helping others + photography tips

Living, laughing, reading, designing, loving, helping, photographing, Shefy Shaking, praying, learning, traveling, cooking, writing, believing, dreaming...all of this composes who I am. Shefali. Shefy. For the longest time, I kept questioning my purpose. I never knew or maybe quite understood why I was brought into this world. I felt like I was living my life without a purpose. However, after many years, I realized my purpose has been staring at me in the face since I was 6 years old. It followed me well into my teenage years, and it was tapping me on the shoulder as I entered my 20s. Yet, I never quite saw it. Until now that is. My purpose above living, laughing, reading, designing, loving, photographing, Shefy Shakin', praying, learning, traveling, cooking, writing, believing and dreaming is to help others. Through words. Through photographs. Through a smile, laugh and random acts of kindness and love. It is what makes me whole.



Recently, I have received emails and messages through Facebook of people of all ages asking me for advice on starting their dream and their passion. Now, I am only two and half years into this (time is flying by!), and I still have a LOT more learning to do, but nothing makes me jump for joy than helping others especially those who are passionate about what they do and who dream with determination and persistence. I would like to share how I approached the photography journey. This is clearly based on my opinion, and by no means am I saying this is how it should be done or that this is the right way. But, if you are looking for a place to start, here is what I advise...

1. Invest in photography equipment ($700-2500+): I am a Canon girl through and through thanks to my dad who shares a love for photography with me! Right before I was laid-off in 2009, I had purchased a Canon Rebel, the kit lens, two 8GB cards and a little camera bag from B&H Photo with no intension of making my love for photography anything more than a hobby. As a gift from a co-worker from my old job, I received the entire Adobe Creative Suite for my MacBook. That is all I had to start, and that is all I used for the first year of this little adventure I set out on. I spent that year dreaming, wishing and hoping one day I can own the pretty camera body or those oh so wonderful lenses. I borrowed my Dad's Canon Speedlite and slowly managed to save everything I made from my sessions to invest into better equipment. I was one who never wanted to take a loan or borrow money, so I was fairly strict on myself to never use the money I earned from my sessions on anything more than photography related purchases. Today, I a proud owner of the Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50 mm f/1.2, Canon 35 mm f/1.4, handfuls of SD cards and a Canon Speedlite. Since I am strictly a lifestyle photography, this is all that I need to create the images that I love so much! However, Bryan and I did rent equipment from LensProToGo for the weddings we shot in 2011, which is especially great if you are wanting to try out a lens. This is how my love affair with the Canon 35mm f/1.4 began. Bryan is quite understanding of our relationship!

2. Get a blog (FREE): Seriously, this is hands down the BEST thing I ever did. For me, writing is another creative outlet. So, to be able to use my blog as a digital scrapbook of my personal and professional life is indescribable. I understand not everyone is a writer, but I think blogging BOTH personally AND professionally is something that will open all kinds of avenues. I have met blogger friends, recorded memories and shared personal things about my life through this blog that has allowed me to connect with my clients. When I attended St. Louis Shot Party hosted by our amazing wedding photographer, Kelly Manno, in 2010, Jasmine Star was the key note speaker. She said something profound: anyone can pick a photographer who will most likely take great photos, but it is the photographer and their personality that draws a clients in. So, if you blog, blog being 100% authentic, real and you! You will not be sorry. I promise.

3. Get a website (FREE-$25/month): A blog is all about who you are as a person. What you love, your work and everything in between. A website is your professional staple. It is more official. And, it gives your clients a chance to glance at your work, find out a little more about you and fall in love with your photos and the person you are! Personally, I am going to be rebranding soon, and for the kind of work I do, I will be combining a blog and a website into a blogsite soon enough. Again, you have to do what works best for your business and you.

