your road...

"Hold the phone! You mean I can do any job I want!?!?"

I sometimes get emails from people who read my blog and although most of them are photography related.. some are a bit more general and are maybe about bigger things.  I received an email last month that got me thinking and I thought it might be nice to actually share it on the blog this time..

I really hope you don't mind me sending you this email.  This is going to sound odd but I am at a bit of a crossroads at the moment and something keeps telling me it's your advice I should be asking?!

Since the husband to be and I first got together we have been steadily building our business.  I am currently working 20 hrs in a part time job I hate and we're considering the possibility of going 'shit or bust' and throwing everything we've got at the self employed work.

My husband to be has been a self employed teacher for over 20 years but the idea of not having a 'wage' or knowing what's coming in each month scares the pants off me.  See everyone in my life has a 'job' and so can't really help me break out of the fear of working for myself.  How did you feel?  Is it as scary as it feels?  Is it worth it?  I feel like I'm holding myself back by playing it safe and it's making me miserable.  I know it's a different field (although still creative) but do you have any advice about starting out and how to give myself the confidence to back myself? Maybe just hearing your 'starting out' story could inspire me..

Funnily enough we tend to get asked this question quite a lot as there seems to be quite a few people in a similar situation.. with a career they don't love, a path they didn't really choose and now too much security to risk...

I'm not sure I can tell you exactly what the answer is as I don't know the ins and outs of your financial situation but for our situation, I'll be honest.. it wasn't too much of a sacrifice in the first place,  Pete was in full time work (not really a career) and I was Acting.. so was self employed already, in and out of Acting work, used to finding in-between jobs and used to not having much money.  So when the photography started.. yes it was extremely hard to start with nothing but at the same time I wasn't giving up a safety net.. I had nothing to lose.  

Having said that.. the reason I had nothing to lose was because since the very beginning I have chosen my passion over that security.  A job that I love over that decently paid, steady job.  I just knew from the start that I couldn't just make do.  I've had brief periods in my life where I have been employed.. 6 months, a year.. but it's just not in my make up.  I had to take my own road.

So I can't really give advice on giving up a successful, safe career/job to do the thing you love.. BUT what I will say is that if you're unhappy now.. I am pretty sure that this will get worse not better.  Realistically you could spend the next 6 months.. or even the next 3 years deliberating this decision and in that time you could have focused on saving a little to give yourself a buffer for when you both decide to take the leap.  When you do you'll probably find yourself with too much work and wonder how you ever fitted any other job in ever.  And when you work for yourself opportunities present themselves if you let them.. you network.. word of mouth.. social media.. all these things help to keep the work coming in.. 

As far as other people go.. it really doesn't matter if everyone around you has a 'job'.. actually what you'll probably find is that everyone will be really interested in the fact you work for yourself doing something creative and can often be quite envious that you're following your dream and making it work.  

I'm not going to lie.. you'll work harder than you've ever worked.  You'll care more than you've ever cared.. and some of the time you'll be making it up as you go along.... BUT what I can tell you is that this road we're on is an incredible one and worth it a million times over.

question time..

I've now had two 'Question time' features on the blog (here and here) and they always prove pretty popular on my facebook page so I thought I'd try and make it a more regular feature.  I enjoy sharing how we do things and a lot of questions make me think about what we do and how we do it.. and from that I suppose I'm learning too..

Below are some questions that were added to my Facebook page and I hope you find something useful!  If you have any other questions then feel free to leave them in the comments!

When you started out how did you set your pricing and packages?
When I started the business I had NO IDEA what to charge or what to include and over time we've slowly grown in experience and confidence and mistakes you make along the way make it clearer to make the right decision the following time around.   When we started we were actually cheaper than what our deposit is now BUT we had no experience and pretty basic equipment.. so in my eyes our couples were paying for what we were worth.  I also remember at one point advertising Engagement Shoots for six hours.. SIX! That's a bloody wedding!!  But you learn quickly what works and what really doesn't!

With each wedding we were gaining experience.. our equipment was getting better.. my skills were improving constantly so the overall level of service and product was worth more.  Now I believe that we are 100% worth what we charge... but it takes a lot of ground work, often a lot of mistakes and lots of confidence building to believe it.

