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!