AUSTIN, TX  |  Sunday May 20th  |  2:00- sunset

$350 per person… only 10 seats available. GOING TO GO FAST!

**if you are signed up for the AUSTIN workshop make sure to choose the “ADD ON” discount!

SIGN UP HERE: eeek can’t wait to shoot with you!!!!

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shoot out only$350.00 USD add on to workshop$200.00 USD

So I had Kaileigh’s mom Shannon (who was one of my camera 101 students months ago) take a few pictures of us “behind the scenes”. I had had several friends on FB ask me how I used my reflector on a session and if I have an assistant come with me… well I do not. Now I will be HONEST and say not always do I use a reflector. I am **trying** to get better about it….but over the last year I have been getting into the reflector “groove”  and yes I will juggle it by myself or I will ask the mom to hold it for me… in this case the mom did hold it a few times, but I wanted her to snap a few images of how I’d do it had I been on my own. Now don’t get me wrong…it is a fight at times first image on the second row is me fighting a fly away reflector that is bigger than I am! But this is a pretty good behind the scenes of a typical senior session with me…the clothes in the suit case, her mom helping with a few accessory changes, changing out of the back of my car and the senior changing her hair mid session with only her reflection from a window!

I also posted a few to my FB page during the session and got a little grief from some of you abou twearing white pants on a session… soooo the last image is me proving my booty is STILL WHITE after a 2.5 hour session in a DIRTY urban area! ha SCORE.

Ever go to a site and before you know it you have lost time… like LOTS of time? Yep that is what The Shoppe does to me. For the past few years I have been obsessed with The Shoppes designs. They so very different and just grab me.

But here is the thing, they have soooo many templates that will help us as Photographers with time management (and we ALL know how much I need help with that). They have EVERYTHING you can think of…. Like promo blog posts templates to email out to all your clients. How stinkin cool is that!!!

HERE is one of my favorite (can you guess why) “go to” album templates that I use for my senior flush mount albums.

HERE is where you can find easy to customize templates for Senior graduation announcements like these:

even have desktop organizers HERE talk about ORGANIZATION!!!

so with all of these items that will help your workflow… you can tell how much more productive you will be and productivity = more time and money doing what you LOVE! Here is the super cool thing they offer, you can become a yearly subscriber and get everything they have in their SHOP! EVERYTHING. seriously. ALL OF IT! go check them out HERE.

Well you all know I am a Montgomery Bear…grew up there. And after having my arm twisted by my friend Anna to do a 5K, it just seemed like Montgomery was the PERFECT place to do my FIRST ever 5K!

After I spotted the paramedics (you know…just incase) we took a few pics…this is my long time friend and AWESOME hair dresser Bari.

We stretched and got our support team on the sidelines…

AND WE WERE OFF…. many runners seem to take this 5K stuff pretty serious… Anna and I…not so much. We had to walk a LOT of the way due to hysterical laughter permitting us from running our best. What’s a girl to do right?

I made it… I have to say, I was told there would be WINE across the finish line…and…there was NOT!!! A little disappointing. BUT it was a super fun first 5K anyway!!! The cheerleaders were chanting as we crossed the finish line the same cheer I cheered SOOO MANY years ago when I wore one of those uniforms… we saw old friends and even some of my old teachers and coaches! Miss my home town!!! M. MONT. MONT.GOM.ERY. say it. say it. say it.

Well here we go… the NEXT workshop date is AUSTIN TX May 19th!!!  A FULL day with me.  SIGN UP HERE

For each workshop I am trying to get a special guest. The Chicago one was AWESOME with my friend Karlen co-founder of Rock the Shot Forum… The Florida wokshop will have special guest JULIE PAISLEY!!! YES I am serious!!! And our Ohio workshop we will have Lexi from Lemonade and Lenses Magazine!!! SO BOOK YOUR SEATS TODAY!!!!

What we will go over during our day together…

• How and where to market to potential clients.
• Client interaction: emails, styling, location scouting, knowing what you are shooting for.
• Little touch on business (I am NOT a business person but I have a direction to point you in)
• Urban Senior session shoot in down town Austin.
• Full workflow once the shoot is over. Gallery building and FULL editing process.

What the workshop includes…

• FULL 12 hour day together. 9am-9pm
• Lunch and Dinner on me!
• Little notebook with notes and room for jotting down more.
• SWAG bags with amazing discounts from my FAVORITE vendors!
• Portfolio building senior session.
• Friendships and new support system with access to Spanki’s friends FB chat group.