What percentage of photos do you throw away after a wedding?
For every wedding both me and Pete shoot.  At an average wedding we could come home with anything from 2000 to 3200 images and we then will cull them down (using Photo Mechanic) to between 500 to 800. The ones that end up not being used are mainly either duplicates, similar shots, people with their eyes closed, bad composition etc so everything our couples get is the good stuff.  Some photographers shoot a lot less but some of my favourite images have been the in-between moments where I might have, for example.. shot from the hip.  I also tend to take quite a few duplicates in group photos as it can be tricky getting twenty people to all have their eyes open at the same time.. ;)

Do you have any favourite books on photography, either from when you were first learning or now?
Ha! Not really! I'm much more of a physical learner so prefer to just try stuff and then when I get stuck I might look it up.. ;)

What steps do you take to cope with a bright midday sun at a wedding? Do you scout shady spots in advance? Do you use fill flash? Assistant and reflectors? Use the light you can't change creatively?
British weddings are pretty much scheduled so that shooting a lot of the important parts (family photos.. couple shots) in the middle of the day is inevitable.  If it is a very strong, sunny day then I will always look for some even shade either under a tree or around the building.  At pretty much every wedding someone will ask why they're being taken into the shade when it's such beautiful weather and I guess, to a guest, it does look pretty odd.  But for a photographer.. shooting in strong sun is pretty awful.. your subject gets dark shadows under their eyes, their nose and their chin.. everyone squints.. exposure is tricky.. you then put them in the shade and the light is perfect.. and everyone looks instantly beautiful.. :) In terms of lighting.. I have never used fill flash.. I have a reflector but it's never been used so if the light is shite.. I just go and find better light.. :)

How specific are you with your packages?  Do you tailor prices and coverage for each couple or tell them what they can expect for different amounts? How did you make the decision for the hours you offer?
We have one package with includes 7 hours of coverage, two shooters and images on a disc.. then they can tailor the package to suit them by adding any extras they want... Engagement shoot, album, additional hours etc.  Most couples add one or two hours and some might choose to have an EShoot before the wedding.  We've had quite a few different packages in the past from unlimited coverage to packages with albums included but we've found this one the easiest for our couples.  We kind of look at it as our most basic package.. so depending on their budget they can prioritise and choose if they want to add to it.  We could have set our coverage at 8 or 9 hours (and increased our price accordingly).. but what we tend to see happen then is couples asking to reduce the coverage to work with their budget and bring the price down.  With 7 hours we look at it as the minimum amount of coverage that can cover every aspect of your wedding (obviously it depends on couple's schedules) from getting ready to first dance.. then if their schedule is longer then they can extend the coverage if they wish.

Do you always have a 2nd Shooter/Assistant at all weddings?
Me and Pete both shoot at weddings.  I'll shoot the girls in the morning and Pete will shoot the boys and as I shoot the couple and the family photos Pete will be covering the rest of the wedding party.  We've been working like this for about 18 months now and we have become such a strong team.  We know instinctively how each other works and have each other's back at all times.  Pete is an incredible photographer and I suppose by spending a lot of time with me at weddings and watching how I shoot he's naturally adopted a very similar style.. sometimes looking back over the images I'm not sure who has taken which photo which is bloody awesome.  All of the weddings we blog now are a mixture of both our images so if you fancy having a guess who's are who's...?? ;)

What do you use for editing? Lightroom or Photoshop?  Do you use actions or presets? Did you do a course on post production/photoshop?
I do all my editing in Lightroom now.  I used to use Photoshop and have used Totally Rad Actions and Alien Skin in the past.  I now tend to use VSCO for everything and have found editing purely in LR a much quicker process.  I do outsource some of my initial editing to Fotofafa which I've touched on in more detail in the last post.  To be honest I like to keep things pretty simple when it comes to editing.. I have a simple workflow and like it that way.  I've found that over the past four years I've tried and tested lots of things and although I know my work has evolved and changed I always seem to naturally come back to the same feel or the same look..

