Getting back to Photography…Love the Romantic feel of this!

Work, Work, Work!

Hi All,

You may be wondering why I haven’t been blogging lately.  I have been working diligently to reach my business goal.  What that is, I prefer not to say.  I’m still not too open just yet, even though I have a blog.  But nonetheless, working hard.  Many people think that photography is glamorous, but in fact, it is really hard work. When photographing an event, you are expected to stand for the entire event, give or take eight hours sometimes more.  Working outdoors is so much fun, but you have to be ready for anything and face the elements.  Editing!!!  I need to hire an editor! LOL!  Hours and hours of proofing and editing work.  Even though I pick the best photos to work with, any kind of editing takes time.  Back to my point, I have been extremely busy doing all this and I love it.  Now the even harder part is trying to juggle it all at once.  As a business owner I am working very hard to reach my business goal.  As a photographer, I am always looking to improve and stay creative.  And as far as creating an online presence, yikes!  I have my hands full!  No matter what I am doing or how exhausted I am, I love my job.  Why>?  Because it is MY job and it is MY business.  Everything that I do and don’t do is immediately reflected within and it is very rewarding to see and experience the results.

Til’ my next insomniac moment,

Aimee Michelle

                                                                                                        www.aimeemichellemercado.com

Several Failed Attempts. “How did I end up here?” A Realization.

Now the hard part, taking my business and turning it into a reality.  Opening up my photography business in January of 2010 was one of the most nerve-wrecking ventures I have ever been on.   No one told me how or guided me.  I did it all on my own.  I went out and found the information that I needed to do what had to be done.   To ensure success, I created a business plan that in the initial year would focus on volume sales.  The main reason for this was to promote, become known, get experience, and to ultimately stay in business.  The outcome: it worked.  My small business was very successful its first year and the best part was that we were getting referrals from clients.  It was such a great moment when my business made it to January and had survived the dreaded “first year,” but it did.  Each year the goal has always been the same: consistency and longevity.  I have been working hard along with the support and help of my family, to reach this goal.  It has been a learning process and very stressful, but I did it, and I will continue to do so.  Opening up my own photography business was the best thing that I could have done.  Photography is my calling.  It comes so easily and naturally to me, I don’t have to fight it.  It is the perfect combination of business and art.  It is what I was looking for all along.  It was right in front of me, but I was too blind to see.   Then it occurred to me.  I realized that my several failed attempts in life were not failed attempts at all.  They just were not my calling.  They were not meant to be.  They were just part of the process of finding out who I was, who I am.  This is a process that we all must go through in life to figure out who we are and find ourselves.  Life is not black and white.  It is not a resume that you can fit on a single sheet of paper.  It is messy and confusing, but well worth it.  There are no easy questions much less answers.  So if you are lost, I encourage you to make several different attempts at life because we never know who we truly are until we try.

Sincerely yours,

Aimee Michelle

Several Failed Attempts… “How did I end up here?”

How did I end up here? I started doing photography as a hobby right out of high school. It was not in my plans to turn it into a business. My goals in life were to become a successful model,  actress,  and singer, but mainly a singer. I was going to school to get a bachelors degree, but I didn’t know in what field. The reason for this is because I could not decide what field other than the arts would be able to satisfy me. So I ended up changing majors again and again. I went from doing biology for two years to studying architecture for one year to getting my real estate license.  And then I realized I was just lost. So I just started taking my core classes and tried to choose a degree that would be able to adapt and change with me as often as I changed my mind. I did not want to be stuck in one particular field for the rest of my life. Then it occurred to me that every field has a business side.   And that is when I became a business major. Knowing this fact that I would have the freedom to change fields at any given time made it easy for me to obtain my bachelors degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. It only took me 7 years. But I found myself. While all this was going on, I was failing miserably at becoming  a triple threat in the arts. The modeling, became a watered down version of a promotional model. The acting, never really got to audition because there aren’t enough here in town. And the singing, extremely fun, but burnt out very quickly. My reality was nowhere near what I had hoped. I was so focused on getting a degree in anything and trying to achieve a twinkle of stardom that photography never crossed my mind. But then I started doing the math.  It then lead to a business plan.  Then the curiosity kicked in if I could actually take a theory, turn it into reality, and just how well it would translate.   So I decided to take on this new venture as scared as I was. My hair started falling out in patches during the month of December because I knew come January of 2010, I would open up my photography business…

Monochromatic = Dramatic

There is something about black and white photography that makes the pictures even more compelling.  They tell a story without ever having to speak a word.

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Monochromatic = Dramatic.  Just had to share.

Til’ the next monochromatic moment,

Aimee Michelle

What Style of Photography is Right for You? Wedding Photography.

What style of photography is right for you?  As a consumer, you want a photographer that will satisfy your needs, basically, give you what you want.  When searching for a photographer, one of the most important things to consider is “Do I like their photos?”  Simple, basic, and yet so very complicated.  Why is this?  Because when you hire a photographer, you are more than likely hiring them for a special moment in you life, your wedding.  You are entrusting them to be able to capture that moment for you and save it forever.

One of the main things to consider is to figure out which style of photography is right for you.  When it comes to wedding photography, there are two styles.  Traditional and Photojournalism.

The traditional style of photography consists of photographs in which the people are posing.  It requires for the photographer to set up the shot and organize everyone in the photograph.

Traditional Wedding Photography

Photojournalism is the opposite.  It is photography that focuses on capturing candid moments and not interfering.  It tells a story.

Photojournalism Wedding Photography

Which style speaks most to you?  Right now you are probably saying, “Well I like both…”  And guess what, that is perfectly okay.  There are also  photographers who do a combination of both.  But the main thing is to find out first before hand.  You don’t want to feel as if your special moment was not captured completely.  Many photographers will allow you to get the best of both worlds.  For example, during the ceremony, the photographer will not interfere at all, zero.  And then right after the ceremony, there may be time that will allow for the photographer to set up traditional photographs.

Now that you are familiar with the styles available for wedding photography, go out there knowing what you want, and find your favorite photographer for you special moment.

Til’ our next special moment,

Aimee Michelle

                                                                                                 www.aimeemichellemercado.com