What the Senior session will consist of…

• Real email interaction with a senior client (not just senior specific)
• Styling your senior
• Location scouting
• Lighting
• Shooting
• Gallery of images
• A list of my top selling senior products

Details…

• $675/person
• Class will be limited to 10 participants so each of you will get one on one time with me.
• It is preferred that you are comfortable shooting in Manual mode.
• You will be given a list of Hotels that are with in walking distance of where we are meeting and shooting.

Take a look HERE at some more images of our last workshop in Chicago!!

ALSO sign ups are ready for the ONLINE Marketing course. HERE This course is a very laid back BUT intense course of re-training your brain to move you out side of the box… get you a glass of wine, pen and paper and be ready to take it all in! We will have plenty of time for Q&As after each class! 

This course will be 4 hours of INTENSE marketing strategies. If you’re like me you HATE talking about yourself or selling yourself to potential clients! I have spent countless hours doing things I thought were “THE” thing that would get my name out there…nothing. Then I decided to get creative and use my networking skills to market for me. I now “target” instead of blanket market… bringing those unreachable clients to me! In this 4 hour crash marketing course I will teach you where to look and who to network with to reach your target clients.

Details…

• $350/person
• May 29th and May 31st 8pm-10pm CENTRAL time
• Live video chat and Q&As

REVIEWS:

*Spanki, the last 2 weeks have been UH-MAZ-ing! I feel like I’ve been in eat-sleep-breathe-marketing mode. Your bootcamp is the best investment I’ve made for my business, ev-er. I know we’re only half way through, but it’s very clear to me that this class is taking my photography business to the next level. You’ve been so incredibly candid with us, sharing tips, tricks and inside info…I just can’t thank you enough.*

*I woke up feeling so blessed to be apart of your marketing bootcamp! (I see all the other women are feeling the same…haha) But, truly, you are incredibly wise to this industry and I just wanted to thank you for being so open and sharing some of your other photography secrets with us, even though it has nothing to do with marketingI’m learning so much about how to set myself apart in the industry and I feel like I’m headed in the right direction to owning a successful business. *

*Spanki!! The course has made my business turn on it’s ear!! In the last two weeks I have booked 11 sessions just from implementing the ideas from the course!! I can’t wait to continue taking workshops with you!! Big ((hug))*

*Another great night at Spanki Mills Bootcamp!!! I am SO glad that I invested the time and money into this! Each and every night leaves me more excited and full of energy than the last. I am SO gonna need some caffeine tomorrow!*

*I never thought I’d be saying this, but my weekends are becoming miserably long! Can’t wait for it to be Tueday again so we can get back to bootcamp. *

*OMG OMG OMG, just got off the phone and I booked my first EV-ER Senior session with my big new booking fee of $X.xx! I might seriously pee my pants right now. Never in a million years did I think I’d be charging this…let alone people actually paying it!! Eeeeek!! Spanki, I could kiss you right now!*

Jenna. what a beautiful girl! I had so much fun…this session screams TEXAS senior. I love how they were actually bailing the hay while we were still shooting! and it smelled soooo good! What a fun time I had with Jenna and her mother, the sweetest people ever! I am so glad that I have such amazing clients that turn into amazing FRIENDS! love this!!!

I am seriously not even unpacked from my trip and my photos are loaded and edited and BLOGGED! get out. THAT is how much fun I had!!! A HUGE thank you to everyone who came, it had to be one of the best times I have had!!! The group was great! The models were BEAUTIFUL! The studio was AMAZING and the city was…CHICAGO!!!!!

I love how everyone helped everyone! top right: Alex with Goykphoto (the studio we used) even came to shoot with us and field questions!

Huuum… how many photographers does it take to figure out one camera! haha love this pic…I look so serious!

Big THANK YOU to Stephanie Pana Photography for providing the models and staying to shoot and help out too! It was a perfect day!!!

top right: now THIS is how every senior is supposed to show up…clothes, shoes, accessories, hair change stuff! LOVE.

and well sometimes we had to remind Karlen Kleinkopf Photography that she wasn’t shooting a wedding…FOCUS lady

I had a BLAST!! and no way could I have done it with out the help of my awesome friend Karlen! You rocked Chicago for me! ((hugs)) xoxo

UPDATE REVIEWS:

