I first met  Frances while attending a workshop a few years ago.  She is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, and we quickly became fast friends.   To find previous Coffee Breaks with other fab photogs, click on the Interview button in the SHARE section of Jules Café.

Frances decided to make her passion for photography her profession after three years as a biology major  from the University of Colorado.  After a short stint abroad, Frances returned to the states to attend Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.  Loving photography of all different kinds, Frances choose wedding photography specifically because it allows her the creative freedom to wear lot of different hats and still get paid to do what she loves.  “The right and left side of my brain are constantly competing.  With weddings, I get to be an artist, a still-life photographer, a fashion photographer, a photojournalist, and a portrait artist, all in one day! What more could I ask for?”

Frances Photography is a boutique wedding photography business based in Denver, Colorado and consists of herself and her husband, Matt, as the primary shooters, and Charlie and Cheyenne, the beloved dogs and muses.  Matt handles the financial side of the business and Frances concentrates on the artistic side of things.  They have photographed extraordinary weddings, including celebrity sports stars, not only in Colorado, but coast to coast as well as internationally.  Destinations abroad include Fiji, Costa Rica, Mexico, and coming soon, Jamaica! National destinations include California, New Mexico, Idaho, Rhode Island, Texas, Montana, and Alabama.  They limit the number of weddings they photograph to between 25 and 30 a year.  “We like to keep the number of weddings we photograph low enough that I can deliver 100% of my heart and soul to everyone I work with and still have some time to play on the side.  For us, life isn’t just about working.”

I really love Frances’ take on the questions this week.  I think you will too. She offers a fresh perspective on these questions that will inspire and motivate you, addressing the power of positive thinking, setting aside an education budget, and learning how to live in the now.

First of all, we need to learn a little something personal about Frances! I asked her a few things so you would have a chance to get to know her.

Five favorite movies:

The Notebook-I’m a total hopeless romantic.
Pretty Woman- My favorite line of the whole movie is when she heads
back into the snotty Rodeo Dr. shop with all her bags and says to the
mean lady “Mistake!  BIG Mistake… HUGE!”  and then walks out.
Legends of the Fall-What can I say, I fell in love with Brad Pitt when
I was in 7th grade! (or was it 6th?)
Fried Green Tomatoes-lots of reasons
Wedding Crashers-because it makes me LOL over and over and over

Top five favorite songs:

This is a little harder because they are constantly changing.  They
are usually songs I can sing really loud in my car… alone.  At the
current moment the list looks like this:
1. Belief -John Mayer
2. Put Your Arms Around Me-Natasha Bedingfield
3. With Arms Wide Open- Creed
4. Many the Miles- Sara Bareilles
5. You and I Both- Jason Mraz

And finally, what did you do for your 13th birthday?

Honestly, I have no idea.  I probably had a party at the roller rink. What I DO remember though is that I got my own phone (and line) in my room.  I think my parents wanted the phone back.  I just remember how excited I was and how “cool” the phone was.  It was purple.  I can still remember the number too: 867-0434.  Weird because I usually can’t remember what I had for lunch two days ago.

Here’s Frances getting some Bianchi sandwich love!  Now on to our more serious questions…

LEARN:

Q: What is something that you feel you’d like to learn more about, something you are continually learning?

A: Oh boy, that list could be really long!  But if I’m 100% honest, I’d have to say that I’d like to learn more about how to harness the power of the mind, as I am continually learning more and more about myself with each passing day, week, month, and year.  Our thoughts carry with them incredible power.  It has only been in the last several years that I have realized the responsibility I have in creating my own reality, both inside my mind and heart, as well as outside in the physical world. Positive begets positive, and negative begets negative.  I’d like to learn to train myself how to stay in a “positive place” regardless of the circumstances that happen around me which are outside of my control.

Q: What is something that you wish someone would have told you before you had to learn it the hard way?

A: The hardest lessons I have had to learn in this lifetime are really the things that have made me into the person I am today.  I don’t know that I would take back any of those lessons as I feel like I would also be giving up something good or some strength that has come as a result of learning the “hard way.”  Mistakes are truly an opportunity to grow.

GROW:

Q: How have you grown in the past five years in your business, in your own personal quest for growth, in your awareness of the world around you?

