As I participate in forums and mentor other photographers I often get asked what I feel my biggest mistakes were when starting out in photography. Hold on tight but here I go with a bit of honesty – I made mistakes big and small and A LOT of mistakes. However, with each mistake I made it was a chance to learn and grow in photography and business. So I will take a big forkful of humble pie and share with you my top five mistakes in my photography business.

1.) Working for friends-I love that I have clients who are like friends but the other direction friends who are clients is not a good course of action. You should never work for someone who knows your most embarrassing stories and moments in life. My personal advice is to create one degree of separation from the friend so I would say perhaps do a shoot for a friend of friend. At the end of the day if you must shoot for a friend make sure they pay full price, sign a contract and no freebies. Make it as much like a working relationship as possible!

2.) Trying to hard to be a rockstar- Full confession: I am a nerd. When I first started in photography I wanted to be just like all the rockstar photographers that I met. I tried to be one I really did by quoting current song lyrics, overusing the words awesome and rockin’ and talking about how amazing I was but this caused me to realize that I am not like that as a writer or a person. I think being a rockstar is too hard so I am just going to be myself. Here in no particular order are things I love that will never contribute to my being a rockstar photographer: my love of hypermiling in my hybrid, my a cappella music obsession, the fact that I constantly attempt to give myself a cool nickname, and the way I can wax poetic about fried chicken and sweet tea for hours. So there is definitely no chance anyone will ever think I am cool enough to mistake me for a rockstar but that is alright because my clients and friends think I am pretty cool the way I am!

3.) Trying to make everyone like me-I have a need to please in a big way. I want everyone to like me and I mean everyone. At consults I tried to fit the mold of what couples would want, at networking events I tried to make other vendors like me but here is the honest, hard truth that I learned: everyone will not like you and that is ok. I am who I am and if people don’t like me there is nothing wrong with that is ok and it is no reflection of me personally.

4.) Not asking for what I needed – When I went to weddings I was afraid to ask for what I needed no matter what it was – more time, more cooperation or a change in schedule. I think this ties into number three where I want everyone to like to me but I had to reconfigure how I viewed my job as a photographer. My job is pretty awesome but first and foremost it is a job and has requirements and I have realized it has needs such as time. It has taken some time but I have gained the confidence to say to people that I need more time to get them the pictures they desire rather than running around like a headless chicken trying to get everything without enough time to do my job properly. I have realized that as the professional, people are counting on you to tell them what you need, so state it loud and state it often. Another thing that I had difficulty with was asking for cooperation from people at the weddings during group picture times. Trying to get everyone to focus and pay attention to the photographer on the wedding day is difficult so I have started to ask them to help me so I can get my job. You know what? The world did not end because I asked for help and that was a big lesson I needed to learn.

5.) Not giving myself a break – For many years Scott and I worked like gangbusters for 60 hours a week in an attempt to set land speed records for finishing projects. In the meantime though we lost a little bit of us. Date night went by the wayside when we had a client meeting, we sat on our computers answering emails and working not actually watching TV, and honestly for a while we could have written off our dinners out because we talked so much about the business. It only took a little while for us to realize that this was affecting not only our relationship but our clients as well. We were getting tired and burned out very quickly with the schedule we were working. It didn’t take long before we had to re-evaluate what was not working about this system and it was the schedule for sure. We need to set boundaries, have time off and give ourselves a break. So now we always have one date night (sometimes two) a week, we make sure to take time for friends and sometimes we turn everything off, give ourselves a break and take time to be us-Scott and Lisa (or L.K. as I am calling myself this week), a husband and wife.

Photo courtesy of Becker

Here for your Friday night entertainment is a list of the top ten ways to have a killer engagement session. As June ends and July quickly approaches there will be a ton of sessions taking place and hitting the blog soon. In order to make the most of your session, we have listed the top ten ways to get the most out of your engagement session. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Great make up will always make you shine:

This in from the department of obvious truths: Our brides are gorgeous!

2. Ladies, a killer pair of shoes always make the pictures look amazing:

Brought to you by Erica’s shoes that made all the blog stalkers swoon.

3. Your clothes should be cute but comfortable.

Golden light + fabulous couple + cute clothes = Amazing

4. Sometimes you just have to dance:

5. Always laugh at your photographers jokes:

We will pretty much say anything to make you laugh!

6. Trust that sometimes the trek to the location makes it worth it:

Hiking up a mountain was so worth it…

7. Remember to relax and have fun:

What could be more fun than an arcade?

8. When all else fails, hug it out:

Yeah, they are just a little bit cute!

