Lessons

Lesson Info

Boudoir Photography Part 2

We ended up with the pricing progression and name your own price so you guys ready to get into this a little bit okay, I think I am teo okay, so business is all about adoption we've already established that right we want to make changes as our business changes and as the scenarios change over the years so recognizing what you're doing isn't working and changing it can sometimes be scary and most certainly risky but you still have to do it because with scarier is not during it and then not having any more business right? So as a business order like I said if you can't go with the flow you're going to be left behind especially in this industry and I'm not just talking about going with the flow with pricing I'm talking about with everything in your business with you know stepping up like I just spent a day last week in my studio with a lighting rod because I want to learn how to use his life like it's something I've never done before and it's time for me to step it up a little bit bored w...

ith what I'm doing I have to do something different now so we're always growing as creative and as business owners ok so was this like a quick like we talked about waxing it's kind of like waxing was just like a quick change was it scary? Was it risky? Yeah but it's a calculated risk there's a difference between just a risk and a calculated risk, right? So maybe going back to the question you asked at the end of the last segment when you ask something in regards to praising, like, how doe I price myself driver really high? Do I start meeting price? You need to take a calculated risk with everything in business. Okay? That's less scary than just a risk, you know, jumping off a cliff, you're jumping article for the parachute, right? Kind of different. Ok, so let's talk about some of the advantages and disadvantages of the name your own price. Thie advantages are that it's totally custom. Everything is custom about it, and we're going to talk about that. You will get more bookings which will lead to more referrals. The absolute best boudoir marketing there is out there is referrals, period. Okay, I don't teach marketing classes, eye socket marketing, but I'm really good at taking care of my clients and having them go out market for me. So that's absolutely the number one way to get business. So we have to be really cautious of that and that's one of the problems when you're slow, if you're not getting clients in the door, that's going to impact your marketing and in your future bookings as well knowing yourselves up front, which is still now, I'm going back to that, ok, my money flows going a little bit different, I know what money is coming in on maybe even more because I want to up sell some of these sessions well, disadvantage are certainly you must be organizing what each client is getting. I mean, they keep, like, a running spreadsheet now, which was the with what each client has each client as a folder invited on the folder I mean it's so easy like, can I book the makeup? Did I not book to make up? It gets a little bit hairy sometimes, but I still think that it's worth it and of course it may bring in a different clientele like we spoke about before some of the lower priced packages may bring back some of those girls who are aggravating or give you, you know, more trouble, but they also may bring in more clients, and if you're charging what you want to be charging it's okay, if you're not making money in them that it's no good, but if at least you're making some money on them and they're half decent client that way, then ok, maybe you could do with a little bit of aggravation that had one client who was like all I didn't realize an album wasn't included I mean come on I sent you a contract we went back and forth of email give me a break you know people are trying to get away with things but you know at the end of the day she said you're right it's not in the contract okay so at least I have myself covered I did it the right way and it's still worth it if she recommends somebody to me I'd be very happy so let's start from the beginning okay I posted on facebook one day I noticed like I said that people weren't booking as much so I put on facebook a facebook world if you inquired with me or any other boudoir photographer for that matter about a session and you didn't book it tell me why not no no hard feelings no judgments just curious why that I would say the overwhelming response was that it was about the money so that socks right because you look at you all come on I'm giving you a service and I'm working hard and you're gonna look beautiful I'm going to change your life and I can list a thousand reasons for you to come have a session with me you're telling me I'm not worth a couple of dollars but they don't you see it that way so how do we get them to see it that way again money was stopping them so how did I respond to this my first instinct was to go to my block. My first instinct was to talk about my mission, not talk about the money. I could have easily gone on my block and said, hey, guess what, you guys, um, offering a name your own price shoot. You just tell me what you want, how much you gonna pay and we'll do it, okay, but I didn't do that. What I did was I went to the block. We probably can't read this but it's on my block so you can go there later generations. Boggs, dot com. Um, what I did was I went there and I talked about my mission. You know what I want? I want a world filled of women who do the war shoots. I want to make as many women feel good as I possibly can. I believe so strongly in it that what I'm going to dio is I'm gonna let you tell me what you want to pay for your shoot let's, make it happen. What I did was I took away the excuse of the money and I stuck to my mission. Ok? And here's, the funny thing we're gonna talk about this a couple of times the day I did this for people, copied it word for word and put it on their block. And it bothered me so much and it didn't bother me for the reasons you think. Well, maybe because let me tell you, two main reasons about anyone is screws up my google analytics and my ceo big time, and it does for them to like, if you're copying my block, neither one of us are going to get any traction on google to stop doing it. Okay, number two it's, not your mission, and I'm not saying that maybe it can't be close or that maybe you don't feel what I say resonates with you because I'm sure we're all doing it for similar reasons. Please, for goodness sake, put it in your own words, right? I mean, how how much less authentic can you be than copying my block and putting it on your block? That makes no sense to me. So my feeling was I'm doing this because of my mission, my authenticity, my honesty and there people are just copying it and it was hurtful it was hurtful to me into my clients because I feel like no, this is me being genuine, you can do it too it's not that hard to be yourself just do it, okay, so I really wanted to I want to get that message out there because I know people are going to go to my log now go at the pace I'm going to do this to please do do it this is why I'm on creative I want you to try this method but I want you to do it in your own way why do you want to do the name your own price what does it mean to you? You can go on there and say hey you guys you know what I don't want tio I don't want every woman in the world to have a good war expands I want every woman that went through a travesty in her life with illness to have a boudoir shoes so if you've had an illness in your life contact me we're going to do issue I want every woman who has had a baby to have a boudoir shoot so if you've had a baby and you want to get your mommy hotness back call me we're going to make it happen what is your mission do you see I just came about two off the top of my head okay I really just thought of those right now has got to be thousand other reasons why people do good or shoots do it for whatever reason you feel ok but again this is mission forward not money forward this is not about name your own price this is about why I'm doing name your own price and I put some parameters on and here's the things that you know, considered to take into consideration and whatnot if you want to read it, you could read it. I was very honest that money was stopping me money was stopping other people, so I was really very upfront, and I suggest you are too. So not only was it honesty and mission base that it was sort of a social experiment to ok. Now, here's, the great thing when you're slow business is quiet, you're looking to drum up some business, you really have nothing to lose, you could just try whatever you want to see if it works. I mean, it's the best time in the world to take that risk. So I said to myself, you know what? I'm going to try this, and I'm going to see what other people think it's worth, I know what I think I'm worth, but if other people don't think I'm worth it that I'm really not worth it, right? So I want to see what other people think it's worth, and here is why if everybody came back to me said, okay, general, ready to do a shoot for one hundred dollars? Well, then I'm just going to quit, I'll just call creative ivan tell me I'm not coming on in september because I quit because I can't make money on hundred dollars sessions there's no way, but what if my pricing was only off by one hundred dollars or two hundred dollars or five hundred dollars? Ok, which I know sounds like a lot of money, but really, it's not if you're talking about changing your price to a little more of a medium volume. What if, for five hundred dollars, those last five clients didn't book? May I need to know that? Don't you need to know that? So I needed to find out this was sort of a social experiment for me. What do you guys think it's worth? I had no idea what I was really didn't like. I was, I put it out there and I went holding my breath. I have no idea where people are going to say to me again when things are slow or your first instinct is to run a sailor, drop prices, how many of you have said ok, it's slow, I'll have my price, you know? Or I'm going to say, oh, it's, the fall special leaves are falling. So where my prices book a session for two hundred dollars off, right? We've all done it, but the thing is, how do you know that that's even gonna work, what if your clearance aren't booking you because you're three hundred dollars too expensive. And you drop your prices by two hundred dollars. There's still not gonna book you, and now you look at it. You go. Well, I must really stop because people aren't even booking me for two hundred dollars us. But if you just missing it by this much how do you know? Right? Like how do we know these things that must be asked? I feel like sometimes we just think we know all the answers we should know all the answers is business. People know sometimes you just need to ask. So this was sort of my way of asking. So what if, like I said, you drop your prices but there's still too high? What if they're to love? What if you drop your price is you take five hundred dollars off your prices, but people were only looking for you to really take to fifty off your pricing. Now think of all that money you're missing out on that people would have booked you out anyway. Somehow you're screwing yourself either way by just dropping the price. Is it's not a good idea to just go in there with a hacksaw and just go, I'm done with this. And is it fair to your other clients by the way, the book you at full price so none of my clients can complain to me my client that I shot this year for three thousand dollars they can't come to me and go wait a minute you didn't offer me this name your own price thing I would say that them will look at what you got. Everything you got was worth three thousand dollars you gave me these clients are getting less or this girl got half a session you got and she paid fifteen hundred or this client got an eighth of what you got and she paid a thousand you paid three hundred you know, this is not it's, not an apples apple's thing like when you go in and you just cut your pricing I could easily see you. Wait a minute. Last year you're charged me five hundred dollars. This year you're charging me to fifty for the same exact thing. Yeah, that's gonna piss