It's Ladies night in Saskatoon, and you're invited!!!

Looking for a fun night out with the girls on Friday, April 22?  Come on out to our ladies night!  Please RSVP to the Facebook event pageHERE if you are planning on coming:).   Hope to see you all there!  https://www.facebook.com/events/1682332472031534/

Memories By Mandy and Joi Photography are hosting an interactive evening of fun for our past clients, their friends/family and ladies who want to check us out! Be prepared for a jam-packed evening of prizes, entertainment, shopping, and fun!

THE DETAILS:
Doors open at 7pm, last entry at 7:45 -- 158 2nd ave north
Entertainment starts at 7:30pm and goes all night!
-How to look great in photos
-Stella and Dot - How to rock statement jewellery
-Red Lip Make-up Tutorial by Holly Decker Makeup Artistry
Joy Tesch Hair Styling Station - Joy will be styling hair for our guests all evening!
-Live Boudoir Photo Shoot
-Prize Draws throughout the night*

***This event is free to attend! If you'd like a chance to win some killer prizes, please bring along a donation to the Crisis Nursery. This can be $5.00 cash or an item listed below that they're in desperate need for. ***

MORE FUN!
- Stella and Dot Mystery Hostess trunk show - any orders placed will be entered to win the hostess rewards!
- Joi Photo booking special -- book your boudoir or glamour shoot on the same night and get $100.00 off your package!
- Memories By Mandy booking special!
- Pop up shops!
- Cash bar!
- Selfie Station (there's prizes here too!)

*** Must be 19 years or older to attend -- bring ID!

Please RSVP to this event page to attend -- there is limited space!

CRISIS NURSERY NEEDS:
Baby Formula
Grocery Store/Walmart gift cards
Gift Cards for outings: bowling, ice cream, swimming, movies
Family size cereal (no nuts, low sugar)
Kids shampoo, conditioner & body wash

PRIZE POOL
- $50 Stella & Dot gift card
- Joi Photography boudoir shoot
- Memories by Mandy family session
- Sephora Make-up Kit
- MUCH MUCH MORE!

Big news....

We are moving into a studio space! After (almost) 9 years in the business, we are so excited to announce that we are moving our business out of our home and into an established (and amazingly gorgeous) studio right here in downtown Saskatoon. 

Joi Photography has graciously opened her doors to us and we cannot wait to start photographing families in the space!  If you haven’t heard of Joi photography, you must be living under a rock (just kidding... sort of).  She is an incredible Boudoir photographer here in Saskatoon with a really amazing studio space.  We haven’t offered boudoir photography in years, so we will continue to refer boudoir clients to her.  (If you are ever thinking of doing a boudoir session, you must check out her website, she is the queen bee of boudoir photography here in Saskatoon!) 

If you would like to get out of the cold for your family session (my specialty), and into a beautiful studio with 100 year old hard wood floors, I am your gal!  We decided to make the leap to a studio because let’s face it, who wants to be outdoors in our Canadian winters?  This will give us the opportunity to bring your fun family session indoors, into a beautiful space, to showcase your beautiful family.  We will still be offering on location photography at no extra charge, so you will be getting the opportunity to take advantage of the best of both worlds!  I am so excited for this next phase in our business and we can’t wait to share it with you!  We are going to be hosting some really fun events coming up, so if you would like to be added to our mailing list to hear about them, please email us directly:  memoriesbymandy@shaw.ca.

Thank you all so so much for your continued support!  You all mean the world to me!!! 

Availability for 2016 - Saskatoon photographers

An update on availability.... We only have two sessions available this year, on December 28 or 29.  Otherwise we are completely booked until the new year.  We are planning another round of princess sessions in the new year and we are still taking bookings for 2016 weddings.  We have opened up bookings for 2017 weddings as well.  We hope to hold another beginner DSLR course in the new year.  If you are interested, please contact us to be on the wait list.  This would be a wonderful addition if you have wrapped a DSLR camera for that special someone under the tree.  I have had an incredible year with so many past clients coming to see me, and some new faces who have graced my camera.  From the bottom of my heart... Thank you!  I can't wait to see what 2016 brings!

Today's lesson - Saskatoon photographers

A few years ago we switched around how we do things a bit to make our customer service for portrait sessions top notch.  We know a few photographers in Saskatoon did this already and little did we know how much it would change everything (in a good way!).  What am I talking about you may ask?

ORDERING SESSIONS!

What is an ordering session?  Once the photo shoot has come and gone, we have our clients back into our studio, typically within the week following the session, to view and order their images. How did it change everything? 

Well our favorite thing in the whole world is watching our clients view their images for the first time, seeing the emotions, the smiles, the tears, everything, reassures me 1000% of what I do is all worth it at that moment.  Another thing that we have found since doing these sessions in person is people have no idea what to order.  They typically have an idea of what they want...  a big wall portrait, an album, or maybe some gift prints for their family, but the number one questions I always get asked is:  "What do you think?" or "How big is that?" "Between this image or that image, which one do you prefer?"  Being able to provide our clients with the expertise in giving suggestions on what to order and what size is ideal for their space is priceless. 

Another thing we love about in person ordering sessions is we hear and see what our clients don't like about themselves.  I know, hands down, we are all our own worst critic.  I might look at an image of you and think it's absolutely beautiful, and you might look at it and all you can see is your arm that appears too big to you, or you hate your profile.  This small but crucial detail has absolutely made us become better at our craft!  Time and time again we hear many of the same complains about people and their thoughts about themselves, which has made us more aware during the session to avoid these things in posing etc.  And for those returning clients especially... if they don't like their arms, I will be sure to pose a certain way to mask that, or if they preferred one side to another, or a smile that doesn't show their teeth, I will keep that in mind for future sessions. This is something that I would have never even realized had I not been there in person with my clients. 

