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San Francisco Smugmug User Group Call for Presentations in 2012

November 20, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

The San Francisco Smugmug User Group is putting out a call for speakers for our 2012 monthly speakers series:

The general topic for 2012 is Creativity and all that it encompasses. Possible topics include:

Expanding creativity through lighting, posing and personal projects
Building a business foundation that supports one’s creativity
Finding inspiration for creativity after being in business for a while
Collaborating with others photographers and vendors.
What are newbies missing about creativity and what are the old dogs missing about creativity?
Finding your own creativity without chasing every new fad

We are looking for people that can address these topics and other in an educational and entertaining way.

About the San Francisco Smugmug User Group

SF SMUG is a place for professional and amateur photographers to meet other photographers and hear talks from industry leaders. Currently the group has about a 1000 members and averages about 70-80 attendees at our monthly meetings. About 50% of the attendees are photographers that have both a photography business and a full or part-time job. The other half incudes full time professionals and amateurs. That ratio fluctuates depending on the speaker. Over all we are one of the most active photography groups in San Francisco and the Bay Area outside of the industry associations (and even with those we are getting close).

Our speaker series runs from January to October with the meetings always being held on the last Tuesday of the month in San Francisco. Meetings last from 6-9 with the speakers going from 7:05-8:30. Topics range from using flash and natural night, working with brides and clients, and creating strong business practices. About half of the speakers are wedding and portrait focused with the other half being a mixture of landscape, sports and fashion photography. We also bring in business experts to discuss marketing, contracts and search engine optimization. Past speakers have included Bambi Cantrell, Ed Pignol, Anna Kuperberg, Scott Robert Lim, Zach Prez and Brook Todd. The group has a 4.5 star rating on meetup.com and you can see our reviews here.

If you are interested in speaking, please send a short bio and course description and let us know why you would be great for our group. We really want people with something interesting to say so let us know why at this you. These presentations are not sales-oriented so while you are more then welcome to mention products and workshops at the end, the bulk of the presentation should be on the chosen topic. This is a great opportunity for anyone to get in front of a large, active group of photographers.

To submit your presentation or if you have questions, please email Joey Chandler at joey@jchandlerphotography.com. We are already a quarter booked for the year so don’t delay. All submissions will be kept on file and we’ll contact you if we choose your presentation. At this point we have no budget for travel so speakers have to cover those costs.

P.S. If you are wondering why this is posted here, I’ve been running the group fro the past two years – Joey

We want to help your business – Ace Networking

November 4, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

Our BNI networking group - ACE Networking in San Francisco – is growing. We are over the 30 member mark and are on track to reach a million dollars in referred business this year. We are looking for professionals that really get the “giver’s gain” philosophy and want to be part of an active business networking group. If that is you, then Please consider visiting our chapter:

Thursday’s 7-9am
Serrano Hotel
405 Taylor St. (Near O’Farrell St)
San Francisco, CA, 94102
$5 for parking

Our goal is help each other grow our businesses through mutual referrals. I’ve more then paid for the chapter dues already in my first 6 months. And now I have a team of people behind me that not only sends business my way but also is trusted resource if a friend, myself or one on my clients is looking for help in a variety of areas – accounting, book keeping, graphic design, family law, wills/estates, real estate and many more. For a solo creative person, these meetings have proven to be an invaluable resource and support for my business.

A few of the professions we are looking for:

Finance And Business Services

Business Broker
Business Coach
Promotional Products
Bankruptcy Attorney

Residential & Commercial Services

Electrician
Junk Removal Provider
Landscaper Architect
Master Gardener
Plasterer
Plumbing / HVAC Contractor
Roofer
Auto repair
Body shop
Auto detail

Health & Wellness Services

Physical Therapist
Personal Trainer
Pilates Instructor
Yoga Instructor
Nutritionist
Aestheticians

Events/Weddings

Caterer
Florists
Hair stylists
Make up artists
Baker
Event Planner
Videographer

To attend, just contact me so I can get you on the list. Let me know if you have any questions and hope to see you there.

