Marvelous Monday: Strawberry D'Lish Pinups

Summer Berriel July 7, 2014

Happy Marvelous Monday! We have a very fabulous Inland Empire photographer to introduce you to today: Angelica Gutierrez Luna of Strawberry D'Lish Pinups! That's right, we said PINUPS! Pinup photography is such a beautiful form of expression, not to mention how incredible silly and fun it can be! Angelica is one of the best in the pinup biz. We are big fans of her work! It is always so fresh and vibrant! Totally cheesecake!

Angelica is not only a talented photographer, but she also had mad hair and makeup skills. She has helped us out with a few of our events and we are always blown away by her talent. Read on to learn more.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your business! What's your specialty?

My specialty is Pinup Photography but I offer makeup and hair as well for all occasions. And I love working with women of all sizes!

Tell us about your journey! How did you get to where you are?

Strawberry D'Lish started about four years ago. At the time I was just the hair and makeup girl and I had a different photographer. We only had about two sessions and I was excited about it! I asked if I could try shooting and I knew I had to take over and do it myself! I became more satisfied with the shots I had taken. So from then on I bought a camera and studied. Summer Shea help me out a lot with getting to know my camera and I love her for that!!

What are your favorite things about working in your field?

My most favorite things about working in this field is meeting ALL the wonderful people I have, also just being involved in events, as well as helping out other businesses. It's just awesome! I'm just having a wonderful time doing what I'm doing!

What are some of your plans/goals for the future?

I realized you could never stop learning how to do what you love! I want to get it right! My plans and goals are to practice, practice, practice!

We know you want to see more of what Strawberry D'Lish has to offer, so be sure to follow her on Facebook and Instragram. You can get in touch with Angelica by emailing her at angelicaluna50@yahoo.com.

Xoxo!

Golden Girls!

If you would like to be featured on a future Marvelous Monday post or if you know a local vendor of photographer we should feature, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Fab Friday: How to Photograph Fireworks!

Summer Berriel July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July! (Can you believe it is already July? Am I the only one that still feels like it was March just last week?! This year is flying by!)

Anyway, it is in fact July 4th... a day to BBQ, swim, relax and celebrate with friends and family! If you have some fun firework festivities planned for later tonight, then this FAB Friday post is for you!

The key to creating awesome firework images is actually pretty simple! You need to shoot with a SLOW shutter speed. (Like, way slooooow... like you're probably going to need to use a tripod SLOW.)

The way to get your shutter speed slowed way down is to shoot with a low ISO (like, ISO 100?) and a small aperture (say f/16?)... then, set your shutter speed to get an accurate exposure. You want your shutter to be open for the entire burst of the firework, usually half a second to four seconds. So yeah, it will seem like an eternity to you, but it will make for an awesome picture!

Here are a few more things to keep in mind when shooting fireworks:

1. Use a tripod. Like we said, your shutter speed is going to be crazy slow and unless you're a statue, you're probably going to need some extra stability. If you have a timer or a remote, you might want to think about using that, too!

2. Get a correct White Balance before you start shooting. Of course, if you shoot in RAW this is less of an issue, but if you shoot in jpeg, you definitely want to get your white balance as close to accurate as possible! You do not want to be messing around with color in post-production.

3. Turn off your flash. It won't reach the fireworks anyway... but it will be distracting and it will probably blow out your foreground.

4. Try turning off Auto Focus. Since most cameras have trouble using Auto Focus in dimly lit situations, you might want to set your lens to focus to infinity when you're shooting fireworks. (In case you're wondering what infinity focus is, it's when the lens forms a sharp image of an object an infinite distance away from the camera.) It's pretty easy to set up, too. Just set your lens to Manual Focus and then turn your dial to that little infinity symbol.

5. Tell the whole story! Don't forget to get pictures of your surroundings and the spectators! Yes, fireworks are super cool to watch, but your images will be so much stronger with the whole picture painted! Add interesting elements to the foreground/background of your firework shots! Get a picture of your toddler freaking out during the big show! Take a snapshot of your snacks! Get it all!

