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The Beginning

Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 2:01 PM





As part of my ongoing attempt to answer most/all of the questions from the "Ask Jamie a Question" post I am here to tackle yet another! It's been fun doing these; I really appreciate the comments I get from fellow photographers letting me know it's been helpful--I'm doing it for you guys! :) If you missed the other answers, you can check them out here: Before and After Processing and Interacting with Clients. So, the question is...

I would like to know how you became so successful at such an early age? How did you start marketing your business and getting so many weddings booked per year? Did you start second shooting with someone to begin with? Who? When was your first wedding "solo?"

Oh, you are so sweet! How do we define success? Success in my eyes is getting to do what I love day in and day out and God has blessed me so completely in that area. I feel like this is the question I get emailed to me the most often and the one I feel least qualified to answer.

However, as far as marketing goes, there are a few “key” things I did before I started my business. I started Jamie Delaine Photography in June 2007, but since January 1, 2007 I had been a part of the OpenSourcePhoto Forum created by David Jay. I was only 16 at the time and I had an interest in photography after a vacation to the East Coast. I had a lot of fun with my dad’s Rebel XT camera and wanted to see “what else I could do with it!” I stumbled across DJ’s blog which then lead to the forum. I was amazed with what I found! A whole network of professional wedding and portrait photographers full of business and practical shooting knowledge. I just soaked it all in. I read, read, read, read, read—All. The. Time. Seriously. I’m sure I spent hours on that forum. Every new aspect of business that would come up as a “I wonder” question in my mind, I would do a search. Bam! (Did I just say Bam? Wow.) There would be pages upon pages of discussing about things like setting prices, marketing online, setting up a blog, getting your logo on blog images, interacting with clients, figuring out album predesign, etc.

From the OSP Forum, I got connected with a lot of photographers online. I posted a topic one day about looking for second-shooting opportunities and a few weeks later a Seattle photographed named Libbie Mistretta sent me an email. She had two weddings back-to-back on a Saturday and Sunday in Bothell, WA which is only about two hours from my home in Surrey, BC. I jumped on the opportunity for my first chance to photograph a wedding with another photographer! I think that was on August 16th and 17th, 2007. I had such a fun time with Libbie and it was a wonderful “introduction” to weddings. From these two weddings I got about thirty portfolio images that I then placed on my portrait site. When I look back now, it’s just hilarious as I had sections for babies, kids, teens, families, travel and then….weddings. 4 Sections for portraits, 1 pathetic one for weddings. It took me three months to put those images up—I was so hesitant to jump into this business, believe it or not! Anyway, I did. During the last three or four months (since June) I had been photographing family portraits and pictures of my friends just for fun. Well, my first wedding photography clients found my name through grad pictures I had taken for my friend Jess (want a trip down memory lane? The photos are here!) The bride emailed me and asked if I took wedding photos and if she could get a quote. I responded, yes, I do photograph weddings, however my experience was currently limited to second-shooting. She emailed back, liked my quote, and I was booked! This beautiful bride was Tamara and I was there to capture her wedding to Dean on May 18, 2008.

Another invaluable thing in business is networking. One of the first photographers I emailed was a couple from Vancouver known as Chris+Lynn. I saw Lynn on the forum and sent her an email about second-shooting opportunities. A few months later, we met up for dinner with Tim Co. (one of their photographer friends from Florida who is also a part of OSP!) at Cactus Club. I was just amazed at the industry’s willingness to help out young photographers. Honestly! I look back on that night, which was only a year ago and I am just amazed at Chris+Lynn+Tim’s willingness to meet with a young, shy, newly-turned-seventeen year old and inspire her in her business. Networking is just soooo wonderful! Another example, when I knew I was going to be in Arizona for two weeks in March, I emailed a handful of AZ photographers (once again, via the forum!) and asked if they had any weddings I could tag along at. Unfortunately none of the weddings aligned with my schedule, but I got lunch offers from quite a few photographers and we made a get-together out of it! I met with Melissa Jill, Rachel Priddy and Jen Schleicher and we had such a good time getting to know one another. This meet-up then brought another opportunity just this summer when Melissa Jill was looking for a photographer to second-shooter with her in San Francisco in July. I saw her posting on the forum and emailed her and she called me back right away and said she’d love to have me! Creating a network of photographers is so valuable---and bonus, it’s fun! I love meeting new people. I could go on and on, but I won’t—you get the idea.

As far as finding clients and booking weddings, it was a combination of word-of-mouth (how I got my first wedding!), online marketing through my blog as well as networking with other photographers. Chris+Lynn sent me the super sweet couple Kristina and Marshall way back in April and I’m so glad they did! I’ve also found facebook to be an invaluable tool for marketing. I keep my facebook page and my facebook group updated with all my latest blog images and some more information on there. I find that not everyone will read my blog, but lots of facebook “friends” like to keep tabs on my work via the group. It’s awesome if you can “tag” your clients in the facebook photos because then your images will be on facebook for all to see—next thing you know clients will be coming your way!

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 13 comments

13 Comments:

Blogger Chris+Lynn
oh my goodness - that meeting was already a year ago?! How time flies! And look how far you've come - big huge happy congratulations and hugs from us!
C+L
Blogger Jasmine
totally off topic, but you look SO beautiful in that picture! :)
Blogger wrecklessgirl
it's safe to say...DJ is heaven-sent. long-live DJ.

so on and so forth. :) what an angel!
Blogger OHANA PHOTOGRAPHERS
we started in photography about the same time! love that shot too! awesome post jamie!
Anonymous Anonymous
You do look beautiful in that picture! Wonderful story Jamie :) I love hearing timelines like this!
Anonymous Anonymous
Great post - thanks for sharing!

