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Photography Conference Recap & Review: WPPI 2013

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

Whew. I’m back from VEGAS. It was a whirlwind of a photography conference, and I definitely expected it to be crazy – did you see the blog post I wrote before I left? The conference exceeded my expectations, that’s for sure! I had lots of fun, met some wonderful people, and learned a TON. My to-do list is, quite literally, ridiculous; some of the items are big sweeping changes and some are little adjustments that’ll make my day-to-day smoother & more productive. I’ll leave the nitty-gritty boring details out of this blog post, but I can’t resist filling you in on a few highlights!

Haha, despite the photo above, I actually spent NO time outside sunbathing. Surprising? I think so too! This was just the gorgeous view from the inside of the MGM Grand! It had to be a pretty darn amazing conference to keep me indoors in the absolutely-100%-perfect Las Vegas weather, that’s for sure…

First of all: let me tell you about the classes. I attended the maximum number of classes I could; they were all about business, lighting, marketing, customer service, Photoshop, and more. Surprisingly, one of my favorites was called “Law School for Photographers”, because despite the boring subject, the speaker was really entertaining! And he’s a full-time photographer AND lawyer, so he knew his stuff. I got a shout-out from Jasmine Star during her talk, because I’d met her just beforehand and told her that I was going to her presentation even though she’s a wedding photographer and I’m a pet photographer. That was pretty awesome! (she’s a big deal.) And Jasmine didn’t disappoint – I walked away from her class with plenty of new information and strategies I can use in my business! All in all, I was able to listen to Dane Sanders, Jasmine Star, Melissa Ghionis, Jon Goldman, Emily Potts, and Mark & Jennifer Garber, among so many others. If you’re not a photographer, sorry, that list probably made you glaze over. If you are a photographer, then you know the celebrity-caliber of speakers I got to see!

The classes served as reminders for lots of things I already knew, too. Like to get out from behind social media and into the community. (I know, I know, I’m blogging while saying this… don’t worry, I’m making plans to get away from the computer too!) The classes also reminded me that I’m not only a professional photographer, but a professional design consultant as well. You see, my personality isn’t super assertive, and I can sometimes shy away from offering my opinions if I don’t think my clients will like them. But in reality, I need to be more decisive and suggestive about what decor will complement my clients’ homes as I continue to learn more about interior design. I’ve already studied quite a bit (more than just looking through Pinterest boards, haha!) and as a result, I know plenty of information about portrait groupings, single pieces, placement rules, framing vs. canvas vs. framing with mats, and more. My clients aren’t only paying me to take pictures; they’ve hired me for my expertise and the whole experience. An integral part of the Allison Shamrell Photography experience is creating home decor that’s beautiful & timeless, and I have to remind myself that sometimes the perfect wall gallery is just an idea or two away!

The classes about running my business were incredibly useful, too. As a one-person operation, it’s extremely easy to fall into a way of thinking and a way of doing things that creates long nights and weekends of work, which in turn takes its toll on your sanity. Travis Gugleman gave this advice to his class attendees: pretend that the business I own should be the prototype for 5000 more businesses JUST like it. That means it has to run incredibly smoothly, not have any loose ends, and account for all the hours I put into it. Wow… I’ve definitely NEVER thought about this little photography business I have like that! That was a serious lightbulb moment for me!

I could go on about the classes, but honestly, the more FUN part of WPPI for me was the Trade Show!

I walked around two MASSIVE rooms full of printing labs, software makers, album binders, equipment makers, canvas gallery wrap producers, financial services, photography associations, and more, for 5-6 hours a day. Yes really, 5+ hours for 3 days straight. It was absolute madness, but it served one VERY important purpose: I need to make sure I’m offering the best products in the industry. Period. And guess what: I am!! Well, at least in my opinion, I am! I was absolutely thrilled to see that my labs, album makers, etc. are all still my favorites. No other booths wowed me as much as my labs did; they have the products with the best feel, the sturdiest construction, and they’re leading the industry in terms of new developments. It was SO nice to wander the floor thinking, “yep, I should offer that and I do… nope, that isn’t quite as nice and I don’t offer it anyway…” So yay! :)

I DID find a couple of new products to offer that’ll be completely new to my product line! I’m very excited about them, and once I get my samples, I’ll be introducing them here on the blog!

beautiful packaging solutions for prints & DVDs

bags with photo holders, and metallic cutout clocks… I actually don’t plan to offer either of these, but they were funky to see!

photos printed onto beautiful, smooth wooden boards – can you tell they’re wood?

