Guest Blog with Skip Cohen

Never in a million years would I have dreamed that early on in our efforts with YStudio Photography we would have the fortune of bumping so closely into Skip Cohen.

I have been following Skip and Bambi Cantrell and have been excited about all of their publications, blogs, and of course contribution to the photography industry.  Skip posted something on his Twitter and I simply made a comment, Skip replied and he also took a peek at our site.  He loved the work, and just like that he asked me to be a guest!  So without further....here is the blog, he wrote a great intro and I did have a blast writing for the blog.

I also want to thank my FABULOUS husband who helped me with my grammar, Lord knows I could not have done it without him!

And here is the blog everyone, enjoy!  And do leave comments!

Copy and paste into your browser...

http://skipsphotonetwork.com/2010/03/guest-post-chaos-vs-creativity-by-barbara-yasuhara/

We Choose YOU!

Each time I prepare for a blog, I get overwhelmed.  I always struggle with what to share.  Because there is so much I want to share!  But, I stay focused and remember, "I blog for YOU", yes that's right...YOU are reading this and you are my main goal.

Blogging is such a wonderful tool for photographers. Whether you are a student, or on a strict or non-existent budget, you CAN get an education for reading what professionals share about their own experiences.  I have always viewed  our industry as a melting pot of resources, passion, caring, and sharing.  I am thrilled about the blog world.  I am ecstatic to be a blogger myself, and I am thrilled that you are here.

I became interested in blogging, or should I say, stepped out of the comfort zone a few years ago   being inspired by photographers and authors, Scott Kelby and Dave Ziser.  I was amazed at how much these men were teaching me, and the rest of the photographers following them.  It was beyond me the amount and the extent of their teachings.  The blood, sweat and the tears they shared...and it was FREE!  Scott Kelby could not have said it any better.."it's like we are literally stuffing money into your pockets!"  I also thought at times, "are these people crazy?" I can't afford a $3,000.00 camera!  The more I read and the more I opened my mind,  the more I learned and the more I gained. 

My benefactors were my clients, but they were also my pin cushion as I tried new strategies and ideas with marketing and booking, etc.  Once booked, the   technique and actions then came into play.  And let me tell you folks, doing what was uncomfortable was not easy for me.  Even though we crashed and burned many times and will contiue to do so, it eventually worked for us....experiment and play!

I specifically remember a couple we met last year for a consultation.  I knew my husband and I were there for a reason...our work.  I was among two other photographers they were checking out and this made me anxious to show them what we offer our couples......we offer our dedication and artistry.  The meeting was NOT about our packages as much as it was about the couple themselves, I asked questions about how they met, things they like to do together, special places that were important to them.  During the meeting I also learned family dynamics and other wonderful and valuable information that is crucial for wedding photographers and for photo journalism reasons.

I could personally identify with the bride-to-be since I myself had planned my entire wedding in 2007, and like this bride, I too was a plus-size bride. I felt like she could relate to me and my vise versa.  I spoke about my biggest photographic nightmare concerns after she shared hers with us, and it just "felt right ."  How many times do BBW's (big beautiful women), get knocked down going from boutique to boutique to find that they did not fit the mold.  My attitude was BREAK THAT MOLD and let's create beautiful photography!  The client was eating it up as was her fiance, also a plus size man.
  
Ok so after chit chatting with potential clients, and showing them what we are all about, Natalie closed the photo album sample she was looking through. She placed her hand on her fiance's hand, she smiled at him, he smiled back and she said "well, we have no need to meet with anybody else, we choose YOU!" 

Natalie and Kenneth were married May 2, 2009 at the lovely Purple Orchid Resort & Spa in Livermore, California.  Their wedding was beautiful.  Natalie and Kenneth were stunning, they were surrounded by bountiful amounts of love, and because we established a relationship with our couple and I stayed in touch, their images....breath taking!  They were so pleased with their entire experience with YStudio that they gave us a killer 5 star review on Yelp (www.yelp.com), and they initiated a Facebook Fan Page, as well as creating what we call now the YStudio motto.....as Natalie put it herself "you guys are more than a photo shoot, you guys were an EXPERIENCE!"  We met some wonderful people and future clients at this wedding, some of whom still keep in touch with us today.

