Back to the basics

I'm not even half-way through and I'm already making changes. My eyes have been glued to Exposed for an hour each night and I  just can't get enough. Exposed is Jasmine Star's first ever magazine. And it's awesome. She details her journey to success and gives out pointers on each page. It's like an all access pass to her diary - but with main focus on her business.

Because of what I've read so far, I am now reading my camera manual (again). But this time, I'm going to go through it real slow. And- I'll stop and research something I don't understand and then I will practice it!

I'm also working on getting to know more photographers! It's such a blessing to be able to be friends with your "competitors". We share things, help each other, and have fun together. Who could ask for more?!
I've been lucky enough to find someone that lets me second shoot with her and we help each other out on sessions. She even let me use her AMAZING camera (the one I want) on one of my recent sessions! You should've seen me floundering around - "where the heck is the exposure compensation button? how do I change the ISO? GRR" all while shooting in a new location! To say the least, it was FUN!

So- I don't have much to say other than:
I am working hard to know my camera like the back of my hand and use light to my advantage, no matter where I'm at :)

As always, visit me on the web and don't hesitate to give me feedback.

Casting Call & recent Child Sessions

Hi there!

If you are not already aware, Jacqueline Lusby Photography is offering some killer deals at this moment!
I have decided to waive the session fee while I build up my portfolio and a Casting Call has been issued.

I need the following types of sessions:
 -Families (preferably with at least one young child)
 -Couples (engaged or just in love)
 -Children (twins, sisters, brothers, solo)
-Newborns (boys and girls)
-Seniors (graduating class of 2012 or college graduates)

 If eligible, your Session Fee will be waived (that's a $100 value!). Prints and products, including digital images, may be purchased at additional (but discounted) costs. If you would like my pricing information (for prints, packages, products, digital files), just email me!

I've had the pleasure of photographing some children from the family of one of my BEST supporters!! (Thanks Danielle) Here are the highlights of those recent sessions:

Bailey is the epitomy of precious. She was such a trooper though it was rainy and windy the morning of her shoot. We had a great tea party and she modeled her new outfit for me :) Enjoy this precious 2 year old!

To view more of Bailey's absolutely adorable session at Hollis Gardens, click here!

I also had the pleasure of photographing two handsome boys that belong to an old middle school friend! My how small the world is! Here are some highlights of Cameron (5 yr)  & Zachary (2 yr) at Common Grounds Park in Lakeland!

My next blog post will feature two lovely family sessions! The Villagomez Family and Sabrina's family! Stay tuned!

With love,

It's Official! (The E-Newsletter, that is)

You hear it from everyone on your Newsfeed : "WHY?!?"
Why, oh Facebook, do you change so often? Why do you keep adding new things and making it hard to find the old familiar things?!

I recently noticed that Facebook has made it difficult for my fans to stay up to date with my posts. If they don't interact with me on a daily basis, my posts get lost in a sea of un-notice-ness (I just made that word up)! So- to counteract Facebook's lovely slap to my face - I have decided to issue a bi-monthly (or whenever I feel like it) e-newsletter to my current and past clients. The newsletter will highlight any special deals, contests, or freebies I'm offering, as well as keeping the reader up to date with my business.

Yesterday, I sent out the first issue of my E-Newsletter! Past and current clients are already on the mailing list, but if I have missed you - PLEASE sign up!

Of course, I will continue to post on Facebook and continue to blog, but the E-Newsletter will have the scoop on everything in one shortened form :)

If you have not subscribed, please do so here! I appreciate your support as always and look forward to announcing the winner of the FREE SESSION CONTEST on Friday!!

Hugs and kisses,

*CONTEST* Win a FREE Session!

Hi there!

I've got a chance for one lucky person to WIN A FREE SESSION with Jacqueline Lusby Photography!

The contest rules are as follows:
-Family cannot participate { sorry Mom! }
-Winners of previous contests cannot win this, but your friends can so PLEASE SHARE!
-If you win, you can transfer the winnings to someone else (great Christmas gift!)
-I will pick the winner based on the number of correct answers!
-Winner will receive a free photo session ($100 value). Prints/Products available for purchase. Photo session must be booked within 15 days of winning.

