TOPIC: “The 10 Common Mistakes that Photography Businesses Make and How to Avoid Them“

ABOUT BLAIR AND CHRISTY: As former wedding photographers and co-owners of the popular wedding planning website JunebugWeddings.com, we’ve spent the last 15 years learning fast and staying nimble during the explosive growth of the wedding industry and the internet. We’ve learned first-hand that most of the mistakes small businesses make can be avoided, and that following your passion really does work. While reviewing thousands of websites, and writing hundreds of listings, articles, blog posts and bios, we’ve connected with our industry’s most talented wedding photographers and we’ve seen what makes their businesses thrive, and what makes them struggle. We’re excited to share our experience with you, so you can create a business strategy that will help you enhance your career and lifestyle for years to come.

Please see our entire lineup of FC2013 speakers at http://fconference.com/speakers/

Let’s do it again!  We’re coming back to the Valley Ho for our annual gathering of friendship and inspiration!

Foundation Conference 2013
November 5-6, 2013

FC2013 BREAKTHROUGH SPEAKERS:

Jeff Newsom
Ryan Brenizer
Daniel Aguilar
Bill Holland
Susana Barberá
Kirsten Lewis
a “people’s choice” speaker to be selected by registered attendees
(more speakers to be announced later)

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open-bar welcome reception
optional master classes
a photography competition with awesome prizes
and a rocking Birthday Party for everyone!

Please join us!

Foundation Conference 2012 from Vladimir Chaloupka on Vimeo.

We think the FC2012 was our best Foundation Conference ever!

The reviews from our guests are in!

(we will be adding more reviews as we receive them - https://huy.wufoo.com/forms/fc2012-survey/

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My number one favorite speaker of FC2012 was Tyler Wirken. I was completely blown away with his honestly, outlook, and presentation. I laughed, cried, and looked deep inside to the very core of WHY I love to photograph weddings. I feel like I am doing my clients a disservice by not finding a way to document the moments the way Tyler does. His raw and beautiful PJ style is exactly fitting to wedding photography…and yet his brides still look gorgeous and happy and completely like HOW they are. Thank you Tyler for opening my heart and mind and helping me find my way in this business.

My number 2 is a tie between Olivia and Dave. Each presentation was different, yet both so appropriate for the FC group. Both of these two are funny, down to earth, and open. I thoroughly enjoyed both their messages and their personalities, humor, and wit.

I want to thank Jacklyn for sharing so openly and honestly and so completely from the heart. Jenny ramped up the crowd and shared a lot of great information in getting clients to break open and have fun with us. She has a gift with people!

I am still unsure who my friendship committee member was, but I was approached by Caroline and Rosaura and made to feel welcome from the committee itself :) I felt that I was definitely part of the group, felt completely at home and at ease, and enjoyed spending time meeting with and talking to new people during the course of the week.

The Valley Ho was the bomb! Enough said :) it pretty much rocked. The California Eggs Benedicts are enough reason to go back.

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Olivia & Dave (John) G – I enjoyed these talks because
– they were speakers I hadn’t heard before
– I love their work
– they gave a glimpse into different thought processes/inspirations
– their talks were not cookie-cutter
– they were engaging presenters
– they made a lasting impression

Loved the Valley Ho! The facilities were good, the food was great and reasonably priced, the staff very friendly, the rooms were decent, the common areas (bar/outside seating) were large, and it felt nicely enclosed so everyone stayed together.

Loved the rooftop reception! I appreciated the snacks during presentation days.

I like the small size of the conference and hope that it doesn’t grow to be a 300+ person event. I love the intimacy of the group.

This was an incredibly well-planned, well-run conference. I appreciate all your hard work, Huy, Kelly, and Sergio! Love you all, THANK YOU!!!!! I’d be honored to help in any way with the next one!

+ 11 +

you guys rock!!! wish i discover FC, FW sooner.

+ 10 +

I think you all are doing a great job. That’s why I’ve been to all four conferences and skip Vegas altogether.

