• For Photographers

There are many ups and downs when running your own business. There are so many questions, so many hurdles and you just want someone to reach out and hand you a life jacket as you struggle to stay above the water. There is a pressure to succeed and not only succeed, but IMPRESS! This was me. I had some skills, I had the personality, I had the drive, but I was completely clueless to my online presence and marketing. How were people going to know me? How would they find me online? I felt very alone and need a place to lift me up and take the time to teach me. This is when a good friend of mine introduced me to Showit. Show it is my home, my landing pad and my family. I had no idea how much David Jay would change my career and life. He not only handed me a life jacket–he handed me an entire yacht!

Showit gives me the freedom to create my own website, control my brand, create websites for my clients, PASS photos electronically and be a part of an amazing community of photographers. We have given ourselves the name “Showiteers”. We meet for monthly gatherings in small groups and every quarter of the year we have a global meeting.

I have always wanted my business to be forward thinking. It’s a new world in technology and everyone wants everything handed to them like…yesterday! It’s a fast lane type of world. Showit opened this world up for me. I created a website using Promise Tangeman’s  Sitehouse Design. It wasn’t cookie cutter–it was custom. This was the first step in creating my image online and I was stoked! I’ll show you why I am so happy with Showit and what it allows me to do as a business woman.

WEBSITE: My website is mine. I created it with my fingers & brain 🙂 I was able to buy a template for around $250 and start customizing. Creating a website from scratch really forces you to look at yourself as a business person. You have to present yourself in such a way that shows your character & style. It pushes you to not just slap a generic slideshow on a page with your logo. It forces you to have an online personality. Personally, I love the video integration. It has changed my business for the better. And now that HTML5 is running—My websites are fully functional on hand held devices. HECK YA! My website: POPography.org ($39/mo- unlimited sites)

+ SITES: Oh my begeezees—this was a game changer. Showit allows you to create sites that are an addition to your main site. I create a +site for all of my clients. My wedding clients really love that we can put all of their wedding information, registry, RSVP, stories & amazing photos in one place. Most of my brides are using these websites on their Save the Date cards. No longer do they have to keep repeating the same info over and over or emailing directions and hotels—they just send them their custom website! Here is a great example of how this works: Shalyn & Mark’s + Site 

PASS: Now this is where it gets REALLY good. I was a part of the beta group that would be testing this new program about a year ago. It has been one of the greatest things to hit my business. Again, let me remind you that when I started my wedding photography business I wanted to be all digital and forward thinking. PASS was my answer. Now when my clients purchase the digital images they will now be seeing them on their iPhone, iPad, Android & Mobile Devices. They will be able to easily share, tag & download their images in minutes. There is NO MORE DVDS! No more waiting for weeks on a disc to arrive. No more errors as you try and take the images off of the disc. AND even more amazing—PASS is storing your images in a cloud safely. All of my clients receive one year of PASS goodness. They are upgrades for 5 year plans as well. My clients biggest perks from this is having their photos in their hands to share at all times and how quick they can get their photos. This is a HUGE game changer–every photog should be in on this. Check out PASS!

SHOWIT WIKI & SUPPORT: I am never alone. There are so many people at Showit that want to help. Their wiki is amazing and for those of us who learn best through video–they have tutorials!  There are no excuses not to achieve greatness! Go watch and learn!

SHOWITEERS: We are the community wrapped around Showit. We have an amazing local and global community. The best thing about us—we are Positive-Encouraging-Inpsiring-Innovating. I have learned so much through meetings, workshops, glasses of wine 🙂 and watching their photos through blogs and facebook. You have to be a part the greater community. You have to continue your education. No one deserves to do this alone. Community is key! Get involved and most importantly be willing to give!

This month our DFW Showiteers got together in Grapevine  for a shoot out and drinks. I cannot tell you how much fun we have. No one understands me as a photographer like these girls do. SO. MUCH.FUN.

Enjoy our craziness through photos—I truly am blessed to have amazing people locally and globally that are striving for awesomeness 🙂