Running in rain soaked heels...

So a theatre packed weekend trip to London was swiftly replaced by shopping as unbelievably there were no tickets left under £70 for a matinee, call me naive but seriously it seemed a little ridiculous. Maybe pay day and a pre Xmas get together was on the cards for more people than me! Anyway enjoyed the shopping delights of Camden Market & Covent Garden and after much dribbling over some beautiful punched metal jewellery I settled on a suitably festive purchase of Bambi in black. Well, even Disney is fashionable these days.

Anyway busy week this week with 3 full days of shooting. Friday I am looking forward to as am descending on Stoke Parks exclusive Christmas Party and getting some snaps of the guests and the wonderful venue which i understand is going to be decorated in black and gold top to bottom. Even introducing a fire torch filled entrance and gold dip bar. Sneak preview pics to come at some point Saturday.

Ooo and before I forget although it hasn't gone live quite yet I believe it will be there by midnight. Not that I am staying up or expect anyone else to but check out my 'Louis me and Nettle Tea' pics on the front cover of Running in Heels!! (Talking of which I did a lot of that this weekend from bar to bar or bar to bus stop while tipping with rain!) There are a few brief words as well which I am now worried will make me sound like a total nonce but fingers crossed all is good and screw the words....it's the pictures!! Check it out here.

Over and out for this evening

C x

Limited edition Xmas Voucher...

Carli-Art photography would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and in doing so has just 20 of these £50 vouchers to spend on a location portrait shoot.

With 10 already donated to St Mary's school in Burghfield there are just ten vouchers remaining, so grab yourself one while they are hot! All you need to do is recommend a friend to my blog or my Carli-Art group on facebook.

Blog - Get your friend to follow me or add me as a favourite

Facebook - Ask your friend to write on my wall and you will each get a voucher.

Its that easy and there are no catches! Just £50 off Carli-Art photography location portraits, valid all the way up until June 2010.

Be a high watt light bulb...

So as you can see the blog has undergone a make over! I felt it was time for something a little different and to bring the blog a little more in line with my website, I hope I have done that and can create a little more lovin (hello Barry White) between the two.

Things should be easier to find, more fun to view and most importantly more about you! Yes really, I am here to make sure I can service you so let me know what you want or don't want and it will certainly be considered!

For the moment I leave you with a large yawn and a link to one of the best sites I stumbled across this year....not because its a great website (although lovely I am sure) but because it gave me access to a rather energetic Marketing Seminar which has armed me with a bag full of exciting marketing tips and a head full of ideas.

I want to be bright like a lightbulb - click here!

Carli

Changes.....

PLEASE NOTE THIS BLOG IS UNDERGOING SOME CHANGES- THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR PATIENCE WHILE ALL THE FAB FEATURES ARE COMPLETED.

Suggestions? Comments? Want to contribute? hello@carli-art.co.uk

New New NEWS!

So felt it was time for a new feature on the blog and the name of the game is keeping one's ear firmly pressed to the current, wet soggy ground. Once a week (maybe more, don't know yet!) I will be bringing you some hot gossip, some what is hot and what is not and some Art, Culture or Fashion News.

| Bow, E3 studios open |

A.S.C has just completed a new studio development in Bow, E3 with 48 art studios available. Wnat to know more - contact Julia on 0207 7274

| U2 to headline Glastonbury |

Waiting only 26 years and U2 have finally confirmed they will be headlining at next years mud filled festival who are also celebrating their 40th Anniversary. Check out the full story here.

| Tattoo you |

Body art has been getting increasingly popular for the past 20 years with the stereotype of hairy, mobbish bikers being thrown to the wind and middle class fashionistas almost classing it a necessity. Much like a pink well bagged pooch. Jo Waterhouse has now released a book about the art which forces the viewer to look at it as not only skin pigmented images. Check out the full article and info on how to get the book here.

| Vicky's secret |

The luxury lingerie brand is famous for its elaborate shows and didn't fail with its recent show featuring a full choir plus Heidi Klum who adorned the stage in a purple corset after giving birth only 5 weeks ago!! What, did she stop eating for the full 9 months?! (images courtesy of Telegraph.co.uk)

Got something to contribute? Love a good nose at the newspapers? All ears in art and fashion?

Get in touch and write for this blog! hello@carli-art.co.uk

Casting Call.....