Filed Under: Photo Thoughts

The Wedding Moment I love (and why pre-ceremony photographs are so great)

October 13, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

I thought I would share this moment I’ve seen happen at my recent weddings. It’s totally cool, totally fun and a perfect way to send the couple down the isle. No real way to plan for it but I think its a moment that every bride and groom would remember as one of the hight points of the day. This happens when the formal photos are done and the bridal party is gathered in what every room they got ready in. The energy in the room is great, everyone is relaxed and excited and the bride and groom feel so supported. Just naturally some form of group huddle takes place. This is a perfect time for a toast, like what happened here:

And if there are no drinks handy, then the spontaneity still takes over:

Point is, that these are awesome moments that I wish every bride and groom could experience. Interesting thing is that I’ve only seen these happen when the first look and the formal photographs are done before the ceremony. Something about being together and taking the photos breaks the nervous energy of the day, allowing people to connect and really be with each other. This is one of the reasons that I suggest doing the formal wedding photographs before the ceremony. It just sets up the day for an even greater number of amazing moments.

I know this doesn’t go over with everyone so let me know what you think in the comments below.

Filed Under: Photo Thoughts, Weddings

Our Wedding Vows on our Anniversary

September 26, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

7 years ago today, Sue and I said these vows to each other. I have to say that more then anything else from our wedding, I’m most proud of these vows. They are like our constitution. And like the more famous constitution, they did not come easily but when they did they really made a difference. I like them not because I live up to them everyday but because they help guide me in those moments when I don’t want to live up to them. We pull them out from time to time but the thought of them is with me always.

“I Sue/Joey, take you Joey/Sue to be my husband/wife.
I promise to honor, cherish and adore you.
I promise to laugh and play with you…to respect and believe in you.
I promise to live my life to the fullest and bring passion and adventure to our marriage.
I promise to work through the challenges and difficulties that lie ahead.
I promise to create a safe place where we can let down our guard and be vulnerable…
…and I know that we’ll make a difference in the world, not by being perfect but by being ourselves.
I promise to continue our love affair and grow in ways our relationship will require.
I promise to be your friend and partner…to trust and forgive you.
And I promise to love you – even when you forget how amazing you are – so that when my one precious life comes to an end, we’ll both say this was the best thing we ever did.”

Joey and Sue
San Francisco
September 26th, 2004

Filed Under: Photo Thoughts

How my photography and business are evolving

September 15, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

In the past couple month’s I’ve really started to think about my work and what I love about photography. Most photographers would say its something about the ability to share one’s vision with the world. I would agree and those thoughts took me back to the moment that I thought I could be a photographer. It was before Lucius was born and I walked into a friend’s house as saw a photo of a boy that I found engaging and different then your average children photos. Took me a few moments to realize that I was looking at one of my photos. That was the first time I saw my work displayed at someone’s house. That was the moment that I thought I had something interesting to offer as a photographer.

I say this because I’ve realized that photos achieve an entirely different level of impact and significance once they are printed and displayed. I had actually looked that the photo of our friend’s son many times on my computer but never “hey – I might have a career at this”. It wasn’t until I saw it live and in color that it meant something to me.

This made me realize that what I love about photography isn’t so much the photo but actually creating art for people’s homes. There is nothing better then delivering a picture to a client and seeing their faces light up as they hang their canvas or thumb through their album.

This is impacting how I approach my sessions. Now when I work with clients my goal is to create images that they will be displayed in their homes and become part of their family’s legacy. Of course some people simply need images for holiday cards or announcements which is absolutely ok, but my personal goal is to capture something that they will love to hang on their walls. I’m also using software to show people exactly how images will look in their home or office. So now I can help clients determine the perfect image, material and size for a specific spot it their home. All of my wedding packages include albums so that my couples can experience their day for years to come. And I’ve created ordering specials where I basically include digital copies in the price of prints and albums.

My goal now isn’t so much to take great photos but to create family art for homes. Much harder to do of course but so much more valuable for valuable to my clients and rewarding for me.

A few images that are now hanging in homes right now…

Filed Under: Photo Thoughts

Fall Mini Sessions

August 24, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

Come have fun, get decked out in bling, and get great photos for your Holiday Cards.

