Freebie Friday - Actions

My favorite part of learning photoshop was discovering the wonderful world of actions. When I did, I cut my post processing time in half! Actions are specific sequence of photoshop layers/commands, etc. that are automated. Lets say that your normal post process is to curves layer, soft light layer, reduce noise filter, then sharpen - you could create an action so that instead of doing those steps independantly, you can do them all at once saving time. Actions can also be used to create certain effects, like black and white, vignette, lomo, HDR, etc.

There are some phenomenal FREE actions out there. My ultimate favorite free action website is COFFEESHOP! Most will run both on Elements and CS, CS2, CS3, CS4.  Pioneer Woman has a great action set and great photography information. Click on the photography tab on the bottom of the screen and take a look around. While you are looking - Texas Chicks is also the site you want to check out. There are a couple free actions and they also have a subscription that you can join for future actions. (The subscription has a fee, but well worth it - they have some great stuff!!!) I found these other links as well:

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/10/20/the-ultimate-collection-of-useful-photoshop-actions/

http://designm.ag/resources/photoshop-actions-touchups/


http://naldzgraphics.net/freebies/60-useful-photoshop-actions-to-enhance-your-photos-for-free/ Great Touchup actions

http://www.atncentral.com/download.htm this is the quick download page – no pictures

At first I was obsessed with downloading EVERY free action I could find. My action file was bogged down and it took me forever to find the one I wanted, actually making the process less efficient. I would forget which one was which! Then I started to sort through. I would download and keep the ones that I don't use on a regular basis in a file with others on my external hard drive, labeling with a description. Then I could just add as needed.

HANDY TIP: What I did was create a file where I actually had a picture I took with the action. My first photo was the Original and then I ran an action and that was file #2. I then went back to the original and ran another action this would be another file. I have an option to print with my document which allows me to print a contact sheet so I put the images all on one sheet and printed so I could quickly reference what action effect I was looking for.

Personally - I keep it simple - I have a photo retouching/eye pop (Coffeeshop glamour glow), I have a sharpen - MCP Crystal Clear, I have a black and white with optional vignette, I have a vintage, I have a color pop, and I have a resize for web/sharpen for web for my blog. These are the ones that I use 95% of the time when proofing for clients. Those I will keep handy in the Action folder in Photoshop. The rest I have stored away for a rainy day when I feel like playing:) I am sure when you ask different pro's, they will have different ways of doing it - this is how I like to stay organized and keep things simple - my new mantra.

The most important thing is to have fun and play around with the actions and see if you can fit them into your workflow. I will have a future Tutorial Tuesday article on Workflow and how to make your own actions so stay tuned!

Thrifty Family tip

I was doing some figuring and realized that my family eats out way too much - at least 2 times per week for dinner and usually breakfast and lunches on the weekends. Like most of us, I have been looking for ways to cut back on expenses and saw a huge money savings.

I figured out a way to save myself about $1,300 per year. Every Friday we order pizza we get two large at the pizza shop and a two liter of soda (sometimes some mozzarella sticks) and it usually comes to about $30. in my effort to be thrifty, I found a way to save some big bucks on pizza night. I buy Longos sicilian pizza crusts(i am in Pennsylvania so I'm not sure if that brand is national, however, most grocery stores have pizza kits in the prepared section or shells in the refrigerated section).  There are two in a pack (and one shell is dinner and lunch the next day). I freeze one and use the other. I buy a small can of tomato sauce and a 8 oz bag of cheese. Sometimes we'll throw some sausage or pepperoni's. It's actually kind of fun, we take turns making your own section of the pizza with what you want:)

Pizza Crusts $1.75(for one)
Sauce $0.89
Bag of Cheese $1.99

For about $4.65 I fed four adults and it comes to about $1.16 per person

Pizzaria pizza $30 per week x 52 weeks $1,560 a year
my pizza $4.65 per week x 52 weeks $241.60 a year
savings of $1,318.20 a year - thats a vacation, down payment to a car or a new dSLR (depending on the model.... hehe;)

If we would cut back to 1 time per week and lunches on the weekends - we would save about 5,000 per year or more! Crazy.... and I like to cook... Imagine if you eat out every night how much you would spend.

