Thought you may be interested in this. We are one of the sponsors for a wedding planning class at Belle’s Bridal. Mike will be doing a bit of the presentation - ya know - how all the wedding stuff goes and when to do what and so on. We’ll be talking about the dress, flowers, photos, food, cakes, budgeting for awesome stuff, themes, and more!
Click here for all the info.
Belle’s Photography is proud to present the 1st in a line of limited edition workshops:
Get ready for a ground breaking workshop! This special limited edition workshop is the first in a series to provide photographers with images that are substantially different from the competition and are highly desirable by clients. What does limited edition mean? It means this workshop is NOT going to be taught to the mass population, so that those attending the workshop have a real edge. A select number of photographers are invited to take the plunge into an exciting new concept and get real ideas on how to use these images and ideas to propel your studio forward into a profitable and unique boutique.
Belle’s Photography has been refining this concept for the past 18 months - Urban Storybook Sessions for brides and prom girls! I’m sure you can see the slow creation of it from our 1st Snow White inspired bridal shoot. From that point in time I have had ideas in my head about how to utilize classic literature and portray the familiar elements, with emotion that is desirable to a post-modern market - aka real clients. And the real clients are responding so well to this concept that I wanted to offer the opportunity to share it with a select group of photographers. I know many of you will be asking me over the next few months when we are going to do a workshop on this topic. Well, this is it!
In this workshop you will learn how to utilize themes from classic and contemporary fairytales in bridal portraits, with an edgey twist, thereby creating a fairly new genre of bridal photography. We will be focusing on bridal. This is the best of “trash the dress,” urban bridals, and classic portraiture all smooshed together!
Workshop Overview:
-Storybook Themed Models
-Shot at Multiple Locations
-How to Incorporate Theme Into Your Portraits
-How to Use these Images for Marketing Momentum
-How Lighting Affects Your Image
-How to Achieve Good Dramatic Lighting
-How to Get Creative Shots (even if you aren’t)
-Contemporary Posing
-Flattering Poses for Women
-Opportunity for Creativity
-Professional Make-Up & Hair
-$5,000 Worth of Couture Bridal Gowns
-Model Release
Are you excited yet? It’s going to be such an amazing workshop!
This NEW workshop will show you how to create urban storybook bridal images. This is your chance to be on the forefront of a photography niche. You’ll have a unique product to market to brides that sets you clearly apart in a new, fun and exciting way! And we’ll show you how to use that to create momentum for your studio.
And for those of you that think it sounds great, but normally dont have the internal creativity for this kinda thing - Mike says that you can handle it. The process is a simple equation that results in creative looking images. So if you are linear thinker and thinking outside the box scares the hell outa you. Don’t worry! We can map out the basic plan of action in how to achieve any storybook character in a fun and creative way. And if you are creative - I know you are jumping up and down with excitement. All’s I can say is - ME TOO!!!
During this workshop we will shoot images inspired from Cinderella, Snow White, Twilight (Bella), Hamlet (Ophelia), and more. The models will be dressed in contemporary wedding gowns, like affluent brides will be wearing this year. We will select locations that provide backdrops to accentuate our theme for each heroine (the chick in the story). We’ll shoot our brides in remarkably different places, from a standing on a grand staircase, to a floating in a creek.
These images are all about the story. You’ll learn a secret about their bridal gown that will help you in discerning what type of character your real clients will enjoy shooting. While brides may choose Cinderella, some will ask for Ophelia. With that in mind, we will shoot the happy brides and the tragically romantic brides at this workshop to give your new talent a desirable range.
This workshop is appropriate for beginner to advanced students. The class size is small, so the skill set will be tailored to the class. More advanced students can expect working with off-camera lighting and learning more complex components of composition - which will help your storyline come across in your images. Beginners can expect assistance with camera settings and basic questions to get your shooting off of auto. Everyone can expect to have a great time shooting something that is new and exciting!
