January 25th, 2012
An interesting question was posed on Twitter today… What are your thoughts on on auto-responders in emails?
I hate them. As a business and as a customer. HATE THEM! Let’s dive in, yes? There doesn’t seem to be middle ground on this subject so let’s explore.
As a business, I really, really, really depend on engagement. I believe there is gold in engagement. It’s personable and while I’m not making $ from sending personal emails, I am (hopefully) creating a friend in a client, one that (hopefully) feels taken care of. And if all other variables work out in my favor, client will turn into friend, will turn into loyal client AND an evangelist. <--- There is nothing better than an evangelist for you. Does it all come from sending personal emails, no! BUT, I don't believe that auto-responding gets you any closer.
But what about the weekend, or after 6pm, or while you’re on vacations, you might say. Well, I simply don’t respond after business hours or weekends. Vacations are tricky! I have been known to send a few emails while on vacation, even as simple as… “*quick response to email*, but we can chat about it a little bit more when I get back on *date*.” EASY! If you are consistent in getting back to people in a timely manner and then suddenly they don’t hear from you on a Friday night, they will make the connection. People aren’t dumb.
As a customer, if I receive an auto-response email from a small business owner my first thought is: “?????????” Unless you work for a corporate giant (where auto-responders are part of the culture), they are unnecessary, I feel.
I like to give business to people like us, who are engaging, who don’t take themselves too seriously, who are relatable. If I get an auto-responder from someone telling me they’ll get back to me on Monday, I make a face at them. It’s not that serious.
More importantly, I want to know what YOU THINK. If you are a small business owner, do you use an email auto-responder? Why?
As a customer, do email auto-responders bug you? Yes, no… tell me! I really want to know! If I sent you an auto-responder would you make a face at me???
Send me an email: janey@findmimi.com, or comment below. Though I would prefer a comment so that we can start a conversation and everyone can see it. Let’s chat about this!!
Also, I will feel really dumb if no one responds, so please do. :D
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January 24th, 2012
Take a photo when you feel something.
I stand in a safe place looking out at you Universe. Today, you are mean. You are ruthless. You are not my friend.
I will stay here until your miserable wave of astounding cruelty has passed.
I wait here, in the shadows.
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January 22nd, 2012
I picked this sucker up on a Saturday and was done by Wednesday. I couldn’t put it down.
I often joke that Portia is my celebrity girlfriend. When I first laid eyes on Portia’s hair on Ally McBeal, I knew I was done for, it was lust at first sight. She is the reason I picked up this book.
“I didn’t decide to become anorexic. It snuck up on me disguised as a healthy diet, a professional attitude. Being as thin as possible as a way to make the job of being an actress easier.”
I’ve always wanted to peek into the life of someone suffering from anorexia in Hollywood (don’t ask); I often wondered what their daily struggles must be like. This is exactly that.
She is very honest in her writing. So much that at times I found myself annoyed by her. It is very clear that this book was written not as a method to help someone else, but as a way of healing herself. That is what makes this book so lovely. The catch is that there are plenty of people, myself included, that were touched by Portia’s way of healing and this book, I have no doubt, has helped many others.
If you have ever been on a diet, you should read this book. If you have ever wondered what it’s like to be an actress in Hollywood, you should read this book. It’s like reading a diary, you know that it is honest and is written for the sole purpose of having a place to regurgitate the innards of your brain. It’s personal, disturbing, and shocking. And I guarantee that you will look at dieting and exercise differently by the time you reach that last page.
Overall, definitely a good read. I’m already wanting to read it again.
Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain by Portia de Rossi
*This book is 2/10 on my 30 before 30 list.
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January 20th, 2012
A friend and I used to shoot models together. It was one of my very first shoots with a model when I saw another photographer wrapping up a shoot with a couple who were clearly getting their engagements done.
We were in an alley and I watched her pull out her business card and hand it to them. I watched and listened, eager to learn some trade secrets, how she talked to them, what she wore. It was the other photographer’s turn with the model so I left them and sauntered over to the “pro” to chat with her, to pick her brain a bit.
I’m sure I sounded like an idiot, because I remember the look she gave me… like I was an idiot. But still, I asked questions and listened. She put her stuff in her car as she spoke to me, clearly feeling a bit sorry for me and eager to help me in any way she could. I was that girl. I was pathetic and she knew it. I was one of those photographers that I’d been reading about, the kind that are threatening the livelihood of the real artists, the ones that are actually getting paid.
She said something to me that changed the way I wanted to proceed with photography… with my blog.
