Just when you thought it was safe to assume you knew all there was about managing a photography business, we’re pulling back the curtain on the importance of strategic timing for selling portraits and the hustle of graduation season. Through laughter and genuine insights, we share the trials of working through a back injury, the comical side of pet personalities, and the adrenaline rush of capturing those irreplaceable graduation moments. Tune in for a blend of heartwarming stories and laughter as we navigate the lively world of photography, relationships, and the occasional technological quagmire.
This week's episode is sponsored by our friends at Retouch Up! Use the coupon code GYST10 for a special discount!
This episode was written and performed by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Kira Derryberry, produced by Kira Derryberry and edited by Joel North.
Just when you thought it was safe to assume you knew all there was about managing a photography business, we’re pulling back the curtain on the importance of strategic timing for selling portraits and the hustle of graduation season. Through laughter and genuine insights, we share the trials of working through a back injury, the comical side of pet personalities, and the adrenaline rush of capturing those irreplaceable graduation moments. Tune in for a blend of heartwarming stories and laughter as we navigate the lively world of photography, relationships, and the occasional technological quagmire.
This week's episode is sponsored by our friends at Retouch Up! Use the coupon code GYST10 for a special discount!
This episode was written and performed by Mary Fisk-Taylor and Kira Derryberry, produced by Kira Derryberry and edited by Joel North.
This week's episode is brought to you by our friends at RetouchUp. Retouchup Work smarter, not harder. Welcome to Get your Shoot Together. The photographer's podcast where we discuss studio business life and keeping it all in line. I'm Kira Derryberry and I'm Mary Fishtaylor.
Speaker 2:Hey Mary Fishtaylor, hi Gosh I, hi guys, we're back. I swear to God, it's not because we don't love you, we do, we love you so much.
Speaker 1:We love you to death.
Speaker 2:We even— Kira was even here. Even worse to admit, it Was even here for like almost days, days.
Speaker 1:She was here Like three days.
Speaker 2:Every day we're like oh, today's the day and today—it never was the day no, I had my microphone with me.
Speaker 1:We had a whole plan, we had everything. We had everything we needed to do it. We just didn't do it.
Speaker 2:We just didn't do it the time. The time it was, the time we didn't have. I should have known better. I was the convention chair, I knew I'd be busy, plus, all our friends were there and we didn't want to like all our friends were there. We had the worst fomo, like we didn't want to we'd be like what, what are you guys doing?
Speaker 1:Oh, we're down at breakfast. I'm like, oh, okay, Well, I'll just oh, we're podcasting.
Speaker 2:I guess we'll talk after breakfast and then, anyway, never happened. But I mean, when you have like such a dream team in Virginia, which I feel like I had, which was obviously Kira, and then we had Deanna Robles and we had Jones and Christy Newell and Sandra Pierce, what are you going to do? Yeah, what are you going to do? You're going to hang out. You're going to hang out.
Speaker 1:They were so they were so fun. I really we had such a great time. I think it's you know. John stayed later and I I love how. So Mary's computer glitched out like while we were there, her like screen just started flickering and it was awful to look at.
Speaker 2:Just started flickering and uh it was awful to look at, like I mean, like you were trying to use it and it was just like potential seizures.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, it was. I can't imagine having to work on that. And so, anyway, after after everyone else flew out, john had a later flight and so he went to the apple store with mary and um and he uh, I'm gonna say he had some strong opinions. It sounded like he had opinions.
Speaker 2:He had opinions. Uh, neary the, the lovely guy at apple. Um, first of all, he's like, well, you know, ma'am, it's, it's a 2019 macbook, whatever, fully met, like one terabyte, all this stuff, you know. But you know it's a screen, it'd be about whatever to get it fixed, or you get a new one. And I'm like, uh, you know me, I'm like, well, let's just do both, because my thought was I'll give Jamie the old one, I'll get a new one, whatever. But this is what happened when the man decided that he was going to what do you call it? Repopulate?
Speaker 1:Yeah, transfer all the data over.
Speaker 2:Transfer everything to my new computer. He wanted to do it through the iCloud. John Gress was not having that. He thought that was a terrible idea. Told him so he wanted to hardwire it, make sure. Then, to add insult to injury, the guy's like, well, we'll just go ahead and clean this machine here before I send it off to get the screen replaced. And I thought John was going to lose his mind. But it worked out. We got through it. We got through it. I'm so glad you had him had. I'm so glad you had him had John.
Speaker 2:And he sat there. He was going to do a virtual, the goggle demo, that's what he was going to do. But then he found out it was a 30-minute long demo and he opted out of that. And then we had coffee in the sunshine and found out we have like a million things in common, which is just strange, Because I didn't know John super well, Knew him, but did not know him as well as you did. We have so much in common. And yeah, then we I don't know we hung out. It was a full day, we shopped, we had dinner, yeah because this flight wasn't until 7 pm, so we had a long full day.
Speaker 1:I love that you had that whole day with Johnny G.
Speaker 2:Yeah, johnny G, yeah, johnny G and I hung out. It was amazing. Then he got home and now we're just harassing our friends because we're trying to talk them into entering the MIR and getting their certification. So now there's a text exchange going on, as you know, that's all we're doing, but it was fun, it was a great convention.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean to know John is to love John it is. I mean wow, I mean I just love that he was there with you at the Apple store, because he was not. He's, he's going to do it, he's going to take care of it. So yeah.
