[meganlanephotos]

I didn’t feel the need to respond to any of the above comments, excluding the last. The blog posts I write for Registry Rebellion are in no way related to my photography work. I was hired 6 months a go (give or take) to write weekly blog posts for Kira, the owner of the business. Each post is of a different topic. Some are about bridesmaids, others about party favors and others about wedding photography. I do not solicit business through any of my blog posts, nor have I ever intended to. My “5 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer” post was written to help brides find a photographer who is best suited for them. If I remember correctly, I didn’t mention anything about myself, my photography or my company within that post. I don’t use my own pictures because that is not my responsibility. Kira chooses photos that she feels fit best. She likes to give aspiring wedding photographers exposure on her blog. Typically she features a new photographers work for each post that I write. Only one time did she feature my images and that was because she saw them on my website and felt that they would accompany the post perfectly. I could see how it would be “odd” if I wrote only just that one post for Kira. That being said, that one post is among dozens of others that I have written. My purpose of blogging for Registry Rebellion is to help brides along their wedding planning adventures. I give them advice, ideas and support. I have received many thank you’s and words of appreciation from our readers. Kira has even told me how much her business has improved since she hired me. Not only do I write for Kira, but I write for several NY newspapers. Once again, I’ve never attempted to gain photography clients or business through writing any blog posts or newspaper articles. My writing has nothing to do with my photography, and the other way around.

To be honest, I would’ve appreciated constructive criticism much more than what I received from all of you. “Lots of misuse of light, bad posing, bad focus on the park bench, etc”. That was useful. I appreciate that. Those who simply said “your work is bad,” I appreciated less. I also don’t see why my writing is being critiqued. I didn’t ask for opinions on my writing. If I wanted writing advice I would’ve gone elsewhere. I’ve never had any complaints from the newspapers I work for, nor have I had complaints from my photography clients. I know I need improvement with my photography. That is why I post on websites such as this. That is why I watch youtube tutorials and read books, such as “Understanding Exposure.” Having said that, I didn’t write my original post here or the post I’m writing now with the best grammar, spelling, etc. I wasn’t trying to be fancy or impressive. Also, the content on my website wasn’t meant to be literary prize material. My website isn’t intended to showcase my writing work. I wrote a rough draft with all of the necessary info prior to publishing it live, and then I submitted it to a friend of mine who teaches Cinematography at Stonybrook University College. He edited what I wrote, added some things, subtracted some things, etc. I’m sure there are still some mistakes, but I doubt that my potential or existing clients are reading my website content trying to find spelling or grammatical errors. They are simply trying to find out more about me, my company and what I offer. I’ve yet to have a dissatisfied client, and I usually book about 5 sessions a week. The few times I’ve made mistakes, I fixed them. For instance, about a year a go I did a family shoot outside in the windy weather. One out of the 80 pictures I gave the client on their flash drive had a mistake. Their son had a runny nose and I had forgotten to edit it. I must’ve skipped past it upon reviewing. I don’t remember the details. Point is, as soon as my client brought this to my attention, I took it upon myself to drop what I was doing and edit out the runny nose. I emailed it back to her in high res within 30 minutes of receiving her phone call. She was so happy that I fixed it, and impressed that I did it that same day. Another instance: A few months a go I was hired to shoot an anniversary party. I had told the client that they would receive their USB flash drive within 7 business days. I ended up sending it out a few days late. I was overbooked with appointments and I misjudged the amount of time it would take to be edited and mailed out. I felt bad, so I sent a complimentary 8×10 print and 4×6 print along with the flash drive as a nice gesture. I believe the flash drive was 2 days late. I mailed it overnight delivery to ensure they’d receive it as quickly as possible, since I was late finishing everything up. The client was so happy that I sent them free prints. They told me that they wouldn’t have even cared that I was a few days late. They were thankful I went the extra mile for them. I’ve worked with them two times since that first booking.

As I said in my first post, I do not really do wedding photography. I’ve only done a few weddings and only for friends and family. Not paid work. This past October, I did receive an inquiry from a couple who wanted to have their wedding portraits re-done. They had gotten married a few months prior to contacting me and they were very unhappy with the photographs their photographer provided them with. Their photographer didn’t show her shoes in a single picture. She had spent a lot of time picking out the best shoes. Also, the bride had bought two dresses to wear during her wedding portraits on her wedding day. Her white wedding gown and a red dress for the reception. The photographer didn’t take any portraits of her and her husband with the white gown. The photographer took candids of the ceremony while she wore the white gown..but none of just her and her husband. The bride was understandably devastated. She asked the photographer towards the end of the night if she could do the white wedding gown portraits and the photographer said she had to go! This couple spent a few dollars short of $5,000 on these photography services. Anyway, they contacted me because they wanted to have a one hour portrait session at an outdoor park. She wanted to wear her white wedding gown to recreate the day of her wedding. Her husband wore the same tux, too. They loved the images I provided them with. They’ve told me several times since then that they can’t stop looking at the pictures. The bride told me that every morning she wakes up, she looks at the print on her wall that I made them. I love having clients who are so happy. Not only because I feel proud of the work I did but because it makes me excited to hear how happy they are.

To sum up, I do need improvements. I am not perfect. However, I don’t think I (or anyone else on this site) deserved the mean words that each of you said. Constructive criticism is what I was in search of, and I certainly didn’t receive that. I feel like I was badgered by a bunch of high school bullies. To those of you who actually gave me feedback and suggestions, thank you. To those who simply told me that I suck, go to hell.

All the best,

Megan

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