Brace yourselves! More Facebook changes are coming…

For those of you whom are not aware, I deleted the Facebook app from my phone several weeks ago. I was really in a funk, struggling with my decision to pursue my passion full time – instead of going back to work a ‘real job’. Every time I clicked on, there was someone new wielding a camera and labeling themselves as a ‘professional’. Gah!!!!

*sigh* Real jobs have their perks! Steady income, heathcare, a regular schedule, yada yada. Alas,  photography is my love. Being able to capture moments in time, cherished memories – it makes my heart swell. But talent doesn’t pay the bills, ya know?

This month, Facebook changed some of the algorithms that dictate which posts you actually see from the companies you have ‘liked’. At first I was a irritated. Egotistical Zuckerberg thinks he knows better what I want to read than I do? Psh. I was also slightly miffed that my ‘reach’ was down on my own Facebook Page. The same posts that were reaching 200+ people last month are now only reaching 20? What gives?

And then I realized..it’s the dawning of a new day!

Successful businesses have one thing in common (well, more than one thing, but one thing that is relevant to my ramblings today): A SOLID MARKETING PLAN. You wouldn’t open up a restaurant or clothing shop and depend solely upon social media and word of mouth to advertise, would you? Not that social media and referrals aren’t awesome marketing – they just shouldn’t be your only avenue of reaching potential clients.

Photography is no different. It is a BUSINESS. Real photographers have a sizeable marketing budget to attract ideal clients. What good is your fancy new camera and stylish (yet functional) camera bag when nobody knows you exist? EXACTLY!!!! Gone are the days of buying a camera, slapping up a Facebook page and instantly becoming a photographer!

Thank goodness. Can I get an ‘amen’ and a sigh of relief from those of us who depend upon their small-business income to feed our families, pay our mortgages, and survive this economy???  Stepping off of my soapbox now…over and out!

Alex & Savannah | Class of 2013 | Lapeer East High School

How often do you get to photograph twins – TWIN SENIORS! Alex and Savannah had drastically different styles, but we were able to incorporate a little bit of both of them into their portraits. Yay!

Tim | Class of 2013 | Crestwood High School

 Hoo-rah!!! Tim is a very upstanding gentleman and is enlisting in the Marines! Mom & Dad couldn’t be more proud 🙂

Cheyenne | Class of 2013 | Port Huron High School

ARGH! These adorable PH girls are killing me! Cheyenne is such a funny, bubbly, crazy gal. We had a blast on our ‘tour de PoHo’. Nobody can rock the hot pink pants like this girl 😉

Sydney | Class of 2013 | Port Huron High School

Sydney’s Mom requested one thing: that we capture Sydney’s *adorable* dimple! We did, and soooo much more. Everyone’s favorite image from the session is sweet Sydney sitting in the swing in her backyard…they sure do grow up fast, don’t they?

Jacob | Class of 2013 | Marysville High School

Jacob! He totally had the quiet artist vibe – and he’s an awesome drummer. Despite the wind blowing over both of my lights stands (grrr) we had a great time and got some pretty awesome pics!

Jestine | Class of 2013 | Port Huron High School

This girl has the coolest eyes I’ve ever seen! I’ve never met anyone with TWO DIFFERENT COLOR EYES! Plus, her personality is sooooo fun and catchy. We had a blast at her session. Despite Mom’s doubts – we were able to drive the minivan down the woodsy path – and get the nature images that Jestine adored ❤

Editing??????

If you have ever been to a custom photographer, you may have wondered why it takes a week (or more) to view your proofs. So what’s the hold up? (Well, besides being a wife and mom in a very active household)??

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what happens to your images after I leave your session. This process it followed with every single image that I share with you, and images that are not up to my high standards will not be shared 🙂

First of all, I load the images into my computer. This takes a while because I shoot in RAW format, which basically lets me make the decisions of how the image will be processed (instead of the camera when shooting Jpeg), so the files are very large.

Next, I cull (sort and find the good ones) your images in Adobe Lightroom. I then create a folder of the ‘good’ ones, and open them individually in Adobe Camera Raw. Because I am not limited by Jpeg, I am able to tweak the exposure, white balance and any other little nuances of each particular image. I then export them as TIFF files to a separate folder.

Now we’re cookin!!!! Each TIFF file is opened in Adobe Photoshop, where I remove blemishes, undereye circles, enhance the eyes, whiten teeth, and all the other magic I do. This can be time consuming (usually 5-10 minutes per image) but the results are WORTH IT.

Then it’s back to Adobe Lightroom for some cropping and vignetting (if necessary) and exporting the files as Jpegs to a separate ‘proofing’ folder. Then and only then can your images be uploaded to your Gallery, or shared on Facebook.

My entire editing process takes 4-8 hours per session, depending on the type of session and subject…Time that is well spent if you ask any of my super-happy clients 🙂

Nicole