Girl In The Red Checkered Shirt

I signed up for the ASMP SB3 conference with excitement and nervousness. I didn’t know what I was stepping into. What I did know was the possibilities of networking, learning, and contributing were going to be endless. Today was probably the first day I felt clear in my head what I experienced at SB3. I have been overwhelmed with notes, lectures, business cards, and the social media outlets. It was a non-stop educational “boot camp” in some sense because everywhere I turned someone was discussing the industry with a different level of enthusiasm.

Fellow photographers had different expectations for the weekend conference in regards to what they wanted to learn, what they actually learned, and what they got out of it that they didn’t expect. Listening to the guest speakers such as Colleen Wainwright really got my adrenaline going in a positive sense and I could feel the excitement in the room. It almost felt like a class full of students waiting to be dismissed for recess when actually everyone was heading to their desired workshops. Each workshop was engaging in their own unique way.

I can’t choose favorites here but Jeff Sedlik really influenced me and hit the nail on the head with his Strategic Estimating workshop. Asking questions and listening to the client are key to providing your client with a effective estimate broken down for them to understand and not think twice about signing you a check. The more knowledge of the project at hand the more power you have in delivering your best work.

Susan Carr, wow what a strong, business attitude. I had the opportunity to sit and listen to a couple of her workshops; Essential Business Basics and The Basics of Copyright, Licensing, and Pricing. She had a ton of knowledge and once I start reviewing my notes that I gathered from listening to her I will have a concise business plan that will work for me. Judy Herrmann had a great attitude and personality that I could listen to all day. Her Breaking Into The Biz workshop was a lot of fun. The resources she provided especially networking links will really help my business grow from the ground up effectively.

If I posted this blog entry correctly I can thank Rosh Sillars for his very informative break down of driving traffic to my blog workshop. Social media is a form of marketing your brand that I love and can’t wait develop a following of a thousand people! I will make that happen.

There were a ton more people that influenced me at this conference, and I could be here all day name dropping and explaining my experiences; Tom Kennedy, Blake Discher, Thomas Werner, Clark Dever, Ed McDonald, Eugene Mopsik, Jim Cavanaugh, Shannon Fagan... you know who you are :)

Richard Kelly, he’s awesome in my book! Not just because he’s the president of ASMP but because he’s a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. In seriousness I read the ASMP Bulletin that comes out and hearing Richard speak so highly of the SB conferences and him telling his personal story as a photographer really inspired me and related to my own experiences starting out.
Art school taught me how to take “pretty” pictures. Art school didn’t teach me how to negotiate with clients, write estimates or blog. Attending this conference gave me that push, that direction to build a business model that works for me. It will be a continuous process over the years because this industry is always changing and you have to adapt to these changes. I don’t want to sound like a 30 second elevator speech for ASMP but this organization has great opportunities and leaders that understand where each photographer around the world is coming from and their struggles in their cities. One day I will be president of ASMP and share my experiences to students and emerging professionals that are making the transition to a Professional.

@perrettiphoto