Taking the last couple of weeks off has been really nice to spend time with family, slow down, and revamp my business! I love that I have time to do educational and advice blogs like this one! I know what some of you are thinking...that is WAY too early to be thinking about family pictures. It may be for everyone in Utah that hates the snow, but back home in Arizona it is already in the high sixties! I could not believe when our son Boston was born last February and it was already ninety degrees!! I hope these tips help all you stressed out moms that dread family pictures and can never decide on outfits! What to wearTip #1- Start with one solid color It is distracting when a family shows up in the same exact shirts in the same color and are matchy matchy. I promise other people will feel the same way when they look at the pictures because their eyes will automatically go to the outfits and not the people. I recommend selecting softer, lighter tones and more muted shades. By avoiding ultra-bright, bold colors, it will help bring all the attention to your faces and let the eye focus on the way you feel about each other. The camera loves shades of soft pink and muted blues, mixed with sophisticated light neutrals like heather gray, creams, leather brown and white Tip #2- Make a statement This is perfect especially for small families such as a mom, dad, and two little kids. I love when moms will wear a hat, scarf, or chunky necklace. Again, avoid it becoming a distraction. If one of these listed items if going to make you always fixing and adjusting it and bother you, don't worry about it! Instead you could layer or accessorize with something small such as a flowy cardigan, fun shoes, headband, or watch! Tip #3- Make sure you are 100% comfortable Make sure you are aware of your body and your insecurities. If you are self-conscious of your arms, you could wear long sleeves or a blazer. If you are self-conscious of your legs, you could wear a long dress and leggings or a flowy dress. Try on your outfit the day before and look in the mirror and make sure you are completely comfortable and confident! Also make sure that what you are wearing is flattering to your figure. How to prepare Tip #1- Prepping your little ones Before your session, pack a bag with snacks, water and any small objects (like toys or lollipops) that might help us get their attention when it’s time for them to look at the camera. If they are old enough to understand you, it’s a good idea to prepare them for what’s to come before the session starts. Explain how much the photos mean to you so they know to be on their best behavior. A lot of families discuss and pick something fun in advance as a treat after the session if they’re good listeners, like an ice cream cone, for example. It also helps if they’re bellies are full and they’ve has some good rest beforehand. Tip #2-Professional Hair & Makeup Professional hair and makeup looks amazing on camera and removes the stress of getting ready on your own! This is the time to treat yourself! Whether its lash extensions or blown-out hair, professional hair and makeup will give you an extra boost of confidence in front of the camera, and it always photographs like a dream. If you’re working with a makeup artist, have her apply your makeup in natural light, if possible, so that it looks fresh and not too heavy. A little can go a long way! Tip #3- Be on time I cannot stress this enough because it is so so important! Sessions are set up during the time of day where the light is perfect so if you every minute you are late, that light is fading fast! Make sure you are on time to get all of those must-have shots that makes a mama's heart happy! Also make sure to account for time of loading everyone in the car and driving to the location. I hope these help and put some mama's hearts at ease! Also just a bonus tip is to have fun! Try your hardest to be patient with your kids and spouse. There is nothing more awkward then when the parents are yelling at their kids in between every smile and the photographer is trying to make everyone happy. We are used to kids not wanting to smile and wanting to goof around, grumpy dads, and unhappy toddlers! Don't stress and just try to relax and have fun! :)
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I thought I was going to explode. I was holding my ten month old in one arm while trying to entertain him and help relive his teething gums as he screamed in my ear, and trying to blog a session with my other hand. That was it, I could not do it anymore. I quickly shut my laptop, put Boston down, and put my hands in my face. This was a daily occurrence of trying to juggle taking care of Boston, editing sessions, dishes, laundry, blogging, cleaning the bathroom, answering emails, marketing, social media, etc. The list goes on and on and it never seemed to end. My days would end with a messy house and long nights of catching up on photography tasks. Being a mom and trying to run a business is NOT easy work! I decided I need to change some things if I wanted to keep my sanity. So I did some research from some of my favorite photographers and I hope their words and mine are able to help you in some way! I found a webinar by the lovely Kylee Ann of Kylee Ann Studios on how to run a business and raise a family. She gave some amazing steps that I want to emphasize on: #1: Commit- Commit to your business It sounds kind of ironic, but you need to commit to your business in order to be there for your family. EVERY little part of your business you need to commit 100% to; your pricing, hours, style, brand, etc. You need to take that leap from realizing your on-the-side-hobby is now a business and you need to treat it like a business. Commit to your pricing means really committing to it. This is the hardest to do sometimes especially when you want to give your family and friends discounts. You are doing your