As anxious and nervous as I was at applying the new techniques I had learned from workshops, reading blogs, books, and watching educational DVD's the rewards were endless and worth it all.  Natalie, also said the three words that meant something we were doing was right...."we choose YOU!"

"We choose you", were he words that reaffirmed my decisions to step out of the box and jsut do it!  Reading blogs helped me make the decision to move forward, but it all boils down to one thing...... fear and I either you lose it or you get lost in it.

 I hope that this blog helps someone else.  So, step out of the box and please feel free to come back and share your experience with us all!

I've got the WPPI blues..............

Boy oh boy......do I have the blues....this year was supposed to be our year to step up in the education department and downplay on the gear department.  Last year I could not get vacation time around WPPI time, and this year, it was the same ole politics, this week was also NOT available for vacation at work! ARGH!!!!!

I am off on Fridays and Saturdays, but damn it, I wanted to be in Vegas all week, I NEEDED TO BE THERE! I feel awful and almost sick to my stomach thinking about tonight's WPPI Kickoff Party and ALL of my favorite Photographers and mentors like Skip Cohen, Bambi Cantrell, Jerry Ghionis, Yervant Z., Joe Buissinck and more.....I could just see it now the skits, the inspiration, the education, Jerry Ghionis singing karaoke....and here we are at home as our Friday rolls around tomorrow.

Well, maybe THIS IS IT!  This WILL be the last WPPI Convention I miss, and I mean it!  I have already talked to hubby, we are not getting any younger, if we are going to build YStudio NOW is the time....so as I stay home or go to work during WPPI, I promised myself to not only learn ONE thing everyday, but learn MANY things everyday, read, study, practice, shoot, shoot and shoot some more.

I look at missing WPPI two years in a row, as a MAJOR inspiration and a loud and clear message, that the time is coming soon!  I'm grateful to have such a great job, but in order to be great at what we do, we must LOVE what we do......it's time for YStudio Photography and Weddings 9-1-1 to be my full-time......and next year, I AM GOING TO WPPI!  Watch! Happy almost Friday everybody!

......Dale Carnegie said it better.....

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.

Dale Carnegie

YStudio is proud to announce that we are embracing and welcoming HDR!

Ok ok , it takes us older folks a bit longer to get on board with the technology I know, but seriously, we have been busy!  Between juggling our 40 hour work weeks, and shooting weddings and portraits in between, it's no wonder it took us THIS long!  AND finally, as many photographers are saying goodbye to the stone age and HELLO to HDR, is a GREAT move for us all...but mostly for our clients! 

Aside from not be able to contain myself with all of this creativity and opportunity to provide this service to our clients, I am equally excited about "launching" our campaigns.  We haven't had too much luck with it lately with mail outs so we decided to post it here on our blog!  We are constantly looking to upgrade and we are striving to work hard this Spring to re-vamp our photo studio.  In the meantime, we keep shooting, shooting and shooting with our clients in mind.  And photographers.....yes, we know what we love, but do we really know what our clients love and NEED  from us?  We hope that this will encourage all photographers to think out of the box and get that new gear or gadget that will take your business to the next level, it's like going to the gym, a pain to get there, but once you are there, you do not want to leave!

Like my husband says "this life is all about improvements", and we hope you will join us for the ride, there is so much to do and see out there, and as far as photography goes, don't let the years pass you by without preserving them for your loved ones, whether you are a photographer or not, make the memories count, and make the memories with YStudio Photography.

 

 

We are also proud to announce we are offering 20% off of prints with your Trash the Dress (we don't really trash them), High School Seniors and Portrait sittings.  Call for your consultation TODAY!  This is going to be FUN!  (Thanks to LaNisa, Lynn and Angelo for letting us share these images with you)  And a special heartfelt thanks to our team for this session.....Makeup Artist: Nechelle Turner and Hair Stylist and niece, Ariana Lara...On location in Pt. Richmond, California.

Never say NEVER!

How many times have we as photographers set up so many parameters for a shoot, we have a vision, we have a plan, we have A MODEL and then it all goes south because of the weather?  This is exactly what happened to us last week.

