It’s that time of the year AGAIN!!  Valentine’s is upon us and the question keeps popping up in our heads “WHAT SHALL I GIVE HIM/HER?”

For Him:

Women – you should be thinking sexy portraits of yourself for him – the guys love it!  Remember the old saying … “Men fall in love with their eyes and girls with their ears?!”  Well, give it to them – something to admire, adore and enjoy!  And of course think about the beautiful photos of you for yourself to keep and treasure!  Capture your beauty and your spirit, capture that amazing YOU today to remember tomorrow!  Make-over sessions are available from as low as $250 including hair&make up done and prints!! Go to our Special Page to view our Special Offers…

For Her

Men – your woman WANTS to be admired and adored by you!  We dress up for you, we put our make-up on for you, and we want to be looked at in that special way by YOU!  We love to feel special and gorgeous.  It is the pure essence of being a woman.  Beautiful photographs do make us feel special and gorgeous!  So guys, hurry up and get your beautiful other half a special treat – a voucher for an amazing makeover and a photo-session.  So it’s the present taken care of!  Be quick! Make-over sessions are available from as low as $250 including hair&make up done and prints!! Go to our Special Page to view our Special Offers…

For Us

Couples – show your romantic side.  Invest in some beautiful photographs together and renew you love! Our family and couples sessions start from as low as $55!! Go to our Special Page to view our Special Offers…

For YOU

Are you single and fabulous?  This is a perfect reason to celebrate your gorgeousness!!  You are independent and beautiful, so spoil yourself and have a girls day out – this will involve a make-over, a glamour shoot and beautiful photographs at the end that will be with your forever and ever!  Bring a friend and have a fun day together! Make-over sessions are available from as low as $250 including hair&make up done and prints!! Go to our Special Page to view our Special Offers…

PLUS

The first five fully paid $500 bookings will get a gorgeous MIMCO white pearl necklace so hurry up and take organising a Valentines’ Day present off your list!

BOOK NOW email Lena or CALL 0422 769 095 to secure your booking!

Valentines’ is the Day for celebrating LOVE and the relationships you have with the people you love.  Relationships with your special other half, your family, your children, your friends and yourself!

And beautiful photographs that capture this special time and a perfect present for the ones you love and for yourself!

Camera used: Cannon 5D, lenses Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

Canon 100mm Macro, F2.8, ISO 400, Shutter speed 1/250

Please click “Like” If you enjoyed reading this post -) Thank you my! xox Lena

Two beautiful girls – Victoria and her little girl Milenochka!  It was a mummy and daughter session.  I love these sessions – mother’s love for her child is incredible – it is so tender and so strong!  It’s instinctual, unconditional and forever!

The session was a later afternoon one on a cloudy day.  We didn’t have much time the light was disappearing very fast but this is what we managed to do.  We photographed in a beautiful Alfred Nicholas Garden in Melbourne.  Gorgeous place – it has some sort of a magic appeal and feel.  I love photographing in unusual locations far from public places and man-created buildings.

I used my EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM for wider angle shots, however I used the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM Lens for most of the shoot.  Sometime I am lacking this little extra f stop on the F/4.0L howerever when photographing moving children or more than one person I prefer to go at least up to f4.

Canon 70-200mm @70mm, f/4.0, ISO 500, shutter speed 1/100

70-200 at 200mm, f4 @ISO 800 speed 1/80

1/80 and iso 800

last one Canon 24-70L, f4.5 at 24 mm, ISO 320, shutter speed 1/60 at 24 mm

There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.

~ Napoleon Hill ~

This post is for all those photographers out there who ever got bogged down in the day-to-day distractions of life. For everyone who lost track of the main purpose of why they got into photography and set up their own business in the first place.

There are two main aspects of being a successful photographer:

1. A creative aspect - this is our ability to express who we are, an ability to create art that will captivate and inspire others.

2. A business aspect – which is an art in itself and stretches far beyond than just taking beautiful photographs.

So – the 10 key attributes of a successful photographer and a successful businessperson are:

1) Have a Vision

“If you’re not sure where you’re going, you’ll probably end up somewhere else.”

~Yogi Berra~

Dane Sanders in his book “Fast Track Photographer Business Plan” states it quite simply:

“A vision means having a clear idea of the following:
– Who you are uniquely as a photographer
– How your business will embody and leverage that uniqueness
– The target market you plan to attract
– The size and scope of the impact you intend to make in the photo world

Dane talks in great details about how to define your vision and offers a step by step exercise to guide you through.

2) Take Leadership

Don’t be a follower – be a leader, be the captain of your ship and know where you are steering it.  Flexibility and potential financial independence are probably the main reasons why you want to have your own business.  But you need to make sure you’re the CEO and not the hourly labour worker of your business.  The points below will give you some ideas about your business leadership.