Speaker 2:Then we went to Tumi, we checked out luggage. Oh nice, yeah, we. We went all over the mall, we uh, yeah, we did a lot of things. Let me tell you this. Okay, this is funny. We pull up in the mall and I'm like, okay, I got to figure out where the Apple store is because I want to go in close to the Apple store. And I shit you, not Kira I pull into a parking space and it's one of those ones that's kind of near that little island. You know, the parking lot has those little tiny islands with, like a tree and some mulch. Well, I pull in right beside that and I'm not kidding A I was going to say duck, but it's not a duck, because that's what I call it, but it was a goose. A goose stood up and looked right in our windows and I screamed and John screamed and it was just this goose like this big I'm imitating it right now, not very well this big goose just looking in our window.
Speaker 2:And I'm like where the hell did that come from? He was just hanging out in the island and we pulled up and bothered him, broke his siesta, and then I'm like, then I'm worried to death and then we didn't get out of the car. He's so mean. I said do you think it'll get? He goes, well, it could peck us to death, it could kill us, this goose, and I'm thinking I don't think it could kill us, but I think between the two of us we could take it, they chase you, I didn't want the short bump town center.
Speaker 2:That seemed weird, so we sat there until he walked away and I thought then I was worried to death he was going to get hit by a car, but he made it.
Speaker 1:I don't know where he went. Fear and sympathy.
Speaker 2:That's the quality you have. I forgot about this. But could you imagine pulling in this? I mean they're tall, yeah, because he was already kind of like in a little mound thing. Anyway, they run fast and he popped up and his neck's as long as a giraffe it felt like I was going to say, is it? As long as a goose Looking right in the window eye to eye and I'm like and John Grass is not short, you should have taken a picture. I should have.
Speaker 1:It was shocking. In those moments I wouldn't think to take a picture at all. It was shocking.
Speaker 2:Literally, the first words out of my mouth is thank God, Kira's not here.
Speaker 1:I would be dying. We would have never gotten out of the car. I'm going to be honest with you. We would have, We'd have to get a new parking space? Yeah, we would have had to wait.
Speaker 2:We waited it out, but yeah, that was an adventure. But yeah, it was a great, great, great convention. We had a lot of fun, but we are behind on podcast. We're doing the best we can. We're busy, which is good, and, um, because I told kira I was like, if we don't get it done, I leave for portugal. Yeah, two days, yeah, yeah, and we're gone another week so so here we are on a beautiful saturday beautiful here. I don't know about there, just here.
Speaker 1:It's gorgeous here and um, but I'm gonna be honest. I you know, since I hurt my back this week, I'm just like I was like, oh, I could go get some more plants to put in my pots. And I was like, oh, I'm not going to be doing any of that, like I can't.
Speaker 2:I lifted.
Speaker 1:You know, if you're a photographer, you know you've got some sort of muscular back injury, something knees and something's going to go, and mine lives in the lower back. So I just, you know, had two on-location jobs this week and no help, because I haven't rehired anyone since Misty left and I just picked up something very light but incorrectly, and I tweaked it, tweaked it and it's been miserable and I have a cute limp, I have an adorable limp now, and basically during the day it's fine, but as the day progresses it just feels like it gets worse. You know into where I'm like, lying on the floor like somebody massaged my back, I all, oh actually I almost yesterday, um, I ran into another photographer, uh, kylene Gay, here in Tallahassee, and I haven't seen her in forever, and we were talking and she was talking about our injuries, cause that's what you know that's what photographers do.
Speaker 2:She's a wedding photographer.
Speaker 1:Like an event wedding photographer. She does races and you know, so she's. I mean, she's always busy and she totally gets it. And she's like I'm just coming in just like trying to. We were at a day spa and she was like I'm just trying to, so in demand and so wonderful. Like she's not the kind of person I can just call and be like can I, can you get me in today, can you get me in tomorrow? And she goes. You know, I just go across the street to the like the walk-in, like Chen's place, like you know whatever, and I was like like how scary is it? Like she goes. It's not a spa. Like she goes and if the phone.
Speaker 1:it's usually just one person there, so if the phone rings they'll stop massaging you to go answer the phone.
Speaker 1:You know she goes but you know they're good and they're cheap, and I very much almost did it and I still am considering it today. I'm going to be honest with you. I'm just like I don't. It's just, you know, I'm like, but they put all the stickers in the windows so you can't see inside. You know what I mean? Oh no, and it's got like you know, stock photography of people with, like, hot stones on their back and lotus flowers on their ear and stuff, and it's like you know but you know.
Speaker 1:I went to Singapore and a place like that and got a massage and it was also really hard. Yeah, I thought that was terrible. It was terrible.
Speaker 2:I was like I remember you talking about that and I thought, no stars, no stars. I did that in the Philippines, but it was actually, it was excellent, but no, no, do you not?
Speaker 1:have a chiropractor? I do, but it's not working. Today. It's Saturday, you know, and Friday, oh right, you know, it was like I had shoots. I had shoots. I photographed a dog and the owner yesterday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we sent all of us a picture. I know Really cute dog, by the way, really cute no-transcript.
