Photospark

We absolutely LOVE when we can highlight photographers in our San Diego community! We're always looking for our peers who have something special to share about themselves & their businesses, so we were SO thrilled when we landed an interview with the amazing Catie Stephens of Vuefinder Photography! Catie is a birth photographer here in San Diego & has photographed 66 births in 5 1/2 years! We had tons of questions for Catie about her job because it's SO different from a regular family or wedding photographer. Some of our favorite talking points are listed below... tune in to the episode to hear even more fascinating birth photography stories from Catie! Our Favorite Questions & Answers from Catie: What makes birth photography different from a regular session? For starters, you don’t know when the session will take place. You have a window of time, about 3-4 weeks. I officially go on call at 38 weeks, but have my phone on from 37. Imagine if you were a wedding photographer, and had to be on call…

Dr. Ian Ahearn of Point Loma Chiropractic is in studio today to chat with us about many mistakes we make as photographers when it comes to taking care of our bodies! We all are guilty of carrying too much equipment, bad posture, and sitting in weird, contorted positions at our desks while editing! We decided it would be a great idea to have a chiropractor on our show to discuss some chiropractic advice for photographers! Check out some of our favorite problems & solutions below & tune into the episode for even more tips from Dr. Ian Ahearn! Key Takeaways:  Problem 1: Computer Usage-  We know that as photographers, unfortunately not all of our time is spent behind the camera. In fact, most of us probably spend significantly more time in front of the computer. We answer emails, retouch photos, make blog posts, etc. which all add up to hours upon hours sitting in a chair. We lean towards the screen, hunch over, have weird arm positions for the mouse, etc. What's some good chiropractic advice to help th

There's no denying that online reviews are SUPER important these days. Most people check online reviews before doing just about anything, so it makes sense that people REALLY check online reviews before booking something as important as a wedding vendor! One of the BEST places to check wedding vendor reviews online is The Knot! In fact, both Ashley and Kate used The Knot when planning their weddings many years ago, and it's still as popular as ever today! In fact, 80% of couples utilize The Knot when planning their wedding! For this reason, we are stoked to have Hillary Boyd from The Knot on PhotoSpark this week to chat with us about the importance of online reviews, how to make the best of a listing on The Knot, and more! Key Takeaways: Research Your Potential Client: Not only is The Knot a great spot for vendor reviews, but many brides & grooms make their wedding website on The Knot! This is great news for you as a photographer, because you can do some slick recon to figure out who they are and what t

Photo Cred: Bethany Belle Photography We can all agree that the photography industry has changed IMMENSELY over the last 10-15 years with the popularity of digital SLRS taking over from film cameras. Along with this shift, it became a lot easier for photographers to offer digital files to their clients instead of prints. However, just because it's easier doesn't necessarily mean it's the right path to take! For this episode, we invited in person sales guru Hillary Lachman (of Stills By Hill Photography & Sweet Snap Photography) to teach us a little bit about why she chooses to stick with in person sales and how she manages everything! Key Takeaways: Digital Files Can Be a Disservice: Hillary feels that family photos are SO important to have, and that by offering digital files only, clients will likely not end up printing their photos. When they don't know what products are available, they are even less likely to print their photos, and therefore they won't have their memories as well preserved as they

Photo cred: La Vida Creations EEK! We are so excited to share ANOTHER awesome episode with you guys featuring the ever-talented Bethel Nathan!! If you tuned in last week, you already know that Bethel is the owner of a few awesome businesses based here in San Diego. She's a wedding officiant at Ceremonies by Bethel, as well as a business coach at Elevate by Bethel. Last week she chatted about modern weddings and how the wedding industry has changed (in a great way!) over the past few years. If you missed that episode, tune in here: http://photosparkshow.com/modern-weddings/ This week, she's chatting a bit more about the business side of things! She believes business owners need to work harder AND smarter to optimize their business's potential, and she shares some great tips with us on how we can do that too! She gives us 6 keys to grow your business... here are some of our favorites (you'll have to listen to the episode to hear the rest!) Key Takeaways: Ideal Client: Ok.. we know we have talked about this A

Can you believe it's August already?! We definitely can't!! In this 90 degree heat, it's so hard to start thinking ahead to the fall and winter seasons, but it's super important! As photographers, we have to constantly be planning 3+ months in advance in order to give clients enough time to book shoots, get photos back, and select products (hello, Christmas cards!). Ashley's Three Minute Tips episode this week discusses how she plans ahead for the holiday season, starting now! Key Takeaways: Plan Available Dates: Calculate out your workflow & figure out realistically how many shoots you can take per week & then list all of your available dates for the rest of the year. This will ensure you don't accidentally take TOO much onto your plate (a common mistake for photographers during the busy holiday season!). Perfect Email Templates: Make sure all of your information is correct & up to date in your email templates. Templates save SO MUCH TIME and stress during the holiday rush, so it's important th

Howdy there! So this week, Kate shares her three tips to help kids smile! As photographers, we've all been in situations where we are trying our best to get those awesome natural smiles, but for whatever reason it just isn't working. This quick three minute tips episode will give you a few ideas to put in your back pocket when working with shy or unhappy kids! These tips also work with fake smilers... we don't want those forced, painful grins!! Check out Kate's favorite ways to help kids smile! Key Takeaways: Start with Parent Photos: Even if the parents don't want to be in photos, if the kids are shy, I always make them start with a family shot. This works especially well for little ones because it helps them feel more relaxed and helps them warm up to me while sitting in mom or dad's lap, instead of alone where they feel pressure! If the parents are hesitant (I always hear "but I don't have makeup on!") ensure them that these photos don't "count" as part of their package... it's just to help their kiddos

PhotoSpark Show is candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women business owners and entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  In future episodes, We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Listen to Episode one here: Download from iTunes Here Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast!   Have ideas, comments or just want to say hi? Contact us! 

