Boy oh boy!  Dream building can be a series of “hurry-up and wait and HURRY UP, now wait again”.    But the best part is you guys get to join me in this nail biting journey!    I’m not alone because I’ve got all of you!!  I’m not sure if we can make any news “official” today.  It may even have to wait till Tuesday.  But believe me, it’s so worth the wait!  Some of you are seeing hints of this crazy BIG thing!  But let’s not let another minute slip by.  Let’s pick up with where we left off in our special interview with Amazing Mom, Melanie Jaramillo!

Q. What was your first “paid” shoot like? How did you feel on the way, during and after?

A. Ha ha, I just have to LAUGH about that one….

First of all it took me FOREVER to start charging!  Then when I did, it was so low, I’m ashamed to even say.  My first paid shoot was actually a destination wedding for a friend.  I still wasn’t thinking of photography as a business (at that time- in art school wedding photographers were really looked down on).  But I agreed to photograph her wedding, mostly because I wanted to attend it but couldn’t afford to fly out there.  I was SO nervous!  I didn’t know anything about the process of shooting a wedding because I was used to working in the studio, or in situations where I was not under pressure.  There is SO MUCH technical stuff you need to know and be aware of and honestly I had no idea what I was doing as far as working with the vendors, setting up large formals, etc.  I was a nervous wreck. My body ached for 2 days after.   Luckily,  I knew how to nail my exposures-  the wedding was in bright sun, the reception in a stone dungeon.   After,  I felt sick for weeks.  I didn’t want to give her the images… spent weeks editing them.  I kept thinking about all the ways I could have done it better.  Luckily she ended up loving the images,  and I was hooked on learning everything I could about wedding photography.

Q. What is the best and toughest part about doing photography while being a mom and wife at the same time?

A. Well I’m a single mother,  and I truly believe that Photography is an awesome career for single mom’s!  I’m able to create my own schedule and can basically work while my daughters at school or in bed, and a couple Saturdays a month.    I LOVE that I can pick my daughter up from school everyday single day, and make dinner with her, and put her to bed, and travel with her.

A huge challenge for anyone working at home is setting boundaries.  I learned to turn off the computer when my daughter is home from school- and I try to not get distracted by the laundry when I should be editing. It’s a balancing act. The biggest challenge I learned LONG ago thanks to those great flight attendants…. Every time my daughter and I would travel (which was very often), they would come by and say “Maam, remember to put on your oxygen mask FIRST before assisting your child”.   I think that’s the greatest piece of parenting/business/life advice I’ve ever received…. We as women & mothers really need to take care of ourselves FIRST. Because when you have nothing, then you have nothing to give.   We’re trained as women and especially mothers to be selfless- to give everything.  But as a single mom if I burn out, there’s no one there to step in and take over. It’s all me, all the time.  So I learned early on that I have to take extra good care of myself. Every month I ALWAYS, without fail schedule 2 massage sessions, and 1 therapy or coaching session JUST FOR ME.  it makes me a better mother, a better photographer, and a  better person!  (Me Ra here, this last paragraph makes me want to shout from the rooftops!  Thank you Melanie for sharing so candidly and powerfully!)

Q.  Is there one more piece of advice you’d give to newbies?

A.  I once had someone associate photography with truck driving. They said that a truck driver isn’t just someone who buys a truck- they have to learn how to drive the truck, learn how it works, be able to handle the truck in ANY weather conditions.  I guess it’s a little similar. maybe that’s a bad example, ha ha.  But if you take the time to really learn the camera, learn light, learn exposure and what the camera is seeing (because it’s very different than what your eye sees).  Once you “have” the technical side-  that’s when photography becomes really fun. Because then you can walk into any situation and mold the light to create the image you have in your vision.  So my advice is to practice exposure until you really get it.  Give yourself weekly assignments without the pressure of “creating a masterpiece”.  Rather just let the focus be “understand what my flash does, or what the meter is reading, backlighting, etc.”  This will advance your photography by light years!

Q. Do you remember how we first connected?

A.  Yes, well there was actually two times. The first time was about 3 years ago, I was a member of Pictage and you led the Ask and Learn Wednesday.  I remember thinking- “wow, I had no idea that it was even possible to create a business like THAT!”   But it seemed so far off to me, that I didn’t really connect with you at that time.