your clients off for sure your past clients, right? But by changing it, it's like you mess with their brain a little bit it's like comparing apples to oranges like, wait, I don't I mean, I paid three thousand but I mean, I don't know what she's doing now is like crazy I don't know offer her three thousand that's what? She charged me last year, right? I don't know I mean, I'm just trying to play out all these scenarios because I'm thinking ok, there's either going to be like people are gonna love me or there's gonna be a shit storm later I don't know what's gonna happen, but I don't think by doing this you're really gonna upset your clients because you're offering something completely different than what they did. So that's what answers the question also that you had asked before rest. Okay, so bonus it's also marketing technique. Okay, people thought it was really cool that I was doing this it's kind of like whoa, what is she doing? So and so did you see this share? Hey, amy, I know you were thinking about doing a boudoir shoot. I know this photographer look at what she just put out, you should get in on this, okay? And by the way, one of the things that I did and when we'll talk about this going forward is I limited it to ten shoots knowing that if it worked out would continue it in my head, but I wanted to limited to ten shoes because I wanted people to take action that was their call to action, I'm only doing this for ten shoots if you wanted on this, you better get it now ok and so people were immediately like, oh my god, look at this share love I like this and immediately I started getting in grease from it and it brought in repeat clients now here's the funny thing I am expensive normally and normally I charged twenty five hundred three thousand dollars somebody might not do that every year, but a client who had a great experience like three thousand dollars twelve knows I'll go back sure why not take it as an opportunity? Or maybe I just wanted to have a blowup picture in my house this time or maybe I just wanted to make a small album or maybe I got a divorce and this time it's for may I had that too, so repeat clients are coming back for this also so it's a great way to get more people into the door so are you afraid of taking chances and business? I mean if you're busy then don't I mean it's like you're watching this and your business is rockin and boudoir beauty for you and you don't need this don't change anything, I'm not telling you to change it. What I'm telling you is if you're having your seeing slow time so you're having some issues like I was having her you're feeling unhappy or something is not sitting right in your business why not make a change in what are you so afraid of so I posted the block and inquiry started coming in immediately it was like post posted on facebook immediate rush and I learned that I made some mistakes see if that's the next yes ok, I didn't set a minimum price to be in with so it was just like a free for all you guys whatever you want to do, you just offer it to me and yes, I did get emails one hundred dollars I'd like to come to your studio and I would like for you to dress me and make up me and jeremy and shoot me and dress me and haven't in person stale session after and I was like, yeah ok, no that's not happening so I had to really think like what am I going to do? What? What is my minimum that I would work for? What do I want to get out of bed for and drive to the studio and leave my kids for? And I decided that it was going to five hundred dollars now five hundred dollars doesn't sound like an awful lot of money but the truth is I already know for five hundred dollars somebody's not going to get an awful lot of shoot either so I could probably take two or three today be home in time for homework that's fine thousand fifteen hundred hours in a day hoping to up sell them because he only buys two or three pictures right? They're going to want more than that. So let's, try it. What do I have to lose? You don't my rent thirteen hundred dollars if three girls book at five hundred dollars and I fit them all in a day. I paid my rent today one last thing I need to worry about, right? So I said, ok, five hundred dollars said that immediately kind of stopped those and to the people that wrote to me that offer less. I wrote back and I said, I really appreciate your inquiry. I would love to work with you. My minimum is going to be five hundred dollars and listen, guys, people asked me right off the bat on facebook like why? If you're so into your mission and you want women to feel great, why don't you just do it for free? And my answer to that is I'm not a charity, ok? Yes, I have a good heart and I am open to women and I love taking care of them and making them feel good, but I got bills to pay, ok? And I have no shame in now. This is a business, I'm not a charity, so we have to make sure we're still making money on these. So once I changed them minimum I have to say all the offers that came in were over a thousand dollars except for one girl I booked a five hundred dollars one girl and I put her on a day where I booked another thousand dollars client but everybody was over a thousand dollars and have to take me it surprised me the surprise you guys at all yes no maybe I thought like maybe like five to seven hundred dollars where most people would kind of come in on every single offer was over a thousand dollars except for one and I was like wow that's good to know because I had offers for twenty one hundred and I had office for fifteen hundred and offer for seventeen hundred and offer for twelve hundred on offer for ninety nine bargain price and you know it had I just dropped my prices I probably would have dropped them toe like half fifteen hundred seven hundred well, you know a thousand whatever I would have come up with some kitchen number nine ninety nine what if I made a nine nine tonight? What if I said I had a ninety nine special I would have lost out on all of those other offers that were seventeen hundred two thousand that would have sucked right so I was really I was like, wow people think it's worth more than I think that they think does that make them s so let's talk a little bit about how the negotiations because I think that this is going to be the hardest part for everybody to grass I'm from new york negotiating is in my blood, but I realize that it's not like that for everybody. So let's, talk a little bit about that there's four different scenarios that clients will come to you so a klimley there come to you knowing what she wants but doesn't know what it's worth, so she'll say, I want an album, but I don't know what I want to pay you she'll come to you and say, I have a budget in mind, I only want to spend a thousand dollars what is that going to get me or she'll come to you and say, I want the world and I want to spend five hundred dollars, she knows what she wants and she knows what she wants to pay for it or she's going to come to you and know nothing she's going to be like, I don't know, I want it, I don't know what I want, I don't know what I want to spend tell may help me, so you have to be ready to help people you have to be like, all right, I'm on top of this, I know what people want, so let's give a little bit of an example first client is knows what she wants but doesn't know what to pay, so she'll write me an email that will say something like hi, jen, I was thinking, I want to do good war shoot, I would love to do something with maybe two out the changes I'd like to have an album with ten photos may be digital is, I'm not sure, and I needed for my wedding october twenty fifth. Also, do you include makeup and hair? Okay, so I think to myself, I go, all right? I can either write factor and say, well, give me an idea of what you're looking to spend on all this if she writes back and says, listen, I don't even know where to begin. I've never even research something like this. I just know I want you as my photographer give me an idea of what it is, then this is where you have to start thinking, ok, well, hair makeup cost me this much, and, you know, shooting time, we'll take this much time and editing time. We'll take this and you have to kind of come over the number, so you go back to her, ok, here's the thing if you want to shoot with two out the changes in an album with ten pictures and so fourth, I sort of brought it down to the bare bones, right? I'll say that I could do that for I'm just making up a number right now, you guys, I could do that for eight. Fifty. If you want to add the digitals, it will be an additional three hundred again. I'm just making up numbers and my hair and makeup artists are actually also running a little special. They lowered their prices from one fifty two one ten. So if you want to add that it's another to twenty to add that you let me know what you think. Ok? So my feeling is I booked her for at least what they ate. Fifty I think that was the number I threw out, right? Maybe she wants to our shoot small album. I probably wouldn't do now one hundred thousand dollars, by the way, I'm just making up these numbers. But, you know, you have to think, where am I at what do I want? Tohave? Minimum. And I have to tell you, most of the women will go. You know what, harry? Makeup is really important to me. Okay? I could push my budget. All right, I add that in or take out, I'll decide on the digital later or whatever it might be. There is a back and forth to all of this. The biggest keys you have to make sure not to be a push over there is a back and forth. Okay, the second scenario is she has a budget of mine and doesn't know what it will get so she'll come in. She'll say I'm ready to spend a thousand dollars. What can you offer for me and youngest for a thousand dollars, I can offer you one hour shoot. Which will you two outfits makeup and five digital's just making up and she'll say ok, well, I really, really want here no problem. It's one hundred ten extra if you want hair not okay, I'll include it. Ok, it's one hundred ten extra if she's like, you know it blows my budget then you maybe you could say, you know what? I spoke to the hairdresser she's going to lower the price a little, you know, negotiate. This is the back and forth. But put it be confident, the price you're giving her. Okay, if you want to add it is another hundred ten and you know what? I never had one girl say to me now never mind not going to add it one hundred ten dollars. I mean, they're already spending a thousand what's another hundred dollars so it's funny how they sort of negotiate themselves up. I always find this hysterical uh sometimes girls all right. And they got my budget's five hundred no more don't even try to talk to me. Okay? This is what you get for five hundred. All right? I could do eight hundred but really that's it, you know? And I'm like this is the best negotiating ever if they keep raising the prices is perfect. But you would be surprised how they do that. I was really surprised. The next scenario is a budget and package in mind. This is the one that I always find to be the hardest because this is the girl that will always write you and say I want the full experience I had this yesterday the full experience I want appreciate consulate I want you to do my hair makeup. I want you to do this and that and the other thing and give me everything you have on your thing and I could only spend eight hundred dollars and I want to bring my friend she only wants to spend eight hundred dollars and we figure for three hours in the studio sixteen hundred dollars is a good number well, we all know it's not three hours in the studio, right? Like I always tell my clients the amount of time I send shooting you is the least amount of time I spend on your job from beginning to end. This is the easy part um so I understand our in her mind that makes sense but in my mind and while it it doesn't make sense and I'm honest I'm sorry I can't do it for eight hundred dollars I don't do any albums one hundred thousand you know, I might throw out or other rules and here's the great thing as you start booking them, you're going to start seeing and we'll talk about this some trends so you could even start throwing out some other things that clients booked here's the thing what you want is not going to happen for that amount