How can you get exposure other than Facebook or charity work, without spending a lot on advertising?
Facebook has made it so easy for new businesses to advertise, but I stand strong in my stance that Facebook should absolutely not be relied on as your only source of advertising. Ask yourself this question: If Facebook disappeared tomorrow, how would anyone find you? I am a firm believer that every photographer should invest in a professional website. The fact is, most people are searching for products and services online these days… and if you don’t have a digital footprint, then you’re missing out on a good chunk of potential business.

Having a blog is also another great way to attract clients… and it doesn’t need to cost you much at all. (A WordPress blog is free!) Blogs are amazing for SEO… particularly for wedding photographers. If you do a blog post from a wedding and list the vendors that were involved in the wedding, then any client who does a search for that particular vendor has a chance of seeing your work.

Another great tool is magazine advertising… not exactly free (I spend about $700 a year on magazine advertising), but it’s a fantastic resource. A few featured weddings in your local wedding magazine is amazing for exposure to potential brides.

And of course, the best free way to gain clients is word of mouth! If you really ‘wow’ your clients, they will become walking billboards for you. You can gain even more clients by offering a referral program… “Refer a friend and receive a complimentary $50 product credit when they book their session!”

What has been the best fan base builder “thing” you have done for Facebook?
Honestly… it’s just taken time! I started my page years ago… back when I was the only Crystal Lee Photography on the Internet.

In the past few years I’ve slowly built my client base, which has in turn increased the number of fans, or ‘likes.’ But, unfortunately, the number of fans that you have means less these days than it used to. Facebook is really making it hard for business pages to reach all of their fans. I have over 4,500 fans… but my posts reach anywhere from 200-1700 viewers. So it’s not so much the number of fans that counts… it’s the percentage of fans that you’re reaching.

Another reason why you should have a strong web presence outside of Facebook… it’s an amazing marketing tool, but things could change at any moment. Maybe Facebook will virtually implode… maybe they’ll start charging all business fees to have pages… it’s unpredictable, and unreliable.

I would really love to know how to get repeat clients from newborn sessions. I think a lot of clients are stuck in the mindset of only doing newborn and then 1 year sessions… How do you get those clients to come back before they are a year old??
Client education is really important here. Back when I was working at the retail studio, we thought it was crazy for a Mom to come in with a baby under a month old. Now I’m photographing babies in my own studio that are a mere 5 days old, but many Moms don’t realize that they need to bring their little ones in that early. As the Photographer, it is our job to educate our clients and present them with the best options possible.

One way to guarantee repeat clients is to offer a Baby Plan. My Baby Plan includes 3 sessions… newborn, sitting up, and birthday. The Baby Plan is greatly discounted compared to purchasing a la carte sessions and packages, which is a great incentive for clients. Another option is to create a “Baby’s First Year Planning Guide” for your clients, with sample images from each milestone… 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. And most importantly… make it a point to stay in contact with your clients. They may not remember to contact you for 6 month portraits… so I would recommend setting up a special calendar with specific reminders of when your clients will be close to hitting certain milestones. Then just send them a courtesy email reminder, inviting them in for a session with you.

What type of forms do you need to open up a photography business?
That is a fantastic question… but unfortunately it is not something that I can answer. The laws vary from state to state, even city to city. But if you are accepting money from clients for your services… then you need to register your business. If you are advertising yourself as a business at all (even with a Facebook page), you need to get a business license. It is so important to get your legal ducks in a row! If you get busted running a business without the proper documents and licenses, Uncle Sam is not going to be kind.

My advice… contact some of the CPA’s in your area, find one that has experience with photographers, and schedule an appointment. Your CPA will be able to give you the rundown of what business entity is best for you, what the tax requirements are for your area, what licenses you will need, etc.

