Last week I did a nice family portrait session at a local park. I photographed the couple’s wedding 3 years ago, and since then they had a baby girl, and I have photographed the baby and the family as a group on many occasions. One aspect of my business I find very rewarding is when a customer is well satisfied, they show your work with them off to friends and family, as well as on social networks. I have formed many great friendships with my clients, and this great family is a prime example. Plus they remember me for future photography needs. Now that baby turned 2 years old, and we met at the park to do her 2 years old photos, and some with her older sister. Nashville has some wonderful city parks, go here for more information. http://www.nashville.gov/parks/

For the photography nuts, I used my off camera Elinchrom Quadra, shot at f8 and my goal with the fill light was to kill any sun related shadows, or have an underexposed subject, and a background 4 stops overexposed, lol. I wanted to get them in some shade to avoid squinting from the sun. When I was going through the photos with the family, I decided to make them a panoramic photo, like a collage, made up of several photos. Theirs will be 10″x30″ which fills space nicely, especially on those walls that are wide and not that tall, like over windows, or in hallways, etc. Plus something different. I have always liked collages and panoramas, though my particular taste is unframed, but rather mounted like on foam core or a wooden metallic wrap, so that way you can see the integrity of the print. The quality of the print in either case is vital. Between the printing and color process, paper quality, and overall  print integrity, years will tell the tale between a quality lab print and a loss leader retailer print that will not hold up as well. For someone to go through the effort to hire a portrait photographer to capture their moment, and buy cheap prints makes little sense. I look forward to seeing this on their walls soon

This has little to do with photography, but I do love dogs, and I’m glad that there are many responsible pet owners out there….unfortunately, for every one of those, there are 2 irresponsible ones. Whether you are an individual household, couple, or a family, there are many things to research and learn before buying a dog. The most ignorant thing anyone can do, is for a first time dog owner to bring a dog home on a whim, without knowing how to do basic obedience and house training, and having researched the breed. Like for example, someone thinks a Beagle is cute, and lives in the suburbs with a small yard, but would get upset when the dog escapes the fence and roams for a day before coming back. That breed needs to live in the country with lots of land, ideally. Certain breeds need certain precautions taken to optimize their health, like some breeds don’t do well in the heat, some are not generally as good with children, some are high energy and need regular exercise. As a general rule, mixed breeds are less prone to health issues than pure breeds. And puppies are cute, but you are starting from the ground up. Remember, dogs are a commitment that you make for their whole life, not something you can pawn off if it becomes too challenging.

The first thing to research is a dog’s temperament and ease of training. Also level of being territorial, not every dog is compatible with every person and living situation. Also, don’t always believe the media and public hysteria about “bully breeds” like Pit Bulls. My next door neighbor has a Pit Bull that he rescued as a stray puppy, and he’s a big baby, and listens very well. I have seen stickers that say punish the deed not the breed. Unless a dog has been house trained, it won’t know what it’s supposed to do. If he or she messes on the rug, beating will only make him ashamed he had to go at all. The best way to train a dog is with a crate. Only let a dog have supervised run of the house, and be crated when not supervised. Or have a secure outdoor fenced area for the dog to get exercise. But crating is not mean. It’s so that the dog will learn bladder control, they will not go where they sleep. Unsupervised run of the house is earned, pushovers shouldn’t try to raise dogs.  And never take a dog to bed that you don’t want sleeping in that bed with you for their whole life. Dogs having “accidents” or chewing on furniture are an owner’s accident, not the dog’s. If they are watched and stopped in the act, and rewarded and praised when they go outside, or chew on their toys instead of the couch or your shoe, they will see a pattern. Dogs are creatures of habit. Sure, they can be hard headed and insistent sometimes, but you have to be the master, and follow through with the training. For a first time dog owner, even Pet Smart obedience classes are a good idea.

Furthermore, I love the idea of rescue dogs. My Male Boxer, Oscar I got from the local Boxer rescue. www.mtbr.org  And rescuing a dog, they will be so grateful. Those kennels and shelters can be awful and scary for them….like jail for dogs. They are a family pet who lives for human affection and interaction, not a lawn ornament to be left outside and ignored, or kept in a cage it’s whole life. It takes work. But it’s very rewarding. The hard part is at the beginning. The good thing is rescue animals are usually spayed and neutered, which they should be anyway….there are enough dogs without homes, why create more? There are some great resources that help many great dogs become united with their permanent home. www.petfinder.com  and another wonderful advocate is http://petpardons.com and their Facebook link is http://www.facebook.com/petpardons Happy dog hunting! Here is my almost 11 year old female Boxer, Roxie, having some fun with a 2 year old who had just finished with a family portrait session with me.

