What I've Been Up To Lately
Hi, my name is Trenton and Iām finally out of the woods.
Itās been three months since Iāve blogged anything. I also hardly sent any emails nor made any phone calls. Weird, considering the holiday seasonā¦ With that in mind I want to offer an explanation and a quasi-apology. I say quasi, because Iām not sorry for what Iāve been doing, but I am sorry if any of my readers have felt neglected.
Due West!
In early October I finally relocated back to Atlanta after an unexpected six year long journey to Eastern Europe.
Since then Iāve got a place to live (in Kennesaw, so now I am minutes away from my clients in Marietta), a car to drive, photographed a few events (including several mitzvahs, a high profile fundraiser and a cover shoot) and started filling up my 2016 calendar. Oh, and also gave an interview on FujiRumors.
Slowly, but things are a-movinā. Simultaneously Iāve been processing the queue for my Belorussian clients (it has been a busy year!), developing a portal website for my own clients, another one for my friendā¦ And getting back on the grid.
Trenton Who?
Building a high end boutique business on a shoestring budget is nothing new to me. Been there back in 2000 when I first came to the States, then in 2010 when I realized that Iām stuck in Eastern Europe, and now again, back statesideā¦
But this time around itās going to be quite a bit harder ā mostly due to that unplanned Russian/Belorussian odyssey of mine. You just canāt build a great reputation, then suddenly disappear for 6 years and expect to pick it up from where you left it.
Finding a great family photographer is a painstaking process, and ideally should be done only once in a lifetime. Over the years quite a few of my clients hired me for all of their kidās bar and bat mitzvahs, some even managed to get me for a mitzvah and the weddingā¦ You canāt just take a time out in this market!
Like A Plumber
ā¦It took me years of painful and expensive trial and error to find a really good plumber. Iāve been wholeheartedly recommending him to all my friends ever since, and everyone was happy untilā¦ He died.
You know, sometimes you just canāt help it but feel quite differently from the way you shouldāve been feeling as a civilized person? That happened to me when Iāve learned about the plumberās demise. I wasnāt sad, nor was I grieving ā not even remotely. It all came later, but my first reaction wasā¦ anger. I was totally pissed by the fact that Iāll have to start that search all over again.
I completely understand if some of my old clients felt the same way about my āshortā trip to Russia in 2009, which was originally planned to last no more than 2 months. I was assured by all parties involved that it wonāt take longer than a monthā¦ yet it took six years. Force majeure such as death, war or stupid acts of the government (latter in my case) shouldnāt really be preventing anyone from doing the things they love, so I have no real excuses here. Especially considering that Iām a security nerd.
Department Of Redundancy Department
Decades ago, when I booked my first āway in advanceā kind of event (it was a bat mitzvah booked 3 years ahead, if I remember correctly), my whole concept of āoperations securityā regarding event photography have changed dramatically.
Meditate on it for a few minutes. Thereās an event in 3 years that you absolutely have to attend while being in top shape physically, emotionally and professionally. Thatās what you do for a living. Does it fit your current lifestyle?ā¦
Over the years Iāve built a very robust operations security system. It includes multiple redundancies (lesson learned from the flood in a colleagueās retail studio), advanced logistics and automation ā I have a plan for any possible and many impossible scenarios, including a fully autonomous bot that will get a replacement photographers for all pre-booked events in case of my sudden disability, disappearance or death.
As it turned out, there was just one thing that I didnāt have a plan for: Russian bureaucracy.
Dang. Six years. Six freakinā years!ā¦ But letās turn the page already.
Out Of The Woods
The main reason Iāve stayed so quiet for the last 3 months is that I was getting back on the grid. Itās nearly impossible to conduct any serious business when 2 out of 3 major credit bureaus forgot (!) your SSN, your bank accounts have been closed āfor inactivityā (what?!), your driverās license is a non-laminated printout and your car has a temporary tag issued in a wrong nameā¦ The list goes on and on, but you get the idea.
Well, Iām happy to report that Iām out of the woods and back to being an all-American entity. And Iām here to stay.
TWIMC
Right now I have a huge advantage when compared to my colleagues in the same market segment: I am not yet booked for years in advance, so Iām probably available for your date (please ask about my availability here).
Another positive side to me being underbooked: no event is too small. Seven years ago I was hesitant to book $500 photoshoots, especially on weekends ā with my busy schedule back then I wouldāve rather booked a $7,500 event and take a second day offā¦ Well, thatās no longer the case; let me repeat ā no event is too small.
No event is too big, either ā the biggest event Iāve ever photographed was a wedding with over 2,500 guests.
So If You Areā¦
Planning a wedding or bar mitzvah of your own ā contact me ASAP to reserve your date!
Professional event planner or coordinator ā get in touch with me here or on Facebook (alternatively you can use my personal profile if we are friends on FB). Letās form an alliance to help your clients capture the perfect moment without spoiling it!
Competing Studio ā contact me to discuss how I can help your business. I like subcontracting as a first or second shooter, and B2B clients say that Iām quite good at replicating other studios signature styles (still working on my Monte Zucker impersonation though). Other services include workflow solutions and education.
Reading this text out of sheer curiosity ā spread the word, share this post!
Just want a casual photo session at the location of your choice ā scroll down to the very end of this post :)
Thank you for reading this mess! I know that it took some effort on your part, and I truly appreciate it. My English is pretty rusty, as I havenāt used it for (youāve guessed it!) six years. It will get better, I promise!
PS: By the way, my experiment with mini sessions in early October resulted in a total surprise: 100% of participants chose the āMini session on demand with digital negativesā option! Well, since yāall liked it so much, from now on it will be offered as a standard package, $465 flat rate for Atlanta and North Metro area. Just send me a message and letās start planning!