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Once you book your senior portraits with the photographer of your choice, the magic question then becomes, HOW MANY OUTFITS DO I NEED TO BRING? 

At Suzanne Deaton Photography, we do NOT limit the number of outfits you can bring, but ideally, 5-6 is the perfect amount.  Our photo shoots can last up to 3 hours with travel in and around Hazard locations, so that is basically 1 outfit every 30 minutes.  You can bring more and I will help you narrow down the best options that will photograph well and let your personality shine through.

I like to suggest something casual, formal, editorial and something unique to you that no one else will think of. This takes planning and collaborating with your photographer so they can help style the scene with a vintage car, barn, horse, your dog, or the circus for that matter!!!

After you have established which season you want to be photographed in, shopping is next on your list.  But, think outside the box, some of the best items can be found at local thrift stores, Goodwill, etc.  Vintage finds are some of my favorites. Check your parents and grandparents closet for one-of-a-kind pieces.

Often, the cheapest items will photograph well and can be made to look editorial . . . I love anything with great texture, tweed, fur, leather, suede, feathers, etc.  Sometimes a fabulous accessory will also turn an outfit from ordinary to extraordinary.

You can draw inspiration from a movie, music video, favorite T.V. show, or a book.

I also think it’s fun to incorporate food!  For example,  cereal, coffee, cotton candy, ice cream, popsicles, milkshakes, fruit, suckers, etc.  I’ve done it all but it can all be done again with YOU, ultimately, YOU are what make each concept different.

Don’t forget your sports!  “Sportraits” should be included in your top 6 things you want to bring.  You have practiced or rehearsed your whole life to master a sport you love, make sure to bring your uniforms if you want.

All SDP Seniors receive a WHAT TO WEAR GUIDE loaded with Do’s and Don’ts, how to dress your body and WHERE TO SHOP for everything from Glamorous to Boho and all things in between. 

FOR MORE IDEAS CLICK HERE! 

Guys you know I’m all about being an entrepreneur, so I want to share some things that I did in the past that completely wasted my time and energy.

By sharing these, I hope I can help you avoid the same mistakes I made if you are thinking about being your own boss!

1) COPYING MY STYLE FROM OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS!

I thought the more I looked externally for ideas, inspiration, style . . . the more I would figure out what I wanted to shoot. This was 17 years ago when we didn’t have instagram, Facebook or Pinterest, we had photography forums! I wasted so many hours trying to copy other styles of photography, newborn photographers, family photographers, “natural light” photographers, etc. you get the idea.

In reality, looking at others only creates a sense of inauthenticity and ACTUALLY inhibited my own creativity. When I stopped trying to live up to others “style” and just concentrated on fundamentals like lighting, editing, camera technique, my own unique style developed. And it’s always developing. Now, my inspiration comes from art, fashion, films and other creative industries, and yes, other photographers all give each other inspiration, but isn’t the sole source of ideas.

2) ASKING TOO MANY FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS THEIR OPINION ABOUT IF I COULD MAKE A CAREER OUT OF PHOTOGRAPHY!

Back then I believed I should run around and take a poll about when and if I could make this photography passion into my career and quit my day job as a Registered NURSE! This was a HUGE waste of time because basically no one knows that answer but YOU. My friends and family, although supportive, gave me conflicting information. They all wanted what was best for me, but some were afraid for me to fail. I listened to my GUTTTTTTT, thank God. The answer was inside me all along. No one had it for me. It’s like when Glenda the Good Witch tells Dorothy, “You’ve always had the power” . . . So for me, the decision came down to numbers game, when I was making more money at photography than nursing, I figured I could let nursing go for at least a while, and give it a go. I have NEVER looked back, and I mean not for a second.

3) PHOTOGRAPHING ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING ANYTIME SOMEONE NEEDED ME!

I did this because . . . when starting out I had to pay my bills!

Well, it turns out that it wasted my time because . . . I couldn’t be all things to all people and take all jobs. You can never make everyone happy. You can’t be a jack of all trades and master of none. So, take the advice Tim Walden once gave me, “Shoot what you love and it will never seem like work.” Shoot when you want to shoot it, not on weekends and holidays unless you want to. This is why we become our own bosses! And you always have the right to PIVOT (think of Ross from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.) you can change your mind when you want to! I quickly realized I am not an “events” photographer. I don’t photograph dances, parties, family reunions, and rarely a wedding. I love people, of all ages, in groups of 1-5, but do my best work one on one! Shoot what you love, when you want, or you will burnout.