4. Build a portfolio (FREE): I will be honest when I say that this is almost what made me not want to be a photographer. I hear the word portfolio, and I think back to 6th grade art class. However, it was not all that difficult. I figured if I do not do well at building a portfolio, I would just fall back on photography as a hobby. What do I have to lose? I am SO glad I kept walking down this path. This is the foundation of what Shefali Lindsey Photography is built on! I started with offering three straight months of doing any lifestyle session for free. Yes, you read right, free. If I did it again, I probably would have charged a little something to allocate the cost of supplies and my time, but what I gained was something money would never buy! I gained loyal clients who are still with me to this day. I gained friends who spread the word and had my photography going through the roof in a matter of six months! At the end of the three months, I was left with gift cards, countless emails of thank yous and a heart full of joy.

5. Get a marketing strategy (FREE): With building a portfolio comes gaining clientele. There is no rhyme or reason way of spreading your name. Some people invest in advertisements. Some make flyers and post them on bulletin boards and in mailboxes. Others rely on word of mouth. For me, I will say it was the latter. I read about it all the time as I was starting out, but I never understood until one email turned into five emails turned into 20 emails in a matter of months. I suggest emailing friends and having them forward it on to their co-workers, neighbors and family members. Word of mouth is by far the best, most inexpensive way of everyone knowing who you are and what you do. I do not think you will be disappointed! Just have patience. Wonderful clients will follow.

6. Expand your knowledge (FREE): I have never stopped reading some of my favorite photography blogs. Not to gawk at their photos, but to read their words of encouragement, learn about their successes and failures and their own photography and business tips. These are the same photographers that motivate and inspire me to pass on what I have learned to photographers newer than I entering into this industry. Read blogs, visit photography forums (Open Source Photo is wonderful!), get together with other photographers in your area, network, read business and photography books...whatever you do, DO NOT STOP LEARNING!!! After all, knowledge is powerful!

7. Brand ($100+): This is an essential piece to setting yourself apart from the rest of the photographers out there. And, it is probably one of the harder pieces as well. In the beginning, I had a good friend of mine design a logo (which I still LOVE to this day) to give me a starting piece. My entire brand is built around a flower, which also happens to be the meaning of my name. (I spent so many years never knowing this until my mum told me one day what the true meaning of my name meant. All that flower doodling finally made sense!) From the flower is where I built my name and my brand. I am in process of rebranding, which I hear is normal since your style is always evolving. My advice here is to start with something that represents you and as time goes on, keep rebranding until you feel like your brand is a good representation of who you are today! I plan on talking more about branding in a separate post.

8. PRACTICE IN MANUAL (FREE): I write this in caps because aside from buying the equipment and blogging for me, this is what defined my style and my photography. I will be the first to say, I did not learn manual from the start. I actually spent the first six months photographing in...brace yourselves..."Auto." Horrible, I know. I cringe at that very sentence. I spent the next six months photographing in "Program" mode. Albeit not awful, still quite terrible. It was a hot summer day in which Bryan asked me to let go of the "Program" mode and switch the dial to "M." As in "Manual" mode. Surely, I had cotton balls in my ears because there is no way my husband just said that crazy thought. Did I mention that very day, it was 6:00 pm, 90+ degrees and three kids under the age of four? However, that very day was the start to my new photography style. The style that would later reveal vivid colors, light, candid photographs and in-between moments that so many of my clients rave about when they see their photos. Aside from photographing in manual, practice. Practice, practice, practice and then practice a LOT more. In time, you will see yourself fall into more of an ease in photographing people. You will learn how to start them in a pose, how to make them feel comfortable and how to get those natural, in-between moments that we are so blessed to capture as photographers.

If you have stayed with me this long, I want to say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! This was a long post, but one in which is much overdue. My hope is that at least one person walks away fired up and ready to jump heart first into their passion of photography or anything else their creative minds desire. If there are any additional questions you may have, feel free to leave a comment, and I will be sure to answer it in another post or personally! It's not easy, but I can say it is by far one of the best risks I have ever taken. Ever. I have met some incredible people. I have learned far more than I have ever dreamed. I have poured my heart, soul and countless nights of learning, working and being frustrated, but it was ALL worth it. Down to every last tear and smile. Photography is and always will be a part of who I am. The living, laughing, reading, designing, loving, helping, photographing, Shefy Shaking, praying, learning, traveling, cooking, writing, believing, dreaming me.