I've never done a course on any software and have mainly learnt through playing and watching tutorials. Again.. you could all probably run rings around me when it comes to all these programmes but I get the results I want using them my way so I'm happy keeping it simple.. :) You could have the best camera.. the best computer.. the best software.. but it won't automatically make you Jonas Peterson.. to me that's not really what it's all about..

What key features and qualities do you look for in a blog when deciding whether to showcase your work there?
For me there are a few things that I look for when submitting to blogs.  First of all are their readers our kind of couples.. that doesn't have to mean style wise at all.. this means overall ethos.. are they attracting relaxed, easy going, creative couples. Is their content relevant to me?  We tend to attract couples similar to ourselves so if the blog doesn't interest me then I have a feeling it won't interest our couples so much either.  Then I suppose aesthetically does it have a good design.. does it work well.. are the images a good size and quality.. do the features look nice? Are they featuring good photography? Also how often do they post? Is it once every two weeks or three times a day? To be honest.. sometimes it's better when there are less posts as your work is featured on the first page for longer.. but then again more posts a day often means a bigger readership..

Also correspondance can make a huge difference. Do they email you personally, do they use your name? How personal are they? Do they get back to you? All these things play a part..

What two lenses could you not shoot a wedding without?
We are pretty pathetic when it comes to the whole 'Let's have a look at your lenses' chat. I have learnt that I like to keep things pretty simple.. in both my shooting and my editing.  At a wedding I shoot with two cameras.. one with a 35mm 1.4 and one with an 85mm 1.2.  I am pretty happy with these babies all day and will only tend to use something a bit wider for large group shots. I kinda feel more interested in what's in front of my lens so even if I had all the equipment in the world I would probably end up just leaving it all in the (heavy) bag..

Is there a reason you choose not to watermark your images?
Hmmmmm.. not really.. I did it at the very start but then submitting images to blogs, they always wanted no watermark so it was easier to just not do it.. I'm not sure I'm too keen on it aesthetically to be honest (on my own images) so unless there were major changes to copyright issues in the future then I doubt I'll add them.

How hard did you find it to be different in such a cookie cutter world of wedding photography? Did you get negativity from industry peers, did they take you seriously?  How did you build a supportive network of peers when you were different from the mass?
I didn't find it hard one little bit. It was actually a million percent easier to just be me than do something that wasn't.  It was enjoyable doing what I liked to do and I suppose because I didn't intentionally go in to it thinking 'I want to have a successful Photography business'.. I just went in to it thinking 'I know what I like shooting, so I'm gonna shoot that'.. it seemed easy.  I suppose there's been pockets of negativity along the way but it's never really bothered me.  All of it is personal opinion and if someone doesn't like my work then I guess I'm not the photographer for them. Some of the negativity has actually made me stronger and more certain of how I see the world and that can only be a good thing.  Building a network of peers was also a pretty easy step.. in this community people often reach out to each other and you quickly know who you have connections with.. who are on the same page.. these peeps are precious and you need to hold on to them tight.. :)

What do you find is your most successful strategy for getting your name known?
Not giving a shit if your name is known.  When I first started I blogged because I wanted to blog.. n..o..b..o..d..y was reading it.  I was shooting because I loved shooting.. I was chatting away on Twitter because I liked chatting.. there was no real strategy.  Now I think there seems a huge emphasis on how many followers, how many likes, how many comments and actually.. if you just get on with it and enjoy yourself people tend to come to you.

Do you have an ISO limit?
I don't tend to shoot over ISO 2500

How do you deal with back to back weddings?
If we do two weddings back to back we always try and get them as close as possible... as in distance.  Then we just make sure we download cards and back them up twice before shooting the following day. Then we spend the following day lying star shaped on the floor.

Do you use a lot of flash at weddings or mainly natural light?
I tend to only use flash if I really have to and that can sometimes be the signing of the register (if it's a dark venue), sometimes speeches, cake cutting and dancing. I will always try and use natural light whenever possible.

