Amazon Favorites | Tennis and Travel Faves

For this month’s August Amazon Favorites, I wanted to share what I’ve purchased for when I travel for destination weddings, how I’m keeping my editing desk organized, and my favorite tennis apparel for when I’m on the court this Summer and Fall. Let’s jump in…

Travel ⁠

- Loop earplugs are a MUST-HAVE for wedding days and when I'm traveling.⁠ I have worn earplugs for as long as I can remember at weddings and events because, boy, it’s LOUD. I also hurt my ear one time standing too close to a speaker and it took about a year to heal, so lesson learned. I love these Loop Experience Earplugs in Black to keep my ears safe and they are very comfortable to sleep in too!

⁠- I upgraded my travel hairdryer to the T3 Micro Fit Compact Hairdrying in White and am so excited about this new compact hairdryer in my travel kit. It’s also dual voltage so when I travel across the pond to Europe or beyond, it will not get fried when I plug it in with an adapter.

⁠⁠Desk Organization:

- Keeping my desk organized has never been easier with these Magnetic Cable Clips⁠ from JoyRoom is so easy. They stick to your surface and snap closed keeping all of my cables and wires neat. I use them on my desk, on my nightstand, and in our living room too.

Tennis Apparel + Gear:

- I created a new Tennis Must Haves section inside of my Amazon Storefront with all of my favorite gear and apparel that I wear on the court.⁠ If you have been following along on my Instagram you would know that I started to play tennis again last Fall. It’s been such an incredible outlet for me to have a hobby that is not only fun but also challenges me every time I play. I’ve also made some wonderful new friends and love playing with them weekly.

My favorite tennis skirts are from Altiland - they are cooling, they have pleats and have shorts underneath. I own several colors.

Jewelry:

- I have a new jewelry obsession on Amazon. How amazing are these bangles?!⁠ I am loving adding to my current jewelry stack for really nice pieces that will not break the bank. these are so fun!

Need help submitting your weddings? Join Submission Support - Monthly Membership Community

Visit Our Shop - Get our latest Online Course, Templates, and E-Guides

Stay in the know! Subscribe to our newsletter, podcast, join our facebook group, and be sure to follow @teawithjaine on Instagram

Interested in collaborating? Please fill out our contact page and say hello!

Amazon Favorites | Travel + Editing Edition

Welcome to our new monthly blog series where I share my current and latest finds from Amazon. I love shopping on Amazon because it truly is a one-stop-shop for just about everything you could need to make your life a bit easier.

For this month’s Amazon Favorites, I wanted to share what I’ve purchased for when I travel for destination weddings, an incredible tool for editing your weddings, along with devices that make my life easier. So, Let’s jump in…

Travel

Kitsc Flat Hair Clips - Where have these been hiding my whole life? When we were in Sarasota for spring break earlier this year, I discovered flat hair clips that make lying down on the beach so much more comfortable vs. the old-style claw clip. These clips are designed to lay flat on your head meaning you can lay down and enjoy the sun without being uncomfortable. I loved them so much that I purchased two sets!

Anker Portable Magnetic iPhone Charger - I have been looking for a thin portable magnetic charger for my iPhone for a while. There is nothing worse than running out of a charge on your phone, only to realize you don’t have the right cable with you to use your portable charger. It’s happened to me too many times that I finally decided to upgrade and I’m so happy I did. I can get 2-3 full charges from this little device and I love it!

L’ANGE Hair Le Duo Grande 360 Airflow Styler - I travel a lot for weddings whether it’s to Montauk or Martha’s Vineyard and that means that I’m always looking for ways to lighten my travel bags. When I discovered this device that is a hair straightener AND curling iron in one, I knew I had to try it. I watched a few YouTube videos that helped me get the hang of it, but now that I’ve had it for over a month, I will only be packing this incredible hair duo in my carry-on luggage.

7 Compartment Pill Organizer - I’ll be the first to admit that if I don’t see my vitamins in front of my face, I will forget to take them. So this little 7-compartment pill organizer from FYY is perfect for me when I’m on the go. I fill it up with my daily vitamins and allergy medicine and I’m ready to go. I truly love finding new ways to be super organized.

Universal Travel Adapter - I’m heading to Italy and need an updated travel power adapter to convert my 110V to 220V. This little device had wonderful reviews and was recommended by a travel blogger I follow on Instagram. It was an immediate "ADD-TO-CART” and I cannot wait to try it out soon!

