Logos

So I put up a few logos, but Jess has designed another one, so here are three different options that we have so far. Please leave a comment, or send me an e-mail and let me know which you like the best. Thanks.

Kind of makes me think of Halloween


I'm not sure about the green text.


This is our favorite. We like the green SP and the black text, but like I said let me know what everyone thinks.

World Affairs Challenge at DU

Jessica's sister, Heather, has been planning and organizing the World Affairs Challenge for months through her job at The University of Denver. It is a huge, 700+ people, event that brings in middle school and high school students from across the state. There were 59 groups of 5-10 students each, and every group had a presentation or skit based on a topic of their choice. The overarching theme of the event was "The Global Marketplace," so every groups topic had to fall into this category. It is an amazing event that allows kids to research and explore issues that they may otherwise never learn about. Things like the black market animal trade, outsourcing jobs, CD and DVD piracy just to name a few. Every presentation was unique, and the preparation and effort put in by the kids really showed. Every presentation was judged and int the end one high school and one middle school team were honored as the best. This is my second year participating and I hope to take pictures for years to come. Thanks to Heather and the Center for Teaching International Relations for allowing me to be a part of it. So, here are just a few of the pictures from the day...

Heather and Liz briefing the kids.


All the kids had to take a current events quiz..I'm not sure if I could have passed it.



One of the 59 groups of kids. This presentation was about outsourcing and insourcing of jobs. The skit was based on The Apprentice and was called "The Novice."


There were three different judges watching every presentation.


We couldn't make it through the day without a few funny pictures. This one was taken by my lovely and talented wife Jessica.


DU has an incredible campus.


Each group was also given a question which they had to answer, their answers then presented to a panel of judges.


The winning teams each presented their skits for everyone to see.



Congratulations to everyone involved for a truly amazing event. And Heather, you did a great job.

Random Pictures and some good news.

Things have been very busy in the last week, in fact the last week or so has probably been the most productive few days since I started this business. First things first, I have three (and hopefully 5) meetings with brides and grooms in the next 3 weeks. They have come from the Boettcher Mansion, the Boettcher bridal show, and a referral from a friend (thanks Steph Weber.) Obviously my goal would be to book everyone I meet with, however a realistic goal would be to book at least one of the 3-5 couples that I will be meeting with. I will be meeting with one couple at their home, I am excited about trying it that way to see if it is any different than meeting at my house. One couple is coming Saturday night and will be meeting with me and Jess. It will be helpful to see if meeting with both of us will make any difference.

The biggest piece of news, though, is that a local photographer named Grant Oakes has decided to take me and Jess on as "associate photographers." Basically he will train me in taking pictures and workflow, mentor me, and also book weddings through his name for me and Jess. We will still be booking our own weddings, and doing our own marketing etc. but he will try and book me on days that he already has a wedding, or for brides who can't afford his prices. He will have a certain package price that brides and grooms can book me at, and I will receive a certain percentage of the profit. It is an incredibly great opportunity to learn from a well known photographer who has been in the industry for almost 30 years. He was extremely impressed with the pictures that we took at Mike and Carly's wedding (thanks to everyone who was in those pictures.) He was very impressed with the results we were getting after only two weddings. Overall it is going to be a great opportunity to build our portfolio, and gain invaluable experience.

Oh yeah, random pictures. I have to say upfront that these photos that you will see have been altered in photoshop in some way. I have been learning a ton about photoshop lately, it is an incredibly powerful tool, and I am excited to be able to use it more frequently. However there is no cure for bad pictures, it is still so important to take a great picture. I will show a few before and after photos for you to look at.

We have also been working on a "logo" for our letterhead, mailings and things like that. The "after" pictures all have the "logo" on them. Leave a comment and let me know what you think of this logo.

These photos were all taken in Eagle last weekend.

Before

After


Before

After


Before

After


Before

After


Here are two of the ideas we have had for a logo, let us know how they make you feel, and which one you like the best.