of money, but for this amount of money here's with some other clients booked for about fifteen hundred so and so got two thirds of what looking for for a thousand I got half of what you're looking for. This will give you some sort of idea of where I can do this I still need to make money and people get that, you know they're not gonna be like no, you can't make money if you just had us with them us following me so far, okay and my favorite the girl who doesn't know anything at all which is the most moldable cyst oration that you could have and it's great because you can say well, the most popular thing that people book is x y z and sort of move in the direction you think that she needs that I always ask questions well, what is this for? How many pictures do you think you're looking forward? You have any outfits in mind that you're thinking about wearing do you have any budget all in mind you have you know I kind of asked some questions and you know she sometimes will answer them or sometimes be like no, I just I really just don't know just help me and she's trusting you is an expert so what is it this sort of standard package that you want to sell her? Maybe I would for back to your normal pricing or maybe I would refer back to that like special that maybe you had that always worked their client's book you could say listen I had this special that I was running it such a good deal it's ninety nine it was an hour of shooting makeup included ten digital that's a great place to start you can always add more pictures later you can add hair in if you want tio I'm giving you options this is a great place to start and they go ok? That sounds fair right, because they have no idea that I could argue with you they have no idea. So and I'm certainly not saying pull one over their eyes or, you know, cheetham into something I'm just saying, use your expertise to guide them into what you want them to have, ok, makes sense. So again, things to consider when you're negotiating are the price ranges and, again be fair to the client had already booked you. I mean, if a client booked you for fifteen hundred dollars and you gave her x y z and somebody wants to book you for five hundred don't give her that same x y z that's not really fair. You I don't want to just book clients a big client. I wanted to be fair. I want what they're spending to be, what they're getting that makes sense of it within a couple of dollars. Couple hundred dollars here and there. Okay, maybe one girl books, x y z twelve hundred, another girl books out of fourteen hundred. I could live with that. Okay, same idea. So how we do this while maintaining our brands are equities just being honest? Just be honest with people, I'm gonna be honest with you, I want to work with you, but I can't do it for what you're offering me. I could do it for a minimum of the thousand dollars that way I could make a couple bucks you can get what you're looking for my hair and makeup people are happy it's not a rip off by any means this is what I can do it for and don't be afraid to say no you guys when somebody comes, you don't be afraid to say no, I can't do it for that because now you're just gonna screw yourself that's not business that's, you know you're gonna end up losing money off of that they're going to bring in more clients like that, trust me and don't rule out your standard pricing. I had another girl yesterday who contacted me and basically I said to her, oh, we're doing this name your own price you and she said, I just want the works, john, I feel great, I'm in the prime of my life, I just want the works and I said, ok, well, here's the works the works is my standard package and it's six fifty two come in and it's about an eighteen or nineteen hundred dollar investment after your end of spending about twenty five hundred dollars, but I can guarantee you're getting way more than anybody is getting on this program and it's going to be an incredible experience, okay, no problem it's funny how almost this makes my standard pack just look even more desirable because now they're getting everything right so I even made my old pricing look good this is not about getting a bargain you guys this is the difference between cutting your prices and offering a new type of creative way of marketing yourself this is not about getting a bargain it's about giving your client what they believe is worth getting their money's worth does that make sense okay this is it's like a totally different perspective when you go and you get a bargain versus when you're going to go wow I thought that was I'm glad I spend money on that it was worth every penny I would never ever say to anybody you shouldn't do that because that was worth every penny that was amazing glad I did that so once you agree on a price the custom contract goes out that's a little bit of annoying thing custom contract but I just have my standard contract I just have one paragraph I change with what it includes a triple check it like fifty eight thousand times to make sure it's right and I collect the retainer I take a fifty percent retainer on these the's type of shoots fifty percent is due that day when they signed a contract fifty percent is due the day they come in for their shoot before I even do anything the money is collected okay, sometimes I would suggest if you weren't sure to collect it the day before maybe but at least the day off before you do anything and then I sent out to e mails one upon booking, confirming your session here's some ideas of what you can bring with you I'm not doing pre shoot conflicts unless people ask me so this is a little bit of, like a weird area for me because I'm so used to getting to know my clients but most of them on at this point, I'm not doing that unless they specifically asked me because it is time consuming, so basically I send out a sort of a standard email here's some ideas of what to bring I could certainly help you if you need a little more guidance sent me some pictures of what you have that's not a problem, but here's an idea of what you need to bring in how you need to show up to your chute. The other one I sent a few days before just confirming making sure everything is good in their package they're all set their happy tio tell them you know how they show up with their hair makeover stated book hair makeup with me things like that so the shoot and we'll get through this in a couple minutes and we're actually going to dio a little bit of a shoot my shooting really hasn't changed much okay I do shoot quick quickly and thoughtfully that's how I like to put it I want to get bang for my buck I want to make sure with every pose and getting a few shots if a girl comes in for only a half an hour shoot and I'm planning on up selling her I better show her fifty to seventy five good pictures that's not so easy to get in a half an hour when you really only have time like I showed about one hundred to one hundred fifty pictures and outfit usually so if I want to show her half of that I have to make sure I'm shooting thoroughly quickly thoughtfully and we're going to show you kind of how we do that and by the way today's shoot is freaking mia there's nothing I hate war in the whole wide world like I'd rather get shots than to live on creating he's been talking to me today yesterday like hated hated hated but I will do it for you guys because I love you but the girls that were working with day I did not meet them until the break just now so I have absolutely no idea what their personalities are how their bodies knew I mean I don't know what they look like until ten minutes ago so this is like the real deal so I couldn't put I mean really ok, like most people prepare for this stuff and I'm like no, I want to show people how it's really done we're just going to talk quickly about a handful of shots that I make sure I get with every session I don't care how much he pays name your own price ala carte packages everything these air shoots shots that sell every single time the two she shy and I mean, if my toast looked like that, I'd buy it too I'd probably get on my front door um but the fish eyes really important it's funny last week I was working in the studio with some lighting guys and we were doing some shots and the guy was like you like just take pictures of their but then like they buy it every time and he's like really, which is of their ass and I'm like if it looked like that, wouldn't you buy it to like if you're posing properly and you could make a girl looked like that, right? Any girl would buy this picture because she'd be like god is not going to always look like that guys love it that goes on said but you know women like if it looks really good, they want this shot for sure I want that shot I mean come on two shots very important the hotbed shot there's always you know, multiple different poses that we can do this is something I do with almost every client still I mean, I could do it in my sleep I've done it with every client from the start, but they love this shot, you know, just the hotbed shots they all want ah head shot it's always important to have a shot that doesn't imply boudoir all that they can put on facebook or send their friend or share with their mom or do something or even I mean, I've had people blow these pictures up for their mom and like their mom had no idea they did a boudoir but that's important because, you know, going back to how are you showing work this that you want people to talk about you I mean, I don't show ninety seven percent of the work I do it's painful some of my best pictures nobody will ever say because I just can't. So, um I always make sure to get a good head shot this one's a little sexier, but you get the idea the anonymous shot because oftentimes they'll sign a release on that and women love like, if you ask any woman like, is there anything you really want me to get? She'll be like I love those shots were like my face really isn't in it and women like hate paint pictures of their faces the funniest thing myself included so they always wanted anonymous shot that maybe they could hang on the wall nobody would know it's them but of course everybody does know it's them but I'm not going to tell them that uh but you know something like I mean this is hot too like the anonymity of it adds to the mysteriousness and the fun of it so you know, we always want to make sure you get an anonymous shot and a laughing smiling shot and those air always fun and the reason why I like that is because women recognize that girl they don't recognize their sexy self but they recognize the laughing, smiling, having fun girl and they connect with her and I literally had clients say when they say a picture like, oh I like that I know that person you know like that I recognize so we always want to make sure that we get that and even this is a great shot that she could put on facebook or blow up in our house then you know, you don't know if it's a t shirt or tank top or lingerie here's the thing you guys I'm a huge posing advocate ok? It comes from my background as a figure jar opposing is so imp hort ids it's even more important with this model that it isn't any other model because the thing is that if you're charging less you want less processing time you want less time in front of the computer? If there's anything that you know about me, I hate edit. And I will soon oppose a girl to an inch of her life. Then I will liquefy something on photo job because that takes more time for me than it does too. Suppose her properly plus, when she wants to see the back of the camera, like, do I look good? I go, yeah, you look really good. And I'm not like, oh, I can show you that because I have to liquefy this thing first, you know? You guys know liquefy it. Yeah. Okay. Um, for anybody doesn't know what home is when you get so, you know, suck everything in and move everything around. I don't really like to use. Look, if I do use it sometimes, but I would rather pose her properly. Go home, run through the images and go. Ok, boom. She can see them. It's. Great. We're going to talk about the eight points opposing now. It's finally come. The thing is, get you guys also on, and I think, uh, rest is probably talk about it to trace the end. But I do just want to remind you, keep somebody knows I I do consider myself a little bit extra imposing