To win the contest, you must visit my website and my blog (Facebook might help too) to find answers to the following questions:

1.  What wedding did I photograph in May 2010? (Name the couple)

2. What are my pets' names?

3. How much is the Session Fee for a Senior {the type that can walk without a walker :) }

4. List three types of Portrait Sessions that I offer

5. Finish this sentence: "Custom photography has been likened to..." {Hint - If you know that Custom Photography is an investment, then you know where to look on my website :) }

6. What is the name of the 2 year old child (girl) that I just photographed recently?

7. True or False:
In my Children Gallery - the 4th picture of the slideshow is of a boy

8. Two Part Question :
What is the minimum amount I charge for Weddings?
What is the name of the bride in the picture (on the page where you found the wedding price)? {HINT: Use my blog to find the blog post of her wedding/engagement session).

9. What incentive am I offering to those who book a session for November?

10. Multiple Choice - I can see you smiling :)
My family and friends described who I am. Which of the following statements is true:
a. Teachers Pet, Party Pooper, great at cleaning the house
b.Shy as a kid, can't stand liars, will always be a child at heart
c. Teachers Pet, always outspoken, loves football
d. Best at sports, loves eggrolls, will always be your loudest friend

**BONUS**
Refer one friend to be a fan of Jacqueline Lusby Photography on Facebook. Once they have "liked" me, write a comment below with their name and the reason you referred them (ex: I wanna win, I love your work..) OR For those who don't use Facebook or want ANOTHER BONUS entry - become a follower of my blog :)

Provide your answers in a private message to me on Facebook or by email :)


Good Luck to All! The winner will be announced Friday morning OCT 28, so make sure you check back on the blog and Facebook to see if you won!

Business Update (Changes in 2012)

I would like to start this post by saying that Photography is my dream career (besides singing). I really want to do this full time and make it a career, instead of a hobby. Don’t get me wrong- I am in business (legally) and I enjoy the amazing clients I have at the present moment, but the truth is I will never be able to support myself on the income that I get at this moment.


Therefore, in 2012 I will be raising my prices to reflect the amount of time, education, and money I have put into my “career”.WAIT- Don’t start screaming yet! I will still be affordable (in comparison to others in the Central Florida area) but I cannot fulfill my dream of going full time and support my half of the family with the current prices I have been charging.

If you would like to know what all goes into Custom Photography, and better understand the value of it all - please CLICK HERE!

On a happier note, I would like to offer some incentives to those who book a session for November or December of this year (at the current low prices!)!

If you book your session for November – you will receive 25 Free customized Christmas Cards (a $100 value)!


If you book your session for December – you will receive a Free customized 2012 Photo Calendar (a $100 value)!


The current session fees and product prices will expire on December 31, 2011! January 1st 2012 will usher in an exciting new year for Jacqueline Lusby Photography!

I truly hope you understand and know that you do if you value my work. Thank you so much for supporting not only me and my dream, but a local small business!

Please feel free to leave a comment (I wanna hear from you) or send me an email!

New Business Cards and Packaging

Hi there!

I recently created my own business cards, with my newly self-designed logo and am proud to share them! If you haven't ordered from me before, you should be excited to do so since I also have pretty neat packaging for prints, cd's, and other stuff. I don't just hand you a disc wrapped in paper with "your pictures" in permanent marker! Your hard earned money is my hard earned money and is given back in the form of quality products and presentation!
Here's a peak of some of it...

I've also restructured my Portrait Session Pricing, so there is a flat session fee and a variety of packages that will fit any budget and needs!

I've been busy trying to get my website up to par, my portfolio rocking, and my skills perfected :) It's nice to show you the progress along the way, so stick around!

I have some adorable children sessions coming up next week and I can't wait to showcase their session! I had a casting call out for an hour and got 3 responses! PRETTY AWESOME!

I'm loving the weather this weekend and hope it will linger, cuz this Florida heat is killing me! We were able to take Lilah to the park today and actually enjoyed being outside for once! She had a date with a playmate :)

In other family news, we adopted a cat from the SPCA last week. Her name is Daphne, she is just a year old, and already had a litter of kittens (prior to being adopted). She is such a loving, lap cat and although I've been allergic to cats for quite some time, it's really working out between us. I'm one of those people that believe if I force myself to be around it enough, I will get rid of the allergy, or just be miserable ;)

Hugs & Kisses,

{Family Session : Keen}

This family is quite special. I've known the mother since I was in diapers and they have allowed me to share in some important moments in their life recently. I was able to photograph a family wedding, their daughter's Sweet 16 party, her Senior Pics, and now their Family Photos! What a privilege to be able to capture their sweet family this time with thanks for the homecoming of their son who serves in our military! Enjoy some of the photos below!

