ImagingUSA – Inspiration beyond measure

All images copyright 2010 by Ara Roselani

Last summer, I attended Skip’s Summer School in Las Vegas at the invitation of my mentor, Scott Bourne. Scott gives me a nudge when he knows I need it. Summer School showed me that not only were wedding photographers amazing people, they were consummate, uncompromising artists. I was ready to embrace the industry and run like the wind.

In the intervening months, I’ve worked really hard on branding. Not just my new LLC, but myself. Who do I want to be? What experience do I want to offer my clients? What does my business look like, and why should my clients trust one of their most important days to my care? It’s been one of the longest six-month stretches of my life, but one of the most rewarding (riotously–I have grown so much in so many ways!).

Scott gave me another nudge to visit ImagingUSA in Nashville. I’m so glad I went. I was feeling a little winded after the hard work of the last few months, and really needed new input. I’m at a totally new vantage, too: I have a much better idea of what I’m ready to give my clients, and now need to get out there and tell them.

I took a lot of notes. Here’s a summary of some of them:

Dane Sanders – Weddings
Dane wrote FastTrack Photographer, one of the first wedding photography books I picked up. The book itself is inspirational, but Dane is that book with a bottle of steroids the size of a Costco box of Kix. He gets on the stage and is so interested in engaging his audience, I can’t help but be swept away in his contagious enthusiasm for all of our coming success stories. Not only can I see my future as bright as the Yellow Brick Road, I actually believe it. It’s relaxing!

- Tell a story with your photos. Tell their story. Love that story.
- You will be judged. It’s okay.
- Be the missing puzzle piece. Be the only one that fits.
- Talk about what you believe in. Don’t just talk about all the things you don’t believe in and be negative

Jerry Ghionis – Weddings
This man walks into the room and I don’t see a wedding photographer. This is my second time seeing him in person, and more than ever, I am convinced of this man’s general artistic genius. He’s a master of light, of beauty, and of balancing business with the love of what he does. Like Dane, he is contagious with his enthusiasm. I want to run out and try things! Challenge myself to be better. Challenge myself to find beauty in shadows and “impossible” light. I want to be dared to be a master.

- He recommended the work of Jesh deRox and Sandy Puc
- Find inspiration in movie posters and other media
- Your plus-sized brides need you just as much as anyone else, if not more. Embrace and show their beauty
- Anything you remember is worth replicating

Oh, and 30 poses with 8 bridesmaids and 1 bride in 3.5 minutes? No problem.

Studio Management and Salaries
This class helped me understand what the studios were doing right and wrong, where financial benchmarks needed to be, and that the recession wasn’t hitting everyone as badly as projections thought.

The speaker offered these as benchmarks for costs and income:
Home Studios:
35%: Cost of sales
30%: General expenses
35%: Owner compensation + profit

Retail Studios:
25%: Cost of sales
40%: General expenses
35%: Owner compensation + profit

PPA offers a benchmark survey to help its members stay on track. Many studios (especially Home Studios) were performing better than the benchmarks. She recommended watching out for step-up costs when expanding, such as bigger spaces (ALL the expenses associated should be carefully examined) and more employees (productivity).

The speaker said businesses run by either couples or partners performed better than single proprietors.

Product Design – Allison and Jeff Rodgers
Allison and Jeff run a beautiful portrait studio in Olive Branch, Mississippi, and are a prime example of how being in a small town can be an asset instead of a problem. According to the PPA, they are one of the most profitable portrait studios in the US. It’s easy to see why.

Allison and Jeff come from a background of project management and graphic design. They take excellent pictures, but the real power of their work is in presentation. They offer many wall display options with gallery wraps, frames and other clever configurations. They title all their offerings with names such as “The Paradelle” and “The Sonnet”.

Some of the points I took away:
- Fill non-standard spaces, such as thin wall spaces and triangular stairways, with portrait configurations (usually five to seven portrait squares)
- Attach hanging templates (paper with outlines of where to place hanging hardware) to the final product so clients have no trouble assembling multiple-image configurations
- Make it easy
- Give your clients something to say no to–choices are important to all of us
- Offer virtual compositions–have your clients take pictures of the spaces they want to fill and use Photoshop to show them the final product
- Offer packages to add on–a child growing up, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Be a part of their growth as people and families

Boudoir Divas
Everyone loves this duo. Dressed to the nines and looking like the San Diego divas they are, these girls rocked the house. While I went to this panel for fun and general information about boudoir photography (it’s becoming a really great trend these days), I learned some valuable information about posing, lighting and marketing. I loved their focus on helping women feel beautiful, because God only knows, a lot of us need help.

They recommended:
- Referral coupons and cards
- A meaningful, stylized newsletter
- Bridal fairs (since boudoir stands out amongst the gaggles of other options)
- Giving away a shoot as a promotion

And posing:
- Looking toward the light
- Looking down the back
- Stacking the knees
- Shooting close to the face
- Exaggerate and arch
- Motion–movement is more interesting

Joe Buissink – Weddings
I had never seen Joe speak before, and I couldn’t believe the incredible experience of sitting in a room for an hour and a half with this man. Humble, sweet, thoughtful, kind and tremendously successful, Joe shoots celebrity and high-end weddings (he showed us pictures from Jennifer Lopez’s and Christina Aguilera’s weddings). He wrote a book I’ll be looking for, “Weddings from the Heart”.