That's it! Get out there, be safe and have fun!

Happy 4th! Xoxo!

Golden Girls

Talk Shop Thursday: Branding 101, Finding your ideal client!

Summer Berriel July 3, 2014

Last week, we gave you a rundown of Branding 101 and how important branding is to running a successful photography business.

(If you didn't get a chance to check it out, go back and do a little reading! It's super important!)

Remember your brand is who you are and it is what sets you apart from other businesses. Good branding allows people to get to know you! We gave you a list of tips last week to help you get started in creating your brand, but we have one more tip for you! This isn't so much about who you are... but it's about who you want to work with!

Ask yourself: Who is your ideal client? Sit down. Brainstorm. Write it all down. What does your ideal client look like? Where does she live? Where does she work? Does she have kids? What interests her? What are her hobbies? Yeah, you might feel kind of crazy writing about this make believe person, but the more you dream about her, envision her, the closer you are to knowing your target market.

Once you have a good idea of who you want to work with, you can create a marketing strategy that will draw that client to your business! The more you know about this ideal client, the more you know about your brand. Is your ideal client young, fun, and stylish? Maybe those three words also describe your brand!

The best part about having branding that accurately represents you and your business, is that it helps weed out the clients that don't exactly mesh well with you and your vision. (Face it, not every photographer is a good fit for every client.)

Occasionally, we hear of photographers receiving inquiries only to be reprimanded for having outrageous prices. Well, unless you've way overpriced your work, we don't think your pricing is the problem. Instead of worrying that your prices are too high, maybe ask yourself if you are just attracting the wrong clientele.

Ever wonder how some photographers can charge $15,000 for a wedding package and stay completely booked year-round? They've found their target market and they have the brand to match.

Think about your ideal client, market yourself accordingly and don't worry if certain inquiries don't pan out. Once your branding makes sense and it connects to the people you want it to connect to, those potential clients will start contacting you.

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have an idea for a business related topic you would like to see discussed on Talk Shop Thursday, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Work It Wednesday: Summer!

Summer Berriel July 2, 2014

It's Work It Wednesday and we have some awesome reader submissions to share with you today! This week's theme was SUMMER and these images captured it perfectly! We love showing off your work and spreading the word about your awesome businesses!

You guys rocked it this week. We are so stoked to see more people participating week after week and we really hope to keep up the momentum!

Next week's theme is: REFLECTION. As always, interpretation is up to you! Send your images to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com by Tuesday! Thanks for playing!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have an idea for a Work It Wednesday theme, please send it to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Let's Talk Tuesday: Instagram!

Summer Berriel July 1, 2014

It's Tuesday again and you know what that means.....

Dear Golden Girls,

I'm social media illiterate. Truly, I barely understand Facebook, but instagram is something that everyone tells me I should have. What am I missing out on, and how can it benefit my business?

Sincerely,

Insta-what?!

Dear Insta-what?!

No worries, we got you! Instagram is the best! Girl, the social media age is alive and well and it is the best thing for your business. It's the link between you and your potential clients. The best thing about it, is that it's FREE!!! That's right, FREE MARKETING!

Here are some tips to help get you going:

Create a separate business Instagram account.
Download a photo resizing app (Instasize, etc) and it will resize your photos and put white borders around your images. It gives your gallery a sense of professionalism, even if you are just posting photos of your lunch.
Consistency is key! Curate your photos to show your best work. This is a mini portfolio in the hands of millions of users. Once they see your amazing work they'll be hooked and want to see more.
Use hashtags. # is a hashtag sign. Clients can search hashtags using specific phrases (for example, #inlandempirephotographer) and get directed to your image! Choose broad and descriptive words catered to each image: #weddingphotographer #polkadotdress #Photographerlife etc.
Follow fellow photographers, past clients, small businesses, etc.
Share at least once a day, up to 3 images a day.

We'd love to see you on Instagram! Follow us here: instagram.com/goldengirlsworkshops

Post your Instagram username in the comments. We'd love to follow you!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have a Let's Talk Tuesday question for us, please send an email to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Golden Girls Workshops