A: I started my business almost exactly 5 years ago, in 2004.  Since then I have grown so much it’s hard to believe it’s only been that long.  I’ve gone from literally nothing but a dream, a loving husband and a supportive family, to owning a well-established and well-reputed wedding photography business in a city and state that I adore.  I have gone from being extremely unsure of myself and my place in this life to being comfortable in my own skin, being comfortable with being confident, and being comfortable in the understanding that I am in control of my own destiny, and no one else.  When I was a kid, my grandma always used to tell me “You are right on schedule.”  Patience never was my strongest suite.  But I have learned that you have to take life one step at a time, because no matter where you are, you are right where you need to be to learn the things you need to learn and to collide with the people you are meant to cross paths with.  In the past five years, I have learned how to live “in the now” and to be grateful for all the wonderful things that exist in this moment.

Q:  How would you recommend others grow?  Do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

A: I recommend truly committing to continual growth in all areas of life and business.  I actually have an “education” budget in my business that I specifically set aside to attend workshops and conventions and to travel to see friends and colleagues from coast to coast every year.  No matter how much you know, you can always learn something new that can help you reach places in your life and business you may have never believed were possible.  I’ve been attending WPPI since 2004 and I’ve taken lots of different workshops, all of which have changed my perspective in one way or another.  My advice is to not to get overwhelmed by all the information that is available.  There truly is so much to learn, it can be almost paralyzing in that oftentimes it’s hard to know where to start.  Try to relax and pay attention to the things that are relevant to you now.  And maybe most importantly, network, network, network!  You never know who you might meet and not only what you can learn from them, but what they can learn from you.  Every teacher is a student and vice versa.  The more people in your network the more opportunity you are going to have to grow and to help others grow too.

SHARE:
Q: How do you feel you contribute to the industry?

A: This past year I have partnered with a wedding specific small business consultant to create a unique workshop called The Wedding Summit (www.theweddingsummit.com).  It’s a business workshop that deals with all aspects of business-branding, marketing, sales, customer service, financial acumen, and benchmarking.  We provide a customized, hands-on approach to finding unique solutions to help small business owners make more money!  After all the wonderful workshops I’ve attended and the things I have discovered in the last five years, I feel that I have a lot of information to share not only with photographers, but with anyone involved in the wedding industry.  That aspect, in particular, is what sets our workshop apart from every other workshop I’ve seen or attended.  It’s aimed at ALL businesses directly involved in the wedding industry.  Not only have our students been having major breakthroughs concerning their businesses, but it has also given them a chance to network with other people in the industry that may or may not be in the same field.  While I believe networking with photographers is very important, I have personally found that my networking efforts with other vendors in the industry is what has gotten me more business than anything else.

Q:  What is something you would like to share with your fellow colleagues?

A:  I think it’s really important to remember to believe in yourself and to stay true to yourself and the things that make you a unique and happy individual.  Visualize the things you want, not the things you don’t want because it’s the things you spend the most time focusing on that you are going to attract into your life.  Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.  While I definitely think looking at other artists and photographers work for inspiration is good, I also believe that the inspiration needs to come from within.  Let the energy of the people you are working with guide you. Don’t show up with set-in-stone “plans.” Learn to go with the flow and you will find the artistry within pour out in unexpected and beautiful ways.

Q: How can they turn around and do the same for others?

A:  It’s simple…  Always encourage, never discourage!  And, keep the ego in check.  No one likes to feel that they are “lesser” than you no matter how great you are or how great you think you are.  Like it or not, we are all made of the same “stuff,” so be sensitive.  This profession is all about having a unique sensitivity that allows us to capture raw emotion from our clients.  Don’t take that hat off when you put the camera down.  You’ll find you will do better in ALL aspects of your life if you can hold onto your ability to be sensitive to other people, regardless of who they are or where they are in this business.

Q: What is your favorite charitable contribution?

A:  Trelexa Foundation (http://www.trelexa.org) is dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence that are committed to changing their lives. Trelexa helps those victims by supporting organizations that provide a safe, long term environment that will be the catalyst for that change.  Last May I sponsored a silent auction art show, featuring a fine art photography collection I have been building since 2001 and it raised over $12,000 in just a few hours.  100% of the proceeds went to Trelexa.  There is no excuse for abuse!

Images from Frances’ show featured the theme “flow” and I have fallen in love with them.   Here are a few examples from that show:

THANK YOU Frances for your thoughtful responses, you have a very unique perspective that I truly appreciate and I’m so glad you could share today!

Frances’ work has been published in Professional Photographer and in multiple issues of the Knot, Brides CO, the Special Event, and Confetti Magazine.  Most recently, she has been acknowledged for her fine art photography and charity work in the “Good Works” section of Professional Photographer Magazine in the August 2008 issue.

I just love Frances’ work… here are some images to inspire you…