Allie Siarto, Author at Photo Field Notes Podcast: Career Advice for Photographers

Episode 19: How Ian Holmes Niched Himself as an English Speaking Romantic Photographer in Paris

April 22, 2015

Before he was a photographer, Ian Holmes was an image retoucher living in Paris. The more he worked on other peoples’ images, the more he became interested in photography himself.

Eight years later, Ian has built a name for himself as an english speaking romantic portraiture photographer in Paris. He shoots 25 weddings each year and three to four portraits sessions each week. During his off season, he heads off to the French Alps to recharge for the winter.

I met Ian in 2013 when he took photos for me and my husband while we were in Paris. We love the photos, and they have a special place in our home today.

A few topics from today’s show:

Find out how clients discover Ian
Find out how Ian connects with wedding clients who travel from out of town
Hear how Ian grows his skills in the off season
Find out why Ian is starting to incorporate film into his business
Find out which lens Ian can’t live without
Hear Ian’s advice about what every photographer should be doing to grow

Check out a few of Ian’s photos below, and head over to his website to see more.

Episode 18: Jill Devries on Standing Out in a Crowded Market

April 22, 2015

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Jill Devries studied communications in college and landed a great full time job after school. While second shooting weddings on the weekends, she realized that she wanted to transform her passion for photography into a full time career. For the next year, Jill continued to do photography on the side, learning, growing, networking and building up her professional equipment. After a busy year, she gave herself a goal of 20 weddings on the books before quitting her full time job. She went full time in April, 2010, and she hasn’t looked back.

Over time, Jill has learned to take photos that reflect how she sees the world—photos that are true to her unique vision. Rather than trying to be like someone else—an easy trap to fall into—Jill does her own thing, and she never feels like she’s in competition with other photographers who have their own styles.

In this interview, Jill tells her story and addresses what it’s like to run a business as an artist—dealing with fear and uncertainty while always pushing forward.

Recommended book: Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders

A very small sampling of Jill’s amazing body of work:

See more amazingness on Jill’s blog.

Episode 17: Michelle Moore on Breaking in as a Fashion + Senior Photographer

April 22, 2015

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Michelle Moore is a fashion and senior photographer based in Seattle. In this podcast interview, Michelle shares how she went from studying atmospheric sciences in college to leading a successful photography studio that focuses on fashion and senior photography.

I always love to ask for book recommendations from other professionals. Michelle recommends 4-Hour Work Week. While the book becomes a bit convoluted at the end, the overall concept of living your life now rather than working life away helped Michelle refocus her work life balance.

See more of Michelle’s work on her blog.

Episode 16: Meg Borders on Creating a Plan For Your Business

April 22, 2015

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Like many others, Meg Borders became interested in photography after her daughter was born. And like others before, Meg made some mistakes during the early days of her business. She finally put her business on hold to create a plan and work on branding—and her new focus on senior girls has allowed her to thrive.

A few topics from today’s show:

Don’t rush into business—have a business plan
Take time to concentrate on branding
Give yourself time to discover which aspect of photography you like the best
For outdoor portraits, don’t leave clients an option on timing—Meg always shoots her senior sessions two hours before sunset
Be who you are, and don’t try to be someone else

Recommended Resources:

Check out some of Meg’s gorgeous work below, and see more on her blog.

Episode 15: Justin + Mary Marantz on Creating a Profitable Business

April 22, 2015

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Justin and Mary Marantz blew me away at WPPI back in 2011, so I knew that I had to talk with them for the Field Notes podcast to share their story and words of wisdom. In this interview, learn how Mary Marantz went from Yale Law School to co-owning one of the fastest growing photography studios on the East Coast when she met her now husband, Justin.

“Nobody else in this world is going to give you permission. Nobody is ever going to write you a letter or an email or knock on your door and go, ‘Okay, now you get to go out and chase your dream.’ And nobody did that for us, and when we first decided that we were going to have the business and I was going to turn down the law firm offers, there were a lot of people who said, ‘What are you doing? You can’t be serious’…You have to be the ‘can’ in your own life. You have to be the permission that you give yourself to chase whatever it is that you want to do.” —Mary Marantz

Recommended Reading for Photographers:

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach (more geared toward women)
Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen

A little beauty from this talented team:

Keep up with Justin and Mary on their blog.

Episode 14: Laurel McConnell on Creating a Sustainable Wedding Photography Business

April 22, 2015

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Laurel McConnell has the kind of personality that you can’t help but adore, and she does an amazing job of showing that bright personality throughout her work.

Laurel was originally studying psychology at the University of Washington when she made a dramatic leap and enrolled in the Art Institute of Seattle to study commercial photography.