Do you shoot in Manual? If you do have you a preferred shutter speed?
I shoot in Manual but actually shot in Aperature Priority up until about 18 months ago.  Not sure exactly why I changed and am pretty happy in either mode. Shutter speed obviously depends on the situation but in dark environments I try and stay above 1/50 if I can to avoid camera shake.

What is your favourite film to use when shooting analogue?
Again.. going back to simple.. I'm not sure if I have a preference.. I tend to just buy a real mish mash and then it's a bit like russian roulette.. sorry that's a rubbish answer!

When shooting weddings what's your favourite chocolate bar to snack on?
No chocolate.. but maybe a banana..

How important is communication on a photoshoot?  If a Deaf photographer was to shoot more professionally what kind of interpreter should they be looking for?
I think communication is important but that doesn't have to necessarily be speaking.  I think if you and your couple have trust then you're pretty much set.  If you and your couple are comfortable in the way you work then it doesn't matter whether you chat away, say nothing or use gesture. I think confidence in your work, creating that trust and your ability to be a nice human being is key... and also being honest with what you require to get the work done.  If you feel like you can communicate freely in your own way then great.. if you feel that you and/or your clients would benefit from having an Interpreter then use one... :) There's no hard and fast rule as what works for one person might be completely different for another... so find your comfortable ground.

What do you do to relax during the busy wedding season when you are up to your eyes in shooting/editing? What keeps you sane?
I've written quite a few posts on this subject because about a year ago I was pretty unhappy in myself.  I was constantly working.. constantly stressed.. crying a lot.. I'd gained nearly 3 stone and I wasn't having a life.  I think all of us that start our own business has some or all of these problems in the first 3 years.  It's hard. Super hard.  This is now our fourth year and it's only now that I feel like I'm coming up for air.

I am now much more organised.  I plan my time better and set myself weekly and daily goals so that I work smarter and then give myself time off.  This could be a day, my evenings.. a mini break.. but I've realised just how important this is for both my own wellbeing, my marriage and the business.

I outsource some of my editing to Fotofafa.. I make sure I'm disciplined with culling a wedding the few days after we've shot it.. I pencil in editing days.. but the biggest thing is that I've learnt is to say no.  Saying no is not a bad thing.  It means you get to do more of the stuff you want to do.. and it means you're being sensible with your workload... actually I'm getting pretty good at that word now. I want my couples to get the best from us and I want to be happy and have a life of my own too so I have a responsibility to myself (and the business) to make sure that I give myself a healthy work/life balance..

My favourite things to do to relax are probably shopping.. (I'm so my Mother's daughter).. watching films.. riding my bike, jogging, sitting in the garden in the sun, reading magazines, the pub with friends.. all the normal stuff.. but it's important stuff.  It's weird but most of us have to re-learn how to relax.. and it can take quite a bit of practice to perfect.. ;)

question time {part 2}...

How did you manage to make photography your job as opposed to something you did on the side?  How does one take the big step and make enough money to live off it?

This is a hard one to answer as everyone's circumstances are completely different.  My jobs before the photography were pretty low paid (I was Acting and a Support Worker for Deaf Adults) and they were also quite flexible so I had some free time and not much to lose in terms of financially.  I've always chosen to do my dream job rather than the financial security so for me it wasn't such a big step.  The hardest thing for me was booking myself up so far in advance as I'd never done that in the past just in case a good acting job came up.

I think for a lot of people.. they are possibly in decently paid skilled jobs so the leap to actually give all that up for photography with no guaranteed wage at the end of the month is a much bigger decision.  A lot will try and do both jobs but at some point I suppose this will get too difficult.  I expect there will always be some sort of leap that needs to be done and with the security of the 'day job' always there.. your photography business can only go so far.. you need the leap.. the unknown.. the 'have to get the work' drive to really make the dream a full time reality..

Most wedding photographers post the more photojournalistic shots from a wedding, but they usually do formals too.. we never get to see these.. could you post some formal shots?
Yeah.. sure.. we always do family shots.. these are the ones that we printed for our own wedding and gave to family as presents.. they are always the ones that family members buy from the online gallery.. and it's our chance on a wedding day to really get to know the family and have a bit of banter.