She told me to appear as though I’m always busy. To shoot anyone and post it on my website. She alluded that the appearance of success would garner business.
She then handed me her business card with a smile and told me that if I ever needed any more advice to please contact her. I was touched by her willingness to take pity on me. To help me.
But when I got home and pulled up her website I knew that unless I worked really hard to constantly be better I wouldn’t be, regardless of what illusion I was displaying on my little piece of internet real estate; I knew the truth. She was good. She was really, really good. And I knew that business must have been going well for her, that there must have been some truth to her advice if she was shooting as often as she was. With real people. Not models, like me.
I couldn’t do it. That wasn’t the way I wanted to run my business. I was not in the business of deceiving. After that, I got into the business of learning, of being better than I was yesterday. Of finding the true meaning of success. I wanted to shoot and to display my work for me, so that I could look back and see how far I’d come. I wanted to be able to go back to day 1 and read through my embarrassing moments, no matter how lame I was.
Maybe she was right, though. Maybe this is why I am not as busy as I’d like to be. Maybe if I had pretended to be more successful than I actually was, I would (now) be more successful. Maybe I would be a real photographer if I had taken her advice.
Thing is, I would rather be a hobbyist who is real than a professional who is alluding to success. I would feel worse knowing that I was a phony. (Even though I still feel like I’m faking it most of the time.)
I make no bones about it, there are plenty of photographers who are better than me and if you want a solid recommendation for one I’ve got a few names for you. But if you’re looking for someone to be friends with, someone who truly cares about you and takes you on because I WANT TO, to fix your hair when it gets in the way…
If you’re looking for someone who works really hard, then you should contact me.
There are plenty of photographers who are better than me. But I swear, I’m more fun. ;)
Hope your Friday is short and sweet. Cheers!
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January 19th, 2012
Two nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night with my neck, chin, and jaw on fire. Not literally, of course. I didn’t realize until I woke up that I had been scratching myself in my sleep. It was terribly itchy with no relief in sight. My bathroom mirror revealed tiny red bumps all over my chin.
Because I’ve never had an allergic reaction, it was kind of exciting. So this is what it feels like. But those feelings soon passed, leaving me and my red bumps to fend for ourselves.
Last night was another lousy night.
It’s during these times (when I’m not feeling well), that I’m able to let go of the things that “need” to get done. Just the other day I was telling Rustin the pressure I felt I had to put on myself to get anything done. Like laundry. Lame, I know.
This must be my body’s way of telling me to slow the hell down. It will not be the end of the world if the laundry doesn’t get done. Sometimes I forget.
Every morning I have a cup of coffee. Today I had good company.
Here’s to letting jobs go. Hop in bed and pop some popcorn (I hear it’s National popcorn day. Thanks, Twitter!) with a someone who wants to cuddle. I have my someone picked.
Happy Thursday, everyone!
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January 16th, 2012
I like books that are real. That come from people whom don’t take sides and just tell a good story. I like books with a bit of controversy. That are complex and sad and make you feel differently after you’ve read them.
This is that book.
I got this book for Christmas from my darling husband because I saw it at the bookstore and HAD to have it right then. After he pried it from my hands, I was told I was not allowed to buy myself anything before Christmas.
Doctors took her cells without asking. Those cells never died. They launched a medical revolution and a multimillion-dollar industry. More than twenty years later, her children found out. Their lives would never be the same.
What the description left out is that it is also a book about self-discovery. About a family who is so blinded by anger they live their lives in a cloudy mess until this author takes them by the hand and leads them to places, even she, never expected. Out of anger. And sometimes into more hurt. It is a story of gain, buy mostly loss. It is tragic and wonderful. What this family has sacrificed so that science would never be the same, and that humanity can say they’ve been cured, is touching and also disturbing. (I also really like that the author becomes a character in the story.)
You must read this book. And then come back to me so we can chat. :)
Proceeds go toward the education of the descendants of Henrietta Lacks. A++++
Cheers!
*This is the first of 10 books I’m reading this year (even though my goal is still 30) for my 30 Before 30 List*
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January 13th, 2012
You know those conversations you have with someone where you’re kinda on the fence about something and then you get asked an unexpected question and your response is a gibberish mess that sounds more like you’re trying to convince yourself of something instead of just answering a simple question? Hate that. Run-on sentences and all.
Question was, “Does photography keep you busy?”
Answer should have been, “No.” Simple.
Instead though what I had to do was justify this.