I decided to slice and dice a little bit, if I wasn’t really thinking about the answer to this question, I wouldn’t think there was a difference. But there most definitely is. And how a business does their marketing, to go along with the product or services they offer, definitely sets the stage for the clientele they attract. Most of us don’t want to overpay for a product, good, or service, but do want something good for our hard earned money. A bargain shopper does what it takes to find the best deal, price wise. And will drive across town to save a few bucks, lol. I don’t hold anything against anyone for having different consumer habits, we’re all different. It’s my job as a business owner and service provider to learn from every potential client, and existing client. Let me break down how I identify a bargain shopper when I get inquiries about photography. When the first question is what’s the cheapest headshot I offer, or if I am asked about wedding photography and they are gathering prices to get the best one. Sure, price should be a concern, but not the only concern. I would consider someone  a bargain shopper when they have blinders on, and their focus is price only. That may not be true of all of them, but strategically, I have seen people who fit that description make more mistakes, when making purchases…or have to make another purchase to un do that mistake….all because they didn’t look at the value of the product, good, or service they would receive. After a little more research, a true bargain shopper will hold a retailer’s feet to the fire if they purchased an item last week or month, that just went on sale. I don’t have money to burn, but seriously, I have better things to do with my time, LOL.

The bargain shoppers are usually looking for a photographer who will do their headshots for 50 dollars or so, and photograph their wedding with 200 guests for 500 dollars. Mathematically, that doesn’t pan out. I know you have to work with what you have, but often these types of inquiries don’t know they have unrealistic expectations. I have a friend in another country who got married and she hired the cheaper photographer of the bunch because she was looking for a bargain. Then she proceeded to tell me how most of the photos were awful, and blurry, underexposed, etc. I told her, well I am sorry that happened, but let’s take a look at what happened. You hired someone whose credentials you didn’t really verify, and you were sold on his price more so than his work, and overall history. How could you expect different? It’s time to swallow the pill and hold yourself responsible, and be glad he at least showed up, lol. Unfortunately she had to learn value the hard way. It’s ironic how those who vehemently seek a bargain will be the most demanding and difficult clients to please.

In my case, with my business, my prices are more than reasonable, but are far outside the bargain range. Because I know the product and service I offer my clients are worth every penny, and more of what I charge. As a business, that is something you have to solidly believe, or no one will buy. So, if someone is only looking for the cheapest price, I will lose that bidding war every time. Which is fine, because I’m out to provide a service of value, not cheap stuff. Almost all of my customers are value driven, which is perfect for me, that’s how I am too. This means that they don’t have money to burn and can’t overpay, but they are smart, educated shoppers. Value shopping means looking at the overall quality of the product or service, the integrity of the provider or retailer, and the cost of it….that way they can decide if they see the value in paying the price. Then they make their decision. I have had a great experience and formed great relationships with value minded customers. And they have all been happy with what I provided. But not one of them would tolerate being taken advantage of, or receiving a product sub par to their expectations. Here is a good link I found that was helpful to this discussion. http://ecopreneurist.com/2009/01/14/value-shopping-doesnt-mean-buying-cheap-a-cultural-shift-to-quality/

I don’t have the opportunity to do these at every wedding I photograph, either the parties are getting ready elsewhere or the couple doesn’t want them….because they either don’t want to spring for the time dedicated to that, or they don’t see the attraction. Every wedding and every couple is different…..but to me, anytime this occasion is missed, so is part of the story I’m telling. I’m not saying the story of their wedding day can’t be told without the getting ready candid photos, but it’s certainly a nice touch, and there are always some sweet moments captured in that setting. And it fills that gap. Every book has a beginning chapter of what led up to the event, and to me, this part shows a behind the scenes, casual look inside, and what led up to all these people in a fancy setting being all dressed up.

