Say Hello To Debbie!

Debbie is a dear friend of mine who longs to take pictures for a living. Just like many of you, she works full time, has a big family, and juggles all life things that keep us from doing what we really want to be doing.

Debbie started taking pictures of people and things she thinks are beautiful; family, flowers, and local events. One event she attended she took a picture that she entered in the photography contest at our local Gold Country Fair and she won! Isn't that cool?! I'm trying to get a copy of the winning shot, if I do, I'll post it.

Debbie would love nothing more than to make her living taking pictures, but for now, it is her hobby. Some days she takes lots of photos and when life gets busy, her camera stays packed in her bag. The bottom line is that Debbie is making it happen, more slowly than she might like, but the dream is alive and isn't that the real goal? Yes! Do something, a little bit is better than none and will often lead to more!

Tune in next month for a new Dream and we will discover many new Orange Roads to making it come true! Happy Friday!

Contests!

After all, contests are how Intentional Winning was conceived! Photo contests are one way to not only figure out what your point of view is, but also to practice and let other people see your work.

There are thousands of contests out there but one that I like is the Costco Photography Contest. You do have to be a member of Costco, but there are many, many other contests that are free to enter as is this one if you are a member.

Contests on local levels will be easier to win or place in than national or international contests, but i say put your photos out there! You can't win if you don't enter!

Orange Roads, Orange Roads, and More Orange Roads!

Monica of Studio KYK Photography has embarked on another endeavor involving her photography business - Specialty T-Shirts! Your Smile Shop is open and selling specialty T-shirts for all levels of photographers!

This is a great example of taking what you love and finding other ways to be creative, do what you love, and make some extra money! Clearly this is a niche business catering to photographers (of all levels!), but it's a wonderful idea!

Check out her designs on Facebook and you can buy them on her Etsy web site!

What's Your Angle?

When looking at Photography as a possible profession, you have to ask yourself, "What's my angle?" In other words, what do you want to photograph? Al eluded to this when he talked about finding outlets like specialty magazines for submitting your work to. You have to get out there and find that one angle that you not only love to shoot, but that tickles you to edit, review, fame and look at again and again.

Are you a formal portraits photographer? What about wildlife? Babies, or could it be events? When you know what your point of view is, you will be able to get out and market yourself in the appropriate circles and start making your dreams come true!

Photography Orange Roads

Intentional Winning in Life is about finding all the alternate routes to your dreams. When one first sets their sights on a dream, they see one way to get there. As soon as a road block appears, they think their dream is over. No! There are hundreds and hundreds of other ways, Orange Roads you can take to make your dream come true and maybe even find some new ones along the way!

This month has been all about photography and I thought what better way to share the Orange Roads than from the professionals who are doing it? I hope you like this and are taking notes. I would love for you to come back and share what tips were useful and what you have done to make your photography dreams come true!

Special thanks to Carol Gardner and Zelda from Zelda Wisdom for the use of the ever appropriate Road Map image! You can be inspired and see many more of these wonderful Zelda images at ZeldaWisdom.com and sign up for Zelda's Daily Dogma and get a smile in your e-mail each morning! LIKE Zelda on facebook.

Picture U Perfect Photography - Shannon RIch

As a stay at home mom I decided to make my passion for the art of pictures become a dream career as a photographer. I started working at a portrait studio to learn the techniques of the business such as lighting, backgrounds and positioning of people. I was fortunate to acquire knowledge from a mentor who truly knew the depth of creating beauty, instead of every picture being the same.

You might have talent, a keen eye and positive attitude, but if you are missing skills and proper equipment this will become a problem. It is critical to have a professional camera during the beginning of your endeavor because this is the heart of making pictures come alive. I use a Nikon D300 which has given me excellent performance. Many others use Cannon and enjoy its features as well. Additional equipment is necessary to enhance your abilities; these items will include an external flash, reflectors and a variety of lenses.