Microstitch Tagging Gun - This might be the best thing I’ve ever purchased from Amazon - EVER! If you ever had a dress or shirt that didn’t close or lay flat in the front, this little micro stitch tool is for you. I can add a little stitch to hold everything in place temporarily while I’m wearing a button-down top or dress. It can also help in a pinch for buttons along your waistline. Genius!

Editing Tools

Charging Base for Magic Mouse 2 Edition - As a full-time wedding photographer, I edit a lot of photos every single day of the year and during my busy season, I can’t even think about how much time I spend in front of my computer. Nothing is more frustrating than going to edit and your mouse is out of power because you didn’t charge it but with the magic mouse, you had to plug it into your computer or wall to charge but NOT ANYMORE! This ergonomic charging base for the magic mouse is a game changer. You place your mouse into the base and it clicks into place. Once inside the charging base, you can then magnetically charge and re-charge your Apple Magic Mouse. I can’t believe I JUST discovered this little hack but oh my goodness it’s a good one and I hope it helps you too!

Need help submitting your weddings? Join Submission Support - Monthly Membership Community

Visit Our Shop - Get our latest Online Course, Templates, and E-Guides

Stay in the know! Subscribe to our newsletter, podcast, join our facebook group, and be sure to follow @teawithjaine on Instagram

Interested in collaborating? Please fill out our contact page and say hello!

Pros and Cons of Outsourcing Your Photo Editing

I recently received a question from Instagram about outsourcing their wedding photos with an outside digital editor. What did I think about it and would I recommend it? Well, there are definitely pros and cons to outsourcing your digital editing but I think overall, it's a smart investment for any wedding photographer who wants to maximize their time working in the field, meeting new clients and networking with vendors.

For myself, I put off finding a outside digital editor for a long, long time. Originally, I thought I would be giving up control of my photography and it would some how make me less of a professional photographer if I didn't edit my own photos. But then I found out I was having a baby and that perspective changed real quick!! I could no longer sit at my computer for hours anymore because I physically couldn't do it! I realized that I needed help and a digital editor was going to be the best option for me to continue to run my business with the same level of customer service post baby. Honestly, looking back, it was one of the best decisions I have ever made about my wedding photography business and I wish I would have done it much sooner.

As I began my search, I tried a full service editing house that was recommended by a friend. This type of editing service employs lots of digital editors who rotate through jobs and edit your work. After receiving my completed galleries, I soon realized that I wasn't happy with my end results. Unfortunately, I wasn't getting consistent results and had to re-edit my wedding catalog, which defeats the entire purpose of hiring someone else to do it for you. Next, I contacted a boutique wedding editor who works with a small number of clients each year and could give me one-on-one attention. After many consultations about my style, I decided to part ways with my new editor because things just weren't working out. I constantly had to re-edit my weddings which became very frustrating.  So, I began my search once again and this time I looked for someone who specialized in matching digital to film photography. Since I am a hybrid shooter, this is what really matters most to me. Someone who is OBSESSED with color matching as much as I am and I'm happy to say that I finally found the right match - HOORAY!! It took roughly 2-3 weddings for us to figure out our groove, but now my final lightroom catalogues come back perfect and I barely have to touch them. Of course I still do a final review of the gallery, make my black and white selects prior to exporting and delivering my images to my couple. I always cull and put my catalogues together before sending them out for editing. As the photographer, I know the order of events always recommend that the photographers cull their own images. I would never outsource that out to anyone. However, 0utsourcing my digital editing has been a HUGE benefit and overall time saver for myself and my business.

Pros vs. Cons

Pro - Time is Money - We've all heard the saying but it's true. Before I had a baby, I had a lot of time to edit my wedding photos on my own but after my daughter was born, that all changed. I was now paying for childcare and sitting at my desk for hours so I could edit my weddings was clearly the wrong investment for me. Outsourcing was the best solution for me and even thought it was another financial investment, I gained more time to focus on my clients, booking new weddings, marketing, meeting potential and current couples, taking more photography jobs and networking with vendors. This is a biggest pro because the time I would have spent editing, I can now grow and expand my business.

Con - It's Expensive - The biggest con is that it's expensive. It can cost you anywhere from .29 to .39 an image and if you have a large gallery, it adds up very quickly. Of course you can find someone who will charge you less but they might be as good, so be sure to do your research and ask for recommendations. 

Con - Finding the Right Person Takes Time - Just like finding your mate, it can take a lot of time to find the right digital editor for you. You might have to do a few trials with several different editing houses or boutique editors till you find the right match. 

