Branding Headshot Session with Jennifer Onalee Weddings || Headshot and Branding Photographer in Lynchburg, VA

As a small business owner & a photographer, I am here to tell you that the headshot game has completely changed! It is not just for high-up executives and CEO's anymore! Every small business owner should not only have a head shot, but also branding images that they can use for their webpages, marketing materials, and social media.  

Potential Clients now want to know you and your passions- the why behind your business, your family and really feel that emotional connection with you! Having photos of yourself are vital for social media profile photos, but having photos that connect with your brand and your specific business are vital! 

I loved having Jenn with Jennifer Onalee Weddings over to my house this week for her branding session! She brought things that were specific to her business and we aimed for an approachable, comfortable and professional photos to model her Wedding Planning and Coordination Business. Jenn got her makeup done by Ashley Ancheta with Makeup by Ashley, and brought along her favorite coffee mug, stationary, planners, business cards, and laptop. 

Are you a small business owner & interested in finding out more about a Branding or Headshot Session? Find out more information here!

Beyond the Lens: Danielle Wallace with The Crimson Magpie Rentals & Design

I am SO excited to be sharing with you a new series while I'm out on maternity leave! I've asked some friends in the wedding and creative industry to write about a topic they're passionate about- whether that be tips helping brides while planning a wedding, what they've learned in their business, balancing life and owning a small business, plus so much more! Let me tell you- there's some amazing stuff coming up and I can't wait to share! 

Photo by Crystal George

Today, Danielle Wallace with The Crimson Magpie Rentals & Design is going personal today, and talking to us about how she survives as an Introvert, in an extremely extroverted field- the wedding industry! As an extrovert, when she told me what she was thinking about talking about, I was super excited! I love hearing and learning how I can love on others well- and knowing not to take things personally when my introverted friends just need to have a night off, or some alone time! 

Surviving being an Introvert in an Extrovert Centered Career

Reading an entire book in a day. Gardening in warm morning sunshine. Journaling in the stillness of night. Those moments are my idea of a good time. More often than not, though my reality is quite different. Imagine the hubbub of Grand Central Station combined with the blistering pace of the Indie 500 and the drama of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Picture that and you have an idea of what it’s like to build a business in the wedding industry.

The wedding industry is bright and full of joy, creativity, passion and collaboration. It’s full of opportunities to solve problems both big and small. But as an introvert the continual need to be “on” socially exhausts me to the deepest part of my being. Add a very busy one-year old to the mix and some days I want to crawl into a closet with the aforementioned book and stay there forever. For the introverts reading this, you know what I mean. If you’re an introvert, well hopefully this helps you understand why your introverted friend canceled plans to go out Friday night. Here are a few of the things that help balance my introvert neurosis with my love for this crazy awesome wedding gig.

Photo by Adam Mullins

Behind the scenes. The song is coming to a close. The DJ is about to direct guests’ attention towards four tiers of buttercream perfection. Aunt June leans over and whispers she forgot to bring the heirloom cake knife. I make a dash to my kit and grab my spare cake server, and dash back to lay it calmly (don’t let me kid you, my heart is pounding out of my chest) on the table seconds before the bride and groom arrive to cut the cake. Okay, maybe not a super hero move in the same category as Clark Kent or Bruce Wayne, but I love filling in the numerous gapes so the wedding dreams of very special people go off without a hitch.

Organizational routines. The fuel of a successful event is organization, and lucky for me I love spreadsheets, timelines, calendars, bullet points, anything that smacks of a plan or a to do list. Que the entrance of my daughter (pride goes before a fall, anyone?)  last year making it almost impossible to be as organized as I would like to be. My latest comprise: I let her unwind an entire roll of toilet paper so that I can update my spreadsheet while doing calf raises because that counts as a workout, right? All you mamas who run a business while raising kids, you are my heroes.

Photo by Mixed Creative Company 

Intentional recharging. For me that means being completely alone. Alone isn’t really a thing when you have a child, so I’ve had to get creative. To be perfectly honest I have a way to go with this part of my life. There are days when I feel like I’m scrapping the bottom of the barrel. Sometimes my car is my sanctuary for half an hour while I write or read, which is not as depressing as it sounds! A big one is turning off my phone. A reprieve from digital human is a must, so instead (if I’m not working at night) I journal, or bake a treat to share with my husband while we binge on Stranger Things or The Office after our baby girl is in bed.

Really cool people. This one seems to contradict everything I’ve said previously, but I’ve met some amazing people in this industry. Many of my brides and grooms, their family members, and fellow vendors have impacted my life the past three years. My bride that hand-painted wall hangings for the nursery when my baby was born.  My bride that checks up on me regularly to see how I’m doing and ask about my life. Fellow stay-at-home vendor moms who reached out to me the first difficult months after my daughter was born. The former bride and groom turned friends who used their trailer to help me pick up rental stock and then wouldn’t let me pay them. My coworkers who have become best friends and yell at me when I’m not taking care of myself…I could go on.

Photo by Sherry Congrad

And I do go on! Let me have my quiet place to recharge, and I’m ready to hit the road again. The joy, the romance, the beauty, and the opportunities of the wedding world adds a depth and breadth to my world that I didn’t know was possible. I can’t wait to see what new adventures the 2018 season has in store.

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Beyond the Lens: Sarah Wittcop, Personal Photography Editor: Side Hustle

I am SO excited to be sharing with you a new series while I'm out on maternity leave! I've asked some friends in the wedding and creative industry to write about a topic they're passionate about- whether that be tips helping brides while planning a wedding, what they've learned in their business, balancing life and owning a small business, plus so much more! Let me tell you- there's some amazing stuff coming up and I can't wait to share! 

I am SO excited to be sharing this post from Sarah Wittcop today!

Sarah is a Personal Photographer Editor, based in Lynchburg, Virginia. I've known Sarah for years and years- from mutual college friends and also when I worked in Marketing. 

When Sarah mentioned she wanted to write her post on balancing a full-time job, and a side-hustle, I knew it would be so so good! Sarah has recently gone full-time with her personal editing business, but for a while balanced everything, and has some great tips to share on the topic! 

Without further introduction, here's her blog post on 5 Ways to Succeed While Balancing a Job and Your Side Hustle! 

Burning the candle at both ends.

Working your fingers to the bone.

Burning the midnight oil.

Pounding the pavement.

You’ve probably heard these little phrases from time-to-time and they may even describe your life right now. The truth is that balancing a full-time job while working on your side hustle (a.k.a. Your Dream) is not for the faint of heart.

Here are five ways you can survive a season of side hustling:

1. Remember that this time is only for a season. During my side hustle days I repeated this sentiment to myself almost daily. I needed to remind myself that I could do anything for a period of time. There’s always light at the end of the tunnel and that light is your dream.

2. Give yourself grace. If you are feeling unmotivated on a particular day, take a hint from your mind and body and take the night off. You can get back to your hustle the next day. Don’t beat yourself up--no one can give 100% all the time. Strive for grace, not perfection.

3. Develop a plan to balance your side hustle with your previous commitments. Whether that commitment is a full-time job or being a parent you have to determine how you are going to establish balance. What time outside of your full-time job will you commit to your side hustle? How will you manage both? What do you have to give up to be successful?

4. Learn to say no. You can’t do everything, so you have to say no to a lot of things during this season. For every additional item you add to your to do list you are taking time and energy away from your side hustle. Stay focused on your goals!

5. Know when to quit. The point of side hustle is to grow something to a sustainable point. So when is it time to quit your job and take your side hustle full-time? Only you can answer that question, but in general, when one or the other begins to suffer significantly you have to decide where you should be investing your time. I would also recommend that you read Quitter: Closing the Gap Between Your Day Job & Your Dream Job by Jon Acuff.

I am a full-time job and side hustle survivor! I started my photography editing business while working a demanding job and balanced both for more than a year. It was challenging at times, but it is possible and very fulfilling on this side of the dream.

Good luck and happy side hustling!

Sarah Wittcop is a personal editor for wedding photographers. She lives in Southwest Virginia with her husband, Adam, and their two dogs. You can learn more about Sarah’s work at www.SarahWittcop.com.

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

Utilizing Slow Season & Setting up Systems || Lynchburg, VA Wedding Photographer

We're hitting the end of "slow season" for wedding photographers here in Lynchburg, Virginia! I'm so excited for the 2018 Wedding Season! I have the most amazing, gorgeous brides and I cannot wait to share the joy of their big day! 

I also really enjoy slow season. After a crammed packed fall each year, it is so nice to have some downtime to celebrate Christmas with my family, and then to have some slower days with a break in editing! I love to take this time to really nail down my workflows and systems for the year, as having these things in place make the rest of the year organized and doable! 

When going through this process, I start my day by writing down the pain points from my previous wedding season and what worked really well. If I have one wedding a month, things are a lot easier, but when there's 4 or 5 in a month, plus engagement sessions, a lot of the little things get dropped or delayed.  My goal is for each of my brides to have the same amazing experience! By recognizing the pain points, I can then brainstorm ways to make that easier for me to ensure it gets done on time.  

I also take this time to write out each and every point that my clients go through. From signing the contract, mailing the wedding guide, scheduling an engagement session, to showing up at the wedding location. Yes, this can take time to write it all out, but this is where you'll notice where you're dropping the ball, or where you'd like to have more contact with your clients! 

I LOVE that HoneyBook now has a workflow option where you can now input and automate a lot of your workflow- which is amazing!! I am able to automatically send emails to new inquiries, send reminders before engagement sessions, and see a list of tasks to do each day. 

There's always a lot to get done in the "slow season" like updating magazines and portfolio images, clean out my office & camera equipment, etc. but setting up my systems and workflows is always one that is SO worth taking the time to get done!

So tell me, what do you like to get done during slow season?

PS: Are you interested in Honeybook? Here's my link to get you 50% off your membership! http://share.honeybook.com/gNBpM  

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!

To Do Lists || Lynchburg, Virginia Photographer

Anyone else obsessed with making lists of everything that needs to get done? Right now, I have multiple lists going on in my notebook- you know stuff that needs to get done with the family, my business, cleaning, you name it, there's a to-do list running for it! 

I am 100% a pen and paper girl, there's just something SO satisfying about getting everything out of your brain and onto the paper. And even more satisfying to cross things off as I get them done! Even though it does seem that some days the list just gets longer and longer instead of shorter! ;) Between my Daily Life Lists, my Client Workflow Sheets, and my Power Sheets, it can seem impossible to keep it all straight. 

I have found a few apps that I love utilizing as I'm trying to keep everything in one place so I thought I would share! 

I've shared about my love of Trello before, so I'll keep this short, but this is great for my brain as I use this as a virtual cork board to organize big projects. This doesn't quite work for me with the little details that need to get done, so I keep this running for big projects and ideas! 

From here, I have a daily to-do list on ToDoIst.Com.  Here, I can put in each and every little thing I need to do. From each blog post I need to write, to what I need to put in an envelope and stick in the mail. I know that crossing things off my to-do list helps motivate me, so putting in smaller to-do's helps me get more done! 

I still have my paper to-do lists- especially when it comes to the daily things that need to get done, water I need to track that I'm drinking (ugh I'm SO horrible at this!). What do you use for your To-Dos? 

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Ashley Eiban is a Wedding & Portrait Photographer based in Central Virginia. Serving the Lynchburg, Charlottesville, Richmond, and surrounding areas. Available for travel world-wide.  Ashley is passionate about cultivating genuine relationships built on mutual understanding, trust and lasting friendship.  

Currently booking a limited number of wedding and portrait sessions for 2018 and 2019.  Contact Ashley today for additional information!