I have posted several examples in my last Red House wedding article, of the pre wedding / getting ready candid photos. These are from another recent wedding I photographed at Cannonsburgh Village, in Murfreesboro, TN. Link here, if you are not familiar. Really nice historic site with beautiful old buildings and memorabilia. http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/default.aspx?ekmenu=126&id=3020 I was only shooting candid photos of the bridal party getting ready for a few minutes, but it was just enough to capture some really sweet and elegant moments, this was in the historic home across from the pavilion. I used available ambient light from a window, and played fly on the wall with a camera, so it all was natural. Do you not agree that these images help make their story a little richer? I had to get one of this nightstand decoration in the changing room too, leading this little series.

Street photography! Yes, I think so. It goes without saying that the style of photography used in street photography or photojournalism is where journalistic wedding photography gets it’s roots. The thing I find ironic, is that many people these days have very strong opinions about street photography, as far as it being a violation of their “privacy”, yet they are in public. Think about how little sense that makes, lol. And I bet many of those same people like their wedding to include some or mostly candid photos, which to me, are more interesting than the posed groups. Street photography has been around since the invention of the camera, it’s nothing new. It’s the inception of the internet and 9-11 that made people so paranoid about it. A true street photographer blends in with their environment, and often not even noticed photographing scenes in the streets, even if human subjects are part of the photo. They also do not use flash,  get close to their subjects, or follow them. In other words, they do not invade a subject’s personal space. Or make anything on a human subject visible in a photo that everyone else can’t see.

Regardless of how some may view street / candid photography, those are my roots. I rarely do it these days, but there are occasions where I will. Which brings me to this point in the discussion. Having that background has helped me be resourceful, and be able to adapt to changing lighting conditions, very quickly….and think on my toes. All necessary ingredients for wedding photography. I’m not saying there is a right and wrong way for a photographer to get their training or find their niche, but I am saying I’m thankful to be a street photographer first. It’s helped me find what I love to do in the professional realm, and still use my roots as my style, which is why my wedding photography has that documentary story telling feel. Of course there is some portraiture mixed in there too, but I’m talking about the overall mood of the event. I may be slightly biased in thinking, that having a background in street photography provides an advantage for wedding photographers who use a journalistic style. Some people quickly find their style, some it may take time to develop….others never find it. Your style reveals where your heart is, I know where mine is Here are a few candid images from street festivals, and feel free to compare the style with my wedding and engagement photos, I hope more people will embrace street photography as it’s intended to be.

It’s a little hard to get too gung ho about Summer with 100 degree plus days here lately, and facing my AC unit’s coil leaking some….ugh, but let’s think of the good things. I always feel better in the warmer weather. There are precautions to take, like not going crazy on sun, it’s good for us to get some sunlight, but I was never one for laying out, or tanning beds, leather skin and sun spots are icky. Also, drinking lots of water is very important. I especially have to watch this when doing photoshoots this time of year, or Summer weddings. Staying hydrated, because failing is not an option with a no do over event.

I just like the energy of Spring and Summer, and even Fall. People are focused on home improvement projects, personal health, feeling the wind in their faces on a motorcycle or driving a convertible, swimming and other outdoor sports, outdoor concerts, Summer cookouts and entertaining friends, etc. Oh, and let’s not forget the fresh produce / fruit! I hate hot house tomatoes, as you can get in the Winter, plus peach season and Georgia one state away!! Positive living is about perception….sure the 105 degree heat sucks, but it’s not that way every day…..there is always something to focus on that you enjoy that you can only do this time of year.

Here are some things I encourage you to do, just for something new. Country drive, taking photos in a daisy filled field, going canoeing, taking your dogs to the lake or river and let them enjoy the Summer activities with you….enjoy them while they’re here and let them enjoy new adventures too. Whitewater rafting, attending local festivals, drive in movies, supporting the local hardware store sometimes for home improvement needs as opposed to the giants, more water and less Coke, more cold cuts and salads and less fast food, nice fresh seafood on the grill, independent local restaurant instead of a corporate chain…..OH, and a roadside fruit stand for delicious produce, this supports the local grower and gives you great fruits and vegetables! Here are some resources for delicious foods and produce, besides that, look for the people on the side of the road and keep a few dollars on you at all times

http://www.picktnproducts.org/

http://localtable.net/

http://www.tnfarmfresh.com/

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/nashville/

Oh, and our last rain we had here, was causing ripples in my above ground pool, as it was letting up, and the soap based chemical even got me a bubble, a little slow shutter speed and good timing got this cool photo. Enjoy and be well!