Truth is that no, photography is not keeping me as busy as I would like. Would I love to be a full-timer and get 10 inquiries a day? Yes and no! I mean, no doubt it would be a giant boost to my ego. But honestly, unless you’re someone completely established and a photolebrity, this is unlikely. It’s very easy to appear to be more successful than you actually are.
I’m not here to fake the funk. I had a shoot early last year that went horribly, terribly, very, very, very wrong. It rocked my confidence and it kinda killed a little bit of my spirit. And maybe one day I’ll write about it, because like I said I’m not here to fake the funk. But I’m just not ready yet. After that and feeling like a tag-along with a few of my peers I decided to put the camera down for a bit and not pursue photography professionally anymore. I struggled with writing, and when I got 5 (!) inquiries last year that amazingly enough all turned into conversions, I knew I was doing something right.
The truth is this, I don’t need 10 inquiries a day to keep me happy. I need 5 a year to keep me completely, and utterly, ecstatic. I’m totally ok with everyone knowing just how busy I am, professionally. Not very. And it took me a long while with being ok with being a serious hobbyist who does portraits on the side. It takes more than just getting paid to be a professional, but that’s a different topic.
I’m good at it. I have some areas that I’m better at than others, but overall I’m good. And no, not everybody is a good fit for me just as I’m not a good fit for everybody. And while an ego boost every now and then would be great, it’s so not necessary as long as you believe in what YOU are doing. That you do things the way YOU think it should be done, regardless of what anyone else might say.
How busy would I like to be? About 1 shoot a month. I know, I’m so crazy!
So, what you can expect to see of me this year is a lot of project photography and maybe 6 (!) sessions. I may sound lame, but if you think I’m lame then you should close your browser and look the other way. Because I will still be here twirling my lame-o batons in my own freak parade.
Cheers.
(This post was inspired by this post. You should read it.)
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January 11th, 2012
K, y’all! Because we’re having a few more family photos taken this weekend, I thought it would be appropriate to do a makeup tutorial specifically for photos. But please take note: I am no makeup artist. I simply love makeup. Which means, I’m just a schmuck who can fake it. So if you’re a schmuck like me, you can fake it too! :D
There are a few tricks to get your makeup to stand out especially for photos. The look I’m doing today is a play on stage makeup, but take out the theatrics and this could be a cute look for a girl’s night out or a date!
Here’s a neat eye diagram
Start with a primer on your eyes. It will keep the eyeshadow from fading and make the colors pop a bit. You can use it on your lids and even on your under eye before you conceal.
With your finger, use shimmery silver and apply it to the lid (from mid-lid to inner lid). Then with a white shadow, highlight your brow bone and your tear duct (this isn’t on the diagram, it’s the spot between your eyes and your nose).
This is the fun part. Take a black eye pencil and line just above your crease. This creates the illusion of a deeper crease. I’ve only done this over the eyeshadow, but I’m pretty sure you can do this before and come back with pleasant results.
It’s ok if the line doesn’t come out perfectly. Blend that sucker with a good blending brush. If you know you probably won’t be looking down a whole lot (like me here) don’t blend it too much… BUT if you’re doing family photos you might want to blend it a little bit more so that line isn’t so THERE! Just keep blending, it’ll ease up a bit. :)
If you’re comfy wearing eyelashes, do! The Sonia Kashuk eyelashes (which is what I’m wearing here) are pretty inexpensive and look natural. I cut one in half and applied a half to the outside of my lid for an even more natural look.
Here I used a liquid eyeliner staying as close as possible to the lashes, and then barely flared it out on the ends.
Then I went in with a black eye pencil and used it on my upper outer waterline, and the lower waterline.
Take that mascara and apply it to to both the upper and lower lashes. If you’re using falsies you’ll want to curl your realsies so that it doesn’t look like you have two rows of lashes. :) Although, if someone notices they’re probably standing a little too close anyway.
Highlight! If you have a fancy highlight, great! If not just use a white shadow (which is what I used here), works the same way. Think of highlighting as illuminating the places on your face that (literally) stand out. So the forehead, the tops of your cheeks, your chin, the tip of your nose. This gives your skin the illusion of a wonderful glow.
The picture here is right before I blended out my highlight.
Contouring is a super fun way to basically change the entire shape of your face. You can basically re-sculpt your face with just highlighting and contouring. Here though, I’m just doing an exaggerated version of what I normally do when I contour. Use a matte color that is in the brown tones; no orange-y shimmery bronzers! Think of contouring as shading, when have you seen a shadow that is orange and shimmery? Exaaaaactly! If you don’t have a fancy contour, just use a brown eyeshadow which is what I did. I used one that was about 3 shades darker than my skin tone.