**Spanki, THANK YOU so much for putting this workshop on! I was always leary of workshops because you never know what you will get out of it…I can say without a doubt this was THE BEST investment i have made in my education. I feel creatively refreshed, more confident in marketing myself and much more educated in posing/shooting/lighting/location scouting of senior photography. I am a visual person by nature and learn best by watching and doing things hands on, seeing your workflow from start to finish (she left NOTHING out) is nothing short of brillant and the bonus to me is I can incorporate these things to MY level..where I am at right now in MY journey. The guest photogs you brought in were equally impressive and helpful with everything from technical stuff to business stuff. I cannot thank you enough for putting such an awesome fun and informative workshop together and for truley caring about each of our success. ~J

**Spanki, thank you for organizing a great workshop. I learned a lot from you, and I can’t wait to implement the new ideas to help grow my business. Karlen, you are awesome. Also, thank you to the two wonderful models and the hair and makeup artist. It was a blast working with all of you on Saturday. ~T

**I cannot even begin to put into words what a great experience it was working with you at the Chicago Workshop. You were every bit as wonderful as you seemed on your blog, on Facebook and in videos. You made us all feel so welcome and that there were no stupid questions in your eyes. I would recommend your workshop to anyone looking to take their photography business to the next level. Bringing in Karlen Paset Kleinkopf, was like icing on a beautiful wedding cake. Brilliant! Both of you! Thanks again my dear. I’m blessed to know you both. ~C

Okay not really sure what I am going to call these sessions yet…Beauty. Empower….but whatever, I LOVE them. It is all about being a woman. No matter the age. Being strong, secure, bold, and beautiful. I love this and will be adding more images to this post, just wanted to show you a few so far…because my heart swoons each time I look at them!

It is HERE… my first workshop of the year!!
I am so excited to get the year kicked off in CHICAGO…one of my very favorite cities!

Over the past year I have really put some thought into all the feed back I have gotten from photographers reaching out to me for help. Many of them have had similar struggles if not the EXACT same struggles I did when I was first starting to find my way in a photography business. I want to help. Here is a FULL day of… SPANKI TELLS ALL workshop (I’d rather just call it a day with me, Spanki) because it is going to be a friend telling another friend what has and hasn’t worked in my journey. We all get that feeling of “defeat”…listen, I still have days that I contemplate setting my camera in the front yard and turning on the sprinklers… I am NOT saying I have it all figured out. BUT what I am saying is, I am here to help. Here to give you a little direction. Here to tell you what has and has not worked and help problem solve WITH you. It truly is going to be a day with friends… supporting one another in growth!

So here is the run down:

What we will go over during our day together…

• How and where to market to potential clients.
• Client interaction: emails, styling, location scouting, knowing what you are shooting for.
• Little touch on business (I am NOT a business person but I have a direction to point you in)
• Urban Senior session shoot in down town Chicago.
• Full workflow once the shoot is over. Gallery building and FULL editing process.

What the workshop includes…

• FULL 12 hour day together. 9am-9pm
• Lunch and Dinner on me!
• Little notebook with notes and room for jotting down more.
• SWAG bags with amazing discounts from my FAVORITE vendors!
• Portfolio building senior session.
• Friendships and new support system with access to Spanki’s friends FB chat group.
• SPECIAL GUEST: KARLEN KLEINKOPF PHOTOGRAPHY

What the Senior session will consist of…

• Real email interaction with a senior client (not just senior specific)
• Styling your senior
• Location scouting
• Lighting
• Shooting
• Gallery of images
• A list of my top selling senior products

Details…

• $675/person
• Class will be limited to 10 participants so each of you will get one on one time with me.
• It is preferred that you are comfortable shooting in Manual mode.
• You will be given a list of Hotels that are with in walking distance of where we are meeting and shooting.

EDITING before and after: 

**If you are ready to secure your spot SIGN UP HERE! **

If you have any questions, email me at spankimillsphotography@gmail.com

okay so I had a BRILLIANT idea… if I do say so myself I am in the planning stages of a great Senior photography retreat/workshop weekend with wine, and a special guest and a weekend in the country at my childhood home on 100 acres! There are tons of woods, pine needle padded paths, a pond, gorgeous sun sets, wine,  and so much more! I am also doing my 2012 online workshop schedule too. SO we are going to play a little game (well you are, I am just going to drink a little wine) in celebration of my passing the 10,000 fan mark on Facebook… thank you all for that HUGE accomplishment! you light my every day! xoxo to you all!!!! Ready…..

in EACH picture of the retreat home, I am thinking of ONE item for EACH image… so there will be 16 different answers! (look closely) and the person who can guess the MOST will win a FREE seat in my online workshop of their choice!!!

post your answers in ONE comment below and the winner will be announced this week!!!! did I mention there will be wine?