Three years ago I started my own photography business. I am currently working as a photographer part time while building my portfolio. Being a mother of a 1st grader, I assist at my daughter’s school activities and other functions such as girl scouts as well as caring for my active 3 year old son. This has given me additional opportunities for leads to expand my business. Focusing on pictures in natural settings where children could be comfortable; such as themed portrait events of fairies, country kids and vintage. I love capturing the maternity sessions, even the milestone during birth and after. Family portraits bring back memories in a special way for their favorite location. This is the direction I chose for my passion. It opened my eyes to the world outside, literally.

These are a few tips to keep in mind when gaining exposure and experience.

· Have mini sessions at discount prices.

· Have a strong support group, be it family and friends who can become clients.

· Suggest your ideas with clients but don’t be pushy, let them have their day.

· Learning your skill is a continuous process. Suggestions are offered from mentors through photography clubs or workshops.

Follow your dreams; choices are endless when creativity is the key to your success.

Shannon Rich
916-223-1600
Picture U Perfect Photography
www.picture-u-perfect.smugmug.com

Photo of Shannon by Coree Firchau Keenan

More Orange Roads From Monica

Tips from Monica continued from Wednesday:

~ Charge for your time (at least something) because your family is missing you while you are doing this photog thing and the equipment can be REALLY expensive!

~ Be UNIQUE. Come up with your own ideas, locations, and point of view. Don’t copy others work but use it as inspiration to push yourself and new ideas!

~ Find a place to host your website (I LOVE www.smugmug.com) so you can post photos and have a place for your family and friends to view and purchase your work.

~Use social Media like Facebook, twitter, or blogging to help increase your exposure.

So there you have it! You can do this and if it's what you love, it's exactly what you need to be doing!

Monica Toohey~Krause
www.StudioKYK.com

Note from Kathy: I love this picture of Monica because it exemplifies her free spirit and sense of fun!

Meet Photographer Monica Toohey-Krause - Studio KYK Photography

Hello my name is Monica. I'm a wife, mommy, photographer, and a good friend. I’m not a writer, but I will do my best here for Kathy and her Intentional Winning blog because I love her and photography.


If you are thinking that you want to be a photographer then I'm sure you are a lot like me, loving photography while growing up and now thinking I can’t put the camera down! I LOVE it so much I want to do more. Right?

Here are a few tips on how I have made it work for me:

~MOST importantly, make sure you enjoy it while you are doing it - If you are smiling then the world is smiling back at you!

~ When you can afford to make the investment, get a DSLR camera (I like Canon). You can start with the Rebel (it’s okay) and the upgrade lens and bodies as you can budget to add them.

~Take LOTS of photos and then take more…. (For a few reasons )
1. The more you take the better you get
2. You can and will capture REAL life expressions
3. Because you can! It’s digital and you don’t want to miss anything


~Find a Photog support group like (Sac Smug http://sacsmug.smugmug.com/ ) that you can go to bounce ideas off of others and play with people that share the love you have for photography.


So now go grab a camera and take some photos, with your smile on!
Monica Toohey~Krause
www.StudioKYK.com
Facebook

I Want to be a Photographer - Orange Road #2

Here's another tip from long time professional photographer Al Wright at Raintree Studios in Alameda, CA:

Here's an idea to get a new photog started that will not only help them, but will help and honor others as well. There are several sites online that honor men and women in the military and their families for their contribution to and sacrifice for our country. Some of these organizations look for local photographers who are willing to provide a simple portrait session and a desk size print or a small collection of 4x6 proof-quality prints at no charge to a family that has a member serving in the military. Some of these organizations request that the individual is a professional photographer as evidenced by sample portraits that they would submit to them, and by their web site. Why would someone do this? First, they would do this because they want to honor and thank the men and women in the military for their service. After that, it will give them experience in photographing children and families, and if they give the family one 5x7 print, they will probably want to purchase more for grandma and grand dad.

A new photog may need to improve their photography skills before some of these organizations will agree to recommend them to their military families, but they can certainly do this on their own as well. This past Easter, I offered military families with a loved one currently serving overseas a complimentary mini portrait session and one 5x7 print. I intend to make the same offer for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas. I advertised my offer on my Facebook page and asked my friends to share my offer on their pages as well. I also have joined a parents' group on Yahoo for parents in my city.