I have photos of my Parent's wedding and my Nan and Grandad's and these family photographs are part of my family history.. they are SO important.  I want all of our couple's grandchildren in years to come to look at these photographs and know about their family history too..

What are your most influential and favourite blogs?

I'm an every day reader of Bleubird Vintage, A Beautiful Mess, Steoffrey Language and DesignLoveFest

Where or how did you gain the confidence to know you were worth what you wanted to charge and after how many free to cheap shoots?  

I think knowing what you're worth is an ongoing struggle but the more experience you get with both shooting and the business you learn what is a good decision and what isn't.. you start valuing your time and your skill.  I like to think of it as a little shop.. someone comes in, takes something off the shelf and wants to buy it.. how many times would you give that item away for free?  The same should apply to your photography business.

How do you keep your confidence and creativity up?  What inspires you most?
Shooting, collaborating, dreaming, scheming, being open to other arts.. theatre, film, music.. 

What are the best ways to get your work seen?
Submit them to blogs and magazines.. collaborate with other vendors.. with other photographers.. build your blog.. get out there and meet people.. give your couples the best possible experience..

How long were you shooting before you booked full time weddings?  Did this come from your first Rock n' Roll Bride feature?  Also I've read that you haven't ever paid for advertising.. so what advice could you give on how to get your name noticed and start getting full time bookings..
Pete bought me a DSLR for Christmas in 2008 but I actually didn't really pick it up properly for about 6 months.. in October 2009 I started my blog which was a blog purely for somewhere to put my photos and to document my little journey.  In that same month I shot a wedding for a friend and it was blogged by Rock n' Roll Bride.  I then started getting enquiries and had to make the decision to start the business.  At the time I was working as an Actress and a Support Worker for Deaf Adults so work was flexible to a degree and financially I wasn't exactly earning the big bucks.. so the business was a real opportunity to create something that could actually give us more security and a better future.

At the time we managed to fill our calendar with bookings for the next 18 months.. we were pretty cheap and there wasn't too many wedding photographers out there.. well, not many with a similar style so I guess at the time I stood out.  With every wedding I shot they were then being blogged by the main wedding blogs which was my advertising... and since that first year it's kind of snowballed from there.. we've never paid for advertising but I'm not saying we never will.. just at the time we didn't really need to.

I think the market is quite a different place now.. there are literally hundreds of wedding photographers.. all competing to get that booking.  I think it's a much harder place to be seen now as blogs are inundated with possible features and getting your name out there can be difficult.  I would say.. first and foremost.. shoot as much as you can.. put your best work out there.. advertise with a blog.. work with your local vendors.. collaborate.. submit weddings to blogs.. blog yourself.. be yourself.. concentrate on yourself rather than concentrating on trying to be someone else.. concentrate on your clients.. be the absolute best you can be.. give yourself a good work/life balance so you can be the best you can be.. have a life.. stop chasing and just start doing.  For me, I just want to take photos in my style with couples who get me.. and when you concentrate on that I think you're on the right track..

Do you send your pricing brochure out as a pdf or a printed brochure?

My brochure is a pdf brochure that is emailed.  I don't think a printed brochure is very cost or time effective.  

How did you cope in the beginning when you maybe couldn't afford the best equipment or sample albums?
At the beginning we couldn't afford anything.. and the business was a slow burner.. a real slow burner. At the beginning we made sure that I could comfortably shoot a wedding, so in other words.. I had a back up etc if anything went wrong.. and then along the way we have bought equipment as and when we can afford it.  Some of our cameras we lease from a company called Photolease.  They specialise in finance for Photographers and at the start we wouldn't have actually been able to purchase a lot of the equipment without them.  At the beginning we offered cheaper Blurb albums and then when we could afford to.. we got our first Folio Fine Art Album... and it felt wonderful.  I remember just staring at it.. it signified such a huge journey and such a huge accomplishment.. my photographs of one of my couples in my very own sample album.. I think it's important to celebrate these little milestones and always take note of how far you've come.  But I think the equipment thing never changes.. we still need a desktop for Pete (he works off a laptop).. we need to look into upgrading our Mark II's for Mark III's.. there are lenses I'd like to get.. we need a new sample album.. the list is always there.. but we're getting there.. slowly..

