Best of Jen Schmidt Photography, 2011

2011 was by far my best year yet. Often beautiful, sometimes painful and always intensely busy, there were months I barely slept there was so much going on! By my best estimation, I picked up a camera nearly 150 times for Jen Schmidt Photography. I traveled to San Francisco, Napa, Jess Valley, Seattle, Montana, even Playa del Carmen, Mexico for work.

I also – !!! – got a puppy for Christmas, which is the reason this post is a little late! She is wonderful, but training her has taken up a bit of my time

In 2011 I opened up five different genres of photography I had never really explored before: boudoir, maternity, trash the dress, real estate/architectural, and I even had the honor to witness and document four proposals. I’m kicking off 2012 with another new one: birth photos. As I type this I am waiting (this week and next) to hear from my clients so I can race down the hill when she goes into labor. What an honor it is, being given the opportunity to be a part of such a miracle.

We’re coming up on JSP’s third anniversary (it’s April Fool’s Day, believe it or not) and I have nothing but gratitude for all of my profoundly supportive and always wonderful clients, mentors and friends. I am astonished, flattered and humbled that you do so much for me. You have given me the world.

It’s also because of you that I will travel on business to Seattle, Martha’s Vineyard, San Francisco, Las Vegas, BELIZE (!!!) and who knows where else this year.

I am so fortunate to know each and every one of you – it is truly an honor to witness the most important moments in your life, from proposal to marriage to newborns, children, senior portraits and family reunions. Here is to a beautiful, lively, incredibly creative and spectacular 2012 for all of us. Cheers!

June wedding in Tahoe

One day back in March I received a missive from someone in Boston named Sarah, saying she’d found me on, of all places, Yelp. She had seen a great review from my wonderful friend and first Montana bride, Kristin, who was married last year on June 11 – my first solo wedding. Oddly enough, Sarah wanted to know if I was available for a wedding on June 11. Oh, sweet serendipity!

When Scott and Sarah arrived in Tahoe on June 9 for their engagement photos I immediately clicked with them. Warm, funny, sweet, they were all the reasons I love my job. Best of all, they love each other, madly and truly.

Enjoy these images from their intimate lakeside wedding. Sarah and Scott, I know you’ll have a beautiful life together. Fill it with fun and adventures!

Why hire a professional photographer?

No matter what industry you’re in, people looking to save a buck will ask you this question over and over again. I gave the following presentation/slideshow (in so many words) to my networking group this morning.

When a bride comes to me about wedding photos I can talk until I’m blue in the face about my work, my experience, how much I love my job – but when she asks me why she can’t just have her uncle Bob with the Best Buy camera take her wedding pictures, what can I say? What would you say?

Let me begin by saying that there are situations where all of us can get away without hiring professional help: photo-specifically, everyday shots of the kids, photos of the daily special in a restaurant posted to social media sites, grip-and-grin shots to be submitted to the local newspaper. But when do you need a professional photographer?

When I asked the members of TBX this morning, their first response was: anytime you actually want something to look good; anytime you want to be able to hang it on a wall; anytime you want to sell your house; anytime you want photos of your kids that don’t end up with you getting too emotionally involved/frustrated.

These are all perfectly valid reasons. Love ‘em – my fellow local business owners are awesome and most understand the value of hiring a professional because they themselves are exactly that. But aside from the more obvious aesthetics of professional v. amateur, there is still a multitude of practical, concrete reasons you want to have a pro on board for things like portrait, commercial or wedding shoots.

Pros have the gear. We spend thousands – if not tens of thousands – of dollars on good, carefully-researched equipment rather than running to a big box store and buying their fanciest pro-sumer model on a whim. We have the big boy toys, and we know how to use them.

(We also have backups in case any of said big toys fail, or if we’re unlucky that particular day and a shutter blows out or something breaks. Can you imagine not having photos of your wedding day because early on your uncle tripped over something and dropped his camera on the ground?)

Pros have experience. Like the trusty postman, we work in rain, sleet and snow, not to mention with awful lighting conditions, nervous brides and family drama. We know how to calm people down—because we do this all the time—and if we’re technically good we can handle everything with grace and sometimes profit from conditions others might consider problematic. Snowstorm? No problem, if the bride and groom are willing, let’s get them out there for an unforgettable bridal session in the dark, swirling blizzard.

Pros pay for continuing education and perfect the craft full-time, rather than on the side. I spend a good deal of my non-shooting, non-editing time learning and watching webinars, reading blogs and professional forums, searching for inspiration. Pros join organizations where they can network with colleagues and learn from each other; they attend workshops and seminars, sometimes traveling halfway around the world. As trite as it sounds, I am thinking about my profession from the time I wake to the time I sleep. Sometimes when I’m nervous I even dream about it too.

Pros have a workflow and will get it done on time. Let’s face it, best case scenario—even if your friend or cousin is a full-time photographer and offers his/her services on the big day, you could still run into problems. Professionals are bound to contracts and if they are indeed working full-time, they’re not going to prioritize non-paying or informal jobs. I’ve heard from brides who went this route and didn’t receive their images for eight, 10, 12 months after the wedding. Pros also have liability insurance so if a great aunt trips on a piece of equipment and gets hurt, both the photographer and the couple are covered.

Lastly, we control quality from start to finish. Pros spend days sorting through thousands of photos, editing the images to perfection and creating albums. We use software that is the real deal, not free filters/templates downloaded from the internet or a discounted version of Photoshop Elements. Every single negative, down to the quality of the paper on which the album is printed, is controlled for the best possible outcome. You’ll never have nasty surprises, only tasteful, archival-quality images you can admire for decades to come.

If for no other reason, consider the money you spend an investment in the only tangible remains of the wedding, apart from the dress or a few musty favors you find in a box in the basement. You’ll be looking at those photos for the next 50 years when the flavor of the dinner has been long forgotten, the gourmet guest gift chocolates devoured and the venue torn down or remodeled.

Slideshow:
JSP – why hire a pro?

Springtime in Seattle

While we’re stuck in the snow yet again, the Pacific Northwest is blooming and beautiful. Last weekend I flew to Seattle for some delicious seafood, a brunch with my grandmother, and of course, a photo shoot.

My best friend from high school wanted some photos of the charming new man in her life. Tristan is 10 months old, always on the go, and he never stops smiling!

While you wait

Thanks for checking in! As you can see, the website is coming along well and, fingers crossed, will be ready very soon. For those of you who are new to my work, I thought I’d share this slideshow of my favorite images from last year. Hopefully this will give you a good introduction to my style while Mike and I finish putting this beautiful, sleek new site together. If you have questions, comments or philosophical statements, I welcome any inquiries through the contact form on the site, or you can email me directly at jen {at} jenschmidtphotography {dot} com. Thanks!