When it was time for me to get ‘legit,’ I’ll be honest… I had no idea what I was doing, and because I was the new girl in town, I had no one to get advice from. So I went to LegalZoom.com, put out about $700, and they did everything for me. They sent in my documents, got my my tax ID, got all of the licenses I needed… you name it, they did it. Could I have gotten away with doing it for less money? Of course. But I chose to invested in a professional service to help me out, and it was worth every penny.

Do you have a question you’d like to have answered on my next FAQ’s post? Just stop by my Facebook page and drop me a comment!

Now you can also download and share your portrait or wedding images… right from your phone or tablet! PASS makes it possible.

I know what some people are thinking… “But what about my disk of photos?” Well, it’s a sad fact that CD’s and DVD’s are a dying technology. (Remember floppy disks?) The newest computers on the market don’t even have disk drives in them, (Thank you, Apple) and most digital purchases made online are delivered via download. As a photographer it is my job to stay on top of technology to make sure that my clients are not receiving outdated products.

With PASS, not only can you download your entire gallery straight to your computer, but your images are stored safely in the ‘cloud’ for years to come! The super sleek online gallery makes it so easy to download your photos, create a folder of your favorites, share them on social media sites, and soon you’ll even be able to order prints!

And now for the fun part… PASS on the go! You can view your gallery from any smartphone by going to your unique gallery link in your phone’s browser. The galleries have been specifically designed to work flawlessly with your smartphone or tablet device. If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can even create your own ‘app’ by saving your gallery link right to your home screen!

Effective immediately, all of my clients that purchase digital images will receive a super fabulous PASS gallery. That means no more waiting around for your disk to be ordered, burned and shipped to you… when your photos land online, they’ll be ready for you to download and share right away!

I’ll say it again… technology is pretty amazing, isn’t it?

Ceremony: Palmetto Shores Church
Reception: The Cooper House

Wedding Dress: Allure Couture
Tuxedos: Men’s Warehouse
Cake: Priceless Desserts
Flowers: Lazelle’s Flower Shop
Music: Global Truth Entertainment
Hair & Makeup: Peaceful Designs/Makeup By: Renee
Tent: Event Works
Photo Booth: Foto Pod

Ceremony: Belin United Methodist Church
Reception: Inlet Sports Lodge

Wedding Dress: Poffie Girls in Gastonia, NC
Hair & Makeup: Oceans Edge Salon and Spa
Tuxedos: Jos. A. Banks
Cake: Mrs. Janet Adams
Flowers: Lazelle’s Flower Shop
Music: Myrtle Beach DJ’s, Joe Durivage
Officiant: Dr. B. Mike Alexander
Catering: Bliss Restaurant and Lounge

Do I sell my digital files to my clients? Yes.

I understand that we are living in a digital world. People want access to their digital files… period. And it’s (usually) not because they want to save money by getting their prints made at Costco. It’s because they want to know that their files are safe, and that they can view them anytime they want. When I got married in 2007, I specifically looked for a photographer who would sell me the disk of images… and to be honest, I think I’ve made maybe 5 prints from that disk since I received it. Because it’s not about saving money… it’s about knowing that today, 6 years later, I can pull out those images and look at them on my computer, on my phone, on my tablet… wherever I have them saved. And I have peace of mind knowing that 10 years from now I’ll still be able to do that.

So yes… I absolutely, positively believe that my clients deserve to have their digital files.

That being said… you do need to price your files accordingly. Price them so that if you don’t make a single penny off of reprints, you can still pay yourself an honest salary, on top of your tax and business expenses.

My wedding collections include the full set of digital files. And I’ve priced my base package at a place that I am comfortable with. Yes, I do get occasional print orders, but that’s just gravy… extra income that I am not relying on. At the end of the day, I can still pay my taxes, support my business expenses, and feed my family. And my bride has all of her photos… forever. Win/win.

Portraits are a whole different ballgame. My portraits collections include digital files (a selection of 10 files or the entire set), as well as a product credit that can be used for prints, canvases, etc. I do this because I want to satisfy my clients desire to have her files, but to also make sure that she has some sort of professionally printed product that she can display.