Congrats on the Mammoth Men score :) (I'm assuming that's you!)
Blogger Chenoa
Thanks for being so devoted to your blog, it's so great to always know I will find something worthwhile and helpful. Keep it up!
Blogger Rebekah
i love keeping up with you & your blog, jamie! thanks for starting the "ask jamie" series!! here's one for ya...where did you get that cute jacket?! ya know, i'd be the one to ask such an important question. haha. :) thanks, j!
Anonymous Anonymous
I love that you always inspire and share (and do super-fabulous work as well)!!!
Blogger Betsy King
Just had to pop in and give you hugs and say you are awesome. Keep on keeping on girl!!!

Bets

http://www.betsyandjohn.net
Blogger taryn
jamie, you are such an inspiration. thanks for your "ask jamie" series. i look forward to reading more of these!

taryn
Blogger David
Thanks so awesome for you to share the ins and outs of how you got started, Im looking to start a career in photography and what you said helps out alot!.Thanks again ;)
Anonymous Anonymous
Thanks for doing these posts, Jamie! Lots of helpful info there :)

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Interacting with Clients | photographers

Friday, October 24, 2008 at 9:36 PM

As part of an ongoing goal, I am trying to make my way through the Ask Jamie a Question Day questions, one step at a time. You all asked some really great questions, including:

"Do you have any tips or ideas that you use for how to interact with your clients? Like, how do you set them up in a "pose" and get all the great expressions? I'm always curious on if there's a better way to interact with my clients and what to say to them, etc...I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on that!"

I loved this question because honestly when I started photography a year ago, this is all I thought about! I used to get SO stinkin' nervous about what to say, how to act, what to talk about, how to direct clients, trying not to make the session awkward--ah, I was a wreck! The most important piece of advice I could give is that IT GETS EASIER! It really does. Get out there and practice, practice, practice. It really helps to first get very comfortable working and posing people you know--that way if you ask them to do something and it kind of looks funny, or doesn't turn out how you want, you can just laugh about it and move on! Shooting your friends just for fun is not something you should stop doing once you start making money in photography, it'll constantly help you get better and better! Check out this shoot I did for my best friend Jess a few months ago: to this date it's one of my favourite shoots because we are just so comfortable with one another. Another blast from the past is a graduate session with my friend Rachel from early October 2007. Wow, I cannot believe that was only 12 months ago! Life is so crazy.



As far as interaction goes, here's a rule: never stop talking! The art of small talk is so key. If it's a portrait shoot with just one subject ask about their job, what they do, talk about past shoots you've gone on, talk about places you've visited--I just talk my face off--which I'm pretty good at doing. For engagement shoots, this is the fun stuff! Who doesn't want to hear a love story? Ask about where they met, how long they've been dating, talk about wedding details, plans, where they are living, dogs, etc, really anything will do. Just be interested in them!

Posing is something that I've been trying to "step up" in my business lately. A few months ago, I felt like I got to the place where I could take a nice camera with a nice camera lens, put two beautiful people in the shade and tell them to just "interact" and wah-la! A natural looking, solid photo. Which is SO true--but I've been challenging myself to step it up with my posing and take my photography to another level. I read a lot of photography blogs for inspiration, and obviously if you are reading this, you do the same! I love looking at wedding and fashion magazines and advertisements--I'm also inspired by just watching how couples interact naturally. Work with different levels in the environment you're in, try different variations of standing, sitting, different angles--it's all about just putting yourself out there and trying something new. Usually I'll start by telling the guy something like, "How about we get you right behind here and just lean down and wrap your arms around Jane's waist. Jane just look up at John for these next few." This usually leads to awkward laughter and then a lot of fun. As the clients gain confidence in you throughout the course of the shoot things will begin to flow so much more naturally!

As far as actual "talking" and interacting goes while shooting portraits during a wedding day or on an engagement shoot, I say a LOT of things like "Perfect! That's awesome! Hold that right there! That's so gorgeous! Holy crap this is amazing light! Just turn and look up at him right...there, yes, perfect. Now lean in a bit more--you can never be too close during an engagement session." Ah, it sounds quite hilarious when I type it out. I laugh a LOT during sessions--like waaaaaaay too much, way too much! My cheeks hurt after a shoot because they are just been exercised the entire time. If you're having fun and laughing and at ease (or pretend to be at ease in the beginning, hah!) your clients will most likely be as well.

I hope this helps!