Speaker 1:And I was like this is one of those times you know when you're. You cannot bring that kind of energy to the shoot or it's not going to work. If we we're both like, oh, these dogs aren't going to do what we want, you know, like I was like I'm going to have to do my best job at lying to this woman and these dogs about how I feel about this and I was like, no, they're fine. Yeah, let them roam free in the studio, they can't hurt anything.
Speaker 2:You know so that. But obviously they weren't barky dogs.
Speaker 1:They were not barky dogs, they were actually very good dogs, but they weren't good. They didn't have, like, their commands down so it was very hard to get them to to sit or to you know. But I did all the things that I learned. But from all the you know, watching arkadorf, actually I did all the things that arkadorf does with dogs and it sort of worked for me. I mean, I think the dogs could tell that I was lying but honestly, it was good advice. It was good advice. I got eye contact in the perky ears. I did. Yeah, the picture you sent was really cute. Yeah, I was like look at me learning, learning about pet photography. That's the thing, guys, is. You go to these classes and you think there's nothing. I don't do pet photography, there's nothing I'm going to learn. But you know what you got that high paying client that has expensive dogs.
Speaker 1:And they really want portraits with their dogs. And what are you going to say? Oh, no, but I know this other great guy.
Speaker 2:No, no, so this was a portrait session or was it a headshot session?
Speaker 1:It was actually a marketing session, because she does all this different coaching and public speaking and she wanted to have some For dogs. She does trauma therapy stuff. She wanted to have some For dogs, she does trauma therapy stuff and so she wanted to have her with her dog so she can use it to advertise, you know, incorporating pets into trauma therapy and stuff. So yeah, so it was kind of a marketing job too.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I didn't want to say. I did her book cover, so I was like I'm not going to send her to another commercial photographer to do this. You know so she's great. But sometimes you got to fake it for her to do this. You know so she's great, but sometimes you got to fake it and you did, and I did, and I did a good job, but I smell the Well.
Speaker 2:she sent one picture to our group chat and she's like I feel like I deserve a medal, a cup.
Speaker 1:What did you say? It's like I just want everyone to acknowledge how brave I am. Oh, that's what it was how brave you are.
Speaker 2:It's the cutest, little, tiniest dog who literally is like smiling, like cutest little dog in the world and we're all like um, but we all know Kira and we all, as a matter of fact, um, we took her to the studio but Nugget is there, jamie's dog.
Speaker 1:I was fine. I did it, you were fine with Nugget.
Speaker 2:But we were leaving, I was like good job, we're going to go to my house. Like huh, kira's never been to my house. As soon as we walked in my house I'm like this is why. Kira's never been to my house it's. It's a dog pound, like there's so many dogs, and my dogs are not aggressive but they do bark and, um, I think it would. Yeah, it would scare you a little bit it.
Speaker 1:Just it makes me, it makes my you know my fainting goat uh, disease happen. You know about that. You know, like, where your brain does a little like like a little fight or flight flick, yeah, and it makes my whole body kind of like go leave, run away.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean that's fair.
Speaker 1:That's fair.
Speaker 2:That's fair. Well, let's run away for a second and do a pause for the cause to hear from our great sponsors. We touch up and we'll be right back. We'll be right back.
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Speaker 2:43.
Speaker 1:But it's so significant, so significant. But the other thing is that it is my marking the official 14th year in business for Kira Derryberry Photography and it feels like I mean I did feel like before, you know, when you're like five years in the business, you're like it feels like yeah, that's a long time, seven years 10 years 10 years, 10th anniversary, 14 years. I know a thing or two about a thing or two.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 10 years you're in. I mean it really is. I do think I think, past that, well, it's kind of like marriage, right. You know what they say Like get past that, well, it's kind of like marriage, right. You know what they say, like get past that seventh year, and it's kind of I don't know. I mean I don't know that's true. That's obviously not true. But I think in photography I mean 14 years. I mean that's a career that's substantial.
Speaker 1:It's substantial right, and so I have three clients right now. This is the thing that you've always talked to me about and I have really not experienced, but I think because it's the 14th year, I have three clients who were four years old when I photographed them for the first time, and now their families have come to me for their senior photos, which is mind boggling. And two of them have wanted to go to the same location that we did their four-year-old session at, and um, was it outdoors? It was outdoors, of course. It was because I didn't have a studio 14 years ago, right?
Speaker 1:No, we were always outside. And um was it outdoors? It was outdoors, of course. It was Cause. Well, I didn't have a studio 14 years ago. Right now we were always outside and um so one of them we did downtown Tallahassee and they really wanted to match like a favorite image from that session.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's cute though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so we did, and we, I, I did it and I and we. Actually I haven't unboxed them yet, but they ordered side-by-side medals of the original because they never ordered a wall piece from that original one. And then so I have the files, because good for me.
Speaker 2:I have them still so.
Speaker 1:The original image on the left panel and then the new image in the same location, almost exactly the same looking, black and white, thank God, oh, okay, wait a minute.
Speaker 2:Let's do that. Yeah, Thank God, Black and white Right. So first question first of all, that's awesome. Second of all, Did they get the files from the first session? They did, but they purchased this from you. I just want to make this. I think this is interesting and I think this is something people don't, Even if that's how you started. Look where you are now, and this is a client that's been with you now for 14 years because the kid's 18. And they got files. You were outdoors on location, pretty much a file only photographer.
