Boston Photographers Unite

East Side Represent! Last night Justin & Mary opened their talk at our Boston PUG with rally call of sorts to us Boston (East Coast) photographers. Mary said she was PROUD to be a part of our community of photographers, and that starting last night, it was our time to SHINE. She recognized the hard work and effort, that we as a collective group of people, have done to create such a robust and loving community of photographers. And this past week, I have been so proud to call this community my home and the people within my friends. On Monday and Tuesday, two huge players in the wedding industry gathered people from all across the region to hear them speak. I've already said it once, but I'll say it again, I'm SO incredibly proud to be a part of this community. I watched, somewhat from the sidelines, as friends met friends, strangers met strangers, and people gathered together in the name of moving our industry forward. There was no room for egos, bitterness or competition. We were all there to learn and help carry each other along the way. It was incredible to watch. This is the community that I have been longing to be a part of, and the last two nights I watched as it started to take place.

I had the chance to reflect lately about making the decision to become a wedding photographer. I thought over this past year and all the changes that have happened in my work life life. As I uttered the words "It was the best decision!", I thought, part of what made that decision so wonderful was the community of people I now call friends. Some of you out there may think I'm crazy, or cheesy, or lame. These people are your competition you might say and yes some of them are. But these same people, this same competition, has done more to help me GROW my business of these past two years than any other resource I have. This same competition is what makes my business successful. This same competition are the people I call my friends. This same competition are the people who help me through struggles, self doubt, fears and challenges. So yes, they may be my competition, but they make me a stronger business for it.

Am I cheesy and mushy and overly sensitive about this? Probably. But hey, that's who I am. And that's how strongly I feel about this community and what it represents. If you're a Boston area, New England, East Coast photographer, take note. Be a part of what is happening here. And if you're reading this and you don't have a community of support, reach out. Find one or two people who you can call friends, people that can support you and lift you up. You'll grow 10x more with people surrounding you and cheering you on, than going it alone. And I KNOW it's not easy, but let me tell you, it's worth the effort and the risk. I am proof. (*if you're a Boston area photographer and you need a community to belong to, email me at deborahzparker@mac.com and I can help you get connected:)!)

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On Monday evening, Jasmine Star came to town! Yeah, I drink the cool-aid and LOVE IT! I'm such a huge Jasmine Star fan, she is after all, the reason why I'm a wedding photographer! I remember finding her blog in 2008 and thinking "I have to do this." And ever since have been following that dream and making things happen. Sometimes I feel like I owe my career to her, or at least, owe the planting of a dream. As I watched her follow her dream, I only grew more stubborn in following mine.

So when I heard she was coming to town, I made SURE that I was going to be there. In fact I was lucky enough to be able to help set up beforehand (with an amazing group of people!! love you guys)! It was actually pretty exciting to watch what goes on behind the scenes to put on an event like The Fix. It really does take a community of people to make things happen. (Props to the team that travels with Jasmine and JD to make things run smoothly!)

Jasmine spurred us on to be better. To push the envelope and to dream bigger. Yes. I need to hear this. Everyday. Thanks so much for coming to Boston Jasmine! East Coast loves you! (and so does Canada apparently:))

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Big thanks to Rachelle for leaving her family early and coming down to help out!!

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New friends Rafael and Beria!

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Jenny put me in charge of the Exposed magazine table. I knew they made a horrible mistake when I had to make change for a $100 bill. Then make change with the change. Math? What's math?

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Lovely Boston friends!

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My friend Alicia organized a group of Boston photogs to give a cake to Jasmine in the shape of her dog Polo. It was the HIGHLIGHT of the evening!

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There was a lot of Ginger power going on!

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The fabulous crew of people that helped make things happen!

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The following night on Tuesday Justin & Mary came and spoke at the Boston PUG group. They drew such a crowd that they had to change venues! We ended up meeting Genesis Church (I was kinda proud, because that's the church I attend:)!). It was such an incredible night seeing old friends, meeting new, and being completely inspired by Mary. And once again, I was moved by the community we are cultivating. So, so moved.

