Hello there! I am Danielle, the above photo is of me, haaayy! (taken by Pinwheel Collective-they are AMAZING)
I am the owner and photographer for Danielle Campbell Photography. I have decided to become more active on my blog and begin by posting more informative blog posts about the business aspect of owning a business, frequently asked questions, my personal experiences, etc.. This, all in addition to the photo posts of my gorgeous clients! :) So, let's kick it off by talking about the head and the heart.
I am the owner and photographer for Danielle Campbell Photography. I have decided to become more active on my blog and begin by posting more informative blog posts about the business aspect of owning a business, frequently asked questions, my personal experiences, etc.. This, all in addition to the photo posts of my gorgeous clients! :) So, let's kick it off by talking about the head and the heart.
A few questions for you to ask yourself: Where is your head and heart? Is it in your business? Do you feel a passion when talking-thinking-writing about it? Does it motivate you? If you are full time at it, does it scare the crap out of you? If you answered yes, to any of these. You're there. You have your foundation. Foundation, to anything in life is imperative. Foundations are built on trust, loyalty and happiness. In this case, its to yourself and of yourself and your passion. Let's talk a bit about what my thoughts and my motivations are, on a daily basis. Let me tell ya, when you work from home, you have to be motivated to get out of bed, keep a schedule, make a to-do list and accomplish whatever you can..without being distracted by your cell, Facebook and your ridiculously cute puppy.
Exhibit A:
Exhibit A:
Right now, its tough. I recently started full time. I am still growing and I am still establishing business practices and building my brand. I am getting ready to celebrate my FIFTH year as a photographer. It is a leap of faith at times. But in the past few months of being full time, God has always delivered. This is further proof, I am right where I want and need to be.
One thing I have learned from the many years of being in this business, the one (most important) bit of advice I have to offer is: NEVER, ever, stop learning. This is my goal, every day when I wake up and walk into my office. I am so thankful for the internet and its endless amounts of information. FREE information, I might add. I have spent my time reading countless blog posts from some of my favorite photographers like, Jasmine Star. I have watched countless YouTube tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom, to further perfect and enhance my skill set. I do these things daily, for a few reasons:
1. Knowledge is confidence. You can't know everything, and no one expects you to. However, you CAN master your skills and learn how processes work in order to confidently work and deliver the best product you know how, to your clients. It will reflect in your work, you will see it, your clients will see it. Never stop learning. You are investing in your future. Added bonus? I don't know about you, but I love teaching. Soon, I will be offering mentoring programs and a local photographers work shop is in the works! I believe if you share your knowledge with others, you in turn will learn as well.
2. Time is Money. I say this often. Why? I come from experience. I remember sitting at my computer for hours, using an out dated editing technique before I met Lightroom. Now, the process that would have taken me five hours to complete takes me an hour and a half. I decided to invest in that program to save time. It has since paid for itself. In addition to editing techniques/work flow, consider stream lining everything. Get organized, be prepared. In fact be OVER prepared, if there is such a thing? How are you keeping track of your clients? Their payments? Are you searching for receipts at the end of the year? Save yourself time. Create practices and enable programs that will help you keep things simple, organized and stress free. (more on how I operate my daily office practices coming in a blog post soon!) These things all take time. Time up front will save you time in the long run. Work smarter, not harder!
3. Success is in your hands. You have limitless potential, don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Hold yourself to a higher standard. You want it? Go get it. Success is defined differently by different people. You have to decide what your goals are and stop at nothing, until you reach them. The best parts of my journey have been failing and learning and growing from those experiences. Stay positive and believe in yourself, even if you are only a party of one.
Every day I continue to learn, succeed, grow, fail, learn again. Its life. You can't move forward, by staying right where you are. Keep a positive outlook and believe in what you are doing. Whether its photography, teaching, being a mom, driving a bus, archery…if its your passion, do it. And do your absolute best. Don't compare yourself to others, its the thief of joy. Just do YOUR best. Be passionate! The world needs passionate people. Not drones. ;)
Until next time...
One thing I have learned from the many years of being in this business, the one (most important) bit of advice I have to offer is: NEVER, ever, stop learning. This is my goal, every day when I wake up and walk into my office. I am so thankful for the internet and its endless amounts of information. FREE information, I might add. I have spent my time reading countless blog posts from some of my favorite photographers like, Jasmine Star. I have watched countless YouTube tutorials on Photoshop and Lightroom, to further perfect and enhance my skill set. I do these things daily, for a few reasons:
1. Knowledge is confidence. You can't know everything, and no one expects you to. However, you CAN master your skills and learn how processes work in order to confidently work and deliver the best product you know how, to your clients. It will reflect in your work, you will see it, your clients will see it. Never stop learning. You are investing in your future. Added bonus? I don't know about you, but I love teaching. Soon, I will be offering mentoring programs and a local photographers work shop is in the works! I believe if you share your knowledge with others, you in turn will learn as well.
2. Time is Money. I say this often. Why? I come from experience. I remember sitting at my computer for hours, using an out dated editing technique before I met Lightroom. Now, the process that would have taken me five hours to complete takes me an hour and a half. I decided to invest in that program to save time. It has since paid for itself. In addition to editing techniques/work flow, consider stream lining everything. Get organized, be prepared. In fact be OVER prepared, if there is such a thing? How are you keeping track of your clients? Their payments? Are you searching for receipts at the end of the year? Save yourself time. Create practices and enable programs that will help you keep things simple, organized and stress free. (more on how I operate my daily office practices coming in a blog post soon!) These things all take time. Time up front will save you time in the long run. Work smarter, not harder!
3. Success is in your hands. You have limitless potential, don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. Hold yourself to a higher standard. You want it? Go get it. Success is defined differently by different people. You have to decide what your goals are and stop at nothing, until you reach them. The best parts of my journey have been failing and learning and growing from those experiences. Stay positive and believe in yourself, even if you are only a party of one.
Every day I continue to learn, succeed, grow, fail, learn again. Its life. You can't move forward, by staying right where you are. Keep a positive outlook and believe in what you are doing. Whether its photography, teaching, being a mom, driving a bus, archery…if its your passion, do it. And do your absolute best. Don't compare yourself to others, its the thief of joy. Just do YOUR best. Be passionate! The world needs passionate people. Not drones. ;)
Until next time...