Note from Jasmine Star @ Creative Live (Last day).

Here are some of the quotes from the last day of the Wedding Photography Course with Jasmine Star. It's all about business.

• "It's 20% photography and 80% business."
  
• "[If you don't think about the business,] You probably have an expensive hobby."
  
• (On what other photographers may think) "If she can be where she is, I am going to be a OK."
  
• "Creating the experience."
  
• "Clients don't hire me just for the photos. They hired me for the experience."
  
• "You learn from J* but you can't be J*. I am J*."
  
• "I am the secret. You are the secret. We all have our own secret."
  
• "Can I execute a J* experience?"
  
• "Their experience is how I interact with them."
  
• "The bride's mom likes the pictures before I shoot the wedding because she likes me."
  
• "They associate their emotion with the end result."
  
• "The first photo the bride and groom sees for their wedding is mine. Not someone else's tagged on Facebook."
  
• "People hire me for the 20% factor. What people paying me for 20% of who I am. It's mine. [The other 80% are photography that every photographer can do]"
  
• "They are not judging us on our portfolio. They are judging us on who we are."
  
• "We are going everywhere fast."
  
• "Each of those pictures is priceless to the bride [even they are not spectacular]."
  
• "It's OK to not having everything to be perfect."
  
• "The pictures on my blog is as good as I get [at this point, technically]"
  
• "Can you listen to criticism from people you trust?"
  
• "Brides choose photographers based on who we are, not our photographs."
  
• "Basically, what I want to brand is the experience."
  
• "Blog post: this is the story of their day. My words. My lens."
  
• "I leverage my prospective."
  
• (On post processing, blogging, updating FG) "I work. All I do is work."
  
• "The first 2 years I was meeting with clients at Starbucks. When I started charging $5000, I cannot meet them at Starbucks. That didn't reflect J* my experience."
  
• "It's making sure people like the photos before they see the photos."
  
• "I don't have a questionnaire. I listen to them. If you care about what they are talking about, you will get enough details."
  
• "If you remember people's name, you are no longer a business entity. You are an extension of the wedding. I don't remember all 12. I only need to remember a few."
  
• "If you meet grandma, hug grandma."
  
• (Per JD) "On wedding day, I am not the husband. I am a business partner."
  
• "I did arranged the photos out of order in order to tell a story."
  
• "I am going to end the slideshow with them laughing.""
  
• "I am doing the slideshow according to my brand."
  
• "I want to end the slideshow with the highlight."
  
• "Slideshows are online commercial for photographers."
  
• "The music set the tone of what you are putting out."
  
• "I cannot answer everyone's email but if I answer questions on Facebook wall, thousands of people can see the answers."
  
• "Never say never. 4 years later we are half way there."
  
• "4 minutes mark for slideshow. About 75 images. With 3.5 seconds each."
  
• "Strangers will look for other stranger's photos for at most 4 minutes."
  
• "The minute you say it's cheesy.It becomes cheesy."
  
• "Don't think about anything else beside your brand."
  
• "Start backward. Who do you want? Imagine the type of clients you want. Who do you want to hang out on Saturdays?"
  
• "Edit. Edit. Edit. Cut it down to the photos that reflect your brand. What go on to my website or blog, I only showcase the branded photo."
  
• "As a total girl moment, her waist looks very tiny."
  
• "I can tell you all the settings but you will never get the exact same light, exact same dress, exact same bouquet and use the same settings to reproduce the picture."
  
• "Get down and get dirty. Shoot it up. Shoot it down. Shoot it from the side. Practice. Practice. Practice. "
  
• (On branding) "They are telling me how good it is before I taste it."
  
• "Our job really begins right after the wedding."
  
• "Am I going to destine to shoot $1000 weddings?"
  
• (On increasing $300 after every 3 weddings) "Your price should reflect how good you are getting."
  
• "Out shoot. Out hustle. Out do."
  
• (On charging more after a few months) "I went to classes. I shot a few more weddings. I got better."
  
• "I continue to raise prices to control the number of weddings I shoot."
  
• (On a la carte vs. collections) "I created my collections based on how I want to see things."
  
• "We've never gone debt. We rented lenses. Earned some money and then we allocated some money to buy the lenses."
  
• "If you want me to show up and shoot, it will cost you X. If you want digital negatives, you will need X + cost of digital negatives. If you want digital negative plus album. it will cost X + cost of negative + album."
  
• "50% retainer makes me feel that the client will not work away."
  
• "Require immediate booking to lock in the day."
  
• "As my prices went up, my profit increased."
  
• "If you don't have goals, you don't know where you are heading."
  
• "I'm just a squirrel trying to get a nut."
  
• "It's hard work but it's easy marketing."
  
• (On boudoir photos) "If you want to look hot for your husband, go ahead, rock it out."
  
• "Allow other vendors to market her."
  
• "I am creating marketing material for my florist. It has less incentive for her to pass out my card. It is more likely for her to pass out marketing material that has her logo [with a small credit of mine]. [Even if she does not pass them out,] at least, she appreciate my gesture."
  
• "If you are a photographer and you don't have a picture of yourself. Shame on you."
  
• "How can people trust you as a photographer if you don't put pictures of yourself on your website?"
  
• "Please trust me on your most important day of your life but I won't show you how I look like."
  
• "Allow people to trust you."
  
• "We are not shooting for other photographers. We are shooting for un-educated audiences."
  
• "I let my client print. I let my client share. I never have my client abuse that."
  
• "The best way to sell yourself is your website...that's what sells me."
  
• (On fashion magazines)"In magazine, just a full white page with the name...so confident. I am so good. Just my name will sell. I would love that."
  
• "When I go to Target, I go to the Hallmark section and see cards."
  
• "If you can give me window light [to] a 10x10 square [location], I will give you 10 poses."
  
• "I want this. When it happens, I will feel so darn good."
  
• (On sending price sheet electronically) "As a paper whore, I love it but it doesn't work for my clients. It doesn't fit my brand."
  
• "I am a firm believer to pick one thing and do very very well."
  
• (from Craig) "Build your business based on your strength. People who try to fix their weaknesses before they start their business will have a mediocre businesses."
  
• "Most of our clients see our images on an un-calibrated PC. It is what it is."
  
• "Revisit your old photos."
  
• (On the spouses both want to be first shooter) "Your clients need to know who is in control."
  
• (If your 2nd shooter taking your clients)"Then you are not doing your job."
  
• (On shooting destination wedding) "She is responsible on getting my visa. Shots need to be taken, etc."
  
• (On blogging) "If you are blogging once every 3-4 weeks, you are not a blogger."
  
• (On blogging) "Keep it personal."
  

Note from the first few days is here.