I call this the Joe Don action shot. He moved just as I was taking his picture after he gave a rousing introduction for Justin and Mary.

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Krista doing her thing!

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Now onto Mary!

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This just makes me incredibly happy!

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If you've made it this far, thank you! I hope you've been inspired to be part of a group. A community. Whether or not you're a photographer, you know that we are all stronger together instead of apart. So get out there and join with others. Watch what happens.

The Bookworm Club: How To Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox

  I think I first heard about this book from Justin & Mary. And if I didn't, well, I think that they would definitely enjoy this read;) I read it on our way to Napa this past spring. I needed inspiration, I needed encouragement, I needed a swift kick in the rear end. Enter How To Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox.

This book is a no nonsense look at how to develop strong and real relationships in your business life that leads to growth and success. While it is a quick and easy read, the topics discussed in this book are huge and can have an amazing impact on your business. At 50 chapters the books reads like a list of rules of "getting and keeping customers and clients." The inside jacket of the book reads "Rainmakers are not born. They are made." It takes work and determination to create a successful business and it's often the little things that we overlook that can make the biggest impact on that success. What are you doing to make it rain in your business? What little things are you doing to go the extra mile in your business relationships?

As always, I'll share my top five take away points from the book. I highly recommend that you grab a copy for yourself. Tackle one chapter and start implementing those ideas into your business today.

How To Become A Rainmaker by Jeffery Fox:

• "Always answer the question why should the customer do business with us?" -- It's a HARD question to answer and I immediately felt convicted that I haven't spent nearly as much time on this question as I should. Mostly because it's a hard. It requires a deep look at yourself and your business, which can often times be painful or discouraging. But the end result of such a task will reap benefits far beyond what you can imagine.
• "Earthquakes don't count." -- Rainmakers work hard. They don't make excuses for why a project wasn't accomplished or a goal wasn't met. Like I said, swift kick in the rear end. Fox doesn't sugar coat anything and that is exactly what I needed to hear. How many times do I say there are not enough hours in the day but yet find enough time to spend onFacebook? Exactly. Rainmakers don't make excuses, they run and work hard to see tasks and goals accomplished. There are no excuses to living your dream.
• "Treat everyone you meet as a potential client." Rainmakers are polite and courteous to everyone. Everyone is a potential client. Whether waiting in line at the post office or stuck in traffic on the highway they treat everyone with respect. Oh, how it easy it is for my red headed hot tempered ways get the best of me (especially in traffic, at rush hour). But I do see that as a Rainmaker, I need to realize that potential clients are everywhere. My reputation as a business owner and as a brand depends on how I treat others, even when I'm in a bad mood (and I think no one is watching).
• "Always be on high receive" -- I think one tendency we might have as experts (photographers) is that we like to tell people what we know. We like to share our knowledge with our clients. But Fox states that we have to be careful to also listen to our clients, to hear what they are saying, to take an active role as listener in each of our conversations with our clients. "Your job is to listen to your customers, to ask interesting questions." "Rainmakers focus on the customers. Rainmakers give individual attention. To the Rainmaker the customer is king and the sales call is an invitation to the king's court." -- Exactly.
• "Here's my card." -- I have to admit that I am not one who is extremely comfortable with the idea of talking about myself. Writing the bio page to my website was one of the hardest things I have had to do. Because really, who likes a person who likes to talk about themselves? When it comes time to hand out business cards I can often find myself shrinking away, as if handing out a business card is some how bragging on myself. Dumb I know, but in all honesty, it's hard to promote your business when your business is focused on you! So this chapter was an encouragement to me. Don't be afraid to hand out your business card. Give them away freely all the time. As Fox says, "Business cards are to get and keep customers." Duh, I know.

I cannot recommend this book enough. This will be a book that sits on my desk for daily inspiration. And because I want YOU to be able to experience a dose of daily inspiration, I am giving away one copy of the book to a lucky reader. Just comment below with your favorite piece of advice that someone has shared with you. I'll announce the winner on the blog tomorrow. Happy Reading!