Have you ever sat down to finalize a timeline for a wedding and realized that the schedule of the day only allowed portraits of the couple during the most unflattering light, or even worse, no light at all? Cue the panic!

In the early years of our business, one of the most common struggles we faced was that we desperately wanted those beautiful, glowy portraits that are taken in the last hour before sunset, but we had wedding days that didn’t allow that time. Therefore, our clients didn’t have those images in their gallery and we didn’t have them in our portfolio! 

What we have realized was that clients need their photographer’s help early on — before they even set their ceremony time ­— to make sure their day allows for the best portraits around.  Your clients want exactly what you want: gorgeous, light-filled shots of irreplaceable moments. They are ready to comply, but they need your help! 

That’s where this information comes in!

Sign up for our list and receive our new e-book, Training Your Clients for Golden Hour Portraits, as a free download and our gift to you!

This free resource is an excerpt from our 74 page Luke and Cat Bride Guide that we use to educate our clients, resulting in an incredible experience for both us and them. Pay close attention to the powerful, strategic verbiage throughout, and start sharing this information with your clients early on so that you can have the time that you need. Happy shooting!

Learning & Creating, (2 Secrets to Success for Any Photographer!)

Luke & Cat

It’s an ongoing joke around our family that I always think I am right. And gosh darnit, if it wasn’t for everyone having Wikipedia available at their fingertips anytime they want nowadays, most of my ‘always right’ moments wouldn’t be subjected to any fact checking, and then any slip ups would go undetected.

But sometimes, it’s nice to be wrong – especially about little stuff when it turns out good. Here are 3 things I would have missed out on if I hadn’t been wrong.

1. Modern Family

   
   About a year ago, Luke was flipping through the channels and stopped at Modern Family. “You know, we should watch this. I’ve heard it is hilarious,” he encouraged. Without missing a beat, I confidently replied, “Oh, I don’t like that show.”
   
   Luckily, I agreed to sit through an episode, and since that very important 30 minute time period of my life — I’ve been completely hooked.
   
   Its an unlikely love affair for me, as I haven’t really loved a sitcom since Seinfeld bit the dust. But something about this crew of misfits just makes me love them. By the way, Phil really needs to fix that step. 
   
   
   
   
   

2. Sushi
   

   
   Three years ago we were shooting a wedding and after the couples portraits, we hurriedly rushed in to get ready for their grand entrance to the reception. We had a couple of minutes before they made their way in, and we were starving. The hand passed appetizers were some funny looking round discs of rice. 

   But hunger won out, and I grabbed one. And the rest, as they say, is history.

   The first time we actually went to a sushi restaurant, the menu intimidated me. “We just want a sampler with one bite of several rolls, can we just get that?” When our server answered no, I suggested to Luke (mayyyybe in hissy fit form) that we just leave. Later, our rolls arrived and the waiter, aware it was our first time, starts kindly explaining what is in front of us. “This roll is the shaggy dog, over here is the spicy tuna. On this side of the plate is pickled ginger, and over on the other side, here is the…” I quickly interjected, trying to prove how smart I was: “Oh, I know what that green stuff is. That’s guacamole.” Any sushi eaters know how incredibly mouth-on-fire wrong I was! 
   
   

3. Sweetened Condensed Milk

   
   As a southerner who owns about 5 Paula Deen cookbooks, this is just embarrassing! I avoided recipes on purpose because I assumed this ingredient was disgusting. Canned milk? No.
   
   Now that I know the error of my ways thanks to a husband who knows good food, just thinking about it makes me want to go make something. Like my all time favorite banana pudding. Or the strawberry cream shortcake that we had last Sunday for our post-church meal.
   
   Is there anything that isn’t enriched by this heavenly drizzle? Sweetened condensed milk is to desserts what ranch dressing is to vegetables. Amen.

Licking the spoon and continuing to be wrong sometimes,

Cat

Cows aren’t exactly great listeners. In the beginning, it takes a whole team to drive them and show them where to go. Here’s the good news, though - if you put in enough good work when the cattle are still young, they’ll eventually learn the patterns and follow your lead with very little resistance. 

The perfect cowboy is the strong, silent type, for good reason. He can’t bend to the whims of his cattle – he’s got to be firm, and direct those cows with a steady hand and lots of clear signals.  There’s a dance to it. You’ve got to surround them from all sides and keep your eyes on each and every one. If you start letting the cattle turn left when you need them to go right, what you end up with is a bunch of runaway cows.  In other words, what seems like a minor concession can quickly snowball into a full-force stampede.  It can be tedious, exhausting work, but when it’s done right, you’ve got a great herd that moves just the way you taught it for years to come.

In our photography business, we apply the same approach.

Sometimes clients are a bit taken aback by our list of ‘don’ts’: for example, we don’t do Sunday weddings; we don’t do weddings after dark; we don’t schedule engagement shoots after hours or on the weekends.  Why so many constraints? Because we know the lay of the land, and we’re crystal clear on where we should be guiding our clients and our business.

