Saturday

Slogans and Branding

Some of my friends have used generator sites to create Facebook banners, and after a while of seeing this I really wanted to make my own. It took a bit of finagling, so I looked up a tutorial, skipped to the info on sizing, then slapped some informative text onto one of my images and presto! Rockin' new banner.

 

Making a custom banner works on a personal Facebook profile, but it does not work on a Business or Fan page because the top-main images appear at random. So I made this to compensate:

KellieAnn Reynolds Photography
North Canton, Ohio 44720



While making the banner, I thought about Slogans for a minute and whether or not I even wanted one. What did I know about slogans? Well, slogans can be really generic, they can hurt your image if they suck, and they aren't always necessary. But if done right, slogans can be awesome, drive in customers, and make your business more memorable. Charlie Sheen's "Winning," while rather annoying, caught on pretty quick. Nike's "Do It" has been popular for decades. Apple wants you to "Think Different" even though all their products look the same.

Slogans aren't anything special by themselves. Anyone can come up with a slogan. I decided that if I couldn't come up with a good slogan in less than 5 minutes, I didn't really want or need one. But within 5 minutes, I had come up with two slogans, as you see in the image above. So, tell me what you think. Lame or cool?

I'll give an extra 10% off the already-reduced Portrait Sessions to the first [local] commenter who correctly identifies the inspiration used for the first slogan (in white text).

Thanks for stopping by!
♫ KellieAnn

Sunday

Journals & Logbooks & Lists, Oh My!



You might not be able to tell by how infrequently I've been blogging, but I keep a record of pretty much everything. I keep track of the little details, and the big details, and all the other details by writing stuff down, constantly, into little journals, big journals, and falling-apart journals. I'll write on anything as long as it will hold the ink like a long lost lover. I keep all kinds of journals. Complicated and simple journals, hard-copy and digital. Doodle notebooks, film journals, poems & lyrics, and small travel scrapbooks. I have composite books dedicated to houses and other places I frequent, titled by the roads on which they are settled. I maintain a secret dream journal, a health and beauty journal, and super-hidden idiot/genius idea logs. For many years, I kept yearly wall calendars (which drove my husband nuts) but now I just take a photo of my white-board calendars at the end of every month. I've been keeping journals since I was a little kid; a greasy-haired, scabby-knee, bike-riding, tree-climbing fool, carrying an outer space Trapper Keeper and a Lisa Frank glitter-pen in my bicycle basket. I love writing daily stuff down, and I love the ability to go back years in review. Notebooks are like time capsules.

And when I think I've finally burnt myself out on record keeping, I make lists. I'm very fond of making lists these days. Lists are time-savers. For me, list-making is a whole new way to document. My favorite kind of notebook cost 88¢, but the binds fall apart within a few weeks and are super bulky. A few years ago, someone had given me a used Moleskine plain-page notebook. I found a new love in Moleskine. They are a tad bit expensive but pretty durable and I prefer the pocket version, so they are perfect for lugging around in my bag all day and are space-savers when it comes to storage, plus they will always look cool stacked up.

I know this is a nerdy post, but I really love notebooks and writing and wanted to share. So, tell me: are you a record keeper? and what are you favorite kind of notebooks?
 
No notebook is safe, but every one is sacred.
♫ KellieAnn

Friday

7 DOs & DONTs of Working for FREE



There is a HUGE debate on whether or not people should work for free. It happens all the time in many fields. Is it right? Is it wrong? In my experience, most people (not all) simply do not truly appreciate free stuff. What!? Who doesn't love free stuff? It really depends. People love free goods, but it's a different song and dance all together when it comes to free services. Some will take a mile when given an inch, others will stomp all over your efforts, good or bad. You could do a genuinely great job and someone is there to push your face in the mud, or you could do a genuinely terrible job and someone will think the world of you. It's all subjective. Results vary.

I'm going to make a very short list of the DOs and DON'Ts of Working for Free. I'm [trying to become] a professional photographer, so most of this will use photography as an example, but this article was written with the tax-paying professional in mind.

1. Do build a portfolio that you love. Be Honest. First, get a grip on what kind of work you want to do. It can take a while to figure this out, so working for free may be a great choice to explore your options, and give you an opportunity to get some practice in different areas. Many photographers love to shoot anything and everything, but as you shoot more often you will quickly discover what you like to shoot, and what you love to shoot.

2. Do (or Don't) work for free to promote your business. Getting people to talk about your business can be easy. It's what people say about your business that is unpredictable. If you decide you want to do free work, do it because you want to, and commit to the job as if you are getting paid. Clients usually become friends. You want to keep your friends. Don't make enemies. Draw lines if you have to, but be cool about it.