Erin Rudsenske, an Independent Stylist for Stella & Dot jewelry will be on hand to help style you for your session.

Times:

August 28th from 9:00-12:00am at Golden Gate Park/AIDS Memorial Garden
September 18th from 2:00-5:00 pm at Baker Beach

What you get:
20 minute photo shoot
Style session with Erin Rudsenske and use of her jewelry samples for the photo shoot
3 digital files you can use for Holiday Cards
Access to an online gallery where you can purchase additional pictures

Reservations can be made by filling out the contact form here.

Limited Spots so Contact me today.

About us:

Erin Rudsenske
Independent Stylist, Stella & Dot
www.stelladot.com/erinr
erudsenske@gmail.com
415-215-2730

Joey Chandler
Family and Portrait Photographer
http://www.jchandlerphotography.com/
joey@jchandlerphotography.com
415-948-3959

Filed Under: Photo Thoughts

San Francisco BNI – Ace Networking Chapter Presentation

June 3, 2011 By Joey Leave a Comment

This week I had the opportunity to present to my San Francisco BNI Chapter about my photography business. Since I rarely speak to a group of people about the specifics of my business I was a bit nervous. I decided to split the 10 minute presentation into two sections – the first was a bit about me and my work and the second was about picking a print size for a specific wall. Next time I talk I’ll focus more on the education side rather then my story but since I’m new to the group I thought it was important to give the other 25 or so members at the meeting some back ground about myself. I talked being in business since 2009 and how I focus on the relationships between people and apply that approach to weddings, families and even business headshots. I highlighted my 5 star yelp rating and how I am recommended on most San Francisco parent groups like Mission Parents, Noe Valley Parents, Nopa Parents and the Golden Gate Mother’s Group. But I figured my work was the best speaker for what I do so I showed them this:

The familiar face at the end is one of the members that I had photographed the day before.

For the second part of the presentation I did a demo of how I help clients size prints for their walls. I wanted them to get a sense of the power that large prints have so showed them one of the 24″ x 36″ canvas prints of Lucius that I have hanging in my house.

Then I ran then through a short print sizing demo and showed them what a photo of Dale (the person I photographed) would look like in different sizes on a wall. For the presentation I used a photo of his office but below is a sample from a stock gallery.

I needed more time to show them all that can be done to really determine the best combination of photo and size but I think it was enough to give people the idea. Overall all it was a great experience. Always nice to have a challenge that is a little different then the normal day-to-day.

________________________

The BNI Ace Networking Chapter meets Thursday mornings at 7:15 at the Serrano Hotel – 405 Taylor St. (Near O’Farrell St) in San Francisco. We are growing and looking for:

Florist
Aesthetician
Commercial Real Estate Leasing Agent/Sales Agent
Landscape Architect
Massage Therapist
Physical Therapist
Banker
Event Planner
Hair Stylist
Attorney – Bankruptcy

If you (or some one you know) do any of these professions and interested in taking a look at our group, then please give me a call.

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: San Francisco BNI, San Francisco Photographer, san francisco wedding Photographer

San Francisco BNI ACE Networking Chapter BBQ – Networking at its finest

May 18, 2011 By Joey 1 Comment

Have to love a business group that not only meets every week in the wee hours of the morning on Thursday at a Hotel in San Francisco and then makes time to socialize and BBQ on Saturday Night. I recently joined Ace Networking, a San Francisco BNI chapter and its been great so far. Seriously good people all working together to help grow each of our businesses. I really love getting to learn about all sorts of businesses that I really don’t know anything about – law, real estate, accounting, finances, insurance, interior design and others. Being a wedding and portrait photographer can be a lonely business sometimes so this is nice way to get out of the house and learn from some very smart people. Of course the best part of meeting outside of the standard business environment is that getting reminded of how interesting those people really are. So many unexpected stories about living outside the country, practicing martial arts to high degree, scuba diving in Monterey and swimming from Alcatraz. Definitely looking forward to getting to know all these folks better and see the results when lots of talented people work together.