Then last December I was up editing  one night while listening to your and Brian’s interview on FolioPodcast.  It was an instant, deep connection for so many reasons…. You were talking about Thailand, and your process of exposing the kids to other ways of life.  I had recently taken my daughter to Thailand to live for a month, and we had lived in Guatemala for a few months when she was little, so I shared those same desires for my daughter.   Then you were so open and vocal about your work with your book on sexual assault.  I  had worked for years as a sexual assault victim advocate and counselor, after my own experience as a teenager, but it was something I never spoke to people about.  I listened to you speak and thought “SHE’S an advocate!”.   If only women could speak with such strong voices everywhere! I was just blown away by your rawness- your realness. I was at a point where I though that to be a “successful business person” meant I had to be  rigid,  focused, non-personal, and without emotion- rather than open, feminine, and raw.  But in my heart, I AM feminine and raw and I can’t separate that from my business. You have been a great example of that.  I think that’s part of what allows me to connect with my clients so deeply. I  listened to the interview twice, and actually cried while listening to it because it was so relieving to see a beautiful woman be real, honest AND successful!  I was so inspired, and have continued to be inspired by you ever since!

*To see more of Melanie’s beautiful imagery, CLICK HERE!

I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to share with us Melanie.  You have such a beautiful spirit.  I know that I’m not the only one who has been blessed by all that you shared.  Thank you for being so open.  Love, love, love you!  Me Ra

To all our blog readers,

Did you miss one of our Amazing Mom features?  If so, check them out here!

1. Interview w/ Leslie Webber from Indianapolis, Indiana!

2. Interview w/ Michelle Riddle from Santa Cruz, CA!

3. Interview w/Tracie Stier-Johnson from Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

4. Interview w/Lora Ayers from Atlanta, Georgia!

5. Interview w/Carey Schumacher from San Diego, CA!

6.  Interview w/Amanda DiMonda from Long Island, NY!

7.  Spotlight w/Sreyown Sun from Cambodia!

8.  Interview w/Gina Maxine from Central Coast, CA!

p.s.New York at Your Request!

Jeff has a business workshop happening in NY!  Don’t miss this opportunity if you are in the area!  It’s in mid October, and Melanie…are you signed up for this too?  CLICK HERE for details!

p.s.s. I would LOVE to feature YOU on the blog too!

If you have attended our CONFIDENCE workshop, purchased one of our five 101 Kits , or watched our DVDs, or tried one of my Photo-Recipes and had rewarding results, and feel like your life has taken a new and wonderful turn for the better, then please send me an email at info@merakoh.com . We will send you directions on how to be featured!

We can’t promise to feature everyone, but I want to do this type of blog post more and more. Hundreds of people have sent us the most amazing emails regarding our workshops and DVDs impacting their life, their before and after photos, their revived passion; I would love for all of you to hear those stories!  If you submitted an email to us before and didn’t hear back, please accept my personal apologies.   I’m working on getting more and more help with the number of daily emails I receive.  So just to play it safe, copy Genie on the email too!  genie@merakoh.com

Meet Melanie Jaramillo!  She’s an awesome photographer and an AMAZING mom!

I’ve read over her interview a few times because each time she inspires me more and more.  Melanie is a force to be reckoned with!  She is a beautiful single mom who has to make her photography dream a reality, no time for procrastination or guilt.  This alone gives her commendable courage that is paying off–I can’t wait for you to read her story!  I’m not joking, this woman is going to inspire you today! Grab a cup of coffee, sit back and prepare to be filled up with inspiration.  Leave her a love note in today’s comments if her experience hits home for you.  When I finished reading her whole interview, I wanted to stand up and cheer!  Let her know if you do too!

Q. When did you start your business and what was the turning point of taking it from a hobby to a business of charging people?

A. I officially started my business a little over 3 years ago when I relocated with my daughter. Before that I was a somatic therapist, and photography was more of my art… I did occasionally charge people (a ridiculously low rate)  but it was really just my hobby and passion.  Then I moved to a small town to be closer to family and raise my daughter out of the city, but the area I was moved to was saturated with therapists.  So I had to make a decision:  build up another therapy practice, or really jump into photography.  Guess which I chose. ha ha.

Q. What inspires your photography?

A.  I’m inspired by so many things, but at heart I’m a photojournalist and I love to find beauty in moments that most people pass by.  I love to look at situations or things that people find devastating and pinpoint the beauty in it. Not to go getting sappy, but I worked with trauma victims for many years… so often I would see them so devastated by what happened and yet I could still see their strength and beauty… I really ached to be able to capture that for them.    On a lighter side, I’m always inspired by my daughter and our crazy cat Thomas who always ends up dressed up like a king, or wearing a dress.

