free digital goodies bags...

How do you get your FREE digital goodie bag filled with over $300 worth of freebies? Just sign up for a Savvy Studio Workshop before September 16th and you'll receive a goodie bag in your inbox!! 

Everyone loves to receive a gift...so we thought how nice it would be give our loyal readers a gift...not just any gift...a digital goodie bag worth $300 from some our favorite vendors...and it's for all those girls that sign up for the Savvy Studio Workshops before September 16th, 2013...you have one week! So hurry! Once the seats sell out, this offer will be over. Here's where to sign up...The Savvy Studio Workshops. 

Want to know what's included on the digital goodie bag...here's what you'll receive for signing up early~

• 2 Free issues of CLICK magazine and a free 6 month membership to Clickin Moms forum ($40 value)
• Free Wedding Inquiry Kit from Laura Novak Education ($99 value)
• One month free of any level membership at Ciderr.com ($20-$100 value)
• $25 gift card to Jamie Schultz Designs
• $25 gift card to The Shoppe Designs Store 
• 50% off any order over $20 at Fotovella Designs

• $20 off a rustic pine bed from Marketing and Props 
• $20 off any legal forms from The Law Tog
• Free "Flower Banner" Birth Announcement card from Prairie Sweet Designs (Value:  $11)
• $10 Gift Card from Kotori Designs Jewelry 

 **Each attendee will also get a fabulous swag bag with more great goodies from these and other vendors...so what are you waiting for? We'd love to meet you in October or November at the studio! 

Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Ready to profit from your business? Ready to meet other photographers that share your passion? Ready to show a portfolio full of images you love to your clients? Then join us! You can purchase your seat here...we can't wait to meet you!

This week will be introducing you to the workshop guest speakers...so check back all week to learn more about them and what they will be teaching at the workshop along side me! I'm styling the shoots for the October workshop... if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, then you've gotten a peek at some of the fun props I've collected for the shoots. I love vintage and rustic props with fun colors...you can tell I've had fun shopping, huh?

The Welcome Banner Collection from Jamie Schultz

To celebrate the launch of the Welcome Banner Collection,  Jamie Schultz Designs is offering the set at 50% off TODAY ONLY! (Reg. price $50) This playful template set will allow your clients to share their favorite images with friends and family in style. Includes templates for flat and folded luxe birth announcements, hardcover cd's, cd labels, and 5x5 folded luxe cd cases. Click here to purchase. 

 

 

Meet Savvy Workshop speaker~ Jamie Schultz

It is my pleasure to welcome back Jamie Schultz to Savvy blog.
I am so excited that Jamie will be joining us at the 2012 Savvy workshop in Alys Beach.
Anyone that has met Jamie knows what a delightful person she is to be around and we are blessed to have her join us.

Now let's talk with Jamie~

Will you share with us how you started a career in photography and graphic design?  
Photography is something I've dabbled in since I was in high school.  Despite an obvious draw to photography as a hobby I never considered it as a career choice.  Instead I focused on my dream of becoming a teacher.  While working as a high school history teacher I continued to develop my photography skills and eventually made the decision to leave my teaching position in order to pursue a career in photography.  Early on in my business I discovered that my clients often wanted personalized, unique custom birth announcements, holiday cards, books, etc...  As I started designing custom pieces for my clients I found fellow photographers asking to purchase files from me to use with their own clients which is how Jamie Schultz Designs was born.  

Did you attend any workshops or seminars that made a big difference in your business?
I've attended several seminars over the years, but I've only attended one workshop and it was one that changed the course of my portrait work along with my business model.  It was a workshop put on by the one and only Cheryl Jacobs who challenged me to be more authentic with my clients and to provide them with an experience like none other.  Attending her workshop was easily the most influential to my business.  

What do you think makes your business stand out from the other photographers in your area? 
This is a tough question for me to answer because I make it a point not to look too closely at what other photographers in my area are doing. I've found that when I do that it takes focus away from what is most important to me which is making an authentic connection with my clients and delivering products specifically suited for them.  When I start looking at what other photographers are doing I tend to get flustered and feeling pressure to try things that aren't necessarily natural for me, nor is it something my clients want from me.  