#1


#2

The Future

As promised, here is my long awaited "look to the future" post. As I said earlier things have been going very well, I feel as if I am making progress, I am learning A TON, about business, photography and myself. Overall I am very happy with every step that I have taken. I am also extremely excited about what lies ahead, I have had a lot of fun learning and beginning to build this business. It has reinforced the fact that I know I want to own my own business, I want to be self-employed. I want to create my own good fortune, I want to be accountable to myself and I want to do things my way. Those things are so appealing to me, whether it is a photography business, buying real estate, or any other business that I (and Jess, and Fitzy, and whoever) can think of.

As far as the photography goes I believe that the future is looking very bright. I have two more weddings for sure this year, and I know of a few senior pictures that I will be able to do. More importantly I am starting to get a handle on my workflow, especially after the wedding. As you can imagine having to take 2000 pictures and turn them into albums can be time consuming, but the more efficient those things get, the better my business will run. We are very excited about going to Las Vegas for the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) convention in March. There is going to be a wealth of knowledge there, we will have the opportunity to interact with other photographers, and learn what some of the new trends are in the industry. Plus its a business trip, so thats cool.

Jess and I have decided that it is time for a new website, a professional one, that will have much more visual appeal, and hopefully draw in more clients. I hope that it will be up and running in about a month.

I have been reading a great book entitled "Marketing without Advertising." It discusses how traditional advertising is a waste of money for small businesses, it talks about ways to make your business better, and in turn make your customers happier.

There are still many things that I need to work on. One of the most difficult things has been to change my mindset from a typical 9-5 mentality. It is at times hard to stay motivated, there have been some days where I watched more TV than I should have, or maybe my lunch "break" was a bit longer than it needed to be. There have definitely been unproductive days, but the majority of my time has been spent working towards a goal. I am beginning to get more comfortable on the phone, and calling people from a "leads" list. It is one of the jobs that ends up getting postponed longer than it should.

It has been interesting because I definitely need to have a long-term focus, a five year plan, but at the same time I need to stay focused on my everyday activities. It is the first "job" where I feel that my talents are being utilized, and that I'm not just another body. All things considered I am very happy with where I am, I am very happy with where I am going, and I am excited everyday.

Can you ski as well as a 2 1/2 year old? Because I can't.

Jessica and I went to Eagle over the weekend to spend some time with her family, and to help babysit our nephews, Taylor and Maddox. We had a great time, and Jess and I got to play "parents" for a day. Don't get excited, it doesn't mean we have any of our own in the near future. Spending time with them does makes us realize, though, how much we do want kids, and what an exciting and rewarding thing it is. Justin and Megan are incredible parents, and have set a very high bar for raising kids. Both Taylor and Maddox are the happiest, most well-behaved 2 1/2 year old and 7 month old kids I have ever met.

We had the opportunity to watch Taylor ski on Sunday morning, he is 2 1/2 year olds and has already been skiing for a few months. His mom is a ski instructor so he has had "personal" lessons, but he is already better than me. Kids aren't even allowed into ski school until they are 3 years old, so he is way ahead of the curve. Since this is a blog about photography, I will let the pictures do the talking...

Taylor and Justin heading to the lift line.


Not a very long line.


On the lift.


Jessica, Dan and Rita watching them come down the hill.


Hey! That's not nice.


Here They Come.


Look at the focus in his eyes.


High five from Grandpa.


My favorite picture of the outing.


Heather was in charge of snacks.


A thumbs up for a great day of skiing.


Even at a young age, Maddox knows not to take me seriously.


He is too cute.


Never stops smiling.


Quality time with aunt Jessica.


Adorable.


There is nothing better than spending time with people that you love.

I know I promised the second part of my photography business recap; and I have it, but you will have to check back in a day or two.

A Whole Lotta Things...

Well as I said in my previous post, this post will kind of be a recap of everything that I have been doing, the progress I have made, the things I need to keep working on, and my continuing plans. Now that I think about it I may have to split this into 2 posts, we'll see what happens.