After college, she found herself in a bust economy with plenty of student loans. After an advisor set her up to photograph her first wedding, she was hooked.

As Laurel puts it, a lot of people get caught up in the art and fun of photography, and they forget to build a solid business plan and business structure. Hear more about Laurel’s story, as well as her sound business advice in this week’s episode of Field Notes.

Recommended Business Resources for Photographers:

Sage Wedding Pros (business workshops for wedding pros)
ASMP.org (American Society of Media Photographers)
ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography (book)

Enjoy some of Laurel’s beautiful and fun wedding photography:

Episode 13: Angela Renee on Wedding Gear That Fits Your Style

April 22, 2015

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Some of Angela Renee’s earliest memories are of creating drawings for art shows. She majored in painting in college and used photography as a base for the art (painting from photos), which eventually led her toward the moving image and video portraits. A friend asked Angela to video her wedding, where she met a photographer and decided she might like to give that a try.

Video essentially became the gateway to photography. Angela second shot with a number of photographers to learn her style, and she’s been shooting on her own for about two years now.

A few topics from today’s show:

Selecting the equipment and gear load that works for you (both technically and for lugging around)
Carrying backups
Letting go, outsourcing and work life balance
Creating a schedule for yourself
Building a business as a new photographer
Showing the work you want to make
Ask clients how they found you and what made them want to meet with you
Facebook marketing
Determining who your ideal client is

Recommended Resources:

Zach Arias
Digital Wedding Forum
Creative Live
Tangents (Lighting) with Neil van Niekerk
MJ Studio Solutions (color correction outsourcing)

Check out some of Angela’s gorgeous work below, and be sure to check out her blog to see more.

Episode 12: Steve Koo: From Engineer to Full Time Photographer

April 22, 2015

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Steve Koo went to school for engineering and pursued an engineering job after school. Photography started as a simple hobby—but when he was asked to shoot a friend’s wedding (which he originally dreaded), he ended up falling in love with wedding photography. When the down economy led to a job layoff, Steve seized the opportunity to become a full time photographer.

A few topics from today’s show:

Networking with other photographers (offering to buy lunch, coffee or a beer to sit and chat)
Superb customer service
Work life balance (Steve started out working 70-80 hour weeks with no days off, and his quality of life suffered—he’s now focusing on an efficient workflow to spend more time with his wife)

Recommended Resources:

View some of Steve’s beautiful work below, and check out his blog to see more.

Episode 11: Jaclyn Simpson on Working With Other Vendors to Create Styled Shoots

April 22, 2015

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I first met Jaclyn Simpson while riding on a city bus in Chicago. She and Jenn from Jennifer Kathryn Photography had made a stop at Paper Source (one of my favorite places), and we somehow discovered that we had photography in common. We followed up with coffee, and I was lucky enough to be a part of an amazing Fast Track group with them in Chicago before I moved to Michigan. A year later, I knew I had to share Jaclyn’s career story with the photography world.

After second shooting and starting her business, Jaclyn could never bring herself to make the final leap into full time. In 2009, a lay off ended up being the push she needed to get to it (a blessing in disguise). She’s been a full time photographer ever since.

A few topics from today’s show:

Second shooting
Connecting with photographers and other vendors (set up meetings and work together)
Observing the work of others in order to break it down and translate it into your own style
Styled shoots (if you don’t get those “kind of shoots,” you can make it happen yourself)

Recommended Resources:

Industry events (e.g. Thursday Therapy, WPPI, PUGs, SMUGs)
The E-Myth by Michael Gerber (I’ve read this one twice now)
Lights, Camera, Capture by Bob Davis
Davis Workshops
The Fast Track Photographer Business Plan by Dane Sanders
Second Shooters Seminar

Check out some of Jaclyn’s very pretty work below (and spectacular details with help fromFleur), and find more on her blog.

Episode 10: David Bock on Marketing Through a Business Transition

April 22, 2015

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David and Cathy Bock are an award winning husband and wife photography team. Both studied graphic design in college (with a few photography classes here and there for fun), and both pursued graphic design full time after graduation.

Their first exposure to wedding photography was during their own wedding. They saw how much fun their photographers, Bobbi and Mike, were having at their wedding, and they became inspired to pursue photography as a career themselves. They’ve been running their photography business for four years now.

“The only experience we had for wedding photography was watching Bobbi and Mike at our wedding…looking back at it, I wish I would have done some more second shooting…”

A few topics from David’s interview:

Going for it—after Cathy quit her day job, the duo booked five weddings that week
Learning the technical side of photography through workshops
Calling and connecting with other photographers
Getting referrals
Investing in resources that will improve your workflow (time is money)
Using Google voice to set up better work life balance
Transitioning your photography business from one location to another

Recommended Resources:

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