That being said, there are tons of photographers out there who run very successful businesses without selling a single digital file. But for me and my business, this is what I’m comfortable with.

And because no post is complete without some adorable imagery, here’s a shot of my baby girl.

Remember… the beauty of this business is that there are a million different ways to do everything. My opinions and techniques may not work for everyone, and that’s ok.

Do you have any magic tricks to keep newborns asleep?
Patience! Seriously… there’s a reason why I block out a 4 hour window for my newborn sessions. Most of that time is spent soothing baby, feeding baby, cleaning up baby messes, and soothing baby some more. I turn the heat up to 80 degrees, play some white noise on my iPad, make sure baby has a full belly, and pose baby slowly and patiently. If baby is awake at the beginning of the session, I’ll start with a swaddled pose to try and get their eyes open. It’s tough, but if you can capture that moment when a newborn locks eyes with your lens, it’s amazing! Newborns can’t control the movement of their limbs, so swaddling helps keep those little twitches at bay and baby can relax.

If baby needs soothing, I bring her back over to Mom and Dad and let them have some snuggle time. If some time passes and baby still won’t settle, I will take the baby myself and see if she will relax for me. If Mom is breastfeeding, the baby may smell her milk and associate that with food time. A pacifier (if baby takes one) is also a fantastic tool to keep on the side. Newborns have a natural urge to suck, and pacifiers help them feel comfortable and relaxed.

The biggest tip I can give is to just be patient… stay relaxed, and take baby’s cues. Not every baby will do every pose. Just remember that baby’s comfort is more important than ‘the’ shot that you’re determined to get for your portfolio.

Do you plan the colors for the whole session to coordinate with each other? Or do you try to different color setups throughout the session?
I’m a major planner… I like to know exactly what I’m going to do. It makes the whole session just flow so much better if I’m not fumbling around trying to decide what color backdrop to use. My main objective with my newborn and milestone clients is to come up with something that is special to them. This bit of personalization is what differentiates my boutique studio from the chain studios.

I start by finding out what colors and themes are in the baby’s nursery. Mom worked hard on making the nursery special, and I want her baby’s photos to reminiscent of that. If I have enough time before the session is scheduled, I can even purchase backdrops and props specifically for that particular client.

Do you work with an assistant?
For weddings, yes, I always hire an assistant. For my baby sessions, no. Unless it’s something complicated, like triplets, I have no need for an assistant. If I’m doing poses with baby that require a spotter or a composite, I will have Mom or Dad jump in and help me out.

And that wraps up another FAQ’s post! Feel free to ask additional questions in the comments section, or send me a message on my Facebook page.

I started photographing newborns in the new “Kelley Ryden style” in 2010. I got a portable light setup, a huge beanbag, a backdrop stand, tons of ugly minky blankets, and a few knitted hats. My first newborn ever was a sweet little 4 pound girl that I was so scared to pose.
I handled hundreds of babies in the 7 years that I worked at the retail portrait studio, but this style was completely new to me. The whole session seems intimidating at first… white noise? Putting the heat on 80 degrees? Taking 4 hours to get a set of photos? That’s alot to walk into in the beginning.

But we all start somewhere, right?

I present to you some portraits from my very first newborn sessions, accompanied by some of my most recent work. (Even my logo has matured since then!)

I feel so fortunate to work in an industry where there is always room to learn… always room to grow as an artist and a business owner. Thank you so much to the Mama’s that trusted me with their sweet babies when I was just getting my baby program off the ground.

To those photographers just starting out, I encourage you to stay strong. You will get frustrated at times. You will, at one point, feel like you just can’t make it. But I say… keep learning. Keep practicing. Soak up all of the knowledge that you can… there is so much educational material out there now that wasn’t available when I first broke into the newborn market. Do your research, and don’t get discouraged. And don’t be scared to ask questions.