+ 09 +

Tyler -his honesty, his passion. It got me excited to be there. Strong start to the week.
Jenny- sharing practical tips on how to make people feel more comfortable.
Anna- She is so fun to watch, funny, and I thought the website critiques were really helpful to everyone. Plus, I now have about 30 more instagram followers, haha. ;)
Huy and Sergio! I really enjoyed the critiques. Funny but also really valuable -ideas that I can *and did* use today.
Dave- I thought it was a fresh voice, I loved the encouragement to go see real art and appreciated seeing his process to produce a single good image. (taking hundreds to get there.)

I thought the welcoming committee was such a great idea. Well done -getting a FB message prior to the conference from her was great. I felt super shy the first night (no, you wouldn’t have guessed that by the end of the last night) and meeting Verna made me feel all cozy and cared for.

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Tyler and Dave for making it more about the philosophy of image-making and not *just* about how to succeed as a wedding photographer. Tony was an excellent speaker and had great command of the room; his was a lot more practical for business-matters and it was really well executed. Anna is always great, and I loved Olivia and Jenny’s freshness and enthusiasm.

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Jenny J: because she talked the psychology of what we do (without being boring) and how we can relate better to our clients that was truly helpful to me. I think we all need to remember that no matter how much experience. Several good tips. Plus she’s just fun.
Dave/Anna: I love relating what we do to other art/photojournalism and I think that’s important to emphasize. Draw inspiration from something other than the wedding industry. Make your own interpretation of great art and you can’t go wrong. Use the tools you have to keep you creative and playful. Dave is wittier than he presented. Inject more humor.
Jacklyn G: We all need a little reminder to capture REAL love — sounds silly but she gave insight on that point, which is super important. 
Oliva gave good insight to her creative process, which was interesting and helpful. Her presentation was well planned and executed. She is bursting with excitement for photography, which is contagious. GREAT delivery overall. Very likable!

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Tyler Wirken, he was upbeat and shared some of his amazing work and explained the importance of it and how he got there. Anna Kuperberg, she took time out of her speech to help three other people with their websites….amazing!! This is something that I have never seen before. I recommend that it is done every year. It was a huge help for me to watch her and hear what needed to be changed out their websites.

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I loved Tyler Wirken because he helped me remember why I started shooting. His story telling moved me deeply & photos gripped me. I also loved Jenny J–helping me remember to have FUN and showing clients how to relax. Loved it. Tony Hoffer’s session was the most practical and I can’t wait to implement some of his strategies. Anna Kuperberg’s website critiques were probably my favorite…so helpful.

I came into the conference running on empty at the end of wedding season. I was really encouraged, inspired & challenged to find my storytelling voice. I had a great time and both XX and I agreed that any other workshops/seminars will seem to pale in comparison. I had a great time!

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Tyler and Dave. – I liked their approach to personal projects and classic photojournalism; and Anna for speaking so eloquently about other images, what made them rise above the rest, and her keen eye for portraits. Loved to see both Anna and Dave explore photography with cellphone images and be serious about it – something I’m really into, too. Jacklyn and Olivia were refreshing for their fun approach (which showed in their work) and Jenny was just a delight to listen to. Honestly, as someone who has been shooting for several decades, I was really impressed with some of the younger photographers (Olivia and Jenny) and some of the insights they shared. It was especially helpful because they are the age demographic of most of my brides.

In a word: awesome. Rooms, staff and food were outstanding. At one point, one of the bellhops ran to open a door for us, which wasn’t even necessary. Every staff person I encountered was friendly and helpful. The spa was better than any hotel spa I’ve ever used – even the ones in Europe and on cruise ships.

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Olivia Vale. She became the reason I came. I have been lonely in SF–felt like I was working in a vacuum. I know who different photographers are, but don’t know them personally. The ones I’ve met I haven’t connected with. I was looking for an opportunity to meet and engage with like-minded people. Olivia spoke about all of this, and more. Her sense of poetry, the growth she’s experienced since taking a workshop–all of this was exactly what I needed to hear. I’m ready to be stretched, and to grow in conscious ways. Tyler’s opening was also incredible. JennyJ’s presentation was infectious. Tony was sincere and thoughtful. Anna’s critiques were incisive and fun. I appreciated seeing Dave G’s iPhone work and was reminded that it is hard work, and we don’t often see the shots that don’t make the cut. To be honest, I loved everyone, each for very different and specific ways. The combination of speakers was WONDERFUL.

LOVED THE VALLEY HO. Best hotel experience I’ve ever had. Seamless. When do you ever find hotels with good food? Everything was amazing.

