Cosmetic Changes

I get into these moments of comparison. And I know I shouldn’t and I know it’s bad for my soul. But sometimes I can’t help it. I find other blogs (usually other photographers) and start going obsessing to the point I forget everything else – like editing – and start making changes and previewing those changes and questioning ‘Is this really me?‘ Finally, after a lot of trial and error and obsessing – because if I didn’t do it then I’d regret it – I finally came to really liking what I came up with.

A new blog design.

It’s simple and clean.

… with a new set of headings:

• VISIT WEBSITE (A direct link to Accent Photographics)
• WEDDING TIPS (All the *Wedding Wednesday* entries)
• MAGAZINE PHOTOS -THE IOWAN (My assignments from The Iowan magazine, which there will be more of next year)
• GUEST POSTS – MCP ACTIONS BLOG (A photo-education site which is a great tool for new shooters as well as people who have been in the industry for awhile)
• EARLY WORK (A direct link into my first personal photo Website)
• HOW I STARTED (which talks about how I got into this crazy, fun, creative and inspiring line of wonderfulness!)

Is it perfect? No. But it’s perfect enough for now. Perfect enough not to spend an arm and a leg on a custom blog design (which I do think about from time to time ’cause I’m a blog-aholic). And I can’t complain… because this blog – which has gone through it’s share of growth and changes with me – has been good to me for more than 2.5 years. And I’m not about to replace it anytime soon (or at least as of this writing;-).

Cheers,

Shuva

Meeting Jasmine Star and JD…

CHICAGO, Ill. – It’s not everyday you get to meet a pop culture icon in the photography world. But I did. My assistant Linda and I made the road trip to Chicago for a day of the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) mini-conference yesterday.

All the speakers were incredible, encouraging, enthusiastic and fun to listen to – Bob and Dawn Davis (photographer/designer of celebrities based in the Chicago ‘burbs), Salvatore Cincotta (St. Louis-based photog), and Mike and Cody of TriCoast (Texas-based shooters whose workshop I did last year in San Francisco). And then there was Jasmine Star – a destination wedding photographer out of Orange County, California.

Star (which is actually her middle name) has been the social networking queen in the photography world since 2007, as well as an inspiration for my consistent blogging over the last couple years. Her coming to Chicago was a huge deal, and seeing her in real life was a bit surreal. But it was exactly as I had imagined. The room was packed. And Jasmine spoke with excitement and passion. Her husband JD – also her second shooter and business partner – was there on the sidelines taking photos and smiling with great pride.

Nevertheless Star has shared so much of herself and work with the industry, I couldn’t help but wonder: “Is there anything else left I could possibly learn from her?”

Photos by Linda Maxwell

I ended up taking a few notes. But the one thing that stuck with me was her becoming a different photographer since starting..but she was still the same person. I LOVED hearing that.

Afterward as we stood in a long line waiting to say “hello” to Jasmine, JD came up to Linda and I and started chatting. He is sooo nice… and a very cheery guy. When we each got photos of him together he later mentioned how nice that was since people don’t always ask to get photos with him. But he deserves to and I’m glad we did, since JD is such an integral part of Jasmine’s success. Finally, I had a chance to shake hands and introduce myself to her. I told Jasmine how she’d inspired me to blog, and mentioned that I would be teaching a Blogging for Business class on Monday through my local community college. Thrilled she was!!

I couldn’t have asked for a better ending to an incredible day!

Have a fabulous Friday!

Shuva 🙂

Representing Yourself in Your Community: Featured on MCP Actions

In late July I gave a presentation to a group of local business owners. While I’ve given presentations to this group before, it only happens once a year. But I learned a lot from the preparation involved about how we – photographers – present ourselves to the public. And then I proceeded to hammer out an article for Jodi Friedman. Jodi is the creator of MCP Actions, a photo-education site that gets about 3,000 hits daily. Jodi posted my article on her blog Tuesday, which you can read by clicking the screen capture below.

While the article is meant for photographers, I think it is applicable to other professionals.

To read the other guest blog posts I’ve written for MCP Actions on customer service, blogging and working with nonprofits, click here.

Have a great day!