Speaker 1:I'm assuming yeah, yeah, at the time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and now you've sold them two pieces, one from 14 years ago. Yes, I just think that's good to hear. I think that's really good to hear.
Speaker 1:And, to be fair, I think I was always leading with the digital files at that time and then offering additional things, like she's. In the 14 years we have done other sessions, you know, so they have bought other things, but from the original session I just thought like how special is it now that I get to have for me? It's like it's special for me too. You know what I mean, because it's like the first year in business. I did this photo of her adorable little kid and then and thank God it wasn't terrible, you know, because can you imagine it being like such terrible quality? And then, like 14 years later, you actually got good. And then you were like you know, so it was natural light, which was hard for me now because I so rarely shoot in natural light now. So I still used flash with it, but I still used it. Now you get it like I still made it look like it was original natural light yeah, but um, it was it anyway I'm.
Speaker 1:I will definitely post this, like once I get it on their walls, because it's, it's here, and then we've just got to go install them together and then I'll photograph oh, that is so awesome.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited about it. And so then the other one was another one, four years old, photographed her for the first time at McClay Gardens, and then she, the teenager, really wanted to have it done in the same location, and so we did, and it's the same time of year that we did it before, so the flowers are all in bloom the same ones. It just turned out so great and we're doing. We ended up doing a family portrait of her. She's the only child Family portrait of her and her parents there on this one. So we're doing a family portrait over the fireplace and then we're doing a graduation party portrait of her in her Tulane t-shirt at the gardens, with a big three-inch border around the frame.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, for sign-in portrait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and we're doing that so that mom can put it up in her room, and I just think it's going to be. I'm just anyway. I haven't had this happen yet.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so now I guess I'm just waiting for the newborns that I photographed from Fright.
Speaker 2:Well, it happens. I mean I have three weddings this year for kids that I've been photographing since they were pretty much born, so so, yeah, actually one definitely since she was born, for sure. The other one maybe she was a little bit older, but but wedding. So I get you know, I get it and you know. But the thing I like about what you're doing, first of all I like that you said you know, even though you're photographing differently now obviously probably different camera, the whole nine yards, you still had those sound things. So your portraits are matching. You know what I mean. Your style is not. So, even though your business model has changed quite a bit, your base core photography skills haven't really, I mean, they improved, they changed.
Speaker 1:They certainly improved. I could do more more now than I could then I was. I was more limited, but not unskilled. Right Right, there you go. That's a good way to put it.
Speaker 2:Unskilled. That's a good way to put it, but I like the fact that you're saying I mean no, let's talk about this so. But so there's only been sorry. Speaking of dogs, waffles has decided to chime in, but you know, there's only been this many so far. But I assume that from where you started to where you've ended up, not everybody stuck with you, right? Not every single person, of course, right?
Speaker 1:Of course. Yeah, there's not everyone, and a lot of that had to do with price differences over the years, correct? You know, I remember a client who I photographed for most of their like their kids elementary school years. You know she finally came to me and she was just like I just you're so special and I love your work, but I just can't afford you anymore and and it and it's okay, it's, that was okay, I mean, you know so, certainly, and you know, especially since the focus of my business has also kind of moved much more in the direction of corporate work than family work as it, I mean still doing families but not seeking them out as many.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean and you know. So that's just, that's just growing pains. That's just to be expected. There's no harm there's. There's no hurt there. You know there isn't there isn't.
Speaker 2:But I think that's something hard when you're starting out or you do decide you want to change your business model and maybe you now want to start selling products or go into IBS or whatever. I do think that that's still a fear and I know we've talked about this probably many times, but it bears repeating because I think that for some reason, we sometimes feel beholden to the photographer, so you hear, maybe, well, I'll grandfather them in or I'll do this or I'll do that, but why, why? Why do we have to? Why? Why do we feel the need to do that? Because, I mean, I don't know about you guys, but everybody's raising their prices right now and nobody's grandfathering me in. Yeah, you know, I don't know why we, we have this need to do that and I just I like hearing that, even if it is only these four this year, because there'll be more and more, as you, you know, are longer and longer in business You've made, you're going to make, more off these four than all those other people that they'd stuck with you combined, right.
Speaker 2:And you'd stuck with that old business model.
Speaker 1:And you know, because you've built, yes, and because you've built this relationship, you know you have the choice to gift things To kind. You have the choice to gift things to kind of solidify that. You know. Maybe you gift them the graduation cards. You know what I mean? Correct, because you don't make a lot of money on that anyway, right?
Speaker 2:Like they're kind of— Unless you're Allison Tyler Jones, unless you're Allison Tyler Jones, yeah.
Speaker 1:You know. But you know, maybe you give them, you know their session fee credited or maybe you know, I mean like something that doesn't have a cost of good attached to it. You know, but at least you I mean both these sales, I mean are making that order. I mean you know what I mean Like it's, it's, it's great, it's great, but it's also like leads back to relationship building from the beginning.
Speaker 1:Like every single person that you work with, even like whenever you start working for them, you are cultivating a relationship that could go much longer than you think you know that's the hope, that's the, that's the desire I mean.
Speaker 2:But even though you didn't start with that end in mind, you still are accomplishing it Now. Do you have all that? Do you have and I know this is probably a big question, because I don't know what your SMS was or what kind of stuff CRM you were using, if any, quite frankly, at the beginning? But do you have enough records that now you're like, ooh, look at this now, because this is your first time, right? You're like, oh wait, I've been doing this so long that now I have these seniors. Do you have a way that you can reaching out? So next year, you know, next year, in January or February, you're reaching out to your rising seniors and inviting them in.