Now, its your turn! What dumb things have you done to try to please other people when your guttttttt told you otherwise?

Share in the comments!

London Adair arrived 4-24-20.  She rode over 2 hours in her tiny carseat for her first photo shoot, and because of Covid-19 she didn’t get any pictures made at the hospital.  I hated to hear that, but we made up for it at her luxury newborn session at my studio in Hazard.  Her proud parents, Jeremy and Payton were as patient and wonderful as she was.

Flower Crown Pose for baby girl London

All curled up baby girl pose

Newborn Baby pose

Tiny Toes

Maternity Pose with gorgeous flowers

 

Want more information about our luxurious, simple, authentic newborn sessions?

Click here! 

 

1.  In 2003, I wish I would have known that the “photography” was only about 1/3 of what I would actually be doing.  Let’s say I shoot 1-2 sessions per day.  Both of those sessions will be getting a curated email from me welcoming them to my studio with a clothing guide etc. Those emails take time to write.   Each session will have to be backed up, edited, and shown to my clients in person.  Each session will be shown a “sneak peek”  on social media.  Social media also requires time if done correctly to interact with clients, potential clients, etc.  After all the above, the ordered images will have to be edited and uploaded to the lab, another hour to 2 hours of work.  Behind the scenes and unrelated to the actual sessions I shoot, I maintain and design my own website, blog, pinterest boards, marketing materials, etc.  Add in the hours of education spent learning all the above skills . . . voila! Photographing my actual subjects is only about 1/3 of the time involved in running this photography business. Would I change a thing?  Absolutely not!  I just would like people to know who are thinking about photography as a career, what to expect.

 

2. You are only as good as your equipment allows!  In other words, some of the most beautiful, creative images can’t be captured with the kit lens that comes with the camera.  I wish I would have known to spend more money on lenses early on.  It would have saved me some self doubt, frustration, etc. trying to figure out why things I saw didn’t always come out that way.

 

3. Not everyone was my client and not everyone will be yours, and I’m ok with that now.   If you are trying to be all things to all people you can’t do most of them well.  I wish I would have narrowed down my focus a long time ago to what I enjoy most, shooting seniors who want a fashion inspired, model like session.  AND shooting newborn babies and families who want to decorate their homes with ART of their children, with authentic expressions.  In my early years, I took on everything… want your baby with a fishing pole, sure!  Hire me!  Want me to drive to a location you think is beautiful only to find out its in full sun all day long?  Sure!  I’ll do it!  Want me to show up at your family reunion, Christmas or Birthday party?  Birth?  Sure, I can do it all!   WRONG!   I became frazzled, unfulfilled, uncreative, overworked and miserable.  Now, I know what I want to shoot, what fills me up creatively, what makes my client look and feel beautiful.  I want to photograph PEOPLE, yes of all ages, WHO WANT A GREAT EXPERIENCE, who want a luxurious designed session.  I don’t want to photograph events.  I want the ability to serve clients in the BEST POSSIBLE way.  I want to create an experience as much as the images.

 

4.  You have to know how to PIVOT!  Yes, just like Ross on friends.  This industry changes so much from year to year. What’s hot, what’s not.  Trends come and go. Technology changes as rapidly as you can change a lens. Photographers have to be able to go pivot, shift their focus from time to time and not be intimidated to miss some marks, fail, learn from past mistakes.  If someone would have told me when I started out that I would have employees, shoot baseball team pictures, write my own blog, I would have laughed out loud.  I never dreamed I would have a store front studio, let alone 3.  I wish I would have known early on that no matter what grand plan you have, things change without you even knowing it.  Economies crash, recessions happen, viruses spring up with out a word.  And you better know how to shift when you need to shift.  I am a go with the flow type of person. Don’t resist change.  With change comes freedom. Freedom to try something new, move to a new place, meet new people.

 

5.  Share!   When I started my photography business, people didn’t share ideas like they do now.  No one wanted to tell each other which lab they used, which lens they used, where they shot that image, who built their website, where they found that location and the list goes on forever.  This is one thing about the photography industry I am SO GLAD HAS CHANGED!   Photographers are so much more willing to share information now.  We costed ourselves so much time by not sharing our shortcuts, lessons, etc. Now, if you send a photographer a DM in another state and ask what lens they just shot that great image with, they answer!  And they put you on their story!  So if you are getting into this industry, please share.  You will succeed much faster by being transparent.

 

Interested in booking one of our Luxurious Senior, Baby, or Family Sessions?  Click here for more information! 

Call us and we will start planning!  606-436-1988.

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