Jeff and his wife, Allison, opened Allison Rodgers Photography in 2004, and in four short years their business has exploded!  Their growth has forced them to move four times, and they presently occupy a 3600 square foot building with six people on staff.  Since opening their studio, they have managed to double their sales each year and are presently regarded as one of the most profitable studios in the United States due to their design skills and marketing strategies.

After years as an Art Director/Web Designer for several agencies in Memphis, Tennessee, Jeff  took his vast computer knowledge to ARP.  Now he oversees all post-processing, file management, orders, quality control, online marketing via twitter, Facebook, and the ARPblog.  Of note, Type Pad, the largest commercial blogging software company, has featured Allison Rodgers Photography on its home page and has listed their blog as one of its Top 10 sites.

Because of his commitment to the idea of creating buzz with viral marketing, clients and peers really get to know ARP before they ever step in the door.  And they do create a buzz!  Just today Allison Rodgers Photography was featured on the front of Marathan Press blog for their work on the show Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Now YOU can get to know Jeff a little bit more.  Jeff, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions, and I really loved what you had to say.   Oh, and thanks for the pennies (you’ll see when you read further).  We start off the interview with some critical insights:

Since you are a superhero in your mind you have to answer this:  Would you rather be able to fly, turn invisible or have the ability to read people’s minds and why?

Good question and an important one. If I turned invisible I suspect that would lead to way too much trouble on my part. Does the invisibility extend to my clothes? Might be awkward in cold climates. Reading peoples minds? That would be very cool but I don’t think my ego could withstand that level of brutal honesty. I would rather live in my fantasy world where my wife actually thinks I am a cutey and comic books are cool. Flying is definitely the best way to go. What better way of getting around than to fly?

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

Something I want to learn more about? Photography, videography, bookkeeping, running a business, teaching, speaking, social media, being a better husband and father, God, and maybe one day poetry. These are all things I want to always be improving on. Well, all of them except the poetry.  I can’t really back that one up.

I view photography from a Graphic Design perspective so the things that intrigue me are the more artistic design driven works–surreal photo illustrations, unique lighting techniques, innovative uses of composition and color. This is just what I am personally drawn to. When I was in art school the thing that influenced me the most was seeing the opening credits to the movie Se7en. Kyle Cooper (Imaginary Forces) designed them, and I remember sitting there in awe! It changed the way I looked at design. I have been thinking about this recently because of the hype over the 5D markII and all the talk about the merging of photo/video. I have a lot of photography friends who laugh when someone says “fusion.”(If you listen closely, you can here them laughing right now! )  I think that there is a way to make video more integrated with photography. You just have to be open to new technology and not dismiss new notions because it pushes you out of the little bubble of what is comfortable to you. I don’t know what the future holds for this. I believe it is something everyone needs to be at least familiar with even if it is partnering with someone knowledgeable who can offer this skill set.

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

A happy wife equals a happy life.

Oh, you probably mean photography related. OK!  Get software to track your business. It should be something that tracks your cost of sales, invoices, billing, client database, and some type of scheduling calendar. I don’t care how good you are at Excel spread sheets– that just does not cut it. Maybe it will work for the first six months, but the system you start out with needs to be flexible and able to be easily scaled up to accommodate your growth.  There are a lot of nice apps for this out there. We have been using Successware at the studio for 4 years and are happy with it.

GROW:  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?

We have grown a LOT over the last 5 years. People tend to get caught up in only focusing on shooting and not even thinking about all the other things you have to do in order to have a successful business. If you want to have a serious viable business that will be around for a long time, then you should join PPA and attend the IUSA pre-con meetings, as well as going to hear the platform speakers during the convention. This is the most cost-effective way of hearing all the big workshop speakers for a fraction of what it would cost to see them at workshops outside the convention. Shooting pictures is maybe 25% what is involved in running a business. Allison and I will be speaking at IUSA2010 in Nashville. I would love to meet all your readers there.

How would you recommend others grow—do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

My marketing tip is to get a free twitter account and put a twitter badge on your blog where your clients can choose to read what you are doing.  This tends to add more personality to your blog. You can even carry it a step further and make your twitter feed replace your Facebook status which again spreads your name around. Social media is a broad term, and people HAVE to understand it. Do you want your competitor knowing more about what the “kids” are up to than you?

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

I don’t know if anyone has noticed this or not, but I have been going around putting a penny on your front doorstep every Monday morning–just my attempt at getting all my photography buddies excited about the often maligned Mondays.  Beside the Monday morning penny treats, I enjoy speaking on Webinars, speaking at IUSA, and next year’s super secret multi city tour thing for a large non-profit photographer organization that I like a lot but I can’t really talk about that yet. I have been really pushing the whole social media thing for the past year. I feel it is just something that is here to stay, and it IS reshaping the old ways of marketing everyday. Investigate it.

Allison and I offer one on one phone consultations. It is called “He Said : She Said, The Creative Consult”. Consultation time is offered in 1 hour increments. Consults can be weekly appointments with screen share. Topics we cover: Viral Marketing, Shooting, Sales, Marketing, Post-processing and Studio Management.

What is something you would like to share with your follow colleagues?

