THE LATEST
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RUNNING A PHOTO BIZ
Your Business is Not About You
"Your photography business is not about you." That’s not something we hear very much these days. In fact, I feel sometimes that one of the strongest messages we hear during this rapid growth of the industry is the exact opposite. We hear that it’s all about...
4 Crazy Simple Tips For Confident Posing
Spoiler alert: Jeff and I love to throw parties. Which isn’t much of a shocker with how much we love food, wine, and general merriment. In fact, crafting the perfect party has become an art form for us with years of trial and error on party greats and party fouls...
How We Edit Our Images in Lightroom 4
NOTE: We'll be updating this ASAP with a Lightroom 5 Video Not too long ago we posted a tutorial about how we get such beautiful, consistent skin tones in our images using Lightroom 3, and at about the same time Adobe released Lightroom 4 which works differently...
On Success and “Making It”
We've finally "made it." Okay, not really. But we had an experience a few years ago that I debated about sharing, but in the end decided that it might be helpful and encouraging for my friends. This isn't a look-at-us sort of post, but more of a...
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....
The Key to Crazy Awesome Engagement Sessions
Some people ask why we love engagement sessions so much, and the answer is simple: WE'RE TOTALLY SELFISH. The engagement session is the perfect excuse to hang out with our clients, get to know a LOT about them, and allow them to get used to being photographed by...
Our Two Favorite Lenses and Shooting Wide Open
In this Reader FAQ, we answer:
If you only could use one lens for an entire wedding which would you choose? And do you guys shoot wide open? The light is always so awesome in your pictures!!
Where Should I Host Client Meetings?
In this Reader FAQ, we answer:
Where do you meet up with clients or where would you recommend for photographers who don't have their own studio?
Three Daily Steps to Discovering Your Style
It can be one of the toughest challenges for an artist, especially a new one. It effects your branding, your marketing, your income, and your satisfaction in your work. It's not something you can force, but it takes work to develop. It's the heart and soul of your...
How to Produce Sharp Images
In this Reader FAQ, we answer:
All of your images have a special "crisp-ness" to them. What's the secret? What sharpening method do you guys use?
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