The Real Jenty

I asked Bradley to take a few photos of me… and the dogs decided that it was play time… it’s utter chaos at home!!  I think the photos are pretty awesome actually, considering Bradley is 7 years old.  I’ve done no cropping to these photos, just used a preset to pop the colours.

I finally did it… after threatening for the last 6 months… I actually started my admin on my photography business.

Mostly spurred on by the fact that I need to get my ducks in a row for the taxman… but at least it’s started.

And Oh My it’s scary!!

I had NO idea how much I’d spent in the last year on my little photography lark.  It’s no small fry.

What I’m still finishing… and that’s more strenuous because of the way I’ve recorded it… is my income from it.

I’m almost positive I made a loss last year, based on the enormity of my expenses… but I’m sure that this year is a better, more rosy picture.

And I promise to set aside one night a week for this in future!!

Naming your business is important right?  You have one try normally.

When I started my photography blog, my own domain… I decided after searching long and hard on the internet, to use my real name.  Not Jenty.

The thing is, I’m kinda known as Jenty now though, because of all my blogging over the last few years.

In fact, today, Andy Hadfield asked me why I didn’t use Jenty for my photography.  I didn’t really have a reason.  He reckoned that Jenty would suit a rock-star photographer… yet Jeanette Verster is the name for a pro-photographer.

Hmmm…. I like the idea of rockstar. I like to think of myself as not run of the mill, and kinda funky.  Yet, Jim the other day commented that he’s never seen a funky woman photographer… which made me laugh.

Anyhoo, the deed is done, it’s Jeanette for my photography, and Jenty for blogging and other social media… no wonder people are constantly confused

It takes a while for people to connect the dots and realise I’m the same person.  I’m not just a photographer… I do have a day job LOL even at work it’s confusing for people… especially when they meet me for the first time because most people at work call me Jenty too.

… I wish I did photography full time.  I got asked this morning, by a client, when I’m going to take the plunge… and the truth is I’m not ready.  It’s a scary thought, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to earn enough from it… I also think I would have to consult to top up my income.  And I don’t think I’m ready to consult until this project I’m working on is complete.  And then I’m hoping I’m not too old.

Don’t knock me for the age thing… it’s a serious worry of mine… there’s an age thing in my head about funky women photographers and I wonder how sustainable photography would be for me.

Then I got home from the shoot  this morning (which was postponed in the end anyway), and on the way I got an offer for a wedding in the middle of the week, which I had to turn down.  I had to turn down another offer for today from a corporate because I actually need to spend at least 2 hours a weekend with my kids… and I completed an invoice for a company whose function I’m doing in September only because it happens after working hours.

There’s just so much business I’m starting to turn away during the week, because it’s just not possible.  And in fact, I’m even turning away weekend work now because I need some family time too.

I hate turning things down… but I’m still not ready… not yet.  I wonder if I’m ever going to be ready.

On Wednesday evening I got a very odd phone call.  It was from Joey, who owns Ultimate Functions, to tell me that someone had used her photos on their website, and she’d noticed that one of my photos was there too.

After looking at the Perfect Kids Party site later, I saw that she was right.  A photo of a cake, that I’d taken at a party last year, was on this website’s cake-gallery.  But this “woman” didn’t just download my photo, all she’d done was display a photo from Google images and she’s linked directly to my website.  This means that anyone who clicked onto the photo, would come to my blog.

It’s not just that she stole the photo, that makes me as mad as hell, it’s that she’s implying that she made the cake.  She’s selling a skill that she doesn’t necessarily have.  It’s fraud!

Anyhoo, after checking out all the other photos on the site, I realised that it wasn’t just me. She’d also used photos of events done by Monkey Magic and she’d used cakes from overseas cake companies and blogs too.

So, on Thursday morning, I decided to phone her.  And she put the phone down in my ear when she heard what it was about!! Man, there’s nothing that makes me more livid!  She didn’t even listen to me, and thought I was Joey on the phone… she told me she’d removed that photo and slammed the phone down!

COW!

Then I got angry.  If she was just ignorant about photo usage, surely she would have removed all the images that she’d stolen after she’d received the first phone call!!

So, I’ve now contacted every single other company that she’s stolen images from too.  Monkey Magic quickly changed their image, so that there’s a massive STOLEN written across their image; but because of the way she’d linked to mine and Google has cached it, I haven’t been able to do the same.  I’ve also contacted Jozikids, where she is listed, because it seems she used some of their other images too; as well as Party Craze an Australian cake website, the Baking Shop, and Wonderful Wortel World

I’ve got a letter that’s ready and prepared to send to her ISP, but have decided to wait until tomorrow before sending it.  And that’s only because I spoke to her again on Friday night and she told me that after speaking to Merle from Jozikids that she agreed to remove them all, but she hasn’t got internet access until Monday.