Speaker 1:I wish I mean I do have access In fact, I still pay monthly for this access to my old billing. Yeah, because I used a company called FreshBooks, which is still a great company. Yeah, but I moved over to 17Hat so, but I couldn't still maintain the searchable database that I have with FreshMix, so I still pay like a To keep it, to keep it, which sucks. Don't. Do not recommend one star, right, but the alternative. There's no way to import it. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:So I wanted to be able to have, like, at least do that for some of the, because I could go back and see what they purchased last year, right, or a couple years before. But I didn't have a system of really documenting the age of the kids. Okay, when I photographed them, I could see newborn sessions, so that'll be a little easier to figure out. See newborn sessions, so that'll be a little easier to figure out. But I, but I didn't. I only was made aware of the fact that I photographed these three kids when they were four because their parents reached out and told me you know what I mean.
Speaker 1:Like oh, you know, ava's graduating, amelia's graduating, you know, and it's, and that was new you know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so now maybe you'll try to find you know, cause we can always do a little Facebook stalking. I mean there's little things that you can do and I mean, and I just that whole power of reaching out. I mean you're really blessed and lucky that not really. I mean you did such a great job, you built that relationship that obviously they're going to reach out to you. That's fantastic and we all have that handful that will. But it's those others that maybe need a little bit of a nudge.
Speaker 2:And I had this happen just a couple weeks ago for March, something you would never do. I ran an heirloom it's called Heirloom Bonds and it was a pet portrait experience and it was solely based on people celebrating their pets. Now I have we lost a little. Our little Stella passed away several months ago and I just found out my Corgi rookie is going through some medical issues, so it just really hit home for me personally. So anything that's personal to me, I know, is always going to be a good thing to share, because I think I have like-minded clients. So what I did was I went back and, because we have such a good CRM, we use SuccessFore for a long time, we use Studio Cloud now but, just like you, I'm running in parallel because I'm sure I could export it. I'm just we're two people. I don't even have the bandwidth to do it, so I just have one computer that just runs it.
Speaker 2:I went through and found everybody that I knew had a pet meaning. They came in for a pet promotion through the years when we did our pet books, or they came in with SPCA or whatever, and I personally handpicked the ones that spent. I could pull that report and I texted every one of them and it was. You know, it was a lot of texts or whatever, but I texted everyone. I'd already sent emails and I got some response, but I texted every one of them and I booked 13 sessions just from texting and saying, hey, I don't know if you saw this promotion. Would you be willing to help? You know, do us a favor or help us out with this? You know I'm so sad. You know I miss my little Stella. I mean, I've made it personal. I made it and 13 people went. Absolutely I've been meaning to call you, I've been meaning to respond, absolutely, and we got them booked. So, that being said, it's that extra push from here.
Speaker 2:So, taking what your clients have already the ones, because the early adapters are always going to be the ones that call you and say such and such is a senior, such and such is getting married. I mean, we have those clients. But I think it can go one step further. If we've done, if we have had the wherewithal to keep good records, that now you're reaching out and saying, hey, I know it's graduation time, and even if you kind of think maybe they're a senior but you're not sure you could kind of spin it with, and if you know that you know to share it with other people, I wanted to let you know and you could share it with other people. That kind of safeguards you.
Speaker 2:They're like well, they're only a junior, like well, you just should be thinking about it now or whatever it is, but showing and really promoting when you get that install up of that four-year-old portrait and the then and now, how it's going. You know where I mean as a mom, people are going to respond to that with so much energy. You know what I mean. It'll be a good. Maybe even you just pinpoint one email just to your past clients with children that haven't been in in 10 years, right, yeah, I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 1:As you were talking, I was thinking of, like what I would do differently with technology. If the technology that we have now existed, then I was thinking like now maybe it would be great to have a field in your intake, you know, that obviously has you know the ages of all the kids, but the class of, you know, just make a little note class of. And then what if you could set a reminder? Because you could set calendar reminders right. So what if you could just go into your Google calendar or whatever calendar you use and just set those dates at the beginning of the quarter or whatever? You know what I mean, like this is this kid, this kid, this kid, this is class of whatever. Have a little. It would basically pop up with a reminder that you would be updating all the time as you got more clients.
Speaker 1:That would be like here's five kids that are class of 2030, 26 or whatever you know and reach out to these kids a reminder that you set yourself years in advance, right like you. That's what we do, yeah you're, that's what we do.
Speaker 2:We do it for our milestones. I mean because we wanted to get them in for that three-year-old, five-year-old, you know, eighth grade senior portrait. I mean, and, believe me, I mean that's, I mean that's, absolutely. And we photograph our senior portraits. They're usually done before their senior year. When do you guys do them these?
Speaker 1:kids. They almost all do during and because of the weather in Tallahassee, this is the time where I'm doing them and I'm rushing to get everything out on time, Every place is different.
Speaker 2:We do them before the high school seniors start senior year. So the summer before your senior year, we're— and it's—.
Speaker 1:Lots of seniors and it's too hot here to do it.
Speaker 2:That makes sense.