Q. What inspires you as a person, artist?

A.  I have to be totally honest and say that for a while after starting my business, I felt completely depleted of inspiration.  I stopped shooting film & spending time in the darkroom, stopped shooting artistic projects for ME, spent endless hours editing images at the computer, only took my camera out while I was working… and my passion quickly became “work”.   My friends even joked that I was the only photographer who NEVER had a camera because I only took it out at work.   But thanks to inspiration from Me Ra, this spring  I took the Momentum in Business class with Karen and Fay at the Wisdom Connection.  WOW-  those beautiful women really helped me understand  what feeds and inspires me, and I’ve just been so clear ever since. I realized that

I’m most inspired by helping people… by using my art to bring people together and bring awareness to issues. I believe that photography is an amazing community building and healing tool!  I recently returned from a trip to Guatemala where I was working with Safe Homes for Children- an orphanage and school in the remote mountains.  I was blessed to spend a week photographing relief work from the hurricane where they were helping 101 families who lost everything.

I was also able to give the children in the evacuation shelters disposable cameras so they could document their world.

I was crying as I watched the joy in their eyes, the deep thought they put into each photograph they took.  It was amazing, and it’s really things like this that inspire the artist within me.
Q. What made you decide to do photography as more than a hobby? What was your turning point?

A  My turning point was when I actually relocated, and realized there was not a lot of work in small towns.  However, there were only a few photographers in the area at the time, and a huge wedding industry here.  I was confident in my skills as a photographer, it was the business/ management side that I really felt insecure in at first.   I absorbed everything I could possibly get my hands on regarding business and creating a successful studio, and it’s been a huge learning process for me- AND an unlearning process too… unlearning my limiting beliefs about myself.

Q. What are the classes/workshops/DVDs you’ve watched to teach yourself photography? Were they helpful?

A. I actually learned back in the film days.  When I was pregnant with my daughter I decided that I HAD fulfilled my lifelong (but secret) dream to learn photography.  I was so scared of photography because it seemed mathematical and mysterious.  Yet I felt that as a (soon to be) single mother, the only way to teach my daughter that she should follow her dreams, was to do so myself.

After she was born I signed up for the fine art photography program at San Diego City College and studied for 2 years there.  Honestly, I learned a lot about  photography.  My training was invaluable, yet it came with a HUGE disadvantage which was a strong thinking that “it takes a lifetime” to become a professional photographer.  It was pounded into my head at film school. Rather than learning how to create a business with photography, I was trained in how to create images for a museum- with the implication that if I was lucky, I’d have an exhibit sometime before I died.  This makes me laugh now.    The result was many years of feeling very insecure about my photography, and feeling unworthy of charging for my work.   When I met Me Ra in the Pictage forum, it was my first “ah-ha” moment, that I don’t have to wait till I’m 60 to be a professional photographer.

Q. What is one or two pieces marketing/self-promotion ideas that you can give our newbies? (something you did to get your name out there).

A.  1. Referral cards are great!  When a client places an order, I create a quick 5×7 promo card with 3 images from their shoot.  I created a template in InDesign, so the process only takes a couple of minutes.  The card thanks them for their order and says if their friend brings in the card both they and the friend will receive $50 in print credit as a thank you.  I print out 5 of them to give to family and friends.  These are amazing low-cost business builders for me, and helps turn clients into marketing evangelists for my studio.

2. Now Facebook galleries are invaluable. After the order, I’ll place a Facebook gallery for the clients and it gets circulated online like wildfire.  Free publicity, what’s better than that?

Q. What was your first “paid” shoot like? How did you feel on the way, during and after?

A. Ha ha, I just have to LAUGH about that one….

____________________________________________________________________

Not to leave you in suspense, but I’m going to!  This is Me Ra!  Melanie has so much more to share with us that I decided to break her interview into two parts.  Part 2 comes tomorrow or Thursday–still working those details out.  But isn’t she AMAZING!  Stay tuned for Part 2, she’ll answer this question and a few more great ones, plus pass on her BEST advice to newbies!  Thank you Melanie, you are so beautiful inside and out!  Sharing your experience with us is such a gift!

xoxo,

Me Ra