Emily Savage Senior 2019

I met this young lady about 5 years ago when I started my photography career in barrel racing.  I can't believe how fast the years go and now here I am photographing this young lady and she's going to graduate high school in 2019.

Her main focus and love is and has always been her animals  She enjoys barrel racing, trail riding, taking her dog on hikes and to the dog park, and showing her sheep.

Emily has two horses that she barrel races on and playdays; However her main focus at the moment is on her team of 5 sheep that she plans on taking to the Fort Worth Stockshow and Tarrant county Junior Livestock show in the spring, her main goal is making sale and selling one of the market sheep at each and winning a buckle with one of her breeding sheep.  If that's not enough in the spring Emily plans on competing on the FFA horse judging team.

Her day is very busy and consists of feeding all of her animals, working the sheep out on the treadmill and getting them show ready and working the horses and keeping them in shape.

Emily currently is an intern at Trinity Veterinary Medical Center, she plans on taking her to test to become a certified veterinary assistant in the spring and plans to study for pre vet in the fall.

www.JoHPhotography.com

Changing Things Up

One of my favorite things as a photographer is changing up angles and composition, as most everyone knows I photograph the Amazing sport of Barrel Racing 90% of my time.  Living in Texas it's either too hot or too cold and that leads us indoors so the ground is not too wet or dry.  In order to capture a nice sharp photo it requires light.  Depending on how many lights you have you are pretty restricted to a few areas.

Being able to capture something different makes your job fun, you love what you see and the barrel racer loves something different as well.  Working with sun is the main thing in photography which will give you angles you don't normally photograph.  I love stepping outside of the box, it may not work but you'll learn alot about your job in the process.

Capturing photos at a different angle also shows the ability of horse and rider from a different perspective. Alot of people will stop by the photo booth to see how their horse looks and what might of gone wrong.  Seeing things in a different way helps them as well.  Thats what Jo H Photography is here for, helping in anway I can.  If i can capture a angle that improves your barrel run the next time I'm very happy with that

www.JoHPhotography.com

Small Business Tip # 2 "Asking the Right Questions"

In Small Business the biggest part of our very busy job is making sure to ask the right questions.  That goes for the Business owner as well as the Client.  Any question in your mind needs to be asked so that both parties are clear on what is expected from the job.  For myself as a photographer I want to make sure I take care of the clients needs.  How long will the expected job take, How many Images will be needed, What format, High Resolution or Web size, Will there be touch ups, What Time of day, how fast do you need the photos; will I need to rent equipment if I don't have the right equipment etc etc.

For the client they need to be asking similar questions, I need photos for myself or my business, how many photos are included in my package, will i get a release to print or use for advertising. I need them by such and such day

It takes both parties to be successful, jot down your questions before conversing, if you can visit thats better so you can talk about what you both need to make this a great partnership, I like to see a location at the time of day we will be shooting to see if the light is going to make my job harder or easier.  I look at backgrounds and will I spend time in photoshop longer than expected.

As a photographer I try to ask as many questions as possible; if it doesn't turn out like I had in my mind then I didn't ask the right questions.  I will always fulfill what the client needs based on the questions I asked.  That could lead to a loss of money for me which is a lesson learned to ask better questions the next time around.  The last thing I want to do is NOT deliver what the client needs and also losing money for time I didn't budget into the job

A paper trail I feel is very important as well, get things down in writing, the last thing you want to do is lose a friendship or client over something you think you said or something you think they said.  Having it down in writing will salvage a business relationship and more important a friendship.  I have clients sign a few forms before their session that protects me in the future.

When I consult for a wedding, we will do a walk thru, make sure you tell me every shot you feel is the most important you don't want me to miss, i'll keep that list handy in my pocket on that special day so I make sure and capture what your needing for lasting memories.  There's nothing wrong with having that handy dandy notebook ready to use while your working on your job.  

Be prepared, Take Notes, Deliver what the Client wants based on your notes and conversations.

www.JoHPhotography.com

Growing into Fine Art

As an event photographer something we always want to do is bring new photos and angles to the athlete that competes in the events we photograph.  As a photographer we like to grow into new things.

One of the areas I am growing into is working on fine art.  This photo above is an AQHA Stallion by the name of FK Snow Camo affectionately known as CAM.  Owned by Curtis Watson Quarter Horses, he recently qualified for AQHA World in Heeling.

