B.e.U. – My life, My Love, My Photography » Changing the vision…

It was Thursday, 3am, my phone buzzed “She’s Gone.” Fast Forward.

He stood, and the tears began to fall down my face. I had done so well, until that moment. He grabbed the microphone, standing beside his mother for the last time, and he began to sing. My heart dropped to the pits of my stomach, because I knew in that moment, the strength of my friend, Shawn. In that moment, I felt a peace come over me, and told myself, “He’s going to be alright.” For he did something braver than anyone else, and sang for his “Mama” one last time… If I’d never felt the love from Shawn for his mother, I knew right then, she was and always be his heart…

This was my Sunday, my Valentine’s Day. Fast Forward.

She went suddenly. There are no words, no service is in NY, going to be in Trinidad, sorry for the lost. This was a text. WHAT?!?! Enough said.

This was my Thursday. Fast Forward.

As I walked out of the church, felt my head literally pop, the migraine burst on the scene, and I remembered my phone had rang… the news, “Tasha, she’s gone…”

He sang so beautifully as his fingers barely touched the keys on the keyboard. The walls were white trimmed in a deep eggplant purple. The flowers were red and white, red being her favorite color. I wore red. Silence had filled the room, minus the whimpers of sadness in the air, it was breathtaking. To see my birth year on an obituary, reality check. To see her children sit just a mere 2 feet away from her, and know they would grow up without her, it was chilling. “It’s over now, I feel like I can make it, the storm is over now…” are the words to the song. I’d heard so many times over, but yet in that moment, it had new meaning.

This was my Saturday. Fast Forward.

Ah. I wished my phone would stop ringing. Every time it rang, it was BAD News. As I was getting ready for dinner, the house phone rang. She gasped and began to cry. “He’s gone, and has a newborn baby, what will they do, they said on the other end of the phone.” Again, I sighed.

This was my Friday. Fast Forward.

I have been quiet for a reason. Even now I am not sure of what to say really, but I did feel I owed some explanations… So in short, it was 10days, 4 people, and alot of tears… but I am here.

To Ms. Vesterine, Victoria, Marsha, and Leonard Jr… All so young… gone too soon. You’ll be missed, but God had a greater need for you than that of man. “Vous êtes des anges dans les cieux de Dieu maintenant, nous vous aimons” Au revoir mes amis au revoir…

I picked up the camera again today for the first time in a 10days professionally… Here’s a sneak peek.. Happy Sunday!

Today is that day. The day when I stopped asking “Am I doing everything I can to make my clients feel special?” With permission, I’m going to share a small piece of my day, today….

The email:

Ms. Prescott,

Impressed. That’s what my fiance’ said when he went to the mailbox last night. We had arrived home late, and so we couldn’t call you RIGHT THEN. We met with several photographers, before we called you. To be honest, three people had mentioned your name, Tasha Prescott, but since I hadn’t heard of you before, after all the wedding blogs I have followed for the last six months, there was no point in looking at your work is what I thought. I wanted the BIG NAMES.. Little did I know, your name is a big NAME, well your nickname, Ms. T. So I went to your website, and firstly, I have the say, the music is awesome(Love me some Badu), the website is amazing, and the pictures are on point. While all of those things are great, the thing that sealed the deal was the things people said when I asked had they heard of “Ms. T.” Not one bad word. There was a common thing said though… Her smile. I didn’t get why these people would say that to me, the bride, until we met. You exude professionalism. When you walked in, it was as if some famous person had come in, everyone was stopping to give you a hug, and just say, hi! You obviously are there often, or something. I’m like oh boy, why did I not know about this woman. Then, I got it. I understood why they said, it’s her smile. Tasha, your smile is a show of your entire spirit in a nutshell. You had us at “Hi, I’m Tasha!” There is truly an anointing on you. Your presentation and way of doing things is a sign of confidence in your work as well as yourself. Thank you so much. I was sold in that moment, but it was when we opened your card last night that I was completely sure we had made the right decision. Thank you so much for your professionalism. I can NOT wait to see what God brings forth through you for our wedding day pictures, oh sorry, “Our memories.” I’ll remember that forever, it’s more than just “pictures,” it’s your memories of the moment you became one. I LOVE IT! Girl, keep doing what you’re doing!

Sincerely,
Excited July Bride…

The text:

Hey Lady, We got your card, OMG, too cute pic of you btw. You know you got it going on! More excited! June come on!

The phone call:

“Tasha, we got your thank you card. It truly shows just how professional you are,” she said. Thank you for treating us just like every one else, because Sometimes when you know someone or are familiar with them at least, we get lax on our professionalism. We are impressed! You are amazing with design as well. We absolutely love our website, and can’t wait for what’s in store in Jamaica. Keep doing what you do!