9. There is always time for a little romance so gentlemen bring your A-game:

10. In exchange we promise you pictures you will love and some that might make your mom cry:

One word: Swoonworthy

We’re now offering a photo booth to bring along to your wedding! Want fun photos of all your guests at your wedding reception, but tired of boring shots of people sitting at tables? We bring along another photographer, a cool backdrop, some lighting, and a box of props. Your guests get crazy, have fun, and you get all the images after the wedding!  Check out some of the fun photos we had from our photo booth at Erin and Matt’s wedding this past weekend!

The crew from Inspired Occasions:

Erin and Matt giving a little thanks to Inspired Occasions for the great wedding they received from the Bridal Idol contest.

And, of course, Lisa getting attacked by the said Inspired Occasions crew

If you’re interested in adding the photo booth to your wedding, let us know! To see all the images from Erin and Matt’s wedding photo booth and order prints, click here!

OK, yeah, so I’m copying and pasting the press release. Before I do that though, I just want to send out some love to all the couples who gave us our 5 star reviews on Wedding Wire. Your amazing comments really gave us so much joy to read, and we were so happy to be able to make your wedding day amazing! We always want our couples to have the perfect, 5 star experience, and we’re so glad they did!

Albany, NY – January 26, 2011 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce that Scott Kretschmann Photography has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for wedding photography! Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation. Scott Kretschmann Photography stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year. “WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud Scott Kretschmann Photography for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.” We are happy to announce that Scott Kretschmann Photography is among the very best wedding photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com. About WeddingWire, Inc. WeddingWire.com, the nation’s leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

This is a forewarning for our clients and interested couples. This post is aimed at photographers looking to attend the annual Wedding And Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) convention this February in Las Vegas. It’s something we attend to improve our photographic education, bring you even more amazing images, and have a little fun. If you’re interested, read on, but if not, you may want to skip to the next post to get back to our regularly scheduled programming of awesome images.

Still here? Good. We’re coming up shortly on a special time of year. It’s when thousands upon thousands of professional photographers descend on the MGM Grand on the Las Vegas strip for the mother of all photography conventions. That’s right, it’s almost time for WPPI. This will be our second year attending, and we can’t wait. We learned so much last year. One of the biggest lessons we learned was that we didn’t have any idea what to expect. WPPI is many things to many people, but what it is to first times, is overwhelming. Last year was a record year with over 15,000 photographers attending, and to most observers, it was mass chaos. If you go armed with a little knowledge of what to expect, you can make the most of the amazing experience. Here are some of the questions we’ve been asked and things we wish we had known our first time.

Q. Where is the best place to stay?
A. If you can afford it, stay at the MGM Grand. Since WPPI is at the MGM conference center, this will be the best place to stay to get there quickly. When you have an 8 am class for a speaker you really want to see, trust us, you’ll be thankful. Even from the MGM, it can take you 15-20 minutes just to walk to the conference center through the casino, stores, and restaurants inside the MGM. If you don’t insist on being within spitting distance of the slot machines and gaming tables, and you have a little extra cash saved up, staying at the Signature at MGM is a really popular option. It’s a little more upscale with gorgeous rooms, but no casino. It is attached to the MGM by indoor moving sidewalks, and it’s closer to the convention center than the MGM itself. It will save you a lot of walking, and probably 10 minutes of each trip from your room to a class. We stayed at the MGM last year and are staying at the Signature this year. We are really excited about it because we saw the advantages of it and wished we had budgeted enough to stay there.

Q. What if you can’t afford to stay at the MGM or the Signature?
A. There are plenty of affordable places to stay nearby within walking distance such as the Excalibur, the Tropicana, etc. Just look around and you can find some really amazing deals if you are on a budget, but keep in mind, any of those places will add an EXTRA 15-20 minute walk onto your “commute” to your classes. Those 8 am classes come extra early…..

Q. What should I wear?
A. Comfortable shoes! As mentioned before, it’s a long walk to the convention center. Dress for comfort, not for style, trust us. What you wear to the parties is a different story.

Q. Wait, parties?
A. Yes! WPPI is about work, and learning, and growing, but it’s also about letting loose and having a blast with all your old friends, as well as all the new ones you just made! You’ll see various parties, some free, some that require paid tickets, some with open bars, some with $12 cocktails, and some with free giveaways. It just depends on what you’re looking for. Watch out for certain parties that try to be too secretive, which, while they can be lots of fun, you can be surprised when you cant afford drinks at the “secret location” – Our favorite party was the [b] party put on by [b]ecker, which always has a reputation of being a lot of fun and a good bang for your buck. We had a blast this year and will be going again this year, whenever he announces the date. [b] school members get first dibs at tickets, and then it goes out to everyone else.