Con - Fixing Your Work - Of course it's a bummer but it happens. If you send out your wedding gallery and it comes back less than stellar, you are going to have to still sit down to re-edit and fix your photos. If your editor doesn't offer re-edits, this is a waste of time and money for you. 

Outsourcing Resource Guide:

Editing House:
Shoot Dot Edit - http://shootdotedit.com/
Raw Digital Film Lab - http://rawdigitallab.com/

Boutique Editors:
Edit Source - https://edit-source.com/
Edited By Artists - https://editedbyartists.com/

Want more Tea? One-on-One Coaching is now available! Find out more here!

Stay in the know! Subscribe to our newsletter, podcast, join our facebook group and be sure to follow @jainekershner on Instagram for the latest Tea with Jainé IG TV episode.

Greetabl Discount - Save 20% Greetabl and Greetabl Insider Pro. Use code JKERSHNER at check out.

Interested in collaborating? Please fill out our contact page and say hello!

Top 3 Tips to Culling Wedding Photos Faster

It's true what they say about being a wedding photographer, it's 10% photographing weddings and 90% everything else. You spend a lot of time in front of the computer vs. behind the camera which can be frustrating. Over the course of my wedding photography career, I've picked up a few helpful tips and tricks on how to cull and edit my photos faster which I'm so excited to share with you! Here are my top 3 tips on how to cull your wedding photography faster.

CullingWeddingPhotosFaster.jpg

No. 1 - PHOTO MECHANICby CAMERA BITS - This is hands down my NUMBER ONE recommendation for ANY photographer who photographs events, weddings or simply takes a large amount of photos at one time. The magic of Photo Mechanic is that it processes your RAW files instantly and loads the previews on your screen faster than you can blink. This makes the process of selecting your best photos incredibly fast and efficient. If you were to import your photos using Adobe's Lightroom, you'd be sitting there waiting for the files to render before you could even start your cull. You'll be waiting a painfully long amount of time before you can even start to select your photos - it's incredibly slow. Photo Mechanic is 100% worth the financial investment because it will speed up your workflow by hours and you need that time to get back out there and photograph your clients!

No. 2 - SHUTTLExPRESS by CONTOUR DESIGN - I know, this looks a bit intimidating but trust me you will learn to love it. The ShuttleXpress is a keyboard extender with programable buttons to help speed up your workflow and edit as fast as possible. I used the ShuttleXpress with Photo Mechanic and Lightroom. Since it's a programmable device, you can set it up with multiple software profiles which is amazing! For culling in Photo Mechanic, I use the ShuttleXpress to pick (T key) my selects which saves me time and my hand from cramping up by using my keyboard. In Lightroom, I use the ShuttleXpress mostly in the Develop module to copy & paste my settings, crop and rotate images, pick and flag my photos and so much more. Using the ShuttleXpress allows me to use keep one hand on the mouse and the other on the ShuttleXpress without ever having to touch the keyboard. I never have to look down to find a key to use a keyboard shortcut, which slowly eats away at my editing time by taking my eyes off of my screen. I've been using this device for several years and by now, it's second nature to me. I simply cannot work without it. 

No. 3 - START BACKWARDS - This is a tip I picked up from another wedding photographer and think it's absolutely genius! For wedding photographers, the end of the wedding usually means reception photos. LOTS and LOTS of reception photos which may or may not be your favorite part of the day :) To quickly get through this section, I suggest starting at the end of the wedding and moving your way backwards through each part of the day. This will speed up your culling time and you'll also move into the ceremony, portraits, getting ready sections more quickly. Also, specifically for digital photographers, you might take a few shots until you are happy with the final photo, which means you might have 2-3 images before you get to the final shot. If you start backwards, you will see the best image FIRST and skip over the rejects so much faster. This is such a simple tip but has efficient impact on saving you time in your culling process.

I hope you found these tips helpful but I want to hear from you! What are some time saving tips you've discovered while culling your images? Please share in the comments below!

Want more Tea? One-on-One Coaching is now available! Find out more here!

Stay in the know! Subscribe to our newsletter, podcast, join our facebook group and be sure to follow @jainekershner on Instagram for the latest Tea with Jainé IG TV episode.

Greetabl Discount - Save 20% Greetabl and Greetabl Insider Pro. Use code JKERSHNER at check out.

Interested in collaborating? Please fill out our contact page and say hello!