Natalie Napoleon, Photographer

LIFE IS SO MUCH SWEETER WHEN YOU HAVE LIGHTROOM PRESETS! With presets you can: Save valuable time... Make your product stand out Create a consistent look and feel across your entire collection of pics But for anyone who doesn't know what a preset is... A preset is the arrangement of settings applied to a photograph that helps the image better tell its story. Think of image settings as brush strokes on a painting choreographing the playful dance between light, color, and form. Simply put, presets are lifeboats for your business (and your sanity) and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them. Plus *ahem* great photos add the extra added benefit of increasing conversions in your shop by up to 23%! I am so excited for you to have mine. I've created 25 beautiful presets that I just know you'll love. And they're free! https://natalienapoleon.co/Brand-Beautiful-FREE-Preset-Pack

I've had a blast capturing my world, every day in January as part of my #365dayspfphonephotography challenge. OK, I'm not going to lie - some days I almost forgot . But looking back at them, I love how I've captured the changing weather, the work I'm focused on, and even some dog pics! ... I've gathered them up into an Insta highlight so do pop by and have a look. Meanwhile here are a few of my favorites. (And it's not too late to join me - simply take a pic with your phone and post it into Stories with the hashtag)

Welcome to ROMANCE - just 1 of the 25 free presets I have made for you as part of Brand Beautiful. What I love about ROMANCE is it creates a sumptuous inviting feel to the pic. It has a neutral color temperature which is moody, rich and deep. Want to try it for yourself? Download your free set today via this link ... https://natalienapoleon.co/Brand-Beautiful-FREE-Preset-Pack

How to use Brand Beautiful - and a sneaky look at all 25 presets that I’ve lovingly designed for you. Leave me a comment if you think this would work for your business and also I’d love it if you could tag anyone who would find them useful. They’re free and the link is here https://natalienapoleon.co/Brand-Beautiful-FREE-Preset-Pack

It’s easy to get stuck shooting work that pays the bills but doesn’t feed your soul. So I’ve asked Photographer Lisa Godfrey to join us on tomorrow's episode of the Constant Clients Photographer’s Interview Series and share her story of how she was able to combine her passion for animals and organization with her passion for photography. This week, I’m trying something new.... Although you’re welcome to watch Lisa’s interview live in the Constant Clients group tomorrow tomorrow at noon est, I invite you to jump on Zom so that you can actually join in on the conversation. Shoot me a line if you'd like the link. I’ll interview Lisa for the first half and then invite you on the stage for the 2nd part. If you’re not able to join us live, reply to this message with your questions and I’ll be sure to pass them along to Lisa. See you tomorrow! Natalie --- About Lisa Godfrey I’ve been an animal lover my entire life and a full time freelance professional photographer for more than 20 years. Combining my passions I’ve photographed animals for pet care companies, pharmaceutical clients, magazines and animal welfare groups. I specialize in branding libraries with both still and motion assets. I have a BFA in Communication Design from Kutztown University. I’m a visual organizer.

Striking a balance between meaningful work and a decent paycheck isn’t anything new for us photographers but throw in a pandemic, and it feels like we just pulled a chance card and got sent back 3 spaces (or worse yet, to jail). I’ve asked Photographer John Welsh to come back on the show this week to share his strategy of ‘lateral thinking’ to tackle new, bigger projects and jobs, without feeling like there's no other choice but to start business from the beginning. Join us L...IVE in the Constant Clients Facebook Group Wednesday 5.05 at Noon EST / 9 am PST. If you’re not able to join us live, drop your questions for John in the comments below. See more

Asking someone to take your picture can feel like you're giving that person the key to your soul. And once you hand that key over, you risk exposure of your deepest, darkest insecurities. I've known and worked with Brooke for years and every time I lift my camera to my eye, I can feel her resistance.... So I'm sure you can imagine what a big deal it was for her to willingly come to me and ask me to shoot her portrait. It was a request I did not take lightly. Even though I knew exactly where I wanted to photograph her, I gave her 3 location options and let her choose. At the very last possible moment, she told me she'd chosen the Michener. When I met her there that one freezing cold morning last week, I barely let her say hello before I whisked her over to the spot I'd been dreaming of for her. Since there was no question about where we were going to shoot, I was able to get right to it. Right to creating an environment that made Brooke feel enveloped with love and care. She knew she was safe and her inner beauty shone thru, shattering the resistance. Photography is so much than pushing a button. It's about forging real, lasting relationships that are built on trust and mutual respect. Thank you, Brooke, for the great honor of asking me to be your photographer - I am so grateful for your trust, your business, and your friendship. You are radiant inside and out!

Ah, 2020. The year of the forced 'pivot'. When life as we knew it came crashing down around us last March, Destination Wedding Photographer Brook Todd was forced to re-imagine his business model. In the last year, he's worked hard to build a hyper-local lifestyle portrait and personal branding business as well launch an ecommerce storefront.... I'm excited to follow up with him on tomorrow's episode of the Photographer's Interview Series to learn what has worked, what hasn't, what he'd do differently, and what his plans are for the future. You can join the conversation in Constant Clients tomorrow morning at 11:15 am EST/8:15 am PST. Drop your questions below if you're not able to join us live and I'll be sure to pass them along to Brook. See you tomorrow! --- Let me introduce you to Brook Todd. Brook really is just a dude who likes to hang out, socialize and enjoy a laugh with people. His ability to strike up conversations with perfect strangers really strengthens his ability to put people at ease in front of his camera, which is a winning combo with his mad photo skills. Prior to his niche as a master headshot photographer, he and his wife, Alisha, had rocked the world with their wedding photography. This dynamic team was enlisted to travel to photograph events from the beaches of Hawaii to the hills of Tuscany, Italy, which led them to shooting for the Oprah Show with Oprah praising their work, "Fabulous photographers capturing every moment"; in addition, they were interviewed in an hour photo special for CNN International; both were also among the first on America Photo's first Top 10 Wedding Photographers in the World; their images have been used by Kodak in National ads as well as on the Kodak Marquis in Times Square. They have been interviewed and featured in articles in Professional Photographer, Rangefinder, and Kodak’s ProPass Magazine. However, the madness does not stop there. Brook and Alisha's skills also branch into fine art world and yes, commercial photography. After shooting headshots, commercial events, fashion shows, and food photography over 10 years, it was finally time to launch a portfolio of their commercial work. Brook and Alisha have photographed events for such companies as Kodak, Samsung, Microsoft, Concierge Auctions, Rolls Royce, BMW, Ferrari and the Stella & Dot Family of Brands. They have photographed headshots of independent business owners that represented such companies such as Kuper Sotheby's, Keller Williams, Intero Real Estate, Compass, Park Lane, Monat, Beautycounter, Isagenix and Rodan & Fields.

"We have an amazing opportunity for you to shoot our annual golf outing - just think of all the clients you can pick up in only one day!" If I had a dime for every time a non-profit asked for a deeply discounted rate or pro-bono work .... I'll be tackling this age-old dilemma with photographer Andrew Hsu in his 6-month follow-up on the Photographer's Interview series this Wednesday.... As an extra special bonus, Andrew (who began his career in the video industry) has agreed to give those of us who are afraid of video some beginner tips. Join the conversation LIVE in the Constant Clients Facebook Group Wednesday at 11:15 am EST / 8:15 am PST If you can't make it live, hit reply to this message and send me any questions you'd like me to ask Andrew. See you Wednesday! Natalie --- About Andrew Hsu: Andrew has a background in graphic arts and illustration and worked in the video game industry for eight years before beginning his career in video production in 2003. He pivoted his business focus to accommodate the many opportunities in the event photography industry. Andrew has won many regional and national awards and has spoken on wedding videography panels and at a wedding-event-education symposium. By leveraging his experience in video, photo, and art directing, Andrew has contracted with many corporate clients from tech startups to tech giants and has managed to build a robust network upon which he continues to rely. Andrew’s home is in a suburb of the San Francisco Bay Area where he lives with his wife and two children who are currently out-of-state for school. He has a 14-year old chocolate lab named Cade.

Can't figure out what the top ad agencies want to see in your portfolio? Join me in Constant Clients tomorrow at 11:15 am EST as I ask Photography Consultant Neil Binkley to share his top secret insights. And ... I want to know about all the fun things he learned at this year's Virtual Adobe MAX conference!... ---- Neil Binkley is a portfolio consultant and designer for both emerging and established photographers, guiding them towards bigger clients and more fulfilling work. He achieves this through marketing strategy, website and print portfolio editing and layout, print and email promo design and strategy (incl. gif animation design), demo reel video editing, photo retouching, fine art photobook design, and a lot more. Neil works with editorial, advertising, corporate, and fine art photographers of all specialties. In 2019, Neil launched Photopod. Photopod is the podcast about the entire photography industry, as told by people who hire photographers, those who show their work as agents or gallerists, and by the photographers themselves. Prior to this, he co-founded the photography agency Wonderful Machine and raised its membership from one (yes 1!) to over 500 photographers across the world. Neil has personally shared photographers’ print portfolios with top ad agencies and magazines, including: BBDO New York; Goodby, Silverstein and Partners; and WIRED magazine. His previous career was in the advertising and corporate design worlds (in addition to filmmaking), which partially informs his instincts on design aesthetic and branding, though he continues to study the ever-changing photography market. He’s excited that his experience in the Hollywood and Portland film industries has come full-circle, now that photographers are shooting motion with ever-greater frequency! Neil's work has garnered winning entries in the Art Director’s Club, PDN’s Photography Annual, PRINT Magazine’s Regional Design Annual, Applied Arts Photography Annual, Le Prix de la Photographie de Paris, and elsewhere. He’s also judged photo contests for PDN magazine, ASMP, CASE, and is regularly asked to review portfolios for Photo Plus, ASMP’s chapters, Palm Springs Photo Festival, and others.

It’s hustling + bustling over at The Mercantile today! I added some new prints AND since so many people have been asking, I’ve added gift certificates for my LIVE Virtual Photo Workshop series! You can pick up a copy for yourself or as a gift at The Mercantile.... Or, call me and I’ll send a personalized version to your someone special.

Take 2! I think just about every photographer dreams of starting a magazine and Photographer Jennifer Skog has done just that. In her bi-annual publication, MJ Lifestyle Magazine, she broaches the stigmas and shame women in the cannabis industry face with insightful content and stunning imagery.... Join us in Constant Clients tomorrow morning at 8:15 am PST / 11:15 am EST as Jen and I talk about photography, the magazine industry, and how she balances it all with family. ---- Native California Lifestyle and Boudoir Photographer, Jennifer Skog has empowered women from behind her lens for the past two decades. With the motivation of a close friend, Jen opened up about her longtime secret cannabis lifestyle and new work with the plant. Understanding first-hand the stigmas and shame, she quickly realized that women were not represented positively in the cannabis industry. What started as an anonymous Instagram account photographing cannabis brands, MJ Lifestyle rapidly evolved into a much larger project. Together with a crew of self-made, creatively brilliant, and ambitious women, MJ Lifestyle Magazine was born with its first bi-annual issue in the Spring of 2018. The over-sized publication artfully features the work and voices of women around the world empowered by plant medicine. Covering topics like Self-Care, Motherhood, Plant Science, Advocacy, and Culture, MJ Lifestyle is a safe space for all womankind. Jen single-handedly designs each issue, leads the ever-growing team of self-made women, and is in the process of self-publishing MJ Lifestyle’s new podcast. Jen is also a wife and mother to a 7-year-old son and a 9-year-old daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing, coaching soccer and baseball, planning celebrations, and spending time with extended family and cherished friends. As the founder of MJ Lifestyle, Jennifer has established trusted relationships with leading women in the cannabis space. She is eager to share her extensive knowledge and insight into the best CBD and Cannabis products available to California.

Things are starting to come together over at Lab 58!