I will start with my "newsletter," I hope that most people reading this have received my e-mail newsletter. It is something new that I am trying, and I am excited about it, I think that it will be a great idea and a great way to stay in touch. If you would like to be added to the mailing list (and I highly recommend it) you can send me your e-mail address, or use the "sign up for our e-mail newsletter" link to the right. I guess if you want off of the list you can tell me also (although I don't recommend it.)

I have another bride coming to the house on Saturday. I am very excited about it, and that is two people that I have contacted in the last two weeks. Modest yes, but definitely progress. Of course we were in the Table Mountain Inn tasting and we will be a part of their own bridal show in November.

As of right now we have two more weddings for sure this year, Ashley (a friend from college) and Rachel (a high school friend of Jessica's.) We are excited about both of them, and thankful that we will be able to photograph them. Having a few more weddings will be instrumental in building a better portfolio. I will be in two more shows at the Boettcher Mansion toward the end of the year, so a bigger portfolio will definitely make more of an impact.

I am going to meet two different photographers in the next two weeks, one in Denver and one in Colorado Springs. Learning more about the business and the market is very important, and again networking with other people is very important.

The last two days I have been making phone calls from a leads list that I received from the Boettcher Mansion. I'll be honest I was a bit nervous when I started making the first few calls, and a bit nervous when I made the second round of calls. Unfortunately I only talked to one person, (left messages for everyone else.) Obviously I will get more comfortable as time goes on...but in the meantime I just need some practice. The biggest thing overall, when talking on the phone or in person, is to be confident. I am a very confident person and that needs to be more evident when I am dealing with people. At heart I am a shy person, of all my weaknesses that is the one I have spent the most time on, forcing myself to be more open and trying to create relationships faster. This is something I have been working on since high school and I have made a lot of progress. That is one of the aspects of owning my own business that is exciting; it is a chance to continue working on myself, to overcome my weaknesses, and strengthen my strengths.

Well that is probably enough for now. Overall I am very happy with how things have been going, I know that the groundwork that I am laying will pay off in the future.

Free Food...and Some Free Advertising

After photographing Mike and Carly's wedding at the Table Mountain Inn in Golden they invited me to be a part of one of their "tastings." They invited about 12 brides who were registered there to come and sample the menu. Pretty standard thing for wedding venues, in fact it was one of the more enjoyable aspects of me and Jess planning our wedding.

Myself, a florist and a DJ each had a small table with all of our information on it, and we got to sit and sample the food with all of the brides and grooms. And let me say, their food is really good, just as it was at Mike and Carly's wedding. Afterwards the brides and grooms came out and talked with the three different vendors. Most of them had already booked a photographer, however there were a few people who took my information and said they would contact me. I also got to "network" with some other wedding vendors. There was also extremely positive reaction to my and Jessica's pictures. Everyone thought they were really great, especially the one out in the street with Mike and Carly kissing.

I won't lie, this is a great picture, and I am very happy that Jess took it. Come to think of it she took quite a few of the great pictures we got...

After Mike and Carly's wedding I put together an 8x10 collage page and brought about 15 to the wedding planner at the Table Mountain Inn, and she absolutely loved them. I used mostly pictures from the Inn, and put the picture of the actual location right in the center. Here is the collage that I gave her.


I also had Jess design one, because frankly she is better at it. My words, and her words actually. In reality Jess is an incredible album designer, collage designer, and person really. She has been instrumental in helping to get this business off the ground. Here is her version. Why don't you decide who's is better by leaving a comment and letting us know.


I thought this was a great idea, and hopefully she will be handing them out. You can check out their website by going to www.tablemountaininn.com

Anyway, the afternoon was very successful. I made some great contacts, met a few brides, worked on my "presentation," and got to sample some great food. These are all activities that I believe are extremely important to build a base for a great business. Obviously I won't succeed without clients, but without strong relationships with people in the wedding business I will never get those clients.

So as I look back at about four months of being self-employed I am very happy with the progress I have made...More to come about that in my next post.

