Business | JJ Horton Photography

February 21, 2012

Business | Pinterest!!

Have you jumped on the Pinterest bandwaggon? Do you love it or not understand it? I’m here to help! Pinterest is a fabulous tool for organizing all those neat things you find while surfing the web. I find it so helpful for organizing my ideas for wardrobe looks (both for myself AND clients!), I love pinning ideas for the beach house we hope to build, and lots of yummy receipies! I especially love it because I am still working a day job, so while on my work laptop if I find something I want to save, I don’t have to worry about saving it to my hard drive! It’s also become a great tool for sharing ideas. One of my brides has let me join in on pinning images for her wedding, it’s a great way for me to share my vision with her, and her to share ideas with the rest of us. It’s really awesome to have a clear vision of what a wedding will look like before we show up to shoot it…. I always tell our clients, the more we know about your wedding day, the better we can serve you. I can’t imagine a more concise way to share your wedding vision than through Pinterest! If you aren’t already on, and need an “invite” let me know!! I’ll be glad to invite you 🙂

February 15, 2012

Personal | Beach Weekend

A few weeks ago I packed up the VW and headed east with Dana & Kelli for some much needed time away from the Queen City. Before heading home we stopped for lunch at the Surfhouse …. OMG… this is the cutest little surf shop/cafe with the best lunch! You must check it out if you’re down at Carolina Beach. All images taken on my Minolta Maxxum 50 with Fuji 400h pro film.

February 8, 2012

Business | Unsolicited Advice- Comparing Apples to Apples (for brides!!)

Today I want to chat about something couples seeking a wedding photographer should know. Some of you may have heard that we decided to make some changes to our wedding pricing structure. For the last 2.5 years we have been strictly a la carte. Meaning, everything you purchase, you choose from a list… nothing is “packaged” together. We liked it this way because our couples could get exactly what they wanted, but we’ve been learning that brides in our price point expect to get a package deal…. so we’ve tried to oblige. (email me for our full price guide!) Well, when you’re out pounding the pavement (or websites) looking for your perfect photographer match, make sure you’re comparing apples to apples…. here’s what I mean…. One of our packages includes a 10×10 flushmount album with 20 spreads (40 pages). The average bride does not know what flushmount or spreads mean…. educate yourself on what you’re actually buying. Flushmount: Have photographic prints. The images are actually photographs bound in the book instead of being press printed like magazines. Thick pages: has a sub-straight between 2 photographic prints on either side. Usually 2mm thick. (our Finao albums have a black sub-straight & RedTree Albums have white) Lay flat binding: the pages lay flat across the middle & don’t make a deep V, like a magazine does The print goes all the way across the crease with no gutter in the middle. Spreads: are 2 pages side by side, like you’re looking at an open book. Page: half of a spread Leaf: 2 pages back to back Lots of photographers will include an album… when you see a photographer offers a certain album in their packages, find out what kind of album it really is…. it might be a flushmount, it might be a coffee table book, it might be a press print book…. It might include the 10 spread minimum (instead of our 20). (Coffee table books & press books are going to have magazine-like pages that can easily be ripped) Make sure you fully understand the quality of the items you’re buying. Not all albums are the same! Here’s my favorite sample album we have, it’s a 10×10 RedTree flushmount album in the Almond cover with a matching 5×5 mini! This post is not intended to say that books other than flushmounts are bad…. it’s just to educate you on the different options 🙂

February 7, 2012

Business | Office Space

So, as most of you know, I rented an office space in downtown Davidson last May. Well…. we were about to enter the busiest time of year, wedding season. So the major work on the office didn’t get complete until December/January….. so shameful. The office took many different design directions, but end the end, I love it. I do still detest the fluorescent lighting, but that’s a project for another day. I spent the week before Christmas ripping up all the old carpet, the week after, we installed new wood floors 🙂 I wanted a new door, but was going to hold off…. until we got the flooring down and realized the metal door that was up, now didn’t fit in the door frame anymore! Off to the restore we went! (well, 3 restores) and snatched up this beautiful, french, wood door for $50! Most everything you see is 2nd hand…. My Desk: was my sisters that I inherited in college My Pink Chair: $20 on craigslist (if you’ve read my about me page, this is the chair I attempted to reupholster… bad idea) Pink Sofa: $150 on craigslist Coffee Table: $35 at the restore, it was a dining table & we cut the pedestal down Fireplace Mantle: $50 on craigslist (it was listed for $25, but I paid double to have it delivered) White Chairs: $355 for the pair at the Curious Peddler in Mebane, $225 to reupholster them Sideboard: $150 on craigslist End tables: $7 each at the restore Flooring: $250 from Lumber Liquidators Curtains: $40 from Ikea Floral Pillow: $60 Caitlin Wilson Designs Navy Monogram Pillow: $7 Ikea, $10 monogram at Poppies Orange Tray: $15ish West Elm Lamps: $3 each from Goodwill, shades are from Marshalls, $15 each There are still lots of little things I’d like to do, but I’m really happy with the way things have come along. So, make an appointment and come see me!

@JJHORTON