Planning a portfolio shoot for completion before end of Jan 2010, dates open and will work around everyone involved. Keen to get a good team together to create something punchy and suitable for magazine submission.

If you are interested please visit my casting call for Models HERE and other cast and crew HERE.

x

Foto Tip Friday....Oh its a business....

I find myself asking for business tips more than photo or editing tips. This is because the business side is where I find I lack like many other creative people. As I have mentioned before and other photographers have also mentioned on my blog, often it is the better business person that gets the job and not the better photographer.

This can be disheartening. It is hard when you know your work outshines other photographers that are really doing well but you know full well its the marketing and business skills that are getting them ahead. This is why next year I am taking a month to completely overhaul my marketing ideas, get a plan in place and spend some decent time and energy on pushing my business. As I would expect to wait at least 2 months for this marketing to take effect and possible start seeing results, if you too are thinking of this then start early.

Anyway, this Foto Tip Friday is based around business and as I have already admitted I am not business savvy at all so not really equipped to provide you with suitable advise. Therefore I have written below a few things I do know work and also recommended some great sites or literature that I have found useful in the past. If you know of anymore and want to share, then please feel free to leave comments and keep the motivation going!

Some links:

• Take care of the customer and they WILL take care of you. Always exceed expectations and make sure that you communicate with them. Do not be scared to pick up the phone and just see how they are doing.
• Just keep working at it! I do a lot of cold calling so get out there and pick up the phone, and follow up those calls.
• Get a good 30 second speech together about your business. A quick intro that you can give to people if needed that briefly but precisely says what you do, who you are and why your different.
• Research your competitors
• Put yourself in your clients shoes. When you are shooting really think about how the client is using the images, what they expect and how to best illustrate their project or brand within the photograph.
• Use google Adwords for your site or blog - I am going on some training to effectively use Adwords next year so I will let you know how it goes.
• Ask your friends and family and use the resources you have around you. I already know that I don't do this enough and have recently made an effort to pull my marketing back n and closer to home. There are many opportunities staring you right in the face and it took a friend to point this out to me. Remember those who can help you who you already know.
• Take a step back and look from the outside. Its far too easy to get over involved and not see things from the outside world. Ask a friend or take a few days out and look at your business critically as you would look at someone else's.
• Have the resolution and determination to keep going. Self motivation is vital.
• Keep working on your portfolio. Weather it be personal or more for business just keep doing work. There is no reason you cant do some free shoots here and there to experiment with new things and get some exciting fresh imagery in your portfolio that you may not have had the chance to do before.

C x

Being called Aunty...

I have had a few more positive meetings with various clients this week which is really exciting. I am currently getting some more cakes together so I can gratefully say thank you for their time and leave a little sweetness on a Friday.

I am in Dorset all day tomorrow working with a company who produces and prints School Prospectus's. Now this may not sound glamorous (believe me in general i have found photography is not!) but it is a really good job to get as not only does it pay well but it is so much fun! The kids are always amazing and the schools are really welcoming and the director of photography and owner of the company is always on hand if I need anything. Although Dorset is not a positive start at a 5.30am leave tomorrow morning I know already that I will have a giggle and hopefully get some really great shots for the school. Not only that but for my corporate portfolio.

On an entirely separate note but equally as important one there are some things that just make you smile, I mean really smile. Now sorry this involves children again but my beautiful niece had her birthday a few days ago and I received the most amazing thank you card in the post today. It is things like this that just make me go all gooey and soft inside! She called me Aunty and told me she loved me! (Thank you Mum)

I know i know I am getting ever so sentimental but it was just amazing and she even drew round her hand so there was a little bit of her in the card. It was gorgeous - thank you George!

Right anyway, I'm off to bed. Get those 8 hours in!

PS: Foto Tip Friday will happen tomorrow!! Thats a promise!

x

Recommend a friend....

Am very excited to see my pictures in the French Fashion magazine FASHIZBLACK and think they look fab....well done to the team - thank you guys! This was a nice thing to come back to after my birthday weekend in Wales with a few friends, lots of lovely food, wine and wet walks! Very relaxing and I managed to avoid my laptop for a full 3 days - woop woop!

In case anyone is interested I am running a promotion at the moment whereby if you recommend a friend to my Carli-Art group on Facebook you AND your friend get a £50 voucher to spend on photography with me. So £50 towards a shoot, some prints or anything you like really. All you need to do is recommend a friend to my group, get your mate to write on my group wall "Free money you must be bonkers. **** recommended me to Carli-Art"

You and your friend will then each get a £50 voucher and there are only 10 to give away so get recommending!

