Nicole Pfeiffer Photography

What an amazing year 2011 was! I can not thank my clients and those who support what I do enough after this past year. Since our move in March 2011, my business has doubled since 2010 and I couldn’t feel more blessed. I am so touched to have met the people I did last year and get to know more about them through doing what I love. I made some tough choices going into 2011 – narrowing down what I offered, tossing out some things I loved and sticking with some things that were hard – holding my ground because I believe in what I do. And I feel so much of this paid off. I think by me finding my footing and really holding on to that, I was able to pull in the type of clients I really wanted to work with and in the end, would be more than just clients. So many of you have become friends and that is much more than I could have asked for. I feel I am where I should be, doing what I am supposed to do… and I couldn’t be more happy. So with this tradition I want to start, I’d like to reflect back on what worked and what might need some tweaking going into 2012! These are just the ups and downs of running a business and I hope these reflections help other photographers jumping in on their own adventure!

• Using Facebook to find senior reps/senior clients: I know I didn’t utilized this tool as much as I could have in 2010 and I am still working on all it’s advantages, but using Facebook to contact high school seniors is such an amazing help to me. I found my senior reps by just asking for them and by tagging people in their photos, their friends were able to find me and book me. Of course I have other secrets, but I will have to save those for… mentoring… workshops?
• Meetings/Wardrobe consults: I had planned to start meeting clients before their session (because this didn’t happen at all in 2010), but I hadn’t planned on offering in-person wardrobe consults. It just worked it’s way in and I really enjoyed this process. With so many clients concerned about what to wear and me loving anything to do with fashion, this was just bound to happen. This was so beneficial to me – because it gave me about an hour (or more) to talk with my client and get to know them through their clothes. I was welcomed into their homes and a part of their life, so I became more than just their photographer. They knew me by the time their session came around and there was less nervousness. This was beneficial to my clients – because I helped take the worry out about what to wear, they got to know me and listen in person as I suggested crazy and unique ideas and it cut the ice pretty easily. I was told many times that this added feature was unexpected and welcomed because no other photographer offered to take the time to do this. I appreciate that and it’s exactly what I strive to offer. Something more, something different.
• Sample products: Because I didn’t meet with my 2010 clients before their session (this was my first real year in business and I was jumping in), I was never able to show them what products I loved. Last year, I tried to meet every client before their session and I was able to bring along a few products that I am passionate about. This showed my confidence in what I offered, the creativity I wanted to offer and certainly helped me sell items I believed in. Moving forward I will be holding in-person ordering sessions as well so that I can show clients in person how their images will look on certain products!
• Following my gut: Knowing when to say no is essential to running a successful business. I am not the photographer for everyone and everyone is not the client for me. This will always be a give and take, but I felt confident saying no to inquiries that I didn’t feel would be the right client to deal with. And though there will always be those few that need special attention, I was able to work with a great group of clients last year that understood the value of what I was doing, believed wholeheartedly in me and appreciated the work I did for them.
• Giving something alittle extra: I mentioned last year that I was sad that my efforts to provide a free, edited print was overlooked by pretty much all of my clients from 2010. Some might have tossed out the idea of giving away free gifts right then, but I decided to kick it up a notch instead after buying and reading Lux Undercover. Last year I wanted to be more personal, I wanted my little something extra to be outside of photography so that my clients knew they were special to me personally and that I wasn’t just giving them another print to hang on their wall. I still gave my clients free prints (something that I loved from their session, in different sizes, in different paper types, in different amounts) depending on who the client was.  I didn’t want it to be cookie cutter. But I decided to also hand-make each client something special and include it with their order. I love making things and I wanted my clients to think of me as more than just their photographer and know that I put an additional thought into them that came from me personally. Doing this, compared to the previous year, changed completely. Almost every single client contacted me when they received their order, not necessarily to tell me thank you for their order, but to tell me thank you for the extra thought I put into what I sent them and that they appreciated it. I also ordered custom Christmas gifts for all my clients to let them know that I was thinking of them over the holidays and as a thank you for working with me in 2011. Unfortunately, these custom gifts are on back order and I still haven’t received them – so my clients will be getting a very merry, very late Christmas gift surprise. Who doesn’t like surprises right?
• Offering hair/makeup: SO excited about this change. It was something I always wanted to offer and now with my own studio, I was able to. I was lucky enough to meet a handful of very talented, super sweet girls to help me in this area. Though I had a very hard time finding people to commit and be reliable, I have found a few diamonds in the rough and can’t wait to take on 2012 with them!!
• Finding a vendor that offered matte paper: OMGoodness finally. I went all of 2010 having to offer luster paper as a matte alternative. It was heart-wrenching for me coming from a film background where I rooted myself in matte paper. Shortly into 2011 I came across a vendor that offered a pretty expensive matter paper that is right on the mark. I couldn’t be more pleased with it and the clients that have ordered this for their prints have truly been {dare I say} in love with it as well. I chose not to raise my price on this paper type even though it cost me more, because I believe in it’s quality and want to offer it to the clients who believe in it to. Yes, you can believe in paper.
• Having more than one camera: In the middle of a senior session, my main camera body died. Being able to grab my backup like nothing had happened was awesome and saved the session!
• Referrals: Hello! I was SO overly blessed with word-of-mouth referrals and the amount of clients that came to me from previous clients. I might have not seen the appreciation that I was looking for the previous year, but having someone referred to me from a previous client is the best appreciation a photographer can get!
• 2 week editing time: I’ve always promised a 2 week editing time from the time of your session to when your full gallery is up and I really needed it last year. I was so busy, that I was working right up to the deadline in most cases. But it worked well because it kept me on point and on a schedule. There were a few times I beat the 2 week time frame, but mostly sticking to when it was supposed to be due gave me the time to also give myself a day off when needed!

