Unite. Share. Learn. Inspire.

Heading out the door to mingle? Check out "The Top Eight Rules of Networking" first!

2011-10-27T14:14:00.000-07:00

Career advice given to us through the website FINS

The Top Eight Rules of Networking

By Kelly Eggers

You know the type. The people with obnoxious laughs, pushy pitches, and the ability to corner you at industry conferences and talk about themselves continuously for what seems like hours? The ones who clearly mean well, but their lack of etiquette can make you wish you hadn't even gone? Here's a friendly suggestion: Don't be that person.

Networking is a critical part of any job hunt, yet it's probably the easiest thing to get wrong. Using living, breathing connections works better than blindly sending out resumes over the Internet, but for many, approaching people they don't know for help finding or getting a job is uncomfortable and nerve wracking.

Knowing a few etiquette guidelines can help you keep your conduct aboveboard, and perhaps ease a few fears about putting yourself in front of the well-connected.

Have a Solid Introduction
As most know, first impressions count heavily. Make sure your attire, attitude and overall appearance are the best possible before introducing yourself to someone.
If you're at a networking event, pay close attention to the groups people have formed around the room. Join people who are by themselves, or a group of two or three whose positions provide you with a physical "opening" to jump into the conversation, says Ivan Misner, founder of California-based business networking organization BNI. Introduce yourself by clearly stating your name and making eye contact while you shake their hand, says Carol Goman, a nonverbal communication expert and author of The Silent Language of Leaders. Weak handshakes turn people off, so practice yours with a friend to make sure it's neither bone-crushing nor wimpy.

If introducing yourself online, remember to follow in-person social etiquette rules. If someone referred you to the person, for example, put the mutual contact's name in the subject line of the e-mail, says Goman, so there's an immediate level of recognition. "Email is a cold medium," she says. "If you can warm it up with something personal, do so."

Don't Confuse People with Your Pitch
No one needs to hear your entire work history upon meeting you. If someone asks you to tell them a bit about yourself, your explanation from start to finish shouldn't take more than 30 to 60 seconds.

This is especially true when you're networking with people who don't work in your industry. Going into the nitty gritty details of your specific skills and interests in chemical engineering will likely go over the head of someone who works in management consulting or marketing. "Most people begin by reciting their resume in reverse chronological order," says Jodi Glickman, author of Great on the Job, and founder of the career consultancy by the same name.

"Instead, you should start with what you want to do -- your destination -- then a brief backstory, and connect the dots between them," says Glickman. Share what's relevant, not what's recent. "The latest thing you've been working on might not be related to what you want to do next."

Don't Tell a Sob Story
No matter how tough it's been, you need to paint a positive picture when you're making new connections. "Potential employers or connections aren't going to bring on people who are down in the dumps just to make them feel better," says Glickman. They want people who project a good, can-do attitude, and who will be energetic and excited about the position, she says, not people who are just excited to have a job.
Complaining in general has no place in networking – whether it's about unemployment, how tough your job is, or how bad your former employer was. "In this economy, people say 'How's business?' and they'll actually tell you," says Misner. "It doesn't do any good to complain about how bad business or the economy is. People hate doing business with people who are grumpy."

Spend More Time Listening Than Talking
In this case, the old adage is true: People were given two ears and one mouth, and you should use them proportionately. "Just like in the dating world, you should spend more time listening to and understanding the person in front of you than talking about yourself," says Mark Jeffries, a business communications consultant and author of What's Up With Your Handshake?. "Once you have truly understood what drives this person, then you can introduce yourself and tell your own stories in a way that best fits their specific needs."
"Most people think that the really great networkers are extroverts, but extroverts don't shut up," says Misner. Talking about yourself is a good way to spread the word about who you are, but listening closely can help you form a deeper relationship with someone.

Avoid Being Socially Inept
There's a fine line between being friendly and personable and being awkward. You do not want to be the latter.