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 11 comments

11 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous
you're super awesome.
Blogger Unknown
Thank you :)
Anonymous Anonymous
This sounds a lot like what I'm learning. I'm trying to step up the posing. It's not as natural for me as the PJ stuff. :) And oh my goodness, I know what you mean about laughing too much. I also feel like the couple will think I'm so weirdo because I say things I would never usually say. I mean really, when have I ever asked my friends to make out in the middle of a street?! Haha.
Anonymous Anonymous
Oh, and your images always look so gorgeous!!! They feel natural, but look worthy of a magazine spread.
Anonymous Anonymous
Good answer, Jamie! I couldn't have said it better myself. I've also found that it's good to save my best locations for later on in the shoot because they're usually a little stiff and fake at first, but after the first few shots they start loosening up and showing their personality.
Blogger Dennis Bullock
Good stuff Jamie!
Blogger Tira J
Awesome stuff Jamie! Thank you.
Blogger Lydia
Great tips, Jamie! I'm trying to talk more to my subjects during a shoot. Clients are so much more comfortable when they know what you're thinking instead of silently moving around and snapping shots.
Anonymous Anonymous
Jamie, thank you so much for answering my question! This helps more than you can imagine! You are so awesome!
Anonymous Anonymous
Hi Jamie,
I've recently discovered your work and blog, and I'm hooked! God has truly blessed and extremely talented, especially at 18! I'm only 16, actually, and I'm wanting to start photographing people (only do pets, now). I'm so glad that you're answering questions! They're so helpful! Can I ask one? In the beginning (and even now), how did you market yourself and get people to take you seriously, being so young? That's a long comment, maybe I should've emailed!
Anonymous Anonymous
Hi Jamie: Thanks for the input - as a new photographer I find it very helpful...and you're right, it does get easier the more shoots I do :) Keep up the good work!

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faq: processing | before & after

Monday, October 20, 2008 at 10:20 AM

I got quite a few questions a few weeks ago on my Ask Jamie a Question post, and I thought I'd combine a few of them and do a little post about my post-processing workflow. First of all, I shoot everything in RAW, because I've just found it allows me the most flexibility in terms of editing and recovery when my exposures are not-so-perfect! I know, shame on me, but not every photo I take is 100% properly exposed, and for this reason, I love RAW! I also love warm photos, and I find that Canon cameras, by default on the Auto White Balance setting, produce really cool photos--which I hate! Ahh, blue and green tones make me cringe; I love the warmth.

The number one thing you can do to improve the colour and look of your photos is to expose correctly! I shoot all manual which ensures that I, not my camera like Av and Tv settings, am in control of reading the light and setting my settings! It's great. It takes a lot of practice, and when I started shooting manual I'd move to a different light and totally forget to change my settings. I shot a lot of all black photos, or all white photos! Haha, but in practice and over time, I am pretty much able to nail my exposures 99% consistently.





Left: Unedited photo right out of the camera
Right: I processed in LR, bumping up the white balance to a temperature of 6000, adding a little contrast and a slight vignette! That's all. Simple hey?





Ooh, I love this edit. Once again, I love the warm colours!
Top Photo: Right out of the camera, no editing.
Bottom: Batch-processed in LR; correct color temperature add a little contrast. Also, for this shot I ran an action in Photoshop I created for a little extra "something"--Basically it was just a light brown multiply layer on 30%!





Left: Unedited, straight out of the camera
Right: Batch processed in LR (colour, contrast, vignette) and then brought into Photoshop and once again added a multiply layer at 30% (that's what gives it that great warm feel.)





Top: This is an example of a straight out of the camera unedited image that I have underexposed! I know, I know; terrible hey? But look! I shot in RAW so it turns into the bottom image.
Bottom: Batch processed in LR, bumping up the exposure a little more than usual to brighten the image. A vignette and color, with contrast!

I hope this has answered some of your questions: let me know if there are any more by commenting and I may "edit" this post and add them at the bottom. :)

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 9 comments

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous
I always LOVE the look of your images!!!
Blogger Kayla Barker
This is great! This sounds exactly like what I do too. I hate those blue tones too and I'm always warming my photos up. Thanks for sharing.
Anonymous Anonymous
Hi Jamie- this is really cool to see :) I was just telling someone the other day that my Canon gives off naturally cool pics and I ended up warming them all up myself. I'm hoping to get the 5D soon and if I do at least I won't be surprised to once again see some naturally cool images right off the camera.
Anonymous Anonymous
Hey Jamie~thanks for the helpful info! I'm always trying to find the balance of not too cool, but not too warm. I do have one other question. I was wondering what size your photos are on your blog. Right now mine are 900x600 pixels, but I feel like they're a bit bigger than I want and I haven't figured out a different size yet. Thanks!
Blogger Lydia
Thanks for doing this, Jamie! It's really helpful to see before and after pictures. It also shows how you take great pictures and make them perfect! I love how you haven't listed twenty different action sets to use. I'm already overwhelmed with the amount out there and have trouble using the two I do own. Did you ever use Bridge? If so, how much better is LR?

I have another question that doesn't have to do with your processing. What aperture do you usually shoot at? For instance, what was the f-stop you used for these pictures?

By the way, your Canadian spelling of "colour" and "favourite" is fun! :-)
Blogger Unknown
Thanks a lot for this FAQ posts, Jamie, you are very generous :)

Anyway, one thing I have been observing in your pictures that I don't see in the ones you've used as examples here, is the crispiness and perfectly sharp focus you have. I was wondering how you manage to get such sharp focus when using wide apertures and/or moving subjects (see pic #16 of Sarah & Mike wedding).

Thanks a lot in advance. I have no words to express how much I love your work :)
Anonymous Anonymous
ahh Jamie I just love you! :D
I seriously couldn't believe your editing was so simple, even though you told me! :D Anyways, I have a question about how you bump up the color temperature. I use Lightroom, and when I bump up the temperature, it kind of gets orangy. How can you tell what the temperature reading is?
Anonymous Anonymous
I figured out a size I like better! Don't worry about answering my question :-)
Anonymous Anonymous
Your light brown multiply later set at 30%... this sounds really interesting. I've recently discovered the whole multiply layer idea and have been playing around with it but I can't seem to get the right color going. Would you mind telling what color (RGB) your light brown is? I love the look it gives your photos. I love your work, period. You do a great job and I am inspired that you are so young and have only been in business for yourself for a year. I am young myself, not as young as you I don't think, and have only been in business about a year myself too so it's very inspiring to see you doing so well. Thanks for all the help you're willing to give!

