Pretty in Pink...It was a MAKEOVER GIVEAWAY!!!

I have awesome friends. I have awesome fans. Every once in a while I get very random but awesome ideas. I got an idea for a Facebook contest the day I was going to get my hair done by Katrina at Haute Salon. I was excited, because I knew she'd be game and willing to participate. My idea: To give away a makeover and new 'portraits' to a Facebook fan.

HOW: Announce the contest on both of our fan pages. People could nominate themselves or someone else by sending a picture and a 'story' of why they deserve the makeover to my email. Then we would post the entries on our fan pages and people could vote.

WHO: Its all about "who you know"...really it is true. We knew that in order to give a proper makeover we were going to need more than hair and pictures. We needed Nails, Makeup, Jewelry, Clothing, and maybe some extra services, like a massage. Once the contest was posted, I was contacted by Michelle, owner of The Nail Spa. She was in. I emailed my friend DeAndrea Williams, who I knew was a Mary Kay consultant. She was in. I emailed my friend Bianca Garguile, who is a Cookie Lee consultant. She was in. Things were coming together, all except the 'clothing donations'. But I wasnt worried.

"My mother (Monica) has 8 children and 1 grandson. she is a survivor of breast cancer. she went through two years of chemotherapy where she lost all her hair and eyebrows. my mom stayed strong even though she went through struggles that weighed heavily on her. ive never seen my mom wear makeup or get her hairdone. she has so many responsibilities that she never had time to pamper herself. thats a mother. she is an amazing mother who has done everything she can for her children . no matter how tough life got. please pick my mom. shes the most generous and loving person i have ever had in my life, even if she is my mom. my mom is beautiful and i hope you guys can show her that. the first picture is before she got cancer. the second is after she beat the fight ."

The voting ended and Monica R, received an overwhelming number of votes. Mother of 8 children, Grandma to 1, Breast Cancer Survivor, someone who appreciated life and all of its lessons. We set our makeover date for October 15th. All of us were excited.

I picked up Monica and we headed off to meet Bianca who had a surprise of jewelry for Monica. We headed off to the salon where Katrina was ready to give her newly grown in hair some new color and a cute cut. Michelle joined us with her nail table, ready to give her nails and feet some special treatment. Julian of Mary Kay joined us at the last minute to help us with makeup (Dee couldnt make it). So appreciative of Julian!

We then decided to head over to Twice Around the Closet Consignment Shop to see if we could find a gently used outfit and we did!

The day was perfect. Monica received a new look and a shocking reaction from her family.

You can view the entire gallery here: Makeover Gallery , but enjoy a few of my favorite pictures.

Bianca and Monica

Thank you again to Haute Salon, The Nail Spa, DeAndrea Williams and Julian Kohlbrand of Mary Kay, Bianca Garguile of Cookie Lee. We made an AWESOME makeover team!!!!

What Makes Me "Different" from other photographers?

While I was at Girls Night Out on Thursday, I was handing out goodie bags and business cards. I was talking with folks about my business and encouraging them to enter the raffle for a free photoshoot. I had one person ask me a question that I wish more people would ask.

"What makes you different from other photographers?" she asked. I was surprised but happy to have such a question. I had to think quick on my feet to give her an answer that summed up my business in a few sentences. My mind went blank for a minute. I spouted out something, I dont even remember what.

Today, I thought back to that question and really asked myself "what DOES make me different?" There are THOUSANDS of photographers in this world. Why would someone choose me to be their photographer over one of the 'more experienced', or the 'cheaper'? I used to be a 'cheap' photographer until I gained more experience and decided that if I was going to make a career out of this, I better be a smart business woman and charge what I'm worth. (which by the way is NOT an easy task).

So I've thought more about this question and have come up with the following answer:

1) I am a storyteller. When I take photos, I am thinking about how I will tell the story later. Especially, at a wedding. There is a beautiful story behind every wedding and I deem it my job to make sure that the bride and groom never forget the story behind their special day. I do this by placing their photos in order. I do this by including the small details, like the invitations, the lyrics to songs, the speeches, etc.. Sometimes we forget how important those words are and how easy we can forget them.