"Steer clear of talking about things that would make people uncomfortable," says Glickman. "For example, don't tell me that you were out of work for six months because you recently had brain surgery, or because you were laid off." People are going to feel as if they need to pity you, but you don't want that to be the foundation of a relationship. Being vague about negatives – like saying you're returning after a six-month medical leave, or after spending some time traveling – is a good way to keep the conversation on a high level.
You should maintain some normal social constructs, such as where you direct your eyes and how closely you stand to people. Looking from someone's eyes to the middle of their forehead is professional, versus a more social gaze of eyes-to-mouth, says Goman. You should also try to keep an arm's length away from anyone you're talking to, says Misner.

Don't Overstay Your Welcome
Taking up too much of someone's time is almost as bad as ignoring them entirely.
"It's imperative that you understand when your time is up," says Jeffries. "You win in the social world if you 'release people first,' so if you see a slow crossing of the arms, an increase in the amount of time they're looking over your shoulder, or a sudden obsession with the word 'anyway,' they are giving you not-so-subtle hints that they'd like to move on."
Have a few "graceful exits" ready, says Goman. Examples: "It was a pleasure meeting you! There are a couple of other people here who I said I'd get it touch with while I'm here," or "Is there anyone here I can introduce you to?" If you're still lost, there's always the standby "I'm going to run to grab another drink."

Hand out Your Business Card, Not Your Resume
It's not ok to pass along an unsolicited resume. Offline or online, you need to work on forming a relationship with someone before you ask them for anything at all. Many people overlook this professional courtesy, and ask brand new connections to serve as a referral when submitting a resume or application.

"Don't ask strangers for a job," says Glickman. "You can't ask someone to do a favor for you who you don't have a relationship with. It's unprofessional, tacky and ineffective."
Instead, go for the business card exchange. Make sure that when you offer yours, you specifically and politely request theirs. Don't assume they'll solicit it on their own. Once you're a bit of a distance from them, take a minute to jot down a few notes about the person you just met on a sheet of paper – anything personal they may have mentioned, a news item you discussed, or a business idea you talked about. You can use that to politely jog their memory in a follow-up note.

Follow Up and Through
Perhaps the "Cardinal Rule" of networking is that once you've planted the seeds of a new relationship, you must follow up to maintain it. Whether it's a business referral, job lead, or a professional connection, get in touch – within 24 hours – to say you enjoyed meeting them.
"No one owes you anything, so you need to be as ingratiating as you can," says Glickman. People who have taken the time to speak with you and provide you with connections or guidance deserve a thank you. "Assume that you can learn from everyone. They might not be the right person, but they might know someone who you might want to be in touch with."
It's also critical to reach out to anyone a connection refers you to. "People hate it when they give someone a referral and the person never bothers to follow up on it," says Misner. If you don't, it makes two parties look bad, he says – you, since you didn't follow through on a potential lead, and the person who referred you, since they recommended you as a reliable resource.

Write to Kelly Eggers

KLK PHOTOGRAPHY: BEGINNER'S WORKSHOP!

2010-10-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday, November 7, 2010

$325

11am - 4pm

Irvine, CA

Please RSVP by emailing me at kristi@klkphotography.com

The Importance of Connecting: Jesh De Rox & Dane Sanders

2010-07-11T01:29:00.000-07:00

First off, thank you to all who joined Paul and I for our BBQ a little over a week ago. It was so great getting to know each of you more. I look forward to launching "the photo attic" this summer, thank you all for your interest and support and I look forward to our gathering. TBA soon!

I NEEDED to share this with you...

Jesh de Rox on AskDane from Dane Sanders on Vimeo.

I can't stress how influential Ask Dane is in my life, each time i listen to the thirty minute sessions, i learn so much on how to impact my business AND LIFE in such a positive way. This session was shared with the amazing Jesh de Rox, please take the time to listen, one of the most important lessons in life. And you get spoiled with over a 60 min session ;)

Thank you Dane and Jesh!!! Two of the most giving and real individuals i know, but have yet to officially meet...you guys are unbelievable and I hope amazing blessings come your way today and always.

