NAPCP June Newsletter

napcp N E W S L E T T E R

INSIDE: a special giveaway from Nations Photo Lab and a fun summer promo!

Featuringthe wonderful

Stephanie Buckmanof Stephanie Robin

Photography

June 2012

The Latest News &Announcements,

Workshops, Updatesand much more!

0 1 | N A P C P N e w s l e t t e r J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2

Risk-taker. Innovator. Trailblazer. Regardless of the title you will find them in ev-

ery industry, including ours. Taking chances and creating something outside of the box

is never easy - in fact, sometimes downright scary. It’s fear of failure and judgement that

can hold us back. But there are always those precious few that have the gut to not only

answer that great Spencer Johnson question but DO …

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” ... “Who Moved My Cheese?” - a great read.

Someone who knows a great deal about blazing her own trail is this month’s Mem-

ber Spotlight, Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography. Recently crowned

our 2011 Photographer of The Year, Stephanie has been a force in the industry for quite

some time and a tremendous resource for others. Between her workshops and article

contributions, she remains a strong advocate of safety in the child photography industry,

providing awareness to both peers and parents alike. Check out her interview accompa-

nied by loads of her gorgeous imagery inside!

As our Featured Vendor this month, Nations Photo Lab also knows the value of

creating something innovative. They have set out to offer new and unique formats to

photographers that in turn help clients showcase their images in beautiful ways. They just

launched an exciting summer sale and are doing a special giveaway for our NAPCP read-

ers. Take a peek at pg.21 for all the details.

The exciting news does not stop there! It’s time to get your best images ready to

shine. Our next NAPCP International Image Competition launches in July. Stay tuned

for our formal announcement including dates, judges, and more. We are also thrilled to

share that we will be launching our brand new NAPCP Community page on Facebook

very soon as well. We hope it will serve as a place to share, learn and grow for our NAPCP

members.

We challenge you to let that risk-taker inside of you shine this month and try something

new. See you on the forum!

Hello friends!

SincerelyThe NAPCP Team

N A P C P N e w s l e t t e r J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2 | 0 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Pg. 5 ... Featured Photographer: Stephanie Buckman

Pg. 19 ...................................... Tip of The Month

Pg. 21 ........... Featured Vendor: Nations Photo Lab

Pg. 23 ...........................Facebook Community Page

Pg. 24 .................................Apply For Membership

Pg. 3 .................................................... Workshops

Pg. 4 ...............................News & Announcements

WORKSHOPS

Join Tamara for this two-day busi-

ness-focused workshop, which in-

cludes an in-depth shooting clinic.

This detailed business program is

built to introduce more efficient

methods for gaining control over

your business processes and home/

commercial studio workflow. The

highly interactive and hands-on

shooting clinic will help you to mas-

ter your technical skills behind the

camera, as well as teach you how to

setup and work with additional light

sources – and better utilize available

light in a more controlled fashion.

August 6 - 7 | Durham, NC

September 13 - 14 | Ottawa, Canada

September 17 - 18 | Toronto, Canada

Tamara LackeyWorkshop


More Info Here!


NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

The NAPCP 2011 Photographer

of The Year was announced this

month and we could not be

happier that it went to such a

deserving member. Congratulations

once again to Stephanie Buckman

of Stephanie Robin Photography!

Photographer of the Year

That’s right...NAPCP has just

recently let our curiousty get the

best of us as we took the plunge

and joined Pinterest. We would love

for you to take a quick spin around

our boards as well as help us spread

inspiring photography to the

Pinterest community everywhere!

To follow us, please visit our profile

page here! Happy Pinning!

Follow Us on Pinterest

FEATUREDPHOTOGRAPHER

STEPHANIE BUCKMAN


FEATUREDPHOTOGRAPHER

Images by Stephanie Buckman of Stephanie Robin Photography

ased in in Burlington, Ontario, Stephanie

Buckman specializes in newborn and child photog-

raphy, creating timeless portraits through her mas-

tery of light, the lens and a true connection with her

subjects. Known for her custom fine art portraiture,

Stephanie has been offering newborn mentoring and

group sessions since 2009. She is also a strong advocate

for newborn safety and continues to promote knowl-

edge and awareness to the child photography industry.