And of course, here are the things that I found did not work so well and need a double or triple take this year.

• Starting to work as soon as we moved: We moved in March 2011 and I shot my first client at the end of March. We still haven’t finished unpacking. I was ready to work, but my new home office and studio space certainly were not. I spent last year working in a packed office functioning on boxes, only being able to edit at certain times of the day because of the glare from the window. (which now has an awesome blackout shade thankx to my hubby). I was trying to make the space work while working in it and that didn’t work for my sanity. Oh I miss you organization. In the next few months we will be redoing the entire office (finally) and installing my new desk. Before and afters to come!
• Having studio space: I am going to list this here because even though I have it, I don’t feel it worked as best it could. Along the same lines as above, I needed the space as soon as I got it but it wasn’t ready. I was shooting on average, 4 times a week (and a few times 8 straight days in a row) and having to keep up with all the editing, this did not give me a chance to actually create my studio space. But rather, just use it as is. Over the next couple months we will be finishing up the office up stairs, but also installing a new wood floor and drop ceiling in the studio! I plan on designing some of the studio space to reflect a glamorous hotel with cream walls and gold leafed trim just for boudoir sessions! So excited to take on this project.
• Living in the sticks: This doesn’t work mostly because of the distance I am away from everything else. Senior clients have to come to my studio to have their yearbook shot taken, so anywhere else we go kind of needs to be close by to use our time wisely. I did what I could, but I felt that my locations were repetitive. And that’s not me. Right now, I don’t have an answer for how to better this. But I am thinking about it.The poor internet connection also weighs on upload time.
• Updating my website: It didn’t happen. Due to the slow upload speed that I can get out here, I didn’t spend time updating the images on my website last year. Shame, shame, I know. Looking to revamp it in the next few months… cause it will take that long to upload high res files. :/
• Mailing out orders: This didn’t work as quickly or smoothly as it did the previous year. I only lived about a mile from the post office in 2010, now I live about 11 miles away. And though that doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s 11 miles on slow roads to a post office that is always busy. I spend more than 1 hour taking orders to be mailed out in most cases, so I am still trying to find that sweet spot in time where no one is there. This doesn’t work for quick runs or unplanned orders. Moving forward we will be getting a much larger mail box at home and I will be shipping online through a pick up service. This should save me time, money and stress!
• My shopping cart: This goes here not because I don’t personally love my shopping cart, but because I had a number of clients have issues with my shopping cart. I may or may not be looking for an alternative.
• In-person ordering: This goes here because I did not offer it… but think I should. Aside from helping with the actual ordering process, I feel this will help my clients choose the best images. I will always like different images than Sally and Sally will like different images than her mom and her mom will like different images than me. Those images aren’t always the best images though. I want to be there to help choose the best images that both represent the person in them and my work!
• Booking too much: I was busy and am so grateful. I love what I do and don’t know when to stop.I didn’t start scheduling days off for myself until about September. I pretty much had no life last year and that’s ok, for now. But I need to have a life. I need to spend time with people I care about and have time for just me and my hubby. I don’t want to take less clients this year, I just need to spread the time out better and make sure to give myself time to be me. This also didn’t give me much time to shoot for myself.
• Shooting for myself, creatively: This really didn’t happen and that’s odd for me. I love coming up with creative, styled shoots and though I had a few sessions planned, nothing major came of them because I was pretty burnt out. Somehow, these have to be worked back into my life this year.
• Taking and offering too many images: I put this here because I am “debating” it. I shoot a lot deliberately. An average 2 hour session with me will yield between 150-250 images in your gallery. This is highly above the average of 25-35 images by almost all the other photographers in my area or that I follow. I am not the norm. I am fine with this, it’s what I’ve always done. I like shooting, I shoot variety and I offer options. But is it too much; are my clients overwhelmed? Am I not offering the best of the best? Are the best getting lost in the good? It’s something I need to look into and debate. Any opinions?
• Offering split sessions: This came about on it’s own. I started getting requests to split a Fashion Session into 2 days so that they could either have a variety in season or in hair/makeup. It also broke down a very long session of 5 hours into two much easier to handle sessions – for both me and my client. At first, I really enjoyed this idea and process, but I realized a few downsides after booking a good amount of them over the summer. 1) In some cases, the client was done with the whole picture-taking thing after one session and seemed to be more reluctant at the second session. 2) More importantly, this took up two of my working days for the price of one. This option was booking me for two days during the best light for the price of one package and this wasn’t fair to other clients that were still looking to book. Moving forward, I will still offer the split session option, but it will be at an added cost to compensate for the loss of booking another session.
• Shooting weddings: This is a big one and it’s SO hard for me to put here and write about. Without being disrespectful to any of my wedding clients from last year, I have come to realize that shooting weddings is not for me. This is a personal feeling and decision that has taken me time to confront. I need to follow my heart and that, as an artist, I am giving my utmost best work to the clients that hire me. I don’t think I can do that for wedding clients, I am not sure I ever did. There are many reasons for this decision that I don’t want to discuss, but may revisit at a later time. {you are certainly welcome to email me about this if you have questions} I still plan to be there as a wedding photographer for close friends (there are a few friend’s daughters that I am holding out for!) or artsy couples that really value what I can offer, but I don’t see myself being the average wedding photographer that will accept a job because it pays anymore. Maybe one day I will come back to wedding photography and see it in a new light? Maybe I won’t? When you run your own business and offer a custom service that is done by choice… I am choosing to follow my strengths. I have fallen in love with senior portrait and fashion photography. I know and feel that this is where my strengths are. This is the path I want to follow and invest every second of my time in. I want to be able to really hone in on the skills it takes to be the best at this and in return be able to offer what I know to other photographers following this path. When you are given a chance to do something amazing, you have to take it, even if it means letting other things go.

