NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS....

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Christmas with your loved ones.

Its that time of year where everyone makes resolutions. I immediately knew

what one of my resolutions had to be. Here it is:

I AM GOING TO POST A NEW BLOG POST EVERY WEEK. For those of you

that know me know that I can slack off from time to time when

it comes to blogging. So I plan to reward my blog readers. Here is the deal:

if I have not posted something new all week (lets say Monday through Midnight of that Friday) one lucky blog reader will receive a $50 Gift Card towards Wendhy Jeffers Photography. All you have to do is be the first person to leave a comment that week on my blog letting me know that I've been caught slacking off!

I hope everyone's year is filled with lots of happiness and lots of candy!

♥Wendhy

Wendhy Jeffers is a photographer in Las Vegas. Please call 702.335.5329 to schedule a session.

I just LOVE him!

Meet my little brother! He is such an energetic and fun person to be around. I still can't believe that he is in 7th grade (maybe 8th grade, they grow up soo fast). I remember playing with him when he was only two years old. Time does fly, which is why I am grateful for photos.

We wen't out one day and drove around Las Vegas to find some cool walls.

Here are some silly faces: (he really enjoys making me laugh, by the way, he purposely squints his eyes when doing silly faces) Isn't he just cute!

When I looked at this photo I almost wanted to cry. I realized that this little guy is no longer my baby brother, he has transformed into a young teen. It really shows his mature grownup side...

And this one shows why I love to be around him....

As some of you know I have been really sick the past few weeks. Lying in bed and watching tv all day gets boring when you've watched the same episode three times. So when I felt up to it I would start editing photos. Whenever I need a break from editing photos for my clients I start editing photos from my personal projects. Crazy I know! So thats exactly what I did today. Hope you enjoyed my brother's photos. Until next time.

♥Wendhy

Wendhy Jeffers is a Las Vegas Children Photographer. Please call 702.335.5329 to schedule a session.

Introducing Girls Night Out! (A bride's dream come true)

Girls it is time to come out and have some fun! I've teamed up with some amazing wedding/event

vendors from Las Vegas to bring you the first GIRLS NIGHT OUT EVENT at THE PLAZA at Whitney

Ranch. I want to see you at the event, even if you're not a bride. There will be some awesome

prizes, makeovers, and off course I'll be taking some photos of you so you can update your

facebook/myspace. Check out the details below:

Visit wrevent.com to buy your tickets. And remember that all the proceeds will

go towards the Children's Heart Foundation.

So come and show your support (not to mention have some fun:)

♥Wendhy

Wendhy Jeffers is a Las Vegas Wedding Photographer. Please call 702.335.5329 to schedule a an appointment.

My little cutie pie... -Las Vegas Children Photographer

...BRYN! This is one of my nieces and I just ADORE her! Not only is she a sweetheart, and loving little girl, she is also beautiful! I only hope that when I have kids some day they look as cute as her.

I took these photos not too long ago while I was up in Utah visiting my nieces. I had planned to do a shoot of my nieces while I was there but something always kept coming up. We were up there for Londyn's (my other niece) first year birthday party. Right before the party started I was hanging out with Bryn. She was dressed in her cute little fairy wings and skirt, so I decided to grab my camera and follow her around. We probably walked around my sister in laws house for about 15 minutes and I ended up with some really cute photos of her. Good thing I don't have kids yet or they would be photographed all the time.

Well here are some of my favorite photos of Bryn......just look at those BIG BEAUTIFUL EYES!

TOO CUTE! I LOVE YOU BRYN!

Here is the exciting news...

I told you about. Meet the newest member of our little family. I know what you must be thinking- "Isn't Wendhy a dog person?" I am, but our friend's cat had kittens and this little guy was soo playful and fun when I met him that he ended up coming home with us.

So I did it, I crossed over to the dark side! I have a little kitty. But don't get me wrong, I LOVE dogs! Our house is just too small.

Lars is a little daredevil, he has been jumping off of stuff and getting like 8-9 ft of air. He is such a cute kitty. Just thought I would share.

Plus, I decided that its hard enough for me to blog here that I decided to turn this into my personal/photo blog. Well here is what I got after having a 5 minute photo session with Lars (he doesn't like having his picture taken...)

My MOM is getting married! - Las Vegas Wedding Photographer

That's right, my cute little mom is getting married to a wonderful and amazing guy! They are having a super simple ceremony and get together. She isn't really going to have a wedding dress so I let her borrow mine. Doesn't she look cute in it! My mom has NEVER smiled like that before. It was a great experience being able to see TRUE LOVE right before my eyes. I just took these two days ago so I haven't really had time to work on them, but here is one for now.

Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?

"The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and ability to control various factors during the image taking and making process. Photographers, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur all benefit from this ability to manipulate pixels. However, with flexibility comes a price. Digital camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into creating a work of photographic art.

We all know that you can go to the local Walgreen’s and pay a $1.99 for a print - as a client you may wonder why you may pay upwards of $50, $70, $90 for a custom photography print. Photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:

“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at x store?”

The truth of the matter is the answer to this question is multifaceted. Much of the cost of a photographic print produced by a professional photographer has a lot to do with the time, equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer not to mention expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.

The cost of TIME
Approaching it from a time standpoint, let’s imagine that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love. This photographer is traveling an hour to your destination to photograph your session. Here is an example of a time break down:
session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)

one hour travel time TO session

15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home

90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject

one hour travel time FROM session

30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer

30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images

2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images

1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering

2-3 hours time with client for ordering images

1 hour sorting through and checking order

30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery

30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped

any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues

In this example, the time spent per client can range from just under 13 hours to 19 hours - dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to ONE session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot (aka SESSION FEE) you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.The COSTS of Maintaining a Custom Photography Business:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run from $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip many of the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES to BANANAS:
Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $19.99 for an 8×10 “sheet” or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. In February 2007 leased photography retail space by a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough - those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait services in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the “loss leader”.

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.

REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:
Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation."

I found this article on Rebekah's blog(amazing utah wedding photographer) and thought that it explained perfectly what we, as professional photographers, go through. Those of you that know me well know that I spend a lot of time on my work because to me it is ART and should be treated like ART. So I just want to THANK all of my clients for appreciating my ART and seeing the value.

WPPI After Party

WPPI is a wonderful place to network and grow as a photographer.  A lot of valid information gets thrown your way, but what you decide to do with it is what really matters.  After WPPI ended I got together with my buddy Kennedy and exchanged information about the conference, ordered some pizza, and had some fun.  It was a nice way to relax.   The biggest challenge that we run into as photographers is putting plans into ACTIONS.  This is my goal for 2009.  I want to follow through with my ideas.  

Remember that WPPI had the largest number of attendees this year than any other year.  

So what does

 this mean?  

2009 is going to be a great year for all of us!

WPPI ROCKS!

This is my first year going to WPPI. Every photographer I've met says that WPPI is the photography conference of the year to go to. I finally understand why. I have spent the last two days learning and shooting from two of the best photographers in the industry: Alycia Alvarez (award winning family photographer) and Kevin Jairaj (international award winning wedding photographer). Their seminar is called "Rings to Rattles," since they cover the entire spectrum. They are soo talented and such a cute couple. I've learned so much in such little time. 

They had different models come in during the two days and they taught us some tricks and how they do things. I'll be posting some of the pictures I took later. I am kinda tired from all the workshops.  Plus I have more to go to tomorrow. :)