Starting out, Joe told us he picked up photography at age 45. He took a picture of his wife and newborn son (a beautiful shot), and said it changed his life. He showed a slideshow of some of his landscapes, which are incredible but made more so by the deep feeling he imparts in describing them. I cried several times (there goes the mascara!) he explained the deep meaning behind many of his photos (I almost hit someone behind me who made a comment about an “average shot”, something I simply cannot stand when someone is baring their soul along with their art).

I did take notes, but many of them were ideas that seem completely unrelated to what he was saying at the moment, burning some sort of plan or thought into the back of my head for something I wanted to try. That’s a new one. I felt swept up in his passion for photography, remembering every second of falling in love with it and living it again. He is an incredible speaker and person.

Here are some of my notes, not from the ideas section:
- There are no perfect pictures, only perfect moments
- Never rely on Photoshop to “fix” something–don’t fix it, enhance it. Be a good photographer
- Capture the essence of people, not just what they look like
- Shoot quickly, before the “camera face” appears
- Consider using “P” mode so you can focus on your client, not your camera
- Always look past the surface
- Look for the moments between moments
- It’s okay to be out of focus, as long as it’s meaningful
- Sign your pictures–they’re art
- Nurture the entire bridal party
- Our job as photographers is to help our clients remember the moment in 20 years like it was yesterday
- When speaking to clients, talk about the experience of having you at the wedding–less about the photos
- You are a psychologist as much as an artist
- Your clients must trust you

Denis Reggie – Witness to a Wedding
Denis is almost another breed of photographer entirely, and I find it amazing that he and Joe to workshops together. Denis is also very high-end wedding photographer who has taken pictures for a lot of politicians and celebrities. His attitude is direct, uncompromising and focused–he knows his audience and speaks to them on their level. He focuses on photojournalism, since (as he says) the wedding for many affluent people is not a fantasy to be posed–it’s reality, and you are there to document.

One of the main techniques he showed was “foofing”, or bouncing the flash off large walls as far as 60 feet away. No direct flash, no “toilet plungers” (Gary Fong lightspheres)–just bounce. It gives three dimensions and side-lights his subjects, also keeping them largely unaware of the shot since the light is so far away. You follow, you do not arrange. You document.

Here, he lists the differences between the two main types of photographers:
Traditionalist – Proactive
- In control
- Leads, poses
- More like a fashion shooter
- Lots of Photoshop
- Subject is sometimes aware of the photographer
- Shepherd

Photojournalist – Reactive:
- Anticipate where the moments will be and be ready
- %95 non-fiction
- %5 posed
- Subject isn’t aware
- Discover moments
- Be organic
- Be a quiet historian, a witness
- More of a sheep role

Some of his excellent technical information:
- Always look for three dimensions, using light
- Don’t be afraid to bounce your flash far away, especially with TTL
- No wider than 50mm for group shots
- Use available light when you can
- Subject’s nose should be to the light
- Offer a weekend pricetag for couples who want a full photographic experience
- Luminance up to 65% in Lightroom to bring noise down if needed
- Use Photoshop only on the final product, not on the proofs
- He hires women in their late 20′s to help edit and choose the final product

He emphasized that real is always better than posed, like a $30,000 diamond versus an $80 fake.

Scott Bourne – Social Media
Scott is a wonderful off-the-cuff speaker, using humor and his own experience to make really important points such as using social media to provide value to your clients. He also spoke extensively about putting others before yourself in business and in life, and how that will make you successful. He discusses a lot of this on Photofocus and will demonstrate more eloquently than my summary. I always love hearing Scott speak–he obviously takes joy in helping others grow.

Here are some pictures I took from his talk. He left out the one of him dancing–I wonder why.

Other than the panels, the expo was amazing. Some of my favorite vendors (GraphiStudio, Lensbaby, WHCC, Nikon, Canon, RedCart, SmugMug, etc.) were out in force with beautiful products on display. Everyone was friendly, upbeat and helpful.

WHCC, Canon and Pictage all had wonderful parties. I have to admit, I’m now sick of fried food.

Here are a few shots from around the convention, mostly taken with the Lensbaby Fisheye (a fun lens to walk around with!):

The Christmas tree in front of the convention center at the Gaylord Opryland

Pictures from the Pictage party at the Tin Roof in Nashville. We had a GREAT time (thanks Simon!).

My roommate, Catrina, at the Tin Roof.

The Expo floor from on top of the WHCC booth.

In the Lensbaby booth, Craig Strong took my portrait with the Soft Optic.

Great trip! On top of all the notes I took, I have ideas pouring out of me that I’m anxious to start on. Thanks to everyone at ImagingUSA for a fantastic learning experience, and Scott for encouraging me to come. Like many experience in these crazy last six months, I’m changed forever because of it.