That’s right, I have listed pricing on the wedding info / pricing page of my website, located under the info tab! http://www.jayfarrellphotography.com/blog/wedding-info-and-pricing/. after much debate. Before I discuss what led me to this decision, I will address why many fellow Nashville wedding photographers do not list pricing on their websites, me included for several years. Many brides/ couples get sticker shock when they see what wedding photography costs, mainly because they don’t understand how much expense, time, knowledge, and taxing physical exhaustion that goes into doing the job. You could at least triple post production time of time spent at the wedding itself. Assistants, backup gear, insurance, computer and backup, editing software, etc. You get the idea. Point being, it may be marketing related as to why prices are not on some photographer’s websites, but it’s not a trap. It’s best to first show the client the value of the service we provide, and then let them decide if it’s worth it to them when they do know the prices. Also, every event is different, and until we know some specific information about the event, it’s impossible to give a quote. In a perfect scenario, it makes little sense to get prices on something before you understand what you are getting.

That’s one advantage of creating packages, there is something to fit the needs of the majority, and changes can be made to accommodate others with different needs….it’s a preliminary starting point, not final. There’s a lot of work for couples to plan their weddings, and it takes a lot of time…and having tangible information helps them out. People have been conditioned to receive instant information with today’s technology, information on the web, social media, etc. I have heard that some brides exit vendors’ websites that do not contain any pricing information. Which sounds a little petty and impatient, because they can miss out on a lot from vendors they would like….but I also get it, that they want to have an idea that they can afford the services that vendor offers before investing too much time or getting their hopes up until they know some pricing information. I get it…the consumer thinks something with no price, the person providing it is hiding something or is preparing them for a timeshare presentation, there are times I’d feel the same way especially if it’s not something I have a lot of knowledge about. And with technology advancing, consumer expectations change.

My experiences have been that those who ask for prices, I got a pretty low percentage of qualified leads that way….of course I didn’t want to price things until I knew about their event, but you have to give them something, so either way, pricing must be covered, and if they ask, you have to tell them. I also tried a starting point on the site….I learned something about that too. Most people who contacted me expected their wedding to be the same or similar cost as my starter package, which is not possible if they need me for 5-6 hours and have 150 guests, LOL. Having starting price only, would probably work best if the different options are close together in cost. I decided to put pricing up to make it easier for the client, and once they see them and then they contact me, the ice is broken and they already know cost….now I can sell them on value, or take care of any changes to make to any package that suits them. Hoping it’s win win for both my visitors and for me

When you stop doing something new and listening to what your customers have to tell you, in many words or no words, business will slowly decline. Not what I want for my company, so….I am pleased to announce soon upcoming upgrades to Jay Farrell Photography! First, I will be getting new business cards soon, same design and same logo, but with a QR code being added to the back. I really hated this idea for a while, I first saw it done maybe a year ago. I thought, I’m an artist, how could this possibly add to the look of my card, ugly! LOL. But, there are days in my analytics report where I see 20 to 25 % of my site visitors are accessing through a mobile device. Though I wasn’t crazy about the look of it, it will add functionality, which really is priority one. I first thought, how lazy can people be, but the technology is here, so I may as well embrace it and make it as easy as I can for my visitors and prospective clients. Plus my designer assured me it wouldn’t be large, and wouldn’t take away from the design. So, it’s a good thing. It will help my viewers and will get me more traffic, will make my site more accessible to people, win win!

Second, I have made my headshot sessions (one look) including basic retouch, reduced from $150.00 to $100.00. I know there are a ton of photographers on Craigslist in Nashville who will do it for 50 bucks, but I’m not out to be the cheapest. But I am out to provide a great product for a great value. This provides an affordable headshot option for model and talent, corporate headshot clients, musicians, etc. Every bit helps….you spoke, I listened

Also, I have re structured my wedding photography packages! I have 2 different packages to include 2 or 3 hours of coverage, for under $1000.00! The upward of the 3 hour package includes a coffee table book, but the option is still there, omitting it, to make it under $1000.00. The other three packages include an engagement session and a coffee table book with professional design and lay flat pages, photographic cover and pages! This provides customers something they can’t go to a mass production retailer and get, this allows me to finish telling their story and keep it affordable for them! I will also be making short video clips with me demonstrating my sample albums, and coffee table books, giving the viewer an inside look so they can better visualize the product I provide, while they are in the research stage of planning their Nashville area wedding I can embed to my site, Youtube, and embed in emails with my package list, when I receive a wedding photography inquiry. Good stuff on the horizon! Now, finishing the Red House wedding coffee table book, so I have a sample to show what I am packaging. I currently have a guest sign in album which is a coffee table book, as well. Thanks to everyone for your feedback and support, it’s gonna be a great ride in coming years!

