by Melissa Koehler
Watermarking, it’s something that we should be doing to every single image that we share online. That means facebook, blog and any other public sites. The topic of watermarking gets brought up a lot and I want to spend some time talking about the importance of watermarking your images all the time.

Let’s talk a bit about the placement of your watermark. Everyone tends to watermark their images differently, some in the corners, some at the very bottom and(…)

by Melissa Koehler
Although I’ve been a photographer for many years now, I am proud to say that I am continually learning as an artist. When you first start out, the thrill of having someone want YOU to take their photo is amazing, isn’t it? It’s exciting preparing for that session, gathering up fun posing ideas and props. You photograph the session and it goes okay but maybe you’re still learning the ropes. We’ve all been there at one point and(…)

by Melissa Koehler
Running your business with no debt allows you to have a larger profit margin, bring in more for your family and ultimately have the peace of mind that you deserve for all the hard work you put into your business.  Credit cards have become normalcy in our society, but they don’t have to be in your business (and personal life).

There is quite a bit that could be said about being debt free in your business. I’m going to(…)

by Melissa Koehler

We’ve all been there before. The session was awesome, the family loves their photos, but they just won’t place their order. It’s something that I consistently see on the boards. I’m not going to talk about in person ordering because that’s a totally different, more in depth topic. I’m just going to talk about online galleries and how we can get our clients to order from them within the time frame provided.
Set expectations with your ordering process.
Making sure that you and your(…)

Get to know your CMteam! We are so often asked what we shoot with, what’s “in our bag”, what bag we carry and so on and so forth. So we’re giving you all a little peek behind the scenes to get to know your CMteam better. A couple of times a month throughout this year and into 2013 we’ll feature a different CMteam member and give you “a peek inside” – a peek inside their bag, their workspace and a(…)

Mini sessions – are you debating on whether to offer them?  Have you struggled with how to run them?  Are you struggling to decide if they’re worth it or not?  CMmentor Melissa Koehler is here sharing her experiences, both the good and bad, with running mini photography sessions.  Read ahead and learn from her mistakes and learn from her successes and most of all read to the bottom for a special offering!
tips for successful mini sessions
by Melissa Koehler

Whether youʼre new(…)

Workflow – there’s many ways to get from point A to point B and some may work better for you than others.  We all have different systems and that’s great.  The question is, does you system work well for you?  It’s always great to know how others work and CMmentor Melissa Koehler is filling us in on her workflow starting from when she gets home from a session all the way through blogging and client galleries.  This is really eye(…)

Have you ever wondered how a typical session evolves?  How does a photographer fluidly move from one pose to the next?  How does one grouping easily turn into the next grouping?  CMmentor Melissa Koehler is famous for working with her clients and she has opened her book so to speak to show us how she works throughout a client session and moves from one subject to another while keeping everyone calm and relaxed.
what a typical session looks like
by Melissa Koehler
Have(…)

Are you feeling in a bit of a rut?  Feeling a little ho-hum about your photography?  CMmentor Melissa Koehler is blogging today with some ways to get refocused and energized for this brand new year.  Thanks, Melissa!

refreshing your love of photography in 2012
by Melissa Koehler
Happy New Year!

As 2011 rolls to an end and 2012 is quickly upon us, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut after the hustle and bustle of the holidays.  Especially if that also meant that(…)

Think you need to take an arsenal of lenses on your shoots?  Is thinking you need all the latest and greatest lenses causing you to have gear envy? Think again!  Give your back a break from carrying all that gear and try something different.  Our of our awesome new CMmentors, Melissa Koehler is blogging today about shooting an entire session with just one lens.
Shooting a Session With Just One Lens
by Melissa Koehler

When we start this fabulous journey of photography we(…)

For our July CMpro of the Month we have the amazing Melissa Koehler.  Melissa has been a long time CM member and vendor and is always quick to provide inspiration, advice and encouragement to our members.  Her sweet personality and willingness to share with others makes her an invaluable member of our community.
july cmpro of the month | melissa koehler

If you could take only three pieces of gear on a shoot, what would they be?
5D MKII, 50 1.2 580EXII flash(…)