I think you’ve done an amazing job, and to be honest, I marvel that with a group of 130, you can maintain a sense of intimacy. I love that you hold a critique session, which is how FC begin in the beginning. For those of us who are new, we are indoctrinated into the process, and the culture. Brilliant. Thanks. This was a ton of work, and you guys made it look effortless. Amazing job, amazing. Thank you.

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Anna – I don’t think I even need to say why. She has the ability to give critiques in the most constructive, informative and eloquent way. She makes us all want to be “Anna” when we grow up! I loved how much time she invested in reviewing others’ work. I felt more like she was teaching than speaking.

Jacklyn – So awesome. One of a kind! Blame Sergio!

Olivia – She was really a great speaker. Humor, great work, great message.

Tyler – He really set the bar for the whole event!

+ 01+

Tyler – Anyone who can make me cry gets an A+ in my book. I so very much appreciated his honesty, his openess, and I felt connected to him as he spoke. I actually was not too familiar with Tyler before his presentation so to be so completely moved by something that I did not know was awesome.

Olivia – I connected to her work. I feel that out of everyone at the conference, her style is most like mine (I aim for the same goals). I felt myself nodding along as she spoke. I appreciated hearing from a photographer who did not have a photojournalism background but has still managed to achieve such a great, honest style.

Anna – I knew I would love Anna. She was exactly who I expected her to be (based on what I had seen on the forum) and I was THRILLED by that. She is so articulate.

Photograph by Olivia Vale

Get away from all that wedding industry craziness and come hang out with the fearless photographers of the Foundation Workshop Forum at our annual gathering of friendship and inspiration at

FC2012
November 13-14, 2012
The Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, AZ
$599 (tuition only, does not include hotel or transportation)
NOTE: THE HOTEL IS SOLD OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This event is open to all photographers.  To register for this event, please click: I’d Like To Register

Tentative Schedule: (more exact details will be available as we confirm more speakers)
Monday Nov. 12: Rooftop Reception 8 pm- 10 pm (open bar and desserts)
Tuesday Nov. 13: Sessions from 9 am – 6 pm
Wednesday Nov. 14: Sessions from 9 am – 6 pm; Ben’s Birthday Party
Thursday: no sessions, everyone departs

FC2012 BREAKTHROUGH SPEAKERS:
Anna Kuperberg
Tony Hoffer
Amy Deputy replaced by Tyler Wirken
Cat Benner
Jenny Jimenez
Jacklyn Greenberg
Olivia Vale
Andrew Mejia + Katrina Wallace
Dave Getzchman
and a special bring-your-own-photos night critique session by Huy + Sergio
and more…

What’s a “Breakthrough Speaker”?

A Breakthrough Speaker is either an emerging photographer or an established pro who is not part of other mainstream photo seminars.  Their presentations are raw and passionate – not sale-sy, over-polished or repetitive.  Year after year, we’re proud to have these talented photographers share their learning and experiences with us.

Here’s a little bit from a previous conference:

Foundation Conference 2009 from Vladimir Chaloupka on Vimeo.

ANNA KUPERBERG: “What does Fearless really mean?”

It means, don’t shoot everything that moves.  Shoot what moves you.  Start with your gut.  Trust your instincts.  Take charge.  Tell the client what you think is best.  Don’t take charge.  Embrace chaos and let it happen.  Whatever it is you really really want to do, that’s probably what you should do.  Climb a tree, hug the grandma, or maybe just take a photo where the action isn’t.  Being fearless in photography means exposing a little bit of yourself, and that’s scary.   The most confident person is the one willing to ask questions.  You might fail at 100 photos to get the 101th one perfect.  Keep experimenting every day.  You can be right or wrong, but don’t be boring.   Safe is boring.

In my presentation I’m also going to throw in some very practical advice about speeding up workflow, dealing with (or avoiding) difficult clients, as well as delegating, outsourcing, streamlining, and hiring help.  An overworked photographer is not a happy photographer, and you need to be happy to take better photos.   Fearless extends to everything in life and business.

About Anna:

Anna Kuperberg is a San Francisco based wedding, portrait, and dog photographer with a fine art and editorial background.   She loves to help people take better photos and be happier in their businesses and their lives.

