I have been working hard to re-edit my portfolio over the past several months and am pleased to announce the new look! Visit callielipkin.com to see the updated image galleries including some in depth stories I have worked on with clients this past year.
Special thanks to my designer, Anni Betts, for making this all look so nice.
Read MoreI recently had the pleasure of shooting a few of the lovely performers from local burlesque troupe, Vaudezilla. I asked some of them to shoot for a few minutes before our session and thought it made a nice comparison of their alter egos…
I recently got asked a series of questions from start up photog, Nick Murway. Here is the first blog featuring his Q and my A.
The only true mistake you can make when starting your business is being afraid of failure. Although the goal with every business decision/marketing move/photo shoot is success; the decisions that didn’t pan out the way you thought they would are much more educational and are the only way to improve both your business strategy and your photography.
When a client wants to hire an ‘experienced’ photographer, its probably because they want someone who can adapt to changes. A lot of people can make nice pictures when nothing goes wrong, but an experienced photographer will have thought of all the pitfalls and make sure the shoot is completed successfully no matter what happens, 100% of the time. One of my favorite clients often calls me before or after a shoot saying, “Well, there is a little wrinkle….”. He knows by now that no matter what he throws at me I can take care of it from the estimate (considering all issues in advance, staying on budget) to the delivery (file formats, retouching needs, computer glitches, power outages, travel schedules, deadline changes) and everything in between.
My advice? Jump in and get your feet wet – make as many mistakes as possible so you know how to solve them later:
Overbid.
Underbid.
Overpromise.
Take risks that lead to mediocre pictures.
Pursue bad ideas.
Work with crazy clients.
Spend too much or too little on equipment/advertising/studio space.
Cut a corner.
Burn a bridge.
Get taken advantage of.
Experience equipment failure.
What should you never do? Wait until the perfect idea hits you; wait until your portfolio is ‘perfect’. Don’t waste one more second waiting for your career to take off for you – mistakes are your friend in the long run. They will teach you what works and what you NEVER want to do again. When you are shooting with your dream clients you wont have that luxury, and hopefully by then you won’t need it.
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Ready for your February digital desktop calendar?
Click here to download: burlesqueproject.tumblr.com/calendar
Who is miss January? Get a closer look at Miss Trixie Sparx. In this 2 minute short she tells us about why she loves burlesque and what she does when she’s not performing.
Special thanks to Ashton Hansen for second camera during the interview, Traci Weingard for video editing and Anni Betts for custom lettering.
Read MoreI’m excited to be finally sending out the last of my holiday cards this week. Big thanks to talent from Lily’s, styling by Taylor Wilson, hair and makeup by Ann Marie Weinert and assisting from Nathanael Filbert for this fun shoot we did over the summer.
We have been busy over here prepping a fantastic and fun calendar for 2012 using some of my favorite burlesque dancers as models in this project. See the behind the scenes video (edited by the super talented Traci Weingardt)
The calendar is on sale just in time for the holidays at lulu: ow.ly/7KsRM
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Don’t miss this opportunity to hear one of our industry’s innovators speak about his work as both a still photographer and now director. He will have some great info about current and upcoming technology that will be beneficial for everyone in the industry: photographers, buyers and crew. Both APA Midwest and Canon are sponsoring this free event. I hope to see everyone at the Lincoln Park Apple Store next Monday night – November 7th, at 7pm. Click the image below to be directed to our Facebook event page.
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