business and your family a disservice by spending your time and efforts on your products if you are just going to give away your services/products for free or at an extremly discounted price. Commit to your style and brand. When you get inquiries and people wanting you to give them exactly what they want by changing your style, you are again hurting your business. When we try to be people pleasers and chameleons changing our ways for everyone, it ends up being exhausting. The amazing Amy and Jordan said, "When you try to be everything for everybody you end up being nobody for anyone." You can't be a million things for a million people. Stick to your style and brand and people will value your work and come to you for YOU! #2: Learn to say YES- Saying yes to your family If you hate saying NO to people, then say YES to your family. Set hours for your social media of when you are only 'open' to where people can message you. Have full days out of the week where you do not schedule business tasks and stick to it! One thing Kylee Ann loves to do is to 'cut out the fluff'. Cut out anything in your day that is not necessary. A good example is unsubscribing to emails. Cut down your inbox with unnecessary ads and offers. If you go to Unroll.Me, you can unsubscribe from there. Separate your Facebook and Instagram business accounts from your personal ones. Don't just follow or friend people in hopes to grow your likes or following. Only follow people and other businesses that are inspiring and motivating; unfollow or unfriend people if you need to. Turn off your push notifications on your phone/computer. Turn your phone on do not disturb mode if you need to; when you are with your family, actually BE there in the moment! #3: Create Systems- Set daily goals This step comes from the amazing Katelyn James! First sit down and make a list of all of the tasks that you have to do for your business. These could include emails, social media, marketing, websites tweaks, etc. Organize your lists into two categories: maintaining tasks & growing tasks. To do this, identify things that slow you down and what fires you up. Maintaining tasks for photographers for example would be answering emails, editing, blogging, etc. Growing tasks for a photographer for example would be creating a new education source, a new website & logo launch, etc. "Don't miss out on special family moments you can't get back for a business that can always grow." -Katelyn James I seriously love that!! Some other systems to help you get organized would be to create email templates you use everytime for inquiries and excel spreadsheets for keeping track of finances. #4: Outsource
This might be something some of you aren't ready for yet and that's ok! You can pretty much outsource any part of your business. There are people out there dying to do $10-15/hr jobs and are itching to be part of a business. You can outsource social media, marketing, website building, blogging, house cleaning, babysitting, etc. Like I said, if you don't think you can afford major outsourcing, there are high schoolers and people in college that have the time that you don't that agin would love to be part of a business. If you cannot afford any help and have family near you, have your mom watch the kids for an afternoon or have your sister take over social media! Katelyn James suggests getting things done with "Cram Days". Do all of your errands or business tasks in a certain amount of time. This could be 2 hours during your little one's naptime or 4 hours while your kids are in school. Make it a goal to set a time limit so you have a deadline. This doesn't mean rush and run around like a chicken with its head cut off; it means to be efficient in a timely manner. I feel like I do my best work when I have short window of time and create a deadline for myself. I feel like my work kind of drags out and I just stare at my computer screen not knowing what else to do if I leave all of my work for the late late hours of the night. "It is possible… if you stop doing it ALL."- Katelyn James #5: Find a support group There is no manual to being a mom and raising a family. There also is not a manual telling you how to run a business. There are though resources, educational sources, but most of all-support groups. It’s can sometimes be lonely to be a business owner and a mom sometimes. What I have loved the most about moving to Utah is the community of people cheering you on for your business. 'Community over competition' is what is preached in my neck of the woods and it has changed my whole business. Get added to a Facebook group, meet with other creatives and business owners like you every so often, read inspirational and motivating books and blogs. Make friends with other business owners in your industry and community. I hope some of my words and words from others helped you in some way! My best piece of advice I could give you is to not give up and believe in yourself!! I know that sounds clique and cheesy but it will help you so much! There are so many moms and people that do things on the side that get drowned out, loose their creativity, and forget the WHY of their business; why they started out in the first place. They lose confidence and quit, get rid of, or drop their business in a manner of months. It's not going to be easy, but you have to keep going! Think about why you started your business. Was it to gain financial freedom? Because you've always wanted to and feel like if you waited any longer it wouldn't ever happen? Maybe because it's your DREAM and you loose sleep over new ideas. Whatever it may be, we are all in this together. Encourage others, love your clients, serve them to the best of your abilities, and you will go far in your business. ;) Credits and Resources: Kylee Ann Studios The Photog Blog Amy & Jordan Katelyn James Jasmine Star Dave Ramsey Books |
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