Gatherings on hold until mid June!

2010-04-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

I will update the blog when my life (hopefully) returns back to semi-normal by mid-June! I am looking forward to seeing you all again and having our gatherings back, thanks so much for your patience during this busy destination season and Paul and I are finally married!!! WOOHOO!!! :)

Become a Better Photographer by Taking Fewer Shots

2009-12-25T15:09:00.000-08:00

EDITOR’S NOTE: Guest post by Jason Anderson, Canonblogger.com.

“Okay, I’m done.”

“That’s it? You’ve only been shooting for ten minutes!”

“Yep, got about 50 shots, I should have 4-6 proofs for you from that bunch.”

“So we’re done?”

“Pretty much…I mean I can keep shooting, but there’s really no point, it’ll just be duplicates of the same stuff.”

This was the dialog I had with a co-worker a short time ago when I went to take pictures of her son. It is indicative of a mentality that exists in society…not only is size king, but so is quantity. If you were to take two photographers and set them side by side, who would you think is a better photographer: the one who took 40 shots or the one who took 400? Many of the general public would probably respond by saying the latter, without giving it much thought. When it comes down to it though, people can recognize inferior quality no matter how many shots you put in front of them, so it’s a good idea to slow down, take your time and not only get it right in camera, but get it right once (or twice), but know when you have it and stop!

The same holds true in your post processing as well. I know of several studios that just inundate their clients with hundreds of shots to choose from. They can’t understand why these clients never get any prints or very few prints from the studio. They think that people like to have a choice, and that the more choices you give them, the better. While the idea is not without merit, (because choice is a good thing) it can go to an extreme… that is where some trends are going. The reason why they are not getting prints done is because too many choices can also be paralyzing. If presented with 4 options, it is very easy to pick out which one you like best, whether it’s cars, cameras, televisions or photos. Presented with 400 options, the choice becomes more difficult and time consuming, primarily because you become concerned over picking the “wrong one”.

My perspective, in contrast, is to deliver just a select few shots. It makes the choices easier for the client. In a world where time is an increasingly valuable commodity, getting bogged down in sorting through hundreds of images trying to find one or two to print and hang can be more frustrating and lead to inaction. In essence it’s like you are transferring the process of elimination part of the work flow from your hands to the client. This has several downsides with minimal upsides. The one upside is that “Hey, the client chose this, not me.” can absolve you of responsibility for getting a bad shot framed. I would venture to ask though: why was a bad shot among the choices?

As I told a friend via email recently, it also comes to one of work flow management. Which would you rather deal with as a photographer – a work flow where you process 50 images or 500 images? The argument that “it’s digital, so what’s the big deal?” always seems to get under my skin a little bit. For me, the big deal is that some are going out there and not putting much time or thought into capturing the essence of a scene. They just lift the camera, point in the general direction of what they want and just fire away. I’ve actually heard the term “spray and pray” used for such shooters. The idea of slowing down and taking your time to both enjoy the moment and to really take into consideration all the nuances of things like lighting, shadows, and minimizing distractions has benefits. For me, the benefits far outweigh the downsides. First, it is a much more enjoyable situation to be in. Not only do you have fewer images to process, but you can really take your time, pay attention to the detail, and get every nuance of the image pegged!

Second, you will probably find that you are less stressed yourself. You’re not worried about missing the shot because you didn’t have time to consider all the aspects – primarily because you are considering the nuances. Third, and most importantly, when you relax and aren’t stressed, your clients aren’t stressed either…a photographer and their subject often feed off each other. I have so much fun when taking pictures of subjects, I often forget that I am there for a specific reason – we’re enjoying the moment.

That’s right…we are enjoying the moment – client and photographer! We’re laughing, and having fun, and I just happen to have a camera in hand recording it. Yeah, the first shots are often always a little awkward for them, but once they see my mug grinning over the camera at them and laughing and joking around, the stress level decreases by a factor of ten! When your client is less stressed, they photograph better! They are more willing to strike goofy (in their eyes) poses! You can capture the shot!