Sort of playing one tune here BUT get on Facebook and twitter. Seriously, if you have a question, you ask it and in real time get answers. It’s really that easy. I was in a store the other day and ”twittered” a question about an off-brand battery for Canon. I immediately started getting friends’ opinions and ideas about cheaper places to buy them.

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

When you do get a twitter account, don’t just lurk around. Join the conversation, make it your own. This really applies to any of your favorite forums or online communities. Don’t be afraid of getting involved. Your opinion does matter.

Here are a few twitter playground rules to remember: Be nice, treat others how you want to be treated, use appropriate language, and don’t always be negative. Now, for my pet peeve.  When you reply to someone make a complete sentence out of your reply. I mean stop with the one word replies. How is that helpful for me to read?

Favorite charitable contribution?

A television producer friend of mine, Billy Roberts, has a charity that I am wanting to get more involved in. It’s called 5multiplied.

http://www.dropinthebucket.org/5multiplied

Excelsior!

Thank you Jeff!  I am already addicted to twitter and facebook, so I concur with everything you’ve said!  Join the conversation, people.   If you are looking for some help with your studio and want to bump it up to the next level, check out their consulting work here!

I really love Jeff’s perspective and the way that he sees life through his photography.  Check it out for yourself:

I am delighted to share a short interview I had with her as well as some of her amazing and inspiring work. If those images don’t make you want to head out to the nearest farm and photograph a horse or a barn cat, I don’t know what will!

What came first, your love for farm life or photography?

I have always loved animals and have always wanted to live on a farm. I eloped at 19 so I could live on a farm and have a horse. I am happy to say that I am still married to the same man and I still have horses. The photography didn’t come until my late 40′s. I was too busy running my animal actors agency and raising a family.

What was your first paid commercial job involving farm animals?

My first client was an animal supplement company. I had the pleasure of shooting some dogs and horses for them. They are still a regular client of mine.

What made you decide to specialize in such a niche market?

I have been an animal actor trainer for over 20 years so it was only natural to begin photographing the animals I worked with. Because I know what the animals are going to do next, I am able to capture just the look or expression I am looking for.

What are the main challenges when working with animals?

Domestic animals are pretty easy for me to shoot as my clients usually have me source the animals as well. The hardest part sometimes is that people think animals are little humans in fur suits and don’t understand why a dog, for instance, can’t do five different commands at once.

How do you find specific animals for a specific shoot?

Since I am also and animal actor trainer I know where they all are. I audition almost all of the animals I use for shoots to make sure they like it and will be happy on the set.

Do you have a favorite subject?

I like to photograph anything that moves. Be it cows, or chickens, horses or kids. I have found that I am not really moved to photograph things that are not living. I guess it’s a good thing I have found my specialty as I would be terribly unhappy as a product shooter.

Ok I will admit. I have a thing for cows.

Any animal you would love to photograph if given the opportunity?

That is hard one as I like to photograph all animals.  I guess I would like to photograph more stories and essay about animals and people. The animal human connection as it were. That is the real story to me.

What was your most memorable moment, good or bad?

I have been lucky so far to have had only good moments. I think that, on every shoot, when the moment hits that I know I “got it”… It’s the best feeling you can have!

What would you tell a new photographer who wants to have a go at photographing animals?

The smartest thing you can do is hook up with a good animal trainer. It is very hard to wrangle and shoot animals at the same time.

Barbara and Bayou!

Visit Barbara’s website and connect with her on FB

Post originally from: Digital Photography Tips.

Check out our more Photography Tips at Photography Tips for Beginners, Portrait Photography Tips and Wedding Photography Tips.

Focus On Barbara O’Brien – From Animal Trainer To Photographer

 

Today we have Kerrick James, who has been an accomplished travel, landscape and adventure photographer for many years. His work has been published in over 200 book and magazine covers of publications such as National Geographic Adventure, Sunset, Islands, Arizona Highways, Elle Decor, Alaska Airlines, Outdoor Photographer, Sky, Las Vegas Life, Virtuoso Life and too many others to list. He is also one of the 4 official Pentaxians sponsored by Pentax in the USA. He’s so rarely home, we’re fortunate to have him give us a few moments to share some insights into his career and work. He’s been very generous to send us large image files, so be sure to click on the photos below to see them big.

Kerrick, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for our Shedding Light series. Given how much you travel for work, do you actually pay rent anywhere? It seems you are always on the go and living in a suitcase.

I do pay a mortgage in Arizona, and actually get to sleep there sometimes! Most years I travel at least 180 days and could be gone more but I think you have to balance work with family or else all you have left at the end of the line is…work. I love photography but I love family too.

Could you list a few of the places you’ve been to and a few you would like to still visit or return to. What places have been the most special and why?

This always ranks as one of the most popular questions for me to be asked, and I enjoy answering it as I get to relive some great places and memories. Outside my home territory of the American Southwest I have always loved Alaska, Hawaii and Mexico, and have shot each numerous times. But I would have to say that I dream of returning to Patagonia and the Atacama Desert in Chile, the South Island of New Zealand, and Australia.