Corn Fields, ATV's, and Bears - Oh My!

We just returned from the first annual Lusby Family Vacation. This past Christmas, Brian's mom decided that she would rather do family vacations then to buy presents for all of us. We were sold!!

We spent a week in the Georgia Mountains and stayed in a three bedroom villa in Ellijay.
The highlights of my trip were:
-Cagle Farm Corn Maze: Brian and I had never been through a corn maze! There were clues along the way to help you out and I was so glad it wasn't eery out. I abhor Jeepers Creepers (the movie) and corn fields kind of freak me out now.... Brian got a head start and got so excited that he worked himself up into a hot sweat. He got sick halfway through the corn maze and I took advantage of the moment! You will see a picture of Brian, on his knees, grasping the corn, puking. Don't worry - no puking was filmed, but it was funny to see him like that. I know! I shouldn't be so mean, but gosh darnit he is always picking on me and now it's my turn!

-Cartecay River Experience: We floated (I mean STRUGGLED) down the Cartecay River in tubes and kayaks. The boys (Brian & Kevin) rode in kayaks and the girls (Mom-in-law, Britny (Kev's gf), and myself) took the tubes for a ride.I swear we got stuck on EVERY rock! At the end, we tubed down this Class 3 rapid that would scare your daddy! FOR REAL!

-Helen, GA: We visited this quaint alpine village for a day. Did some shopping, mainly for candy, and went to a Bear exhibit. Those bears are circus bears - I swear! They were so used to being fed, that they would just open their mouth and wait for you to throw some food as soon as they saw you. One bear would even copy a hand motion when my father-in-law waved his hand at him. TOO FUNNY!

-ATVing : We rode four wheelers for FOUR HOURS! That was the biggest workout I've had in years. My arms and shoulders and back were so stiff for the next few days, I felt like crying when I laid in bed at night. It was so much fun, but soooo scary! Ignoring my warnings, my husband and brother-in-law decided to try the "expert" trails that were "off-limits" that day - and Britny went along with them. They were gone for about 30 minutes until we got one of the rangers to go looking for them. As expected, the trail was too rough and Britny's four-wheeler had flipped on her. There was no severe damage, but we had to pay $100 to fix the handlebars and Britny's leg was pretty battered - not to mention she was so shook up from the experience.

So- here are some photos of highlights from our journey. It was a great time with family (and Friends) and we look forward to the future Lusby Family Vacations.

It pays to learn...

You know that feeling you get when you know you made a good investment? When the money was well spent? Yeah- I have that feeling right now and it is overwhelming!

I took a leap of faith and decided to invest time and money into a workshop by Sandy Puc. The main focus was on photographing babies and children and marketing/building your business. I jumped at the opportunity to learn anything from someone who has done this stuff as long as I've been alive!

I am SO glad that I went to that workshop. It was beyond amazing! Sandy is a great speaker, even though she was kind of hoarse from the previous day at Disney! She reaches down deep and connects with everyone on such a personal level and puts everything into perspective. She explains things in a way that everyone can understand, no matter their age, experience level, or background.

The major things I took away from this experience are:

#1 Don't ever put off getting pictures done of your family. No one is promised tomorrow and you will never forgive yourself if you don't capture the beauty of your family right now.

#2 Be Flexible! Babies and children are free spirits! They do what they want, when they want, and you have to be able to work with them to your advantage and their advantage. Candy is a great bribing tool!

#3 Plan out your marketing schedule, so there's never a dull moment! I need to constantly evolve and offer creative things. I've got to keep my name out there and make it easy to find ME!

I am so excited to announce that I will be providing Baby Plans and Children Programs to document the youngest years of your child's life! The Plans will be affordable, fun, and so worth the investment!
More details will come soon!

Wishing you all an awesome Friday and wonderful weekend!

2012 Senior Rep - Courtney

Oh My Gosh- have you ever seen such a beautiful smile in your entire life?!?!

I photographed Courtney's Sweet 16 Party last year. It was such a blast and her family made it so much fun for everyone involved! Courtney is now a Senior and has become my FIRST SENIOR REP!