Have you ever looked at your work at the beginning of starting out and thought it was missing something e.g. that professional look where everything is perfect.  I don't know how to see my work in the light of the professionals which then means I find it hard to know the value which then makes it hard to know what to charge.
I don't think I looked at my work at the time and thought it was missing something but I now can look back at when I first started out and see how far I've come and how much I've learnt... and my price has reflected that along the way.  When I started out I was cheap.. super cheap.. but I had little experience.. basic equipment.. so the cheap price was what I felt I was worth.  With every few weddings I was gaining experience.. my portfolio was getting bigger.. my equipment was getting better.. so the price had to go up accordingly (although it took me maybe a little bit too long to realise it).. I would say look to your peers.. photographers with about the same level of experience etc.. see what they are charging.. and then maybe every three bookings put your price up a little.. remember whatever you're charging now is generally what you'll be making in a years time so you can't afford to under price yourself.  And every photographer always shits themselves when they put their prices up.. it comes with the 'being a creative and not a business person' territory... :)

How does your pricing structure work?

We have a basic price for 7 hours coverage.  Couples can then add hours and any extras such as an album or an Engagement shoot if they want to.  We also will do a bespoke quote if someone wanted us for less than the 7 hours.  We've had a few different pricing structures but we like to keep it simple and let couples tailor their package according to their budget.

I've had trouble blocking out the noise and opinions of others.  I'm easily swayed but I finally feel like I'm finding my feet.  Have you or do you struggle to keep your focus?  Your work has a consistency to it so I guess you're winning... right?
This is a toughie.  I'm sure everyone has moments when they feel their work isn't any good.. or they're drowning or they're not doing as well as they should be.. or hang on.. everyone else seems to be doing amazing and I've just cried for no reason.  On social media all we see is the shiny side.. which really doesn't help anyone when they're having a wobble.  I have plenty of wobbles.. I'm constantly playing with my edits.. I often look at other people's work and smack my head on the desk at how good they are.. I sometimes have a cry that I've taken too much on.. I sometimes edit a whole shoot and then go back and re-do it cus I'm not happy.. I sometimes have to come off Twitter and FB because it all gets a bit too much.. it's all normal... but I know that all these feelings will come and go and the following day I'm shooting an amazing wedding with a lovely couple and I have that fire in my belly and everything is ok again.. but I think it comes back to knowing who you are... I feel really comfortable with who I am and why I'm doing this job.. I feel like I really know my style and over the past three years I've learnt how to stick to it.. so my wobbles are part and parcel of being creative and often they help to create your best work. 

I'm going at this alone, I'm not friends with all the right people, I don't second shoot, I follow only a very few blogs of other shooters, but I still want to make it.  I just don't know how right now.  Just need a few pointers in the right direction..
I think it depends on what you mean by 'make it'?  Making it could be shooting 10 local weddings a year with couples that you really click with.. it could be giving your clients the best possible experience you could give them.. it could be making enough money for you to personally live off.. I think firstly you have to decide what your 'Making it' is and then look at the best way to do it.  

Have you any tips on getting featured in magazines and on blogs.
Read their submission guidelines and then really follow it... make it as easy as possible for them to feature you.  But under no circumstances should you ever photograph a wedding to get it blogged.  I think with our current blog culture it could be very easy to just concentrate on a wedding day on just the images that you know blogs will want.. but remember that is only a very, very, very, very small piece of a wedding.  Shoot it for the couple.. shoot it for their family.. and their friends.. and make sure you tell the whole story..

I hope these two posts have been helpful in some way.. I know that this job can be pretty isolating at times and sometimes you're watching through your screen at the rest of the photography world being all types of incredible and it's tough.. but it doesn't have to be like that.. there are lots of peeps out there willing to share and collaborate.. and is a really good thing in my book.. :)

If you guys have got lots more questions then I really encourage you to come along.. to our Welcome Home Workshops in March... it's such a good day, a wonderful group of people and I promise you'll get super shit loads out of it.. :)

question time...

