caseychappell

All I can say is Bludomain! They are Awesome! http://www.bludomain.com

they have bigger websites for around $800 but also have little ones for under $400. In fact

they just launched a lil'blu site for $200 that is great and VERY professional looking and

simple!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the lightscribe burner! My clients can't belive when they get CD's with

their picture and the words burned onto it. It takes a little time to burn the image but it's

super easy to set up and do!

sorry Mary for voting too soon. Somehow I missed that tid bit of info! I'll re-vote when you let

us know. Thanks! :o)

Okay, everyone's been really nice about the picture. It's a really BAD choice for your one

image to be your selling point! Her back, nobody wants their back to look like that in their

dress. Please, I promise you Brides will not like this Image! Both cards seems faded in

saturation as well. I know you must have other images. Try detail shots. Those are easy to

put words on and it's like it could be from anyone's wedding not that girls wedding!

I don't want to sound harsh but I just don't see how you think that the dress image is good

advertisement for you.

I couldn't have made this one without everyone's wonderful input and confirmation of my

abilities! Thanks Photo.net! You guys have helped me reach for greater things this last year

and I am so grateful!

Happy New Years!<div></div>

WIlliam,

This sounds dumb I'm sure but how did you do that collage? It's great! Is it photoshop?

Merry Christmas!

Everyone,

I think that the fact that you are documenting family get togethers will only be fully

appreciated years from now when some family have passed away and little kids will be

adults, etc...

Keep it up! I think the comment about not making it formal is important as well. Keep it

candid, people will not dread the camera near as much that way. And I"m sure you'll

always have a few hams (usually kids) that will pose all day long and give you adoreable

photos!

I Absolutely LOVE Smugmug! Everyone that has bought from them loves their quality. They

are very inexpensive at wholesale which can be great for ordering for yourself, but also the

quality your client would expect.

Check out my site. www.poiemaphotography.smugmug.com

Also you can save $5-10 just by putting in a friend's email who already uses it. feel free to

use mine. caseylynn_78@yahoo.com

thanks girl!

it's so good to see you again! *I think it's so funny how when someone posts it's like

seeing a friend while you're out somewhere! I just went up on 2007 prices as well.....I'm

getting a website built, *although I do love a bludomain site!* I was nervous but my first

2007 client signed on and I was soooo excited. I know I'm worth that....and funny, you are

one of the people who helped me realize that. No more giving away digital negatives for

me! They'll have to pay big time! :o)

Keep up the good work. I'd love to do homecoming stuff.... did you advertise or just word

of mouth? I love the idea!

Happy Thanksgiving Colleen! And keep posting...I for one love it when you do! Do you

have a blog?

Take Care girl! Casey

I'm amazed by blogs these days. I don't know why I just have become addicted to

them....too many of them to admit. They actually make it possible to get to know all these

great photographers that I never would meet much less communicate with. It provides me

with constant inspiration. My business partner just asked me what I did different with my

last Engagement Shoot and that they were better than ever, and I had to admit that it was

the inspiration I've been getting by blog surfing!

My bookmark bar is LOADED!

I have trouble keeping up with the friends I have now, I don't know why I'm adding a whole

community of people that I want to stay on top of. :o) "It's for my business"! It's sooo

much fun though.

I do want to know how to do the signature thing.

here are some of my favorites!

http://www.mikecolon.net/blog/

http://homepage.mac.com/caddygrl77/blog/

http://homepage.mac.com/thebecker/iblog/B533212817/

http://sloanphotographers.wordpress.com/

http://blog.cuphotography.ca/

http://captivatingstudios.blogspot.com/

okay, and that's not all of them that I love!

enjoy! Thanks for sharing Anne (whose blog I do have on my bookmark bar, love love your

work! )

elliot~ so wise about the passing on clients you have a gut feeling are not going to be true to

you or may in fact bring your business more harm than good.

those pictures are in the single photo folder at the top of my gallery

Thank you so much! Your wise counsel is very appreciative. Lesson learned the hard way.

It's just so hard not to be ticked off at just the total rudeness she's approached everything

with. Even from the get go she was very snobby and demanding but not in a way that she

knew what a professional was supposed to be or do and I wasn't doing that. Just in a

bridezilla way! I was watching it the other day on TV and thought that she should be on

there, and this was before all this.

To answer a few things, I kept the engagement fee apart from the package price, and she

recieved a CD and a few enlargements with that. So as far as I see, I just need to refund

the 30% that she paid me and just move on.....and yes, RELAX during my thanksgiving

weekend! Sucks, though I sure needed that job before the holidays! And it was going to be

a Latino Wedding and I would have loved to add the multi-culture wedding to my portfolio.

But it was going to be a LOT of work from what they told me Latino weddings are like! :o)

I'm adding the engagement session to a folder in my gallery (nancy) Were they really that

bad?

okay, I know I messed up by not having a contract with a friend of a friend who is getting married the day

after thanksgiving. but we handled pretty much everything over email and met initially to meet and go

over schedules and ideas and such a while back. I told her months ago that I would hold that date for her

and that she didn't need to have a deposit until the 3 month mark. She's been a very difficult bride to deal

with and very demanding but not very good with the details. (okay you're thinking, no contract, you're not

good with details! you're right!) BUT anyway, 3 weeks ago I did her engagement photos and the deadline

for her deposit had past but I told her she could give it to me then. I finished her E-session and gave her

over 100 images that I felt were in keeping with my style that she had seen and liked and all the images

were well exposed, artsy, and sharp! She called me today and said that she felt that the pictures weren't

as good as her friend had made me out to be and that she wanted to totally back out of the

wedding....which is in 2 weeks (I canceled all my Thanksgiving plans just to do this wedding!) I know my

fault! SO my question is, if I have nothing that says "non-refundable" in the deposit info do I HAVE to give

it all back? she's givin me 30% which is the deposit, I really don't want to give it back since it's this close to

the wedding, but I sure don't want to get sued over it!