So, think about your workflow and how many shots you are taking. By planning more and taking less, you can see increases in productivity threefold

1. Cut down on post processing (both for quantity and quality)
2. You stress less, and thus, your client stresses less.
3. You increase your keeper percentage!

That seems worth it to me – what about you?

Location Lighting Techniques with Joe McNally

2009-10-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

Lighting Techniques from one of the worlds top shooters, Joe McNally

Here's the opportunity of a lifetime to spend the day with a legendary photographer regarded as one of the world's best shooters! Join Joe McNally, internationally acclaimed American photographer, long-time photojournalist, and author of the ground-breaking smash best-selling book (The Moment it Clicks) for the only photography lighting seminar tour of its kind.

Joe shares his lifetime of experience and his personal secrets to using off-camera flash and on-location lighting to easily and quickly create the look you see in professional publications. You'll see the whole process unfold right there in the class, as Joe shows you how to set-up, position, and control simple lighting that has a huge effect on your photography.

You'll learn the step-by-step process of going from bad to good light with just one flash, then working your way up to two or more flashes. You'll see the dramatic difference taking your flash off the camera makes. Then you'll learn the difference between the quality and quantity of light when using small flashes and studio lights. Joe will take you through a variety of lighting set ups with live demonstrations and you'll see first-hand how improving your lighting techniques can take your photography to a new professional level. This is your chance to learn the secrets of one of the world's most respected and admired photographers!

REGISTER TO ATTEND NOV 6th WORKSHOP HERE, see you there!

Next Gathering: Thursday, October 22nd!!!

2009-09-27T03:03:00.000-07:00

The Gypsy Den @ The Lab
2930 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

3:15pm-4:30pm would be a perfect time for our gathering in order to get us all back on the road before traffic...

Please bring any photos you'd like us to critique, either printed, on a flash drive or laptop.

AND...our lovely Nicki will be sharing her latest tips she recently learned from a photography workshop!

Two topics may include:
1) What to charge & properly compensated for your time
2) Being creative and finding creative avenues for shooting

Thank you guys and look forward to seeing you all again and meeting those newbies! :)

Take care of your clients & they will take care of you...

2009-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

FOLLOW!!! FREE COACHING BY TWO AMAZING PHOTOGRAPHERS. Every Tuesday at 4pm!

David Jay and Dane Sanders are two wonderful mentors I look up to, they keep it real and teach what it is what is truly important in this industry & many of us lose when we get caught up in selfishness and busyness.

Some of my favorite words of advice from David Jay:

* "If you truly make your business about helping other people, you'll always have work"

* "The pictures you take & the price you charge doesn't define your value; your photos do NOT define your work"

Also, click HERE (project wedding) to view some advice actual bride's are giving to vendors to show they care and keep good business ethics!

Next Gathering: Monday August 24th!

2009-08-16T00:12:00.000-07:00

Album designer and photographer, Julie Boucher, of Design-29 Custom Album Design, will be joining us on Monday, August 24th!

Check out her site & bring your questions! She'll be covering tips and tricks for designing albums for every occasion.

Please Bring:

-Notepads & Pen

-Questions on Album Designing

-YOUR Albums to share (online or printed)

*reminder: please bring CD of pics for those you have photos of from the May 18th gathering!*

The Photo Attic Gathering: 6:45pm

The Corner Bakery
103 W. Imperial Hwy

Brea, CA 92821

Aug. Success Tip: 8 Ways to get YOUR Phone to Ring...NOW!

2009-08-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Photographers from all over the country have been asking me, “Bruce, my phone isn’t ringing. What can I do?” The answers these days are not easy, but there are 8 pro-active things you can implement right now to get your studio’s phone to ring! Some of the reasons for the "Summer Surge" I've been blogging about on the Daily Mentor Minute comes directly from these 8 strategies!