Let’s talk gear a bit. Landscape photographers historically often shot medium and even large format film cameras. In fact my favourite for several years was the Pentax 67. I know you’ve had some time with the new Pentax 645D. Have you used it in your work yet and can you give us a few highlights or thoughts about it?

I shot the 67 and the 67II for many years and still have two 67II bodies and a big complement of lenses. I always tried to use the big 67 camera whenever possible, although I was quite happy to shoot 35mm for sports, wildlife and people in travel images. The 6×7 format was very successful for me, and when the 645D was announced for real, I knew it would be a perfect comparison to 67/Velvia quality. I was the first pro to get to test it in the USA and immediately took it up to Northern Arizona to shoot the same iconic locations I had shot for years with the 67. t’s a superb field camera, rugged, weather sealed, quite easy to use, not terribly heavy, hand-holdable if necessary, with amazing image quality, and I can use my 67 glass with the Pentax 67-to-645 adapter. After testing it, I’m glad I have little Velvia left in my fridge, and I’m not buying more. I made two 30X40 inch test prints of Monument Valley images and they exceed anything I have printed from 67 at the same size. [Ed. note: I have seen these prints and can attest to their high quality, beyond what I could have printed from an APS-C file.] In truth, they look like 4X5 prints, handled very well. And you can use old 645 film lenses too. Just stop down enough and use a tripod. The color palette is exceptional, tonal scale excellent, fabulous detail and resolution. Yes, I want and will get one in 2011!

What focal lengths do you most often shoot? It’s my impression that many amateurs will have a bag (or 2) of lenses that they “must have” and yet most pros will often shoot with only 2-4 lenses at most. Do you often travel light and use a few favourite lenses for most of your work?

For the Pentax 67, I own and use the 35mm Fisheye, 45mm, 55-100mm zoom, 135 Macro, 200mm, 300mm ED, and the 1.4 and 2X converters. Mostly I used the 45mm wide angle and the 55-100mm zoom, a really fine performer. For the APS-C cameras, K10D, K20D, K-7 and K-5, I have lenses from 10mm to 600mm, plus 1.4 and 2X Pentax TC’s; too many to list, but on assignment I would typically carry 5 or 6 lenses. If wildlife or sports were in the mix then I’d carry my long glass, but I always carry wide lenses!

Pentax’s DSLR line does not feature a model with a Full Frame (24x36mm) sensor, which is the format of choice for the majority of professional photographers. Have you ever been tempted to “go Full Frame”, and how have you coped with the alleged limitations of the APS-C (16x24mm) sensor format?

This might be a surprise to some, but I have no interest or real need to go to Full Frame. I shoot both editorial magazine and commercial assignments with my K-7 and now with the K-5, and as both Getty and Corbis take those files from me without complaint, I am happy. Among other issues, I like having light and rugged camera bodies and lenses. While I’m strong enough to carry the Pentax 67 system, and have done so for many years, its not a bad thing to be able to travel light(er) when I need to do so. And, the new Pentax 645D blows away any of the Full Frame bodies for quality!

Stepping back in time, what got you interested in photography and when did you begin shooting? Was there a shot you took early on that made you realize this was the path you wanted your life to take? Do you remember the shot and can you discuss it?

I was chiefly intrigued by landscape photography in high school and early on in college, and then began to shoot people and really expand my horizons. Working people into the landscape really made my career take off, but there’s not one seminal image that made me say “I want to shoot for the rest of my life”. I simply knew that for me, photography was the perfect blend of visual, intellectual and physical challenges, and an art form of endless fascination. There’s nothing I’ve ever experienced that has brought me the thrills and growth I’ve made in this medium. I’ve sacrificed much for love of Photography, but it has been more than worth it. I’ve never looked back since I made my choice.

What elements do you look for to create a successful photograph? Is it the time of day? Certain things you think are essential?

It all begins with light, and what you can do with great or meaningful light, but honestly, in the end its all about emotion, emotions that arise from taking or viewing an image. Making a super image is a buzz, a high, and recognizing and blending graphic elements, light, tonality, timing, gesture, everything you can steal from a 3D world and render into a 2D document, well…what could be better?

I see you also teach seminars; did you attend classes or seminars when you were starting in Photography or are you completely self taught?

I was self taught in high school, growing up in a house of cameras, but studied photography as an art media in college, at Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona. I’ve always been a bit of a teacher, and like to share knowledge, so being asked to teach photo workshops was a natural for me, although a surprise when it happened about ten years ago.

A lot of people enjoy shooting landscapes, what inspires you and what has influenced your work over the years? Do you have any favourite shots you’d like to share with us? If you were to offer one or two tips to our readers, what would you consider to be the most important things to look for or consider?

Early on I looked at masters like Eliot Porter and Ansel Adams, and later learned from viewing David Muench, Carr Clifton and Galen Rowell. One tip would be to watch carefully when storms are going off. Stormlight is my favorite because of its inherent drama, and I try to anticipate the path of the light so I can be in the right place when it breaks. Rainbows are a special interest of mine, even here in the desert Southwest!

Another tip is to shoot every variation you can imagine when the light is great. Don’t shoot just a few images and think you’ve nailed it. And also, don’t forget to slow down and enjoy the moment, as it will never be the same again for you.