Oh, we’ve made concessions before.  For example, we once worked with a delightful bride whose mother wanted nothing more than to be at her side during her bridal photos.  This required the mother-of-the-bride to make an 11,000-mile flight from Kazakhstan. The day of the photo shoot brought a torrential downpour, which meant we should have rescheduled - with our signature ‘Golden Hour’ outdoor photography style, we can’t make our magic if the sky opens up.

But the bride’s mom was in town from halfway around the world, and we didn’t want to disappoint the bride or her jet-legged mother. When they arrived at the ranch in the midst of a torrential downpour, we suggested indoor bridal photos and we converted our home into a makeshift studio. Although we went to great lengths and took lovely portraits, there was no way we could provide our signature Luke and Cat Experience of outdoor golden-hour photography. Our lovely bride liked the photos—they were beautiful—but they were also unlike anything she had ever seen from us. We could tell she was still craving the natural, sun-filled images she envisioned when she hired us.

One misguided concession (we really should have rescheduled!), can easily turn into a stampede of adjustments, corrections, ‘should haves’ and ‘could haves’.  In that case, we proceeded to trample all over our carefully planned itinerary for wedding day photos because we felt we should squeeze in make-up outdoor bridal portraits too.  Although the bride never demanded it of us, we placed extra stress on ourselves in order to deliver images that we should have taken at a different time.  Had we asked her to reschedule her bridal portrait, as we should have during that torrential downpour, we’re sure she would have been more than willing to do so.  

Why couldn’t we see it then?  So we could learn this: 

Part of running your own business is determining and setting boundaries, and then sticking to your guns so that you can create the experience you want to provide for clients while enjoying the perks of self-employment. To get our clients traveling in the right direction, we’ve got to “put up fences” early on, lest we find ourselves riding out again and again to loop in stragglers.

In the early days of our business, we were afraid to stand firm on certain non-negotiables.  We caved several times, making exceptions and changing our policy “just this once.” But time and again, we realized that we should have had the confidence to hold firm.  If a concession means a less than-optimal experience for our clients, or an imposition on our quality of life (Sundays are reserved for church and family time), nobody wins.  Our clients trust us to take care of them, and as any parent knows, taking good care of people doesn’t always mean giving them what they think they want.  Like moms and dads, we might occasionally get a little push back on our rules and policies, but the rules exist because we’ve learned what works best and what will ultimately make our clients the happiest.  As our parents used to say: “We’re doing this for your own good!”    

Our most recent bridal session had to be rescheduled due to weather three different times, but the end result was worth it!

The Take Aways:

• Branding Isn’t Just For Cows:  The quality and consistency of your brand is everything.  If a compromise or concession conflicts with your brand’s image (like the portraits we created for our rainy day bride), don’t be afraid to say ‘no’. In the long run, it really is the nicer thing to do. 
  
  Sometimes, if it’s a question of money - it can be tempting, especially when you’re starting out, to grab every opportunity, even if it does conflict with, say, a “No Sundays” rule.  But, resist the urge and stand firm in the face of fear. Be true to your brand and your lifestyle decisions.  If someone wants something that you don’t do, kindly refer them elsewhere. Something better will always come along; it has for us.
  
  
• Build a Good Fence: Take time on the front-end of each business transaction to give your clients the lay of the land. We spend a considerable amount of time conversing with couples, giving them a wealth of information in our Bride Guides, and sending regularly scheduled emails that cover a multitude of potential questions and concerns.  This shows our clients right away, that we are prepared to be their guides. We’ve worked hard to manage the process so they’re clear on where we’re taking them, every step of the way.  If a bride has a question we haven’t already answered, we consider that a failing on our part!
  
  
• Pair Them Up, Move Them Out: On the ranch, young cattle can be paired up with more experienced members of the herd to guide them into the group. Similarly, we have a Facebook group, allowing new clients to chat with former brides and grooms who have had the Luke and Cat Experience.  Our seasoned clients can answer questions and alleviate one another’s concerns, freeing up more of our time for work.
  
  
• Don’t Wait for the Cows to Come Home:  If you wait to get your business to a certain point before setting boundaries to protect your lifestyle, you’ll be waiting for a really long time.  You’ve got to define your values, set some hard and fast rules, and steer your business in a direction that makes sense for your life.  Saying ‘no’ feels scary.  But, you have to say ‘no’ to the opportunities that aren’t quite right, so you leave room to say ‘yes’ when the perfect ones come along.    

Lassos & Corrals (Metaphorically speaking, you need them in your business too!),

Luke & Cat

We love to teach photographers how to hone technique, artistry and business acumen to create a life that improves your craft, and a business that supports your life. For a fast track to your authentic Life & Craft, check out more about our workshops we host on our cattle ranch in Texas.

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