April bride & groom.

Some may wonder why is she sharing that? It’s not to brag, it’s not to impress, either. I’m sharing so people know, it’s the simple things. Eighty-nine percent of my business is referrals, perhaps because of…. The simple things. Happy Tuesday!

Love my branding finally…. it’s simply put.. ME

BOUDOIR! The word “boudoir” (pronounced boo-dwar) is from a French term meaning a woman’s bedroom, dressing room or private sitting room.

Boudoir images should reflect a sense of intimacy, sexiness, and femininity, and do not require nudity. Plenty of women would LOVE to do these types of images, but are either shy, afraid, or clueless of their own beauty. That’s where a woman photographer will make you comfortable as well as capture the true essence of the shot…

Boudoir isn’t about being a super model, or even a flawless beauty. Women of all shapes, sizes and colors are beautiful beings, and it’s our job to capture you in the most flattering way. So put fear aside and put your faith in me, the photographer, who is changing the vision…

While some may do boudoir photos for their significant others, some may do just for themselves in need of feeling beautiful. We have even had bride’s present their new husband’s with boudoir albums on their wedding day… The ideas are endless… Let’s talk and make it happen… Ask about our special for Valentine’s now through Feb 10, 2010…

It was the 90s. She worked with my mother, and had the cutest little plump little boy I’d ever seen. He had these chubby cheeks that you just don’t forget. It wasn’t before long, she was a part of the family, and all these coincidences were mind blowing. From names, to looks, just alot of things that made you say “Hmmm.” I was the baby of course, and she and my sister (Shanell), became pretty close. The odd thing is, people always said… “Wow they look alike.” To this day, as I was editing the pictures, someone said “Wow, they look alike.” It’s just how it was.

It wasn’t before long that when you saw one, you saw the other. I won’t even go into the jokes, but let’s just call them “Peaches & Apples”, when I got a little older and tagged along, I suppose I picked up the name, Lemon, lol! As people often times, grow up, they lose the roots of friendship, and lose touch. This is the case here as well. We are all human, and it happens. The thing is, true friendships will always have some sort of connection, but when someone becomes your family… It’s for life no matter what. Tonya, you are our family for life.

As most probably have noticed, I don’t do a lot of events. Well, let me change that, I do events, but I rarely post them on the blog or the website, as that is not the focus of BeU. For family, I’ll do almost anything… Tonya called me and asked me to shoot her birthday party, and of course since I was available, I did.

Tonya, thanks for believing in what I do enough to honor me to be your photographer. I know how to find you now, perhaps now we won’t lose touch again (hint hint). I hope you had an amazing birthday, and I wish you many more to come! Love you, T.

I’ve had several consultations lately that turned into business Q & A sessions with me. I’ve been trying to figure out why people want my advice on business, and a client put it best with this… “People know your work, by the time they meet with you, they already know they will hire you, they’ve seen your work, but the thing they don’t know is your business ethics. When they sit down and have a conversation with you, they really get to know you. It’s obvious that you love photography, but even more, you know your BUSINESS inside and out. That my friend, intrigues other business owners to ask how has she built her business in such a short time, in a less than stellar market?” I take that statement as such a high compliment.

In response to that, I’m not claiming to be a rock star in business, nor do I think I am. I’m just a small business owner that decided to put more focus on my business, than I did my photography last year. Why? I was told by a very well known photographer… “Focus on business, the photography will get better with practice.” It’s the best advice I could have ever received.

Many do not know that I sold cars while in college. While most think of the typical used car salesperson, that was not me. I loved selling Acuras, seriously, but I hated the long hours (60ish a week). I learned so much from it, and I use alot of what I learned to this day.

There’s this argument all the time of whether to put pricing online or not, perhaps even just a range or rates? I believe this is a preference, really, but here’s my take from my experience. While selling cars the motto was simple “Never talk price on the lot.” What does that mean? That means get your client seated in front of you. Get to know them, let them know you, and build the value in what you do. This can not be done over the telephone or the internet. You will see a difference and your client will feel more comfortable. Sure some say well that’s an extra appointment, yep it is, but it’s also a better chance of closing the deal…

Business isn’t rocket science, but it’s just as important. Two years ago I spent $2500 on a phonebook ad. I got perhaps a 10% return on the investment. Would I do it again? No. I now use social media as my advertising and client referrals. Have I saw an increase in return? Yes, definitely. If you’re not getting the analytics on your website you’re missing out on knowing where your audience is coming from, and therefore you don’t know where to increase your presence. Business people, get smart, work smarter not harder… SEO? Don’t even get me started… Wanna know more… Book me.