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ask jamie a question day.

Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 6:00 AM



I love blogging. I truly do. I love rambling on and on and on about nothing and everything in my day, my week, my life, my business, my faith, school; you get the idea! But sometimes I wonder what you, my wonderful blogreaders want to hear. What should I blog about next? My favourite pair of shoes? My favourite photo taken by my tiny cell phone? My favourite coffeemug? Anything you want to know? My favourite season? When I first knew photography was what I wanted to do? My first wedding? My first portrait shoot? My two favourite vacations? (There's a tie between two of 'em!)

Ask your questions, now! And when I need something to blog, I'll refer back to this post and blog, blog, blog away. Can't wait to hear what you come up with.

Labels: personal, photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 16 comments

16 Comments:

Blogger Kayla Barker
Jamie, I've really been enjoying subscribing to your blog! You are so gifted! I would like to know how you became so successful at such an early age? How did you start marketing your business and getting so many weddings booked per year?
Blogger Tracy Anne
Hi Jamie! I've been a blog-stalker for awhile now; this is my first comment. I have SO many questions. If you had to live with one lens which one would it be and why? Do you use flash? If not, how do you manage low light situations like churches and receptions? What other hobbies do you enjoy? What's a day in life of Jamie like? What is the one non-photography related treasure, item, gift, thing that means the most to you and why?
Blogger Lydia
Jamie, I've been wondering how you get your pictures so clear and the colors so perfect. How much of it is in camera, and how much of it is through processing?
Blogger scbphotography
Did you start second shooting with someone to begin with? Who? When was your first wedding "solo?" :)
Blogger Manon
Hey jamie,
What a great idea. I so want to know a lot of things of you.
How is you new school (uni.) and how do you get all of your photography stuff and student stuff done. Would you show us your "office" aka. your room? (I am obsessed with rooms). And for sure, I also want to know how you get those great pictures. Do you use special actions? What is in your bag (not just camera bag) but what are the things you carry around every time?
Oh well I have so much more questions, but I don't want to bore you with them.

I can't wait to read the answers of all the great questions that already have been asked.
Anonymous Anonymous
Hey Jamie!
Great idea!
I have a question for ya...
Do you have any tips or ideas that you use for how to interact with your clients? Like, how do you set them up in a "pose" and get all the great expressions? I'm always curious on if there's a better way to interact with my clients and what to say to them, etc...I would LOVE to hear your thoughts on that! I hope the question makes sense!
~Emma
Blogger Luis Murillo
My questions are pretty much been asked already...but I'd be great if you could do a post on your postprocessing especially showing the before and after shots. I know a lot of photographers are very secretive with this area since they say that this will steal work from them...but not to worry I'm pretty far away to steal any work from you :P
I'm also interested in how you get your poses with the clients since that's something I really need some help with :)
Also...great work you do :)
Anonymous Anonymous
so how many pairs of shoes do you actually have?


=)
Anonymous Anonymous
UHM...
LIKE...
WUT IS A CAMERA???
IF U ANSER MY ? I WILL BE HAPPY
Anonymous Anonymous
I would love to hear some about your post processing and workflow and I love before and afters!
Anonymous Anonymous
Hi Jamie,
How do you get your logo on your photos for your blog? (I keep trying to figure it out, but am obviously having difficulties, even though I'm sure it must fairly simple) And I'd love answers to some of the questions already asked too!
Thanks!
Blogger Cassidy Brooke
Hey, so I know that I have already asked little questions here and there but I have two more... have you ever considered doing an intern program...maybe not as high-key as Sarah Barlows, but something along the lines of hers. Like spending 2-weeks with you learning as much as we can about the photography business! You should defiantly consider, because I would for sure sign-up :)
The other question is, if you are already such a successful photographer then what are you going to the university for?
---I also am curious of the answer to others' questions such as when you decided photography was for you...and how you get your logo on the pictures....
Anonymous Anonymous
I thought of another one! When choosing music for a client's slide show, do you just pick songs that you like or do you find out what kind of music your clients like?
Anonymous Anonymous
How do you get your photos so large on your blog? I didn't think you could do this with Blogger...
Thanks!!
Blogger Kendra Jean Photography
Do you shoot in raw or jpeg?
Blogger Manon
Oh I hope it is ok if I squeeze in another photography question. How do you pose your clients. I just had a few shoots and found it really hard to tell them how they should look and stay. How does a shooting with you look like (like in words, I have watch your little "behind the scene" movie a lot...and I love it)

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FAQ | lenses.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 3:33 PM

I have a quick question: do you use all L series lenses? I never bought any because I couldn't afford them but now I am thinking I need to get them because of the color that they produce. For some reason my images seem a little grainy, even when shooting on the lowest ISO, and I think it might be my glass.

