So please be patient with me. I promise I will prioritize the workshops as soon as I have more time, but at this stage I think only Johannesburg will see a workshop before the end of 2010 :) It looks like it will be 14, 15, 16 September. More info will follow closer to the time.

But I have a solution!! I’m compiling a list for all the cities, and if you fill these forms in, you will receive first priority! So reserve your seats for the next workshops, by clicking on the city.

Cape Town

Johannesburg

Durban & Nelspruit forms coming soon.

Thanks guys! Looking forward to meeting all of you! x

I’m very very excited to announce that I’ll be in New York & London next month…so I’m putting together something called: FUNshops. I decided to re-”brand” my workshops, cause essentially they are not normal workshops. They are totally informal, totally fun and a place where, as Jasmine Star says: You have to leave your ego at home! So the new word on the block is FUNshops!

My Funshops include bits and pieces of me, how I started, what I learned along the way, how I shoot, how I edit and how I market. In my workshops there is no right or wrong, it’s just how I do things and what worked for me. To see previous workshop look here: The shoot & The workshop

We’ll also be doing a fun styled shoot and then I’ll show you how I edit.

So if you’re up to listen to my story, learn, share, meet other great people and have some photofun, please fill in the following forms. Please note that at this stage there is only 10 seats available per city, so if you’re nr 11, 12 or 13…you’ll be on a waiting list. Also note that all the details are still being finalized, as soon as everything is ready, you will receive an information pdf as well as an invoice, payable via Paypal.

Your investment: 750 USD (I’ll make you a deal and give it to all of you for 500USD if 10 people sign up…so tell your friends :)

Book your seat:
London Workshop
New York (Probably actually Montclair, NJ…but still waiting for confirmation on the venue)

Can’t wait to meet all you guys!

In some way I just can’t slow down, I’m just to excited about new things! I love being busy, my mind is constantly busy, thinking and making plans. In some way I see it as gift. But I have to admit it can be very tiring :)

After the wedding in Germany I felt like I just had to slow down a bit, think and get all my ducks in a row. I know I’ve been VERY and I mean VERY bad with email response the past few weeks. My blogging has been a bit slow too, but I’m actively trying to catch up. So a big apology to everyone that has been waiting.

Appart from shooting iaan and I have been very busy planning some new ideas and after months of work, things are coming together..here is a few super exciting things I’m busy with at the moment…more info to come soon:

1. I’m getting married!!!! I’m planning my own wedding…seriously, all brides, I salute you! It’s sooo much more work than I imagined! But super exciting…all the planning will be shared on (nr2.) The Pretty Blog our new wedding blog that will be launching very soon!!
2. It’s been a long dream and it’s almost ready: The Pretty Blog will be launching soon. A blog filled with wedding inspiration, tips, ideas and lots and lots of pretty things! Head over to the site to sign up for our newsletter. You can “like” our facebook page if you’d like to share in all the prettyness! At this stage we’re shining up our shoes…so if you’d like to be featured or you would like to advertise, please email nicola. (limited space available)
3. I’m woking on some more workshops. I’m not exactly sure where I’ll be hosting, but the posibilities are London, New York, Cape Town, Johannesburg & Durban. The dates are more likely to be in August for NY and London and September for SA cities. Before I announce the final dates, I’d like to see how many people are interested. Have a look at my FB page and cast your vote for your city!
4. KIKI – some of you might have seen some info on our facebook page. But apart from my love for weddings. I also have a BIG love for photographers! I’ve had the privilege to meet some amazing people the past few years and I would love to continue encouraging people to follow their dream. KIKI is a place where people can share, encourage and uplift one another. A place where photographers can build a community. (KIKI is still in the development stages but we are thinking of the following areas, please let us know what you think…this is for you!! So we need your feedback!!)

• KIKI community: a photography playground, similar to a forum
• KIKI blog: some random photography thoughts
• KIKI school: Online learning from anywhere in the world.
• KIKI resources: LR Presets, legal documents, Photoshop actions, WP-plugins and more fun stuff.
• KIKI websites: In collaboration with PlusPlusMinus, we’re launching awesome WP website & blog templates especially for photographers.
• KIKI outreach: Teaching photography to underprivileged children in Africa.