INFORMATION:
DATE: May 1 & 2, 2010
TIME: May 1: 6pm-10pm; May 2: 9:00am-12:00noon
LOCATION: 4431 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602 - We will start at the studio and then move to different locations for our shoots.
INVESTMENT: $850 per student (initial payment is $425 with the balance due on April 10th).
CLASS SIZE: Limited edition classes have a student teacher ratio of 1:5 or smaller
REGISTRATION: Click HERE to register.
Belle’s is pleased to announce our 2010 workshops! You all have been asking, so here it is!
We have some exciting recent additions, such as our Limited Edition workshops. These special workshops deal with the latest and greatest. They give photographers hands-on learning in a small group with great teachers. To read more about the limited edition workshops, click here.
NEW! Limited Edition Workshop - May 2010 More info TBA (You are totally gonna flip when you see it - its that cool!)
This summer Belle’s Photography will be doing our Summer Workshop Series of the basics. So get ready for some fun classes!
Intro to Wedding Photography - June 2010
Intro to Photoshop - July 2010 (link coming soon)
Intro to Lighting - August 2010
You can attend one intro class for $149 each, or purchase the Class Pass Pak and get a discounted rate on all three @ $99 each. This bargain saves you almost $150. The Summer Workshop Series classes are open to Abilene residents, hobbyists, and new professional photographers! NewB are welcome! Click the workshop links above to see more info on each workshop.
We have been working on a new workshop for you die hard fans. This workshop will allow you to be on the forefront of a new type of photography. Keep your eyes peeled if you shoot weddings or seniors as this will be something you won’t want to miss!
Want to get the Belle’s Photography newsletter? It has info in it for hobbyist and pro photogs. Find out about workshops, shoot outs, and get exclusive pricing! Even better - get some great free info. Be the 1st to see our new tutorials, get 1st dibbs on limited edition photography resources, sales, and more!
Sign up now! You’ll be glad you did.
On prom night 2010 Belle’s Photography in Abilene will be offering a limited edition shoot. One of the themes you can choose from is “Twilight.” A sample shot is below.
Belle’s figured why shoot the same old stuff? Prom is a time to have some fun and look awesome! I’ll post a few more sample shots in a little bit to give you an idea of the fun kinda stuff we can do.
Thanks to Belle’s Bridal for the awesome prom gowns! If you haven’t checked out their stuff then you better make sure you do - because they are AWESOME! Belle’s Bridal is located on Buffalo Gap Rd., behind Starbucks.
For more info on Prom Night sessions for 2010, shoot us an email…because we love to hear from you!
New photographers ask us a lot - what should I do my 1st year in business? NewBs often wonder if they should buy equipment, rent a studio, take classes, attend workshops, etc. And then they may wonder - should a new photographer get into this business inch by little inch, or just bite the bullet and dive in head 1st?
These are all excellent questions.
Any established photographer can tell you that it took a lot of work to get where they are. For most of us, it didn’t just happen - we had to work hard to make it happen. Since Belle’s Photography started, we have carefully planned our business and attribute much of our success to that. Here are a few of my tips for your 1st year in photography business.
Lemmings are Dumb: Yes, that is a tip. If you do a simple google search for “photographer” and your city you will find that several 100 photogs show up. If you add in all those with Flickr, MySpace, and Facebook you may find that your city has a large photographer population. My local photog pop. makes up about 25% of the population, and most claim to be professional photographers. Professional is defined (in this post) as a photographer for hire - if they are willing to accept payment for their services. So think about this. That means almost 1 in 4 folks I meet walking around is a “pro” photog. And they are. I kid you not. My pizza guy is a photog, so is my librarian, so is one of my fav Wendy’s girls, the Chick-fil-a guy, and on and on.