This question arrived in my inbox about a week ago, and with the purchase of a new lens yesterday, I felt like it was a good time to answer it! I've been shooting for a year now, and when I started out, I only had a measly 28-75 Tamron Lens. It was a great zoom lens for starting out, but there is definitely a noticeable difference when you buy authentic Canon lenses. Not really thinking I could survive without a zoom (how naive of me!) I saved and saved and purchased my first Canon lens, the 28-70 f/2.8 L lens. It's to be noted, that I always buy used, and this lens was discontinued by Canon before I bought it--it was replaced by the 24-70 f/2.8L.




I used the above lens for my first portrait shoot last summer, as well as all the second-shooting I did. Now, I think it's a little lonely, because I don't think I've taken a picture with this lens for about nine months. I just love the sharpness I get with primes. What are primes? Read on.



Prime lenses are fixed length lenses that usually have the ability to shoot with a low f/stop number: letting in as much light as possible. As the months went on, I researched which prime I would like to try first! I've got through a couple, and have bought and then sold the 35mm f/2 lens and the 50mm f/1.8 lens:



The lenses above are my BABIES I absolutely adore them. I am strictly a prime shooter when I'm doing a portrait shoot or an engagement shoot. With my handy dandy Shootsac I can easily change my lenses on the fly. We have the 28mm f/1.8 for wide angle shots, the 50mm f/1.4 (my go-to lens! I use this about 80% of the time) and then the 85mm f/1.8 if I want to get in closer.


I just picked up the lens below yesterday from a photographer in Vancouver. It's my newest purchase, and I know it will come in handle for those dark church ceremonies, and getting it close for sneaky shots during ceremonies and receptions! Beware though...this lens is HEAVY, I can pretty much only carry it with my Canon 5D for about twenty minutes before my arms start to fail. Haha! It's sure a beautiful lens though.




Regarding the question of better color out of L lenses, I'm not sure if I can give a satisfactory answer about that. I don't find that the color is dependent on L series vs. non-L series. I definitely can testify to the fact that Canon lenses provide better color than non-Canon lenses as well as better sharpness. As well, since I purchased the Canon 5D three months ago, the colour out of that is incredible compared to the Canon 30D! The issue with grain is probably due to a slight underexposure, as every detail you underexpose and then try to correct in post-processing will increase grain.

I hoped this has helped you! Leave a comment letting me know if anything was not clear. Until next time!

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 9 comments

9 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous
As usual, Jaime you are wonderful! :)
Blogger Susie
Oh Jaime, you are going to LOVE the 70-200 f/2.8 L- seriously, it's my favorite lens I have. I just can't use it with families so much because I actually have to *interact* with them!

Love your images- I think I found you through OSP (I tend to be quiet), just so you know :)
S
Anonymous Anonymous
I have definately noticed a HUGE difference in my pictures by using prime lenses, my 50mm is used 90% of the time! =) Have fun with your new lens!
Blogger Tira J
Hi Jamie! We have the same collection of lenses. Our newest piece added to our collection is the 100-400mm. Start lifting some weights, because that 70-200mm is heavy!
Blogger Kendra Jean Photography
Found your blog through some others, you do awesome work! I have been looking at buying a new lens, so this post was perfect!
Thanks
Blogger Kendra Jean Photography
A question for you, you buy used lenses, would you recomend buying a used camera?? I am looking at one at a camera store(online) wondering if it would be smart to buy a used camera. Thanks!
Blogger LLMPhotography
Hi - u said you purchase your lens used. If you don't mind telling me, who do you purchase through?

Thanks,
Tifanie
Texas
Blogger LLMPhotography
Jamie - I'm sold on the prime lens! I just recently switched from Olympus to Canon & purchased a 40D body and 50mm f/1.4.

I mainly shoot weddings. Was wondering which lens do you tend to use the most during weddings. Especially for tight spots like brides dressing rooms.

When shooting weddings do you mainly stay to the back of the churches and use the 70-200?

Thanks,
Tif <><
Anonymous Anonymous
Hi Jamie, I have 2 questions: 1. Can you use your 5D Canon camera with Canon lens 24-70 f/2.8L? I red on the internet that it doesn´t fit together. And the 2. Where can I buy used lenses and is it ok to buy used lenses? Thanks for your answer.

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FAQ | Blog Customization

Thursday, June 5, 2008 at 4:05 PM


Hi Jamie – I've admired your blog and website. I think that your website is through Blu Domain, but how did you do the blog? Is it a Blogger site? Did you make the template? It looks great! I'm trying to get a blog going myself, but I'm a little lost. Any info you could share about your blog would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!



Every since I debuted my old "new" blog back on September 18th (wow, I can't believe it was that long ago! Time goes by fast...) and now this "newer" blog last week: I have received at least twenty-five emails from photographers commenting on my custom design and asking questions. I just don't have the time in my work day to answer each question individually, so I thought I'd do a big post here. I don't proclaim to be a "customization" guru or anything, I've just always played around with HTML and websites ever since I was a pre-teen and I've picked up a few things on the way that could help you with your customization. One thing to make note of though, is that some of the tips I mentioned will only apply to customizing blogspot blogs, as different companies (eg. wordpress) can be customized in different ways.

1. Start at the top!
A header is a great way to customize your blog. I designed mine in Photoshop, but if you are not graphics-savvy I would suggest going with a designer like Chocolate Cactus, who does great blog header designs for only $100. To place it into your blog, go to Template > Edit HTML. To figure out the HTML for this, try Blogatech.