Walking our clients through every step of the process has become our way.  Little did I know, this small step has made me improve so much as a photographer.  While it does take a bit more time, we feel as it is worth every extra minute!  If you are a photographer who would like more info on this topic, drop us a line!  We would love to chat more!

Photo Walk - Saskatoon Photographers

We are hosting our first photo walk!  I'm so excited!  We are limiting the walk only to people who have taken a DSLR course through us, to help them follow up with the skills they learned through our courses.  This is a great time to practice and ask any questions that you may have.  If you have taken our beginner DSLR course, please email us to RSVP to the walk!  We hope to see you all there! 


How to photograph fireworks

With the fireworks festival coming up this weekend in Saskatoon I thought it would be fun to do a blog post on photographing fireworks!  So.. here is a simple guide to photographing fireworks.  You can find out all the details of the 2015 fireworks festival in Saskatoon HERE.

1.  Put your camera on a tripod.  If you don't have one, you will need a steady surface to put your camera on.  Although a tripod is always best! 

Put your camera on manual mode with the following settings:

ISO:  200 or 400

Aperture:  F16 or around there

Shutter speed:  Here is where you need to play around a bit!  I would suggest starting at one second, then adjusting from there.  Depending on how much ambient light there is, you may want to go a bit lower or higher than that!  If the fireworks aren't the big grand ones, you will likely need to add a couple of seconds. 

DISCLAIMER:  These are the settings I used!  They can totally depend on your surroundings etc., but this is a great starting point!!!

A great tip is when you press the shutter, hold onto the camera with both hands, and don't let go until you hear the shutter close.  If you push it and release instantly, it can cause the camera to move a bit (even on a tripod), resulting in blurry pictures. 

Play around with it, have fun and break the 'rules' to see what you can create!!!

**All off these images are from the Canada Day fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

**All off these images are from the Canada Day fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

Adding people to the mix is a whole other ball game!  Of course, I only have recent fireworks images with people in the them, being a portrait photographer and all.  Keep an eye on our page for future blog posts on adding people to your fireworks pictures.  For now, go out and master fireworks shots on their own. 

Another thing to keep in mind is try and get some really great shots right at the start. Once a bunch of fireworks go off, it gets really smoky and they don't photograph as well.

Good Luck! 

How do I start a photography business?

We get asked this question a lot!  With so many new photographers popping up everyday, I thought I would make a list of the top 20 things you need to do before you start charging people for your services.  Until you are set up as a legitimate registered business in Saskatoon, it is illegal to charge people to photograph them.  Here are the top 20 things you need to do to start your own photography business.

  1. Register your business with the city. You need to renew this each and every year!

  2. Register your business name. This is different than step #1. It is so important you do this or anyone else can actually start a business under the same name. This needs to be renewed every 5 years.

  3. Get insurance! Talk to an Insurance agent to find out what you need. You are technically not allowed in many public areas in Saskatoon without liability insurance.

  4. Get a PST number. You need to collect PST if you are selling a product. And photographs, whether in print or in digital format, is a product. Every photographer should have a PST number.

  5. Once your photography business brings in more than $30,000 a year you need a GST number as well!

  6. Get a camera and learn how to use it in the manual settings. Learn your camera inside and out.

  7. Invest in great lenses. Great glass produces top quality images.

  8. Buy Lightroom and/or Photoshop, and learn how to use it.

  9. Take a photography course, and keep learning! There are some great online courses, but as a creative person I learn best by doing, so in class learning is far more beneficial for myself, which is why we take a few workshops every single year.

  10. Take a business course. Photography is only 10% of running a photography business.

  11. Create a business plan, and review it every couple of years.

  12. Open a business bank account.

  13. Charge enough money so you can make a living, don't charge based on what you think people can afford. People often think that if they charge $500 for a session, that goes directly in their pocket and they don't account for monthly business expenses or taxes, which you have a pay at the end of the year (or quarterly).

  14. Practice, Practice, Practice.... and then practice some more!

  15. Find a mentor. Choose someone who is established and whose work you love. The PPOC is great for this.

  16. Make friends with other photographers.

  17. Once you have a great variety of images, create a website. Facebook pages are great marketing tools, but websites are a must, as a photographers work is so visual.

  18. Hire a graphic artist to help you create your brand, and logo.

  19. Get as much experience as you can. Offer to second shoot/assist other photographers for free to learn as much as you can.

  20. Lastly, know that running a business takes a ton of work. 9-5, Monday to Friday is officially out the window. It's rare I take a full day off, even if that means I'm answering emails at midnight. It never stops!

If you are interested in a mentor, I would love to give you a hand with your photography business. I absolutely love to see other succeed doing something they are passionate about. Those that are out of province (not in Saskatchewan) will get special pricing.

We truly hope this list of how to start a photography business helpful!  Please, feel free to add anything below in the comments:).  Good Luck!

An image we got at the Canada fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

An image we got at the Canada fireworks here in Saskatoon. 

   

Killer - Photographing photographers

This is my friend Dani... she is the photographer over at Danielle Stasiuk Photography and Pink Sugar boudoir.  Her work is killer!  The other night we went out to take some photos of each other.  It was a lot of fun!  She made me feel so comfortable in front of the camera and gave me a ton of direction, which I love!  I will post some of my pics later, but in the meantime here are a few fav's from her session.  If you are interested, you can check out her website HERE