Just thought I would share!

Marketing Mondays - Generating Clients and Building Portfolio

Are you a new photographer or just starting out your business? Do you have a decent client base but long for more? Then here are a couple solutions for you:

MODEL CALLS

But I don't have money to hire models!!??

You don't need to. These are the models of the non-pro kind. People who are willing to spend an hour posing for you free of charge. Do these people exist? Yes they do!!! Trust me on this one. The best way to drum up business at the start is a model call. The model call works in two ways. The first is that you will get much needed practice in a professional setting. The second is that you can also build clients this way as well. If they are happy with the pics, they will share them with others and if you then treat them like a client instead of a "freebie" you may develop a client for life. I started out with a model call. My first "family" session was engagement pictures. I met them, treated them as a prized client. I lalso made them sign a no charge session model release so I could use all of their pictures for marketing in anyway including my website (which you ABSOLUTELY NEED AS A PHOTOGRAPHER). I then offered to make them prints at a discount price. I put these pictures up on a blog (a showing of the best) and sent an email of the link. I asked in the email that they forward the link to all their friends and family and have them offer feedback as well. I also strategically placed in that email that I am having a friends and family referral and for every one they refer, they will get a $50 print credit and the new customer will get a half price session fee. This got me two referrals. The print credit for two referrals cost me $10 to get two clients (who even at 1/2 price still is paying $75 for session plus the prints). When I delivered the prints, I also threw in a couple of my "referral business cards" so they could hand them out. I get a call they love the pics and need a wedding photographer and would like to hire me. Awesome! So the model call turned into new business. This is a Cinderella story and it may not always happen, however, this is an example of how you can use this to build your clientelle. PEOPLE LOVE FREEBIES. For example, people will buy things at the grocery store that they don't need just because they have a coupon.... The power of savings is a powerful thing! P.S. you don't have to be a newbie to use this method, you can also use this to drum up business. Just think - fresh pictures for your website and a few more contacts on your client list! Also a great way to use a new location or new props before you use them on a new customer who is paying a premium for their session fee.

Where do you post a model call?

The best one I did was on my friend list on FACEBOOK. Tweet it. Post in your local free papers, or on Craigs List. When you are photographing people you do not know, take utmost care. Do it in a public well travelled place of your choice where you feel comfortable. Take along your boyfriend, friend, etc. BE SAFE. If you know the person well you can do it at their home or location.

Tip:

Make sure that you designate a specific # of free sessions. If someone responds and your already booked. Tell them "I'm sorry, I am already booked for the model call but I would be willing to do a session for you for a half price session fee (or give you a $25 print credit.)" You are still getting either 50% of session fee (or full session fee if you use the print credit method.

Tutorial Tuesday - PHOTOSHOP BASICS

For the beginner. I found these really great tutorials to give you some more information. Starting with the explanation of tool bars and functions and layers. This is important as you will need basic knowledge of photoshop to follow my future tutorial Tuesdays:)





LAYERS



TEXT



TOOLS

On a more serious non photography related note...

Someone once told me you wear your stress on your back and your face. I never really thought that was true until I found myself hospitalized for a week for picking up my 7 month old son. As I sat in the office of the back surgeon a week later, I found this to be true as he explained to me that I had the oldest spine he had seen on a thirty year old. For so many years i have been running on empty - taking care of two sick family members, raising a family, taking care of a household, running a division of an international company. Somewhere along the way I stopped doing things for myself. As I looked at myself and the extra 50 pounds I now carry, the wrinkles on my face that should not be there,and the grey hairs peeking out from my auburn head, I realized that I not only felt older than my 30 yrs but looked it too. For the next 6 weeks as watched as my mom and my husband care for my little one, I had my epiphany. I had invested so much time into everyone elses care I forgot to care for myself. I needed to put myself first in order to be the best caregiver possible. It sounds selfish but how could I go on like this playing in bed watching my little guy grow up from afar not being able to hold him or lift him up when he falls down.


