Day 2: Jasmine Star at Creative Live

Here is the note from Day 2.

Conducting a client meeting

• the idea is to let people know about you as much as possible before they show up.
  
• How it works:
  
  
  
  • Initial contact: my website to my blog. Want to show them who I am to avoid mismatch later on.
    
  • Client meeting:
    
    
    
    • I prefer skype interview.
      
    • 2-2.5 years met at Starbucks. After start charging $5500, meet at studio.
      
    • Create a conservation. Not a monologue.
      
    • We are interested.
      
    • How you guys met? I want to know about the sub-story. The sub-sub-story. That's how I know about the clients.
      
    • I never let the clients know that this is a jasmine show.
      
    • In 25 minutes, I never said a thing on how I shoot. The awards I won.
      
    • explain the importance of engagement session
      
    • Discuss wedding photography
      
    
    
  • Who is your client:
    
    
    
    • What is the age? Shows she watches. Shoes she wears.
      
    
    
  
  

workflow and outsourcing

• My first wedding I opened each of the pics in photoshop too... never again
  
• I didn't get into photography to be a professional lightroomer.
  
• What do I want:
  
  
  
  • Shoot, write + be happy.
    
  • Found ways to do only what I loved by outsourcing:
    
    
    
    • bookkeeping
      
    • accounting
      
    • post processing
      
    • print fulfillment
      
    • album design (here
      
    
    
    
    
    • Instead of waiting for them to ask the questions
      
    • The 25 questions are usually the same.
      
    • i.e.What do I wear at the wedding? I already have a photo of me at the wedding.
      
    • i.e.What's you style? If they are asking your style you aren't doing a good job showing it
      
    • Educate your client in advance
      
    
    
  
  

Marketing

• Opportunity. Opportunity, Opportunity. Opportunity to be me.
  
• I have no secret. I want to lose to the best person.
  
• I believe in creating an opportunity for me to be me, so you can be you.
  
• Social networking
  
• Community
  
  
  
  • OSP/The B school
    
  • Google Calendar
    
  • Vendor Promotion: how do you find way to make other people successful
    
  • Networking is "What can U do for me? Net-making is "How can I help U?"
    
  
  
• Image
  
  
  
  • Anything that is online
    
  • Your website is the big thing.
    
    
    
    • Free template website
      
    • roadblock
      
    • custom or template website
      
    
    
  • Website changed everything
    
  • starting point
    
  • know what you want
    
  • Have a critical eye
    
  • If it is easy, lame, cheap and cheesy, don't do it.
    
  • Do it wrong. Just do something. Then you know what works and not.
    
  
  
• You
  
• Finding my way:
  
  
  
  • My blog: document my way to fail
    
  • Had 2 readers for a very very long time.
    
  • The more you write, the more you put out on the web, the higher your search-ability.
    
  
  
• First wedding
  
• web side shows
  
  
  
  • The 12 bride maids powering the first j* power squad
    
  • I firmly believe that web slideshows are J* commercials starring my clients
    
  
  
• Price factor
  

• Finding a photographic style aesthetic + voice.
  
• Understanding the why then become the why.
  
• process of dissection
  
  
  
  • figuring out the how
    
  • figuring the why
    
  
  
• How the photo was taken?
  
• Natural lit. Relax posing. Confident subject.
  
• Art of confidence
  
• It's not about the nose. It's about emotion.
  
• How to create confident subjects
  
  
  
  • I'm about to piss you off...
    
  • vision execution is my responsibility.
    
  • acting as the director of photography.
    
    
    
    • putting people at ease
      
    • create conversation
      
    
    
  
  
• How to pre-visualize
  
  
  
  • Think of idea in advance
    
  • Sketch on a notepad
    
  • Collect magazine ads
    
  • Create actions for your clients
    
  • Tell a story to narrate ideas
    
  • Practice in advance
    
  
  

The permission to feel beautiful

• She wants to be here and he wants to be there for her.
  
• Between you and me, you are gorgeous. And he thinks you are gorgeous.
  
• Let me feel how beautiful you are.
  

• Staying in control on the wedding day:
  
  
  
  • Communication: 6 weeks before the wedding to go over the time line.
    
  • First look: tell them the advantages.
    
  
  

Other interesting quote:

• By coming to my workshop, you will not leave with a brand.
  
• Your brand is prompt email responses. your brand is taking care of your clients.
  
