A peek inside a Golden Girls Workshop!

Summer Berriel September 24, 2014

Hello, lovelies! If you haven't had the opportunity to attend one of our Golden Girls workshops yet and you're wondering what they're all about, then get ready! We have some exciting stuff to share with you!

Our talented friend Jay (of Jay Williams Photography) is an awesome photographer and videographer and he put together some super cool videos of our recent Photography 101 Workshop! (Check out the recap here!)

The first video will give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from a typical Golden Girls Workshop: giveaways, food, fun! (Oh, and, of course, a ton of pretty things to photograph!)

And we also have this cool compilation of reviews from our awesome attendees! We can tell you how rad our workshops are all the time... but that doesn't really count, does it? ;) Instead, take our attendees' word for it!

Huge thanks to Jay and all of our fabulous attendees! We hope to see you at one of our next events! <3

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

Photography 101 Recap!

Summer Berriel September 2, 2014

A few weeks ago we hosted our Photography 101 Workshop! This workshop was designed to get photographers more familiar with the basics of their cameras and the basics of photography. We had a wonderful turnout and we had a great time getting to know all of our attendees! We had some interesting discussion, some rad giveaways and of course, some awesome things to shoot! Thanks to all of our attendees for making this workshop a success! We hope you learned a lot and had a great time! <3

Valerie Ronin Photography, Cake courtesy of Cakes by Dee

Super huge thanks to our models: Kathleen Morales, James McMurran, Shaylee Sandoval, Kendra, Alyvia Lomeli.

We would also like to thank our event vendors and sponsors including: Cakes by Dee, Jo Totes, Kelly Moore, Two Bright Lights, Artifact Uprising and Clickin' Moms!

We have a ton of exciting things in the works, including our upcoming FREE photo walk in Downtown Riverside! We'd love to have you join us! Check out our upcoming events page to stay in the know! <3

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

What's happening around here?

Summer Berriel August 25, 2014

Hello all! You may have noticed that things have been a little quiet around here lately and we have to say we are totally sorry! As you may know, wedding season is in full effect and that means that we are super swamped! Not to mention that school is back in session, Summer is winding down and the holidays are quickly approaching. As you can imagine, life is pretty insane for the Golden Girls right now! We plan to get things back on track very soon, but in the mean time we'd love to hear from you!

Please remember that your participation helps drive Golden Girls! We love meeting and teaching new people and we really love spreading the word about our fellow photogs! We want YOU to get involved and we have a number of ways for you to do just that!

If you would like your business featured on a future Marvelous Monday blog post, if you have a question you'd like answered or if you have an idea for a future Golden Girls workshop, please shoot us an email! We are here to help and we'd love to get to know you! Send questions, comments, anything really, to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Also, don't forget about our awesome events coming up! Our first ever Golden Girls Photo Walk will take place in just a few weeks! This event is absolutely FREE and open to anyone! Bring your kids, bring your family, bring your camera! We want to hang out, shoot stuff and have some fun!

Oh, and as always, Work It Wednesday submissions are welcome and encouraged! This week's theme is SCHOOL. We know you have some awesome stuff to send in! Email your images to hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com by Tuesday!

Once again, thank you so much for checking us out and playing along!

Stay golden!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

Let's Talk Tuesday: What's a Second Shooter?

Summer Berriel August 19, 2014

Dear GG,

I really want to start shooting weddings but I don't know where to begin. I've heard photographers talk about a second shooter but I am not really sure what that is or how I can become one! What does a second shooter do? Is it just another name for a photographer's assistant?

Signed,

Wedding Wreck

Dear WW,

If you really want to dive into the crazy world of wedding photography than you definitely want to try to get a few gigs as a second shooter! Second shooting for an already established wedding photographer is a great way to get your feet wet, build up your portfolio and learn a lot about shooting weddings!

Basically, a second shooter is a photographer's assistant/secondary photographer. They are there to help the main photographer with anything they may need, whether that's getting shots from a different perspective, rounding up relatives for family photos, or even fetching a bottle of water for the main photographer. The second shooter is pretty much there to do whatever needs to be done! (Of course, sometimes the main photographer may hire an assistant to tackle some of the other duties, which would free up the second shooter to focus more on shooting... but in most cases, if you're second shooting, be prepared to do whatever is asked of you!) Remember you were hired to make the main photographer's day run smoother, so be prepared to do anything... and do it all with a smile! :)

So, what now? Well, here are some tips that will hopefully get you on the right track!

Get a gig: A good resource for finding second shooting jobs is Facebook. We are members of a ton of photography groups on FB and people are always looking for second shooters. Get out there, join some groups and rub elbows with wedding photographers! Even if you don't start out second shooting, you can always third shoot... or even just volunteer to assist for the day! Be the best assistant you can be and make a good impression.

