1st Annual Free Wedding Day Shoot Giveaway

1st Annual Wedding Day Shoot Giveaway
From Jeannie Cochran Photography
This year I have decided to do something that I hope someone finds Super Cool! I will be giving away a complete coverage package for an entire wedding day shoot, along with a choice of an Engagement Session, Bridal Session or Trash The Dress (Day After) Session. You must send in an entry story (stories must be able to be verified so no fake stories) of why the couple deserves to win!

1. Couples must be getting married sometime in 2008 and have a set date and location

2. You must send me your story about why you deserve for me to shoot your wedding for free along with a recent photo of you and your fiancée

3. The final three couples and stories will be posted here February 14th for people to vote.

4. The winner will be announced on February 29th 2008.

5. Email your story and photo to info@jeanniecochran.com


There are no strings attached--you won't be charged tax, or forced to buy anything. This is solely an opportunity for me to give a deserving couple something that I hope they will treasure for a lifetime.
Feel free to send this entry to your deserving friends--I hope to find one really special couple to do this for.

Me Ra Koh is Awesome!

Happy Friday everyone!
I've spent the day totally absorbed in a blog from Me Ra Koh and I'm hooked! This is totally the type of blog I'd love to be able to do someday for my clients as well as my photog friends. I first found Me Ra through Dane Sanders blog, but didn't have much time to really get into it. Well today I went back and dug in and have been sitting here with my laptop trying to absorb all she has to say. My eyes hurt, my butt is numb, but I still can't stop reading. I am just totally stoked when I find a photographer who has such a huge open heart like this. The tips and tricks and information she gives so freely is just priceless. Not to mention her work is beyond OUTSTANDING! I have to share this with you! So settle in your favorite spot, grab yourself something to drink and get ready to be hooked! Check it out, I promise you'll be thanking me !!

2nd shooting with Amy

I have been so blessed to be able to 2nd shoot with Amy Harcar of Harcar Photography located in Whitehall Oh. Amy is like an open book, willing to teach and share everything with me freely. I met with Amy for the first time at her home, and she proceded to give me so much information about her business and how to improve mine, that by the time I left, I felt like I had been through a mini workshop.

I've never had more fun at a wedding than I did with this one. The bride and groom were absolutely fantastic to work with. Our coverage started with the bride and her girls getting ready before the wedding, ( I love when brides opt for this) and continued past our allotted time at the reception. We were having so much fun it didn't even matter. There were no surprises or mishaps this time, just my tired back and aching feet after a long day and 800+ pictures from me alone.

I'll be shooting more weddings with Amy this year, so keep checking back for updates.

Never put all of your eggs in one basket!

I was so stoked, and so honored to be a 2nd shooter for the first time with David Rorhrick. David instantly made me feel right at home beside him even though my nerves had been doing quite a number before the wedding. I learned a very valuable lesson while shooting with David. A few days before the wedding I contacted David about buying some new flash cards, mainly..what size cards should I get? I wanted to make sure I had enough to hold all my images from start to finish. I had seen some 8GB cards and was thinking of purchasing a few of those. David pointed out that he never puts all of his eggs in one basket and suggested I purchase my cards in 2GB and 4GB sizes. Following David's advice, I started by shooting the ceremony with a 4GB card, then switched to a 2nd fresh, brand new formatted card when we got to the reception. Half way through the reception I got an Error message in my camera, and could no longer shoot any pictures. Thinking the card was full, I reloaded with a 3rd flash card and continued shooting. At the end of the day, I handed over my cards to David to download on his laptop, giddy with anticipation to see the amazing shots I thought I had. David couldn't get the 2nd card to download! But's it's a brand new card I exclaimed!

Hmmm.....both other cards downloaded just fine, so it wasn't my camera or my shooting. I ended up taking the error reading card to Cord Camera to have them look at it and see if they could get my images. Long story short...the card was a dud! My images were forever lost. Unless I wanted to pay an extravagant amount to have my card shipped off and expertly downloaded by some technical wizards, I was out of some precious wedding reception and details images. I'm so glad I learned this lesson early on. Had I purchased my 8GB card and shot the entire wedding on one card, I could have lost the ENTIRE wedding! This also points out the significance of having a 2nd shooter. Had I been the only one taking pictures, it would have been a disaster! So many moments from the day were lost. We must keep in mind at all times we are at the mercy of our equipment and sometimes equipment, no matter how much we spend on it, fails. Thanks for teaching me such a valuable lesson David!

Here are a few of the images that were spared from my eye opening experience.

