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Photography Lessons: Community

May 20, 2011 Leave a Comment

Everyone needs a community. It gets lonely running a photography business sometimes. Inspiration runs dry. You need someone to bounce ideas back and forth with. Second shooters and assistants need to be found to hire, at some point. You know the deal.

Now is the time to create yours! This is going to look a little different in every case, but here are some ideas to get you started.

  • Join a local photography club.
  • Regularly meet with some local photographers/bloggers/other creative business owners.
  • Regularly Skype friends/photographers/bloggers/etc. that live farther away.
  • Attend local events, especially those that are targeted at your target clientele.

You all are brilliant! Do you have any ideas for creating community?

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Photography Lessons + Practice: Creating A Business Plan

May 9, 2011 4 Comments

A business plan should tell the who, what, when, where, how, and why of your business. I promise it’s not as scary as it sounds. Creating a business plan will help you keep your business focused and productive. Let’s dive in.

Who - Who is your target clientele?

What - What do you offer? Obviously, you offer photography services, but let’s go a little beyond that. For example, your target clientele are seniors. They probably want digital images files, a preview on your blog, photos on Facebook to share with their friends, and some outfit/style boards. Think about your target clientele when deciding what you offer.

When - When did you start?

Where - Where (what area) are you offering and promoting your photography?

How - What’s your philosophy? What’s your style?

Why – Why do you do what you do?

I’ll go first and then you can enter your post link below!

Who - children, babies, and seniors

What - Right now, I’m keeping it simple with just the processed, high-res digital image files. I also post photos on my business Facebook page and post previews here! I think I want to start throwing together some style boards occasionally and posting them on here and Facebook.

When - Fall 2010 (which is a story all of it’s own!)

Where - I cover the Hopkinsville, KY area.

How - I believe that life is lived in moments and those moments deserve to be captured. I could write pages and pages, but that is the gist of it. I am a lifestyle photographer. I find beauty in the everyday and capture the moments that we carry in our hearts forever.

Why - I am a photographer because it’s part of me. It’s part of me because I find beauty in the moments that go by so fast. I love it because it offers up a different, fresh perspective. Wherever I am in life, I’ll always need to photograph it. This is now. Let’s capture it.

Okay! That wasn’t hard at all! Now, it’s your turn.

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Photography Lessons Update

May 5, 2011 3 Comments

Let’s get down to business here.

I’ve been writing and scheduling posts for the Photography Lessons series. I absolutely can’t wait! This series is for me as much as it is anyone else. Feel free to tell your friends, too! Remember, it’s not the equipment, it’s the photographer.

I wanted to give you a general idea of what we’ll be covering, so here goes.

  • Create a business plan
  • Create a marketing plan
  • Community
  • Style a shoot
  • Capture: Food
  • Capture: Families
  • Capture: Children
  • Capture: Couples
  • Capture: Teenagers
  • Capture: Fashion
  • Capture: Babies/toddlers
  • Capture: Event
  • Capture: Wedding
  • Identify your style + create your brand

I might sprinkle some interviews with other photographers in there, too. If you’re a pro in any of the types of shoots we’ll be covering (families, children/babies, fashion, event, etc…) and would like to be considered for an interview, please email me! I’d love chat with you! If you are participating and have any questions, feel free to email me too!

xoxo

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Learn to Event by The Middle Tennessee Pony Club | Percy Warner | Nashville, TN Photographer

April 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

DSC_0005

Not too long ago my best friend invited me to go with her to the Learn to Event event in Nashville! She and her brother were going to be showing their horses there, which is super amazing. I couldn’t resist the opportunity, so off we went. [Can anyone spot the Batman building in that picture up there?]

33+34+35 collage

That’s Hannah. She’s one of my best friend’s little sisters. She also happens to be one of the sweetest little girls ever and my name twin! She was way into brushing horses’ tails.

17+21 collage

I’m sure the horses wondered why I was sticking some big black thing in their faces, but they’re just too pretty not to.

262+264 collage

That’s my best friend’s brother. He totally trumped stadium!
61+82 collage

That’s my best friend at dressage. She did super well!

DSC_0122

This last one is of one of their friends there. She was really helpful to all of us!

I could go on and on about that day. It was one of my most favorite weekends ever. I’ll let the rest of the pictures do the talking, though. You can view a slideshow here and order prints here.

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Things I Love #1

March 2, 2011 4 Comments

things i love

1. Evernote. I just downloaded it and started using it. I can already say it’s worth your time to dowload, easy to use, and will keep all your projects and ideas organized and in one place.

2. Creamy Parmesan Spinach Dip from SkinnyTaste.com. I’ve had a dip very similar to this before and it’s one of my all time favorites, so I really want to check this one out soon!