because I have all of that experience figure drawing and I do have a dvd about it and we're gonna talk about that a bit, but I'm going to show you in action over you model this day let's see let's work with lisa first you okay with that's? Not ok, the least you could come on are you could stay robed if you would like we're just going to figure out yeah, ok could mean clapping theo only they were shooting on creative lives being in your underwear. I'm great alive, though we really appreciate you doing that. We're actually kind of the same height now, okay, I'm just procrastinating. All right, so all right, so lisa first actually, if you don't mind hanging here with me for one second, she can we just see what you're wearing? I just want to talk about wardrobe for one really fast. Second, besides, opposing war job is like the one thing that you could really do to control what a woman's body looks like and how it appears in camera when she first put on her outfits, I had her choose the one that she loved the most that she would feel comfortable and the outfit looked adorable on her, but I didn't feel that it would translate the same in camera the top was a little darker the bottom is a little bit later and I felt like it was just breaking up her body a little bit like it made her look a little segmented so I went with something a little more monitor owns it this way I don't know you just look longer that way I mean you have a great body but we wanted so we want to make sure we take somebody with a great body we don't want to start hacking them up into pieces we want to make sure they look nice and long and fluid so that's where we're at so are you ready? I don't know if I'm ready okay let's see em all hooked up here all right I am using my fifty millimeter lens by the way this is not right um it's this is the sigma the new sigma fifty millimeter art lens if anybody is familiar heard about it it's like the sickest lens in all of history and I take it with me everywhere I go and that's like genuine it's the sharpness on this lines absolutely incredible and I really like it for boudoir because it allows me to be really intimate with my client I get to stay nice and close to them even today remember when I first came up here is that you guys are so far away god that's not my comfort zone like I like to be like here you know, like she's she's nervous and I want to be like it's ok, I'm going to take care of you. I'm right here. Fine, you know, imagine I was like, all the way back there and I was using a seventy two, two hundred and I was like, you know, all the way back here, like, all right, look sexy over there, you know, like it's just it doesn't translate. We're going okay? S o I really like to make sure I'm really nice and close and intimate with my clients when I work with them. So let's, just have you sit down for just one second, and maybe what I'll do is I'll have you again. I we've never worked together before. We just met a little while ago, so I have no idea. Thanks, john, would you like to shoot for me? Okay, I'm just gonna have you lay now, here's what I wanted to do late with your body facing toward me. And I want you on that uncomfortable part of your hips. So you know what? Let me show you. Let me actually show you now, but I just got this all on. The best thing to do is if you're not really sure how to communicate it, just show her so help up for one second because your long I want to make sure that we keep that length because I love it about you and what's going to happen is if you come in let's, see if I can even do this really close. You're going to sort of chap that off, so when she extended a little bit and come up right on that uncomfortable part of your hip, they're not going to feel uncomfortable. This is really mushy. So bonus for you, it's actually gonna feel good. I want you to keep this bottom like straight and bring the other leg beside it, and I want to see what it looked like. And I'm not committing to this. I just it's just a starting point for may. Um, let's see what happened. Thank you. Okay. I think actually we move that one out of the way completely. No it's great. I don't care want you to look long. Long is awesome. I wish I had long, so I'm all good with it. Um, let me just take ok? So she's not forget. I can't see the back she's. Not anywhere near the pose I want her to be in I'm just looking for lighting wise what it looks like on and I'll tell you where I'm at right now I am at one twenty fifth of a second and a half to eight and I also eight hundred all right so what I want is actually bring your arm up the way it was before if you can can you wait? Something happened ok right ok. All right. So lighting wise I think that we look ok so now we can sort of start posing you but I want you to dio is so your hip that you're laying on is actually toward me a little bit I want you to kind of tuck it under you see your role toward me even a little bit more good but instead of rolling your upper body is where may push that hit back like I literally want youto okay ready? I'm going to show you again because I know so why would I want the bottom him? I wanted to be back away from me further yes just like that. Perfect. Okay, good I love it. I want that bottom like nice and straight yeah good on the top like come over just like that. Let it kind of hang excellent. Now you see one of the things that we're getting here is it's called skin and it rolls when women do this on its natural and it's normal and it doesn't mean anybody spat or scary or horrid are awful but some point maybe like victoria's secret or some catalogs start editing all this stuff out so we as women think that this shouldn't exist but it does and our clients don't want to see it's a it's a a fact of life so what I'm going to do here is actually used this is meant to my advantage to pose her and do you mind if I just touch your hand for one second I just want to bring your arm forward and just gently laid here now there's a couple of things that that does first of all it's blocking that role I'm not going to have to edit it later she doesn't have to see if I show her the back of the camera were all good we're still breathing the other thing is this it actually follows the lines of her body okay do you see that it doesn't block her curves it accentuates her curves it's not adding any bulk here it's still giving me that curve that I want to see so normally if you have your arms next to your body could add a lot of bulk to it but in this case is actually accentuating her curves it's very delicate and it's blocking all that stuff that I don't want to say I love her leg on top of the other leg although I want to see your toes so can you bring your toes not the bottom like yeah exactly. Now here's, the thing with my eight points opposing there. Are you okay to stay like that for a second? Okay. Ok. Um, let's see how long she stayed like that? There's eight points to the body to remember those armored hurdles that we used to have, like, enjoying classes and stuff. You guys remember that there's eight points on those dollars that bend and those of your eight point that you're going to check every single time you press the shutter. Basically, they somebody count, like with your fingers for singing it's your head? Yeah, like, give me a hand or get your head on your shoulders, your arms or elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees, ankles. Okay, so there was a point that you're going to check every single time you click the shutter. And what are you checking for your checking to make sure that they looked the best they could possibly look so it's not what you have to learn is not onl see which points a check, but how to move them to get what you want them to dio and want them to look like thie. Our eyeballs have a brain behind them, so our brain makes a lot of assumptions and a lot of decisions for us, right, the camera doesn't have a brain we are the cameras brain, so we have to see what the camera sees by taking a picture like I just did and then making adjustments, taking another picture, stopping and going ok, is this what I wanted to look like or not? And if it's not, you have to know how to move it, to make it look the way you want it to look, okay? It's, it's something that takes time to develop, but what I want you guys to do it is just every single time you press the shutter on any single picture, any port you're taking double check these spots now it's important to double check them, even if they're not in the photo because it could influence with the rest of the body. Looks like number one and number two if you guys shooting weddings or seniors or family sessions or whatever, all of this still applies, even if she's wearing clothing, even if you can't see what her legs look like under address, it has to be in the right position because it will affect the rest of the body. Ok, so we're going to do as much of that is that we can hear so all right, well, what I want you to give me, like, ten minutes. I want to just work with her. Show everybody how I talked to her and see how many kinds of different shots we can get in about ten minutes, which is about a third of what I would normally do with a client. So our affair okay for perfectly? Ok. Oh, my god. This is like a whole. Get up. All right. What I would like you to dio is lisa. Just turn your head a little bit. This excellent. Now your arm feels a little heavy to me. So can you bring it behind your hair a little bit? Is there any way I don't know if this is possible? Some asking more than I am requesting for you to bring that arm out a little bit more perfect. Thank you so much. And can you just move your hair out of your eye? A little? Excellent. Okay, great. So let's see where we are at right now and just look up at me with your eyes good. And they want you to give me a little tiny squint in your eyes. Perfect part of what I love about I just want to see what would happen if you touch with that hand. You bring it up a little bit any bit more, okay, um, what I'm trying to do right now, by the way, create some interest in theo image using her arms ok so this is it's ok it's fine just leave it I'm going to keep going I didn't want her arm down further can you drop your arm down again because then I'm cutting it off I'll show you what that looks like and I think it's much more interesting with her arm race who can you raise your arm again? Perfect okay but I want you to do is turn your face towards this direction and no let's come back this way just kind of looked down your body come back I'm sorry come back toward the light yes just kind of looked down your body for me so when you're looking down your body it's like this your eyes just kind of down almost looking at your chief phones and I don't want to actually looking at your body I want you more just with your eyes down and maybe tilt into it a little bit for me the perfect eyes all the way down I don't want to see half eyeball can you bring your chin out and down a little tiny them where good and eyes all the way down almost closed but I don't want them close because when somebody closes her eyes it actually changes the last line and now that sounds weird and it's so slight but if you ever do this like tested if you go back home ask you wrote a lower eyes and closed her eyes when she has her eyes closure was dead when her eyes are down it keeps that roundness of her eyes you know she's alive and she's kicking it's really true you guys are going to go home and do it you're big wow she's totally right okay good I want you to look up at me again good what can I say that would make you laugh okay? That's always hated perfect all right and always almost always works by the way and if not you can result so like resolved toe like barton poop and stuff like that good let's chop your hands a little bit more back there good I don't want you to bring your elbow toward me get I'm going to come in nice and close to you see what iran forgetting I can't look good okay, so you see what I'm doing I'm trying to pull out I'm going in and getting that head shot I'm making sure that the polls looks good and once the pose look's good they could just kind of keep rocking it out can you look up? Let me tell you had a little bit this way there you got to give me a nice little squint in your eyes