The highlight of the conference for me: saying hi to the photographer that, arguably, I admire most in this world, Salvatore Cincotta. Actually, that’s not true – I didn’t say hi to him, HE said hi to ME! :) I saw him from a few dozen feet away during the trade show; he had just finished up a small presentation and was in the midst of fielding questions from a few people that stuck around to ask whatever they were curious about. I’d met Sal (oh yeah, we’re on a first name basis, no big deal) at a smaller conference last year, and he actually did a quick portfolio review for me, which I LOVED. But this man is incredibly busy and spends much more time with many more photographers, so when I saw him again last week I certainly wasn’t expecting to say hi… but we made eye contact from across the way and he waved at me!! Then when I went over to talk to him, he hugged me and said “good to see you, how have you been?” It was all I could do not to squeal “aaaaaaahhh you know who I am!!” Honestly, I don’t get starstruck (Salstruck?) very much, but I respect this man to the umpteenth degree; if I could run my business with HALF the acumen & wisdom with which he runs his, not to mention produce images that are half as beautiful, I’d be thrilled. So I told him about how we’re moving soon, and he offered his thoughts on starting up fresh in a new studio space. We said goodbye and he told me to keep in touch – I will, Sal! I will! :)

a blurry iPhone photo of Sal Cincotta:

A third benefit to WPPI (beyond the classes & the expo) is the fact that most of the country’s talented photographers are all in the same town at the same time. So I got to network with lots of other photographers that I really respect! I actually shared a hotel room with Dana Cubbage, a fabulous wedding & pet photographer in Charleston, SC, and Mary Louise DeCrecenzio, a wedding photographer in Columbia, SC. I also spent a bit of time with Julie Clegg of Bailey & Banjo Pet Photography from Seattle. All of these women do GREAT work, and hanging out with them was a lot of fun! I was also thrilled to give my card to Kenna Klosterman and Dane Sanders; I’d love to get a call from either of them, haha! Oh, and get this: one afternoon I posted on Facebook that I’d love to get headshots done while I was there (because Lord knows that was overdue), and just a few hours later I was posing in front of the incredible Matt Roberts‘ camera! That was an absolutely fantastic afternoon and I’m so thankful for the experience. You’ll be seeing those headshots here on the blog and on my website very soon!

Here’s just one, and this is straight out of Matt’s camera… he’s SO talented!

Another interesting experience was the print judging competition I attended. I actually didn’t know there would be a print competition at WPPI; I might have entered had I known it was going on! But that’s okay; it was fun to see everything that happened and the process behind it. Basically, prints were submitted from photographers all over the country into various categories (children, animals/pets, weddings, etc.), and in one afternoon a selection of judges sat down (I have no idea how these judges were chosen) and scored each print. The average number between the five judges’ scores was assigned to the print as its final score. What was especially fascinating to me was hearing WHY they scored photos the way they did. On various photos (typically, when the judges’ scores varied by more than usual) the moderator would ask a judge or two to say a few words about the photo. Their comments ranged from basic composition suggestions to color treatments to matting choices, even to the paper on which the photo was printed on! I would never even have an inkling (no pun intended, ha) that the finish of a paper could bump up or take down the score of the overall presentation, but hey, I’d never given much thought to print competition at all before. It was a fascinating process and I’d love to enter something next year – but honestly, and obviously, my clients’ opinions are WAY more important to me than some judge’s. So whether I score or not, I know my priorities! :)

The expo had live shoots going on, in addition to all the vendors’ booths! It was especially cool when the demonstrators’ cameras were tethered to nearby TV screens, so we could see the results of what they were teaching. (Photographers: that’s Lindsay Adler shooting here!)

All in all: WPPI was fantastic. It was a huge investment of time and money; I stopped taking clients a whole week in advance because I didn’t want my trip to interfere with someone seeing their photos for the first time, which would mean they’d have to wait over a week until I got back, and that’s not fair. I also allowed myself a bit of catch-up time this week; my first session isn’t till Friday and thank goodness for that because I have sooooo much to do in the meantime! So while I’ve put all my regular studio processes on hold for a while, it’ll be worth it in the long run because my business is going to run much more smoothly after I apply everything I learned last week. If I go next year, I wouldn’t do much differently; maybe I’d attend a few less classes and make more time for networking & socializing with fellow photographers. I also would NOT book a redeye flight back home!! Gah… that made for a long day on Friday. But overall, it was an awesome experience, and I’ve got plenty of motivation to make this year an AWESOME year for my business and my clients!

This is the end result of WPPI: literally wearing holes into my shoes. But it was worth it!

Tags: business, conference, event, Las Vegas, photography
Posted in events, housekeeping/fyi, just for fun | 1 Comment »

My Business, and The Shark Tank ~ Pensacola Pet Photography by Allison Shamrell

Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

I got back from a photography conference called Imaging USA less than a week ago. I spent three very long days (starting before the sun rose, and ending hours after it set) learning about how to best run a photography business – from the most brilliant photographers in the country. It was an absolutely incredible experience for me, and since the business side of my business has been on my mind ever since, I have a feeling the next few blog post are going to be highlighting a few of the back-end processes of things, instead of the usual peeks at the final product for any given client. Because while those kinds of posts are important too, they’re only specific to each family I work with. The way I run and grow my business (even the way I think about my business) affects everyone I come in contact with. So I think it’s worth a few blog posts!