Communication is key: Once you get the gig, make sure you communicate with the main photographer. You need to know your role! Here's a great list of some questions you might want to ask:

What exactly is my role? Will you be shooting all day? Just carrying gear? A little of both?
When and how should I deliver images to you?
Am I shooting on my cards or yours?
What will my compensation be? HELLO. Big question right? Well, sometimes second shooters get paid, sometimes they don't. This is something you and the main photographer will have to agree on. Some second shooters are in it just for the experience and are willing to work for free. Some main photographers will let you use your images in lieu of monetary payment and some will let you use your images and throw you some cash. Figuring this out beforehand can definitely save you lots of confusion down the road.
Can I use my images in my portfolio, on my blog, etc.? Again, this is something you and the main photographer need to agree on first. This can vary from photographer to photographer.

Follow The Rules:

Take care of the main photographer: Carry bags, grab water, switch out lenses. Remember, on the wedding day, the main photographer has a ton of responsibilities. If there is anything you can do to help, do it!
Dress and act like a professional. Leave the cargo shorts at home! Be polite to everyone. Don't visit the open bar.
Never hand out your personal business cards. Just forget about your business entirely... at least for the day. When you are second shooting you are representing the main photographer. Hand out her cards!
Do NOT shoot over the main photographer's shoulder. You are there to get shots the main photographer isn't already getting. If she is shooting a photo of the bridal party and you are standing right behind her, not only are you getting a shot that she doesn't really need, but you are also probably confusing the bridal party. They won't know where to look! Some eyes will be on her, some on you! Ugh! Nightmare! Instead...
- Shoot from a different angle. Stand to the far right or left of the main photographer (out of frame, of course!) and get a totally different perspective of that bridal party shot! Focus on the line of bouquets or boutonnieres. Focus on the groom's nervous hands or the bride's sweet glances up at her husband. Get the candid shots between poses. Remember, you are there to get what the main photographer isn't getting! Be creative and push yourself!

DON'T interrupt the main photographer while she's shooting and tell the guests to look at your camera. No, no, no. Unless you have been instructed to by the main photographer to get everyone looking your way, remember all eyes on the main camera!
- DO remind the guests to look at the main photographer. If you are off to the side shooting a different perspective (which, good job, BTW!) and you notice some wandering eyes staring into your lens, simply stop shooting, point to the main photographer and politely say, "All eyes over here, please!"
Get the details and the candid shots. The main photographer might be busy getting the big shots, but these are also super important! Details and candid shots help tell the story, too! Always keep your eyes open and your camera ready.
Check your ego at the door. If you are asked to shoot a boring ol' cocktail hour while the main photographer gets to gallivant around with the newlyweds during golden hour, DO it... with a smile. Sometimes second shooting means missing some of the best parts of the wedding day. You might not be asked to capture the bride getting ready or the formal portraits, but you are there to do a job and do it well, even if it isn't the most exciting task. Don't take anything personally. Just be awesome!
SMILE! Weddings are a joyous occasion. Don't stand around looking bored or with a frown glued to your face. Have a good time!

And finally, remember to drink lots of water, get plenty of rest the day before, wear comfy shoes and, this is very important, wear deodorant. Trust us.

Good luck!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

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

Talk Shop Thursday, Pricing!

Summer Berriel August 14, 2014

So you've came to point when you want to start charging people for your work (Yay!) but what do you charge?! How do you find a price that works for you and your clients? You worry about being too cheap, but you also don't want to be too expensive because you want anyone to be able to afford you.

Here are a few reasons you don't want to be too inexpensive:

You'll potentially have lots of clients but your workload will be overwhelming! (Don't forget about editing and all the other little things that come along with a shoot!)
You'll be able to build a client base but your client base will expect your rate to always be low.
You'll make money... but not enough money to break even, for a long, long while.

So when it comes time to figure out or restructure your pricing, here are some ideas that might help! These have worked for us and hopefully they can help you, too!

Figure out how many hours you spend on every session you do. Maybe you do an hour shooting, two hours editing, an hour email correspondence, ordering/delivering products, etc,...
Take the number you are considering charging for a single session and divide it by the number of hours you will be working.
- Example: You spend a total of four hours on a session and charge $50 for the session. (50/4 = 12.5) That's $12.50 an hour. BUT, don't forget 30% taxes/overhead = $8.75 an hour. Dude. No. Just no.
Find that number that makes it worth getting out of bed. Or find a number that makes it worth spending your time away from your friends, family, your reality TV!
Look at your market andcompare pricing. If you are in a lower income area, and charging top dollar, you might not be booking anyone.
When the time does come for raising your prices, do it in small increments as not to scare your client base away.
If you are too busy, you are probably too cheap!

Pricing can be complex and challenging, but it's something that you need to figure out. Find what works best for you!

Hopefully these tips can help you find what works for you!

Xoxo!

Golden Girls

If you have a topic you would like us to discuss on Talk Shop Thursday, shoot us an email hello@goldengirlsworkshops.com!

Golden Girls Workshops