• I'm business on top, party on the bottom.
  
• I have a firm believer that no homy hook up, 'cause things get weird.
  
• Your brand is showing your clients you care.
  
• I know who I am and it's my job to show you who I am
  
• how you love is first depicted in your love story
  
• I dont have blue ribbons above my bed
  
• I tell girls: If you feel beautiful, you shoot beautifully
  
• Brides that it is an advantage to work with my husband
  
• .. we sync cameras. I am all about syncing cameras ...
  
• [Tell JD] Keep it on P Mode! I give you P Mode!
  
• Be nice. That's a big thing
  
• 1600 ISO - that's your best friend
  
• If you screw up on your first wedding, it is OOOOK.
  
• Want your pictures to be the first experience the bride has of photography from her wedding day!
  
• I am controlling her emotion before she see all the photos.
  
• waiting for the P.S..... the family photos sucks.
  
• You can control the emotions if you want to.
  
• When you talk about branding, it is an experience.
  
• The closer the pictures are to the moment, the stronger the emotional connection.
  
• The more people drink the better my photos look!
  
• What works for me, may not work for you.. It's totally about YOU.
  
• I have opinions on opinions.
  
• Shut up. Let them dictate the conversation.
  
• If the client doesn't want to talk on the phone, I don't talk on the phone.
  
• If it ain't broke don't fix it. it's organic more than structured.
  
• If you [the client] don't have time to respond, then you are looking for a photographer, not me.
  
• Does it sound diva...absolutely... I want you to want me
  
• I never dismiss everybody
  
• I'm an equal opportunist. You know that Pretty Woman moment? Yeah.
  
• I'm trying to not burn dinner...
  
• If everything you're doing isn't what you want, then find a way to let it go.
  
• Making decisions to be happy results in happiness, it's that simple.
  
• What the heck? I'm gonna baptize you with my SPIT!
  
• I'm all about hand written notes.
  
• VANILLA. I'm simple. Come back and get the same thing every time.
  
• Under promise and over deliver
  
• Preparation meets opportunity
  
• Show me an industry that hasn't changed in 10 years and I'll show you an industry that is dying.
  
• Cubicle cuti
  
• My mom read my blog and maybe JD if he was bored at work
  
• We love the underdog stories.
  
• Word of mouse. This spread my name more than traditional advertising.
  
• Even if you are in the bottom, be the top of the bottom.
  
• I had all these friends online, but I didn't have any friends in real life.
  
• You're stronger as a unit than individually.
  
• Three wolves are stronger than one wolf.
  
• If people don't want to be around you, you walk away.
  
• You give me the shoulder i give you the palm!
  
• You feel only what you let others make you feel
  
• Back then, no one would hire me because I only had a blog.
  
• Personality on the web is like jaaaaazz hands!!!
  
• There is always something that goes wrong!
  
• I could never look at the bride and say U r running late!
  
• clients know what to expect because you told them what to expect
  
• its not the clients job to be creative, its ur job to make them look good!
  
• "Bount."
  
• Get up and get uncomfortable
  
• If you can shoot in a septic tank and make it work, you can shoot anything!!
  
• Whatever...make it work!
  
• Part of getting an evangelist is teaching them how to talk about you.
  
• Got a flat tire? Just means I get a new tire!
  
• It's the photographers job to make them FEEL it, not the client.
  
• Give your bride permission to feel beautiful
  
• I'll do it to make her happy
  
• You can't run a marathon without running the first mile
  
• The minute they invest in you, they have ownership in the shoot
  
• everyone loves differently
  
• again, if i said something to piss you off, i'm sorry
  
• Hold yourself to a higher standard to make your clients feel *amazing*
  
• You are the Director of Photography. You have to make it work
  
• Be you. Don't fake the funk!
  
• If u want confident subjects, u have 2 understand the art of making them FEEL confident
  
• everything happens in life for a reason
  
• The quickest way to perfection is through procrastination
  
• shake what your mama gave you
  
• If your website is not helping you its detouring you
  
• I am not a wall flower. I am wall paper.
  
• everything in life happened for a reason.
  
• I have too much proud to take a tissue.
  
• We work with un-professionals. It's our job to make them professionals.
  
• We are the editor. We control the brand.
  
• re-invent themselves.
  
• This is who I am at this point in time.
  
• Do things that you can add value. That's the only way other vendors will give you the time of the day.
  

Note from day one can be found here.