Carmen & Kane - Christmas Portraits!

Starting last weekend, the weather here in Oklahoma decided it was time to turn into winter and freeze all of us to death! When you can stay inside snuggled by the fire with hot chocolate and a new book, this can be a wonderful thing. However, when you're trying to do an outdoor portrait session...it’s quite the opposite.

Allow me to introduce you to some of my new friends Carmen & Kane. They both went to school with Ryan (who recently married my friend Chelsea and I did an engagement session for last July). So, Chelsea and Ryan introduced them to Dwyatt and I and we have all rapidly become friends. I was honored when they asked me to take some Christmas card photos for them!

Well, the world of engineering is certainly a small world because, believe it or not, Carmen and Kane are both petroleum engineers as well. So guess what that means… yep, more pictures with pumping units! I promise not all my photos will feature oil field equipment, but with engineers, it just seems natural. :) 

They are celebrating their first year together in Oklahoma City, and the purchase of their first home! Carmen is so full of life, and you can tell how deeply Kane loves her just by watching them together. They share a deep sense of respect for one another, and they lovingly refer to each other as “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” on a regular basis. They are happy…pure and simple.

Carmen & Kane, I wish you both a very Merry Christmas and I hope that your love continues to grow as you start your lives together here in OKC.

The World of Marketing

Starting a photography business, I knew I was bound for the world of marketing. I know that marketing is changing in our rapidly expanding cyber world. I love Facebook; I know I should sign up for Twitter… but what else?

I have been honored to take photos for my family and friends, and I hope I always have the opportunity to continue doing that. However, I feel like I am rapidly reaching a point where I need to go find clients… clients that reside in Oklahoma. Don’t get me wrong, I love to travel, and plan to always be willing to travel the globe for my clients, but I need to start getting my name out to my local market. This is where I seem to be getting stuck.

Maybe I’m just scared… but I keep wondering, do I tell my coworkers I have this business? I would love to take some holiday photos for them, but is that un-professional to bring up my “other career” at my current job? Do I just leave a bunch of business cards at a local coffee shop? Give some to my hairdresser and ask her to spread the word? Honestly I think the answer is: Yes, all of the above. I think these are all things I should be doing and it just feels weird to take this first step. Surreal in a way…

Ultimately once I start to get my name out there I hope that people will begin to recommend me and spread the word to their friends and families. This is the ultimate complement for any photographer. If people are willing to recommend you, you know you are making them happy and meeting expectations! This is also, the ultimate marketing tool. I believe that a reputation spread by word-of-mouth is priceless in this industry. Now, I just have to go out there and be worthy of that honor!

Wish me luck!