Speaker 1:It's so hot here and there's nothing blooming, it's just— yeah. Everything is scorched earth here. It's like nobody wants to do it. Well, it makes sense.
Speaker 2:Whatever your season is for, seniors is now, so yours is right when college acceptance are coming out.
Speaker 2:And I think that what I used to try to do is get them back in this time of year when they're getting their college, if they were going to school or trade school, whatever, military, whatever they were doing but get them back in, because then we would do their announcements with announcing where they're going to be going next, whether it was going to be going to you know UVA or you know whatever, wherever they were going, and that's how I would get them in a second time.
Speaker 2:Now we ran a senior studio for many years which, during COVID, we decided not to keep it going. But we would do at that real life, we would do 100 or more seniors in summer, but I would try to get them back in this time of year to do their announcements. So just senior photographers or volume photographers out there, get them back in this time of year announcements. So just see these senior photographers or volume photographers out there, get them back in this time of year, because I know they're getting their college acceptance letters and I would say it's a complimentary session with your new, your feet, whatever you're going college t-shirt or sweatshirt or whatever they would come in and then and I could almost always sell them announcements. So it would be their announcement. And then on the back it'd be say you know heading to blacksburg, or heading to shottesville, or whatever, whatever it was.
Speaker 2:Could be playing, you know, continuing their sports career or whatever it is, and that would give me an additional sale from the portrait session, because the portrait session was, you know, six months ago at this point. So whatever.
Speaker 2:Not at all relating to what you're saying, but just a little. Just a little. If you don't do this and you want to photograph a lot of seniors, it really is it's really an extra moneymaker. You always can make an extra couple hundred bucks on that session if you take the time to call them back in. But you have to invite them and I think that's one thing. That's been the big thing.
Speaker 2:I'm 30, almost 30 years in or the studio is I haven't been there quite that long, but close. I haven't been there quite that long but close, and you know it's like that's one of the things that's changed. So much is the amount of time I spend reaching out to people reminding them it's time to schedule their session. I mean, that never was the case, and I know you don't have that in the corporate world or in the headshot world, because these people have to get a headshot right. Everybody needs a headshot, especially now, but everybody doesn't need a professional family portrait or senior portrait or five-year-old portrait or whatever. So I spend the majority of my time reminding people, calling people, texting people, um, which makes me tired just thinking about it. But if I wasn't, I don't, where would I be? I wouldn't be in business.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, you know what I mean. There's because there's also like, um, I've had another influx with with the scene in the couple of years, when people are going off to college, of the parent calling and saying, this is the last time all of us are going to be at home. Like, maybe it's the oldest kid going off to college, we need to get a family portrait. And so because that family portrait they're more comfortable with being on the wall than the one of when they were babies, because then they're going to have to like they're like this one's going to last a while because they almost look like adults and then we're going to put them on the over the fireplace here, you know. So that's another. That's another. It's kind of a milestone. It's not just kids are going to college, but it's like oh, this is the last time all four of us, or all five of us, are house. That's my number one moneymaker.
Speaker 2:That's my number one milestone. I don't even start talking Family portraits smaller, like you know, maybe with a newborn or whatever. But I'm not selling large, I'm not. I'm not even talking about large portraits until the oldest is in eighth grade, because usually if your oldest is in eighth grade, usually the family's complete. But my biggest seller is before that first kid goes to high school. That is my number one milestone. Hands down, it's my biggest sales, because A when that first they're all in their fields, because the first one's going to college. Plus, as that time goes by and the next one goes or the next one goes, you're more likely to have picked up hangers on, meaning a fiance, somebody getting married, whatever, Maybe not as much these days, but it happens, and it's probably the last time your family as a whole is just you guys, just that unit.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:There's no, you know, boyfriends, girlfriends, whatever, but that's my number one. I mean, you came to my studio, which was almost embarrassing, but I mean I think three of the portraits sitting there waiting to be painted were exactly that.
Speaker 1:Were those. Yeah, yeah, the family, yeah, first of all, guys, she's embarrassed because it's so overrun with orders that are going out and being delivered and being installed Like it's. It's overwhelming, it's packed to the gills with stuff that people have purchased so like, so embarrassing.
Speaker 2:Well, it's, it's a lot, it's a lot, but see, because we paint in there and we, you know, and we install.
Speaker 1:But we both work in small spaces. Yes, we work in small spaces. It might be small.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's small but it's spring break so everybody's been out of town. Or we're getting ready to travel, or we're traveling so nobody wanted to schedule an install, or they're getting ready to flip or spring clean. So we're like sure we'll hold on to it and we're like we've got to get rid of some of these things. I know Some of them are too big for our walls, Like they're just my landing right now in my home is just White House boxes.
Speaker 1:I've seen that yeah it's just laying in the, because I can't no-transcript to touch, so it's a great problem to have.
Speaker 2:It's a very great problem to have, but I don't know, no-transcript, six years. Well, they're not. You know, maybe you have, but I know for us, like one of the weddings that we're doing, I'm going to be honest, she was one of our top clients and she came in and did three huge sessions with us, but I haven't heard from her. And as soon as her daughter got engaged, she's like you're the second person I called because I want to know when, because it's got to be you guys, and I'm like, wow, I kind of thought they'd forgotten about us. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:But she goes, but it actually ended up talking to her a little bit about it. She's like how can I you email, you check in, you send me a holiday card? I always, you're always top of mind. I get your magazines and I'm like, oh good, so it does work. She's like we just, frankly, haven't been, we've just been busy really needed anything, because we did that big portrait before the first went to college. There was no reason to do it as a second and third went to college. College graduations aren't that big. Here we do a few. I think you do a lot more.