Website:  http://www.kuperberg.com 

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TONY HOFFER: “Making People Happy”

Did you know that last year there were 12 million new photographers in the U.S. alone? I didn’t either. I made that up. But you probably believed for just a second, didn’t you?

Over the past 5 years we’ve been shooting weddings, growing our business and trying to convince our clients to take us to cool places. We live outside of Philadelphia in a giant house that’s shaped like a 1970′s polaroid camera. We talk to each other exclusively in pig latin and at any given point we’re housing several stray horses. One of those three sentences is true.

Website:  http://hofferphotography.com/

 

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JACKLYN GREENBERG: “The Breath In”

Open your eyes and mind to an intense level of awareness by understanding the emotional impact your images can hold. Gain the ability to harness the energy around you. Bring your work to a new level by learning to give your images an emotional charge.  Jacklyn will speak about letting your “Breath In” be the guideline to photograph the constantly changing environments and emotions around us.

About Jacklyn:

Jacklyn’s edge lies in her unique ability to engage and connect with people on a level that delves beyond the surface and into the deeper realm of energy and emotion.  This comes, in part, from her extensive travels and immersion in foreign cultures with extended stays overseas in Italy and Australia. After earning degrees in both fine arts and environmental chemistry, she decided to follow her passion and add her intense voice with her inherent air of hyper-realism to the photography world.

Website: http://www.jagstudios.net

 

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JENNY JIMENEZ: “Dance Your Way to Better Dance Photos”

Pulling from her background in psychology and customer service, Jenny explores the ways our behavior can impact our results, whether it be during an initial client consult, a family session with an uncooperative child or walking onto a camera shy dance floor at a wedding reception.  Who you are and how you act influences what you will get.  We want you to get great photos.

About Jenny:

Jenny believes in self-expression, love and laughing your ass off.  See also: high kicks. She began her career as a photographer in 1999 shooting music & events for Seattle’s alternative weekly papers.  After covering a spatter of weddings from 2001- 2004, she decided to refocus her business on unions and families.  Although her approach is documentary in nature, she isn’t afraid to move a coke can or serenade a grandpa if it allows her to get a better image.  She’s been published and awarded but cares more about what you think, so judge her work for yourself at www.photojj.com.

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OLIVIA VALE: “How to Kick Your Own Ass and Still Love Yourself in the Morning”

Wedding photography is no piece of cake. With a knack for playing hard and working harder, Olivia Vale has been kicking her own ass for years, honing her skills at capturing images that strike the heart. She believes in tough love spoken kindly, and will show you how to be your own best critic.

As the Foundation Workshop’s Official 2012 Photographer, and 2-year alumnus of the Foundation Workshop, Olivia knows a thing or two about a good challenge. She will share with you her own set of tools to help you learn tons from each wedding you shoot.

About Olivia:

Olivia Vale has a very large mouth and loves to use it to laugh. She embraces life fully, drives motorcycles, windsurfs, and encourages adventuring. She is an internationally awarded photographer with background in journalism, silliness, and wine tasting. Olivia’s level-headed but starry-eyed perspective will show you how to visually fall in love with the world around you, while still being one tough cookie when it comes to improving your skill. She can’t wait to talk to each and every one of you, but if you want to get to know her and her photos before that, please visit her website: http://www.oliviavale.com

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KATRINA + ANDREW: “Marketing for the Internet Age: Social Media and Beyond”

Long gone are the days of relying upon a simple, beautifully crafted website, as a key part of your marketing strategy.  In order for a business to take full advantage of a comprehensive, and mostly free, set of virtual tools, an aggressive and educated approach to real time media needs should be employed as part of a comprehensive marketing plan.  This includes social media, SEO, and creative networking on the local level.

Social media is playing a crucial role in keeping real time novelties in the eyes and ears of your internet clientele.  But, it’s merely a portion of a well-rounded and comprehensive approach to reaching all aspects of your viewership.  The days of a single blog post per week, or day, are gone.  Clientele now demand nearly daily, or real time, updates and insights into your world.  What’s more, a strong internet presence is futile without the support of a strong base of local, regional, and national vendors who can give prestige to your efforts.  This is backed up by paper publications, and networking group meetings in your locale. Print and magazine publications have leant a huge source of prestige to our studio on a state level.

