BPP 222: Dana Arnold - Packing up and Starting over
Dana Arnold is a soon to be Monterey California wedding photographer and Navy wife who has to pack up her business and move to a new part of the country every 18 months. Today she shares the challenges she faces when starting over every and how you can overcome them.
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In This Episode You'll Learn:
How Dana got into photography
What Dana struggled with when learning photography and how she overcame it
Why Dana chose to shoot weddings over families or portraits
How Dana developed her style and how you can too
Premium Members Also Learn:
How Dana prepares her business for a move across the country
Dana’s online marketing strategy and how she connects with potential clients
Where Dana is spending money to guarantee bookings when she arrives
Resources:
Did you enjoy this episode? Check out more recent interviews with other great guests!
Full Episode Transcription:
Disclaimer: The transcript was transcribed electronically by Temi.com and may contain errors that do not reflect accurately what the speaker said. Because of this, please do not quote this automated transcript.
Raymond Hatfield: 00:00 Your husband he's in the Navy, correct? Yeah. So two years ago you two were transferred from Hawaii to Virginia. And now, again, you're being transferred from Virginia to California, where you are going to have to start all over again with your photography business. It is, that is that what's going on right now? Dana Arnold: 00:21 Yep. You got it. Right. Right, right.
Raymond Hatfield: 00:23 So, you know, all while knowing also that in another 18, 24 months, you're going to have to do it all over again. So there's a lot to get into here. First is, you know, obviously, but before we get there, how did you get your start in photography in the first place?
Dana Arnold: 00:43 I think one of the very first things that really wanted me to take up photography was the fact that I was so sick and tired of working opposite hours of my husband. I went and I got my degree. I originally went to get a degree in child psychology, so I could teach children with autism, which I had a heart for, for awhile. But then the hours really started to suck me in. And when I was working, he was home and I was saying vice versa, when he was working, I was home. So getting into photography, it allowed me to realize that time with my husband is precious. He deploys a lot. He's always sea. And especially when he's in a submarine he's underwater. So it makes things a little more complicated. And I really just wanted to take up photography. So I could just spend more time with him when he was home. I just never realized how much I would fall in love with the aspect of photography, you know, besides spending time with them.
Raymond Hatfield: 01:40 Oh, okay. So did photography come on your radar because you were looking for something new or was photography already something that you were doing, but now you found a way to just fill this void in your life
Dana Arnold: 01:55 And totally came by accident. I had a little, I think it was a Nikon 3,300 and my friend Brianna had a new baby boy and her vision was like, I really just want a picture of my son naked on a beach in Hawaii because it's something she really wanted to do. And as soon as I did it and I shot the session, I haven't, I was like, that was really fine. That was the most fun I've ever had with somebody and a job better than I've experienced in a long time. And I think after that, I was like, I think this is something that I really wanted to pursue more. It just never really clicked at that moment that it was gonna turn into something full time.
Raymond Hatfield: 02:31 Right. Okay. So at that point, were you confident with your camera or was this just something that you had and now you're shooting an auto and then you grew from there. Where were you at when you were taking those, those baby photos?
Dana Arnold: 02:43 I was on auto for everything, a kit lens and all. It kind of took me a couple of months to realize that I really wanted to get out of auto and I really wanted to take this seriously. And so that's when that's when something kind of clicked that I needed to take courses and actually learn how to get out of auto to manual.
Raymond Hatfield: 03:06 Right. Okay. So how long did, how long did that take? How long was the progression for you from that first session when you were still shooting an auto to the point to where you probably felt pretty comfortable with the camera in your hands?
Dana Arnold: 03:21 And that's actually a couple of months, I think a couple, a couple of weeks after that photo session with my friends Amy and Jordan came into the picture and I saw an ad on Facebook about their shooting and editing course. And this was back in 2017. And so I, I bought the course without even thinking about it and I binge watched it all week and I quickly got myself into manual and learn and how to use the light learning how to edit photos. And at that point I started to feel really comfortable with the camera. And that's when it really, really hit me. Like this is something that I want to do.