Website Changes

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my website and what works and what doesn't. I have a type of "hit counter" that also gives me information about what pages people visit, how long they stay on certain pages, where they are viewing from and a lot of other info. Basically it tells you everything but the persons name visiting. Anyway people aren't viewing the pages with a lot of text, so I took them out. I also added a page about pricing. I just recently decided on a pricing and merchandising system, I still haven't put an actual dollar amount. That is one of the things that I am still considering. I think it is important to have a page about price, because that is how many people make their decisions. Let me know what everybody thinks. If you were looking for a photographer, or any type of service online would you want pricing information right there? And would you also want an actual dollar amount listed? Just a few things I have been thinking about, man it seems like I change this website every day. I assume that my website is probably the first thing people are seeing, and I want to make sure that is professional and has the right amount of information. Talk to you all later.

Met With a Potential Client

Well I just finished my first consultation with a potential client. She was referred to me through the Boettcher Mansion program that I signed up with. She came over to our house, which Jess and I turned into a mini gallery. The meeting lasted about an hour, and I thought it went really well. She really liked the albums, and pictures I showed, and she loved the album of Mike and Carly's that is online. She said that she is meeting with a few other photographers and she would let me know in a few weeks. The wedding is June 1st, at the Boettcher Mansion, which is going to be a really incredible place to get married.

I felt very comfortable talking about my prices, myself, and everything else that I offered. It is good for me to meet with potential clients and start working on my "sales" pitch. Even if she doesn't book with me it was a great learning experience, although I feel pretty confident. Of course most discerning people will probably notice that I have only shot a few weddings, although she didn't ask about my experience (which is probably a positive thing.) So all in all things went very well, and I will hope for a positive outcome. Talk to you soon.

The Album Is Online

Just wanted to let everyone know that Mike and Carly's album is online for viewing. Just follow this link www.schaeferphotography.net/mikeandcarly. Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy it.

A Great New Album Preview

Jess created a truly amazing album from Mike and Carly's wedding. I have a new program that allows the albums to be previewed online, and it is really cool. If you liked the slide show then you will really like this. I don't have it up just yet, but check back tomorrow for the link. I also posted more pictures to their photoreflect web page, which you can find by clicking Mike and Carly's Pictures.
I also have a potential client coming over on Thursday morning, so we have been framing some pictures and putting together a great presentation for her. I also purchased a set of DVD's created by one of the best known photographers around, Gary Fong. The DVD's are from a seminar that he put on last year about how to be profitable in wedding photography. It is a completely different way to merchandise and market yourself to brides and grooms. I really like it and am going to be using his method from now on, so I am pretty excited to start meeting with clients.

Tomorrow I have an accountant coming over to help me set up my accounting software, which is going to be a huge help. I tried to set it up myself, and found that it was very detailed. Overall it will be easy to use once I understand the different accounts and financial sheets. Besides I don't have very much income, or expenses right now, so it shouldn't be too bad. I also have a class on Wednesday about sales taxes in Denver. I am still a bit confused about sales tax, especially since Colorado trails only Mississippi as the states with the most detailed and hard to understand tax laws. Hopefully the class will clear a bit more of that up for me. So I have a very exciting and busy week coming up.

I am beginning to feel more comfortable with my workflow, and my pricing structure, and I think I have found some really great albums to use. So all I need now is to start meeting with brides and potential clients. I hope everyone is doing well, talk to you soon.

Changed My Website Again

This has turned into a bit of compulsion, changing my website. However I keep thinking of ways to make it better. I also had to add pictures from Mike and Carly's wedding, as well as their slideshow. If you have a chance check it out, read through the sections and let me know if you see any typos, or links that don't work or thing that just don't make sense. Also let me know if there is to much text on the philosophy and how we work sections. Just basically give me your impressions. Thanks for everyone's help. www.schaeferphotography.net

We Did It!