perfect no smile for one second just really nice since years but can you briefing your mouth for me good. Can you look down with your eyes again and lean all the way into your hand that you're really so this arm here just kind of yeah, there you go. So I don't want you to turn too much into armpit because it's gonna look like you're selling armpit, so just kind of leaned back with the back of your head. A little bit more good. Chin down a little bit. There you go. Just look up at me. Awesome. And then eyes down, but not closed. Perfect. Okay, let's, change it up a little bit. Stretch it out. Good. Yeah. Oh, I like that. Actually. Put your back up against their great here's. Another little check. Can you take your touch out a little bit from the I just want you lean back with your shoulders. Good. The reason why is I want to make sure that we see this back here. Okay? If she is pushing all the way back against the edge of the back of the chair, then it's going to start adding some boat because I don't know where her curves are, but here by pulling it away, it as some nice curb. And she also has to engage her stomach muscles when she's kind of arching, can you arch for me a little bit? So it's going to make her stomach a little bit tighter versus, like sitting back and getting, you know, the rules that we have here now, which again all women have we just don't want to admit it um, great that backhands that I can't see right now can you bring it up? Kind of just touching the chair? Perfect, I want you to turn your head more toward your shoulder for me closest to make great now, one of the things I wanted changes your legs, but first I'm going to do a before shot can you relax your finger that point? Your finger? You see how specific I'm getting, like finger and that's? Because I'm checking every single point before I start shooting with her? How many times have you seen a picture where you're like shoot? That would be such a good picture of her finger wasn't sticking up right? Or it's always a little tiny things we don't notice because we look for the big parts, we don't always look at the small ones, so this is really important, so just gently kind of touch the chair from a perfect turn your head a little bit more to the lane, excellent! Now I'm going to take one picture I want to give me a nice little arch these lisa good and just look up at me I want you to relax your fingers could you just call them up again and like they start looking claw like just kind of just touching the chair perfect. Just look up at me good now can you uncross your legs for me? Bring the leg closest to me a little bit higher. Yes, now we're going to try that and I just want to see what it looks like. I'm not sure going to commit to it but that backhand can you just touch your knee? Yeah there we go. Turn your head a little bit more if you can I know it's uncomfortable but if it hurts, it looks good trust me and can you yeah, give me a little art and just look up at me and give me a little squint I want your head turned a tiny bit more if you can good and just look up at me. Look at me. Thank you. Okay, good. So I think that if we can go back and forth between the last two pictures that I took, you can see I have this rule that, um the front leg always needs to be higher. Actually, you know what? Can you switch your legs of that front leg? Yeah, go like that so hard to tell with you because you're a nice long and slim, but what happened is let's go back to the this one and then the one right before it you see how that back by looks so much thicker than the one in the front that and it's the way to fix that is the front legs should always be higher you guys always always always always like every time I see it it kills me because that back and sometimes look way more out of proportion than this looks so always that front leg a pyre all right so again just kind of bring your head back this right and what I want you to just take this hand and just kind of bring it on your on and just kind of slowly move down the wait for me and look at that meeting okay can you push you to shout a little tiny bit more good what I'm trying to do is actually separate a little bit more here try to get a little more space there so I need to move her body this because I can't move her arm back anymore keep your hands really nice and relaxed I want you to put we have to do that yes thank you it's like attention thing almost like we need to kind of put a little more tension in that shoulder good and bring your head I liked when your head was kind of resting I just want to fix your hair do you mind thank you. I always ask permission before I start manipulating half the time I put them in the eye so can I fix her hair? Right? Right, exactly. All right, bring your head back over this way a little bit and just I want you more kind of back here and just a while just wait for me but I want you to start here and then just kind of bring your hand and I want you to look up at me and then when your hand gets a little further down just look down before your shoulder it's to me a little squint in your eyes way find my shot older ok, ready? One, two, three go for it just kind of keep moving keep bringing your hand down to look up at me beautiful. Okay, so I'm making sure I'm getting some variation looking up, looking down different poses and again, this is like so far from a real world scenario for me but we're doing the best that we can here let's see what would happen if he came towards the edge of the chair keep going, let me see. Um, can you let me see what happens if you lay down and then can you sit up for just once again for me, just see if I can make this tighter for us if you don't mind so anyway, what I was saying before about the fifty millimeters that you can see how much I'm moving around, I think this is just a quick in and I love that about the fifty it keeps me from being lazy and it forces me to kind of walk oh, sorry it forces me to kind of walk around her and see what different shots I could get and it's like really I don't I like to be active when I'm shooting I don't there's nothing against using zooms it's not for me I don't like just standing there and kind of going in and out I find that my feet feel like conch I like to be able to move around and like it's funny how I always seem to whenever I'm here or anywhere else narrow myself into this little corner but this is like a security blanket for me I like to be in a small space and work with a client like this with the fifty really helps me with that. All right? So let's just see, I just want to say it looks like with you later can you bring some hair forward perfect and yeah, ok sounds good. Can you bring your legs up onto the yeah, I want to kind of create some interest there you could actually uncross them and just bring them next to each other good let's do this can you sit up for me because I'm not loving that as much yeah, I want you to kind of hold your knees but if you have to move back so you're not on the slow part that's okay that's okay? You're good helps rating snow season can you bring your hands all the way around good and now I want you to look back here again yeah, I don't you don't have to give me your shoulder necessarily just like that is perfect and just kind of bring yeah, maybe john can we could really bring it around a little tiny that get ok I'm just going to be here one more time take a few more pictures, ok? If you can again just kind of bring your chin more toward your shoulder beautiful. I love this okay, I want you to bring your feet together and a little bit closer to you if you can come out a little tiny bit no, I'm sorry not your touch but your feet yes, perfect. Okay, good. And I dropped that shoulder a little bit toward me and looked back toward your chin or your shoulder I get my body parts confused can you bring your face back a little tiny bit more perfect and look all the way down with your eyes great. Now look up at me drop that shoulder like instead of dropping it down push it back a little tighter than excellent and bring your head back this little shit perfect and look up at me give me a little tiny squint good look down at your shoulder one more time time because I missed focus on what can I say it would make you laugh one more time get perfect okay, so you're off the hook you can relax for a second um so again this is you know, in a scenario like this what I probably do it then with the charity the way I'd have her standing up maybe I'd have some fabric on the wall if it's near window I would you sort of what I call the rotisserie chicken method I would just have her keep rotating so I can get all different kinds of shots you know I'm going way we want to do hard on so we want to do vertical I wanted you close up I wanted you far away in my studio I would take a shot all the way back here and have her by the window and give me some movement but it's very very fast moving very quickly and the funny thing is in the first polls or the second post just like I don't really know what you're going out but by the time you get to the third or fourth pose she's like ok you know she kind of knows exactly what you want to do and you know the other thing is a lot of times clients would say I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry like I'm not doing it right and I always say stop saying you're sorry this is what you're paying me for I don't expect you to know that's never apologized to me because I really am manipulating them so much that they're it's like I feel bad sometimes thank you so much lisa capri our next model so come on out we would love a lot of folks online we're wondering about your camera strap it from whole best I knew I was going to get that they're awesome um you can come on in actually duncan we moved the the lounge out of the way the chair it's hold fast I think if you if you go teo oh my gosh I'm gonna have to look it up can I get back to everything okay yeah I should know it off the top of my head but I think it's like hold fast something that if you look up hold back on camera shop you'll find it and it's really sexy isn't holster and you can actually to cameras on it which is cool I just don't shoot you can't miss okay so I'm gonna have you come right up against the wall take your robe for you this is joanna she's super gorgeous best skin ever? Yes, if we could raise that a little bit. Perfect. Okay, um, you look off them. Feel good, okay? All right. I want you. Just shake your hair out a little bit. Give me a little bit of I mean, you were perfect. You got your super adorable. Um, is there a stool or something somewhere? Just I need the short one. Maybe the shorter one is better. Thanks. Okay, so when she did that, like, I already know, I wanted to like a hair shaking shot with her, because how cute was that? And the best thing is, when your clients I don't think that you're looking thank you, that's the best time to get poses and ideas out of them because they're always just like that. They're relaxing the second you bring up the camera, right? But I mean, they're relaxing. Ok? What I want you to do is this. This is a really great trick. You guys, one of the biggest things that you need to know how to move the hips, okay, hips away from the camera. If you ever see any celebrities on the red carpet, they're always standing like this, okay, oh, is with their hips back and their legs crossed it's really important? So what I want you to do is take your hips from the waist down and just pushed them back against the wall so you could take a small step toward the wall if you need to. And that is your anger. Okay? She's wearing high heels, she's not used to walking in them every day. S o by doing that by pushing her hips back it's giving her a little more curve a little bit less thickness in here, like sometimes especially underwear allies it could. It could make her look even thicker than she does. I mean, does not think by any means in any way, but we don't want to make her look like she's, not that's like the worst thing you could do. So what I want you to do now is just with your feet together. Push all your weight into one side, maybe like, yeah, good. Now you see how this like ben's. I just want you to bring it over. And now here's the thing. You cannot give me one of these when she starts doing