The minute I saw him I knew I had to work on this fine art project I had in mind.  I have never worked on High Pass and brighter exposure, I tend to work with the black background.

I knew the angle I wanted which when your working with horses that may or may not work, once we got the angle then I knew the rest was up to me.  I have people ask me what or how I do the things I do in Photoshop, I honestly tell them I don't know I just start playing.  The best way to learn anything or grow in whatever you do is trial and error.

Cam's finish photo was try number 3, i deleted the first 2 attempts.  I was happy with the final product which included alot of gradient, alot of curves alot of brush work replacing his eye, the content fill to remove the halter.

The best thing you can do is find some tutorials on youtube to get started on some training and just practice.  I am really happy with the final result and this will be blown up for the owners and also shown at my photo booth as well.

Please Follow "Cam" on Facebook he is a Perlio Stud by Flying Hearts Tuffy by Sun Frost.  out of Bailey's Drifter by Cinderwood.  Both sire and dam were buckskin and they both passed along the cream gene to Cam, which then resulted in Perlio.

He can be found at Curtis Watson quarter Horses
For Equine Portraits please contact me
www.JoHPhotography.com

A Little about NBHA

The National Barrel Horse Associate based out of Augusta Georgia revolutionized the barrel racing industry in 1992 with the divisional format.  This format allows riders of all levels to compete for prizes and money at their races.

All competitors from Beginners, to Seniors, To Open are able to compete at any NBHA races thru their D format.

NBHA members compete for District, State and World points; each state is divided into districts - I photograph and have been photographing for NBHA15 for 4 years or a little more.

NBHA15 holds individual races for their members and in 2018 started to buddy with races promoters to bring more people together for money and prizes.

NBHA15 is organized and ran by volunteers with goals of bringing bigger prizes and bigger sponsors into 2019.  If your a business and would like to be a sponsor for this organization you can find their contact information thru their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NBHATX15

#officialphotographer for NBHA15:  www.JoHPhotography.com

promotional video for NBHA15 coming soon

Small Business Tip #1 "Its not what your charging, it's what your offering"

As many of you know I run a small business out of my home in Sanger, TX.  I have been a full time photographer for over 2 years.  I pay my Sales Tax quarterly, I track my expenses daily, I have a wonderful accountant to help me stay on track.  As you know I am very passionate about what I do and where my goals are going to take me.

Today on Facebook I posted a quote "It's not what your charging; It's what your offering"  I realize price is very important when your asking about a product or service, I also feel it's very important to see what is offered in that price.

I recently reworked my packages (photography) for 2019 that I feel reaches out to all levels of someones budget.  Along with the price I want everyone to know your service does not stop there.

I have some loyal clients that have me back 2,3,4, and 5 times.  Those clients are treated to a complimentary christmas mini, I very rarely will do minis but I will give that to a client that is going to have me back over and over.

I spend around $2,000 to $3500 a year in training, I put hours of practice in to get better at what I do. My equipment is maintained, I keep insurance on my equipment.  I feel that I offer what is in the price packages I have set in place.

I absolutely love when I can give something back to someone who is having Jo H Photography capture their lifelong memories.

I also offer a Lay-A-Way plan for someone that might need some help paying out a session; Don't stop with just the price when you inquire, ask what's included, what else can be done, do you offer a Lay-A-Way so i can afford you.  Do you offer additional discounts after the package (which I do)  I want you to be able to have as many photos as you can get.  Please always ask I'll do what I can while trying to maintain my home, staying current on my taxes and insurance.

I want you to be part of the Jo H Photography family and earn some of those free items I offer.

www.JoHPhotography.com

Tiny but Mighty

Greatness comes in small packages and seven year old Lindsay Busch is no exception.  This little lady is affectionately known as "Tiny but Mighty".

She started riding at the ripe old age of 3 year olds and now at the veteran age of 7 she competes in numerous youth rodeo organizations and is in the running for "Rookie of the Year" in the Little Britches Organization.  She can be seen at the local jackpots in barrel racing going up some of the best competitors in the area.

This young lady calls Ponder, Texas home and comes from a long family line of rodeo athletes,  Mom Lori a past competitive Barrel Racer and her Father Dan a past Bull Rider.  She is homeschooled and holds down her end of the daily chores around the Ranch.  

This little lady lists Cooking as one of her favorite things to do along with riding her bike and hunting with her dad.  She's a natural in front of the camera and I have a good feeling at whatever she decides in life she will be a huge success.

www.JoHPhtography.com