One of my absolute favorite shows on television is Shark Tank on ABC. It was introduced to me by my friend Lina, and I can’t thank her enough for it! To introduce you, I was hoping to grab a video from YouTube to embed in this post. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, so I have to make you click over to Facebook to watch the trailer for this season (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151185590135103) and a great (pet-related!) example of what happens to everyone on the show: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150169908923204. Seriously, go watch them! They’re very short clips. I’ll wait till you’re done.

Back? Great! So as you can tell, this show is all about business owners proving the value of their product, their company and themselves. The sharks are filthy rich and could afford to invest in every single one of the contestants, but they don’t – they’re entering legal contracts to do business with these people for the forseeable future. While my heart breaks for the people who’ve mortgaged their house multiple times, dipped into their kids’ college funds, and maxed out their personal credit to fund their company’s product – and yet the sharks still say no – there’s definitely something to be said for the realism of the show. So of course, watching this (in between yelling at the contestants and the sharks, alternatively) I get thinking about Allison Shamrell Photography. Would the sharks invest in me?

I can test myself by the questions the sharks most-often drill the contestants about:

Have you made any money? Well, thank goodness, the answer for me is yes. But the costs of running a pet photography business are far more extensive than I expected when I first started almost a year and a half ago! I thought the only expenses I’d have would be new equipment and treats for the dogs I’d photograph. Ha! Looks like I was forgetting a few things: insurance, professional associations’ fees, lab fees, product costs, website hosting, blog redirecting, online data backup, advertising materials, digital templates, product packaging materials, and a whole lotta postage. To name a few things. Plus, since this’ll be the first year I’m not reporting a loss on our tax return, I hear there’s a significant amount of income tax I’m about to owe. You’ll probably hear the scream when I find out how much. So, making money: definitely not a given. But at least I can say I have.
How many units have you sold? Since Shark Tank has a primarily product-based premise, and my business is service-based, this question doesn’t entirely apply. But, I can say that I’ve been blessed with enough clients to keep me busy every day (and some nights!) for the majority of 2011. Of course, there are times when things are slow – like February, when the weather is just blegh and it’s generally too cold to be comfortable outside for a three-hour session. But that’s normal; every photographer has a busy season and a slow season. And since I’m a one-woman show, I’ve been selling enough units – wait, yuck, I hate how that sounds, I don’t “sell units”, I do custom sessions – I’ve been doing enough custom sessions to keep me working at capacity! Which, honestly, is how I like it. I’m one of those people that’s happiest when they have too much to do. Go figure!
What’s your plan for the future? Ha! I kind of giggle when people ask me about the future. With a husband in the military, and orders that could come literally any day (oh yes – we’re living the dream!) and take us across the country, the future is something I just can’t spend time worrying about. Since I don’t know where we’ll go, I can’t exactly plan to do much, and without knowing when this will happen, I see no reason to act as if it’ll be soon. It’s not ideal, but hey, it’s okay – and for the time being, I’ll keep doing what I’ve been doing, almost as if a cross-country move wasn’t even going to happen. Whenever we do get relocated, it’ll be a struggle. I know that. I’ll be starting over with no client base, no networking contacts – basically nothing but a website and business cards. Yikes. Maybe I would have thought that was enough to start a business a year ago, but now I know that I can’t do anything alone. Relationships are everything – in business as well as life, I think – and that’ll be what the future of my business depends on.
What’s proprietary about your company? That’s a very good question. There’s usually a specific reason why a new start-up business grows and succeeds: they have something no one else does. Something no one else can copy (usually because it’s trademarked or copyrighted). They focus on a weakness of a pre-existing product and turn it into a strength. Can I tell you something? Back when I first started, I remember designing my website and writing things like “Contact Us” and “We appreciate your business”. I didn’t want to touch my About page (that I knew I really should write) because I was embarrassed to admit that it was only me over here. No one else. I felt like no one could trust me if they knew I was doing 100% of everything; as if I needed a staff or even a partner just to run a halfway-reputable business. Wow. It’s embarrassing to admit that now… but my attitude has turned 180 degrees! Now I know that what’s proprietary about my business – what gives it its strength – is me! I’m literally the reason this business is what it is: I’ve made the big decisions about what to photograph, what products to offer, what I want my website to look like, and how to conduct myself in my business. (I would give credit to its general success, though, to my husband: he’s talked me down from some pretttttty bad ideas!) So I suppose that’s why my business is named Allison Shamrell Photography – is because it’s all me. When you decide to have a session, you get my time, my talent, my experience, my effort, my everything. And – sometimes this still surprises me – my clients don’t seem to mind that I don’t have employees. They’re okay with this one-woman operation. Thank goodness, because now I know I shouldn’t hide it, I should shout it from the rooftops!

Well, since I think this is one of the wordiest blog posts ever, I should stop there. Shark Tank is on Fridays at 8, plus it’s all over YouTube and Hulu. I can’t give it a higher recommendation. Go watch it and thank me later! And in the meantime, thanks for supporting this (very) small business.

I noticed when I was writing this that Bailey wasn’t napping in her usual spot in my office. I went to see where she was… and found the image I’ll leave you with today.