My solution was to join the club down the street from us. They have a swim pool, a hot tub, sauna a gym, and a a track. Most importantly 2 hrs of free childcare per day. I have no excuses now not to go. I haven't felt this good in years

I guess the moral of this story is we all have our responsibilities and people that we care for. We have our own businesses or jobs and a bout a million people who try to steal our time. please do something selfish for yourself whether it is that gym membership or a dinner with friends, or even something as simple as a half hour a day to read your favorite book and de-stress.

I wanted to pass this on, because someone shared the news that stress and not taking care of yourself will get you nothing good. It can lead to heart attack, stroke, injuries and how can you care and love your family if you aren't here anymore? This came from a woman who I had physical therapy with. She was in her early 30's and recovering from a stroke and her dr asked her to pass the news along to the people she would meet. That person who asked me to pass it on saved my life.

FREEBIE FRIDAY - Textures/Patterns Part One

Hi, all..... here it is the first FREEBIE FRIDAY... I just wanted to say thank you for stopping in and visiting. I love making my own cards and storyboards! When I started out, I had $0 in my pocket so I began to search the vast internet for free textures and brushes to make this happen.

I found sooooo many generous people out there who have so kindly shared free textures and put them out there for all to use... I first found COFFEESHOP and I must say the site is awesome. She takes so much time to put out textures, storyboards, actions and so many other awesome resources for photographers. She also has tutorials on how to use the textures or make cards/storyboards. I found some really funky and fun textures on BEST DESIGN OPTIONS. I love love love the cherry blossom texture as you can tell from this blog. I also found some interesting patterns at Squidfingers. There is about 140 or so free ones to choose from - they have some neat damask-like patterns in there and some plaids too. I also LOVE Pixels and Icecream. I love the Mocha Damask and the Pretty in Pink patterns. If you are looking for more "organic" textures, the Texture Warehouse is definately for you. There are textures of stone, bark, brick, leaves, etc. Smash Apps showcases different artists who have created textures. There are really cool grunge and rust textures. So I gave you some great resources to get started. Start playing around and downloading the ones you love.

As always make sure that you have your Virus protection on and never download from a site you don't feel comfortable with. Also, please make sure to read each individual sites terms of condition, some will require you to give credit if you use for commercial. I always give credit, its the right thing to do.

So what do you do with all these textures? Check out this Tuesday for Tutorial Tuesday and we will check out some things you can do with these Freebies!

My Journey (the Cliff Notes version)

So as they say "the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step". I guess that is true. My journey to being a photographer started with my first camera. It was neon green and held 110 film and took pictures that left much to be desired, but that was it, I was hooked.

Years went by and the memories on film stacked up in my photo box. In high school I took photography and then again in college. I dreamed of being a world class photographer travelling abroad to take pictures of my celebrity clientelle. Meanwhile, here in the real world, I graduated with a business degree and landed a lucrative job. Creative it was not, so in order not to let my spirit die, I stayed with my photography, showing it at art shows and craft fairs. Whenever I travelled for business, I took my camera with. I captured so many beautiful images from places that before I could only dream of.

Just as soon as my photography clientelle picked up, life happened. A big move away from the city I loved, a wedding, health problems, a grandmother with dimentia that now wanders our house, infertility followed by a miscarriage and then finally a baby, death, a new job where I worked twice as hard for half as much, a new house, a new car, a lay off. Years of hard times left me exhausted with no time left for my first love.

Then I had my son. I decided at that point, I would do what I love. I started with doing a couple free sessions for friends and then started charging for prints. Within a month, I had 3 sessions, 2 weddings for the upcoming year, and a few maternity sessions. I haven't looked back since. I am by no means a seasoned pro. I am just someone who loves what I am doing and wants others to share in my happiness.

I hope that you all love this blog as it is a labor of love for me.

Here are some things to look forward to:

GRAND OPENING CONTEST!!!

This is huge. For 4 weeks we will be giving away two prizes a week. What are they? Stay tuned! Grand Opening week will start December 1!!! They will pop up random times of the week so be sure to subscribe to the feeds so that you will be the first to know!

MARKETING MONDAYS

Ideas to get your creative juices flowing and promote your business and build your client base

TUESDAYS Tutorials

Everything from Writing a press release to post processing in Photoshop

FREEBIE FRIDAY

I will scout out freebies and share them with you.....