She has until 8am tomorrow morning, or else her ISP will definitely know about it!!

How STUPID can one person be?! She’s destroyed the reputation of her fledgling business completely.

From looking at her Perfect Kids Party site, there’s no way to tell now which parties she’s actually done.  Maybe every single one of the photos is fraudulent, and she just got lazy when putting the page together and started linking sites instead of downloading photos.  I sure wouldn’t believe another word that came out of that woman’s mouth!

aka can’t I split myself in two?!!

I’ve taken the day off on Friday. I booked myself on another wedding photography workshop and I’ve been looking forward to it for weeks.

And then, it happened.  It was guaranteed to happen.  I get torn between 2 things.

You see, last week there was a blanket drive on Twitter, and because of my blog post about the D Hani Creche in Soweto a few months ago, the school was chosen as the recipient of all the blankets collected at the rugby on Saturday and at the #TBD in Sandton… and I’m thrilled that Mme Dipho is going to be able to try give a blanket to every child in the informal settlement.

However… they’re going to hand the blankets out on Friday… the SAME day!! I want to take photos there damnit!!

I was hoping that I’d be able to do both, but after reading the program just now, it’s going to be impossible.

I wish I could split myself in two

Maybe another blogger should do the creche story… I’m so sad I’m missing it though

Got a wedding tomorrow!! This bride contacted me in August last year to book the date

So, not going to be interacting much tonight… I’m preparing for this. Getting inspired, charging batteries and cleaning CF cards and lenses.  Packing my I-files from the workshop.  I couldn’t get anyone to second shoot with me… but it’ll be fine

In fact, I’ve completely got this organised, and have got loads of ideas from other photographers that do it alone.

Wish me luck!!

Edited:  Not too sure why I blogged this actually.  I get nervous before every single big event… and I’ve done plenty events.  I think it’s because this is the first wedding that I’ve got no backup at all.

I get asked so often about how Twitter works, and whether I get anything out of it.  And the answer is yes, I learn a LOAD through twitter, for my day career and photography… but that’s not the only reason why Twitter is so very powerful and addictive.

The power of the online community through Facebook, Twitter and blogging hasn’t been experienced that much in this country, which is why I feel I need to explain about the happenings over the last few days.

A few years ago, I “met” a Cape Town mom on a local mom’s forum, and although we’ve never actually met IRL, I feel like I know her through reading her blog and interacting with her on Facebook and the forum.  Suzanne started blogging about 15 months ago when her 3 year old son (he was 3 at the time) was diagnosed with cancer. You can read all about it on her blog.

It’s been a really rough road for the family, and I was so very very happy for them all when I read the post the other day about his last chemo treatment.  It’s been a long 15 months.

In that blog post, she explained what happened at the hospital, and then right at the very end she said that she would really like a photoshoot before Wouter’s hair grows back.

Well, if I actually lived in Cape Town, I would have contacted her there and then!! But I did the next best thing I could think of, I tweeted about her request with a link to the story, asking for photographers in Cape Town to contact me.

It took less than 15 minutes… and I got responses from 2 photographers! And I know they’ve both been in touch with her since then.

Cool hey?!! I just LOVE the Twitter community! Just love it!

I did a photoshoot at Colleen’s studio’s this morning for Babytees… and I really enjoyed the studio work.
I didn’t actually think I would…

Now I want one…

The fact that we need to build something to make it work in our house… and the fact that we really don’t have the money… is neither here nor there!

Yip, that’s me… I’m stressing about the wedding I’m booked for in Feb already!!

I went to the venue today to scout around for creative shoot locations… and I forgot to look for somewhere to do the family photos!! I even remembered about the one specific photo they requested… but to find a location for the family photos completely skipped my mind!

Arrghhh!! It’s not like I have time to wander around on the day!

To be a portrait photog is one thing… a wedding photographer is something else completely!

The whole timing thing on the day is stressing me out more than anything else… and I shouldn’t blog about it either, because I know they’re following my blogs!

I should be fine though… I know what I’m doing… I know where to go for the creatives.  It’s just daunting! I did that other wedding so long ago!

A friend of mine was stressing just as much a few weeks ago for a wedding she was booked for.  At the time I thought, how silly to be so stressed… she’s an excellent photographer… she’s ultra creative (much more creative than me)… she’s done umpteen couple shoots and portrait sessions… it’ll be a walk in the park for her!

And now I’m sitting sheepishly in the same boat.

And talking about Wedding photographers… when I was looking around for examples of photos done there, I’m shocked at how badly photographers use their sites and blogs! The post I did about the venue just now is almost on the front page of Google already!

There’s a photographer who seems to take photos there regularly, and only one of his weddings comes up on Google… I had to go hunting in his site for the rest! It’s so so silly!