Wee wee madam....

Very excited to have come back from a lovely weekend in Wales and see my pics (beauty shoot E.A.T) in the awesome French Fashion mag, FASHIZBLACK......check it out!

xx

A week or so in pics...

....Fashizblack editorial online

....Portrait Images on location

....Mad Hatters Tea Party

....Reading at Night, location scouting

grey wool and nipples...

My weekend has been a work filled one with days spent editing in Ascot and evenings spent editing at home! Friday night did see a 'spiffing' birthday party though but not before getting some time in with the bunny ladies. No not a new band or some sort of odd cartoon character but assisting on a shoot at VIVA Photography for the girls from The Sugar Lounge in Reading. With their fantasy nights becoming hot stuff (like the pun there) every Friday, they needed some top notch imagery for their marketing material and Caroline at VIVA was the one to do it. I was there to primp, help with posing and lighting and of course, those stray nips!

On an entirely separate note I have to wait 2 weeks for the boots from heaven...2 weeks!! I can't wait to team them with leggings, dresses and long Tee's and with my purse strings being brought closer and closer to breaking point I better get myself a winter warming cardi while I can - love it!

Mad Hats and Mooooo's....

November for me is a month of madness with birthdays literally around every corner. My bank card shivers in my purse & I avoid checking my bank balance between now and pretty much February next year. Its the safest option and avoids an embarrassing and rather dramatic breakdown.

In a slightly 'fashion plus I have nothing else to talk about' post I went to a mad hatters tea party last night and am proud of the efforts made by all, in particular the birthday gal herself who decided (clearly while consuming high percentage alcohol and at a early morning hour) to make a rather imposing hat made from a beer box and other random mag cuttings. It seemed to have a theme per side which included a Tea bar, a Post Box and some kind of mouse hole. Needless to say it didn't actually stay on her head long as it turned out her head is a lot smaller than we all originally thought but it made an excellent centre piece for the table.

Getting back to the work front I have just done 10x £50 vouchers for location portrait shoots which are going to St Marys Primary school in Burghfield. They are going to go into the raffle so if you are there, grab yourself one and get some money off a shoot. I am donating 10% of any pictures sales back to the school which makes me feel a bit gooey inside because its a nice thing to do and the school is the nicest ever! It is so tiny and reminds me of that lady that lived in a shoe with all her kids. No i'm not talking something you saw on JKyle last week but there was an old lady who lived in a shoe. That story. Anyway its a delightful little school and I am proud to be situated in such close proximity.

Foto tip Friday to come: Skin and a collection of CS3 tips!

The best bits uncovered....

Tell me the 3 scariest things about setting up your own business?

“What if it doesn’t work!”

Favorite word
Supercalifrag - when used as an adjective e.g. “that idea is supercaifrag” followed by “yeah, it’s expialidocious”

Favorite word
Pudding
2. Pet hate about the world of photos
Spot colouring - why do you want to make people look dead.....WHY!?

And lastly.....is there any bit of advise you can offer those trying to get into wedding or portrait photography?

I am always impressed with people who have used their time to get as much experience as possible.

Find a style and stand out from the crowd.

Even though you are taking a short break at the moment you ran a successful photography business in London – So what do you put your success down to?
Treating each job as if it’s your last, exceeding the clients’ expectations and always, always delivering on time no matter what the cost. The most important thing I think I learnt though is trying not to say yes to everyone, if you don’t have the time, don’t say you do!

A question you have always wanted to know the answer to?
Why hasn’t Bill Paxton won an Oscar?

Did you study or are you self taught?

I owe everything to Practical Photography!

Do you believe its important to have personal projects as a photographer?

Yea its so important!

Favourite word and why – Discipline – because after years of rejecting it the penny is finally starting to drop!

So what do you put your success down to, these are tough times and running a small business is not always easy. Why do you think you are successful?
I guess it depends how you measure success, there are not that many rich photographers! It has taken a long time to make my business profitable and running a small business is extremely tough at the best of times.

And finally, do you have any advise to give to other photographers trying to get in the game or any last words you would like to add?
If you are at college make good use of all the equipment you have access to, it'll be a lot more limited when you have to buy it yourself!