Raymond Hatfield: 03:56 Were there any sort of like aha moments that you had while, while learning the technical side of photography?
Dana Arnold: 04:04 I think in the aha moment was when I just felt really comfortable and knowing my settings without having to stop and think and Google and YouTube, everything, I just knew exactly what the settings were to be. And during one of the photo sessions I had with a soon to be bride and shooting her session at sunrise and seeing how light and airy and how happy she was with the photos kind of was my moment where I needed to take this full time.
Raymond Hatfield: 04:35 Oh, okay. So how long was that? How long was that after that first baby photo that you had this session with this bride to be, and you thought, Oh, this is going to be an important, you know, pillar in my life.
Dana Arnold: 04:52 Hi, I was full throttle. That was my hook that was during my husband's first deployment. We don't have any kids, so I was bored out of my mind you know, working full time, going to college. And then this photography thing came up. I knew right away while he was on deployment, that I was gonna do this full time. Eventually I just wanted to wait, you know, to talk to him and hear from him first, before I made that decision to go full time.
Raymond Hatfield: 05:19 So who was this bride? Was this a friend of yours? Is this a family member or somebody who contacted you about photography?
Dana Arnold: 05:27 I posted on a page actually, and I was like, Hey, I just want to build my portfolio. I'm looking for very specifics of, you know, at sunrise at this location. And she had just reached out to me and strangely enough she actually inquired about her wedding a couple of years later, but I wasn't there. I couldn't do it. So I had my friend do it, but yeah, it's right there. I know. Right.
Raymond Hatfield: 05:55 You're like, Oh man, a beautiful wedding. Yeah, of course. Sign me up any day of the week. Yeah. so obviously you're at this point now to where actually I want to go back to that that still that beach session with this bride right there. I know that one of the things that many new photographers kind of struggle with when for shooting a manual is that they see the meter inside their camera. And that obviously, if you have a bright sky behind you, it's going to say that the entire photo is overexposed. Right. And then when you take your photo, your bride is going to be very underexposed. So did you ever struggle with, with any, any exposure compensation or any manual settings like that?
Dana Arnold: 06:34 I did. Yeah. At one point when I first started the Amy and Jordan course and like learning the shooting and editing aspects of it all, we actually, the way she teaches us we don't really focus on the meter. We just focus on what F stops to start at and then the go from there. So for me personally, I actually liked mine a little bit overexposed because my style is light and airy. And so I just ignored the meter. I ignore the camera and I looked at what was on the screen and if it was to my liking, that's where it would be. But there were some issues at one point where there was some confusion when it comes to lighting and the meter and like understanding that. But luckily Amy and Jordan's course taught us how to do it.
Raymond Hatfield: 07:18 So when you say that your style is light and airy, I can tell you just from firsthand experience from talking to a lot of other photographers that finding a style is like the hardest thing in the world for them. Right. And you're very confident about this. Was that something that right away you were like, Mmm I'm lightened area, or how long did it take for you to find this progression?
Dana Arnold: 07:42 It's I laugh because I'm pretty sure at one point I was every single style that there was no demand in the book. I took their courses, but I was like, Oh, I love the light in the area, but I really wanted to make mine rustic, or I really wanted to do black and white, or I really wanted to do dark and moody colorful, vibrant neon colors. I went through every stage of editing and I hated all of it. And my mind kept going back to light and airy because I realized that my personality is light and it's bubbly and it's warm and it's welcoming. And I wanted to put that into my editing.
Raymond Hatfield: 08:18 Oh, wow. I love that though. That's a lot deeper than I think many would, would would go as far as, you know, just, Oh, well this photo, it looks better than, than that other photo. And I think in that sense, that's really cool. And that's a, that's a great way to be able to kind of talk about that and why you edit to potential clients. Is that something that you have found that clients come to you specifically for?