With all the interesting places you’ve visited, I’d love to hear a story or two that stands out. I suspect you’ve seen some very unique things in your travels.

I’ve been lucky enough to shoot double rainbows over the Mittens of Monument Valley, the Green Flash over the Pacific in Hawaii and other places too, eighteen red cloaked climbers on the summit of Mt. McKinley (from a plane thank God), dozens of male gray whales from the air in Bahia Magdalena, shot from a 600 feet high parasail in New Zealand… These and a thousand memories of times and images are always swirling in my head, and greedily I want more.

I know you named a cave that you were the first to photograph professionally. Tell us how that happened.

In 1994 I was scouting along the Colorado River north of Lake Havasu City for a new guidebook to the American Southwest. I saw a group of kayakers putting into the river and got myself invited to join them on a one day exploration of Black Canyon. This is the canyon where the Hoover Dam was built in the early 1930’s and it was just being opened up to public access from the dam road for recreation. We kayaked and canoed downriver until we dipped into a tiny cave. I took a photo with a fisheye zoom lens that seems to expand interior space. A few days later I showed this image to the photo editor of Arizona Highways Magazine, who assigned me on the spot to shoot a story on the opening of Black Canyon to the public. I needed to caption all my images for the editor, and our group of kayakers had marveled at the rich green color of this water in the flooded cave; late in the day, low angle sunlight bounces off the cave floor up through the clear Colorado River water and it seemed that we all took turns being suspended over an emerald crystal. So I captioned it Emerald Cave for the story, and the name seems to found acceptance. I still receive, and answer, queries from people around the world about this magical space, and how to find it. The image below was the cover of the July 2007 issue of Popular Photography, who had commissioned me to shoot the Emerald Cave as part of an article on high ISO photography.

Do you always carry a camera with you? I ask this because sometimes I find that just spending time away from civilization and soaking in my surroundings can revitalize my vision. Do you do anything like that to try and look at the place you’re in a little differently?

No not always, although I do feel partially undressed without one, and I never ever want to be caught cameraless when the magic is happening. It is important to see and feel the environment and connect with it, and get your ideas sorted out. But serendipity always rules over pre-planning. Seize the moment and make the day!

What if any other art forms interest you? How do they influence your work?

I do look at other art; painting, drawing, sketches. Photography is just a technically potent means and method of ‘painting with light’, and ideas can be universal among mediums. We are visual beings first and foremost, as I’m fond of telling my writer friends.

Since a lot of your work has been published, are you shooting for the magazine cover or are you shooting what you like and then submitting it for possible publication, or are you shooting ‘on assignment’ for certain shots a publisher wants?

When out in the field, or shooting in the city, whether on an assignment or shooting for my own stock, I always think of covers. Covers are a particular challenge to create, and to land a prestigious cover is a special thrill. I have always shot more verticals than horizontals anyway. I do always shoot to the parameters suggested by the photo editor, and then try to go beyond those boundaries. I like to surprise photo editors with a new take on a subject, and find ways to satisfy myself as well as the client. Its work, but a better ‘job’ would be hard to find!

The Photography business is changing even as we speak. What would you do differently today if you were starting out in this line of work? What advice would you give a young enthusiastic photographer who wanted to make a career out of travel and adventure Photography?

First I would advise taking a vow of poverty for the first few years of being in business! Second I would say ‘learn to write!’ Even if you don’t write and illustrate travel features as I do, you need to write well to pitch for projects, maybe to blog, to write emails that people want to read. Third, look at pictures in the media constantly and learn to make images better than what are currently in vogue. Finally, get serious. We’re in a communications business, and we provide both a service and a product. If you don’t treat this as a real business you’ll never make a living at it.

The current economic crisis has hit some segments of the Photography industry especially hard. For example, wedding and events photographers are seeing their business taken over by “uncle Freds” and “mums with cams”; is the travel and adventure segment also being hit? With the ubiquity of DSLRs these days, are you finding your clients are more likely to source their travel photos from Flickr rather than hire you to travel somewhere to take them?

I think this ‘recession/depression’ has hit all segments of photography—stock, assignment, workshops, everything. Even other photographers like to shoot travel imagery and always have. Now there is a glut of “acceptable” travel material available from worldwide sources, and many of these source just want the photo credit. They aren’t trying to sell enough images to make a decent living, and don’t actually know what their work could be worth, or perhaps even care to find out. Microstock, royalty free images, agency volume deals…it’s been a fast race to the bottom for the last decade. In the past, even when assignment work was slow for me, I could always count on stock being a baseline for my business. That is no longer the case. And yes, real bonifide assignments are few and far between now, a handful a year when I once did 25 editorial shoots in just one year for one client alone.

Kerrick we appreciate the time you’ve given us today and would like to have a second part to this interview some day. We’ve only touched on the landscape work and there’s much more to your portfolio that would require another full interview to explore. Thank you for your time and I hope we can take this up again some other day.

Its my pleasure to share ideas and pictures with your audience. So many fine teachers shared with me over the years and its a treat to give something back. Travel well, and see before you shoot!