She gets the perks of being a Senior Rep (if you want to know what that is, read about it here) and I just can't wait to see what pretty people she sends my way! :)

Courtney is such a sweetheart and was not afraid to get down and dirty for a good pic. We are doing another session next Sunday but that will feature her awesomeness in a summer dress and boots! We are going out to a great country spot in Lake Alfred and will get the best pics yet!!

Here are some sneak peeks from tonight's session! We are so glad we went out, despite the weather! Those overcast days are like m&m's and gummy bears in a milkshake! Bring them on!

Calling all 2012 Seniors!!

I am excited to announce that I just started my Senior Rep Program.

A Senior Representative is someone graduating from high school in 2012 that is willing to spread the word about my business, in return for some awesome stuff!

As a Senior Rep, you receive:

-One free photo session



-15% off of any prints or products from your session


-Your session photos resized for Facebook with my logo (for posting on your page)


-50 referral cards with a 10% session discount for your friends (if they book with me)


-Extra bonuses if you refer more than 10 people that book a session with me!

All you have to do is click here to sign up! It's so simple.

So, after you speak with mom & dad, go to my website and sign up!

Not every senior that comes my way will be cast as a Senior Rep, so sign up soon to be the Senior Rep for your school!

If you are not interested in being a Senior Rep, I would still love to do your Senior Photo session! Check out this page!

Brand New Website {again}

I was sick with a bad tummy ache yesterday, so guess what I did all day?! Slept on the couch? No. Snuggled up to my puppy in bed and watched reruns of I Love Lucy? No.
Worked on my website? ABSOLUTELY!

I revamped the whole thing and it now has had a major facelift!

I wanted something clean, simple, still stylish in parts. I did this all by myself (and I am no designer), so I think I did mighty fine considering the circumstances.

Please stop by when you have time and let me know how you think I did.



Visit my website: http://www.jacquelinelusbyphotography.com/



In other news, I have some exciting things coming up that I will definitely BLOG about:
*I've registered myself for some Photography Workshops!
*I am going to a Rascal Flatts (& Sara Evans) concert with my best friends!
*My husband and I just got approval to go to Israel, Jordan, & Egypt for our 2012 vacation in March with the pastor of First Baptist Sarasota! My husband has NEVER been overseas and it will be my third time in Israel & Egypt, and first time in Jordan! WOOHOO!

I'll blog at ya later,
Jackie

Anytime Session - Kevin & Britny

I had the pleasure of shooting my brother-in-law & his girlfriend with the lovely Mrs Mindy Mier. Mindy was my wedding photographer and such a great mentor! She has pushed me to be the best I can and has shared so much information with me that I squeal like a little pig when I get to see her, much less shoot with her!

We took Kevin and Britny out to a "secret" location and enjoyed watching the sun set :)
They are so enamored with each other and it was so easy to capture their love!
I can't wait to do their engagement session, if he ever pops the question!!!!!

This blog was so easy to post, thanks to the templates from CoffeeShop Blog!

Senior Session - John & Ashley

My little boy is growing up! Well, he's not MY little boy, but I've known him since he was about 7 years old.
John played soccer with my little step-brother for a few years and he became my favorite on the team. This boy could kick the ball from his goal at one end clear across the field to the other goal at that end, AND get the ball in the goal! He's grown so fast and has now graduated from high school! I'm so proud of him and was pleased to meet his girlfriend, Ashley. She is a sweetheart and I can tell that John really likes her! I wish them the best!

I'm a sucker- hate me for it!

So, after finding a few other photographers on Facebook, I've realized there is a WEALTH of information and vendors ALL OVER facebook dying to get their word out.
They are all entering in these "Giveaways" where they donate gift certificates, items, and other things from their own shops and the winner gets ALL! We're talking about thousands of dollars worth of photography stuff! MY DREAM COME TRUE!

So, to enter these contests, you will see me posting about them, blogging about them, etc.
Please don't think my facebook has been hacked. Well, it has -by a raving lunatic who wants to win FREE STUFF!!!!!!!

So, the one I REALLY want to win, is this one---




It's freaking awesome! I get an entry just for blogging about it, so there it is!

Hang in there, I promise one day I won't be see cheap and I will just buy the things I need for my business, but for now I am  hoping to get lucky;)