3. Imperfectly Pleated Scarf {Turquoise} from Eclectic Whatnot. This could not be more perfect – my favorite number (3), my favorite color, and one of my good friends all in one place.

4. [FRAMED] Episode 4: Moms With Cameras. I’m not a mom, but I do have other things to balance in addition to business, like school, family, and friends. This really helped me to remember to keep everything in balance, to shoot what I love, and to always improve my business and how I shoot.

5. Grace for the Good Girl. I’ve never exactly thought about what Emily says in her video and book, but I am now. It’s important. You can click the link to watch the short video and pre-order the book.

—-

P.S. This post was linked up to:

lollipops

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Spring Kick-Off + Updates

February 18, 2011 1 Comment

I get really happy about warm weather and shooting. Spring is coming really fast and that makes me really, really happy! I mean, what’s not to love about warm weather, more sunshine, and shooting weather? It makes me want to dance! [Um, more on that dancing thing later.]

To celebrate, I’m having a Spring Kick-Off Sale. How fabulous is that, right? Here are the details.

Hannah Braboy Photography | Spring Kick-Off Special

If you want to share the love, you can click on the graphic and click ‘Share this’ in the top left corner. That way, we make sure that everyone can help show off spring! That’s always good.

One more announcement…

I am splitting the blog and website. The site address will still be hannahbraboy.com and the new blog link will be announced when I get everything squared away. There are just a few more glitches on the blog though…

No comment. [McDonald's is a fun place to take photos, however.]

Main points of this post [I can get really chatty sometimes.]:

  • Spring Kick-Off Special [You don't want to miss it!]
  • You can share the Spring Kick-Off Special graphic with your friends.
  • I’m splitting the blog and website!
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BlissDom at Home

February 16, 2011 2 Comments

BlissDom at Home is just that- BlissDom at home. It is for people who went to BlissDom and for people who didn’t. It was made because sometimes, you just need more bliss than one week. Sometimes, you need to make your bliss every day. That’s what BlissDom at Home is all about.

BlissDom at Home is awesome. It’s awesome because you get to relive all those memories, sit in on every session from the comfort of your own home, and you have access to the audio from the sessions, videos, exclusive footage, and more. It’s like a powerhouse to empower you do live your dreams. If that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is.

BlissDom at Home is for every woman. It’s for you, the one with big dreams in your heart, but just need that little push. It’s for your sister, the one who is a mom by day, but wants to make a business of getting her craft on at night. It’s for your best friend, the one who wants to work toward quitting her day job to be a self-employed designer. It’s even for your ambitious teenage daughter, the one who chases after her dreams with wild abandon and wants to take that next step.

What would BlissDom at Home help you accomplish?

P.S. The link to BlissDom at Home is my affiliate link. I guess they throw some Hershey’s Bliss Chocolate my way if you click on the link, but I promise I’ll share. [Everyone needs a little chocolate.]

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First Client Interaction + Branding

February 15, 2011 Leave a Comment

Interaction is a really important. It’s really important because it makes the client/photographer (or any profession really) relationship more awesome. First client interactions can be on the photographer’s website, blog, Twitter, or Facebook page. The impression left from the first interaction is crucial because you want that client to immediately know that (hopefully) you are their photographer.

Interaction is awesome, people love awesome, and people share awesome. Make awesome – the experience, the images, your website, your everything. In order to make awesome, you need to know what your target client would be like and what they would find awesome.

How can I make awesome? Let’s start with your website and say you are a children’s photographer. Your style captures emotion and fun in a timeless way. You want your website to reflect that. You want it to be fun, timeless, and you also want some sort of good emotion to occur when they visit the site. You want your Facebook page and Twitter to reflect your brand also. That makes a lasting impression.

Each photographer, brand, and business is different. All you need is to know yourself, your limits, your target clients, your brand, and stick to all of it. I hope that helps! If you have any questions, you can post them in the comments section or we can set up a very detailed, personalized brand consultation via Skype.

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Borrow Lenses

February 9, 2011 1 Comment

Borrow Lenses is a company that rents out camera gear. They are the very best. My friend Lizzie originally referred me to them last year. I first used them when I did Brooke’s maternity session back in November. For that session, I rented the Nikon SB-900 speedlight and the Gary Fong diffuser. I may or may not have had to chase down the FedEx truck, but that’s another story.

BlissDom came around and I instantly knew I wanted to use them for the extra equipment I’d be needing. I immediately thought of Borrow Lenses because of their constant presence and interaction with me and others on Twitter, fast and accurate shipping, and the excellent brand new condition of the equipment I had rented previously. It started with one DM on Twitter and I inquired if they would like someone to represent them at BlissDom. Josh, a super helpful, friendly Borrow Lenses staff member, replied back and that’s how the ball started rolling.