3. Don't work for credit/exposure. These so-called jobs are a dime a dozen, and you will likely never make a dime doing this kind of work. You do not need anyone else to give you credit or exposure, you can do this on your own. Your work should speak for itself. Even and especially if it's Joe Schmo from Awesome Company/Magazine, they can afford to pay you, and pay you well. Have some respect for yourself.

4. Don't continue to work for free. Experience can create confidence. Charging even a small fee is better than establishing yourself as someone who consistently works for free for the whole town. You will have to step away from free to be taken seriously.

5. Do maintain control of your work. Just because you're working for free doesn't mean you have to give it all up. Establish how and where your work can be used and by whom. Use contracts to establish and maintain copyright. Usually the client has unlimited personal use of the image(s), but they can not go out and make money selling t-shirts and coffee mugs–or whatever–using your images without first establishing some sort of deal with you. Always maintain copyright of your life's work. Also, if Joe Schmo from Awesome Company comes along wanting to use your images, then you, as the photographer, should be paid for those images. Be nice and offer your photo client a cut. Win-win.

6. Do projects for yourself/Collaborate with others. This goes together with number 1: Building a portfolio that you love, but it's easy to get caught up with other people's offers and ideas. Approach people or subjects that fit inside the goal of your project and see where it goes. Sometimes personal projects can take you further than you may have ever imagined.

7. Don't get discouraged. If you're not getting any work, it doesn't mean you suck. The economy sucks. People usually won't find what they aren't looking for. If you're getting inquiries but not booking, send a friendly message or email asking why. If you have to get a day-job to make ends meet, it's not the end of the world. Keep on truckin'.
__________________

There are no sure-fire rules to live by. If it feels right, do it. If it feels weird, step back and evaluate the situation. I am currently only in the first 6-months of establishing myself as a professional photographer. It's been rough and it's been scary. I've wanted to throw in the towel so many times before taking a step back and looking at the big picture. I want to do this, it makes me happy more than it frustrates me. Sometimes it's a drag, during the winter months and slow periods. But as long as I'm alive, I'm learning as I go and trying to have fun doing it. If anything I have learned along the way can help others, well... that is awesome.

Monday

Taking the Reins



Long time, no post! What have I been up to the last month or so? First things first, I want to clarify why I haven't been posting a lot of blogs: I've been really swamped and overloaded with ideas and projects, that have been brewing for years and are finally amounting to something! My brain takes up a lot of my time. Haha! All good things take patience and research, and I am finally prepared (and excited!) to take the next step. O, and thank the stars I have interests and skills beyond photography. Winter months are very slow for photography, but it is Spring now and business will be kicking into full gear again! :)

When I'm not making photographs, I draw and create digital illustrations, as well as sculpt with clay, paint, work with paper and ribbon, and occasionally sewing projects. I'm a writer, too. I have so many projects that I have kept under wraps because of legal reasons, listening to others advice, and not having the resources to create separate domains to showcase all the other stuff I do. I've heard from many professionals in the photography industry that photographers should never put other ventures on their portfolio site for it may appear to 'potentials' that we have "no focus". Well, what if you think outside of the box? What if you're on a budget? Most people are on a budget and should think outside of the box. I certainly can not afford (time-wise or financially) two or three additional goods and services websites on top of my photography portfolio, as well as my husbands websites. Two people do not really need five or six websites between them. That is overkill.

Like I have said before, my domain name is my real name, so that pretty much means my website is all about me, right? Certainly, yes. I am simply not just a photographer. Just as a person is not simply a parent, or just a chef, or just a rockstar. I have skill, passion, and interests that help me to be a great photographer. But when it comes down to it, I am an artist. Like you, I've got soul. Shamelessly multifaceted. I have come to realize through testimony that people really appreciate my artistic nature, nearly expecting it from me and look forward to working with me because of creativity being the whole of who I am, and how I work. I love that people expect that of me, because out of all the expectations of the world, I got lucky. Remember, you make your own life.

So, I have been giving some serious contemplation over not listening to advice when it comes to not including my other skills and projects on my personal website. What works for one may not work for another. I want to provide my visitors a full-on experience of who I am and what I offer, without all the massive linking and web-traveling. I am who I am and what-you-see-is-what-you-get. I love that.

A smart person works within their means, and makes the best of it. We may take risks, but we should do it confidently. Success is not the end all, and failure is not fatality. I am going to do what works for me, intuiting what feels right. I know that when something doesn't feel right, then something  is wrong or needs adjusted until it feels right and good. Part of being who I am is making my own decisions. I've listened, now it's time to act.

Stay tuned! This year is going to be monumental!

All the Best,
k