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EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RUNNING A PHOTO BIZ
What Worked in Our Business|(and What Totally Didn’t)
When it comes to vision-planning, reflecting and goal setting, you gotta get REAL! When Jeff and I were wrapping up our revenue numbers at the turn of this year, we were SO stinkin' proud of what we accomplished in 2016! We couldn't believe that we actually...
Our Journey of Growth
When I look back at 2016, the word that immediately comes to my mind is GROWTH. Jeff and I spent the past three years leading up to 2016 building our two photography studios here in San Diego - Clove & Kin and Bauman Photographers - and in looking back, those...
Build the Best Pre-Wedding Workflow – Ever
Let’s talk workflow, my friends. I mean, you HAVE come to The Youngrens, and if you know anything about us Youngrens, it’s that we love our workflows and our systems. #workflowjunkies If you’re a photographer that is supes on it, and you’ve dialed in your wedding...
Want to Increase Your Booking Rates? |It’s Easier Than You Think
There's a common reason why clients don’t book with you, but I would guess that most of you don’t realize what that reason is. Oh sure, if you ask a prospective client why they didn't book with you, they will say it’s because...
Your Dream Clients & The New Definition of ‘Rich’
Seth Godin wrote a book in 2011 called We Are All Weird about the end of mass marketing and the rise of the niche economy. And I love it. Like totally head-over-heels in love with this book, going-to-have-a-fan-girl-moment-if I-ever-get-it-signed,...
A Letter to Wedding Vendors|(Dress Code Matters)
Update : Please Read When this post was originally published, it sparked a tremendous amount of conversation about dress code issues in the wedding industry. Originally, I only addressed videographers because we work the closest with them on a regular basis,...
The ROI FUNK
Return on Investment. As a creative entrepreneur, I feel like this phrase should cross my mind more than it does... I feel like I should be asking myself - clinically and objectively like a researcher in a lab coat - what exactly my return on investment...
Completion Not Perfection
"HOW IN THE WORLD AM I SUPPOSED TO KEEP UP WITH THESE EXPECTATIONS?" It was the first time I had said the words out loud to someone other than our cat, Gracie. I was with my girlfriends, we were enjoying wine and cheese, and THIS had boiled to the surface. 'I...
Want the Best Kept Secret of Effective Marketing?
As wedding photographer, your clients are consumers - not businesses or corporations - so they don’t make decisions the same way that corporations do. Corporations make decisions based on ROI - Return on Investment. They sit in their offices and...
10 Books That Every Photographer Should Read
There's nothing like learning on the job to bring you up to speed on your profession, and every education needs a school book, right? No matter how much formal education you've had in your life or how many degrees you've earned, your true education starts when...
Pick up the Phone! | The Magic of Phone Consultations
I’m not a phone person and to be honest, I don’t think that I ever will be. I’m a quiet and shy individual, and making conversation with new acquaintances isn’t my strongest quality, so talking to a complete stranger over a phone connection scares the BIJEEZES out...
What Gear Do We Use?
One of the questions we get asked most often is about the gear we have in our bag - what lenses we love and why. Before we get started, I want to mention that we shoot on Canon gear and the lenses we have are the best lenses for us - your needs may vary....
DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START?
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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