Does anyone know the legal options I have to keep the deposit? Again, lesson learned, never again

without a contract! understood.

just some immediate thoughts, have him sit down next to her and her lean over to kiss

him or play with his hair while he's looking at her. Him behind leaning in on the

handlebars and getting close to her face. smiling, kissing, kissing her cheek and her cute

expressions to that.

her lean over the side and him standing leaning in towards her bending at waist and

capturing just the faces and kiss. Another would be to use a wide angle and get down

really low at a distance and capture them just talking and snuggling!

I wonder if you could talk her into letting the groom pick her up...just for a few. How

precious that would be! you could get all sorts of poses and angles that way.

Definitely bring a tripod for some low light non flash shots. Use the fire as much as you

can to maybe get some special effects shots.

Good luck! Thanks for asking.

love the blue! It's different yet looks like something very professional and current. They will

love it! well done!

what about Tiara Images, or Tiara Studios, putting the word studios or images with your

name can change the way it sounds. or even adding a word that begins with an a or b such

as the word always. Just some random thoughts.

hey girl,

well I know exactly what you are facing as my best friend and I just joined forces and

started a photography business. I was casey chappell photography and I changed it to

poiema photgraphy because I didn't want it to just be about me and I wanted both of us

wherever we may end up moving to or how life changes I wanted it to be about the

photography! Not to mention that even if for example she moves first which she might in

the next few years then I could easily add another photographer without anyone making a

big deal that it's not her as long as they get the quality that they see from the business

name and reputation.

Angey and I both love Greek and it was actually another friend I took greek with that came

up with poiema (created work of art or masterpiece) so it works for both of us!!

I was thinking of things that are associated with weddings and the words tiffany or tara

and I came up with Tiffany Jewelry (also associated with being the best money can buy)

breakfast at tiffany's came to mind, and also Tiara (as worn on most brides hair!) That is

my favorite, since it's fancy and includes both aspects of your names and you can run with

design aspects in your logos and such!

If you associate it with something apart from you two yet meaningful to your business and

personal to you both then I think you'll be happy with it for years, no matter what time and

changes bring your way.

check out our site just to see how we've started doing our galleries and right now this is

our only site, we're working on another more professional one. I do love smugmug for

client viewing and ordering! And I've been looking at bludomain and simplyblu for website

design ideas. They are very reasonable!

Good luck and have a blast!

~you could always do "picklerphotography" or "twosmalltowngirls and a camera" heehee!~

As a girl, a stylist, a bride a few years ago and a photographer. I love the blue and light

green bus. card. Even if you made it a little more aqua color that is sooooo in right now. It's

soft and stylish and eye catching! Love it. Good luck!

aim high! Don't do weddings for low end prices. because you'll probably get a lot of clients

from word of mouth once you do one or two there, and you don't want to have to wish you

had charged more from the start. Find a good hairdresser, they always spread the word! And

I'd use the Yellow Pages since you are new there. drop of bus cards at bridal shops, hair

salons, spas, and floral shops! And they'll start to call! Good luck!! Have fun!~ Explore new

and fun places to shoot there, it's amazing the things and locations you'll discover as an

outsider looking with new eyes vs. the locals being used to everything.

I love smugmug and I get so many compliments from my site.

I love the flexibility in setting your own prices and you can do something totally different

with each gallery, prices, look, etc... They have a great log that lets you see exactly how

many people have viewed each gallery each month and I love their arranging and deleting

options.

I've already made way more than I spent and I've only had it less than 6 months. And

everyone has said they love their prints!

good luck girl,

thanks for all of your responses. Sorry I sound a little unprepared for this class, I"m more

than ready to teach a ton of stuff on Monday, I"m just shooting my brother's wedding this

weekend and I'm a little distracted. I"m trying to collect ideas and resources until then and

after the wedding I can sit down and map out the evening.

Thanks for all your suggestions and ideas. Keep them coming.

Any website must go to's?

I love the concept of sharing about the importance of photography in daily life. Most of

these women are stay at home moms or young brides who just want to have a outlet of

creativity and possibly a future source of income.

Hi, I'm Casey and I am a wedding photographer in Raleigh N.C. (Usually I'm hanging out in the wedding

forum.) anyway, I recently hired my best friend to shoot weddings with me and since then I have been

approached many times by other girlfriends wanting to be my assistant or to be trained in photography.

SO I decided that I would teach a class once a month for whoever wanted to learn photography. Our first

meeting is on monday night. I just was wondering if there were any ideas or suggestions on Basic

photography 101 websites or books that any of you recommend. (I know there are thousands...so that's

why I'm asking you to help narrow down for me a few.)

I'm also wanting ideas for the class and suggestions on what I should teach first, second, and so forth. I

know it will be a great class, they are all ready to learn and to be pointed in the right direction. I will also

be giving them assignments to shoot for the next month. But I thought I would ask you guys what you

thought.

Thanks ahead of time for any thoughts!

I finished looking through the whole album and I really think you did a great job. Maybe a

little less sepia in the selection. But kudos again!

I love your feel/style. You did a great job. Can't wait to see more of your work. What lens did

you use? I could be wrong but I doubt you were using top notch fast glass, and I think that

would make a huge difference.

Keep up the good work! I love the black and white picture of the two kids in the getting ready

section and the one of the bride on the floor figuring out some last minute details.