this. This is one of the spots where they want one of the eight points. The ankle. She looks like she has to pay, but if she keeps her foot straight it's much nicer looking if she has a problem even doing this then you can cross your legs so just if you wouldn't mind just crossing your legs for one second that's totally acceptable also ok let's stay like that touched all the way up against the wall but I don't want your back against the wall like that part should be kind of free you don't have to worry about that as much if you could put your hands on your waist and come bring them up nice and high in the smallest part of your waist ok now here's the thing about joanna that I'm just noticing right now if she puts her hand there she usually what we're doing is we're accentuating the curve right? Because that's the smallest part of her body but what she did because of her outfit and you see house where it is where it's like a big rectangle right here I should say by putting her hands here she's actually blocking her cards that can you come down again she looks curvy or now don't you think so these are the things that you need to look at really carefully like it easy and your instincts to go okay just put your hands here where you have to look and see what it actually looks like so instead of doing that let's do something like this kind of bring your hand across yeah and then the other hand couldn't yes, perfect and just bring your face toward the light a little tiny bet perfect now this hand here just a little tiny bit awkward to just kind of rested on your body like maybe wrap it around perfect I feel like this is giving her much more accentuation on her waist to giving her curves than the other posed it so let's see what that looks like here good. I want you to just be careful not to give me too much palm just kind of dig your hair your hand to your hair here a little like maybe even like twirl curl have a little fun with it. One thing I want you to just relax this arm a little bit because what's happening is it looks a little like we've just started working together it's a little nerve racking but you look a little guarded so just want you to relax into it a little tiny bit like you're kind of just too cool here we go just percent touch all the back and it's one nice posture and look toward the light a little bit and then give me all right give me one fact don't give me the back of your hand just kind of play with your hair a little don't be afraid to move now one of the good places to touch your your head joanna is sort of where the neck and the head meat exactly so if you're going to do that you're gonna raise your hand up a little bit just bring your arm around a little bit more I just wanted to look intentional versus like stomachache that's right? Okay good just kind of giving a nice posture you could look over at me more heart you like from good that's beautiful it looks like on screen ok, well it looks good I mean you're a little sideways but it was awesome we're gonna stick with that it's lower your chin a little tiny bit so incident just lowering and bring it back just kind of bring it out toward your shoulder a little bit yeah, like turn even a little bit more yeah there you go that's beautiful look down with your eyes for me listen, I got to get up on the store yeah, I'm good I'm an expert this high heel shooting okay, but I want you to do is relax your arm that's like a tiny step ever okay, I want you to just can't shake a hair it again for me good let's do that again but this time I want you to bring your hand up on this side more and your hand down on your sort of like on your collarbone but just relax it a little bit more good now shake it out on this side from a wait for me wait for may okay, I want you to look all the way down with your eyes. Good, but here's one thing john, I just want to be careful. You're kind of tilting toward me. I want to stay up like that. And your body's tilting this way come nice and straight and almost ended this way a little. There you go. Okay. All right. Have a little fun with it now. Good. Every once in a while I went to just look up at me. Good. I want youto lengthen your neck a little bit. So when you coming down like this it's, you see how that's happening which is leaning over she's kind of losing her neck. I want to make sure she maintains posture for me. Oh, my gosh! Ok, I just someone your elbow out toward me so much to just bring it like more to the side. Perfect. Shake it out have a little fun with it take it with both hands so you get you here but good looking down for me for a second. So bring your face over this way a little bit more because our late is here and I can't see you otherwise good shake it out, take it out have some fun good looking down for me give me a little laughter riot and perfect good. And now what I want you to do is bring your hands down and I want you just kind of put your hands on your hips for me both sides one a little higher than the other maybe yeah, perfect. That was perfect she this way a little tiny bit and out and down a little great. Okay, so you see, now I'm trying to get like I'm not you see how I haven't changed her pose but I'm still trying to get some more shots from her that are maybe a little more anonymous and I got back my number and I also really like some sort of interesting crops maybe I don't know let's see what happens if you shoot here can you bring your face over toward me? Keep everything the same just look down this way instead of the other way good, beautiful just breathe through your lips for me beautiful can you take that back hands and just kind of put it up on your collar bone and let it you know it actually put it up on your neck and just let it kind of slide down so I don't want your elbow all the way up john I just want your hand just kind of go ahead and bring it down for me keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going beautiful gorgeous I have like a three shot thing by the way I always take three shots of everything I don't know why and it makes it a pain in the ass to cull through later but it's just a habit I don't know I was having this conversation with another photographer one sounds like I will shoot everything three times it's just a full body stay just like you are really nice posture for me nice and tall make your legs nice and straight for me we wouldn't want to lose any of your language can you put your hands up against the wall good on what you just turned toward the late and then look up at me perfect I got seriously have you never done this before? You're insane I think that that might be a little tiny bit break let's see? Okay joanna when I think three I want you stay looking down but I want to give me a little breaths you're gonna go one two, three year ago okay? Because what's happening is it's very still very stiffed you see that we want to create a little life and it's so it's like a it's not an eyebrow or like a well like when when rust that I was from new jersey and I went on the thing I love you jersey I wanted to be more of a okay looking down from a great one to three good. Okay, little more urgent like you were denied oxygen for, like three minutes ready? One, two, three good. Ok, one more time it's not like it's not so much this that's like a blowing up a balloon it's like this? Okay, all right, you're doing a great job really? One, two, three good. Perfect. You would again looking up at me one, two, three. Good. Okay, now you see where I'm like, good. Perfect like I'm talking to her, like she's seven but the thing is that that enthusiasm is so needed clients need that to be like, ok, I'm doing the right thing if you're just like that was nice. Okay, let's, move on, she's going to like with you know, what does that mean? I'm I am I actually doing your job so I'm like I get excited like when she's on the right path I get crazy excited all right, same thing what I want to do now is like grab the edge of your laundry for me just pull one side up let's go the other way no, go back to the first way. I do that all the time, by the way, not sure which way I like it better. When I first started shooting, I would be so afraid that if I changed it? She would think I didn't know what I was doing but now I realize I do know what I'm doing so I have to trust my instinct and sometimes I just need to check which way I like it great. I love that and just give you really, really, really nice art and chin down toward this direction and this hand here. Can you bring it more so, yeah. Now I could see your curves much better. Perfect. Okay, one, two, three. Give me a once you say what? We got to get on the same page ready? One, two, three good. And then look up at me. Give me that kind of little smirk you're giving me before perfect. I love it. Thank you so much. You are such a trooper and you look awesome. So I think we're understanding for them to cut my what do you guys think? I mean like this is, you know, these air, some quality shots. This is not a real world experience for me, but things like that are like, you know, easy sellers and you don't have to go crazy. You don't have to start pulling out like couches and huge sets and putting up your fake headboards and all that other stuff you could just go real simple, white wall window whatever let's kind of just keep it moving and get a ton of great shots for her and I hope that that was demonstrated in that short period of time we have yeah, you have a question through your camera settings again real quick for me in a setting like this I was at I s o eight hundred f two eight which is like a very comfortable place for me and one twenty fifth of a second I don't usually shoot below one twenty fifth of a second unless I'm doing it on purpose because I move a lot so I like to make sure I have you know, a shutter speed is not going to blur for me uh I usually live between two and four unless I'm looking for something specific, then I'll drop below two eight or if I'm in a scenario where this like really no light and I need to let light in and that's why I love the sigma fifties so much because it has such quality short pictures at at a low aperture so I this lenses like I'm obsessed so I never take it off camera so yeah that help okay okay so let's get past posing now and let's talk about after the shoot after the shoot like I said, I called my images to about thirty to fifty images for outfit so for girl was wearing three outfits she's going to see anywhere between ninety and one hundred fifty pictures and yeah, it sounds like a lot especially when usually their their package includes ten or fifteen or five photos whatever it might be but again I'm trying to up sell her so we want to give her more options okay shorter shoots equals quicker turnaround time this I love there are so many days where I could go into the studio I can shoot a girl I can come home I can call through her images put up our online gallery on still cook dinner and I like the bus hasn't even come here and to me that's a quality day like that's what I want in my life okay so sorry we're not like go old school here so um I love that and I can tell you of the handful that I've shot this summer so far I would say eight out of ten of them saw their pictures the same day or the next day which is great for may I get done socially, they have digital's or if they haven't out like the digitals good I'm going to the moon deliver them to you were done that's like I like that right now that's where I'm at that's good for me okay, so here's an example of some image of some editing this is straight out of camera I shot this last week in my studio um, she looks pretty good, but she's got a little bit of a tan line on her boob and she's got some under eye circles or whatever, so what I would do is I just fix the exposure it's kind of hard to tell here, but I kind of brighton to just a little bit I'm still learning strobes so wasn't perfect in camera, but I made it look good and this is how I showed it to her okay too choose from so this is what I would call lightly edited proof and then when she chooses a picture as her final image, it would get a full edit and that's what that looks like take away some of the darkness under her eyes I fixed her tan line done to see when you go back from like the original straight out of camera. Mister, this