Happy tuesday!

If you emailed me, I promise to write back to you personally, but it’s going to take a little time…I recently started feeling very overwhelmed, because I don’t have enough time to get to all my emails. I then discovered that an email is like a meeting. They take our time, attention and require our feedback. Just a few years ago you still had to phone someone & set up a meeting, to get someone’s feedback. But today we just visit our inbox, create a mail and there we go. Message sent. So instead of having physical meetings, we have many little meetings over email every day.

No don’t get me wrong, I really want to have a meeting with you, but the reality is, I can’t always fit them into my diary. Remember, I’m not a company, I’m just Christine. ( BTW I tried to use a PA for emails, but it just didn’t work) So here is the deal, I promise to answer every email, but it might just take some time…

So what am I saying? I looove receiving letters! I love receiving your notes! I love hearing from you, but please be parient with a reply, at the moment my time is divided between shoots, editing, blogging, emails and two new SUPER exciting projects!! (more to come about this soon :)

Oh, and if you’re on Facebook and you haven’t visited my FB page, please come around and check it out. You might just like it :) And if you like, you can even leave me a little note on the page.

This post is written to make you aware and protect photographers not to make the same mistake i did…And in the same breath I want to apologize for only posting about this now… so here I go…

About a year ago I received a phone call from a guy in the UK, called Brian. He was a very friendly guy. Asked me about my business and then told me about their company Tisgo. He told me that it was a company with a few magazines and one of them was for weddings abroad. This is were I apparently fitted in. So he told me about all the different advertising spaces they had and everything sounded so professional. Then I told him, I’m not quite sure, but I’ll think about it. I hate it when people force me to do anything. I told him I’ll think about it and then I’ll let him know. The next morning 9am sharp Brian was on the phone again. Same story and he was selling the add like crazy, I said I’ll think about it. He told me about all the wedding expos they go to and he personally will be there. I’ll be taking down bride’s details and mail me the list, ok seriously when I think about this now, it sounds so stupid, but I kinda believed him…He told me that the biggest show in the UK was coming up soon and they had to get the booklets printed asap, so I needed to let him know. At the end (something I regret today) I decided to take a chance and see what happens. What could be the worst? I get only one wedding from them and then I pay off the add? So I tried it out. I said OK.

He then wanted my credit card details over the phone to process my order. Luckily I was not that stupid, so I asked him to mail me. I wanted everything on paper and wanted to see they actually exist… I received the order form straight away and after my order was placed I never heard from them…

He phoned me in the middle of the season, so I was so busy I forgot to follow up…After a few months I emailed them to find out when they needed my artwork. I was doing the follow up work, which was very strange. Were they not surpose to ask me for my add. And the strange thing, was that this was a few months after he sold the add to me. At that stage he told me the Tisgo booklet was going to be printed in that week, for the wedding show. But that never happened. I was promised a booklet in the post and never received anything, until I nagged them for one. I was told I will be receiving enquiries and hits…but nothing. I have google analytics installed on my website, so I can see where all my hits come from and Tisgo didn’t even feature on the lowest referrals. Till today nothing.The other day I receive the strangest email..10 emails all in a row, apparently referrals from the Tisgo site. I just deleted them, because they looked suspect. I phoned a few other photographers today that also advertised with them and the same thing happened to them. They actually replied to the enquiries and then the “brides” said that they don’t know where they go their info, cause they were NOT getting married. So where these emails comes from, no one knows…

Why am I writing this? Well, because I don’t want you to waste your money. Each one of us have a set budget for marketing. Use it wisely. Make sure you use it for companies that will give you a return on investment. Companies that has your best interest at heart. Companies that you can trust or someone recommended to you. But above all make sure you’re putting the most of your money, time and effort into good Word of Mouth. Good WOM is the best advertising you can ever have. Make sure your clients are happy, your website/blog is updated and make sure your products and packaging is an extension of your brand. Utilize Facebook and Twitter and by just doing these small things, you’ll receive more bookings than any advertising can ever bring you.