Speaker 1:I did. I did some yesterday.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we don't do a lot of those here. I wish we did, but. But so she's like but you're the, you know, but you're always top of mind, you, you always stay in touch. So I think there's another point of the reason why I'm so adamant about my newsletters and my emails. Even that, like using Drop Cowboy and calling around the holidays just to wish them a happy holiday or just staying in touch, Just I'm thinking about you, I mean, and we do that a lot and I think you know she was kind of a testimony that oh, it actually is working. You know what I mean, because sometimes I get, you know, my feels about like, oh, you know, maybe it's not working, maybe all this is for nothing.
Speaker 2:But especially February's, because if you've heard, listened to this podcast for any length of time for over a year, every February I'm a doom and gloom, eeyore, and life is over and I'm a complete failure. Because that's just what February is for me, because I just decide that I'm slow and that means I've failed at life, but it always works out. But I just for some reason can't stop. My husband is like, from now on he's going to vacation the entire month of February and not either I have to be gone or he has to be gone so we can survive this. But anyway, I don't know. I love that you're going through that and you don't do weddings. You'll have to find somebody great to refer them to down the road. But yeah, I don't know. That's where we are and I almost thought we were going to. I really thought we were going to two years ago. I thought, you know, we're probably going to phase out. We have more weddings on the book for 25, 24 and 25 that we've had in probably four years.
Speaker 1:I know because, like every time, I'm like are we going to? Because? We're talking about trips and it's like well, jamie's shooting, jamie's got this wedding that he's got to do, so he won't be there until after.
Speaker 2:Yeah, imaging this year. Yeah, imaging Jamie was late. This is a great wedding, you know. Yeah, I mean because this is the year, probably for the next four or five years a lot of our kiddos will be getting married and thank goodness they still want us. I mean, and it's really cool. I mean we're going to we have one in Pennsylvania, we have one in Florida, we have well, we have Spain and Ireland. Like it's kind of cool. It's kind of cool, it's really cool. I'm going to have to like really do more light stand a wedding. I am in traction for like two days, like, yeah, I can't even I cannot begin to imagine Like they're hard.
Speaker 1:You're on your feet so much and I get I whine. If I'm on my feet like a couple of hours I'm like yeah why?
Speaker 2:And you're on, just like, just like your all day session. You're on, you're smiling, you're happy, you're not complaining, you're not complaining, there's no issues. Everything's great, Everything's—what is that song you always sing?
Speaker 1:Everything is awesome.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, that's what it is in my head all day long, which I'm happy to do, by the way, guys, I wouldn't want to ever bring anything but that joy to people's weddings, but it is a lot.
Speaker 1:It's draining physically and emotionally. It's physically and emotionally draining and I think that's why, you know, I came home yesterday from shooting, so I had the dog, okay. So just let's see.
Speaker 2:You landed on Tuesday.
Speaker 1:Landed on Tuesday, wednesday, working for the bank at a meeting that they had at a hotel. So I'm at a hotel set up in a conference room. That's obviously always too small for what I'm trying to do, you know, and so did that all day building people up. I got you, don't worry about that. No, I know it's full length. Oh, nobody told you it was full length. I'm so sorry, but it is full length. And you know what? I don't worry about that, don't worry about this. I got you. I got you All day right. And then it's shooting from a higher angle and down onto a bigger set. So it's like, literally, I was.
Speaker 1:I was up on a box and down off the box. Up on the box and down off the box. Up on the box, down off, you know, just to be able to reach to where I could see, and then down off the box so I could go do their their, go do their order with them real quick, and then that was because they're you hurt your back the day before, so you already have I hurt my back the day before.
Speaker 1:So I'm coming off the box and I'm kind of pretending that I'm not like doing this weird. Like you know what is the guy? The Hunchback of Notre Dame kind of foot drag.
Speaker 2:That's not what I was thinking, but okay.
Speaker 1:Just this foot drag sort of thing. And it's just this foot drag sort of thing. And then, you know, but I'm like so cheery, you know, because these kids are so they have a lot of energy and they're so fun and I'm trying to be cool and not some old lady, you know. And then yesterday, you know, the very next day, it's the dog shoot. So I've got the dogs in there and I'm trying to pretend like I am good with dogs and she keeps saying things like dog people get it, you just get it. And I'm like, yeah, Stop it.
Speaker 2:She called you a stop it Stop it she kept saying it.
Speaker 1:And so I'm just like living this lie for this one, for the sake of the shoot, right. Like I'm just like, oh, what sweet dogs. Oh, yeah, frenchies, you know they're a dream. Like she goes like oh, they don't bark, you know. And I'm like isn't that great? What perfect, this is perfect. They're angels, they're perfect. Like you know, dog people get it. And then she keeps saying dog people get it, dog people. And we're going through her photos and every photo. They're terrible, like the ones that were the dogs are not performing and she's got a weird face. She loves every single one. She's like oh, that's just so, django. And I'm like that's not a good one. Like his butt is facing the camera. You know what I mean. Like it's not. And it's like Janko is mostly butt you know like a little, and so Frenchie butt, frenchie butt.