Well after taking all of the pictures, and loading them onto the computer, and looking through all of them (almost 2,000 to be exact) and then creating a slideshow and posting them to the internet; I can say that Mike and Carly's wedding was a HUGE success. Jess and I were amazed at how the pictures came out, we knew they were going to be great, but I think we did even better than we expected. Of course we had two very photogenic people to photograph, and a very good looking group of bridesmaids and groomsmen. It was a long day and like I said we took a lot of pictures, but we got every shot we wanted and more. I am very confident that these pictures are going to speak for themselves when it comes to marketing and trying to sell myself to other brides and grooms. The slideshow that Jess put together is also incredible; it makes a huge impact. You can watch it here www.schaeferphotography.net Please let me know what you think about the pictures and the slideshow, you can also click on my wedding blog to read a bit more about the wedding; and remember please refer me to anyone you know who needs a photographer. You are going to be my best source of advertising, and I thank everyone who has helped me in this new venture.

It's Almost the Big Day

Well I have charged up my camera batteries, I rented a second camera, and I bought another memory card. I visited the church, reception site, Red Rocks and another park each three times. I have read through two wedding photography books and looked at literally thousands of pictures online. I think I'm ready. This coming Saturday I will be photographing Mike and Carly's wedding. I am extremely excited, hopefully prepared enough to produce some really great pictures. I am lucky because I know the bride and groom, and a majority of the bridesmaids and groomsmen; this will allow for a more relaxed atmosphere in which to photograph everyone. I am extremely excited because I will now have another set of wedding pictures to put on my website and in my portfolio. It is going to be very helpful as I begin to meet clients and go to bridal shows. Right now I am lacking in the number of weddings that I have photographed, so every time I photograph one, I gain invaluable experience and practice. So, yes, I am excited and ready for Saturday.

A Very Quick, Very Random Thought

Over the holidays I have watched every episode of Arrested Development on DVD, thanks to Jon Fitzpatrick. There were three seasons and it was cancelled about a year ago, apparently no one watched it. Which is a shame because it is one of the funniest, most cleverly written and well acted comedies I have ever watched. Every episode is hilarious and the entire story line is great. But apparently people weren't ready for a show like that. Hopefully you have seen some episodes, if not, rent it or somehow start watching them. They are absolutely great.

Schaefer Photography LLC

Well it is official, I am now a Limited Liability Company (LLC). It is kind of like a corporation with less paperwork. Basically it makes my business a separate entity from myself. By creating an LLC (or a corporation) you give yourself some liability protection, and you have to pay taxes for the LLC separately from yourself. It does involve some more record keeping, but that won't be a big deal.

I had my first wedding show last Sunday, it was at the Boettcher Mansion where I have signed up for their vendor referral program. I pay them ($900) and I get to be in three wedding shows, I am on their vendor referral list and their event manager will personally recommend me to certain brides and grooms. I will also have the opportunity to network and meet other wedding professionals. The show went pretty well, I met and talked to some brides and grooms, I was also able to better gauge the competition. I met a few photographers who said they would be happy to meet with me and answer any questions that I may have. So all in all it was a very successful day, and I am certain that being a part of the Boettcher Mansion will be very beneficial to me. It also showed me that I do have some work to do. I am getting very excited for Mike and Carly's wedding in two weeks. To be able to add to my portfolio, is going to be extremely helpful.

I have a lot of work to do, and I know things aren't going to be easy, but I feel that I am setting myself up and putting things into place that will help me be successful.

It's Beginning to Look A LOT Like Christmas!

Well I guess our wishes of a white Christmas were answered in a BIG way. We got anywhere between 20-30 inches of snow in the Denver area. At our house in Denver we had 26" that fell and drifts that were 4' high.

Our house has a giant growth.


I wonder if they get this much snow at the real North Pole?


The one time a year you use the snow blower is definitely worth it.


Jess and Heather were pretty amped up for their first ever ATV sled ride.


Chrissy's new car is unrecognizable.


Mom is an ATV pro.


If you look closely you can see me, Chrissy and Sarah.


That was a wild ride, Sarah had more snow IN her clothes than she did ON her clothes.


Sarah and Chrissy pulled Jess and Heather.


They had fun!



We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas, and hope that you didn't have to shovel too much snow.