I had gone through some lengths to get the right model, the right idea, and then as we were getting ready to do a kool outdoor urban fashion shoot, it began to rain, no wait, I am lying, it began to pour!  It broke my heart because here it was Friday, I had planned for weeks, our gear was packed and ready to go, my model had three outfits ready.  I called our model Myrna and I could hear nothing but silence as I told her the shoot would have to be postponed.  And of course, without a functioning photo studio, I felt it was my responsibility to make this happen!  I immediately told Myrna that I had an idea and that I would call her right back!

So...I called my good friend and cake queen, Yolanda (of Yo-Yo's Cakes), and asked her if she had any ideas of cool looking spots in our area.  She mentioned this one place that recently opened near El Cerrito, a place called The Boiler House and Craneway Pavillion in Point Richmond, California.  Yolanda had raved about this place as she had been there for a company party and so I was curious!  I went to my source, Yelp.com, and looked it up and what I saw was a yummy looking industrial space with awesome lighting, it was definitely worth a shot to call and ask the manager if we would be welcomed to come and shoot there.
I called and spoke to Rob Nachtwey who manages the place, and can you believe it?  He said "come on down!"  I called Myrna and she was excited as we were and she began to make her journey to our side of the San Francisco Bay.  The place was too cool, my husband and I were excited and as was my son Angelo (our wonderful gear and  lighting assistant), and we were indeed welcomed.

I have to add that our model Myrna ROCKED this shoot, not only did she bring some adorable outfits, she brought a great attitude and she did a great job with her own posing ideas....but she also earned major kudos as there were folks all over the bar, and people having dinner as my hubby, my son and I did our thing and shot all over the place.  We were interrupted a couple of times by on lookers who wanted our business cards, or perhaps that was an excuse to get a closer look at Myrna?   Whatever the cause it was FUN for everyone, even the on lookers.

Rob asked if we were available to photograph a couple events in the coming days and we said YES!  So .... we photographed their San Francisco Chocolate & Beer Festival as well as their XLIV Superbowl Party!  The C&B Festival turned out to be a great shoot and we got hired by one of  the bands who performed at the event, as they loved the photography we captured of their act.  By the way what a small world, the guy who hired us for a July gig they have, Dave Bailey of the Juke Joint Band,  just so happens to be the son of our next door neighbor...talk about "meant to be!"

Ok that's enough chit chatting, here are a few photos from this shoot, ENJOY!!

Our Grammy Experience!

We may not have gotten the WHOLE enchilada, but we sure did get a lot of tacos! The Los Angeles 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, totally exceeded our expectations! As a nominee some words of advice if you get an opportunity to go one day...."leave your wallet at home!" Honestly, the Recording Academy takes care of YOU and of it ALL! Stay tuned for more of our story and more photos. For now, I just could NOT wait to share my Grammy medal with you all! Although taken with my Blackberry, it is one of my favorite parts of this journey! Be back soon with more!

We are OFF to the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony!

I am excited, but I think the grand excitement and out pour of emotion will come when I am finally in the hotel, getting ready for the Nominees Reception Dinner at the LA Convention Center. Thank GOD it is Business Attire, I want to be comfortable, and although they will NOT allow us to bring our real deal cameras, I WILL have my Canon SD1100 in Pink in my bag!

My husband on the other hand, is so excited he can hardly stop! He has spent countless hours online and reading everything there is to know about this grand celebration! He has his suits and shoes ready and I am trying to get my gowns packed as well as my business attire, shoes, makeup, jewelry, etc. Maybe it will finally hit me? I am too busy to stop and think that hard.

I want to send a heartfelt thanks to John Santos, one, for believing in me and my talents, and of course for asking me to be a part of so many wonderful recording and performance projects! I began to work with John in 1999 and had no idea where this would take us. John in his 5th nomination with the Academy, and me in my 2nd alongside John's projects, am simply humbled, overjoyed and grateful in his friendship, talent, dedication and trust in my performances.

We are finishing up the last of everything, and whether we win or not, THIS will be one of the most significant milestone events of our lives!!! And thank you to all of you whom have supported me in my production, performance and recording efforts.

And the winner is...........................