As Haley entered the summer of her 8th grade year I came with the idea of having a “teaching make-up” class for her. I often see these young girls wearing make-up too dark and too much for what I like. To me, make-up is to be used to accent our favorite features, whether it is your eyes, cheek bones, or lips. So I called in a professional: Michelle from Lipstick & Luster, who does beautiful work for brides, to come teach my girls how to properly apply their make-up. Haley invited some friends over and they all had a great time listening and observing the do’s and dont’s of make-up. I have to say I learned quite a bit myself:) Wishing I had done this for Trystan when she first start wearing make-up, I chose for her to be the one that Michelle applied the make-up on. This worked great because with Trystan being a senior I took advantage of the moment and took her out for a mini senior session.

Thank you so much Michelle you did a great job and I highly recommend anyone at any age to take this class!

That slowly grew by word of mouth, and developed into an outlet for me to afford my hobby.  I eventually branched out into maternity, nature, pets, headshots…  you name it, and vowed… no, … swore, that I would never in a million years shoot a wedding.  There was just too much liability and risk.  There are no do-overs.   I’d been taking private lessons from an old photography professor from Cal State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), who shared with me his horror stories of shooting weddings.  He said, “the most liberating day of his life was the day he announced he was no longer shooting weddings.”  And a for a couple of years, he had be scared to even try.  I turned down several weddings before finally accepting to shoot a small, intimate outdoor wedding for a desperate bride.  And I loved it.  Still, I never imagined that within a few short years, I would abandon family, maternity, and portrait work to focus exclusively on weddings.  The other thing I swore I would never do, but did, was to convert from film to digital.  No more keeping a log of my settings and waiting a week to view the effects.  Immediate gratification, and an exponential learning curve, along with 10 years of shooting film, led me to confidently begin to market to weddings.  Of course, after two years in Monterey, it was time to move again.  Life in the military ensures we never settle down in one place to build a trusted name in an area.  Next stop… Camp Pendleton Ca.

We moved the Temecula area in 2005, and fortunately, have been able to remain in the area long enough for me to establish a level of trust and recognition.  But getting my foot in the door in an area already well saturated with wonderful, established photographers was a daunting task.  I tried to network with venues and coordinators, but no one had ever worked with me here, and no one was willing to give me the time of day to even meet and chat about where I’d come from.  It was literally like starting over from scratch.  After about a year and half of futility I’d only shot three weddings.  Then, one afternoon,  I received a phone call from David’s Bridal Headquarters in Pennsylvania, asking if I’d be interested in donating some prints in their new store opening in Murrieta,  and being the photographer they recommend on their vendor’s list.  What did have to lose?  For the year that followed, I booked over 20 brides, though I was snubbed as the ‘David’s Bridal Photog.’  I didn’t realize I was being snubbed until another photographer (now a friend) politely informed me at a Bridal Show that we were not in competition with one another because he targeted high end brides, and I marketed to the David’s Bridal types.  Well…..  truth is, my DB brides were some of the most beautiful, sweet, and most memorable weddings that I’ve ever photographed.  They bought an affordable dress and smartly invested more in their photography packages, decor, and the venue.  In fact, so many of my DB brides were marrying at the Temecula Wineries that I became friends with the coordinators and other professionals in the industry.  It was a smart move for my business given the situation, and I’m proud to have worked with such wonderful people.

I was delighted this year to receive Christmas cards and bottles of wine from some of my closest winery wedding coordinator pals, former brides, and mothers of brides.  Of course, everyone here knows me as Theresa Minnette, not as a photographer from Vivid Memories.  A couple of years ago, I was booking so many weddings that I wanted to separate Vivid Memories from my wedding photography work, so I launched Theresa Minnette Photography.  The idea at the time was to use Theresa Minnette for Weddings only, and Vivid Memories for all of the other types of shoots like seniors and family sessions.  But over time, I’ve devoted myself exclusively to weddings, and, as a change for 2011, I’m relieving myself of the burdon of managing both websites, domains, SEO, advertising, fees, and confusion.  I’m letting Vivid Memories fade away with the memories of 2010.

I’d be remissed if I didn’t thank all of those who welcomed me as a newcomer when I arrived here, and I encourage those just starting out to follow your dreams, produce the best quality and value you can, and don’t be naive like was when I started out.  Like my opening sentence above says, ambitions and aspirations may be created equally, but to achieve them, you’ll have to kick open a few doors, take time to build your brand recognition and trust, and most importantly, build relationships with other photographers and professionals in the industry.  Make bold moves, and, as I’ve just come to learn myself, realize when to close the doors on one venture to embrace the successes of another.  Here’s to a wonderful New Year!

