Episode 80: SEASON TWO IS FINALLY HERE!!!

PhotoSpark

HI EVERYONE!!!

Wwwwwwww.... long time no see!! We are SOOO excited to bring you the new, revamped PhotoSpark... season TWO! This season is going to be full of awesome guests, new topics, and maybe even a few special get-togethers to meet you guys!! This first episode is just a quick one to catch you guys up on what's been going on in OUR lives since we last chatted, so tune in to hear some updates from the PhotoSpark ladies!

Julie Ferneau

For those of you who don't already know Julie, she's the wedding photographer of the group! She is a social butterfly who is amazing at keeping up with networking on TOP of her booming photography business! The past few months have been packed with second shooting gigs in addition to her own clients. Julie has had a few THREE wedding weekends over the summer, which to me is completely crazy!

There's really no end to the "wedding season" in San Diego. The weather is amazing year round, and couples take advantage of the cooler fall and winter weather in addition to the spring & summer! So Julie has been knocking it out of the park all year!

Julie gives some tips in this episode about second shooting, as well as outsourcing editing, which she has done for the very first time! For the listeners who have been with us for (almost) two years, you'll love to hear that Julie is outsourcing to Lauren Nygard, one of the original PhotoSpark hosts! She's a new mom now, living in North Carolina, and is helping Julie with editing & matched her style perfectly! Julie is loving the smooth process & having a little less on her plate!

Ashley DuChene

Ashley is a family & child photographer, who also takes on some corporate clients throughout the year! She is keeping busy for sure!! It's been a long road, but Ashley now officially has an assistant, who she trained to help with her photography business. The training process was lengthy; Ashley had to make training videos and teach her assistant all about photography, but she is SUCH a great fit for Ashley! Ashley is enjoying having someone write emails, make/answer phone calls, and help at shoots too! Her assistant has been taking behind the scenes video for Ashley's Instagram feed, so make sure you follow her to watch her stories/live updates!

Ashley gives some tips about having an assistant in this episode. She talks about the benefits of an assistant, as well as the time it took to get everything in place. There were some financial commitments she had to make to get her started, and it's still a little tough for Ashley to be spending more money. She's DEFINITELY making more money though, so it has been worth it for her so far!

Having an assistant & being able to delegate tasks has helped Ashley plow through this busy season successfully! Be sure to tune in to hear about her process!

Kate Mills

Kate is also a family & child photographer who is laughing at the term "busy season" because really it feels like we go from one busy season (summer) to the next (fall/holiday shoots). There isn't anything super new or exciting in her life at the moment, she's just trying to find that work/life balance & chats about how she is starting to wonder if there really IS a balance or if that is just a myth! Currently, she's doing her best to streamline her business better, which will really help get through this NEXT busy season and come out alive!

The best thing she did this year was automating her mini session scheduling! She used BookedIN and set it up so clients could pick their desired date & location from her calendar. They'd click on the time slot they wanted, fill out their contact info, and pay their session fee via PayPal right then & there. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY and has cut out the back and forth that mini sessions usually bring! It also ensures Kate isn't chasing down any session payments. It took some time to set up, but saved a lot in the long run!

Kate also speaks about mini sessions... a lot of photographers are moving away from them which is totally fine, but she finds that they do provide some financial security during the holidays. She talks about why she does them, some regrets about them, and how to make them work for you!

THANK YOU so much you guys for your patience with the launch of Season Two! I promise we'll be good with our weekly episodes from here on out! Please feel free to check us out on social media & drop us a line!