Internship #1

The picture above is how they dress.

The picture above is where I'll be working most of the time.

First day of internship, and I woke up at 6:30am as usual. Pretty disappointing, since my internship doesn’t start until 1pm. But in order to get there, I had to go to my mom’s work so I could get a ride. At least I got toast and peanut butter for breakfast. But I figured I should spend my time wisely while waiting for my internship to begin, so I worked on my new blog (link will be provided later) where I talked about how I spent my Monday at a photographer’s convention. Then, after an hour of working on that, I walked around downtown to look for good photo-spots. I went all the way from the symphony towers, to Seaport Village. It didn’t seem like I had gone that far, but there was a lot to look at, and I got back in time for lunch (PB & J).
When I finally got to go to my internship, which is in Betsy and Jeff’s house, I was handed lots of information in a binder, and we went over our schedule and plans for the next three weeks. Jeff taught me the basics of Aperture, ISO, and the lenses they use. This was only a small fraction of what we went over. I learned so much that I’m still processing it all even now. Photography just got even more technical, and it’s really interesting.
I don’t necessarily have a specific area that I work. So far I’ve been working in their living room, which is also their meeting room. Within the next few days, I’ll be taking pictures of the assignment they’ve given me, and building a business plan (we have it all on a schedule), and working on my blog. I feel most prepared for my blog, since I’ve already got a good design for it, and I love to write.To succeed, I’ll need to practice my photography a lot, and be sure to ask plenty of questions in order to help Betsy and Jeff effectively. I’m really excited about this because I’m interested in what I’m learning, the first day was already quite successful, and the schedule is really fun.

Recession Questions:

When it comes economics and business to you as a self run business really need to be aware of?

What the market will bear, not just how it’s effecting us but also our clients. We need to be aware our client base. For example, our client base is not bargain brides, our clients are appreciators of fine art. There are two types of brides. They are either looking for a bargain and don’t really care, or they really care, because after the wedding is over and done with, all that’s left is the photography. We have to make sure we are priced in such a way that we can book who we want. If we price ourselves too low, people will undervalue us.
So, basically: Market, ideal client (how much they are willing to spend), and a good understanding of where we fit in compared to competitors. It’s not just about low prices, but also the experience, products, and services.

What is largest economic impact on you personally?
What part of you business is most effect by recession? (these two connected to him)

The wedding industry is not recession proof, but resistant. Weddings are still going to go on, some people still have a lot of money because they were prepared. Some people have that big budget. You just have to find them. We had fewer bookings, but not enough to destroy us.
Portraits and family sessions were most impacted, since they are considered luxury item, in general. Maternity sessions were not affected, because when you’re pregnant, your pregnant.
One thing I noticed is that people didn’t book far in advance like they used to. It went from booking 1 year before hand, to 3 months beforehand, because they’re not sure if they can afford it.
Things are getting better now. There’s even more bookings this year than we had last year.
There is one key. We did not lower our prices. If you do that, it will take three times as long to get back to where you started. Do not lower prices during a recession. You can offer less stuff. We removed stuff from our packages, taking away things so it would be less work, and cost less, rather than lowering the price, but getting the same thing. That would be undervaluing our work, but that’s not good, because we’re still working just as hard.