I just received a free pair of Maui Jim sunshades at my door!  I absolutely love Maui Jim sunglasses.  Sure, they’re expensive, and there are plenty of similar styles that are much cheaper, but you get what you pay for.  Cheaper glasses are cheaper because they are…. well…  cheap!  So why pay nearly 300 bucks for a pair of sun shades?  I could buy shades for much much less, and probably break or lose a few dozen pairs for what I pay for my MJs, but I value “value”.   When I consider what salient characteristics I desire in my sunshades, a few come to mind:  fit, weight, comfort, polarization, durability, and customer service.   Yes, I said Customer Service and sunshades in the same sentence….    Most people wouldn’t think about customer service with a pair of glasses… but Maui Jim has made it the foundation of their awesome business.   My husband and I have bought no other brand of sunglasses since 2001.  Since then, we’ve broken several pairs….  stepped on, sat on, bent too much, teething puppies…. you name it.  But no matter what happened to them, we mail them back and are delightfully surprised a week later when a brand new pair of the same exact model arrives for free in the mail. Of course, they don’t replace ones that we lose.. but if they break….  they’re replaced.  High quality products and phenomenal customer service  is a value that evokes brand loyalty and customer satisfaction.

That inspires me….  I want my customers to feel the way Maui Jim made me feel.  It reminds me to stand by my products, be consistent in value, and always make my clients feel they’ve made a wise investment by delivering high value.    It also reminds me of other parallel apsects of the photography business.  VALUE doesn’t mean cheap.  VALUE means getting what you paid for in terms of quality and service.  In the world of photography, that means matching the salient variables in terms of image style, personality appeal, top-of-the-line professional albums, printing, and framing, and exceptional customer service before and after the wedding, with a commensurate price for those products and services.  Folks just have to decide if they want higher-end products and services, or take the cheap route.  The only difference is…  there are no do-overs with wedding photography.  You can’t just go buy new pics, and in the end, that cheap route could end up costing far more than money.

My mother’s parents are Elliot and Ann Myers.  They’ve been married for 65 years!!!  My father’s parents are William (WH) and Mary Howell, who’ve been married for 69 years!!!  They’re the real deal…  members of our nation’s Greatest Generation.  Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II.  Elliot fought the Japanese in the Pacific, while WH fought the Germans in Italy.

Elliot served in the Navy on the USS Curtiss off the shores of the Battle for Okinawa.  The Curtiss had a rich history for its short time in service.  She was attacked at Pearl Harbor,  participated in the amphibious assaults on Tarawa, Kwajalein, Eniwetok.  When my grandfather came aboard, the ship participated in the assaults on Saipan and Guam.  He  arrived off Okinawa on 22 May 1945.  My husband and I lived on Okinawa for three years, and  I tried to imagine what the seascape must have looked like with over 300 ships lining the coast while Marines fought viciously to secure the last island of the Island Hopping Campaign.  But on 21 June 1945, a Japanese kamikaze crashed into the Curtiss and exploded (with its bomb load) three decks down in the ship. The explosion killed 35 men and wounded 21 others, but managed to stay afloat and return home.  My grandfather’s wisdom and moral compass has guided me throughout my life.  He recently survived a stroke, and continues to inspire us.  My grandmother Myers is as lively as they come.  She wakes up at 5:30 am every morning to do her Tae Bo tapes.  She actually keeps up with Billy Banks, and rumor  is that she does Tae Bo in high heels to better develop her calves!! LOL

Granny and Papa Myers

WH served with the 91st Infantry Division.  He came in as a replacement for the heavy losses suffered at Anzio and fought through the Battle for Po Valley, the high ground above the Arno River, the North Apennines, and many others to take back Italy from the Nazis.  He was captured by the Germans when his small patrol was ambushed by a much larger force in a story that, as far as I can tell, he has only ever shared with my husband, perhaps because he is a US Marine and can relate on a level only common between veterans.  He was one of the only survivors of the gun fight.  His blue eyes and reddish blond hair won him enough favor with his captors to keep him alive through the prison ordeal. (Nazi’s viewed blond hair and blue eyes as the supreme race) although my grandmother received a letter from the Department of the Army informing her of his death.  He was a POW in a German prison camp until the war ended in 1945.  During that time, my grandmother and her children believed he’d been killed, and struggled to deal with life without him ever coming home.  She held fast to her identity that she was still a married woman, and she’d be with him again….   one day.  But she could never have imagined he’d walk through her front door!  My Papa is 91 now, and still works outside everyday.  His mind is as sharp as a tack, and he doesn’t take a single medication.  My grandmother Howell is still as sweet as a rose and makes the best Arnold Palmer (tea and lemonade) you’ve ever tasted.

Granny and Papa Howell

Just wanted to drop a quick blog to say thanks to Wiens Winery for inviting me out to photograph their splendid ‘Golden Era of Hollywood’ themed New Years Eve party, which supported the Temecula Valley Players, a resident company of the Old Town Temecula Community Theater. My husband and I enjoyed dancing in 2010 to the jazzy swing of the awesome Black Belt Jones band and fine company of guests.

So my plan is to announce a new product line, new style, new shoots and new packages in January 2010. I will keep you posted through out the year of all my findings! Stay tuned…

By the end of the day Dillon was delirious. He was laughing at Trystan, who is a candy feign, going crazy in the candy shop. She thought she was in heaven.