#34 buy 24-70mm 2.8L USM Lens... CHECK!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me....better late than never right!?!

Yesterday I received my new Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens! WHOOHOOO!

This lens is like butter, and when it locks onto focus it's Amazing! I also (along with my think think think before spending news years resolution) got my official back up camera. Instead of purchasing my coveted 5D...I settled for another 30D camera body.

Check back tomorrow for some pics of recent weddings I shot as a 2nd shooter........

101 in 1001

Every business has to have a map, a business plan, and set goals. Putting everything down in writing keeps it all up front and fresh in your journey. There is sooooo much more to my photography business than just snapping pictures and making prints. I don't have all the answers to my million and one questions, but each day I work not just on my pictures, but I work on my business. I have a few favorite photographers that I really admire...too many to list all of them, but upon reading Mellissa Jill's blog I found a really fun thing to do to keep my business and personal goals on track, and too see how far I've come after more of my journey has passed. Mellissa Jill directs us over to Jessica Claire for a more detailed description of 101 in 1001. The goal here is to write down 101 goals you plan to accomplish in 1001 days. Whether I reach them or not is yet to be discovered. By putting them out there for everyone and myself to see will make me work even harder to bring them to completion. The journey has begun....here are my goals.....
(I'm not completely finished with my list yet...I'll update it as I go along) ...but you get the idea

101 GOALS IN 1001 DAYS

1. buy a Canon 5D
2. 2nd shoot with 5 local photographers
3. go to a PUG meeting
4. buy a fisheye lens
5. meet with David Jay
6. attend a photography workshop in columbus
7. go to a WPPI convention
8. take the kids camping w/4wheeler
9. 2nd shoot w/ Melissa Jill
10. take an advanced photoshop class
11. learn Adobe lightroom software
12. hold monthly outings with my friends
13. do a family portrait session for my sister Amy
14. do a family portrait session for my bro Joshua
15. Move my family and my business to ARIZONA!
16. get prints made for my home gallery
17. design a sample wedding album of my work
18. attend a bridal convention
19. attend Party of 5 with [b]ecker
20. develop a work flow and stick to it
21. improve my website until satisfied w/portfolio
22. learn how to get videos on my website
23. workout consistently for 6 months
24. lose 50 pounds
26. attend a photography gallery or show
27. get a wedding published in a bridal magazine
28. book 20 - 25 weddings in a year
29. win a photography award
30. organize my office
31. book 30 high school seniors in a year
32. take a vacation in Mexico
33. visit Arizona again
34. buy a canon 24-70mm L series zoom lens (completed 1/15/08)
35. throw a party
36. get my laptop set up to have Internet access on the road
37. shoot a destination wedding
38. grow my hair really long
39. learn sign language
40. take the kids to disney land
41. get a new designer blog
42. read a book a month for 6 months to improve my business
43. attend a Pictage PartnerCon convention
44. blog everyday for 3 months
45. develop a newsletter & send out once a month
46. sell my house a make a nice profit
47. attend OneLight Workshop
48. go hiking with the family
49. go on a bike ride with eddie
50. go horseback riding with friends
51. get another tattoo
52. visit Los Angeles for the kids to take an acting class
53. take the kids to Los Angeles for an audition
54. go camping in the Arizona desert
55. shoot my first wedding in Arizona
56. meet and/or 2nd shoot w/Jessica Claire
57. meet and /or 2nd shoot w/ Jasmine Star
58. attend workshop with Millie Holloman and Lauren Clark
59. take the family to visit on the ocean
60. meet and/or 2nd shoot w/ [b]ecker
61. photograph the Jolie-Pitt Family
62. visit Africa
63. become part of a charity organization
64. mentor another photographer (if I ever get that good)
65. teach a workshop
66. meet another deaf photographer
67. go to a football game with Eddie
68. set a "date night" with Eddie and go each month for a year
69. go on a real "honeymoon"
70. get a designer logo
71. meet Mike Colon
72. start a Columbus PUG Group
73. hold my first PUG meeting
74. have a guest speaker at my PUG meeting
75. shoot 3 beach sessions
76. order some "textures" from Jesh DeRox
77. develople and implement a "win a free photography session" contest (completed 1/17/08)
78. shoot a "trash the dress" session
79. visit a state I've never been to (oh boy there are PLENTY)
80. earn enough money to get a 2nd Cochlear Implant
81. go shooting at Night
82. attend Rimrock Workshop
83. buy a 28mm 1.8 lens
84. attend Brianna Graham workshop in Michigan
85. get accepted into Bella Pictures
86. go on a wine tour with Eddie
87. hold a monthy photography project for 12 months
88. shoot fireworks
89. get a professional tripod
90. start a section for photographer tips in blog
91. work on brand indentity
92. get published
93. go to the drive-in movies
94. buy a new car
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101 !!

