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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RUNNING A PHOTO BIZ
How We Shoot Gorgeous Reception Details |(In Less Than Six Minutes!)
It's a challenge that I love... I'll walk into a reception just before guests are allowed in, the staff is hurriedly setting out glasses, the coordinator is lighting candles, and I have T-minus-five-minutes to capture it all... Call me crazy, but I get a rush...
Setting Up Automated Email Campaigns in ShootProof
As the holiday season quickly approaches, many photographers find themselves wrapped up in planning mini-sessions for those holiday cards, but what about all those clients you already have - the ones you've already photographed? Each year, we do a special sale for...
While You’re Doing WHAT You’re Doing… Do This, Too
I’m reading Start with Why by Simon Sinek. If you haven’t read this book yet, I don’t even want you to finish reading this post. Just go read the book. Now. As soon as you start reading this classic, you’ll know why I love it. I have PAGES of quotes from the book...
Should You Turn Away Clients?
Remember that seriously cute children's book, Are You My Mother? The one where the lost baby bird wanders around asking everybody - and EVERYTHING - if they’re his mama? "Are you my mother???” he asks on every illustrated page. He asks a kitten, a hen, a dog, a...
3 Simple Tips for Achieving Natural Skin Tones
I don't have amazing skin. AT ALL. In fact, I didn't get acne until AFTER high school. I turned 18, went to my first semester of college, and my face turned into a 15 year old's acne nightmare. So as a adult-acne survivor, I LOVE seeing my not-so-perfect skin...
Your Ideal Client: What to Do Instead of Fakin’ it ’til You Make It
Does anyone remember JNCO jeans? Growing up in small town Idaho in the late 90's, super baggy, wide leg skater punk jeans were the COOLEST. The wider your jeans (like 32" or MORE), the cooler you were. And a pair of JNCOs were the most sought after item...
Our Perfect Wedding Photography Schedule (That We Use For Every Wedding)
There’s nothing better than a stress-free wedding day when everything runs on time, people are ready to take pictures when you need them, and you have creative freedom to do your job well. Can I get a ‘fo-sho’ from my wedding peeps out there? And you...
The Biggest Mistake We Recently Made in Our Business
Jeff and I had to make a hard decision recently with one of our associate wedding brands. (In case you didn't know, we own three different wedding photography studios in San Diego.) Wedding bookings kept going down and down and down for this brand, which meant that...
Your Ideal Client: Are You Making These Fatal Mistakes?
Is your social media less of a 'strategy' and more like wadding up wet paper towels and throwing them against a wall to see what sticks? I've soooo been there... But when you know WHO you're going after - your beloved Dreamies - and WHY you're going...
How to Shoot Beautiful Portraits in Harsh Sunlight
When it comes to lighting, wedding days are totally against us as wedding photographers, especially if you do a LOT of First Looks, like Jeff and I do. Because we're shooting First Looks before the ceremony, we're also shooting the wedding party and family...
How to Connect With Your Dreamies on Instagram
Connecting with your Dreamies on your Instagram feed is like you're hosting a dinner party at your house. (Stick with me here...) For example, when you invite friends over for dinner, you decide that you’re going to make Italian food. That’s your vision for your...
How We Capture Authentic Emotion on the Wedding Day
A while back, I wrote a post about how to bring out authentic emotion in your couples. In that post, I introduced the concept of Emotional Grounding, the idea of slowing down your couples to help them remember the moment. It’s something Jeff and I have...
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HOW DO I GET MORE (AND BETTER) WEDDING INQUIRIES?
Every wedding photographer desperately wants to know the quick answer to this one question: “How in the world do I get more wedding inquiries???" So in this mega-post, I’m sharing how to build a solid marketing STRATEGY – the same one that has continually brought high quality wedding inquiries to our business for the past ten years.
SIX EMAIL TEMPLATES YOU SHOULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT
A full inbox causes so much stress in my life that it’s the #1 thing that pulls me away from important work. So what's my single most effective weapon against ‘email overwhelm’? EMAIL TEMPLATES. Here’s my pick for the six email templates that every wedding photographer should have in their business and why.
HOW TO SHOOT BEAUTIFUL PORTRAITS IN HARSH SUNLIGHT
When it comes to lighting, wedding days are totally against us as wedding photographers. Most of the time, we’re shooting the First Look, wedding party and family portraits ALL in the harsh afternoon sun. So how do Jeff and I handle the tough light to shoot soft, natural skin tones in super harsh sun? Check out my six technical tips…
CREATIVE RISING
the podcastA show about what it’s really like to run a PHOTOGRAPHY business
We teach photographers to build life-giving businesses that they absolutely love.
About Us
We're Jeff & Erin
We’re Jeff and Erin Youngren – and it’s our mission to help you thrive not just as a wedding photographer, but as a business owner. It’s time to set aside the stress and comparison of a hustle mindset, and build a life-giving business instead.
We met in college, got married, and started corporate jobs before we discovered (and fell in love with) wedding photography. But like many creative entrepreneurs, we were booking anything we could, strapped to our laptops and living dangerously close to burnout.
So we dug in and learned how to build a thriving business that supports our dream life – instead of a joyless business that runs a stressed-out life.
Today, we photograph only 10 Dreamie weddings per year, but we also run two other wedding brands plus a commercial studio in San Diego, CA. And we do it by only working the hours that fit into our life. The other hours? We spend those living a joyful life raising our two beautiful sons, James and Samuel.
hugs,
Jeff and Erin