So, what does this have to do with lemmings? The 1st thing that newB photogs do is put up a website. And how do they decide what it should say, what their prices should be, what products and packages they should offer? They look at the other photogs sites and use it as a bench mark. You may even be tempted to copy their text. AVOID THIS BLUNDER! First, copyright issues will bite you on the butt. And second…Many folks are just like you and have no idea what they are doing. You can look at the sites, but be cautious. Don’t jump off the cliff just because everyone else is.
Identify your Products: Decide what you are gonna sell and why. This is really straight forward. We believe in the KISS method (keep it simple, stupid). There is no faster way to ward off clients than by giving them TOO many choices. Too many choices puts your client into decision making overload and leaves you with no clients and small sales. To be successful, you should refine your offerings and ONLY OFFER PRODUCTS YOU LOVE.
Establish a Sound Price List: Don’t be a lemming. Just don’t do it. Make a sound price list. If you use packages in your photography business, there should be a reason for it. It should be to simplify ordering and create a win:win situation for you and your client. Crappy packages only help one side - a good package will offer perks for you and your client.
Choose Your Niche Market (b/c I think you MUST have one): Due to market saturation, I think you need a niche. Ya know, the thing that makes your stuff clearly different and worth paying for. It could be anything. And hint hint - it may not even be your photography. You might have a kick ass studio boutique, or shoot all your sessions in a top hat. Choose your niche and refine your studio to dwell solidly within it.
Select Your Target Demographic: You cannot be all things to all people. That will doom you to failure. If you want to be a photographer to affluent clients, then you need to understand their needs and desires, and be able to meet those wishes. If you relate better to the middle class soccer mom, then realize her needs and meet them. These are only 2 categories and their wants and needs are VERY different. Wisely consider the target demo that you choose to work with.
Refine Your Skill Set: Well, of course. How do you do this? Take classes, attend workshops of those who are successful and that have a style you admire; read books; learn how to use your camera in modes other than AUTO. Learn everything you can about nailing exposure, and using light properly. Some of you might think that the old fogie photographer’s style is lacking, but I assure you their skill set is tack sharp. Learn the rules before you decide to break them. Photographers with “style” are a dime a dozen. Photographers with skill and style are few and far between.
Be a Sponge: Learn everything you can. Read books, look at sites, forums, blogs, and immerse yourself in your craft. Go to art museums, look for tutorials on composition, lighting, posing, etc. Learn about off camera lighting and the different ways it can be executed. There are so many things to learn the 1st few years in business.
And remember that a real photography business spends about 10%-20% of their time shooting. The rest of the time they are doing business things. They market, network, create price lists, refine their business and fine tune it until it runs they way the need. Whether you want to have a photo mill and crank 50 kids out daily, or you want one affluent client per week, you will need to have ways to establish your business and refine it.
Good luck newBs!
I don’t think I shared this bridal portrait with you all on here yet. This is a shot of a designer wedding gown by Robin Jillian. It’s being used as a marketing piece. Belle’s Bridal Boutique has up a BIG framed photo of it in their new boutique. It printed even prettier than it looks on the web. Ooohhhh. Pretty. It almost feels velvety.
This image has painted hair and some hand painting on the backdrop/ drapes to subdue the pattern and pull the gold tones out more. (To see what I’m talking about, see Belle’s tutorial on painting a photograph).
And, as you can tell, we set it up to have so the drama! This is a single light source with some fill in front to soften the shadows on her face. I love my short lighting, of course. I ended up using almost a monochromatic color palate here, but I cheated and added a little bit of gold.
The colors you choose really help set the feel of your image, along with the pose. A bridal photography pose can be simple, like this one, and still be ubber elegant depending on the color scheme and lighting. When we were creating this image, I wanted it to feel very lush, warm, and regal.
