This Modern Teen Style Business Spotlight is sponsored by ReBooku.
Hello! My name is Katie Hughes from Katie Hughes Photography. I am the new Business Spotlight blogger for Modern Teen Style. I am so excited for this opportunity to showcase talented photographers throughout the country and get to know them better. What better way to learn and to grow than to hear how others are doing things. What works . . . what doesn’t . . . . and everything in-between. Have you ever had that moment when you read or hear something that changes the way you do business? I love those life changing moments!
This month our Business Spotlight features Jana Long from www.janamelinda.com. I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Jana and find out what makes her GREAT!
Here are some of the fabulous things that Jana had to say:
What is the most valuable Business advice you have received?
The most valuable business advice I ever received would have to be to shoot what I am passionate about. In the beginning I was photographing just about everything. I was quickly becoming frustrated because my creative vision was not my own. Then someone asked me what I loved to photograph, which was high school seniors, and they said ‘shoot what you love, what you’re passionate about…’ and so I did. I decided to focus my business on high school seniors. I had a vision on ‘what’ I wanted to create, which was beautiful imagery with gorgeous natural light, trees, fields, etc. My heart was full as I started to produce a portfolio that showed was ‘me’ and where my heart was with my photographic eye & passion. Of course, I still photograph weddings, maternity and newborns, but high school seniors have a special place in my heart.
In no more than 12 words, how would you describe your brand?
When I think of my brand, I’d like to say it’s dreamy, whimsical, fresh, yet a whole lotta fun with a touch of high fashion.
What is your favorite tool that helps run your studio?
My favorite studio tool (besides Photoshop CS5 and Lightroom 5) would probably be ShootProof which is an online proofing gallery and Square which is a payment processing service. I LOVE them! ShootProof allows me to set up an online gallery for clients to see their images and select their favorites, as well as a shopping cart if I want to sell my products that way. I also use Square to process payments. I can use it with my cell phone or iPad! It’s awesome!
What product do you sell most of?
My biggest selling product is my Canvas Gallery Wraps and Albums! My Senior Look Books are gaining popularity though too!
How do you nurture your creativity?
When I am feeling in a rut with my creativity, I just go out and shoot for myself. Whether it’s my kids, or my cat, food, flowers, or a friend – it takes the pressure away of being business minded, and makes it ‘fun’. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always fun to photograph clients, but sometimes my mind just needs a creative recharge! I will often go online and look at online magazines and fashion look books to spark some creativity.
What is the best application investment you‘ve ever made?
The best application investment I’ve ever made I’d have to say Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CS5. I know, it is probably a clear answer from most photographers, but it’s so true! I also love Preveal – it’s an iPad app that allows me to photograph a client’s room where they may want to hang a gallery of images, or even a very large image – I can drop one of their images from their session in a ‘frame’ on the app so they can see exactly what that portrait/image or images will look like on their actual wall! How cool is that? It’s pretty amazing!
What is the best equipment investment you’ve ever made?
My best investment on equipment – goodness, I’d have to say my 27” iMac, Canon 5dmkii and lots of external hard drives!
What’s your advice for better profits?
For better profits on your business – first you need to believe in yourself and that you are worth it! Price yourself for profit! Sell the items that you love and believe in, and you know your clients will love too! Also, don’t offer too many items – it can become overwhelming for a client to have to pick and choose! Have a few items to choose from, and definitely have samples to show – clients like to see and touch what they are going to buy.
Have you had to change your game to stay ahead in the photography world?
Photography is a tough business. I’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point in my photography career, in a very short amount of time (3 years). I live in the Bay Area which is heavily saturated with photographers, and staying ahead of the game is really hard. I choose to not only create quality art for my clients, but a truly fun experience all the way around. Word of mouth advertising has been my best source of new clients! If you’re doing something right, and doing it well, they will come.
What was your experience like using services by Rebooku?
Recently I had the opportunity to try out Rebooku! Now, this company is amazing! I uploaded images for them to create an album for me. It takes me forever to create an album! They are incredible time savers! I uploaded my images one evening, they sent me my online proof book the following morning! I made a few changes using the electronic notes, and BAM – the changes were made and the new updated proof was ready to go that evening. I could not believe how quickly they provided the album design for me. It was so simple too and I cannot wait to use them in the future!
Where can potential new clients and our readers view more images and learn more about your business?
www.JanaMelinda.com
www.JanaMelinda.com/blog
www.facebook.com/janamelindaphotography
Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest: @janamelinda
I hope you enjoyed getting to know Jana as much as I did. She has a wonderful attitude and obviously a great creative eye. Please take a minute to take a look at her work through her website, Facebook or other social media. She would love to know that you stopped by.
Our goal at Modern Teen Style is to help you build, develop and grow the best business that you can. We hope that you have found this article useful. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. We would love to hear from you.
Katie Hughes