Please visit Kerrick’s website to see more of his work, or follow his occasionally updated blog. Kerrick teaches numerous workshops throughout the year and is also available for private one-on-one photo instruction on location in the American West and Pacific Rim; see his website for details.

All Photos: ©Kerrick James.

Note: Links in this article might be to one of our affiliate stores. Purchases made from our affiliates through these links will benefit Enticing the Light at no extra cost to you.

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When you do what you love, you love what you do. For Amber Holritz of Holritz Photography, based in Chattanooga, TN, that love lies in bringing beauty to everyone’s reality and, in turn, preserving it forever. While flipping through her first child’s photo albums, she realized that she had failed miserably at documenting the intricacies of his life. This became the catalyst for a career centered on capturing the realities of life, and capturing it beautifully.

Since that day, Amber has had the opportunity to photograph countless children and families, has been flown across the country to document family life, has spoken nationally to photographers about her passion, and has had several articles published in Rangefinder Magazine. She also spoke at 2009 WPPI with a Master Class on photographing family life.

I feel like Amber and I have always been friends.  She made an indelible mark on me the way she does on everyone she meets… and especially her clients.  I love that Amber doesn’t want to be known to her clients as “our photographer” but as “our FRIEND, the photographer.”  Her repeat clientele can speak to her success at just that.  Often Amber will be back photographing a family as often as six times a year, so she by the end of the year, she is pretty much family.

And family is really important to Amber.  Witness the countless pictures of her gorgeous kids and husband all over her facebook page and blog, and you will know that this is true!  As a husband/wife photograhy team, Amber has had to learn how to balance a successful career along with being a mom and wife.  I know how difficult that is, and I really appreciate how hard Amber works at it.  Once a week is designated as “Family Day” and no photography work gets done that day — except of course, all of the photography of their cutie pie kids!  It even has it’s own name: Happy Monday.  I love it.

Recently Amber visited California and I had the honor of not only being able to have my own personal Tag-A-Long session (where another photographer tags along to watch Amber at work), but the session was my very own family.  Amber’s style is unlike any I’ve ever seen before, where she truly just captures the essence of each family.  She never asked us to pose, never even asked us to look at the camera.  Amber just hung back and documented.  And what came out of that session were some fantastic images that I will treasure forever, because it will remind me of exactly how things were at that time in my life.  For example, the picture below is a little slice of life that happens nearly every night… I am helping my girls with their homework and my husband is cleaning in the kitchen….

LEARN:  What’s something that you feel like you’d like to learn more about, something you are continually learning?  What is something that you wish someone would have told you before you had to learn it the hard way?

A: Ha, if I truly answered this question, I’d still be typing three weeks from now, and my clients would be a little bit angry at my negligence. I feel like I am constantly learning and desiring to learn. I am currently (inspired by Kevin Swan and his talks on branding that I have been privileged to attend in recent months) determined to learn more about branding and positioning. I want to discover what hill Holritz Photography needs to stand on, and re-orient our branding and marketing around that position. This is something I wish we had known to consider when we started our business. We jumped into our business with no working knowledge of how to begin, and now, 6 years later, are having to do some branding and positioning backtracking. It’s a fun process, and I LOVE discovering exactly what we stand for, but I wish we had done at some point previous.

GROW:  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: Wow… in 5 years everything has changed. I feel like the last four years have been particularly monumental for me, in terms of growth. It was four years ago that I walked away from my full-time job, in exchange for a quest to learn how to photograph babies. (This coincided with the birth of my beautiful daughter, Addison.) Since that moment, I’ve spent countless hours, days, weeks, fine-tuning my ability to turn mundane and ordinary moments into beautiful memories. This skill has opened my eyes to the world… where I might’ve once seen plain, or boring… I now see beautiful and extraordinary. It happens with my children. It happens in my travels. It happens with my clients. Its an amazing gift, to suddenly see beauty in everything!

How would you recommend others grow—do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

A: This industry is FULL of amazing photographers willing to share with you, and help you grow your business. A few of my favorite workshops are found at www.kissweddingbooks.com/getsimple and www.mcworkshops.com . Two very different types of workshops, but both highly beneficial to your business. I love the networking to be found at all of the major conventions, WPPI being my favorite, but don’t necessarily feel like that type of format should be the only type of learning that a photographer does during the early days of his business. The more involved workshop type settings are far more beneficial than the larger convention settings. I believe strongly in the power of networking. Nathan and I would NOT be where we are today without the help of our very dear friends, many of whom are leaders in this industry and are very willing to share with us and grow with us on a daily basis. Create deep and legitimate friendships with your peers… they’ll understand you, and help you, and hopefully, they will grow with you.

As for a marketing tip? To me, for my business, marketing is merely relationships. I want to have legitimate relationships with my clients… when the time comes for them to refer someone for a job, I want to hear them say “My friend Amber is a photographer…”, NOT “There’s this photographer, Amber Holritz.” The minute I become someones “friend Amber,” I’m in a very positive place for referrals.

