speaking at PPN

instagram by mandy hall

The more years I am in business, the more I realize that paying all my knowledge forward is absolutely worth my time. It’s very easy for a self-employed business owner to get wrapped up in ‘getting ahead’ and ‘beating the competition.’ Saying this makes me sound like a greedy ghoul (which I pray to God is never how I am perceived), but joining PPN and meeting all these beautiful young photographers has made me realize something: we are all just blessed to do what we love and get paid for it. The more we learn from each other and become better for ourselves in business and as people living in the same world, the better ALL our businesses will be. Clients have more choices than ever and our main job is to really educate YOU guys (the client, if you’re reading this). That is what separates the professional from the amateur: how we serve our clients. Sure— we all have different ideas on how we choose to run our businesses (communication styles, products, pricing, etc…), but what we do share is the goal of serving those who value our work most.

Giving a piece of ourselves. Committing.

And when I was first asked to speak, I really did think… “who cares what I have to say? I had the same journey as everyone else. what could anyone possibly learn from me?”

and then I remembered a quote from Ansel Adams:

“You don’t make a photograph with just a camera. you bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

Which made me realize… YES! my journey IS different than everyone else’s. I CAN teach new things. Just how every one’s love story is unique.

So while preparing for my presentation, I asked myself… ‘When i first began, who did I look to to model my business after?’ and ‘Who reached out to me (with or without knowing) to inspire me?’

My answers to myself were: other photographers and those who saw me not as competition, but as a student willing to learn.

So that’s precisely how I chose my words. I pretended I was speaking to the wet-behind-the-ears Stacy.

Looking back, I enjoyed preparing to speak at conference… getting a powerpoint ready. reminiscing about my humble beginnings. But the thing I enjoyed most was the 1:1 question and answers. I was blessed to have an amazing turn-out, but I felt like I couldn’t speak directly to any one person in the room. I feel like i need the reassuring nods and smiles from a person so I know they understand what I’m saying. I think someday I would love some mentor sessions where I can focus all my attention and sharing to one individual at a time. That’s how I ‘teach’ best.

And there’d only be 2 eyes on me, instead of 80.

That underwear thing doesn’t work for me, either. They all had on very cute clothes.

my sweet models who drove all the way from St. Josephs, MO.

see our pics tomorrow on the blog.

b+w images by Ron Deyo