B


Tell us your story. How you started and how your photography, brand,

and business transformed over the last few years...

I started photographing my own children like a lot of other photographers.

I remember buying my first DSLR when my second child, my son, was only

8 days old thinking I’d be able to do his newborn session myself. That was a

complete bomb! But it gave me an introduction to newborn portraiture and a

drive to improve. I began photographing for others for fun that fall and be-

fore I knew it, the referrals were rolling in. By the next summer, I registered

my business. I think my brand has definitely become more defined since hir-

ing a graphic designer to help shape the feel of my business into a visual logo.

My branding really started there though it certainly encompasses a lot more

than those eggs and nest.


How did you get started in newborn photography? And how has specializ-

ing in this work shaped your business?

I think specializing in newborn portraiture was just a very natural progres-

sion for me. I seemed to do my best in this area and received the most re-

ferrals for newborn work. I really feel my background as a physiotherapist

helped me when it came to maneuvering babes into those cozy poses. Spe-

cializing definitely helped to shape my business because it defined what I

was to people. Instead of trying to be everything to a whole lot of people, I

became something specific to a certain subset of people. Choosing a spe-

cialty also allowed me to focus on becoming really good at my particular type

of photography and also set me apart from other photographers in my area

offering many different types of service.


What has been the best piece of advice you’ve received starting out? Why?

I think the best piece of advice I received was to value my time as much as

my children value my time. It really helped me to price myself accordingly

because I knew how much my children value the time I give them and I

wanted to make sure that I still had plenty of time to do just that! I made the

decision early on that I would never pay myself less than I knew I was worth.

That decision alone has propelled my business more than any other. It al-

lows me to be more than a photographer. It allows me to have a personal life

and to find balance which in turn, means I run a more efficient business and

can deliver better service to the clients that choose to hire me.

Who has been your your biggest inspiration in your work?

Man. This is always a tough one because there are some really great new-

born photographers out there. Not only this, there’s also that standard an-

swer that the babies themselves inspire me. I think for me, inspiration is not

something I seek out but instead something I let come my way. Occasionally

it’s a book, a movie, a poster or sign I see while driving. A picture in a lullaby


collection, a colour or pattern on a piece of clothing or the look of another

photographer’s work. I don’t necessarily think there’s a “who” in my source

so much as a “what” if that makes sense.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your first few years?

The biggest challenge for me has been the accounting. It’s definitely a weak-

ness on my end and a good lesson in when it’s appropriate to hire out. I’m

definitely not trained in this area and it’s money well spent in my opinion to

hire someone who knows the ins and outs and can keep you on track in this

regard.


Tell us about how you maintain balance between your business, your 3

adorable children, and yourself.

I think pricing myself appropriately really afforded me the opportunity

to achieve a little more balance in my life in this regard. My littles are just

that... little. I know they’re not going to stay that way for much longer and

I’m so glad I made some necessary changes to my pricing while expecting my

3rd baby. As much as I love spending time with other people’s babies, mine

are not yet in full time school so I still want and need to spend a great deal of

time with them too. Balance, of course, is something I’m still refining and it’s

never a perfect balance but I feel like it’s a lot better now than before upping

my prices.


Who are some of your favorite vendors?

Oh my gosh. Really? Right off the hop, I have to go with Silky Knits, Baby Joy

Studios, Whimsy Hats and Headbands, After the Bump, Handcrafted Crowns,

Pinch Knits and a new and recent favorite, Zin Frames. Of course there’s also

my personal knitter and fellow photographer and friend Jaime Coyle (Love

ya girl!) and it doesn’t hurt that they all sponsor the Baby Vogue Workshops

either!