I sometimes get people email me with questions about photography or the business and one day last week I wrote on my Facebook page that if anyone had any questions then pop them below and I'll do a little blog post.. thinking that nobody was gonna ask a question.. *cue tumble weed*

Well it seemed that you guys did have a few questions.. quite a few in fact.. (I'm always surprised as I actually thought I wouldn't get anything) so what was going to be one tiny blog post.. might just have to become a few.. :)

So I've chosen a few questions for this post and will be following it up in the next few weeks with some more... (oh yeah.. and sorry for rambling....)

What was the thing you found most difficult in your first year of business, and how did you overcome it?

My first year was a roller coaster.. one of those really scary ones that flip you upside down and then jerk you in a different direction when you least expect it.  We had booked 30 weddings in our first year and pretty much hit the ground running so I think our biggest challenge was keeping up and learning at the same time as doing.  With each wedding I was learning so much and then coming home and editing and again learning.. we then were having to set up and run a business so before we could do something (send paperwork for example) we had to create it.. before we could design an album we had to learn how to use the software.. find an album supplier etc etc.  There were a lot of very late nights and just an awful lot to digest.  Everything was new and I would say that that first 18 months was the most valuable as we learnt a lot on how not to do things.  That's the great thing.. you really learn from every decision you make (and every mistake you make) and actually I think we now have a much better business for it.

Best camera to use for a newbie starting out?

I expect there are quite a few cameras that are great for when you are just starting out but I started with a Nikon D40.. then moved up to a Nikon D90 which I used for my first 6 months of shooting weddings.  I then moved over to Canon (I was Second Shooting for a photographer who used Canon so could borrow lenses and he could teach me about the camera if I moved over) and started using a Canon 5D MKII.  In my first year to 18 months I'll be honest it was a struggle to build up the finances to buy equipment.. I had a couple of bodies and a few lenses but there was such a long list of things to buy.. and what to buy first?  A better camera body or a new lens? Which lens? How many memory cards do I need? I remember seeing a photo of a photographer's desk with a little pile of memory cards and thinking "Wow! They've got like 10 memory cards! That's a shit load of money right there!.. Will I ever get to that stage??"  But you get there.. don't get me wrong.. it's a slow process.. and we still (and always will have) things to buy on our list but you do it.  I think the biggest piece of advice I can give is however expensive.. definitely have back ups.  This is vital.  If your camera breaks or you drop it you need to have a back up with you that you are totally happy to shoot that wedding with.  Shit will happen and you have to be prepared.

What lenses do you generally use?
I'm a 35mm 1.4 and an 85mm 1.2 kinda girl..

When looking around at photographers for our wedding we noticed many photographers rip off others. Knowing you have been a victim of it in the past.. have you got any advice for those who get their creativity ripped off on the internet?
I think there's a difference between being inspired by people's work and then ripping them off.  I know that I definitely did not invent the cutting people's heads off.. I find myself naturally doing it when shooting but I know that other people did it before me.. BUT everything I do I will make it my own.  If, on the other hand someone was to create a website and it looked like a carbon copy of my website then that's different.  I think when it comes to photography, especially wedding photography.. things can quite easily look pretty similar as we're all constantly working with the same components.. but I think there's always room for making something your own.  I would say, it's it's blatantly obvious they have copied something then by all means, talk to them.. but also you must be doing something right if someone wants to copy you in the first place.. ;)

How do you manage your workload and what is your process from after you have backed up your images to delivery to the couple?
I'm constantly trying to streamline my workflow and over the past three years it has changed quite a bit.  I've had periods where it's been pretty overwhelming and in peak wedding season have been literally drowning.. these are the points where we've often had to do more work (by setting new things up) which help ease the workflow in the long run but at the time seem easier to not do and just struggle on.  But I'm telling you from experience.. JUST STOP AND DO IT.

So at the moment this is our workflow..
Shoot Wedding
Monday (if possible) I will cull the wedding.
Send to Fotofafa..