Dana Arnold: 08:41 Yes. So actually where I'm located at, in Virginia right now, there are really not a whole lot of considered light in airy photographers. A lot of them are more colorful. You know, some of them, most of the ones I've met are dark and moody. And I find that a lot of the, you know, those who inquire with me are always like, yeah, you know, your photos are just so light and colorful and vibrant. And I ha I haven't found that yet. And so I kind of stand out a little bit on that term. And I just, you know, I go with it from there.
Raymond Hatfield: 09:13 So when you're shooting the, you said that your first shoot was with this. I don't know if it was a newborn or if it was a baby, regardless of whatever it was. And then several months later you were shooting this bride on the beach. Did you know right away that weddings was going to be the thing for you? Or did you try out anything else in between?
Dana Arnold: 09:33 I knew weddings was definitely going to be my thing. I guess we call it a niche. What we call it nowadays. I did try newborn. I tried family sessions and as a military spouse, it's not always easy to be a wedding photographer. And when you're in a community with other military spouses, they want you, you know, for their family photos, for their homecoming photos. So I focus on wedding. It's what I really love to do. And I also do military events because I find that to be very fun and emotional, you know, the document as well.
Raymond Hatfield: 10:05 So right away, you're like, Nope, you know what I'm doing? Weddings. You said that that's pretty difficult for a military spouses. Why, why is that? Just because I'll let you tell me why, why is that hard?
Dana Arnold: 10:18 I think, well, from, just from my experience, and this is for anybody who may experience this life too, as a, as a military spouse as well you're moving a lot and this is something that we might be able to talk about later. So it's not always easy to communicate with wedding vendors, if you're only going to be there for X amount of months, you know, it takes on average, I think 24 months for you to finally get on a really good standard for weddings and for, to be known in the local wedding community. However, for me personally, I'm not anywhere for any longer than 24 months. So it's, for me personally, it's a lot easier to shoot families and to shoot military events. But I don't let that stand in my way. So I still work really hard to continue shooting weddings, even though it's not always easy to do.
Raymond Hatfield: 11:08 So when, when did you think to yourself, you know what, this is probably one of the hardest forms of photography to get into for my lifestyle, but I'm going all in. I am going to make this work.
Dana Arnold: 11:21 I think that was actually back six months, six or seven months when I birth my book, my first couple of weddings and I kept getting a lot of inquiries inquiries at that point for Hawaii weddings. But I would tell them that, Oh, you know, your wedding is next year. I'm not going to be in the state anymore. I'm moving. I would have gladly the come back. And a lot of them would say, well, we don't know for sure if you can come back, like what if your flight cancels or something, you know, something, what happened like that, that would prevent me from flying all the way back for their wedding. And so a lot of them would see that I'm a military spouse and before even inquiring with me, they would be concerned that I would be gone before their wedding date.
Raymond Hatfield: 12:06 Oh, okay. So obviously, I mean, that's a whole new set of challenges right there. How did you deal with that?
Dana Arnold: 12:11 Yeah, I insured them. So luckily with the military, with my husband's job specifically, there there's a timeframe when I know when I'm not going to be here. I know that his contract is at least X amount of months. And for example, here in Hawaii, here in Virginia, excuse me, my last day here is actually two days before Thanksgiving. And so I knew not to book anything past the first week of November. I ensured all of my brides that, and for those who were like cutting the clothes, I would just say, Nope, I gotta send you to somebody else just to be safe and sorry. So I ensure them that I know that I will be here for at least an X amount of days, months, weeks, whatever, to be here for the wedding.
Raymond Hatfield: 12:55 Okay. And obviously that, that is a form of reassurance to them that makes them feel a whole lot better. Because as you know, I mean, with weddings, it's a, it's a big decision, right? To be able to a wedding photographer, and I've talked to other photographers who are, you know, maternity or they shoot newborns and that, or no, I'm sorry. They shoot weddings, but like they themselves are pregnant. And that is a, that's a big thing, right? Like what's going to happen when the time comes. What are you going to do? So let's talk about kind of the going forward process for you, right? So fundamentally, you know, your photography is not going to change, right. Just because of your location, but things like scenery, things like your subjects, those things in your photos will change. So say, let's look forward, right? You're going to move out to California. Beginning of December, let's say somebody, you know, reaches out to you today and says, I want to do a shoot. Once you get in town, how do you prepare for something like that for a place? I mean, you've never been before.