What are some of your best selling products? How do you market them &

why do you think your clients gravitate towards them the most?

I’m going to have to go with my Pixel2Canvas Luxe Canvases. I think they’re

so popular because they’re modern, easy and don’t require any additional

work (i.e. framing) to get them up on display on the walls of your home. I

can’t wait to get my new displays up at my recently acquired studio space.

There’s nothing like showing the products you like to sell and these canvases



Thank you so much Stephanie!

practically sell themselves. Other than canvases, I sell quite a few albums

as well. I truly believe that albums are the best way to display a full sessions

worth of images as they are beautifully crafted, archival, professionally

printed works of art.

We love how open and honest you are within the NAPCP community.

What would you like to see happen within our specialized industry?

I’d love to see some sort of requirement for safety measures when working

with newborns, babies and children. With all the information readily avail-

able on the forums and internet in general, I’m still consistently shocked by

the surfacing of videos and imagery depicting dangerous and inappropri-

ate posing of these young subjects. I really feel it’s the responsibility of each

photographer to research safety procedures and, even better, seek out train-

ing before jumping into situations in which tiny subjects may be endangered

through their involvement in their photo sessions. Endangering a baby is

just never going to be ok in my books.

To see more of Stephanie’s work, please visit her site here, and her blog

here!

TIPS OF THE MONTH

HANDLING MULTIPLES

Make sure you have an extra set of hands at the ready when working with mul-

tiples. Not only is it handy for keeping those fingers and toes perfectly posi-

tioned while working with the babies, it means an extra set of eyes and arms

for keeping babies settled and safe

TIPS OF THE MONTHBY STEPHANIE BUCKMAN


Parents can sometimes be awkward or uncomfortable both holding a posed

baby and being in front of your camera. Put them at ease by getting them to

interact with baby. Gazing downward, a loving kiss on the cheek or even get-

ting them to close their eyes and give you a small smile all lend perfectly to im-

ages with an emotional connection between parent and babe. Just remember,

they’re likely very hot already. Add to that the body heat of their little babe and

you might find it best to be quick in your captures.

WORKING WITH PARENTS:


With this book you’ll learn how to use backgrounds that complement your

subjects, set up and shoot in-studio, light your images anywhere with

straightforward lighting setups and diagrams, pose your subjects in a

beautiful but natural way, nail your exposure, and create meaningful

family portraits that leave everyone feeling and looking their honest best.


FEATURED VENDORNATIONS PHOTO LAB

Nations Photo Lab’s

“SET SALE THIS SUMMER” Promotion

50% Off Our Most Popular Print Enlargements

Including all paper types of our 16x20’s / 20x30’s /

24x30’s / 24x36’s / 30x40’s

Now thru July 31st, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST

Visit www.nationsphotolab.com to shop this

amazing Summer sale.

Want a chance to win a $75gift card?


1) Like both Nations Photo Lab and NAPCP’s

Facebook pages

2) Leave a comment on the NAPCP Facebook page to

let us know you have entered the contest and tell us

which product you would buy with your $75 credit!

Contest ends Tuesday, June 26, @ 11:59 pm EST

GIVEAWAY

FACEBOOK COMMUNITY PAGE

We are very excited to be launching the brand new NAPCP Facebook Communi-

ty page! The page will be setup similar to the forum with hot topics, discussions,

image critiques, but with a much more casual feel. As with all Facebook pages,

they are by request only and will require members to contact an admin if they

would like to join. We hope that everyone will partake so don’t hesitate to contact

us if you have any questions. We will send out an announcement next week with

the administrators to contact to gain access to the page.

Coming Soon!


please visit napcp.com or email us at [email protected] with questions or inquiries.

MembershipInterested in applying for

membership? Learn more

about the benefits of a NAPCP

membership on our site!

Directory

Looking for a photographer in

your area? Visit our exclusive

NAPCP Member Directory on

the site today!

DIRECTORYAPPLY NOW

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NAPCP June Newsletter