Join Ashley DuChene, Kate Mills and Julie Ferneau as they discuss wrapping up the photographer busy season around the holidays and how to manage their time better. Julie dives into how she held up during her first set of traveling mini sessions to Iowa, the great midwest. They also go over the pros & cons of mini sessions. They aren't for everyone but are they for you? Grab your coffee and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast! PhotoSpark is candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women business owners and entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own

Staying organized is the topic of episode 3! Join us as we discuss planning ahead. Kate tells us about her old school paper/pen methods. Ashley and Julie give her the scoop on their client management systems, workflow, & outsourcing. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast! Have ideas, comments or just want to say hi? Contact us!  PhotoSpark is candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women business owners and entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  In future episodes, We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to h

Ever have lagging clients that you wish you could wrap up and put a bow on it to mark that client complete? Join the three of us as we discuss those types of clients who just can't seem to wrap up their orders. No matter what you do. Ashley tells of a client who paid for a shoot years ago and then went missing...until now.  Kate deals with boundary issues with a client and her gallery. Julie's client just can't seem to pay for her album even though the design process is complete. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast! Have ideas, comments or just want to say hi? Contact us!  PhotoSpark is candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women business owners and entrepreneurs who talk about netwo

This week on Episode 5, it's all about stepping out of your comfort zones! Julie, Ashley, and Kate discuss recent photo shoots that pushed them out of their norm and share what they learned from their experiences. Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscrib

This week on Episode 6, we read your listener questions! Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! Have a dilemma? Send us your question. We'll tackle them in a conversational way and do our best to give quality advice. You can send a question in a 5-10 sentence email to photosparkshow@gmail.com. "Dear PhotoSpark...." and sign off however you want (anonymous ok). We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instag

This week on Episode 7, we share stories of awkward client situations.  Stories that made us blush but will probably make you laugh out loud. Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast! Check out this episode!  

  Download from iTunes Here This week on Episode 8, Kate tells us how she survived a year doing 1000 portrait sessions.  Did she sink or swim? Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscribe to our podcast!

This week on Episode 9 our guest, Melissa Mitchell, tells us how to dial in our website's settings to be Google friendly with SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Melissa Mitchell is a Wordpress wizard and professional photographer.  Check out her various websites: Melissa Mitchell's Design/SEO Business: melissamitchell.me/seo-services/ Melissa Mitchell's Photography: continuumweddings.com/ Melissa Mitchell's Facebook: facebook.com/continuumstudios Melissa Mitchell's Facebook: facebook.com/melissasmitchell Melissa Mitchell's Instagram: instagram.com/mrsmelmitch/ Melissa Mitchell'e Etsy Shop: etsy.com/shop/MMHouseofStyle About PhotoSparK: Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via e

This week on Episode 10, our guest Melissa McClure tells us about a eye opening experience that she had a few years back while filing her taxes.  Did she sink or swim? Visit Melissa's Website: www.melissamcclure.com Grab your coffee or cocktail and join us for candid conversation about photography and business! We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We’re not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we’ll help you tackle yours!  We’ll have guest speakers, answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the upcoming years! PhotoSpark is hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow Subscribe: iTunes to download and subscr

Join us for some laughs as we relay some of our most mortifying moments on the job as photographers.  Tune into for candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We're not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we'll help you tackle yours.  We'll have guest speakers & answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the year! Hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene. Send us your Questions via email: photosparkshow@gmail.com Visit our Website: http://www.photosparkshow.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photosparkshow Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photosparkshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/photosparkshow SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES, just hit the "Subscribe" Button

On this episode our guest, Erika Thornes, discusses how she has transitioned her photography career to only doing what she loves. We explored the value of finding your gifts, discovering what you're truly excited about, and creating a career around that.  Visit Erika Thornes' website. PhotoSpark is a place for for candid conversations about photography and business. We are three women entrepreneurs who talk about networking, workflow, client relationships and more. We're not afraid to share our own ups and downs and we'll help you tackle yours.  We'll have guest speakers & answer listener questions, all while giving you tips & tricks to help get you through the year! Hosted by Kate Mills, Julie Ferneau, and Ashley DuChene.

  We are SO excited to share this episode with you!! We had the ever awesome Alan Hess in our studio last week! If you don't know, Alan specializes in concert photography and is also an author here in San Diego. He's just a plethora of knowledge about everything photography-related! Alan wrote a blog post for Lexar, which ended up with him being contracted to write a book about the Sony A700 DSLR camera. That book led to another book, and now Alan has written & published 15 books! His books range in topics from focus (A Photographer's Guide to Focus & Autofocus) to Pet Photography (Pet Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots). Besides writing books, Alan is also the in-house photographer for the Valley View Casino Center. If you've ever been to this venue, you've seen his work! There are beautiful, ginormous photographs lining the walls of the lobby of various artists who have performed at the center... all of those were taken by Alan!! He started in concert photography as a hobby. He combined his