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

A: I answer every email and Facebook message that comes across my desk. I don’t know if I will always be able to do this, but for now, every email gets an answer. I addition, I have one-on-one mentoring available as well as baby TAG-A-LONG sessions. We are very involved in our local photographic community, as well.

What is something you would like to share with your follow colleagues?  How can they turn around and do the same for others?

A: Use the internet and it’s various channels to help you create those relationships that I was talking about earlier. Forums, Facebook, Twitter… all of these are amazing incubators for relationships… both with your photographic peers, and with vendors and clients!

Favorite charitable contribution?

A: We love having the opportunity to mentor for Thirst Relief International!

Thank you so much Amber, for taking the time to give us a small insight into your life!  Loved your advice, especially your take on cultivating relationships.  You are definitely good at that.  Before you look at Amber’s work, you might want to check out Photographer’s Edit, a company started by Nathan to help photographers with their post-processing needs.  They also sell a DVD on Lightroom workflow as well as presets that work in Lightroom.

And now sit back and relax, and enjoy a few of my favorite images of Amber’s work.  She shoots almost exclusively black and white, lifestyle images.  I love the way she captures life.

Although she calls Los Angeles home, Justine can be spotted working all over the US and sometimes abroad.  She has studios in both Los Angeles and Washington DC.  Many of Justine’s clientele come from the music industry, and you can see  Justine’s images in People magazine for her work on singer Lisa Loeb’s wedding.

One thing Justine is known for in the photography industry is her amazing method of portrait sales — she has developed an incredibly effective system for big sales with big projection, and is happy to share her secrets with colleagues.  Justine had gained quite a cult following on some popular photography forums with her willingness to share about her method of projecting portraits, and suddenly she was finding herself thrust out in the limelight with speaking requests and workshops!  A second generation photographer, Justine now hosts The Modern Portrait (http://themodernportrait.com) workshop alongside her mother, Diana Adams to share their projection-based sales system with other portrait photographers.

I started following Justine on twitter and we began a cyber-friendship before I ever met her in person, and by the time we met it was like we’d been friends for years.  Justine is incredibly talented, and really, just a cool person.

Justine recently learned what it was like to be on the other side of the camera when she became a bride in October of 2008.  Her wedding was photographed by Greg Gibson, a photojournalist on the east coast who has a great eye for capturing the moment.  Justine’s experience in planning her own wedding prompted her to create The Unbride (http://theunbride.net), a blog offering advice and inspiration for the non-traditional bride.  This season, Justine looks forward to spending a little more time at home with her husband and a little less time on JetBlue.

Make sure you check out Justine’s new site at  http://justineungaro.com!

I was thrilled when Justine agreed to participate in our Coffee Break series. I really like her advice about giving back to the industry, and that it will return itself to you even more.  I believe that — that is the concept of Jules Cafe! I think you will enjoy learning more about Justine in her thoughtful responses below.

Here are some fun facts to start off with:  When Justine was 13 years old, she got her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, so you’d better be on your best behavior around her!  Something near and dear to my sister Jules’ heart is the fact that Justine also has a furry baby in the form of little Oliver, her dog.  Ah puppy love.

Justine’s new husband works in television, so I asked her if she was going to be on any TV show, what would it be?

A: I probably know a little too much to answer this one honestly. But if I had to be in any show, I think I would want to be a judge on Top Chef or some other cooking show. I really enjoy eating so any sort of professional eating would be an excellent job for me if I wasn’t a photographer.

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

A: I’m always studying and trying to learn more about lighting. It’s one of those skills you can keep on adding to forever and if you continue to challenge yourself, it prevents you from getting bored with your own work. Because even if you do everything else the same, changing your lighting will completely alter the look and feel of an image unlike any other aspect of your shot.

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

A: I wish I had invested in more business oriented eduction early in my career. I feel like I was always trying so hard to grow as a photographer that I neglected the business part which is just as important.

GROW:  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: Since I started out in this business a little over 6 years ago, the past 5 years have certainly been an enormous period of growth for me. The most dramatic had to have been my move from Washington DC to Los Angeles 2 years ago because I literally had to start a whole new business from scratch. So the past 2 years have been all about trying to establish a well-respected brand and style in an already oversaturated market that is full of incredibly talented photographers. That just takes some creativity on the business side.

I think that the network of friends and clients that I’ve built around my photography business has actually taught me a great deal about how small the world really is, how connected everyone is in this day and age. I learn from every client whether it’s a family celebrating a marriage or the birth of a new baby or just getting together for some portraits that when you take away all of the stuff, all you really have left is family…whether bound by blood or friendship. It really makes me feel even more deeply for my own family and how valuable they are to me.

How would you recommend others grow—do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

A: A favorite tip? I’d have to say that when it comes to photographing people, flatter them first. So many photographers these days are trying so hard to make a photo “cool” that they forget about making their clients look good which is sort of the whole point of portraiture for most people. A workshop? Well mine of course! For anyone wanting to make the jump to projection sales, I invite you to come hang out with us (me and my mother) for a couple of days and we’ll teach you everything about the portrait business that we learned the hard way over the course of many years. I also urge photographers to invest in at least one workshop or convention per year. I find that I need that in order to stay fresh and continue to move forward. I also attend the WPPI & DWF conventions every year, I think they are both well worth it.