Speaker 1:And, but she thinks it's adorable you know, because she's a dog person. And then I leave to go to FSU's campus to photograph these two doctoral graduates who are married, who I just did their family session too. So that was the deal we did a studio family session and now we're doing the two of them in their regalia, like on campus. Well, guess it's like overrun with senior graduating college kids doing at this location, doing at the fountain, you know, and the. Ruby Diamond, you know.
Speaker 1:So we're it's, and it's full sun, like the sun is setting over the building and it takes just to get like four locations in this one little area. I mean it takes like an hour. And I'm just been, I'm in a sweatshirt, for some reason I smell like dog and I'm trying to get, like wait, in line with these kids, these photographers, who are kids, like they're oh yeah, young, you know, and they're out there photographing all these girls in white dresses. And I just come home, and I just come home from that yesterday and I just limp in, you know, and I'm just like, like it's just, I'm so, and Kevin's like yeah, but I mean it's, you're so busy, this is so great, like you're making money and like I was just like, but I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm tired, I'm so tired, I just can't do it.
Speaker 2:I can't.
Speaker 1:I can't do anything. And I hurt, everything hurts, like I'm, and I'm on fire and I was, and I have to change cause I'm sweaty and I smell like dog and the cats are mad. And the cats are mad Cause they're like what in the world, like what is? Where have you? Been when have you been and who have you been with? I know you traitor. I know and like what is this? We hear about you being a dog person.
Speaker 2:Dog people get it. That's the best thing I've heard all day.
Speaker 1:I'm going to chuckle about that all day long.
Speaker 2:Speak a little. Well, that is it. That sounds terrible and you know, man, that she could not have been less right, but you know what?
Speaker 1:That doesn't matter. We play the part. We do what we have to do. That's you know. It's like your baby's cute, and the thing is is that?
Speaker 2:I don't hate the dogs, the baby's cute.
Speaker 1:You know none of that. It's just that it's not. It doesn't come as easy for me as it does for others to do certain subject matter, but.
Speaker 2:I think that's fair. I mean, I think that a lot of people struggle with families because posing families is hard, or weddings, because it's hard. You know, dealing with all those people and all you know I don't it's not well. This is why, and I mean, as I sit here and I do all the things, but the older I get, the more I'm like you know, I'm just going to niche right into something Like I'm just going to niche into one thing. Like you know, I'm just going to niche right into something Like I'm just going to niche into one thing. I don't.
Speaker 2:I think that there's a lot to be said for that. Now, when you do that, then do you miss out on the opportunity of exactly what you're doing right now, which is them coming back to you for senior portraits because they want to go outdoors, and you've niched into only doing X, y, z. It's a trade-off and that's okay. It would have been perfectly okay for you to say I'm so grateful and thank you so much. I no longer, that's not longer part of my business model, but let me refer you on. I think that it's okay to do that.
Speaker 1:Most of the time I do, it's setting a boundary right, Because I am niche. I do consider myself niche, but I think the key to being good at being niche and still taking advantage of certain opportunities that arise is like with this dog portrait. If I had not. Honestly, I've done pet portraits before for clients Like they bring, they want their dog in the family portrait and I'll go, you know, as long as you can give the dog commands or wrangle the dog.
Speaker 1:You know that's fine, but until Arika came to my studio and did some pet sessions at my studio and I watched what she was doing, I was not well. I realized I was not well equipped to do that for somebody. And so I think making sure that you have a well-rounded sense of knowledge base, even though if it's not something that you want to do, like attending a class like we've talked about, that you do and normally do, or or or or shadowing a photographer, that a photographer like Arica, like I, did that day, watching her work with animals and making it seem like so easy which it's not, but I think that is how you go.
Speaker 1:When that commercial client who you did the book cover for comes back and says you know what? I want to be photographed with my dogs for some marketing pieces. You can't go. Well, let me just refer you to another commercial photographer who's not afraid of dogs?
Speaker 2:No, you can't. Well, you could, but you don't want to. It wouldn't have been the best decision. It wouldn't have been the best business decision I could have made.
Speaker 1:And the same thing with you. Know the graduation portraits. You know it's like I have done someone's family all through their entire time. I'm going to say to them no, I won't go on campus with you and do these locations Of course I will. Now I'll say no to other people, but it gives me the opportunity to be selective about who I do that with, so I have more control.
Speaker 2:Right. And also you have a history with these people and you know I hate to say it, but you know that the investment level and they've invested in you, so you're investing in them and I think that's where the that, for me, is the trade-off I'm. If you've not invested in me and you're proving to me you're not meaning you're not, you don't want to come in for a consultation. You want to do all these things. You're not investing in me, I'm not investing in you. So, no, I'm not coming, going to invest back into you. It's a give and take and in the world we live in today, in the society we're in and everything else, I think that it being that give and take and that equitable relationship is so important, more now than ever, because there's just not a lot of it out there in my opinion. So you know what I mean, like people that continue to invest in you and come back and forth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think that's so important. Okay, let's wrap this up, guys. We're so grateful that you guys continue to stick with us while we try and bang these out. You guys can follow us on Instagram at Get your Shoot Together. You can follow us on Facebook at Get your Shoot Together and email us at girl at getyourshoottogethercom. We will see you guys next time. Thanks y'all you.