An aspiring photog can do the same thing for families of cancer survivors, families that are part of the "Make A Wish" foundation, or families that are part of "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" (families that have a new born infant that tragically will not survive more than a couple of days). Good luck!

Al Wright - Raintree Studios

Al Wright has been a professional photographer since 1970. He credits his father, an avid home movie maker and photography buff, with kindling his first interest in photography. His idols are the still photographers that created all the wonderful publicity stills of the stars during the Golden Age of movies- the Twenties, Thirties, and Forties.

Al feels his strength lies in communicating with his clients, to discover what they want, and then helping them plan their portrait so it is truly a reflection of them. He likes the challenge of working with children, and especially likes the parents' reactions to the completed portraits, when they tell him "No one has ever been able to capture my child like this!"

Al is dedicated to giving something back to the community that has been so good to him- you'll find him working with business, service, and school groups around town, and donating his time and talent to various fundraisers for worthwhile organizations.

His Tip to aspiring Photographers (Orange Road #1):

"I occasionally teach an Introduction to Photography course to high school students as an after-school career exploration program. During the last session when we are talking about a career in photography I ask them (and now I will ask you as well) "What are you passionate about? Are you passionate about children? Or cars? Or food, or nature, or breast cancer awareness, or soccer?" Whatever it is that you are passionate about (in addition to photography, I hope), I will bet you that there is a magazine, a newsletter, a documentary-in-the-making, a website, or a nonprofit organization that needs good photos, and there are at least a million people that are also interested in that same subject, and want to see images of it. Some of them are so crazy about the same thing you are passionate about that they will purchase your photos. You can search in online for images of your passion, and you will find page after page of images, and when you click on an image, generally it will show you the web page or advertisement or the context in which the photo was used. This search will show you what kind of photos are being used, how they are used, and who might be interested in using your photos."

This is where to start. Al has offered another great idea that I am going to share later in the month, but for now, think about what you love and are passionate about. Start searching for how images are being used and where you might submit your photographs for sale.

Al has a studio in downtown Alameda, CA. You can reach him and his photos on Facebook.

Where To Start?

I'm happy to share with you that implementing your dream of becoming a photographer may be easier than you think. With digital cameras and photo software, there is so much you can do with what you already have in terms of your camera. There is something to be said for higher quality equipment, but I will tell you from experience that you can make money with a basic digital camera. I know, I've done it.

I'm going to introduce you to several of my photog friends (that's what I call them, photogs) who will share their ideas for the many Orange Roads that are waiting for you to travel them. These friends of mine are from all levels of photography experience, from Debbie who is a hobbyist (I know she wants more, this is going to inspire her to get back to work!) to Al "The Picture Man" who has been a professional photographer for more years than he will want me to share with you.

As you meet my friends this month, be sure to visit each of their web sites (if they have one) and find them on facebook and twitter. They all have photos that are worthy of your time to appreciate. Get ready, this is going to be a fun month!

I Want to be a Photographer

I have been interested in photography as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to be on both sides of the camera and have extensive training. I even worked as a model and actress. Though I've never made my living, or even collected a paycheck taking pictures, I can say that I know what my photography style is and where I excel.

This month we are going to explore the Orange Roads to incorporating the idea of building a photography business into your life -- today. I have a number of photographers lined up to guest post and share their ideas about how you might make this dream come true for you. This is going to be fun and if you are a photographer, please e-mail me your ideas and a little about you, I would love to include you! Kdpartak@yahoo.com

April Fools Are Everywhere!

I wanted to post something really creative, an Intentional Winning April Fool, but hard as I tried, I wasn't fooling anybody! With that said, April will be about Intentional Winning in Photography. I know many people who love the art of photography, including me. It's one thing to enjoy taking family pictures and it's another thing entirely to do it for a living. With the digital medium, the field has opened up to many more skill levels and start-up budgets. This month will be fun and I will see if I can get some of my Photog friends (yes, real making-a-living professionals!) to share their thoughts on some Orange Roads you can take to make your photography dreams come true. As always, join in and share your thoughts and ideas, there is no better compliment to pay a blogger than comments on our blogs!