Shuva

A How-to Class: Blogging for Your Business, on Monday, Sept. 20

DAVENPORT, Ia. – A few months ago – I actually had to look back and realized it had been awhile – I mentioned I would teach a business class on blogging through the Eastern Iowa Small Business Development Center.

Well, low and behold the class is officially listed as a Continuing Education offering in the Scott Community College catalog, mailed out to households in the Quad-City area earlier this month.

I’m excited because I’ve pursued the SBDC to offer such a class for nearly a year. And now that it’s coming up I’m just incredibly thrilled for the opportunity – and know it will “magically” come together in the midst of my busy wedding season… 🙂 (Yes. It. Will!) 😀

The class is an intro to blogging and geared for business owners who want to start their own blog or improve on what they are currently doing. I have some creative elements planned for the class, which is limited to 8 –  so sign up… soon!

Best ways to register are:

1. By phone – call SCC at 563-441-4100
2. In Person – go to the Urban Center, 306 W. River Dr., Davenport (next to Figge Museum)
3. Mail: Print out the registration form on the back of the catalog (click on screen capture above to view), print it out and send it in.

… and… make sure to spread the word via the “Share” tags below recently introduced on the blog!

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

Shuva

Blog Post No. 301

I knew I was close, but I didn’t realize it ’til after posting Sunday’s entry about A Fine Affair DJ. That was my 300th post since I started Pieces of Life in March 2008.

The blog has definitely evolved as I’ve learned and grown with my photography business, and I expect it to continue to do so. It has become an integral part of my work and personal life, yet remains a microcosm of all I do behind the scenes.

So whether you have followed me (and the blog) for a long time, read random posts when you have time in your busy lives, or are seeing this for the first time, I thank you for stopping by to visit. And I hope I offer (continued) reasons to come back. Thanks for making this a piece of your life today.

As Ever,

Shuva

A Class on Blogging for Business

For the past several months I had been talking to the Eastern Iowa Small Business Development Center in Davenport about my interest in blogging and teaching a class about blogging for businesses. Well, this week in the mail I got my official paperwork to confirm myself as an instructor. I’m REALLY excited about this opportunity to teach something I practice regularly and enjoy.

Photography is a very blog-crazed field but I don’t know the same is true for other industries. The class will be geared for people who have no blogging experience but are interested in starting a blog for their business. I can’t wait to start putting my presentation and class materials together. Luckily, I have time on my side. The class isn’t until Monday, Sept. 20. It is a 1-day class (limited to less than 10 people), and registration for it will start in late summer through the Eastern Iowa Community College District (or whenever the fall catalog comes out).

On that note, stay tuned for some exciting sneak peeks and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Changes to the Blog

If you have followed my posts, you know this blog is an online journal of my work mixed with some random occasional personal posts. But I also want it to be used as a resource guide so things are a little bit easier to find. So for the past couple days I’ve been making some changes that I thought I’d let you be aware of.

So to begin with let’s start at the top, which has some new tabs.

Under the tab, “Birth-Baby Experts” I plan to gradually add resources that may be of use for maternity or birth (yes, I do offer birth photography!) sessions.

The same is true on the wedding side of things. It’s a slow process and I’m selecting my blog experts carefully. But when it’s all said and done, consider this a one-stop resource guide for planning your wedding.

Then there’s the Specials tab. Keep an eye on this one. I usually have at least 2 specials going on, and they all have deadlines listed. So whatever catches your eye, shoot me an email via shuva@accentphotographics.com, and I’ll be happy to fill you in on details.

Email Subscription – This means getting the blog posts directly into your email literally seconds after it is posted. That way you don’t have to think about checking back on the blog (although visits and comments are always appreciated!) to see if there’s new stuff.

And finally for Facebook users, use these icons to add yourself to the growing fan base of Accent Photographics, and/or growing friend base of my personal page on Facebook.

Thanks and have a great day!

A Blog Post about Blogging

Jodi Friedman of MCP Actions – a photography-education blog read by thousands each day – was excited about my offer to do a guest post about blogging. Anyone who follows any photography blog knows photographers can be hardcore about blogging – and I’m a proud blogaholic. The post – which you can read by clicking the screen capture below – is about how photographers can get themselves to blog more regularly as well as some content ideas. While it is aimed at photographers, the suggestions can apply to anyone seeking more exposure. Enjoy.