Speed bumps

Although I am aware that I am in the baby stages of my new career, I can't help but want to excel straightaway. Silly, but true. And now that I have the beginnings of a portfolio (yay!) and am about to start advertising more for brides and other private clients (yay yay!!) I'm trying to choose my best images for promotional purposes. And let me tell you - I'm having a rough time.

After doing so many shoots and working every weekend for free, I thought I would have a plethora of work to show for it. And that part is true. But the quality just isn't there. Sometimes I feel it's my work that lets the images down, others I feel the photographer/model just hasn't captured the concept. Or the worst ones are the images that I thought were really good, and then I get feedback telling me otherwise.

It's quite disheartening to look at six month's worth of time, effort and product and have so little to show for it. It's hard to stay positive and enthusiastic when it seems that you always have so far to go. It's even making me nervous about taking on private clients - am I ready? Can I give them what they want? Will they be happy with my work?

I know this is a passing notion and something will happen soon to lift my spirits and confidence back up and all will be right with the world again. But I'm starting to realise that this road is probably a little bit longer and tougher than I originally thought. I need to start focusing on the positives that have already occured to remind me how far I have come and what I have already achieved, and this can buoy me up on the days where the glass is half empty.

So my list of achievements so far includes:

* Finishing my Cert IV in Makeup - five months of after-work and weekend study was a social-life-killer and relationship strain. By the end I was sleep-deprived, emotionally exhausted and totally broke. But I got through it and now I have my first tertiary qualification!

* Racking up almost 60 hours of work experience in 2.5 months - the requirement for my course was 40 hours. I smashed it. Hell yeah!

* Registering my business name. Seems silly, but the day I walked out of the Office of Fair Trading with a certificate claiming that Bella Chic officially existed was amazing. That's the moment it became 'real' to me.

* My first 'nailed it!' moment - at my second-ever photo shoot, when we were taking the last images after three outfit changes. The photographer and model were just amazed by what I had done (even though I look back now and cringe!) and as I watched the model pose I got shivers. I had nailed it. And it felt amazing!!

* My first 'OMG - that's MY work?!?' moment - opening an email from a photographer after a shoot that I was so excited to work on, and the images were better than I ever thought they would be. Again, I look back now and see improvements that could have been made, but it's about the feeling I got opening those files and gasping out loud.

* My first portfolio - I only blogged about this a few weeks ago, but creating my portfolio was really magical for me. It was the first time seeing my work in print instead of just on screen, and it really changed my view of the images (some were better, some were worse). But it also made me feel like a real 'artist' in comparison to a 'hobbyist'.

What are your achievements to date??
BC xx

Massive step forward!

Following my previous post on New Years resolutions, I'm capitalising on my current motivation and kicking my own butt into gear. So yesterday I purchased my portfolio folder, and printed 11 photos to put into it!!

*happy dance*

It's quite amazing to see my work in print. It's totally different to seeing it on the computer monitor. Everything is so crisp and clear, colours are more true, and it feels more.... real. Like this is actually a job for me, not just an expensive hobby!!

I know a lot of new makeup artists struggle to find a portfolio folder that they like and that fits the print sizes that we need. I chose to print 8x12 because I wanted them to be a decent size but not quite the industry standard 11x14 (just in case they didn't turn out!). I soon found out that 8x12 is about 3mm too long for a standard A4 size book. But my salvation came in the most unlikely aisle of Kmart - scrapbooking! I found a 12x12 black covered scrapbooking album which is just perfect! It also means that I can insert my pictures landscape OR portrait and they will still fit. The album and the 6 black backing sheets cost a total of $14.50 - even better!!

As for the images, there are some that I've already marked as the first to get replaced when I get new images. Others I just adore. But to have a folder of 11 images to show people is just magic. Even though it's just been my family so far!!

It's a small step, but it's in the right direction - so I'm really happy :)

Hope you achieved something today, however small!
BC xx

Resolutions for a new year

Well New Years Eve came and went, so now it's 2010! I must admit I'm a sucker for NY resolutions, so I thought I would share some of my beauty-related ones:

1. Find a new skincare regimen and stick to it - sometimes I can be a 'do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do' kinda gal, and skincare is my biggest failure. After six months of overcleansing (thanks to my makeup class, I could be cleansing my skin up to four times a day!), testing random products and occasionally sleeping with my makeup still on (oh, the shame...) it's time to get my skin in order. I'll be looking for a range that will help tame my oil production but keep my dehydration in check, whilst preventing early signs of aging. Any suggestions are welcome, otherwise keep an eye out for future skincare posts :)

2. Diversify my makeup portfolio - aah, the neverending quest for the perfect portfolio. I want to keep challenging myself to always strive to add something 'different' to my images, rather than multiple copies of the same techniques. By the end of this year I would also love to have created my own 'series' of images.

3. Work on a film/TV shoot - this is the one area that I have had little to no exposure to, and I would dearly love to try! When I started this new career I made a promise to myself that I would try every genre of makeup artistry before I decided what I wanted to specialise in. I've done a lot of print photography work, worked on a runway show and of course had a ball working with private clients, but film and TV has been rather elusive to date. Once I've finished with my current run of photo shoots, this will be my next focus.

So that's some of my goals for 2010 - what can I say, I like having a plan! Feel free to share some of your goals for the next 12 months, or even longer.

Best wishes to you all for the coming year :)

BC xx