Dana Arnold: 14:01 So, but the pandemic things have changed. I would usually take the effort and actually go out there for a week. I would explore, I would find locations. I would take a couple of tours. I did that for here in Virginia. When I was in Hawaii, I flew all the way out to Virginia and I spent a long week here. And that's what I would usually do now. However things have changed this time and I wasn't able to do the Afra California when I got, I did get a few inquiries about sessions out there already that I had to turn down because I wasn't there yet. But for the ones for the weddings, I have books so far, they know that I've never toured the venues. They know that I've never done the beaches and I'm honest with them about it. I was like, look, I've never been there. But I will be taking a tour when I get in. They are so confident with my work, my consistency and how I handled the life that they're not worried about it.
Raymond Hatfield: 14:56 But I mean, are you worried about it? I would be freaking out about it. I would be nervous. I would be so nervous about this whole thing. How, how do you convince yourself that you are confident enough in your abilities to be able to deliver to them what it is that they're looking for?
Dana Arnold: 15:13 I have to trust myself by just reminding myself that I educated myself enough to be as confident as I am today. Even if I'm shooting sunset here on a beach or sunset there over the beach, as long as I find some shade, anywhere, as long as I find a white building, it's I have to trust myself and what I have learned and what I've experienced to have the confidence to do that. Because if I don't trust myself and I don't show the confidence, the photos are gonna turn out crappy. So I don't even let my mind, yeah. I don't even let my mind get there. I'm just confident of what I learned and what I've experienced in the past three years to know that I can handle any weather, any situ, I mean, I shot a wedding in a hurricane in Hawaii, so that, to me, if I can handle that, I can handle anything.
Raymond Hatfield: 16:07 So my next question for you out of that was going to be, how do you build up that confidence? And from what I'm hearing is a lot of it just simply going through it and just dealing with that experience of shooting a tough situation, like a, like a wedding, a hurricane in Hawaii.
Dana Arnold: 16:23 Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, that was just a normal day and the wind was only like 50 miles an hour. It's no big deal. Yeah, that's it. I, I'm a firm believer in taking the hard lessons and taking the hard situations and just going with it because that's the only way that you're going to be able to learn shooting in the fog shooting in rain, overexposure. I mean, the, I had a session the day before the volcano erupted in Hawaii, so, and then I had a session the week after. And so you have to learn to adjust to those disasters and learn to go with the weather and you just, you get better because of it.
Raymond Hatfield: 17:04 Let's switch gears just a little bit and talk about the gear now gear, isn't normally something that we talk about too much here on the podcast. But I think that you're in a little bit of a unique position. One, because you travel a lot and two, because just your style of, of, of shooting, right? So when it comes to traveling with gear and packing things up what do you think is something that most people just don't even think about?
Dana Arnold: 17:33 I think the thing that people don't really think about is that you have to have traveling insurance. And I know if not all insurance has this, but you have to have travel and insurance on your original, like photography, insurance. And it's, I think it's because if I'm traveling for a wedding or I'm traveling, just because of it. And I bring my gear with me and something were to happen internationally you know, a different country, your insurance might not cover it. So it's something that you have to ask your insurance because it's in a different country.
Raymond Hatfield: 18:05 I did not know that I you know, a few years ago, my wife and I were fortunate enough to be able to go to Iceland. And it was one of the most incredible places in the entire world, but I remember, and I take that back. I didn't even consider any sort of like gear insurance or anything like that. I was just like, Oh, I'm just gonna bring my camera and my lenses. And then we're just going to go for it. Have you ever had any sort of situation where you've had your gear in danger or anything like that?
Dana Arnold: 18:38 My husband and I are adventure seekers. We've been all over the world and there was a situation I remember perfectly where I believe it was in Thailand and I was carrying my camera on my wrist. I didn't have the strap on, and we were visiting an elephant sanctuary. And then I was almost knocked over by an elephant because I was so busy taking a photo of another one that I didn't realize there was one like six inches behind me coming full force. So I'm my husband's like, you don't have to ready to get out of the way. So I could only imagine a situation like that where I would have had to do a claim on the insurance company that I got tumbled by an elephant in Thailand and I need a new 70 to 200, so you'd have to be wary of those situations. I mean, obviously I was stupid enough to not have, you know, the strap around my neck to be more cautious about it. But when you're an adventure seeker, like we are, and you live in the danger zone, like we went skydiving. You just have to be careful to make the smart decisions about that.
Raymond Hatfield: 19:42 Did you take your 70 to 200 skydiving?
Dana Arnold: 19:47 No. She was a little too heavy. I brought it along fully thinking that I was allowed to bring my camera skydiving. Cause I thought, how cool would it be to take pictures of the whole Island of Hawaii when you're above? But they told me no, the nerve. So like, it was my decision. I ended up, we ended up just booking a skydiving photographer that way we could still have those pictures. And, you know,
Raymond Hatfield: 20:16 Do you think that you could ever do that job? Do you think you could ever be a skydiving photographer?
Dana Arnold: 20:21 I mean, I would totally be cool with it. I feel like if my mom heard this, she would have a little bit of an anxiety attack. So let's get on the ground.
Raymond Hatfield: 20:30 That's hilarious. A few years ago I had a couple who wanted to do a skydiving engagement session and they're like, we'll pay for you like to do it or whatever. And I was like, deal like, absolutely I, well, I called several skydiving places around Indianapolis and every single one of them was like, no, like we can't, we can't have you go up there with, you know, something super heavy. Cause I guess, you know, if it were to fall and potentially hit somebody, they could be liable for it. I'm not sure, but they all, they all said bail said no. So plus I mean, as you know, all of them have their own photographers. So maybe that was part of their motivation was, was to try to encourage the couple, to just pay them for the extra photos. But no, never got to do it.
Raymond Hatfield: 21:12 I don't know if I will do it either. It's kind of, well, I don't know. Anyway, let's go ahead and move on. And once again, switch gears a little bit because I'm gonna go back to you, you know, moving you picking up and starting over, over and over again, right. This isn't just once it's not like you've established yourself here and then you're going to make a new move and then you're going to be done forever. This is something that you foresee happening several times here into the future. So again, that idea is very daunting to me. So what is something that you are doing right now ahead of your move to drum up inquiries before you even get to California,
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Raymond Hatfield: 22:14 That is, that is extremely impressive. And I'm really glad to hear that because this is, you know, kind of the topic of the of this, of this episode right here is that you have a small window of opportunity to be able to book a certain amount of people because, you know, especially, I mean, as you know, with weddings, you book a wedding, their weddings, not for another year. So if you're only in a location for six months or for 18 months, that only gives you a six month window to be able to shoot weddings. And that, that right there is very scary. So I have to say, I mean, thank you so much for sharing all of that right there about, I mean, your entire marketing strategy, you know, and how you're booking all of these how you're booking all these weddings months before you ever go to these locations. And I can tell you that I will be reaching out and finding out some more information about doing some of those as well, because I mean, I'd like to book some more weddings. I think we all, you know, would enjoy. So
Dana Arnold: 23:14 Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah, no, you're welcome. I'm one and happy to share with you. Anyone who's listening, who was the one through the struggle, especially during a pandemic. Now I have to be honest, like I, myself and so am still struggling because I'm moving my business 3000 miles away to California who in that specific area where I'm moving to had all these fires, I've had a pandemic, I'm still trying to get myself known there. But one things that I've always had clicked with me is being able to connect with these Facebook ads and had to be honest, I'm really trying to stay away from them. I haven't done one in a very long time, but I think that times are changing and I'm learning my growth and I'm learning what works through this pandemic as we speak.
Raymond Hatfield: 24:02 I love it. So the theme of the podcast this year is make do right? So at the end of every episode, I try to remind people to make, do I want you to make more, do more and then just make, do with what you got because it's going to be better than you think. So with that being said how have you had to make, do with what you have when preparing to make a big move and totally starting over?
Dana Arnold: 24:31 Are you referencing to what I led sources that I have now that are getting to me through the pandemic or focusing more on just what I can do with a moment in time?
Raymond Hatfield: 24:43 Well, kind of like, you know, there's always more that we could be doing. There's always a better camera. There's always a better marketing strategy. There's always another social platform, but at some point we have to make decisions to use what it is that we already have and, and do with what we got, because, well, that's what we got. So is there anything right now that you're doing to prepare yourself to move, maybe wishing, I wish I had this one thing and that would make this whole situation easier, but I don't. So I'm just going to make, do with what I got.
Dana Arnold: 25:19 I wish I had a million dollars to get me all the marketing strategies that I possibly can get, but I got right then things that we can do. I have to be honest, I don't, I don't think so. And I say that because with what I have right now and my particular situation, and what could do for others is use the social media platforms that you have now to connect with the people that you can, if anything, we're all craving to see people we're all craving to go out there and me, and, and go to social groups and just like learn and explore. And I think by using what we have by using Instagram and just checking in on the, for me personally, I checked in, on vendors out in Monterey and using that just to let people know that, Hey, you're not alone in, this is going to meet through this military move, to be honest connecting with everybody out there, using Instagram and using the mastermind that I'm in now to teach me that Instagram and SEO and blogging is totally okay to use, to help me move at this time.
Dana Arnold: 26:32 Period.
Raymond Hatfield: 26:33 Of course. Yeah. What's something that you think maybe other photographers who are fixed in their location, don't even have to worry about that as something that is that at the top of your mind,
Dana Arnold: 26:46 I wish I was those people. I envy the people who get to stay in one place and like the connection if they were in one place at this very particular time and they don't have to worry about moving, the one thing I would recommend that they would do is consider trying new ways to market yourself. If you haven't started Pinterest you know, do a Google research and see what pinons like you know, learn to just try new things, especially during the time where not a lot of us might even be busy, cause a lot of cancellations and reschedules, you know, take the time, take the blessings that you have and try to learn something new because you might actually end up getting something very unique that will help your business along the way.
Raymond Hatfield: 27:28 Like what do you have an example?
Dana Arnold: 27:32 I would just say, I would still say Pinterest. I know that's really silly to bring up over and over again, but I, I had a list of things that I wanted to try, but was never able to do. And one of them is learning how to pin and learning how to do Pinterest. And another thing to do was learning how to create better Instagram posts. And so I would take courses through Penn and I believe it's Jenna Kutcher's courses and doing that and just learning how to can and how to have a better Instagram. I mean, now more than ever, it's a time to educate yourself if you're just sitting twiddling your thumbs at home.
Raymond Hatfield: 28:10 I hope nobody is just sitting in twiddling their thumbs. That sounds terrible. Yeah. one thing that I do a lot as a wedding photographers that I like to meet with my couples before their wedding, right. Or before we even book, I just like to meet face to face, kind of get a feel for who they are, how they interact with each other and just ensure that I'm going to be able to deliver exactly what it is that they're looking for and not and not, not be able to do that. So with you before you book a wedding how are you ensuring that these couples, that you're booking is a good fit for you?
Dana Arnold: 28:47 We actually have a really good zoom conversation. We usually meet in zoom where we meet via FaceTime, but when they inquire me, so I actually did get inquiries for California for next year and 2022 ones that I've been very grateful to book only a couple of them so far, and each one of them, I ensure them that I'm a real person, that I'm not a robot and the only way for us to really meet to really interact and see if we're a good fit is to have a FaceTime call. And I think now more than ever whether or not I was in California, whether or not I'm still here in Virginia, I would still want to share the same way because it's safer. Especially out in California, where a lot of my brides who have inquired and family sessions are so skeptical about Maine and face to face.
Raymond Hatfield: 29:33 Mm Oh. Just because of the pandemic.
Dana Arnold: 29:35 Yeah. It's just cause of the pandemic. Like I said you know, with Monterey, there was a lot going at the one time here that, where I started to get noticed out there. And so I would just say, you know, the key things save, plus I'm still out here in Virginia. Let's just have a quick FaceTime call, quick being an hour and 45 minutes because we can,
Raymond Hatfield: 29:54 I know, isn't it, that's always the funniest. I tell my wife like, Hey, you know, I got a, a meeting with my couple tonight. They'll probably only be, you know, 30 minutes or so you're in my office. Yeah. An hour and a half later she's looking at me like, dinner's ready. Like what's going on? I'm like, okay, sorry, sorry about that. I totally get that. I totally get that. It was when it comes to the, that, that whole side of things. Right. And meeting with your couples are you telling them beforehand, like, Hey, look, I don't live in California right now. Like I know that you are a California, like a Monterey wedding photographer, but I'm not in California before the conversation or do you make that reveal during the phone call itself? So,
Dana Arnold: 30:38 So it's actually on my website. It has mentioned that I'm a military spouse and I move in and then when they inquire within my email and as soon as I would send them an email back saying, Hey, I'm, I'm still hearing in Virginia, but we're like, you know, we're in the middle of packing up and head and out there. So I would love to take the time to go ahead and chat over FaceTime, you know, yada yada my host field thing. They know in advance in the email. The very first thing I say is that I'm still out here in Virginia, but we are in the midst of packing up and moving out to California and sure them that I'm still going to be there. The military can be sucky sometimes and totally changed their minds on a whim. And, but I insured them an email, so they know that not only I will be there, but when we schedule our FaceTime meeting we work on the time zone as well.
Raymond Hatfield: 31:27 What are you going to do when you get out there? What's going to be the first thing that you do. Dana Arnold: 31:31 I am going to actually, I have three venues scheduled, like three venue tours scheduled literally like the day after I did.
Raymond Hatfield: 31:40 Oh, wow. And what is the point of those venue tours for you? What do you hope to get out of that?
Dana Arnold: 31:47 I love doing this and I learned this from one of my mentors, Vanessa, who's also a military spouse and photographer. She has taught a soup log in SEO that when you get to a new place and you go visit the, you know, you visit the venue, you toward, you take pictures, you chat with them about everything business and not business related. And so this way, the images that I take, I can give to the website excuse me, I can get to the business if they want to use it for their website. And then I take the images I edit and I blog it and I say my top five favorite venues and Monterey. And this way I can put it on my website and for brides who will inquire, they'll be like, Oh, her top five venues. One of them's my venue. Let you know. It's so cool that she's seen the venue before, and then she toured it. Plus it's really important for me to know that if I can edit and my style at that venue as well. So I like to take the tour to do all of those things, basically all above,
Raymond Hatfield: 32:47 Has that ever not happened where you've gotten to a venue and realized, Oh, this does not work for my style.
Dana Arnold: 32:53 Yeah. So there was actually the new here in Virginia where there were no pictures on the website, which I thought, Ooh, I could go there, take the pictures and have them put it on their website. And then I walked in and I was like, there are no windows. And it was just, it was just like a gym. It was basically a gym. And I walked in and I didn't leave. I stayed. I talked with them for a little bit. I took the pictures, I gave them the venue. I walked out and I was like, I am never stepping foot in this venue ever again in my life. Because I don't want to be like, yeah, I'll totally shoot your wedding there, but then have my photo stuck. Right. Because there's no windows
Raymond Hatfield: 33:35 And it's hard to deliver a brighten airy style when there is no brightness or airiness. Dana Arnold: 33:42 And I learned it the hard way because by the grace of God, I somehow ended up looking a wedding there. I don't want to talk about it. But what I do remember was explaining to the couple, because they didn't originally had their wedding there. And then they changed it to that venue after they had hired me. And I'm like, well, so I think if anything, I take it for, you know, a black sin because it was that white in that I actually really learned how to use off camera flash. So I learned how to be a better photographer because of it.