The one thing I will say that I'm hearing directly from my clients is how much they appreciate the fact that I'm a full-service studio.  It seems more and more photographers are simply burning a disc of images and leaving the responsibility of printing to the client.  In the past several months I've heard from several clients who have worked with photographers who sold them a digital package and they have yet to do anything with the images on the disc.  I think it's refreshing that portrait clients are realizing the value of printed products and appreciate that there are still photography studios out there who offer professional printing services.  

Who or what inspires you as a photographer?
The thing that inspires me the most as a photographer is authenticity.  There is nothing better to me than capturing honest emotions...whether it's a pout, concentration, a belly laugh, or a genuine smile.  It's taken a lot of practice over the years finding ways to genuinely connect with people in a relatively short amount of time but it's the one thing that inspires me at the start of each and every session.  

What are your favorite subjects to photograph?
High school seniors are always a lot of fun for me to photograph!  As I mentioned above, I used to be a high school teacher and so I find that I have an easy time connecting with seniors.  

What are you favorite products that you offer your clients?
My entire business is based on word of mouth referrals which often come from clients who send out birth announcements, holiday cards, and/or graduation announcements so obviously I love selling those!  Albums and coffee table books are also one of my favorite products because I love knowing that my clients will enjoy looking back at their session images over the years and someday the book will be passed on to future generations. 

Do you shoot with Canon or Nikon?
I'm a Canon girl!

Favorite thing in your camera bag?
My new FOTOstrap!!  After what felt like an endless search for a comfortable strap I FINALLY found one that I love.  

What's your Savvy indulgence?
BOOKS!  

How do you balance running a successful photography business, the absolute best design shop for photographers (Jamie Schultz Designs) , a wildly popular food blog (This Lunch Rox) and being a great mom to two young boys?
This is a great question...and one I'm asked often.  I have to tell you that I really believe that it's the combination of my three brands that keep me balanced.  There was a time when I was operating Jamie Schultz Photography and Jamie Schultz Designs and my life was a bit of a mess.  My schedule was chaotic and I found it nearly impossible to be in the moment with my family. The stress of keeping up with the demands of my business was taking a toll on me both physically and mentally.  Because of that I allowed myself and my family to fall victim to convenience foods (i.e. anything but healthy).   I reached a point where I knew something needed to change and I decided to start with the way we were eating.  I did a lot of reading about how food impacts our bodies and was inspired to make major changes.  It took a lot of hard work to transition to healthier eating habits, but soon I was feeling much more focused and energized.  All of which made operating my businesses a lot easier to do than when I was surviving on a diet consisting mostly of caffeine and sugar!   

In an effort to get my kids to try new foods I starting cutting food into small bite-sized shapes...which eventually carried over to creating fun lunches for my boys to take to school which is how This Lunch Rox started.  Having said that the site has really become much more than just cute lunches for me.  As a working mother of two young boys I find I have very little time to do something I love.  Some moms find creative outlets in projects like scrapbooking, quilting, beading, etc...  Planning and preparing creative lunches for my boys is something I'm passionate about and provides me with an escape from the pressures of work.  In the book, "The Happiness Poject", author Grethen Rubin writes "...happiness research predicts that making time for a passion and treating it as a real priority instead of an "extra" to be fit in at a free moment (which many people practically never have) will bring a tremendous happiness boost."  I couldn't agree more!  Working on these lunches brings me joy and allows me (a person who rarely makes time for herself) a chance to do something I love which in turn helps me stay focused and feel more balanced in my daily life.  

Will you share with us the proudest moment of your career?
I'll never forget the moment when I delivered a coffee table book to a family whose son had just passed away from cancer.  The boy's father met me at the door and when he saw the book he immediately broke down crying and told me that never in his life could he ever receive a more meaningful gift.  That was easily the proudest moment in my career knowing that I was able to capture this boy and his family and the images are ones they will treasure for a lifetime.  