Editing is cool !

I have come a long way from a year ago, when I really told myself it's do or die.

Walking away from something so steady as I had with my day job was a panic attack all of it's own. It's been a really wonderful, but slow ride so far and I can't wait to see what the new year brings. I have a long way to go, but I've learned a lot and I'm eager to soak up more. In a year from now, I'll be so much better than I am today. The great thing is, I LOVE what I'm doing. I love meeting new people and doing something special to make their lives intertwine with mine. I love being able to do something for them that I'm totally proud of.

One of the biggest things I've learned in the last 6 months is working with Photoshop. The session doesn't end when I'm finished snapping pictures. It has just begun!

Editing is really cool, but still a pain staking process for me. I think I've got it figured out pretty good, but I get better, all the time. I just keep learning and practicing. It's hours and hours of time. And I have spent hours and hours each month reading and studying as if I'm still in school!

This coming year I have set a personal goal for myself to learn to shoot completely manuel, as well as learn to use my Flashes on camera and off. Oh yeah...then there's learning how to set up the flashes and lighting and how to use the camera settings along with the pocket wizards and all the other gadgets in between. I want to learn to get the picture as close to perfect in camera as I can. So there's not much more to do after that expect perk it up some and make it pop.

Check out a few before and after pictures of the recent Arizona vacation Eddie and I took in November. We went scouting the area looking for housing, checking out the scenes, and just trying to have a great time.

Making ordinary pictures into something more is so groovy. This is what I do for a living! How cool is that!!

I take a picture that looked like this straight out of camera...

And make it look like this.......

Eddie realized he's inside the eye of a skull. Whoa, I think he's right! I'll probably print this one out. I love it! Here's another.....a picture of Eddie looking in a truck in the desert dull and flat.....straight out of the camera.

Now it's a piece of Art!

A few more examples...

Eddie and I had a such a good time in Arizona! We can't wait to visit again, and soon move our entire family there! Here are a few more from our trip.


Even professional photographers have to have fun and take pictures just for ouselves. (sorry they are soooo small ) I need to figure out how to fix that

We visited this cool Western Ghost town out in the desert. We wore shorts and broke a sweat just standing to watch the "Gun Show" the local actors put on every hour on the hour. Remember....it's the End of November here guys...it reached into the 80's in temperature today.





No matter where we were while we were in Arizona, when you looked up on the horizon you saw mountains. I just fell in love with the whole experience!


my attempt at using sun flare....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here we are again, a brand new year! I've updated the look of my website, I was going for something fresh and clean. Something that keeps my goals right there up front, a reminder each and every day.
My New Years Goal is to relocate my family and my photography business out west.
I've always been a warm weather girl. I've lived in Ohio my whole life and I HATE the cold!
I love the look of fall and winter here, but let me tell you, it seems like the cold dark damp winter just does a number on my moods and my health. I'm always at my happiest and healthiest in the warm heat and fresh air of summer.
For a long time I've longed to head West with my family. This past 2007, Eddie and I took a trip to Arizona, and fell in love.
As I've researched for my photography business, I've learned to think in a more business oriented way. I know I need to invest in workshops and conventions. I need to soak up as much information I can, and network with other photographers. I'm hoping that while I do this I can make some lifelong friends.
Every time I see a cool workshop I would love to go to, it's out west in California, Arizona, Nevada. Many more are located in Florida, or New York, Virginia or Texas. Anywhere but here in Ohio. What's up with that?
What better excuse to move out west than to improve and build my business! Works for me.
I am so excited to get started with 2008. I have so many things I want to accomplish in the up and coming year!
So here a just a few of my New Years Resolutions ...what are yours?

Lose weight! ( but of course)
spend more time on myself
have a date night each month with my hubby ( no kids)
spend more time with my kids
be a more patient wife and mom
spend more time with my friends
give my new business everything I got!
think think think before spending
set my prices for my business and stick to them without being overcome with guilt about charging prices for my professional services (I'm trying to build a business ya know)
face all of my fears head on and WIN

I think that's it for now. I've been working on this super cool list that I'll share soon called 101 in 1001 (I'll explain it all later)
For now.....Happy New Year!!!