I LOVE shooting bridal portraits. It’s one of my fav things to do. Its so much fun to take a girl and a gown and make them into a masterpiece. :o)
Ooooh. Aaaaah! Check out the little face lift our blog got. Nothing too fancy. Just some more drama. Seemed suiting. My last blog design was me trying to be less dramatic, and I have to say, that didnt really work out. lol. Still lovin the single light set ups, contrasty images, and velvety smooth fall off. Yeah so. This NYer likes black. Im OK with it. I got me some sparklie purple kicks to liven up my solid black outfit. Its cool. Groovy. K. I think I covered every generation’s lingo who’s following this blog. PEACE OUT!
Belle’s Photography has compiled their best boudoir poses from their boudoir division, Abilene Boudoir, into a hard cover book. This deluxe pose book is AWESOME! It showcases our top 20 poses and tells you how to shoot them. That alone is totally wicked, but we went a step further and noted which poses are universal, petite, plus, and 40+.
Universal poses are just that - they work for any figure type and any age. Petite poses are for women with a smaller frame and petite proportions. Plus size poses will help flatter the curves of your plus size clients. And the plus 40 poses are specially made considering the things you need to do to make a +40 yr old’s figure look awesome.
This limited edition book can help you in three different ways.
1. It highlights Abilene Boudoir’s BEST SELLING poses. These are money making poses, that have mass appeal and our clients LOVE them! We have included our #1 best selling pose that grossed over $20K in the first few weeks it was used. Prospective clients saw the pose, and called to book as a direct result. And this book has, not 1, but TWENTY of our best selling poses. This book is a wonderful springboard financially for the betterment of your studio.
2. It tells you how to achieve each pose. Not only is there a photograph of the pose, but it tells you what aspects of the pose are important and must be maintained in order to make the boudoir pose perfect. It also lists tips every boudoir photographer should know. So, you are not only getting the top TWENTY poses, but you are also getting the directions on how to execute the pose.
3. The Deluxe Boudoir Pose Book is a LIMITED EDITION. What does that mean? It means there are only FOUR (4) books. Why? Because, I made it primarily for use with my clients, and added notes so I could run through my poses faster. I have created a repertoire of about 200 poses that I rely on for the boudoir studio. Rather than trying to remember all 200 at a time, I fished out the 20 most popular poses and had them bound into a beautiful, hard-cover leather, book. The book is so pretty that I can show clients the different poses to see which they like best, but the notes are so subtle that it doesn’t look like a cheat sheet. This book is not going to be mass produced, so everyone is not going to have it and be using the same poses. This provides for some exclusivity for your studio. This book was made for in-studio use. I ordered a few extra books because I have had people asking me for a boudoir pose book. Well, you asked for it - here is your chance!
The Deluxe Boudoir Pose Book by Abilene Boudoir goes on sale now. The sale ends when all FOUR books are gone.
So, who should buy this? A photographer who is looking to start their own boudoir/ burlesque studio. The reason Abilene Boudoir has so many clients who are willing to pay a premium is because of these images. There is no doubt about it. The poses are a key part of boudoir & pin up photography, and having good, solid, established poses will help give your business the boost it needs.
To order your own hard-cover book just click the buy now button below. If you attempt to purchase the Deluxe Pose Book after they have sold out, your payment will be returned in full. Due to the nature of this item, it is not refundable. And just to make it 100% clear - this is a HARD COVER BOOK. You can hold it, touch the leather cover, and flip through the pages. It’s 10″x8″ so it’s a good size, but it isn’t too big. It contains Abilene Boudoir’s (Belle’s Photography’s boudoir division) top 20 poses. There are notations on how to achieve the pose, as well as boudoir tips scattered through out. The book will ship within 24 hours of purchase. It will be sent via USPS Priority Mail to the address you provide via PayPal. Your book will arrive in 2-3 days after shipment.
QUANTITY: Only 4 Books 3 Books 2 Books ONLY 1 BOOK Remaining (this will be updated as the books sell out)
Investment: $225 + tax
S&H w/ Insurance (via Priority Mail): $12
Click the button below to get yours before they are all gone!
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