2) I get bored easily. This can be of benefit to my clients. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to try new things. If I got stuck doing the same thing over and over again, I would lose the love and the passion I have for this career. When I taught classes at my previous job, I never did it the same way twice. It was basically the same material, but I had to present it differently every time. I do the same with my photography. I think of it as ART. You wouldnt paint a picture of the exact same thing every day would you? No. You will take your experience from the previous painting and expand on it, maybe branch out and do something a little different the next time. That's how I approach photography. I take a piece of every shoot and do something a little different or completely different based on my previous experience. No offense to other photographers, but seeing babies posed the same way is so boring to me. I feel like you arent giving your clients the best of you by mimicking the exact same photo as your previous clients.

3) My personality. My creativity. When you select a photographer for your family, wedding, children, parties, events, etc... you should choose a photographer with whom you get along well with. Someone who shares your vision. You should listen to their ideas and if you dont like their ideas, then maybe that is not the right photographer for you. When you choose me as your photographer, you will also be making a new friend :)

4) Budget friendly? Basing your decision on price alone can be a big mistake. We often times try to seek out the "cheapest" of services, rather it be a florist, a party planner, invitations, etc... and we often times regret our decisions later. Cheap doesnt always mean better. You get what you pay for. When I meet with a client, I always talk about your needs first and then your budget. It is important to me that you understand upfront what will be included for what you are paying for. When I do wedding packages, I give you a grand total that will include every detail, including my time and the products that you want, ie: a photobook, scrapbook, shadowbox, canvas prints, gift prints, thank you cards, etc... I try really hard to work within your budget and if I cant, I will let you know that up front.

5) Experience. Let's be honest, I am not as experienced as many photographers out there. We all have to start somewhere...which is at the bottom doing work for free. Doing all of that work for free though, has helped me gain the experience that has made me an even better photographer. I have no regrets. I learn something new everyday and with every shoot I do, and I am proud of that, not ashamed. The day photographers stop learning, is the day we should put down the camera forever.

I think that about sums up why I am a different as a photographer.

Have a great day everyone! Happy 10-10-10! Off to shoot a wedding :)

BLOG Changes PLUS Girls Night Out

So, I've decided to switch this blog up a bit. Originally, it was intended only as a place to blog about my "Honoring our Heroes" project, but I've decided that instead of having 4 blogs, I'm going to condense it down to 2. I will keep the "Learning As I Go" which is dedicated for other photographers. The purpose of this blog will be to basically share ALL of my projects and telling the story behind them, including Scrappin It For You, my original business (which needs a new hosting site).

So I'm going to start this "new" blog out to share my experiences last night at "Girls Night Out". This bi-annual event is one of the biggest events for the ladies of Kitsap County. It is a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness. This was my first time as a vendor and a sponsor at this event. I was also honored to be the official "Event Photographer" which included having MY NAME ON THE BAGS!! Eeek!! I was SOOO Excited about that!

I normally have a tendency on 'going overboard' at these functions and I spend lots of money and make all this stuff and I told myself that I wasnt going to do that this year. And I think I did pretty good! I gave out 100 postcards, which I got for free, some business card coupons (also free) and I bought little treat bags on clearance at walmart for a few bucks, they happened to be PINK! I contacted my friends who also have businesses and said, help me fill 100 goodie bags with your business info! I also bought 2 bags of dum-dum suckers for $17, not to bad.

I set up my booth with my new banner, some canvas prints, a wedding album, and my portfolio. I also decided to put up a couple of backdrops and offer "Gal Pal Pictures". I bought some boas at Value Village (halloween store). I raffled off a 1 Hr photo shoot, which had 112 entries! AWESOME!

I wore a pink shirt that said "Chicks Rule" and a pink flower in my hair. I even wore pink undergarments ;) If I could have pulled off pink jeans and shoes, I probably would have.

So, as the event photographer, I wanted to capture the moments, tell the stories, of the event. I took pictures of the gals outside the event, some who had been in line for 2 hours before the doors opened. I captured the moments of the first customers coming through the doors. The fashion show put on by Twice Around the Closet. The Zumba demonstration. Vendors interacting with customers. It was a great event. There were thousands of women attending this event to support the cause.

I'm going to post a few of my favorite pictures, but you can see all of the photos on my website or on my Facebook fan page. http://www.elainetursophotography.com/ or www.facebook.com/elainetursophotography