The Detroit SMUG is officially kicked-off, up and running, and enthusiastic about its future with SmugMug. SmugMug, who sponsored the event, gave the Detroit SMUG the opportunity to throw an amazing meeting for its members on September 1, 2010 which marked the first official meeting for the Detroit SmugMug User Group. The event was held at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum, located on the Chrysler Technology Center campus. It was the perfect venue for the 50 attendees as they got the chance to not only participate in the Smug event, but members also had the opportunity to experience some of the rich history of the auto-industry (This is the Detroit SMUG!!)
The night began with a bang and ended with one as well! We kicked off with a delicious
SmugMug Cake!
How wonderful for members to enjoy some cake while they had the chance to look at the photos displayed that members uploaded throughout the summer that were printed by
SmugMug and Bay Photo.
In addition to the photo display, Larry Titran, co-organizer of the Detroit SMUG shared with the group a photo booth that uploads directly and automatically to SmugMug. All the attendees had fun taking pictures and having them upload right to SmugMug almost instantaneously! For more information, visit http://www.partyboothapp.com.
The event was then introduced by Jerry Roek, another co-organizer of the
Detroit SMUG and owner of
jR Customization.
Jerry discussed where he hoped the
Detroit SMUG would go in the future, with having Shoot-outs, and other great events! He also expressed how great it was that a group of people could come together and share their passion for photography, whether your passion is for wedding, portrait, or sports photography. In addition, Jerry introduced
SmugMug to those members who are not currently using it and explained the benefits, features, and functionality for the busy, on-the-go photographer!
Next came the main event!
Dawn McCarthy!!
The
Detroit SMUG was so blessed to have Dawn come all the way from Jacksonville, Florida to speak about really taking the time to invest in your clients. Although Dawn specializes in wedding photography her expertise applied to all of the members with all different types of specialties.
Dawn spoke about so many great ideas that most photographers don’t take the time to consider. Her most important point was to recognize when a client is YOUR client, or from Dawn’s perspective she spoke about finding “MY Bride” and more importantly, find the connection between you, the photographer, and your client.
Dawn shared so many more tips and tricks when it comes to making your client comfortable in the moment. For instance, telling a bride and groom to “Breathe in the moment,” and to take it all in while they have the chance. Another important concept Dawn shared was to realize that the wedding day for a bride is her day, not yours, so keep your problems at home.
One of the greatest pieces of advice Dawn gave was to take the time to do the “little things.” For instance, sending hand-written thank you’s, or sending a quick note congratulating a client on her anniversary.
Dawn also stressed the importance of “Taking the Cake,” which as she explained was just having a memorable personality. She shared a story about how one woman remembered her as the photographer that took all of the left over wedding cake. And to Dawn, this is definitely not a bad thing! It’s doing these kind of things that gets your remembered by the wedding party, or other guests, which in turn leads to future clients! (I bet you can’t guess who took the left over cake from this event )
In addition, Dawn discussed the importance of blogging and using the
SmugMug to leverage your connection with the photography community (
click here for examples).
Dawn’s blog is a MUST to take a look at! She really uses it establish a connection with her clients before she even meets them!
All of Dawn’s advice is priceless for the photographers that attended the event! She shared so much knowledge and so many funny, entertaining, and enlightening stories. She has so much experience that each and every person at the event will take something away from the expertise she shared!
This was such a great event, and thank you to everyone who participated and who took part in making it such a great success. Click here to read another blogs about the event :
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