2. Get creative with your background.
I found my old damask background on iStock, and altered it in Photoshop to match my brand colours. For my newly re-vamped blog, I've chosen to go with just a simple light blue colour which doesn't distract from my work and my images! Some other great sources for backgrounds are The Inspiration Gallery, Veer, and Dreamstime.

3. Understand the language!
Almost all of my customization was done by trial and error...I studied my original blogspot template (Minima) until I felt like I was comfortable with what each part of the html and script was saying. Once I knew what part of the language correspond to a different part of my blog, it was easy for me to change my Times New Roman text to Arial, or my black text to gray. For writing colours in HTML, this Hex Color Code Generator comes in really handy! I apologize that this "tip" is really broad, but really, HTML can be learned by reading your codes. There are times when I'd be looking for a good half hour, playing around with certain values until I found exactly the line that I needed to change to get my blog to look like I wanted it to look! (Woah, can you say run-on sentence?)

4. Don't let your viewers get lost.
Navigation is key on a blog. Say your readers see a great engagement session posted on your blog and it's just a favourite of theirs. They return to your blog a few weeks later to show a friend, only to find that it's now buried three pages back behind seven more recent entries. You can solve this problem by utilizing blogger's "labels" tool. I have my blog split into seven different categories: weddings, engagements, families, kids, teens, personal, photographers, products. Now, your reader only has to click on the "engagement" label and only posts with the label of engagement will show up. But, in order to make these labels useful, you have to have a efficient navigation bar. I used Javascript to create my navigation at the top of my blog, but don't think I was smart enough to write it by myself! There are a plethora of free Javascripts online that you can find by Googling. Here are a few that I found: Alsacreations, Javascript Array and Dynamic Drive.

That's all the simple tips I can think of for now, but photographers, if you have any questions: email me or leave a comment on this post. I'm going to try to keep up with a photographer FAQ at least once a month from now on!

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 5 comments

5 Comments:

Blogger Cait
Wow! Thanks for sharing from your well of knowledge. I might have to look deeper into HTML now... :)
Blogger Courtney Reece
Hey Jamie,
thanks for the blog tips. I've been dabbling in HTML since I was around 14 (i'm 25 now) and so my knowledge of HTML has definitely helped me out. I have had trouble trying to figure out the difference between HTML and CSS and in Blogspot, where do I put CSS codes versus HTML but like you said, its all trial and error. I love your blog though and hopefully can get mine to look as top notch as yours soon :)
Blogger Haley Lamb
thanks jamie! i've actually been wondering about blogger customization myself!
Blogger Cassidy Brooke
Hey Jamie, I know you don't know who I am but I have been viewing your blog constantly and cannot get enough it. :)
I was just wondering what Canon model do you use, and is it the same model as Sarah Barlow?
-Thanks, Cassidy :)
Blogger Kaylie
Hey! I have a quick question. I have been searching for a blog template that has the solid white column like yours but can not find one anywhere! did you create yours or did you find it somewhere else?

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#2 - artists i love.

Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 6:27 PM

You may have remembered my last "Artists I love" installment. I sang the praise of Sarah Richardson, interior designer extraordinaire. :) This time, I'm going to introduce you to a photographer named JEREMY COWART who is beyond a doubt, absolutely a freakin' genius. I could look at his website ALL day long, and I've definitely spent a good hour looking through his portfolio before. Just some amazing, blow-you-out-of-the-water creativity and thought in his images. He's a huge name in the world of music, especially Christian artists. Almost every Christian band/signer I listen to has had Jeremy Cowart shoot promo images for them.











Wow! So great. P.S. I saved these off of Jeremy's website, so please go check out more of his incredible work!

Labels: personal, photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 2 comments

2 Comments:

Blogger Amy
I like what you have done with the place! Love the design, and as always, your photos are fantastic!
Blogger Haley Lamb
jeremy cowart is the man!! you have to check out his photographs from Africa in the book "Hope in the Dark" you will have to have it if you don't already!

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Brand Board | business

Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 1:04 PM

I'm in the Charlotte, North Carolina airport right now, drinking a Venti Ice Water (I know you baristas out there hate when people do that to you right? I mean, I'll never JUST order a venti ice water, and if there's nothing else I want, I'll tack my water onto my brother or mom's order. She'll be having a tall tea and oh, I want a venti ice water light ice. Yeah I'm a pain) and browsing the internet on my laptop! The Business Boot Camp is officially over; so sad! It was honestly the best 48 hours of my business/career life so far. I learned so much it was unbelievable.

Liana, thank you for giving and giving and giving to us for those two and a half days. This woman is such a blessing, and God has so much more in store for her over the rest of her life--I just know it. It was incredible that she gave up this week of her life to pour into the lives of other businesses; there were only six attendees, and five of us were there on scholarships. Not only did this week not make her any money... I'm sure she lost money having to pick us up and drop us off everyday, book off her time and feed us all. So Liana, I truly thank you for that!

There are so many changes and things I want to modify in my business, it's mind-blowing. I think I've had a perpetual headache since Tuesday morning. It was truly just learn, learn, learn. 10AM-10PM both days. Last night we were actually there until quarter after eleven, eating chocolate and strawberries. I know, you wish you were there, right? <-- That's another little tidbit I learned. Apparently I say "right?" after a lot of things I say, and I need to change that because that annoys me when I hear others do that! That's a goal. :)

Speaking of goals, we made so many goals, so many plans: craziness. I'm excited to see what God is going to do in my life and how he's going to take those goals and make them a reality, because right now, all I see is overwhelming lists.