3) Set Goals

One should have clear and measurable goals – both financial and non-financials.  Clear means short and precise – measurable means tangible outcomes by defined time frames.  E.g. I have X number of clients by Y date.  I earn X$ by Y date.  Create your goals only as positive statements and in present tense – as if it is already a fact.  Make sure your review your goals on a daily basis in order to be focused on achieving them.

“Your goals are the road maps that guide you and show you what is possible for your life.”
~Les Brown~

“A man without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.”
~Thomas Carlyle~

“The goal you set must be challenging. At the same time, it should be realistic and attainable, not impossible to reach. It should be challenging enough to make you stretch, but not so far that you break.”
~Rick Hansen~

4) Action is the Key

Take actions – every day, every minute… Action is the key.  One can go to endless seminars and workshops generate unique ideas, but all is nothing without actions. Get up, get dressed and get going. Or like Chase Jarvis says : “Get sh!t done” read more here…

“Dreams are fulfilled only through action, not through endless planning to take action.”
~David J. Schwartz~

“To will is to select a goal, determine a course of action that will bring one to that goal, and then hold to that action until the goal is reached. The key is action.
~ Michael Hanson ~

5) Know Your Financials

Have a strong understanding of your financial ins and outs – you should know how much it costs you, how much you value your services and products, and how much you are making.  And what’s most important is that you must separate your personal and your business finances.

6) Outsourcing

Spend your time on earning dollars not saving pennies.  You might think that it contradicts with number 5, but the point is to spend your valuable time on marketing and expanding your business; on winning clients and creating valuable relationships; practising your craft; and spending time with your family.  Outsource anything that could be done better and cheaper by someone else.

7) Have a System

You should have a system in place that will run like a machine and carry you and your business to higher grounds.  Systemise everything. Don’t waste your time on doing the same task twice – set up templates.   Don’t’ try to save a penny where you can earn a dollar.  Outsource and free yourself up for what you are meant to be doing and for what suits you the best – creating and leading!!

8) Define Your Products & Services

Be clear, be simple and believe in what you are worth! Here I support the idea of simplicity.  Have a limited number of products to choose from.  Don’t place the responsibility of choices on your client.  Make the decision to buy easy.  Some successful photographers support the idea of ONE product only.  Have a look at what someone as amazing as the Sydney glamour photographer Sue Bryce says about her approach to how many products we should offer.  Sue Bryce – Simplify – ONE PRODUCT

9) Practice Your Craft

Practice not on your clients but on practice shoots.  Hire models, hire props, allocate some time and practice, practice, practice.  Become better every day and not at your clients expense.  They are paying you to be an expert not to use them to become one.

10) Do Your Best at All Times

Even if you are sick or tired – make sure you do your best at all times.  Then there will be no regrets no blame, no judgement.  And remember – bad news spreads ten times faster than good!

Cool Books:

Dane Sanders “Fast Track Photographer”

Dane Sanders “Fast Track Photographer Business Plan”

Cool Sites:

Sue Bryce educational Blog: www.inbedwithsue.com

Chase Javas Educational Blog: www.http://blog.chasejarvis.com/blog/

Fast Track Photographer Business Plan Blog http://blog.fasttrackphotographer.com/ a lot of educational information and interviews

I hope you enjoyed the read.  Please click “Like” to support!

Thank you!

Lena

christmas special deal!

Christmas is in the air!!! Hurry, hurry – book a session in December – January and save $150 on a sitting fee plus receive a FREE 8×10″ PRINT from your session for orders more than $500 plus receive a FREE 11×14″ CANVAS with every album purchase!

Special deal conditions:

• Sitting fee $99 (regular $250), save $150
• Receive a FREE 8×10″ Gift PRINT (regular $99) with every order over $500
• Receive a FREE 11×14″ CANVAS (regular $250) with every album purchase
• Special is only for sessions booked in December – January only!

I run this special every year and it has been incredibly popular! So hurry while I still have a few spots available!

Invest in a beautiful family photography at least once a year!!

Photograph your children with their pets – these are priceless moments and you can’t resist the cuteness of it!!! If you have a dog or a puppy or a kitten – take action shots, take cuddly shots. Pets are great props ) because your children will be pre-occupied, they will be having fun and enjoy themselves and all you have to do is get your camera out, make sure your little ones are in a good light and off you go shooting. Make sure your shutter speed is above 1/60 or even 1/100 as you are probably doing a lot of action shots. Don’t forget about sweet close-ups!

My settings:

Camera: Canon 5D Mark II

Lens: 24-70L f2.8 @70mm

Settings: ISO400, F2.8, shutter speed 1/125

Shot in the afternoon during so called “sweet hour” after 4pm when the light was soft and beautiful! In my next post I’ll talk a bit more about the basics of photography eg. aperture, shutter speed, white balance and ISO.  Let me know if you have any other preferences on future topics!!!