Pin-point target marketing using variable data: It’s simply not enough to send out a mailer and hope for clients to call you; but everything has to done at a different level in order to achieve success! We try to target specific groups of people whenever we can, with marketing pieces geared towards their lifestyle. You’ve seen our custom lake cards before—that is exactly the kind of target marketing I’m talking about!

Niche it! Anytime you can niche a specific market, go for it! We are doing it with HS seniors right now, and we even developed a senior’s only website, not to mention our Facebook presence and direct mailings to help drive more clients to us. Just by niching seniors by themselves, we are already seeing a bump in less than 2 weeks of the site going live! It’s all about taking it to another level!

Effective email marketing with a focus on lead generation: I hear from a lot of photographers that their email marketing isn’t working anymore. I think it comes down to expectations. If you’re expecting a huge return on emails sent out every time, you’re dreaming! But you can increase your rate of return and use your email marketing to generate leads for your studio. For example, attach a link to your site promoting an end of summer promo. Track the number of clicks and send a follow-up letter, card, or email! The more touch points the better! You’ll find that your emails become an automatic lead generator for you every month!

Using social media marketing to your advantage! –Facebook & Twitter: They’re free and effective, and they can create a buzz in the community like you wouldn’t believe! Since adding social media to our marketing efforts, we have actually done quite well! Not just for seniors, but for families and even for commercial! If you’re not familiar with social media, talk to a junior high kid—they’ll fill you in! Here’s a tip: when you get your Fan Page up and running, give people an incentive to want to join. We offer a $50 Gift Certificate! Social media also provides your website with more referring links, which helps your Google search ranking! The more web traffic the better!

Speaking in your community: Being seen as an expert in your community is key to getting your studio brand noticed. This is one of those marketing tools that can be extremely effective, not to mention it costs only a little time out of your day. Call your local chamber, service organization, or high school and see if they need any speakers. This is a great way to educate the community about professional photography and showcase your work.

Co-op marketing with the right partner! It’s not enough to partner with another business—your target demographics have to match! We’ve developed a referral program with a few cosmetic dentists and surgeons. The referral letter is from the doctor, and it’s in a nice package with a custom gift card. This is a hit with the right kind of client and the doctors do all of the marketing work…well, their staffs do!

Win-win marketing: When’s the last time you volunteered your services for your local chamber? Charity? City? There are a ton of in-kind trading opportunities out there for photographers! I do work for the school district, city, and chamber, all in exchange for sponsorship opportunities! A few years ago I was the platinum sponsor for a jazz concert in our city, complete with radio advertisements, all for the cost of doing some work for the school district. Talk to members of your chamber and your clients. It’s a great way to get your name out there!

Get pro-active! Lastly, you have to be pro-active everyday! Send cards to your clients, follow-up emails with personal phone calls, and leaving nothing on the table. Start each day off with some positive momentum and always be mindful of weekly cash flow. Like I’ve told many photographers this year, I am working as hard as ever! The same notion was repeated by Lori Nordstrom during her Monthly Mentor Interview, which is featured this month.
It’s time to get your head out of the sand and start running your business again! It’s all about developing a plan, tweaking the plan, perfecting the plan, and implementing it!

Hope to see you guys there and I hope you’re having a great summer!

Article by: Bruce Hudson
Click Here to Register for this FREE Webinar, Sponsored By Marathon Press!

The Photo Attic Faces!

2009-08-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

April Smith: Photo by Kristi Klemens

Kristi Klemens: Photo by Efren Beltran

Efren Beltran: Photo by Kristi Klemens

Nicki Smith: Photo by Liz Thompson

Julie Boucher: Photo by Kristi Klemens

Liz Thompson: Photo by Kristi Klemens

Turn your dream business into reality

2009-08-07T03:00:00.000-07:00

By Ellen Breslau

Who hasn’t fantasized about starting an online jewelry business or a parenting website? Turn the fantasy into a reality with these tips from Genevieve Thiers, founder of Sittercity.com, the country’s largest network for babysitters (caregivers and pet sitters, too). Need a little motivation? Genevieve’s idea is now a multimillion-dollar corporation.