Being a New York native, I grew up a little spoiled in the pizza department, so it’s taken some hunting to find some noteworthy pizza. Of course most any city has Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Papa John’s, and Little Caesars as the major high volume and delivery chains. I remember Pizza Hut being better than it is now, now it seems tasteless and greasy, or dry if you get traditional crust. Papa John’s, doughy and I have no idea what they use for cheese, but it’s sure not low moisture mozzarella. Domino’s….tried it since the new commercials came out, still not impressed. Little Caesar’s, I can’t bash them at all. It’s ok pizza, not great….but the price is right and I honestly think it’s better than the competition I mentioned above. To my knowledge, all the chains I mentioned use conveyor belt ovens instead of a traditional pizza oven, for faster production cooking, which to me hurts the overall quality of the pie.

I have explored independent pizza shops around….I really liked Davinci’s which was on Hayes St. near Church St. but sadly they are gone. There is a small local pizza place near me, Castrillo’s in Riverside Village, they’re pretty good. I also like 5 Points Pizza. Their toppings are really good, but watch that, because they are expensive, like 3 dollars each. Fortunately, I’m not a fan of too many toppings at once. Mafiaoza’s on 12th Ave. is good too. I think the best I have had, that is still around, are NY Pie in Nashville West Shopping Center, by Best Buy etc. on Charlotte Ave. That’s the closest I have found to the real thing And it’s about identical! Also the place in The Arcade, downtown on 4th Ave. Manny’s House Of Pizza. Also really good. Nashville may not be known for great pizza, but there are some good places to enjoy until you can get to NY! Hope you have enjoyed your 4th of July holiday and got to enjoy some cookouts and swimming with family and friends!

I have seen historical venues with different rules that are pretty understandable and easy to work around….such as no use of real or artificial flowers on the floors, as they may stain or scratch hardwood or other surfaces. But the biggest challenge I will discuss here is about strict church rules, especially in the Catholic churches, I have personally experienced this a couple times myself. If you are a wedding photographer and are not familiar with their rules, you’re in for quite a shock when it comes time to shoot the wedding ceremony. You’ll have church officiants on your ass faster than you can take another shot. Many Catholic, and many other religion churches have a no photography or videography rule during the mass/ ceremony. Or if you get one of the lenient ones, you are allowed to shoot between certain parameters, or along side certain church pews, but never behind the priest and the couple. It’s always good to check with the priest on their rules, but many of them are not a priest of that church, and are traveling. So, also it pays to make pals with the officiants and be clear on the rules.

This is something the brides / couples need to understand before selecting the church or venue for their wedding. If their wedding photographer isn’t allowed to shoot photographs during the ceremony, they have to either be ok with whatever they are able to get, or not get….find a different place to have their wedding. If that is the case, the photographer has a choice to make…..provide for your client no matter what, which usually I am all for! But the responsibility here falls on the client for their choice of church. So, blatant disregarding of the church rules, I don’t condone at all. This is where the client needs to understand our hands are somewhat tied. If a wedding photographer is disrespectful enough to break the rules after being told, they face never working in that church again, which will hurt that  photographer in the long run. That’s why, as tempting as it is to provide for your client, it’s a bad idea. When in that situation, I put on my telephoto lens and went outside the doors, and snapped a few here and there, and made sure I got the kiss photo for the bride and groom….after the ceremony was over, I was allowed to shoot them coming back up the aisleway. I find that way is the best compromise. There is only so much you can get of a ceremony anyhow….if you get them coming down the aisleway and get a couple wedding party shots, and the bride and groom standing with the priest, the kiss, and them walking back up the aisleway, you’ve got plenty anyhow, if you are facing a set of rules especially. It’s up to the client to be ok with that, or go elsewhere, and the wedding photographer to use their best judgement, and not get banned from working there again.