is not that much of a difference like it looks like a huge difference, but there's really not that much of a difference and I'm not doing a whole lot of editing at all to their proofs really not the only thing I'm taking out is like if it's really something doesn't belong with, she has a huge pimple on her cheek or some issue to really doesn't want to see and it's going to affect what I what I think is going to affect a sale I'll adjust it, but really, I just kind of run it through a little bit of portraiture, which is like a skin softening, and I showed in that way. Um, just like we shot here just now, we want to make sure we show multiple expressions imposes so here's a couple of examples of that again, same pose, I just got her laugh, and now we have to totally beautiful pictures to show her, and I can't tell you how many times women just can't decide between the two of them. They just take both looking up and looking down every single pose look up, look down vertical and horizontal, especially when you're doing album design. You want to make sure you have some alternatives so she might pick all horizontal and you'll say, you know what? Why don't you pick this one is the same image, but it's vertical to create some interest in your album, you need to guide them to stuff like that. This is like a half an hour shot that I did. I mean, I just grabbed a couple of images that you can see what kind of variation I can get in a half an hour, really just standing in one place also did was stand by the window that's really it so in person versus online sales either I choose or I let the client choose how we want to do it and I know that that's what might sound really weird I still believe in person sales is better by far however like I said if I get to go home call images throw them online and be ready at two thirty to cook dinner and do homework I'm kind of happy with that right now just where I am in my life you might totally disagree with me you might be in a different place than me however you want to do it it's fine I might still be missing out on some sales because I'm not doing in person sales but the thought right now with how busy I am to go back to the studio for another day or to hire somebody else to do it it's just not appealing to me right now this might change tomorrow remember I changed everything every day every day's a new day but right now this is working for me so if I see it's a client who already is like there's no way I could only take five photos that was amazing I really wanted you know what I think I want to do an album I might say you know what I could have my assistant come in or I'll come in we'll stay with you help you pick the pictures because I know she's going to be a good sale if it's a client who's like listen I'm only spending five hundred dollars I only want three pictures don't even look at me I talked to me about any additional images I'm just gonna put them online for her and let her pick her image is I'm not going to waste any more of my time with that so the up selling is also negotiable okay so sometimes the client will say to me I want to add seven pictures how much is that and I said well how much you want to spend on that I mean what do I have to lose right like what's gonna happen you ready once the pictures and a growth and well I don't know I'll give you an actually three hundred dollars for seven pictures okay that's not fair to me let's take an extra three hundred dollars today cool and then the next person says I want to add seven pictures and you go I sold them to the last girl for three hundred dollars I think that's a fair price and make okay no problem whatever I'm just making up numbers you guys the numbers have to be whatever fits into your world but you know ask because maybe for seven pictures you're thinking your head will I would do it for one fifty but she just offered you three hundred now you know that's what they're worth your client is telling you this is what they're worth so here's, the beauty of this and I'm starting to see it already by doing this long enough, you're going to start seeing lower end middle and higher end it's just gonna happen automatically. So now at some point, if you don't wanted you name your own price anymore, they've already told you your clients we will book you at this price, this price and this price, we're going to book you, so if you want to go based off of that, now you go look back into your cells and you go ok? My lohan was seven hundred, my medium was fifteen hundred of my high and was two thousand that's how I'm gonna work my packages now, and you're going to see what you included in those packages, and you're going to make it into a more standard price list if this is something that you want to stick with, and I definitely am seeing that trend it's kind of crazy it's like so it's falling right into place. It's crazy how that's happening, you know, the truth is I talk about the cheap clients and how they're more aggravating, but sometimes the higher price clients are really aggravating, like you feel like you have to bend over backwards for them and you have to give them all the time and making feel like they are on ly client and I love doing that, but like I said in the moment right now, it's too much for may, I have a million other things to do. I have nine year old homework and fourth grade tough you cry like I don't know it's over my head, I'm already like googling or homework, you know it's a lot for me right now to dedicate that much time to a client. So for me, like I said, this is working right now it has been less stress and less time consuming in a time where I really needed and it's bringing in business for may. So right now I would consider myself medium price, medium volume, but the volume that I'm picking up is the same as the time I was spending on the high price clients anyway. So it's not really like I'm spending any more time in the business, I'm just spending it differently. And the beauty is I'm getting more bodies into the business and now they're becoming more referral base for may. So I have them out talking about me so here's my overall results, I limited my spot my sessions to ten I book seven in the first few days. I could have ended it seven. I was like, I'm very happy with this. And by the way, I should mention my brother in law. I know I said this a few times. Got married in august. I took three weeks off in august because my family came in from overseas and my kids were off school on my brother in law got married. So I pretty much did all of this from, like, early july to mid august. That's a lot for me. Ten sessions in a month like that is alive with everything else going on. That's a good number. I could do that. My prices range from five hundred to twenty, one hundred and most were in the thousand to fifteen hundred dollars range. Okay, it's. Less than what I was making before. But like I said, I did a lot less work it's a lot less time consuming. And I had a lot of fun. I really did. Like I brought back some joy for me. Like I went into the studio kind of lighter and happier and like, all right, let's, do this thing thinking, ok, good. I'm going to go home now and, you know, whatever it might be, it was really good for me, um six people so far have added more images after the session, so more than half and I haven't shot all ten yet. I think I have one or two more coming up, but six people so far have added more images there shoot that's a pretty good number that's money. I wasn't counting on so it's kind of bonus money there, right? Because I was already budgeting with initial investment, and the thing is, like I said, not everything could be measured monetarily, I'm so much happier, I feel so much lighter, I feel like I'm creating the business that I always wanted for right now, the life that I wanted, and the funny thing is, it's, not just my happiness, it's my clients too, and I'm not saying that I never got testimonials in, you know, by email or phone or email from my clients before, but I'm amazed every single woman so far that I've shot has sent me e mails like these and what's amazed thing about that is like there get I mean, they feel like they're getting a gift like I couldn't have done this before, but now I can do it was the most amazing experience, and I loved it, and thank you so much, and you know, my album is beautiful in my husband's going to love it or, you know, whatever the email say it's like everybody is writing me these e mails about how much it meant to them that I let him come to my studio and do this like that is way better than getting a check for another five hundred dollars for me you know, I'd rather pleased these ten girls then work with four girls who maybe appreciate it maybe don't that's just where I'm at right now so I'm really I'm loving it right now for me it's really working so again, one of the benefits of medium price medium buying for me is let's marketing like I don't have to put as much work into my business shooting the girls is the marketing work that I'm doing because they're going out and telling their friends one of their girls went out and told her friend and her friend book made the same day same day I shot her she didn't see your pictures yet she was like it was the most amazing thing you have to go book her same day should book me her friend I didn't do anything for that booking that was awesome, I just worked and again it means more time for me, for my family, for travel and for some personal projects so I'm really happy with where is that so again, your businesses and evolving organism give yourself permission to be flexible, change it for your lifestyle, and this is a really big lesson I learned don't worry about judgment, some other people, and this is like part of what I was telling rust that coming here today and saying all of this in public and saying, ok, I went from high price too, you know, low volume, two medium price me in volume like I feel like I'm a big bull's eye on me right now, and I'm really worried about what people are going to say say about me already. I hear those rumblings that I was desperate and I was going out of business, and I can assure you that none of that is true. However, I had to just shut it out, I had to just not care what anybody else thought because at the end of the day, I have to wake up and be happy with what I'm doing and that's really all that matters, you know, everybody wants to put a bull that me that's really their problem. I'm too busy shooting to worry about it too busy making people happy, so I do want to mention that sometimes. You guys is business means breaking your own rules, and last time I was on creative life, of course I was like, I would never, ever let a girl come in my studio and not have hair makeup done by my staff. Well, that's out the window, I do let them do that, and I wish I didn't because they still come in with the worst makeup sometime, but sometimes it's just not in their budget and they have a best friend who's, a makeup artist, and the only way they're going to come to my studio and spend twelve hundred dollars is if their best friend does the makeup. And who am I to say no to that right now? Ok, so I've been some rules and I break some rules and and again, this kind of goes again back to the question, do you break your own rules? You can always do that. I learned from breaking your rules and again, I do still book my original sessions, be true to your clients if that's what they want and don't be afraid to offer that to them. That's ok, so there's other ideas to bring some life into your business I'm going to talk about that really quickly. What are some other things that you can do? There has to be more than one thing that you can do that will fit your mission that will fit the lifestyle that you want and for me again, I want all women to celebrate their unique femininity shamelessly. So part of that you got too excited is lingerie, so I've decided to start selling lingerie, and I'm not even going to start selling lingerie only to my clients. I'm going to start a service in my town that's filled with amazing, beautiful, awesome women, and I'm going to go to their houses and I'm going to help make buying lingerie a good experience for them because lord knows it's the worst experience. Everywhere you go, I don't