SHARE:  How do you feel that you contribute to the industry?  What is something you would like to share with your follow colleagues?

A: Recently most of my contributions to the industry have been in educating other photographers through online forums, speaking engagements and workshops. I genuinely believe that when we share our knowledge with one another, we are helping to strengthen the entire industry and increasing the perceived value of photography in the eyes of our clients.

How can they turn around and do the same for others?  Favorite charitable contribution?

A: Since photographers tend not to have oodles of money to give away to charity, I suggest offering your time and talents instead. I donate portrait sessions to dozens of school auctions every year. A lot of the time I’ll get great new clients out of it but more importantly, I like the fact that I’m investing directly into my own local community.

***

THANK YOU Justine for your insights!  I really appreciate your taking the time to share.  Your thoughts about lighting, and about flattering your client first are dead on.  I also love your comments about appreciating your family.  I look forward to more inspiration from you in the future!  Now for the fantastic work of Justine Ungaro.  Visiting her home studio was a treat, since it embodies the cool vibe of Justine, and is covered with enormous canvas wraps of her clients.   Check out some of her amazing work below.  Justine is planning a move into a bigger studio space soon, and I can’t wait to visit!

Known simply as The Becker in photography circles around the world, Jules & I were thrilled when our good buddy Christopher agreed to be a part of our Coffee Break series.  Becker is a wedding photographer from Southern California who specializes in capturing relaxed portraits, amazing details and real moments for discerning brides worldwide. His unique gift for putting people at ease in front of his lens has helped him become one of the most sought after wedding photographers in the world.

Becker also co-founded www.thebschool.com which is a social referral network that helps photographers connect with their “competition”, exchange referrals, learn, inspire, be inspired, build their businesses and make more money. It’s only $10 per month for membership or you can check out over 150 videos for free on www.thebschoolblog.com

Becker has a personality that is larger than life, and a following on his blog that is the envy of many a photographer!  I’m so happy we are friends, and I always enjoy the times when I get to hang out with him.  I admire the way Becker pushes himself to learn, to grow, and to share.   No wonder Becker’s blog is so popular, he’s always got something new and interesting to share, and he is very real about it all.

Check out his blog post dated March 16, 2009.   Becker writes: ” I love my life… Between now and the first week of June, (that’s the next 80 days… go ahead, count it) I’ll be jetsetting around the globe for weddings, speaking engagements, workshops (teaching and attending), photographer get togethers, poker tournaments, photo field trips and a little fun and personal growth too. It’s going to be a crazy schedule but I’m really looking forward to it.”  Here are the places he’ll be heading:  Arizona, Santa Fe, Canada, Colombia, Denver, Sweden, Connecticut, Vegas and it all ends in Disneyland for his nephew Caden’s 4th birthday in June!

Way to go, Becker!  I’ll be keeping up with your travels from cyberland.  Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for the Jules Cafe readers, especially with that crazy schedule you have.  I really appreciate it, and so do your fans.

LEARN:  What’s something that you feel like you’d like to learn more about, or something you are continually learning?

Being from California where there always seems to be a plethora of natural light, and I specialize in shooting in natural light, I often feel that I want to learn about using my flash more effectively. I’ve been dying to go to Zach’s One Light workshop, but it always sells out by the time I find out about it. Also, even though I think I have a pretty solid workflow, I am always looking to learn new tips and tricks to shave off precious time that I spend working on my images.  Lately I’ve also been learning quite a bit about video editing, Final Cut Express in particular. The industry is changing and I like to be on that cutting edge.

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

I do feel as if I figured out my workflow the hard way. Back in ’01, very few photographers were 100% digital and it was hard to find the answers so we just had to figure it out ourselves. People are lucky now because a lot of folks are sharing knowledge.

GROW:  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?

I always like to think of myself as growing. Once you feel you’re reached a place where you know it all, the game is over. Each year I love looking back at my blog and the previous years weddings. I feel like my work is constantly evolving and my business continues to grow every year. In fact, my goal each weekend that I shoot is to try to outdo the last wedding that I shot. I shoot several thousands of images each wedding and I experiment a lot. I am my own biggest critique and I am always critiquing my own work and try to figure out what I can do next time to make the shot even better. I just got home from  the Blend workshop in Sante Fe. I was truly inspired inspired by some amazingly talented photographers, Jose Villa, Jesh De Rox and The Image is Found.

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

The other part of growth that is important to me is growing my network. After all, it’s not what you know, but who you know. I love using Facebook to connect with my brides and their bridesmaids (a.k.a. my future clients). I also love the community that we are building at thebschool.com. I truly believe we are changing the way photographers are connecting on the web and feel as it is the coolest site on the net for photographers to connect, get referrals and share knowledge. julescafe.com is a close second!

SHARE:  How do you feel that you contribute to the industry?  What is something you would like to share with your follow colleagues?  How can they turn around and do the same for others?
Well, I feel like I’ve been doing a pretty good job sharing with the industry for quite some time now. Long before the [ b ] School or even my blogs, I have always tried to contribute through various online communities and I have also been active in connecting with my fellow local colleagues in real life on a regular basis. My message has always been it’s better to look at other photographers as referral sources than competition. That’s one of the major messages we are trying to preach over at the [ b ] School and people are really starting to catch on.

