Hi! I’m Jennie, and I have been homeschooling since 2015. Not long, I know! I wanted to share some tricks, or things I have found to work, for working from home combined with homeschooling.

1. Find a tutorial, if possible. My boys go to a homeschool Montessori tutorial two days a week from 9-2. This is a great way to get in grocery shopping, workouts, and some work or sessions! This is a formal private tutorial, so it doesn’t require me to do anything. It’s also amazing having a co-teacher. The teacher and I work together in many areas.

2. Year round school. This helps me tremendously. If I fall behind in work, that’s okay, because we can take time off from homeschool. When kids get sick — because that WILL happen — we can take the time to get well, and not feel pressure. We do take time off in May or June, then we start back up July 1!

3. Homeschool in the car, if needed. Bring it with you! Also, homeschool isn’t always reading and writing. Homeschool can be gardening or field trips!

4. Remember the balls: Your family is a glass ball. Your work and social life, etc. are all rubber balls. If you drop the glass one, it breaks; it needs a lot more care and needs to be your priority. If you drop a rubber ball, it always bounces back! So, when you’re in a rut, go to this. My kids come first ALL the time, even if I’m behind on galleries.

5. Find balance, especially the first year. I find it easier to book a lighter schedule at first and not be overwhelmed. Now that we have this down, I feel I can add a little more work to my load.

6. Make sure you’re getting “ME” time. This is so important. If you’re caring for the house and the kids and the clients, you will start to feel frustrated and won’t have patience for the little things.

7. Once a day, spend 20 minutes in your child’s world. Maybe they’re playing Legos. Go in their room and be there. You don’t have to be amazing, just be there! Listen to them ramble on and on. They will love it. Fill the love tanks!

8. In the mornings, I refuse to do ANY work. I solely concentrate on the boys. I teach them, make them breakfast, and I don’t answer calls, texts, or emails. In the afternoon, my work starts around 2 PM and ends between 4 and 5 PM. