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Teaching Photography to Moms

Lesson 23 from: Business for Photographers

Sandy Puc

Teaching Photography to Moms

Lesson 23 from: Business for Photographers

Sandy Puc

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Lesson Info

23. Teaching Photography to Moms

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Lesson Info

Teaching Photography to Moms

I want to talk about that program, the Mommy Marketing program. I'm gonna keep it pretty brief because we have a lot to go and you're getting the concept. I think you guys are getting the idea of what we're trying to do here. But I do. In addition to all the other ways we try to network in the community. We do teach at Mom's groups. We teach basic photography. Now somebody always goes up in arm. Why would you teach other moms how to take pictures? It's nothing like that. Honestly, we're not teaching upper level photography. We're talking the most basic 101 Most of these moms have instant cameras or the phone. Some have cameras with removable lenses. Very few are looking to be professional photographers. They just have kids and they want to take better pictures and the groups that we work with. They're called mops groups, mothers of preschoolers. Every community has them, so you could just research. They're usually held at churches, their non denominational organizations, but typically ...

you find them in churches. What is his groups of women get together and they they have, like, little what you call him Little social networking basically and they get together and they have activities. They might have a book reading. They might have a craft project. They might have a speaker come in. The Children are sort of locked in the basement. Inducted a couple of the parents, the couple, the mom's watch. The kids and the rest of them get to do these activities and they rotate through and they take turns. That's a great I know. When I had toddlers, I did it. It was a great way to socialize and get out with people. So So I saw it. When I started doing it, I was like, This is a great opportunity. You can have 10 20 and 50 women in one room, all networking and being social together. So the first thing has always you have to have a comprehensive programme which, of course, we do again. All of these programs is 27 years of working and refining and designing and making it happen. But the first thing we have to do is have the literature, how to create the relationship, contacting them, sending follow up letters explaining to them the program, the ideas that I'm gonna come in and teach about an hour and 1/2 class on basic photography. So things like times of day shadows, highlights catch lights. What is an I s so on a camera? This is the most elementary stuff you can possibly get. But one of the things that is really exciting about that is in addition to the hour and 1/2 class within the two hour segment, we also have a contest we invite in our marketing literature that we provide them to hand out to these ladies we provide. We have a contest where they could bring a picture of their It's up to an eight by 10 of their child or Children so the each can enter one picture and we're gonna have a contest so usually on the brakes, I'll look at the work. I'll pick my top favorites. There's top three. We give out three prizes. You can kind of see that we have different gift certificates. So this would be the poster. It says that the winners are gonna get a 24 by 30 a 20 by 24 to 60 by 20 and the value we also have the gift certificates ready to go. So of course, when at the end of my show, we I have picked my winners. I announced the winners from the stage. I spent a little time critiquing the work, telling people why I love them. Why? I love the work, why it has impact. So these moms are super excited. They get to come up and receive their prices, and they're really proud in front of their peers. After that, I turned to that audience and I tell them, You know, I'm really proud of all of you guys for taking the time to put an image in. And although you can't all be the big winners, all of you are winners to me. So I'm gonna offer you a complimentary session to my studio. This session is there's no charge. There's no obligation. So this is 100 and $50 value. The only thing I ask is that you book it today. I have ladies in the back that can book your appointment. You have to change it. No problem. But we only have a limited number of these. So if you're interested, we love to have you come work with us now. The connection here is this Number one. They've sat for an hour, hatch half and watch the slide show. Just like what you've watched of my work over and over. Never am I selling myself. Never Am I saying Come to my studio or by this or do this? It's all about teaching them. It's giving back to them. It's a what's in it for them teaching that really being honest and genuine in teaching them photography. They've emotionally connected to those image images visually. But in addition in that, show it towards the end of the show. I share a very personal story about waiting too long to have pictures taken and the sadness and all of us. We know what we're talking about. All of us can relate, Teoh the thing we should have done, or the picture we should have taken that will never get the chance to take. And I have a very, very personal story that's attached to this one that I couldn't tell here because it would make me cry. But it's something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. And so I share that story not as a way to emotionally terrorize people. But to drive a point home, I turned to these women. I say, Look, all of you, I would ask you right now. If you let me take your picture, you would tell me you're too heavy. You want to wait till your hair looks better? You want to get you know you'll give me 100 excuses. Why you won't do this today? I said you have no idea what tomorrow will bring. You just don't there no guarantees in this life and honestly, what you feel today, You know, 10 years from now, you would be blessed to have these images. So stop hiding from pictures. All of these bombs air like ourselves. Typically, unless you're a photographer, Year usually is a mom taking the pictures, not in the pictures. So your Children don't have record of you. And between telling them that and telling him that personal story, there's never a dry eye in that room. So I leave them with the challenge. I say, Look, I need all of you to commit that you will pick a buddy in this room and you will go out to the park and you'll take a camera and you'll photograph your friend and her kids with her kids and then she'll turn around and photograph you with your kids. Just make it casual. Don't have to dress up just just you being with your Children and stop worrying about your weight and your hair and everything else that you want to change about yourself. Give that gift to your kids and through the tears in the emotion. Everybody has to raise their hand and commit to doing that. And I truly believe that at least 80% of them follow through, and I know a lot of them do because they'll tag me or they'll send me a note or say they didn't how good that it made them feel. So so with that emotional high. And then to top it off with that with that contest, it's very exciting. So by the time that show is over, I have the last one we did. I mean, there was like women in the room. I've emotionally connected to all of them. There's no more powerful marketing than that approach right there. I had the chance to stand in front of 125 women share my heart and my soul. Show my work open my personal, you know, personal story in my own life and reach out and touch every single one of their hearts and challenge them to do better. And through that, through that experience, it's like working with you. At the end of the day, I feel like I want to bear hug every one of them, and I know that I've reached them on a marking level that can't be done. Any postcard, any social media, nothing can do that. So So it's It's an incredible opportunity now. The biggest fear everybody has is, of course, teaching photography. Andi. Certainly I will state that if you're new and photography shouldn't be teaching photography, I mean, you definitely have to have a skill set and have the knowledge. But I would wager a bet that most people, good, diligent students within 2 to 3 years should feel confident of to teach a basic photography class. Ah, lot of it is personality based, its engagement. Everybody's nervous to do it. You know you can't do this without being afraid. One thing I tell my students is. You know, the biggest fear people have is that they're not gonna have enough information to teach. And I've never had a student that has tried this. That didn't tell me. Oh, my gosh. I went over on my time because you think you're nervous, But then when you get up there, you're so passionate that you have more to say and it just comes out. It flows very naturally. So I'm gonna show you a quick little video. This is actually from a session just kind of showing what it looks like to teach. There were about 150 people in this room. Simple tip. But this is what you need to know. The brighter the situation, smaller number is going to be on your I s so super easy. This is how I teach all my students all over the world simply this If you're out on the beach and there's a bright sun and their sand and the sun is shining you're probably gonna be it I s 0 100 So keep that in mind I eso is basically the control of how much light is in your camera. So now when you're out at the beach and it's really, really sunny. You know, you want to bump that I s o down. But if you're out, you're in the house and the sun setting and you know, the light, your maybe even by candlelight, you're gonna bump that I eso up. Now, I recommend you play with that a little bit. I would say your safety zone is s 0 400 maybe 800 on a point shoot camera. So you see, it's not that complicated. It's not something that is overly scary. And if you're not sure, you can do it on a big level. Then grab a couple friends and just do 1/2 day class with some people that you know and just practice and work at it, and it becomes an incredible opportunity to connect. Now, one of the most important things that you have to remember about this particular show is when I teach them. There's one thing that I'm very aware of the whole entire time. The whole time I'm telling them how you know these little tips and tricks to get better pictures. They're going to go home and they're excited. They're I mean honestly, they take more notes than any students I have. These women are novels, writers, they write everywhere to say, And at the end of the day, they go home. Who are they going to try this on their own kids, right? We all know you can't photograph your own kids, right? That's like I'd rather pull out my teeth and voter my kids. So I kind of have this, like, little backup plans it. Yeah. Go try that because they're going to go home and they're going to try this technique. They're gonna try everything I said, and they're gonna realize it's really hard. What we do is hard. Being a photographer is not easy. It's not what people say about it. So they go home, they get frustrated. You know, we have a 0 to 60 temperament with our kids. So they go home, they try it, they can't do it. They come back to you because they realize you obviously from your work, have the talent and the knowledge to make this happen. I know it's true because I ask every single client that comes in my door, how they heard about me, and when they say all you taught at my mom's group and honestly, I'll be honest with you. I tried your techniques. I try to do my Christmas card. I almost killed my kids. I had to come see you. It's kind of like I got it. So you realize not that I want people hurting their Children, but I photographed my own kids and I know how hard it is. And to me it's a reinforce, or what I'm doing is tying the knot in that network, saying, You know what? I'll do this for you. I'll take this off of your I'll take this burden off of you and let me be your photographer.

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Ratings and Reviews

a Creativelive Student
 

HELLO CREATIVE WORLD! Sandy's Puc is my first course I bought from CreativeLive. Sandy Love your dedication, determination, experience and love for photography. And all that while growing the family. wow!wow! hugs from London :)

a Creativelive Student
 

Only had a chance to watch the last day and bought the program. Saw you speak in Chicago at WPPI and fell in love with your style of teaching and your love of photography. Could not wait for this program. Thank you.

Student Work

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