Thank you, Becker, for taking the time to stop by for a cup of coffee with us today.  I love what you said about trying to outdo yourself at every wedding.  You are always setting the bar higher, and the industry thanks you.  Make sure you take the time to check out thebschool and tell them that Jules Cafe sent you!

You can see that Becker is all kinds of fun…

Ah, a delicious Bianchi Sandwich with Becker.  He might have coined the term, I’m not sure…

Sara France, Becker, and the lovely Jules Bianchi

And finally, I want to give you a taste of the kind of work Becker produces.  This is a peek at some of his latest images.  Gorgeous stuff!

One photographer who has literally been shooting all around the world is the fabulous Gene Higa. Gene’s  engaging personality and beautiful photography has taken him to places across the globe as one of the industry’s premiere destination photographers.

Recently named one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the world, Gene Higa travels the world doing what he loves, photographing weddings near and far, and is one of the most sought-after destination wedding photographers today. Originally from Los Angeles, Gene makes his home in San Francisco, but calls the world his office. Gene has been commissioned to photograph weddings all over the world, including Spain, Philippines, Peru, India, Italy, Greece, Hawaii, Jamaica, Thailand, Brazil, Barbados, Mexico, as well as across the United States.

I was thrilled when Gene agreed to be our initial interviewee for this series, as I have always admired him and consider him a very good friend. Gene is always looking for the next big thing for his business, and for himself. He is constantly pushing himself to do better, and yet he also is very interested in helping his colleagues around him. Gene has an easy-going and friendly personality that just makes you want to hang out with him and get to know him more! His rise in the industry is not by chance, this photographer works hard at what he does and strives to be all he can be.

Gene, thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions. I appreciate you and your honesty!

LEARN: What’s something that you feel like you’d like to learn more about, something you are continually learning?
Video. Since the birth of the Canon 5D mark 2. “Video”, is the buzz word in the industry. I have to be open to the possibility of incorporating video into my business. If I don’t do it now, I may fall behind the times in a year or two. The time is now for video to be a part of my business. I used video in my marketing plan several years and ago and I am glad I did. I always want to be on the cutting edge of technology. It’s important to my clients, the industry and my business.

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

Learning things the hard way creates integrity. I have always been a hard worker and have no problem failing at something. I maintain focus and find another way to achieve my goals. But, If I had to do it over again, I learned the hard way how to invest my money and take care of the financial part of my business. Everything is fine now, but that was the most important part of my business. How to make money, save it, and invest it.

GROW: 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?

I grow every year. Maybe not taller, LOL, but I am very curious being. I ask questions, I listen and I learn from everyone I meet. You can learn something from everyone. Remember that. I have found true friends in this industry. I have always stayed true to the friendships I forge. I never forget that I photograph weddings for a living. That is not what defines me as a person. I will continue to create new relationships personally and professionally.

How would you recommend others grow—do you have a favorite marketing tip, workshop suggestion, or convention to attend?

Growing is simple: Be the most responsive to change, be fearless in your approach and be willing to fail.

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

Photography is the one thing in my life that has been good to me. So I am good to it. WPPI changed my life over 5 years ago. Its time to give back what I have learned, things I have failed and give inspiration to others. The answer to that is Gene Higa workshops.

What is something you would like to share with your fellow colleagues? How can they turn around and do the same for others?

To always help one another. Don’t hold your cards too tight. Once you learn to give what you have and expect nothing in return, you will find that it comes back to you, 10 fold. There are no secrets in business and certainly no shortcuts.

Favorite charitable contribution?

My mom has in the past battled cancer. I have lost family member to this terrible disease. So a portion of my workshops income goes to the Susan G. Koman foundation.

Thank you, Gene, for taking the time stop for a cup of coffee with us today.  We really appreciate your time and valuable insight!  For further inspiration from the charming Gene Higa, check out the following links:

http://www.genehiga.com : web | http://www.genehiga.net : blog | http://genehigaworkshops.com : workshops

Gene is offering workshops around the world, so make sure you visit his website to get in on one near you! As you can see below, Gene’s workshops are not your average workshop!

Gene gets some love with a Famous Bianchi Sandwich!

Gene’s images have been featured in Grace Ormonde Wedding Style, Elegant Bride, Your Wedding Day magazine, Modern Bride, The Knot Weddings, and the last 15 consecutive issues of Destination Weddings & Honeymoons magazine, including landing the cover image of the magazine’s 2008 special issue. In 2007, The Knot voted Gene as the “Best of Weddings Pick” for Northern California. A WPPI platform speaker, he has been profiled in Rangefinder magazine, Photo District News and Studio Photography magazine. He is sponsored by Bay Photo Lab,Cypress Albums, Pickpic, Boda Bags, Albums Unlimited and liveBooks. Gene also teaches and shares his approach to shooting weddings with professional photographers across the country, inspiring a new generation of photographers to reach for the stars.  Be inspired! Here are some images of Gene’s stunning work: