like no other and she has just written her first book, due to be published on April 24th. Elizabeth kindly took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to me today.

Search Engines vs Social Engines

Gareth

March 27, 2012

For as long as there have been search engines there has been search engine optimisation (SEO). Briefly, SEO is the practise of enhancing a web site, through both its copy and its source code, to rank higher in the top search engines for particular search terms. But then you knew that already, didn’t you? Because SEO is big business. Companies specialise in it, websites are dedicated to it, profits are won and lost because of it. Or so the industry would have us believe.

The Importance of Customer Service: A Guest Post by Marianne Taylor

Kat

March 23, 2012

In my opinion, every business lives or dies on the strength of its customer service. To most it means complaining when there are queues at the store, when a check out girl is grumpy, when we wait too long for our order in the restaurant – i.e. the term is mostly pulled out when customer service is lacking. When it works well, it’s like an invisible comfortable blanket that makes you feel good when you think about visiting your favourite bar or when you are ordering an item from an online store that’s always reliable. When Kat asked me to write about customer service, I first started writing a very matter of fact, hypothetical kind of article. But I soon realised that, actually, speaking from personal experience would make my point come across a lot better than any bullet points ever can. So, I hope you’re sitting comfortably, as I’m about to tell you the story of my tattoos…

The Inspirations: Liene Stevens of The Splendid Collective

Kat

March 21, 2012

You're probably all aware by now, that at the moment I'm loving teaching, learning and exploring the ideas behind running your own wedding business (hence The Green Room, my School of Rock workshops and my work with The Photography Farm!) Very early on in my wedding blogging career I became aware of Liene Stevens and her blog Splendid Communications. I found it invaluable and full of amazing snippets of advice and guidance when I was navigating the murky waters of trying to be my own boss. When I launched The Inspirations, Liene was top of my list of people to interview. I hope you enjoy eavesdropping on our chat...

It’s a (Wo)man’s World – On Being a Man in the Wedding Industry: A Guest Post by Adam Crohill

Kat

March 16, 2012

Today I've asked my buddy Adam from a rival wedding blog (I say this in jest, we love each other really!) to write a guest post about being...well...a man. It's something I've thought about a bit recently, what will Gareth taking a lot more of an active role in our business and all - what is it really like being a man in this so heavily female dominated industry? Not only are weddings often perceived to be 'all about the bride' but most of the people that work in the industry are female too! Obviously this isn't a topic I could really discuss myself with any semblance of authority, so here's where my mate Adam comes in! Over to you fella...

The Inspirations: Ian Stuart

Kat

March 14, 2012

With a penchant for the opulent and dramatic, a style that makes him stand out from the bridal pack, Ian Stuart is a British bridal designer to be reckoned with. His statement style is unapologetic and one that makes people stop and pay attention. And pay attention I did, when an email landed in my inbox from the man himself, asking if I'd like to work with him to design a Rock n Roll Bride/Ian Stuart collaboration wedding dress. I kid you not! More on this soon, but for now...

Is Your Business Future Proof? Cyndi Vs Madonna…

Kat

March 13, 2012

In1983 Cyndi Lauper released her debut single, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!" while Madonna's "Holiday" was the first of her records to really make an impact on the Billboard charts. They dominated the airwaves. Rumours of fueds and mutual distaste behind the scenes raged but they both received equal amounts of success. Their catchy pop tracks and punk inspired looks influenced a generation of girls who crimped their hair and danced around their bedrooms with hairbrush microphones. Whether they liked it (or each other) or not both Cyndi and Madonna were changing the face of a generation.

The Art of Second Shooting

Lisa Devlin

March 9, 2012

So you want to be a wedding photographer but what is the best way to get started? Second shooting for an already successful photographer is one of the best ways to fast track you in the right direction. You can see how someone else does it, learn on your feet and make industry contacts. But how do you get the gig in the first place and how can you make the best of the opportunity for both you and the main photographer?

The Inspirations: Jonas Peterson

Kat

March 7, 2012

Jonas Peterson is a wedding photographer, originally from Sweden but now living in Brisbane Australia. I first became aware of his work back in 2009 when he exploded onto the wedding scene with a photographic style so daringly different and beautiful that people couldn't help but stop and take notice. Since then I've been lucky enough to feature his work on the pages of my blog again and again. However today I'm going one step further, peeling back the layers, peering behind that lens and talking to the man himself.

Chasing your Target Market

Kat

March 6, 2012

I'm asked over and over again by wedding suppliers how they can target and book alternative wedding clients - i.e. the type of readers that my blog attracts. While saying 'stick an advert on my site' or 'get featured on my blog' might be easy answers, they're not necessarily the right ones, and simply paying a monthly fee to have your logo in front of those alternative eyes isn't enough. It's a good start mind you, but this action alone isn't going to see your inbox flooded with enquiries from my readers. The best piece of advice I could give would be to ask you to question yourself and at every turn ask yourself why. Why do you want to attract these types of clients in the first place? What is it about these kinds of people and their weddings that you like. Be specific. Only when you know the answer to these questions can you take it to the next step - the how.

To Watermark or Not to Watermark, That is the Question…

Kat

March 2, 2012

Whether or not to watermark or add a credit line to images published online is always a touchy subject because everyone seems to have a very strong opinion on the matter (as I’ve learnt when researching this article!) It is an issue I have wanted to address for some time and finally feel that, after various discussions with bloggers and photographers alike, I am finally in a position where I am comfortable to open up this debate. To lay my own opinion out from the beginning - as a blogger, I prefer to see and feature non-watermarked images. However tastefully integrated the watermark or logo may be, my opinion boils down to the fact that the image was not originally conceived with it included, and that therefore the whole concept is compromised by the addition. My job as a wedding blogger is to share inspirational weddings with future brides and to help the photographers I feature get bookings from these brides. In order for me to do both these jobs, I want the images I share to look their best.

The Inspirations: Lara Jade

Kat

February 29, 2012

I've admired Lara and her work for a few years now. I'm not only incredibly enthralled by her fashion photography and attitude to business (and a tough business at that!) but the fact that she found 'fame' so young (she started sharing her self portraits online when she was just 14!) and has achieved so much all before her 23rd birthday. 'Woah' indeed..

There’s a Big Wide World Out There

Kat

February 28, 2012

I'm going to get a little philosophical today as I'm still inhabiting my post-Vegas glow. It's a world where everything is neon, over-sized and delivered with a smile and it's one that, honestly, taught me a lot. I didn't expect that crazy city to have such a profound affect on me, nor for it to make me reevaluate how I run my business (hell, I just went to have a good time!) but it really truly did. Now forgive me if this offends anyone (!) but when landing back at Heathrow on Sunday I was immediately reminded as to just how small this little island of ours is - and I'm not just talking geographically.

The Art of Selling: A Guest Post by James Derbyshire of Julia Boggio Studios

Kat

February 24, 2012

Nearly 9 months ago Julia Boggio and I had a gorgeous little daughter. I thought that it might slow Julia down a little, but no. She still runs our business at 200 miles an hour. As you may know, Julia and I own one of the fastest growing baby and bridal vintage boudoir photography studios in the UK, Julia looking after the creative side of the business and me looking after the sales. I adore running the sales side of what we do, but admit it: sales is often seen as the scary or evil part of the business or, more often than not, something to avoid because “my clients won’t like being sold to”. Now, the reality of the world is if no one sold anything to anyone, most business wouldn’t exist for very long at all. I had a bit of a head start in sales. As a child I didn’t have pocket money; I had a commission plan. It was stuck to the fridge and re-negotiated on my birthday every year. It helped me understand quite early on that you get out of life what you put in. If I needed that extra boost of pocket money that month, then I had to contribute something quite significant to the household that would entitle me to some extra dosh. So now that I have my own daughter, is this something that I will do with her? Well, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but the combination of mine and Julia’s genes has created a very feisty little girl indeed. I suspect that if I attempted to negotiate anything with her she’ll look at me like I’m a punter on Dragon’s Den and tell me “You don’t have what it takes, I’m out.” She has me running around in circles already so I thought I’d give you a few lessons in sales according to my 9-month-old daughter.

Curiosity & Courage: A Guest Post by Marianne Taylor

Kat

February 21, 2012

One of the biggest fears for photographers (and I’m referring to photographers as that’s my reality, feel free to substitute a camera for whatever is your passion) when making the transition into a working professional is the doubt about whether doing something for a living takes the shine out of it. Whether in a few years you will start feeling like a new assignment is just ‘another day in the office’, and that in the end you lose that passion you have for your craft. For me this was one of the biggest psychological challenges to get over when I was thinking about starting my business. I was so protective of my craft, my creative process and my artistic outlet, and I was so afraid of potentially compromising all that I loved about photography if it was to be the provider of my main income. Eventually a switch flipped in my head though, and it seemed like madness to sit in an office doing a job that wasn’t fulfilling, while I could spend all my days with a camera in my hand doing what I love. Making that leap was at the same time scary and overwhelming, but also freeing, like stepping into my true self.

The Price is Right

Lisa Devlin

February 17, 2012

Perhaps one of the biggest issues that those of us who are self employed and supplying a service rather than selling a specific product, struggle with is How Much to Charge? It can be very difficult to put a value on your time and skills and of course a lot of areas in the wedding industry are over saturated with keen part timers and hobbyists. How do you find your place in the market and still make a decent wage?

The Inspirations: Princess Lasertron

Kat

February 15, 2012

You know Princess Lasertron right? Inventor of the felt & button bouquet (yes, the original inventor of the concept!) and fashion designer from Omaha. Jeez, it's hard to put into words how much I adore Megan, the lady behind the brand. After falling in love with her over the internet, and a mutual respect that grew from expanding our respective businesses at the same time, I was utterly flummoxed when she invited me to model in her catwalk show at Omaha Fashion Week in August. At the time I thought the trip would be a shrewd business move and nothing more. However yes while it certainly was, what I didn't expect was the epic and genuine real life friendship that would blossom from that trip. I love her, I love her family, I love her outlook on life and work, and I love love love that she's agreed to be interviewed in The Inspirations. My sister from another mister, I adore you...

How to Maintain a Good Work/Life Balance: A Guest Post By Adam Bronkhorst

Kat

February 14, 2012

I’m going to start out by saying I'm not here to tell you that this is definitely the right way to get a good work/life balance. However this is the way that I (try to) do it so I wanted to share it with you - who knows, hopefully I can help someone! It’s what works for me at this moment in time and enables me to switch off when I need to and not being all-consumed by my work. It’s really difficult being a freelance photographer. Right I’ve said it. We all know it. We all love it, but lets face it, it can be tough as hell sometimes. I can only imagine it's exactly the same for people in other areas of the wedding industry. We love our jobs so we spend most of the time on our own sat in front of a computer...at any time of day or night. As business owners we often need to work for long hours over the weekend and still be expected to be sat at our computers at 9am on a Monday morning to answer emails.

Talking of Inspiration…

Kat

February 10, 2012

Wow. This girl is 14 years old and she's more intelligent and articulate than I can ever dream of being. Inspirational as hell.

The Inspirations: La Carmina

Kat

February 8, 2012

Reading the work of other bloggers is so important to me. I spend at least an hour a day (and often more!) catching up with my favourite non-wedding bloggers. I find they really help me stay inspired and not get trapped in the 'wedding industry bubble'. It's nice to feel a part of the 'real world' (however wacky!) too...otherwise I'd go mental. These other bloggers help me to keep what I do fresh and therefore enables my blogging to be more rounded - so thank you non-wedding bloggers!

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