Raymond Hatfield: 34:18 Oh, that's awesome. That's awesome that you were able to learn and grow from that, that exact situation happened to me once as well, where a couple, they were having an outdoor wedding, they had a big like family property and they were going to have the wedding outdoors in the backyard. Everybody was going to be outside. It was going to be great. Well, you know, the month before there was this like horrible rainstorm and their entire property was flooded, like it's farmland flooded, flooded. So the week before the wedding, they emailed me and said, actually we've changed the location. Obviously this is why. So we'll see on the wedding day. And I was like, okay, great. I checked it out. It's a local church. And I thought, you know, this will work. You know, I looked at the pictures and you know, this will be fine.
Raymond Hatfield: 35:01 And what I didn't know is that those pictures were from like several years ago that church heads, I don't know, close down or, or, or, or something. And then another company came in and bought just a portion of the church. But the portion that they bought was the basement of the church inside. I mean, the it's obviously underground and there were windows, luckily, but they were like the, like the six inch tall by like four long windows. That was the only part above ground. And I walked in and I, I, you know, it was the same thing. It was like, I gotta make this work, you know, like our job as a wedding photographer to no matter where you are still deliver something to your client, that you will be happy to look at and share. And obviously being able to use off camera flash for you as well as me was, was was our saving grace here.
Raymond Hatfield: 35:52 But sometimes these things happen and I love that we're able to take a lesson away from this unfortunate event, for sure. Yeah, for sure. So sometimes I like to ask my guests, if you had to start all over again, you know, what would you, what's something that you would do to get to where you are today, but faster. But I think for you, I, I have to rephrase this question because this is what you're doing several times, right? So knowing that you'll be picking up and moving again in 18 months after you get to California, what is something that you will do to get to where you are today, but faster?
Dana Arnold: 36:33 I think if I had to start over knowing that I was going to constantly move, I would have kept my full time job longer to save up the money and then literally invest in every single possible thing and learn it all at once. And for some people that might be overwhelming, they're in a different courses, hire an SEO and everything in between. But for me personally, on separate person where I want to learn it all, have it done in notes. So then that way I could spend the next X amount of time just implementing everything and get in there. I don't want to say as quick as possible, but efficiently as possible. Because I think for me personally, from experience taken AB and Jordan shooting and editing course, and then just like waiting in to invest in other things later, I really wanted to learn. They take all their courses at once because I knew right away that I didn't have a whole lot of time to implement all of that because of the move. So it's an unfortunate trait, but I like to rush things and then know, this is my mentor, Candice. She would yell at me when she tells me this, when she hears me say it. But that's honestly my mindset at the moment was learning and invested in everything at one time and then watching everything and then implementing it to make the moves go by smoother. Okay.
Raymond Hatfield: 38:01 That is, that is a great way to end this right there. I don't know how to give people any more information than that. You've been a, a real open book as I, you know, as you said earlier, you're like, I'm an open book. I'm going to be, you're going to find that out and sure enough, I did, for sure. You are having to every question that I had. So I have to say obviously, thank you so much for coming on and sharing everything that you did, but before I let you go, can you let listeners know where they can find you online and follow you along?
Dana Arnold: 38:32 Yeah, absolutely. I'm always happy to any photographer out there who wants to learn how to do SEO and blogging. I have the resources and the people who have helped me. So I am on Instagram cause who isn't and you'll find me at Dana Arnold photography just, you know, FairWarning, my Instagram can some kind of, you know, sometimes be rated R so if you're more filtered than we might not get along, but you can find me on Pinterest, same thing. They are on a photography and it's pretty much goes for Facebook and website as well. Dana on old photography.
Raymond Hatfield: 39:07 Perfect. Well, Dana again thank you so much for coming on and sharing everything that you did. And I look forward to keeping up with you and your move and your success here in the future. So again, thank you.
Dana Arnold: 39:17 Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.