About Katrina + Andrew:

After dropping out of Pre-Med at Indiana University, and ending up with a degree in Spanish and Sociology, Andrew Mejia put himself through technical school gaining certification in Microsoft Network operating systems in 1997.  The lead to a lucrative career in California in LAN and WAN development with Microsoft’s arche-enemy SUN Microsystems in California, managing SUN.com and writing SUN’s standards for use of HTML, Java Script, PERL, and CSS across 150,000 pages of their website.  When Andrew’s contract came to a halt, it was time to shift focus onto Katrina Wallace Photography, and leave CA for the AZ desert; Sedona.  Andrew purchased the domain name SedonaBride.com on the notion that it would someday make a great name for a magazine.  But alas, Sedona Bride Photographers was formed, and here we are today, 300+ weddings later…

Website: http://www.sedonabride.com

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CAT BENNER: The Business & Art of Letting Your Clients Love You

Cat Krantz Benner from Next Exit Photography in Southern California will help you define your business practices and create images that your clients will love AND purchase. Whether you have a budding wedding photography business or you have been doing this for years, Cat’s practical tips and sales techniques will help you define a unique personal plan for shooting weddings, leading to happy clients and healthier profits.

Tip #1: Fall in love with your clients every time.

Even though Adi, Cat Krantz Benner’s husband, makes up 49% of Next Exit Photography, clearly at FC2012, Cat is the one who matters. (She still loves you Adi!) Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk more about Cat. Published in a gazillion bridal magazines and a bazillion blogs, with beautiful images full of heart and emotion, Cat has perfected the business and art of wedding photography. Having shot about 500 drool-worthy nuptials, she feels taking photos just wouldn’t be enough; she really loves selling, negotiating and even working with red-flag clients. By the way, she has no idea how to use Photoshop.

At weddings, clients appreciate Cat’s humor and camaraderie. She combines an artistic eye with an acute awareness to capture the most spontaneous and genuine interactions. She knows how to make any bride or groom feel good na na na na na na nah.
Her Southern California studio has ten years of unmatched quality of service and familial devotion.   She and her hubby are five-time winners of the Best of the Knot Award (one of their proudest accomplishments!)

Please visit the Next Exit website http://www.nextexitphotography.com and become a fan on Facebook!

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DAVE GETZSCHMAN: “Motion, Emotion and a Little Something Special”

About Dave Getzschman:

Dave Getzschman is a contract photographer for the Los Angeles Times and an associate of Chrisman Studios. In 2012, Dave was named one of the Top Ten Wedding Photographers by American Photo magazine. In 2011, Dave was listed among the “Rising Stars of Wedding Photography” by Photo District News and “The New Guard of Wedding Specialists” by San Francisco Brides Magazine. In 2010, he was selected as Photographer of the Year by the Wedding Photojournalist Association. His editorial client list includes TIME, Newsweek, Businessweek, Forbes and Fortune, and his work has been commissioned by Apple, Inc., Sun Microsystems and LinkedIn.

Get away from all that wedding industry craziness and come hang out with the fearless photographers of the Foundation Workshop Forum at our annual gathering of friendship and inspiration at

FC2012
November 13-14, 2012
The Hotel Valley Ho in Scottsdale, AZ
$499

This event is open to all photographers.  Registration Link

Tentative Schedule: (more exact details will be available as we confirm more speakers)
Monday Nov. 12: Welcoming Reception 8 pm
Tuesday Nov. 13: Sessions from 9 am – 6 pm and special session from 8 pm-10 pm
Wednesday Nov. 14: Sessions from 9 am – 6 pm
Thursday: no sessions, everyone departs

FC2012 BREAKTHROUGH SPEAKERS:
Anna Kuperberg
Tony Hoffer
Amy Deputy
Cat Benner
Jenny Jimenez
Jacklyn Greenberg
Olivia Brown
Andrew Mejia + Katrina Wallace
and a special bring-your-own-photos night critique session by Huy + Sergio
and more…

What’s a “Breakthrough Speaker”?

A Breakthrough Speaker is either an emerging photographer or an established pro who is not part of other mainstream photo seminars.  Their presentations are raw and passionate – not sale-sy, over-polished or repetitive.  Year after year, we’re proud to have these talented photographers share their learning and experiences with us.