Moving into 2012, I am very excited about the changes to the business I am making. The great thing about running your own business is being able to correct things that you don’t feel work and improve on them as you go! Some new things to come are:

• Redefined packages: I will be specializing in portraiture. This will include senior and fashion photography, and boudoir and engagement sessions to clients who are looking for the type of aesthetic that I offer. I will be accepting 5 weddings or less a year based on clients who value what I bring to the table and want to make photography a priority in their wedding day. I will of course try different things and book sessions that are not offered that perk my interest! So never be afraid to ask!
• Required in-person meetings/wardrobe consult: I met with almost all of my clients before their session, but there were still a handful at the start of 2011 that I didn’t meet with because I hadn’t worked that into my schedule yet or the timing didn’t work out. I still ended up loosing a handful of welcome packets to clients that said they wanted to book and once the packet was mailed, ended up cancelling. This costs time and money and really just bums me out, so by meeting clients ahead of time, I am securing that they are serious about booking with me. I really liked being able to meet with my clients in person before working with them – this always gave us great ideas for the actual session and made them more personal! You can’t really get that via email!
• Shorter online gallery times: My packages have always included a 2-3 month online gallery depending what package was purchased. That is a long time compared to most other photographers that only offer an online gallery for 1 week. I have always felt that with the amount of images I offered, that time was needed. But after this past year and the number of clients I had, I found that it only caused delays because most people waited until the last minute to order. I also found that having galleries open over the holidays was stressful for obvious reasons, so moving forward all galleries will be wrapped up before December! The more time you have to think about something, the more you will doubt or change your mind about it. After reading some material on this subject, I feel that choosing images in a shorter time frame will keep the best images fresh in my client’s mind and help them choose easier. I feel that a shorter time frame will help clients prioritize this task in their schedules and get it done. I will only be offering a 2 week online gallery for all packages except wedding packages, which will include a 1 month online gallery.
• Required in-person ordering sessions: I didn’t really offer these last year – I did a few and they weren’t structured to work as smoothly as they should. Since I had an online shopping cart for ordering, clients were able to order from the comfort of their homes. Being in the tech-age, this is what people want. However, I feel I did my clients a disservice for many reasons and I will be requiring in-person ordering sessions while their gallery is live. Clients weren’t able to see how their images looked on products or in gallery collections unless they asked. Clients weren’t able to ask questions as they ordered and understand processes right away. Clients weren’t able to see why my favorite images were chosen or why certain images wouldn’t look good as an 11×14 or 8×8. I want to be there for all that, I want to guide my clients in picking the best images and displaying them in the best way. I also feel it’s best for my business because it will get orders in on specific time frames and create less stress over a long period of time. All questions can be answered in-person in one day instead of a drawn out few months. Though this will take additional time to do – whereas before it mostly happened on it’s own – I am VERY excited to start these this year.
• New stuff: I will be offering cool new products {like having your prints etched into glass}, I will be offering templates and design products and I will kick up my mentoring offerings to include mini sessions and model portfolio building! Can’t even tell you how excited I am about new stuff!
• Hair and makeup included in senior rep sessions: I feel like my rep sessions happened so fast after we moved last year that I didn’t get to do all the things I wanted to do for them, so this year I am stepping it up for the lucky ladies that I will be working with. Hair and makeup will be included in all senior rep sessions. So if you are interested in working with my studio, please contact me – I usually take 2 students from each high school.

Of course there will always be changes as I work through a new year and new goals, but I am so excited to take on these adventures! More to come, as always!