Elena Blair comes to us from Seattle, WA as well and will be teaching on building meaningful relationships with your clients to create a solid business foundation and increase profit. Read below as Elena answers our Reset Q&A!
-Guilty Pleasure?
Without a doubt my guilty pleasure is drinking wine while binging on Netflix shows with my husband.
-Favorite quote?
“Courage is not a man with a gun in his hand. It’s knowing you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
-Favorite junk food?
Any kind of baked goods!
-If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?
Greece
-Any areas in your life that could use a “Reset?”
Household organization. This year my husband and I are really trying to become more minimalist in our household practices. It takes work to unload all of the “stuff” we have accumulated.
Household organization. This year my husband and I are really trying to become more minimalist in our household practices. It takes work to unload all of the “stuff” we have accumulated.
-Have there been moments where you are photographing and you realize that this is bigger than yourself?
Absolutely. I have photographed many newborns and families when the family was going through a difficult time. Newly broken marriages, birth defects, recent job losses or deaths in the family. Those moments made me realize that what I was doing was a whole lot more than taking a photo but rather helping them to create their legacy. I don’ take my job lightly and I never only focus on the happy side of life as I think we have to also embrace the hard times too.
Absolutely. I have photographed many newborns and families when the family was going through a difficult time. Newly broken marriages, birth defects, recent job losses or deaths in the family. Those moments made me realize that what I was doing was a whole lot more than taking a photo but rather helping them to create their legacy. I don’ take my job lightly and I never only focus on the happy side of life as I think we have to also embrace the hard times too.
-What words of advice would you give to someone just starting out?
Go for it! You have to dive all in and give it all you have but you can do it!
-What’s your typical day usually look like?
I wake up before my family (husband and three kids.) I make coffee and tackle emails and social media. I love to build community so responding to comments on social media is a priority for me. Then I get the kids off to school. I work on my business until about noon as that is when my baby comes home from preschool. Then I am mom. We do lunch, nap, and then it is time to get the big kids to school. I have pretty standard family evenings. Activities, dinner, and connecting with them.
I wake up before my family (husband and three kids.) I make coffee and tackle emails and social media. I love to build community so responding to comments on social media is a priority for me. Then I get the kids off to school. I work on my business until about noon as that is when my baby comes home from preschool. Then I am mom. We do lunch, nap, and then it is time to get the big kids to school. I have pretty standard family evenings. Activities, dinner, and connecting with them.
-What three words best describe your photography style?
Natural, real, emotive
Natural, real, emotive
-Best secret for working smarter not harder?
Turn off all of your phone notifications. All of them. Including the little red circles that appear on your email app with a number and the audio alert for texts. Then, get good systems in place for efficient editing and client communication.
Turn off all of your phone notifications. All of them. Including the little red circles that appear on your email app with a number and the audio alert for texts. Then, get good systems in place for efficient editing and client communication.
-Do you feel like attending workshops/conferences are valuable?
Absolutely! Every time I come home from a conference I am so motivated I can hardly see straight. Being around so many like minded and inspired people makes me want to be a better photographer, business woman, and human. Plus, I usually make some killer friends too!
-Favorite Software (presets, actions, templates, etc?)
I make my own Photoshop actions and they work great for me.
I make my own Photoshop actions and they work great for me.
-Favorite Photo Find (Lab, forum, camera bag, etc.)
I love Millers and Shootproof. Couldn’t live without them.
-A little known fact about you?
I am short, 5’2 and have crazy messy curly hair!
-Summary of what you hope to share with attendees of the reset conference.
I truly believe that meaningful family photography leads to a meaningful business. I want to show my students that when they connect to their clients in a meaningful way, they will create more compelling art for them as well as lay a foundation for a solid and profitable business based on authentic relationships. This builds a solid and reliable brand that will satisfy both their clients and themselves.
Thanks for sharing a slice of yourself with us, Elena! Can’t wait to see you at Reset!
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