care how high end, low end, medium, whatever the story is, it's an awful experience buying lingerie, right? Every woman right now is like, yes, so you know what? For me, I could go to a woman's house and go, I know what's going to look down on you. I've seen thousands of women and underwear I can just look at you and know what's going to look good on you and I have it here I'm going to put it on for you and I'm gonna be honest and if it doesn't look good, I'm going to tell you and really that's all women want is honesty I just want to know does this problem my boobs look good you know please tell me and at the store they go oh yes yes it looks good I know that thirty sixties not your size but we have thirty four eight the same thing if you mix it around right everybody everybody tells you that not true people so this is what I'm going to start jeremy you start bringing in some lingerie for my clients and otherwise things like this things that my theory is sort of twenty five percent foundation seventy five percent sexy because I want women to feel shamelessly feminine and my hopes are that the business will feed into each other came I my lingerie clients will learn about my boudoir business and my boudoir clients will learn about my lingerie business and one hand washes another and now we can have a little more revenue coming in. I'm kind of sick of sending people the lingerie stores to spend a thousand dollars on lingerie and they come to me and go I can on ly spend five hundred dollars on the session well, now you can spend fifteen hundred dollars and buy lingerie for may, so it's a marketing tool, and it's allowing me to reach women I might not normally reach with my boudoir message alone, right? Uh, personal project, they're really important, especially when business is a little bit quiet or a little bit slow. Please don't take is an opportunity to turn into a hermit and hide in your house. Is it more of an opportunity to do the things you really love without carrying throwing caution to the wind? Um, so I launched this project of mine. It's called shamelessly feminine hashtag shamelessly feminine. I am wearing my shirt on dh what shamelessly feminine is really showcasing women through stories and images it's really more of a storytelling project for me and images go along with that it's, an emphasis on their unique definition of what femininity is and how they live it. So what does that mean? It's kind of vague, and I mean it to be kind of a because I wanted to take on a life of its own, with every woman that I worked with, because women have a ton of stories and we're all so different, and I think we've been sort of pushed into this mold in the last few years of like, you have to be this you have to be that there's a lot of judgment between women, like, you know, when I first moved to my town, the first question was, do you work? Would you stay home? And I always feel like saying, what's, the difference, you're gonna judge me either way, way, right? It's true? Um, so I'm really trying to stop the shaming that goes on that women feel and especially at the hands of each other it's kind of disgusting. So starting today announcing to the world right that we're trying to stop that this's actually a boudoir, a client of mine who for one reason or another it's a long story about how to cancel her sessions, and then one day she called me just like I'm ready to come, and it has to be like tomorrow, and I was like, I don't know who you are, but keep canceling your sessions it's kind of annoying just come into the studio going to get you out of my way kind of a thing. Well, it turned out she was canceling her sessions because she was in the hospital with brain cancer and forgot to tell me, and, uh so she start telling the story about how her five year old saved her life he had she had a grand mal seizure? He called nine hundred eleven. I mean, it was like the story was just blowing the way she had the scars all over her. You can probably see in some of the images and she just didn't care if you want to do with our shoot, jimmy women I have come in that are, like, drop dead gorgeous that air so afraid to get in front of the camera and feel so much shame about themselves, and she came in like, I don't care this is what I am, and I love it much shooting. And so we did a boudoir session with her, and as we're doing the boudoir session, she was telling me about all the shame that she feels from her family because in her culture, if you're actually shamed to have cancer, I mean, have you ever heard of such a thing? And I was like, wait, what? I don't understand this concept, this is not in your control, and she was like, this is what it's looked upon. And I mean, the fact that she I launched this campaign and she was using the word shame I was like, I'm sorry, but we need to do a shoot with you right now like that. Sane so she wanted to show me her bald spot she wanted to show off her scar she's please you can edit the pictures make them what you want but don't take anything out it's all me and I'm really proud of it and sadly her cancer is back and I just spoke to her the other day actually and she said to me I'm kicking his ass don't worry so knock words she'll she'll be in good shape but I was really proud of her like just for owning herself and like not really carrying what anybody else thought I thought that that was kind of a big deal I just didn't know makeup shoot with a bunch of girls who always wear make up like the women that were makeup to go to the gym this is like, you know they can't leave the house that makeup and I have been told all their stories yet but I'll show you some of their images and we talked about what makeup means that's why they wear it what are they covering up? What is it a mask for what are they ashamed of and I just think like they're so beautiful and these air totally un edited by the way like I I haven't change them at all and I actually got brave enough to do one of myself which will go by really bad no I just kidding I'm just getting um yeah, because you know what? I have rose asia I wear make up all the time to, like, when I'm on events like this, and I'm not always in my everyday life, but, you know, you always want to put your best face forward and like, I'm starting to get to the point where I'm like, I don't really care. Like what if I don't wear makeup? You're going to judge me by what my skin looks like, that's ridiculous, you know? So I was brave enough to do it myself so you could see him wearing one of my tank tops. I am actually selling them there's a link on my block and gave you guys the link, so you'll posted somewhere but it's on etc the shop is called shamelessly feminine shocker on basically the what I'm doing with the money from a tank tops this really just helping me with my projects fund the project, helping me reach more women there's so many women that I've met that I want to tell their stories and, you know, it takes away time from my work and everything, so really I'm just I just I'm doing it for two reasons one to fund the project into, to get the word out and to remind us all, like, when I wear it, I do feel more shamelessly feminine, like I feel like, ok, I'm going to own today and I'm going to be who I am shamelessly, and I hope all of you guys can too, so points to remember, ok, this is what works for me, okay, I divulge I feel like I have like an internal exam today like I divulge everything to your guys like this is like nerve racking, but all markets are different. You guys have to figure out what works for you. I'm just trying to give you an example of how I'm trying to be fluid and change things and not worry about what other people think and not even worry about what I think of myself sometimes just kind of going for it and seeing what works and what doesn't think about your minimums again. You guys, you're not charities, you are running a business, so please don't put yourself back yourself into a corner where you're not going to make any money from this that's not a good idea at all figure out your mission and your core desired feeling. I know that that's like, okay, just do it and it's really hard. It took me like that. Like I said, that sentence, my mission sentence took me like almost two years to come up with it takes a long time to really figure out what you wanted to be honest about it and know that that's fluid also, that changes over the years, you know, two years ago when my kids were a little bit younger, it wasn't is important for me to be home for homework. Now, it's more important for me, be creative. I think that what I'm doing is kind of creative. I'm not saying no one's ever done it before. It's not a new idea that I don't know if there are any new ideas, but I think that it's creative, I think that it was a way for me to think outside the box and not sit around and sulk about oh, my business is slow. What am I going to do? I suck at this. It was a way for me to sort of grab the bull by the horns and glory we're going to do this, we're going to make this happen. If you choose something mission based, please, please, please make sure you make it your own. I know I said that already, but don't please don't go to my block and copy it again. It's not good for you, it's. Not good for me, it's not good for your clients, it's not authentic. You have to have an authentic voice in this for sure. Um, step out of the box and think of other money making ideas for your business. Make sure it's tied into your mission it's all the same thing right when I'm a photographer and I'm just helping women with my camera and I'm a lingerie consultant or whatever you want to call it. I haven't come up with a name just yet. I'm just I'm doing the same thing with women I'm just using a different tool, so my mission is exactly the same. They're just two different ways to execute it. Personal projects are also a marketing opportunity. This is the other thing I wanted to mention that I didn't mention we were talking about shamelessly feminine is that by posting shamelessly feminine and putting it on my block, I'm showing people that I'm busy, I'm doing something good, I have a voice I'm telling them about me and that's marketing also because they understand what's behind the pretty pictures of pretty girls right they go ok, wait this woman really is trying to do something here she has a boy she has ah personality and people get to know me and it people share the blob maybe one day something will go viral it'll be a good marketing opportunity to it's not the reason I'm doing it but it's an added bonus to what I'm doing don't be afraid take a calculated risk in business and of course in life to don't be afraid of that it's really fun to do it and change is good let the judgment go on. The most important thing is have fun if you can't have fun doing all this and you're not coming home with a smile on your face like that just stinks and you know no listen let's be honest, nobody ever became a photographer because it paid millions of dollars you have toe love what you d'oh you have to work hard at it and you have to have fun with it or else is really like go get a job that like, pays really well and has health insurance, right? I mean seriously really I mean getting out of that every morning and doing what I dio pays me in so many other ways besides money it's it's amazing so I want you guys to be able to go out and do that also that's, right? And this is where you can find me, you guys. This is where my block, my website at ces, where you can find my tank tops and I have a facebook group, an awesome facebook group. But about seventy two hundred boudoir photographers in there right now and it's a secret it's, a private group or a secret closed. I don't know what they call it on facebook, so not everybody could see what you're posting on there. But it's an amazing group of people. And if you want to join that, please feel free to ask. We'll accept your request there, and you can always email me at general's obama, gmail, dot com. If you have any questions that I haven't answered, if you can't find me any other way, I'm sorry. I just, um I was so nervous about getting this all done, and we wanted to be just a couple extra minutes to make sure that she was able to get her message out. So thank you so much for your amazing they love it.