So.. Fotofafa.. if you haven't heard of them then you need to look them up.  I can hand on my heart tell you that they changed my world.  Fotofafa are a post-production company based in California and they gave me my life back. This is not me being over-dramatic either.  I send them my RAW files and they do my basic adjustments.. white balance, tweaks to exposure, colour etc.. I then get all my images back ready for me to add my own artistic edit.  The time it saves me is incredible and whilst the images are with Fotofafa I get to concentrate on other things, shoot more, do more personal work, workshops, even karaoke.. ;) 

For the first 2 years of the business I was constantly at my desk.. and shooting a wedding every week meant that to keep on top of things I was working constantly.. all day.. all night.. and it felt like it was becoming a chore.. I was dreading the start of a wedding edit as it seemed such a huge mountain to climb.. but now the weight is off my shoulders and the workload feels manageable.. it is also the BEST thing when the images come back and you get to watch the adjustments appear in LR.. it's actually like Christmas.. :)

Once the images are back I then spend a day artistically editing the images.. converting any to black and white that I want, dodging and burning etc.  The following day is then spent creating a slideshow, uploading their client gallery and creating their package ready to send.. :)

Obviously sometimes weddings don't get culled on the Monday straight after the wedding and sometimes they come back from Fotofafa and I might have shoots or a weddings so again they might have to wait a few days but I give my couples a timescale of 4 weeks (5 in peak season) so I give myself a decent amount of time to do the job and to enjoy it too... :)

Along the way I've definitely learnt that one of the most important things for our business is to make sure our workflow works.. and is as efficient as it could be.  As it's improved the business and our work/life balance has improved.. and for me that is vital for us to be able to look after ourselves and our couples better..

I also have to mention how great Fotofafa's customer service is.. they have always been ridiculously helpful and have really become another member of our business.. there is always the time difference that you have to take in to account (them being in America).. but they have answered all my questions (however stupid) and are always on the other end of an email.. I'm totally smitten.

I've added some examples below of my original RAW image next to the (basic) adjusted image that I get back from Fotofafa.. good hey?!? :)

What techniques do you use to get clients to laugh and relax during your shoots?

I want them to be comfortable first and foremost.. and most, if not all my couples are not comfortable having their photo taken (I don't really know many people that are).. so for me.. my job is to make them feel safe and to know what to expect as most of their nerves are to do with not knowing what is expected of them.  You need to lead it.. if you are confident then they will have confidence in you, they will trust you and then they will relax.  I've found knowing comfortable and easy ways for couples to get close helps.. (as in comfortable ways to hold each other) and then giving them little exercises or chatting about how they met etc can all help for them to forget about the camera.  I would definitely recommend having a few different poses/exercises/games/conversations ready but at the same time relax and let go yourself.. the more you worry, the more stiff you'll be and they will feel that tension which will then make them more tense.. I want to not be worrying about what settings or what the hell am I going do to next etc and just be able to enjoy getting to know them and giving them the space to have a bit of fun together..

What would you say to other photographers who are just starting out who are searching for their own voice - and feel bombarded by all the visual imagery there is out there online?

I always get very passionate about this question.  I think it's very easy to sit for hours looking at other photographer's work and then try and emulate it yourself.. because you like what you see them doing.. they're successful etc.. but they are not you.  Every one of us is an individual.. we all like different things and are drawn to different things and when it comes to art I actually think you have your own natural style buried in there somewhere just waiting to be let out.  Yes, you can *learn* to shoot a certain way but is it you?  For me.. I always think a good starting place is to look backwards.. what has made you who you are.. photography is such a personal thing that all your experiences, all your traits, your family, your relationships, your personal style, your likes.. everything is knitted together to form your voice.. so I would probably say.. instead of looking at those blogs and constantly looking outwards.. maybe start looking inwards.. go out and shoot... shoot for yourself.. and rediscover who you are first..

There are quite a few more questions that I'll answer in a future post.. but for now.. I hope these are helpful!

We also have a few spaces left for our Birmingham and Dublin Welcome home Workshops in March.. so if you have got lots of questions and want to know more then I really encourage you to come along.. it's such a good day and I promise you'll get super shit loads out of it.. :)