Ps. I’d love to hear your experience with Tisgo…Whether it was successful or not, please leave a comment.

May:
19May – 1 June – Travel Germany

29 May – Wedding booked (Munich, Germany)

July:
31 July – Wedding booked (Stockholm, Sweden)

August:
Month of August – Potentially a workshop in London, New York and Los Angeles*

September:
Month of September – Potentially a workshop in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban*

*Please note: No dates, prices or venues for the potential workshops are available at this stage. To receive more info at a later stage, make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter at the bottom of my site and that you’re a fan on my Facebook page.

Big thank you to all these people for contributing to my workshop:

Venue: Stonewall wine Estate
Hair & Make-up: Joletta Keane
Flowers: Leipzig Floral Design
Bike: A friend of Andrea
Paparazzi shots of us: Lizelle Lotter

Also big thank you to Karen & Hannelien from Miracles Photography, Amanda Boonzaier, Anel Smit, Heidi Hutton, Roelien Visser,Heleen Van Rensburg & Alison Wade for attending my workshop! Was lovely meeting all of you! x

I absolutely loooove pretty things and styling things, just for a gorgeous picture makes me happy! So I use the workshop as an excuse to go all out :) While I was in the USA I bought myself a pair of real cowboy boots. I don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted some and that’s where my idea for the styling for this shoot started :) A vintage countryside look…

A huge, Big, MASSIVE thank you to all the people who helped me make this workshop a reality. Especially the girls at Leipzig floral design for providing me with exactly what I was looking for at such short notice! Melissa’s Coffee shop for the most amazing carrot cake in this world!! (If you haven’t had it yet, make sure you have some soon…but be warned. It’s additive!!) For Lizelle Lotter for superb images! For iaan for the awesome video footage. For Joleta Keane for gorgeous make-up and hair for the photo shoot. For Andrea and Daniel for being our super models for the shoot. For my mom, for giving me her house to use and for beautiful snacks! For Cognito Restaurant for a lovely dinner and for Nastasja Harvey, my right hand for helping with all the set up!

Everyone has been asking, so here it is. My 2nd workshop! (Before you email me or pick up the phone, please make sure you read the full post.)

Karen & Hannelien from MiraclesPhoto in Johannesburg emailed me a few months ago and asked me to host a private workshop for the 2 of them. But after thinking of everything, and of all the cool things we wanted to do, we decided to open up the workshop to 4 more photographers. So here is the deal:

1. The workshop will take place on 25- 26 March 2010
2. Due to the nature of the content, this workshop is only open to professional photographers (min 1 year of experience)
3. The workshop will take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
4. The workshop will cover: business principals, equipment overview, a beautiful shoot, the basics of LR editing as well as tips on album layout as well as a yummy dinner and lunch!
5. R2500 pp
6. The first 4 people to fill in these forms and pay their deposit will get the seats!
7. I know many people have been asking for beginner’s classes, it’s on its way later this year!
8. If you don’t get one of the 4 seats, don’t cry…many more coming in the winter months! :)
9. Looking forward to meeting you guys!!

Please Note: You will receive an email confirming your seat! xox

Flying out from South Africa to the USA is approximately a 19 hour flight! So iaan and I decided to extend the trip and see a few other places too. New York has always been at the TOP of my list. New York City will be our first stop and I’ll be spending my 26th bday over there! Woop Woop! Then we’re off to Vegas for WPPI and then off to Los Angeles to see Henry Chen & Nancy and all the other celebrities :)

I thought I’d just mention that I’m going to the US, for 3 reasons:

1. To all the brides that might be emailing me, please don’t panic, I’ll be back in the office 22 March :)

2. If you’re a photographer and would like to meet me at WPPI, follow me on twitter @cmeintjes.

3. If you’re a client and would like to do an engagement/couple shoot while I’m in the USA, please mail me to make a booking. Limited space available!

If you want to get bits of info as we travel, make sure you’re a fan on my facebook page. Videos and lots of fun stuff coming up :)

Travel dates & Cities:

2-6 March = New York City
7-11 March = Vegas (Wppi)
12-16 March = Santa Barbra & Los Angeles