Step 1: Find the Pain“If you don’t already have a business in mind, go out and find an area in which you yourself have been inconvenienced or in which you’ve watched somebody be inconvenienced. There’s a company in that,” says Genevieve. “When I was in college, I watched a pregnant mother being horrifically inconvenienced by walking up 2,000 steps posting flyers for a sitter. I thought, “Wow, that is just desperate need. There’s a company in that.”

Step 2: Stick with It“There’s not a single idea in the world that doesn’t have at least five bad apples the first second you conceive it,” she says. “Nine times out of 10, people—women especially—will just talk the idea out of the window and say, ‘Oh, well, that was a good idea, but it’s not perfect.’” Imperfection is always going to be there—live with it.

Step 3: Make a Business PlanThis will answer your questions and makes you think about the specifics: demographics, the competition, who’s going to use your service, etc. Pore over your plan and make adjustments until it makes sense. Search the Web for business plan templates.

Step 4: Follow the Money“A lot of women entrepreneurs will come to me and I see passion, enthusiasm and a great idea, but I see no monetary plan. And you just don’t have a business if you don’t have a way your site will make money. Period,” she says. “Today’s companies need to have at least two, if not three or four revenue streams, given the economy: e-commerce, subscriptions, advertising and lead generation.”

Step 5: Use Your Bootstraps“Start off scrappy,” Genevieve says. You need to learn to do a lot with a little. “I launched Sittercity during the last recession and I went to a number of venture capitalists because I thought I needed investments. I talked to a bunch of 60- or 70-year-old men who laughed me out of the room and said it was a babysitters club. One of them said, ‘My wife handles that.’ Undaunted, I hired two of my college friends to build Sittercity—program and design it. I literally sketched it on pieces of paper on their floor. Then I went to Kinko’s and printed 20,000 flyers that said, “Want to be a babysitter and earn $10–$15 an hour?” I literally mapped out the top 20 colleges in the city, and the top 20 dorms in each one. I walked through every single dorm top to bottom and put a flyer on each door. By the end of it, I had a database of 600 babysitters in Boston, which was worth its weight in gold. I had built something.” Once you build something, you’ve got leverage, and you are ready to seek investors.

Step 6: Spread the WordMarket your site through all means possible—write press releases and send them to your local news organizations, talk up your idea with everyone you know. “Viral marketing is really powerful for women, so I took 30 moms I had been babysitting for and dumped them onto my site for free and they began to talk—it was an explosion from there,” says Genevieve. “I also spoke to moms’ groups and chased down moms in supermarkets. I would stand in the frozen foods section and wait for a mom with a stroller and find a way to tell her about it.” One more thing: Keep it small at the beginning. “You’ve got to test your idea in a controlled, contained area before you go nationwide,” Genevieve says.

Step 7: Hit the Big TimeOnce you’ve kept it contained and proved your business on a smaller scale, go to investors—either friends and family; angel investment, which is usually anywhere from $25,000 to $500,000; or venture capitalists, who normally do deals that are around $1 million and higher. “I almost always recommend to women, if they can get friends and family, do that first. And if you can get an angel, do that second,” says Genevieve.

Genevieve’s last bit of advice: “Life is short. If you’re going to go for it, just go for it.”

Photos from last shoot out!

2009-07-16T17:45:00.001-07:00

We had so much fun, thank you all for coming!
Click here to view Kristi's slideshow of her images!!!

Click here to view Connie's blog post of her images!!!

HANDS-ON SHOOTING: Thursday, June 25th

2009-06-21T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hi there!

Get ready for the next Hands-on learning experience with The Photo Attic!

I have had the privilege to shoot with the amazing & beautiful couple, Kasumi and Tyler & you will too! You can observe and shoot as I cover the most popular spots & work with the clients, then we will be taking turns directing the couple so you may be able to use some new great shots in YOUR OWN portfolio.

