FALL WORKSHOPS!

Hurray! As my wedding season slows down, our fall workshop season will begin with one workshop in September, one in October, and one in November!! I LOVE teaching! I love the contagious environment of a shmattering of minds and creative perspectives! This fall we will be focusing again on learning how to use our Digital SLRS, Storytelling and Composition, Photoshop basics, and for those with a grip on the Creative and Manual operations of your camera, we will be offering intermediate photography class where we will explore night photography, video light, motion, and exposure compensation (high-key and low-key imagery). Space is limited, because we like to keep our workshop numbers small so we have the best environment for learning and creativity, so please contact me at alyssaflaten@mosaicphotography.net with your questions or call 701.200.8110 to register!

Here are some comments from past Mosaic Workshop students:
"Alyssa, you are an excellent teacher. This was FABULOUS!! I appreciated the way you took genuine interest in each question and desired to see us learn."
"This was a great learning experience! I learned so much and loved the hands on learning."
"I absolutely LOVED the hand-outs."
"Thank you for sharing all your insight--This was a priceless class."
"I liked how we learned a concept and then practiced it right away. You made all the photography terms really easy to
understand."
"Thank you so much for all the take-home resources and individual investment. I learned so much and am so glad I got to be
a part of this!"
"I learned so much about my camera by doing the hands on exercises. And I loved how organized everything was!"

Below is more information, which you can also find on the Workshops part of our Mosaic Photography Blog (www.mosaicphotography.net/blog).

Updates...

Hello Friends, I must apologize for my lack of presence on this blog. My goal is to post once a week, but with the busiest summer of my life, I have had a difficult time finding time to post. We are finally in a "slower" season, with only 1-2 weddings a weekend, rather than 2-3.

Another reason for my lack of presence is that I am needing to rest in every spare moment (which is rare these days) because Scott and I are expecting our first little one! I am 4 months pregnant!

Here is a photo of Baby Flaten at 11 weeks! Enjoy!

A Super Duper Great Workshop that I'd Recommend...

Ann Monteith's Guerrilla Management
Can you afford to wait until 2010
to increase your bottom line?

Register NOW for Last 2009 Workshop!

September 11-14, 2009 - Deep Creek Lake, MD

Since 1998, over 700 studio owners have attended Ann Monteith's Guerrilla Management Workshops, and it's no coincidence that many of the top-earning studio owners in the country are Guerrilla Management graduates. Unique in the industry, these intensive 4-day workshops are designed to achieve three objectives:

*
To help photographers make more money.
*
To allow photographers to achieve more leisure time for themselves and their families.
*
To help photographers take control of the present and future direction of their businesses.

Workshops are limited to 15 studios to assure plenty of personal attention by instructors Ann Monteith and Judy Grann. Workshop content and processes are strictly real-world and results-oriented to pay big dividends for attendees: Our surveys have shown that within a year of attending a Guerrilla Management Workshop, participants earn at least 55% more net take-home income. As a result, their businesses -- and their lives -- improved significantly. And they continue to improve year after year.

Sign up NOW and Receive these bonuses:
*
Ann's new book: The Professional Photographer's Guide to Marketing Success
*
A $100 Gift Card good for attendance at a 2010 Marathon Strategic Marketing Plan and Design Workshop
*
A complete set of Ann's marketing materials for her new Persnickety Pet Portraits business


To learn more about this profit-producing workshop, click here to go to the workshop website. You'll learn what we do at the workshop, why we get such good results, what graduates have to say about their experience, and so much more.



To register, call 1-800-842-2349.
Outside of the US, call 1-717-867-2135.

PLEASE NOTE: Workshop seats will fill up VERY quickly.
So call immediately to register, or you'll miss out.
Ann Monteith's Guerrilla Management

MORE INFO HERE

Facebook and 3rd Party Images...

Protecting your images is important. Check out this article from a friend of mine about protecting your images on facebook.

This is what facebook says about your images: "Facebook occasionally pairs advertisements with relevant social actions from a user's friends to create Facebook Ads. Facebook Ads make advertisements more interesting and more tailored to you and your friends. These respect all privacy rules. You may opt out of appearing in your friends' Facebook Ads below."

Anyone else know about this? Or have some helpful advice to pass on?

Self-Employment Myths...

It's funny what a dose of reality can do to our dreams and ambitions of running our own business. I didn't really understand what I was getting into when I started my little side business over 5 years ago. But learning and embracing reality is a part of the adventure as you learn to effectively carry out your dreams as a self-employed artist.

I have enjoyed Michael Gerber's "E-Myth" and encourage you to take a look at this article--The Self-Employment Myth.

More often than not, when aspiring photographers ask me for a piece of advice regarding getting into the business, the first thing that comes to mind is "Don't...unless you are willing to work your butt off, and make huge sacrifices--like no weekends to yourself, missing out on your friends' and families historic moments like weddings and reunions, being 'on-call' 24/7, unpredictable income, and a job that you don't ever leave; or like Dave Ramsey says: "Living like no one else today, so you can live like no one else tomorrow."

On the up side, the hard work pays off! The moments when teary-eyed mothers, and ecstatic brides cannot put into words the joy and gratitude they have because of the visual story you created are so rewarding. Or the times when loved ones pass, but their memory is captured forever in your work, or the days you can turn your attention to care for someone more important than the work at hand, are days that the privilege of being a photographer overwhelm me. Or the people I get to meet and the places I've seen, the experiences I've documented--it's priceless and worth every ounce of energy.

A Wild Wedding

I am a huge fan of Kevin Kubota (one of the top 10 wedding photographers in 2007) ever since he took me under his wing for a week two years ago as I had the opportunity to work under him for a week in Bend, Oregon. Needless to say, I follow his blog, and just had to share this slideshow with you of one of his recent weddings. You'll see from the photos how unique, creative, and fun this couple was--definitely a photographer's dream couple. Check it out here

Gearing up

Well, we're up getting ready for another double header weekend--that is, 2 weddings in one weekend. I so love being an artist, and want to share with you an excerpt from this morning's journal entry. "'Having gifts (faculties, talents, qualities) that differ according to the grace given us, let us use them.' (Romans 12:6) It's so refreshing to remember where our creativity and talent comes from, to be able to place my gifts in the loving hands of Father God and just enjoy the day."

Just for Fun...

I had a bit of a change of pace a few weeks ago and got to work in the Ottertail, Battle Lake area. These images are of my friends', Liz and Sparky, beautiful resort on Ethel Beach. A fabulous vacation spot, if you are looking for one!

Deep Creek Maryland

About a month ago, I was enjoying beautiful Maryland with a bunch of new photographer friends. We attended a workshop put on by Ann Monteith and Judy Grann

It was amazing! Taking photos is a tiny part of running a photography business, and the business part is huge. So that's what we focused on: business, numbers, marketing--all that fun stuff!

Kevin Kubota recommended this workshop to me, and I am so glad I listened to his advice! Now, I definitely recommend it to anyone in the business!

Here's our class photo at Ann's lake home in Deep Creek.

Our Digital Photography Workshop...

was a hit! I hope my students had as much fun as I did! We talked about visual artistry, technique, how to shoot in the "creative" modes, practiced, talked shop, and had a blast!

Here are some of the students at work!