Erin Elizabeth Photography » fresno

The 2009 Greek Food Festival= Yummy!

Erin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:47:31 +0000

About a week ago I went to the Greek Food Festival here in Fresno! It was so yummy and lots of good Greek food! After stuffing ourselves with Moussaka, and lamb, we took a tour of St George Greek Orthodox Church, and it was so beautiful! They are doing some renovating in the form of painting murals on the ceilings, and the artist is doing a wonderful job. I snapped the following photos while the priest was telling us about the specific meanings of the murals. Very cool indead!

BOOKING WEDDINGS AND UNPACKING BOXES

Erin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:56:10 +0000

It’s always a strange and heart wrenching feeling when I find out that a potential client went with another photographer for their wedding. It’s like failure mixed with a little bit of ‘what did I do wrong?’ and ‘I guess they didn’t like me.’ I suppose I would love to have every couple choose me to be their photographer because I love doing it, but I am still new to this business. And I want to specify that I am new to the BUSINESS. I am confident in my Photography skills, because I know how to take great photos, and I know how to interact with people in person. I admit that the business of wedding photography is a bit tricky for me. I’ve gotten my equipment figured out like the back of my hand, I’ve decided on which album company I will use. I’m putting myself out there, and making it known that I am now a full-time Professional Photographer and I’m available for Weddings, Engagements, Pets and Portraits, but I need to figure out what brides are looking for in their Photographer. It seems simple, but it’s just not. I need to figure out what I’m doing wrong.

I would characterize myself as relaxed, groovy, easy to get along with, and pretty much game for a laugh. I’m a real person. I don’t lay on a thick sales pitch when I meet clients, I just try to get to know them. I’m extremely organized and always super-duper prepared for my weddings (that’s the Girl Scout motto “be prepared!”). I work very hard at what I do, and spend hours during and after the wedding editing and perfecting each image.

It’s sometimes hard to connect with people over the phone and when I talk to potential clients, I feel like I have so much to tell/ask them! So much to talk about! What are your wedding colors? What does your dress look like? Just tell me everything! Those are words Richard dreads hearing… “tell me everything” is like Man-Kryptonite, it just melts him into a quivering mess of incapability. Like he just can’t store that much information in his mind at one time. I digress… I’m a girly girl when it comes to weddings, and I love the mundane details about all the cool things my brides come up with for their weddings. I’d love to be considered a friend along the way, and not just the hired help. It’s true that I spend a lot of time with my couples on W-day and more than any other vendor.

Whatever the reason, it’s hard starting a business. No matter how good a Photographer I am, if no one knows about me, I will never make it. So, if your reading this and you know anyone getting married or engaged or whatever, send them my way! I promise to take good care of them, and I won’t disappoint! After all, in a few years, I plan to be one of the BEST Photographers in the country. It’s a lofty goal, I agree, but I aim high.

Moving Update: We’ve moved from Monterey to Fresno, and I’m now endeavoring to unpack the myriad of boxes stacked in the dining and living rooms. Dottie is not helping much. In fact, the cats have done nothing but nap since we arrived… lot of help they are…

STEVE AND I…

Erin — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:12:18 +0000

The intense packing has begun. I have less than 5 days to pack up my small apartment for the relatively short move to Fresno, California. Why would I move to Fresno from Monterey, you might ask? It could be stupidity, but…

Well, I grew up in Fresno, and it’s very familiar to me. I am commencing a full-blown business start-up and I know that I will need the familiar surroundings as well as friends and family support to really get my business off the ground. Also, I have to move out of the student housing I am in now because I am no longer a student! Yippee! So it’s really a combination of moving forward and moving back at the same time. A couple months ago, I decided that my passion for Photography as something I truly love to do should be more than just a hobby. My mother always said, “Do what you love, and eventually the money will come.” This is somewhat of a driving force for me because I am terrified of failing. I have failed at so many things before, and just hate disappointing myself. I am really going out on a limb to start my business, and hopefully I will succeed at what I love. I’m not expecting to become a millionaire, I just want to be able to live life, and enjoy it along the way. I mean, isn’t that the American Dream?

As soon as we started packing up boxes, Steven (pictured below on my shoulder), got concerned. Not only do kitties love boxes, they don’t like moving… Steven has always been a bit of a baby, and when he gets nervous, he likes to be close to me. Last night while I was working on the photo editing, he jumped up on my shoulders to see what I was up to. He’s so funny!

Forgive the grainy image, this was taken on my built-in isight camera on my macbook!

THE KITTENS

Erin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:45:33 +0000

I’m a total cat person. Well, in reality, I love all animals. I know, it’s a little mushy, and very 8-year-old girl… When I was 8, I wanted to be a Veterinarian when I grew up. That sure didn’t happen!

So, I have 5 cats. They are my babies… It’s true! I very clearly remember the first five years of my life as the LONGEST years because I didn’t have a cat! When I got my little calico kitten at age 5 I was the happiest little girl you could ever imagine! Her name was Sugar, and she lived with me until she was 13 years old. It was very hard for me when she died, much like I lost a sister, not just a cat.

After I moved out of my parents house when I was in college, it only took 1.5 months until I came home with a cat. Her name is Lola. She is such a diva! She is a long-haired black and white cat, and she is beautiful! But, she knows it, and spends most of her time making herself pretty. She was a rescue from the Madera County Animal Shelter, and was 5 months old when we got her. Merely a month after bringing home Lola, we got Steven! Steven was 4 weeks old when a good friend of mine’s aunt found him in the gutter. She told me she couldn’t keep him, and BAM! Another cat! Steven was named after the late Steve Irwin, who is a hero of mine. Irwin’s personality was so vibrant and courageous, and it’s a terrible loss for the entire world that he is gone. My Steve has taken on a lot of Irwin’s traits. He’s BOLD, Courageous, and never ceases to remind me when his food bowl is EMPTY.

Turtle, a tortoiseshell cat, was also a gutter kitten. She was super scrawny, but has the most beautiful golden eyes! When she was small, she looked a little bit like an owl, with her eyes WAY to big for her face!

Miss Kitty was rescued from a careless neighbor who up and moved, and just left her. She is all black, and is a cat’s cat. She does not like to be bothered.

Dottie literally showed up on the front steps meowing! She was all alone and no one in the neighborhood was missing a kitten. Her name is Dot because she has two perfectly symmetrical black dots on her otherwise white bottom. She also has the tail of a beagle. She’s super spunky, and likes to bite fingers… I really need to get her to stop that…

Here are some photos of Dot, Steve, and Miss Kitty! Turtle and Lola to follow later… Everytime I get a new lens the cats are my sometimes unwilling test subjects… hence the plethora of cat pictures…