We will be meeting at, what I consider, the most beautiful beach in Orange County…we will be meeting here at 5pm:

Montage Resort
30801 South Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

***Please remember the 133fwy is busy as everyone is coming/leaving Laguna Beach area, so please leave extra time for your travels. Carpool with someone from your area! ***

You can either valet with hotel, park in one of the lots/underground parking (I think entrance for this is just south of resort) or park on PCH (this is what I do, but bring your quarters for the meters!) We will most likely be here until sunset which is around 8pm. When you enter into the driveway of the Montage you’ll see the stairs, go down and it leads to a large grass area by a big blue mosaic wall and public restrooms, we can all meet there.

Bring your cameras and get ready to shoot one of the HOTTEST couples!!! :)

NEWBIES welcome, please email me if you are able to come along!

Ps) if you were at the last shoot and had time to go through the shots you took of eachother, please be generous, either email your favorites or burn a CD for the person! Everyone LOVES great shots of themselves!

Robert Evans: Time to Play on the Wedding Day

2009-04-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

In this episode Pictage photographer Robert Evans discusses how to get better images on the wedding day by getting couples to see each other 3 hours prior to the ceremony for photos, as well as educating photographers on how to avoid all the obstacles that seem to cut into their photography timeline (i.e., late family members, makeup artists, and hair people, and overall bad planning).
The result is more time to be creative and capture better images on the wedding day. Do you shoot what you want, or do you get what you get?
Listen Now:

Courtesy of PICTAGE

I just wanted to share the beginning part of this to those photographer's who need GOOD reasons to "convince" your bride and groom to see eachother on their big day! Good advice!

The Photo Attic: Gathering on Monday, May 18th!

2009-04-06T22:06:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for sharing and being a part of our gathering tonight, it was so much fun!

The next get together will be on Monday, May 18th in Downtown Claremont.

We will be doing hands-on shooting, so bring your cameras! And the models...each other! We can learn to direct the "model" and they can critique & give any suggestions back. We will share ideas on different lighting and unique backgrounds. We can help you with any technical questions you may have as well.

Let's meet here at 5pm!

Claremont Metrolink Station
200 W 1st St
Claremont, CA 91711
(800) 371-5465

Why Share!?

2009-04-06T14:46:00.000-07:00

The Photo Attic: Monday, April 6th!

2009-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Please come and enjoy a cup of coffee with us!

Tonight's Topics:

Photo critiques (email to: kristi@klkphotography.com)

Goals for 2009

Technical Questions

Learn. Inspire. Grow.

(Hostesses this month: April Smith and Kristi Klemens)

The Photo Attic Gathering: 6:45pm

The Corner Bakery
103 W. Imperial Hwy
Brea, CA 92821

Bring your notebooks, laptops (optional), datebooks, cameras questions & a friend!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU TONIGHT!!!

(Please call Kristi @ #(269)760-9077 with any questions!)

Inspiration and Truth

2009-03-04T01:06:00.000-08:00

Inspiration from Zack Arias: CLICK HERE to watch the short film "Transform". Very moving. I think it teaches photographers one of the most important lessons of life...live.

"Be patient. Don't rush. Chill out."

"What are you doing with the time you have right now? When you're pushing 80 and you're flat on your back with no way to speak a single word, what will be going through your mind?"

SHARE YOUR VOICE.

(Thanks to Susan of En Pointe Photography for sharing this with us!)

Our Deepest Fear is that We Are Powerful Beyond Measure

2009-02-21T03:19:00.000-08:00

Our deepest fear is not that
we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that
we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves,
who am I to be brilliant,
gorgeous, talentedand fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small
doesn't serve the world.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us;
it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically
liberates others.

-Marianne Williamson -

A Prayer for you:

'May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are
exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities
that are born of faith in yourself and others.
May you use the gifts
that you have received,
and pass on the love
that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself
just the way you are.
Let this knowledge settle into your bones,
and allow your soulthe freedom to sing,
dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.'