Again, thank you for joining us at the Savvy 2012 workshop...can you give us a summary of what you will be speaking about and teaching the girls?
I'm so excited to join all of you for the Savvy Workshop where I'll be sharing information on how I transformed my business model and achieved a level of success I never dreamed possible.  During the presentation I will discuss the importance of understanding expectations and the role this plays in creating a lasting experience for clients.  Specifically, I will detail strategies for gathering crucial client information that will help you create products to ultimately increase your profitability. 
  

(a sample of the beautiful designs you can find at Jamie Schultz Designs)

You can visit Jamie at Jamie Schultz Photography, Jamie Schultz Designs and This Lunch Rox.

Start planning your 2012 Holiday Card offerings now~

The 2012 Holiday Card Collection by Jamie Schultz Designs ensures your clients can send out their holiday greetings in a style perfectly suited for them.   This year each card collection includes a FREE set of coordinating address labels.  As always a bulk discount is available so the more you buy the more you save!!  To see the entire collection, visit Jamie Schultz Designs. 

We love that all come with matching address labels...for free!

Packaging Week~ day four

I love the look of black and white! It always looks classy...and makes a simple, yet elegant, statement. 

I added different embellishments to show how you can change up the look...the white tissue paper flower adds a more casual look...the black and flower gives it a whimsical look...it's all about preference. Or you can go completely classic and just use ribbons to dress up your packaging.

Cream boxes~ Mpixpro

Luxe Cards ~ Mpixpro

Card Designs~ Jamie Schultz Designs 

Black and White Houndstooth Gift Bag~ Pier 1 Imports

Ribbon~ Hobby Lobby

White tissue paper flower~ handmade and super easy! Here's a great tutorial for making the flowers. 

Black and white  flower~ Michaels

Gleneagles Bottled Water~ love this water...found it at Home Goods!

Just in case you missed the rest of packaging week, here's a link to the entire week... Packaging Week. 

savvy trend alert

Our dear friend, Jamie Schultz from Jamie Schultz Designs, sent over a fun trend alert for the Savvy blog. We love her designs! Thanks Jamie!

giveaway day on the new blog~

It's giveaway day on the new Savvy blog...check it out here.

Friday finds~

These make such a fun gift for those photographers with seniors for clients! Such a great idea from our wonderful friends at MpixPro and the talented Jamie Schultz. We just love her~ did you know she has a new design blog? Visit her site here.

You can find Amy on Etsy ...here's the link for these adorable camera straps.

***

I wanted to share some of the new designs from Jamie Schultz...these are the phone collection frames. What an great idea...for more details on these, check it out here.

They have so many new products they have just released....fun stuff!

{and the winner is...}

Thank you to Jamie Schultz Designs for offering such a sweet discount to Savvy readers and for giving one lucky reader a $50 credit...congratulations comment number 129...Emily..you are the lucky winner!!

{it's a giveaway...}

Jamie Schultz has just launched a fabulous variety of 2011 high school senior templates.

And she's giving Savvy readers a special savings!

Here's a word from Jamie...
Jamie Schultz Designs is proud to partner with

The Savvy Photographer Blog.

As a token of our appreciation to the loyal Savvy Blog readers, Jamie Schultz Designs is offering a $10 gift code to you just for reading this blog! (Enter code: savvy10)

In addition, one lucky winner will receive a $50.00 gift code to www.jamieschultzdesigns.com

Here's how to win

Tweet this... follow @JSchultzDesigns and @thesavvyphoto for a fabulous Savvy discount!

Become a Facebook Fan of the Savvy {which I'm sure you are already fan...right?} and Jamie Schultz Designs~

and post this in your status...

I'm loving http://www.thesavvyphotographer.com/ and http://www.jamieschultzdesign.com/

And then come back here and leave a comment for each...and you might just be the lucky winner on Saturday, February 13th at 11:00 am eastern time. Good luck!

Thanks Jamie Schultz!

{giveaway recap}

sickness has invaded this household...not much for posting today...tomorrow i will be back...here's a recap of our giveaway ending tonight at midnight...thank you ~ have I mentioned how sweet our readers are...I mean really sweet...thank you!

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