Because I’m going for exaggeration, I took a fan brush and made a line right under my cheekbones and dragged it down a bit. Then make a fishy face, and right where your face sucks in, go in and make another blunt line right in there. Blend it (using upward strokes toward the first line), but not too much, we want it to stand out. Contour your temples, a *little* on the sides of your forehead, and the sides of your nose. DON’T go around the edges of your entire face! Think about it, are there shadows all along your hairline? Just go about where you have natural shadows and where you want to create depth.
Ready to lose 5 lbs? Take that contour and, starting right under your earlobes, trace your jawline. Ta da! Apply your blush to the apples of your cheeks.
Now lips!
Take that primer we talked about earlier and dab it on your lips. Didn’t think you could use primer on your lips did ya? :D Smear it all over your lips, then apply your foundation over. This will create blank canvas for that beautiful color we’re about to apply.
I used a lip stain. Lip stains tend to work best when you exfoliate your lips, they’re very drying so it’s best to use some lip balm over top.
There’s no fancy technique here. Line the lips, and put the stuff on. Go back after it dries a bit and go over the edges to create a bit of depth. You can also use a lip liner! I just don’t have a pink one. :(
And presto! You’re ready for the camera! This is the part where you practice modeling in the mirror.
There’s the angry pouty model…
The Tyra model. (Careful though, this has the potential of making your eye muscles spazz-out and lock. If this happens just take a cold compress to your eyes. And never attempt to Smize again. Also… don’t go out in public like this, you’ll scare the children.)
And work.
Cheers!
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January 5th, 2012
We stood in the kitchen as I pitched my new idea. Things like Skydiving, partying in Mardi Gras and traveling to the other end of the Continent rattled out of my mouth before I had time to stop them. Then he reminded me that I was British and I should scale it down a bit (any Eddie Izzard fans out there?). Sadly, he was right. Even my wildest dreams were a little too wild for us.
Today is my Birthday, yay! As I was sitting around thinking about what exactly being 29 meant, I imagined a girl swan-diving off the edge of a cliff arms wide open. I decided that 29 meant rearing up and galloping into my 30′s full speed.
So, I present… my 30 before 30 list.
*Read 10 books (Originally it was 30, but again… I’m British remember?)
*Meet 30 people
*Try 30 new foods
*Get to California
*Go on a hot air balloon ride
*Road trip with friends
*See the Grand Canyon
*Submit a photo to a photo contest
*Go to Lavender Days
*Go to the Tulip Festival
*Cook live crab
*Take G to Disneyland
*Go whale watching
*Reach goal weight
*Get out of my PJ’s for 30 days
*Take a cooking class
*Take a dance class
*Go dancing with Rus
*Do 30 nice things for Rus
*Throw a dinner party
*Sew an item of clothing and wear it.
*Visit my Grandmother’s grave
*Have a Pink’s hot dog
*Attend a concert
*Grow an herb/vegetable garden
*Go wine tasting
*Crochet/knit a blanket
*Take a self-defense class
*Volunteer at a homeless shelter
*Design something
And because my husband is a team player, he got me this fancy little notebook to keep my accomplishments in. :D
Given that I only have 366 days to make it all happen, I decided that maybe going to Rome and/or seeing the Pyramids would have to wait… maybe a 31 before 31?
Me: “Don’t you just love my lists?!”
Him: “SO much.”
Yea, he’s a keeper. ;)
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January 4th, 2012
Hilarious. Lovely. Energetic. FUN. Smart. Talented. Beautiful. All words I would use to describe this family. A mother’s wish for their child is for them to be successful, kind, and happy. To have all 4 of your children be those things and more is an A+ on the Parent Test. AND THEN, to have them marry successful, talented, smart and beautiful people is an A+++ and a home run.
Mary, I have absolutely loved getting to know you through this process. I hope you’ve had a chance to relax (*hint hint*) after planning a photo session IN THE MIDDLE of the holiday season… you definitely deserve it. I’m so, so, so grateful for the chance to have photographed your beautiful family. Quite honestly, it was one of the best times I’ve had. Thank you, thank you!
Handsome, right?
Fierce, right?
Cute, right?
Seriously adorable… right?
And because I’m a sucker for natural smiles…
I had a hard time choosing photos for this post, so please CHECK OUT THE SLIDESHOW to see more of this lovely family!
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