Q. What’s up with all the platform classes, plus classes, masters classes, etc?
A. Platform classes are the standard classes that come with the full registration cost. These alone make WPPI worth it. You get to see all the big name speakers teach about all sorts of different topics. Watch out for some of the really big name speakers, as they will often have lines to get into the classes that will form hours in advance. Because of issues last year, they added a PreBoard system this year. Just go to the WPPI website and click the link, and then you can choose up to 5 platform classes to preboard for, getting you a ticket and guaranteeing you a seat, no standing in line. Another bit of advice is to go to classes based on the subject, not the speaker. If you are weak in lighting, posing, photoshop, or want to grow in technical areas like that, seek out those classes. I found you can learn the most from those classes, and there are some amazing speakers in those categories. You will also see a category named “motivational” that will have some of the biggest names in the industry included in it. These can be really hit or miss, so choose carefully. Some of these will truly be motivational, but if you are already plenty motivated, but need to work on lighting, choose the lighting class over the motivational class, even if the latter is a really huge name in the industry. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did. Speak to people who went last year. Many speakers have similar programs year to year and you can find out of they are worth attending or not. If you get into a class, and it’s not what you expected, leave and go to another one. Just try to go in with an expectation of what you want to learn, and you’ll come out ahead.

OK, on to the master classes. These are more intimate classes with tens of students vice hundreds or even over a thousand like some of the platform classes. You get to have more one on one learning time with the instructor, and thus, it costs extra. These go on during the same time as the platform classes and the tradeshow, so there might be a tradeoff of a platform class you don’t get to see, but for the most part, you get a great experience from these classes.

So what about plus classes? These actually start in the days before the platform classes and tradeshow. They come at an extra cost, and are almost like mini workshops. You pick your favorite photographer and spend two days shooting with them, learning in the classroom, it’s a great experience and far cheaper than most 2 days workshops with these photographers. They are extremely small classes and a great way to start of WPPI.

Q. So what about this tradeshow only pass? I keep seeing vendors giving them away?
A. The tradeshow is a wonderful, wonderful place. It’s two giant rooms of all the photography vendors showing you their best stuff. You can see and feel stuff from all the print labs, album companies, play with the newest cameras and lenses, and the list goes on. The bigger tradeshow booths will have speakers throughout the day, with some of the platform speakers giving mini versions of their classes throughout the day. The tradeshow goes on during the middle of the day while there is a lunch break going on between the morning and the afternoon platform classes. Most of the major labs and album companies will give away free tradeshow passes if you aren’t going for the convention. The tradeshow pass will NOT let you get into any other part of WPPI though, including the platform classes. Another tip about the tradeshow, there are lots of amazing deals, so if you’re looking to buy something photography related, you can probably find a good price on it here. Don’t buy anything the first day though, it can be overwhelming. Wait till one of the later days to avoid the impulse buys. Vendors at the tradeshow will hand you all kinds of brochures. If you take them all, I guarantee you that you will NOT get in under the baggage weight limit on your flight home!

Q. During lunch? When do we eat?
A. Yes, the tradeshow takes place during the lunch hour, and when 15,000 photographers let out of classes for lunch, every restaurant in the MGM gets PACKED! Even the food court. You could easily spend 30 minutes in line for McDonalds. We actually pack snacks like granola bars or something to give ourselves more time at the tradeshow. This also saves a lot of money. Eating in Vegas gets expensive!

Q. How much time should be spent at the trade show?
A. As much as you possibly can spare. It is MASSIVE, so it isn’t unheard of to do multiple hours each day to really see everything.

Q. What should I bring to the classes?
A. Here are some good suggestions.

1. A point and shoot camera. No need to carry around a bulky SLR for classes
2. Snacks
3. A reusable water bottle is awesome. We carry empty ones in my luggage for the trip.
4. BUSINESS CARDS! Lots and lots of business cards. WPPI is awesome for networking, so you’ll be giving them to everyone you meet. Feel free to print up some cheap ones to drop in vendor boxes for giveaways or for giveaways during classes.
5. Pens and a small notebook

Q. What are the best airlines to fly?
A. The best fares to Vegas are usually through Southwest.

Q. What about photoshoots?
A. Many photographers will run photoshoots during WPPI, some free, most not. There are many levels of photographers offering these, usually with models, usually in the desert. Beware of shoots on or around the strip, as you’ll get kicked out in a hurry and maybe not get your money’s worth. These shoots are totally buyer beware. Take the same care with choosing these as you would picking a workshop.