It started with one simple DM on Twitter and a company who truly understood the new turn that marketing is taking. That is becoming so very important and I am so glad to have worked with such a fabulous company that understood that. I don’t know about you, but I value a company who is friendly, helpful, I can count on, has a very good social media presence, interacts with people through social media, and understands the new way of marketing. That company is Borrow Lenses.

Disclosure: Borrow Lenses sponsored some of the equipment I used at BlissDom as an Official Photographer. All opinions are my own. I promise. xo

P.S. FedEx has no idea whatsoever that I blogged about them.

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BlissDom Recap

February 4, 2011 5 Comments

I just got back from the BlissDom conference in Nashville. I could never accurately express how grateful I have been, nor all the emotion that I have felt. Let me tell you a bit about BlissDom…

BlissDom is…
…a women’s blog conference.
…tech savvy.
…welcoming.
…informative.
…friendly.
…[one of] my happy places.
…your conference.

It was ten different kinds of wonderful, awesome, lovely, and [of course] blissful. Alli Worthington, Barbara Jones, Paula Bruno, Jana, Rachel (a southern fairytale), Frelle, Scott Stratten, Chris Mann, and a whole host of others are my new best friends because of it. I experienced. I felt. I saw. I heard. I connected. I learned. I had one of the best times of my life.

Tuesday:
- I arrived around noon with my twin brothers, mom, and grandma. They have been so awesome through all of this, as have a ton of others (my sisters, my dad, my everyone).

BlissDom Swag Bags

- I stuffed bags with Amy Halleran, Rachel (a southern fairytale), Jana, Lindsey, and a bunch of others. We danced to Only Prettier while stuffing the fabulous Lands End bags.
- I stuffed more bags filled with lots of love from the sponsors and us BlissDom Chicks.
- I took pictures. (I used a 35mm and Nikon SB-900 from borrow lenses. They are fabulous and let me use their equipment that handles low light like butter.)

- I ate at Stax with Lindsey. We talked dreams and it was all sorts of fun!

Wednesday:

- I attended wonderful Wisdom Workshops.

- I had a blast interacting with people and snapping photos.

Thursday:

- I was 10 million different kinds of pumped, excited, and nervous. The adrenaline that was pumping was insane, too.

- Firework by Katy Perry played right before the welcome. It almost made me cry happy, thankful tears.

- Brene Brown did an awesome opening keynote.

- I mastered the layout of the huge Opryland Hotel.

- I worked with some fabulous photographers.

- I met Scott Stratten from Unmarketing for the first time. He was super nice.

- I met awesome friends, a lot for the first time in real life.

- It was simply wonderful.

Friday:

- I realized that it was the last day.

- It slipped my mind until I climbed into bed that evening.

Blissing it Out

-My absolutely indescribably awesome mom came.

- I introduced her to some pretty lovely people, such as Sara Sophia, Jana, Alli, Casey, and a ton of others.

- I went to a brilliant session about viral marketing and Twitter by Scott Stratten.

- I freaked out when the fire alarm sounded and the co-hosts were still practicing for the State of Bliss ’11. When the alarm sounded, everyone just went on like nothing was happening. It was a false alarm, by the way.

- My team of pure brilliant photographers and I photographed the State of Bliss ’11.

Scott Stratten @Unmarketing

- My team and I photographed the hilarious, true, and inspiring closing keynote by Scott Stratten.

BlissDom Flashmob

Chris Mann Rocking the Flashmob

- The flashmob happened. It was totally a surprise by my friend, Jana, to the co-hosts. She used to be a hip hop instructor and completely choreographed via Facebook 90 people dancing to Party in the U.S.A.

- I went to the girls’ night in party, captured it in pixels, met and chatted with Chris Mann before the party, and danced with my camera in hand. It was all kinds of fun.

More photos can be found on my Flickr.

Alli, Barbara, Paula- Thank you. I never in a million years would have envisioned all of this. Thank you for being so wonderful. I just really have no words for how grateful I am for all of this. I can’t wait for next year and years beyond. You all are amazing. xoxo

My family (you know who you are)- I love you. Thank you. Thanks for listening to all my ideas. Thanks for fixing me Texas Caviar when I was having a bad day. Thanks for playing a billion rounds of the state game with me late into the night. Thanks for everything you do. I couldn’t do it without you all. I love you beyond description. Y’all are irreplaceable.

To everyone else- You know your names. I could never list every one of you, but I want to thank you. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for your encouragement, trust, loyalty, and your friendship.

P.S. If you missed BlissDom or want to relive it, you aren’t alone. I do too. You can relive the bliss here at BlissDom at Home.

P.P.S. The BlissDom at Home link is my affiliate link. I guess they throw me some chocolate or something like that if you use it. Haha! If I get any chocolate, I promise I’ll share. ;)

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