The best part of the bootcamp (or rather the most relaxing, creative, fun--learning HOW to make money was probably the "best") was the branding lesson Liana taught. She truly communicated so effectively what a BRAND is, how to find what yours is. I got to work right away, making an exhaustive list of adjectives that describe exactly who I am and what I see for my business. In the end, the color palette and words that I described and felt totally at ease with...didn't represent what I have going on right now! Which is scary and exciting at the same time.

The collage up above is what I came up with for a BRAND BOARD. I absolutely adore it. My inspiration came from a shot from Kristina+Marshall's engagement session. The kind of style that inspires me is found in interior design magazines or IKEA catalogues that feature lots of white, bright space. I also love RealSimple magazine, and just the whole concept of that. I love bright punches of color, but prefer a more classic look that the bold orange/blue I have going on. Anywho, all this to say, as of last night I have my graphic designer, Lesia (who's engagement photos I shot last month) working on a new logo for me! I feel this is the perfect way to "re-invent" myself and move into some new packaging and pricing for 2009.

More photos from the BootCamp later! :)

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 7 comments

7 Comments:

Blogger Jen
omg! i loooove your blog! your pics are great and i can see you have changed alotof the html for blogger!! can i pick your brain??? how did you get your drop down menu's at the top? i have mine at the top, but haven't figured out yet the drop downs.

your work looks great... i'll be back!! :)
Blogger Ellen McRaney and Ron Holt
We loved the way you said "Right" after so many of your sentences! It was adorable and part of "you." Don't change! I miss our group.
Ellen
Anonymous Anonymous
Hey Sweetie...don't you change a thing about yourself! The "right's" fit you just perfect! It was great meeting you and I know you are going to go far, my dear! Take care.
Blogger Daniel J. Watkins
Liana rocks -- that's so awesome you got to go see her BBC! :)
Blogger Unknown
tee-hee-hee

I totally "heard" you when you said "right?"! It made me giggle! It's YOU, so don't change YOU, girl!

Excited to see photos soon! Can't wait to see the May 17 wedding photos!!!!!!!
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pioneer woman actions | photography

Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 5:00 PM

We've arrived in Seattle, and for the last hour I've been chillin' at the hotel here (a really crappy one at that...oh well--they have wireless!) I just spotted on the internet some FREE (who doesn't like that?) Photoshop Actions. I thought I'd get them a try and download them to see how they work. I do all my editing in Adobe Lightroom as I shoot RAW photos, and I rarely use actions except for my own, but these are awesome! They are from Pioneer Woman and you can download them HERE.

Check out my favourite action from the pack, the Vintage action. Clients, you'll be seeing more of this action, I can't get enough of it: I just LOVE it!




We leave here for the Sea-Tac airport at 6:30AM tomorrow (gross!) and it'll be a full 9 hour day of travelling including a layover in Phoenix before we get to Atlanta at about 7pm, which will be 4pm "our time." Have a great Sunday evening everyone. :)

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 2 comments

2 Comments:

Blogger Courtney Reece
Hey Jamie! I love that photo above :) And thanks for the free actions tip. Free is always good!
Hope you have a great time on your trip and look forward to seeing more from you soon.
P.S. I got blogger! Woohoo! Now people can actually comment with ease. :)
Blogger Katie Beverley
Jamie! Awesome shot and awesome action download! Thanks so much girl!

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Going to Atlanta, GA!

Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 9:07 AM




Photo Credit: Google Images. :)


Today is my last day at home, and I'm in the middle of doing a whole bunch of last-minute things before I drive to Seattle tomorrow afternoon and catch a plane to Atlanta early Monday morning! Everything has happened SO fast the past two weeks. I've had one of my busiest months shoot-wise, also booked two new weddings, and am scheduling shoots + client meetings solid for the month of May. Then, in the middle of all that I find out that I won this crazy generous scholarship to attend the Photo Biz Boot Camp in Atlanta--everything has just hit me all at once. But, it's good. It's SO good. Life is good when things are changing, you're growing, stretching--that's what this next year of my business will be about, I'm sure.





I'm looking forward to all the photographers I'm going to meet and work with, as we all try to figure out the "number" side of our businesses. I'm ready for a lot of work, headaches, and flashbacks to Math 12 (ugh!), but I know it will pay off in the end. I'll be home late Thursday night, and it will probably take me a while to respond to emails, so nobody will be hearing much from me for about the next week.

Here's some of the awesome stuff we are going to be learning, starting Tuesday.

1. Make it Personal & Goal-Oriented
2. Creating a Personal Salary Budget
3. Tracking Income
4. Expenses & Functions
5. Tracking Expenses
6. Analysis: The Number Story
7. The Big Equation & Cost Of Sales
8. Planning
9. Pricing & Packages
10. Bonus Feature: Housekeeping

Labels: personal, photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 3 comments

3 Comments:

Blogger I'm Kristen
Hey! I am in Atlanta!!! When do you get in? We MUST meet up!
Anonymous Anonymous
Amen to that :D I'd love to buy you lunch or dinner while you're here. Or even just grab coffee or something! I know you'll be CRAZY busy, but do let me know if you have any free time!
Blogger Haley Lamb
so cool! i'm only 2.5 hours away! wish i could be there :):)

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Very blessed.

Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 1:30 PM

This week has been a very busy one for me with three shoots in 6 days (the last one is tonight!), and lots of client inquiries for new weddings coming in. All of that equals a lot of time behind the computer, editing, making slideshows, updating my wedding website, creating new client forms, etc. This weekend is also exciting, as I'm second-shooting a wedding on Saturday, and running the SunRun for the first time on Sunday! If you're not a Vancouverite, you may not have heard of it, but I think it's something like the 2nd largest 10K race in North America! There are 54,000 runners this year. I have always, always, always wanted to do it, and then the year creeps up on me, and I read about it in Monday's paper thinking, Dang. I was going to do that.

That's CHANGING this year! I AM doing it. And I'm pumped, and a little nervous. I run about two times a week pretty regularly, but never more than 5 kilometres or so. I honestly think that the reason I stop at five kilometres is not because I can't run more, but because I get bored, and I have other things to do at home. I mostly run just to get some fresh air and exercise, so I figure thirty minutes of cardio is enough. I'm convinced that when I'm running with 50,000 other people I won't just stop at 5k. I'm going all the way!

I'm doing it with my friend Vanessa, and am hoping to bring my Canon point and shoot and stash it in a locker somewhere downtown. If I manage to get a locker (downtown is pretty crazy I hear...they close a bunch of the streets off and it's impossible to get anywhere quickly) I'll blog some photos on Monday or Tuesday.

This week, I also had something else very exciting happen. Liana Lehman, a wonderful photographer and business entrepreneur, offered a photography scholarship through her Business Boot Camp blog! To my complete surprise, I was chosen as one of the five finalists, and although I didn't win, she granted me a $500 gift certificate to her online store. Liana is such a smart woman, and I've been eyeing her business DVDs for quite some time. I'm really excited that I'll soon be able to have them ALL in my hands and start learning from them.

So that's what's up in my life! What's up in yours? :)
Watch for tonight's e-session on the blog tomorrow...

Labels: personal, photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 1 comments

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous
hi jamie,

i am not quite sure how i came across your site. but i've been browsing some of your pics since last week and i am definitely a fan. funny i came across this post. are you from vancouver too? i was supposed to do this sun run on the 20th but had to cancel because there was this camera show going on at the same time that i BADLY wanted to go to because they were selling some old film cameras and polaroids. but i ended up missing that because i got called in to work and nobody could take the shift but me. but anyway, cool site!

leah

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arizona meet-up

Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 8:17 PM

Admist the turmoil of the last 48 hours of our vacation, I still managed to meet up with some Arizona photographers for lunch on Wednesday. When we were trying to re-arrange our flight in order to accomodate my Grandpa's funeral, I was really (selfishly) hoping that I would still be able to go to the photographer's lunch we had planned on Wednesday. My parents are so supportive and amazing when it comes to my photography career, and we managed to drive the 7 hour drive to Vegas after our lunch in Mesa, Arizona.




Jen Schleicher, Melissa Jill, Rachel Priddy, and Myself, of course, met at the Chevy's mexican restaurant in Mesa in the afternoon for some great food and fellowship. Thank you guys all so much for coming and sharing your knowledge and laughter with me! I absolutely love my career sometimes--no, all the time! (Except maybe when I'm on the computer for yet another hour editing, and my eyes feel like falling out of their eye sockets. I'm not too fond of that feeling.) I'm part of an online photo forum called OpenSourcePhoto and it's the greatest place for networking and meeting other photographers across North America. OSP is the place that I connected with Jen, Melissa and Rachel and I'm so glad I did. Thanks again for the great lunch girls, I'm glad to have met you all and shared a little about business and photography. :)

Labels: personal, photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 4 comments

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous
Oh my goodness! I've been to Mesa, Arizona. I thought it was a small town, so I got excited that it was mentioned here. :)The lunch must have been a blast. :)
Blogger || davidjay ||
yea! AZ crew!
Blogger Shawna
Super fun and such a cute shot...glad you could gleen off of other photo-girls :)
Anonymous Anonymous
It was so great spending time with you! I'm so glad your parents waited to do the drive to Vegas until after lunch! Let me know next time you come to town.

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be my guinea pig.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 at 10:57 AM



Email me for more details. You receive a free set of actions, all updated versions from here on out, and discounts for friends.

The new actions relaunch January 14, so I will only be accepting beta testers for the next 5 days.

[UPDATE] I keep getting more emails asking if I need beta testers, however, all beta spots were filled (and then some!) within an hour of posting. Please stay tuned for the official launch on January 14th!

Labels: photographers

posted by jamiedelaine 6 comments

6 Comments:

Blogger BethLaurren
Hi Jamie,

Just found you through Sarah Barlow's site, and wanted to leave a note! I love your site, and would definitely like some more information on your actions...
Anonymous Anonymous
office@lydellphoto.com is interested!

Kerri
Anonymous Anonymous
hi jamie,

i'm interested in the most recent action set. (i found your link through shawna l's family blogsite). i'm a local photographer (based out of abbotsford) and would be interested in the possibility of referring clients to you that i can't take on (if you`re interested).
www.retrospectphotography.ca

thanks!
steph
Blogger Mark Brooke Photographers
WOuld love to beta for you!!!!
Anonymous Anonymous
I'd love to beta test for you :)

lauren@laurenwrightphoto.com
Blogger Unknown
Do you have to have a certain program to beta test besides PS? If not, I am in! I don't do a lot of sessions though - mainly still stuff. I would love to test them though!

allisonkathleenphotography @yahoo.com

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