Q. Any other words of wisdom?
A. You asked for it, so here you go:

1. Make out a schedule in advance and be prepared to wait a while for the popular seminars. Last year Jasmine Star and Doug Gordon were a 3 hour wait. PreBoard the speakers you really want to go to, but still, you will be waiting in line.
2. Use your time in line to network and meet people. If you’re shy, this is the time to grow out of it. Come out of your shell and introduce yourself to the strangers standing beside you. Make them your friends. You’ll be totally glad you did.
3. How do you find out about get-togethers, impromptu shoots, and parties? Twitter and Facebook. Have a continuous search on twitter for #wppi and #wppi2011. That’s where you will find out all the latest happenings, so check often.
4. Love your iPhone? Too bad. Almost every photographer has one. Therefore, the 3G connection around the MGM becomes so socked in that it becomes completely unusable. Here’s the secret, or not so secret workaround. Go into your menu and turn off 3G. You’ll be on an EDGE connection, but it’s faster than nothing at all.
5. Don’t jam pack your schedule too much. Leave some time for an impromptu dinner with new friends. You will meet amazing people there who will be your lifelong friends, so cultivate that!
6. No one sleeps in Vegas. Between the 8 am classes, late night parties, and general Vegas craziness, sleep is not a common occurrence. Just show up knowing this. Get up for those 8 am speakers even when you have the urge to sleep in. It’s worth it, and you’ll regret it if you don’t. Our secret? We buy a case of 5 hour energy from amazon.com and bring it with us. The line at the Starbucks in the MGM is always WAY too long. Carry your caffeine with you!
7. Don’t leave early. The closing program is Photographer’s Ignite, and it’s amazing, entertaining, and really educational.

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave them in the comment box below and we’ll see if we can help!

In case you didn’t notice (ok, so it’s kind of hard not too) I am unveiling my new branding today! I now have a new logo, new colors, and a more refined brand, thanks to my AMAZING designer Emina of Six26 Studio. She is a branding specialist with an amazing eye and some really great ideas. She is so easy to work with, I highly recommend her to anyone looking for rebranding. In case you didn’t see it above, here is our brand spanking new logo:

It all starts with my brand new Splash page when you first visit my main site.  From there you can come here to the blog, be directed to my proofing site, which has also been redesigned and rebranded.

The pièce de résistance is my brand new website from ShowIt, which I have been working on for a few days and am now ready to share with all of you. It has full screen galleries to view large images (which I will be adding more to later) and lots of other good info to look at. Go check it out! With that note, I’m off to bed, we have a totally awesome vow renewal we are shooting tomorrow. So excited!!!!

60 photographers, a few models, some great instructors, and the really cool backdrop of the meatpacking district in New York City: This was the scene of the NYC Photog Shootout this past weekend. If you have ever wondered what wedding photographers do during the off season, here is a little peak into it. We spend a lot of time networking, educating ourselves, practicing, and just getting together. This weekend was a great opportunity  for all of these, and it was a really fun event. Here are some of my favorite shots that Lisa and I took this past Saturday.

Here is a little “behind the scenes” image of how Lisa got that last shot, along with a bunch of our fellow photographers nearby Yes, that is a professional photographer (a rather well known one) shooting with his iPhone.

This one just screams New York City to me. I love the taxi background!

At the end of the day, a guy driving by in a very nice Ferrari was driving by, saw some beautiful models with tons of photographers, and he had to stop, From then on, mass chaos ensued, and it looked like a paparazzi scene.

That’s all for now, stay tuned for a fabulous West Point wedding soon!

Lisa and I just returned from Mystic, Connecticut tonight after attending the Mystic 5 Photography Workshop. It was three great days of learning, and my head actually hurts a little bit from the information overload, but at the same time, we are feeling refreshed and inspired. Our heads are filled with some AMAZING new ideas for the upcoming wedding season that will not only benefit us, but our clients will LOVE them. Stay tuned to the blog for a BIG CHANGE coming shortly! It will be the first of many. Lisa and I find that these workshops are a great way of keeping our photography fresh and interesting for our clients, and it’s so nice to recharge in the off season with a little continuing education.

Mystic 5 had some of the best photographers in the wedding industry giving lectures about workflow, inspiration, posing, lighting, new trends, and photographic style. The presenters included Jerry Ghionis (an incredibly nice guy and an AMAZING photographer), Joe McNally, John Michael Cooper of alt F photography, Dave and Quin Cheung of DQ Studios, Tri-Coast Photography, who taught many things, bust most importantly, how to use a koozie as a lighting modifier, Andy Marcus (who even shot Ivanka Trump’s wedding), pulitzer prize winner Greg Gibson, Michelle Turner, Stacey Doyle, George Weir,  Jason Groupp,  Storey Wilkins, and Jerome and Jennifer Braga of Studio 1923. Any photographers looking for inspiration, feel free to visit their websites, they have AMAZING stuff.

Here is a little picture of Lisa and I (ok, so I need to shave) at the conference. Never mind the nikon neck band – we had to wear them to get in No love for the Canon crowd.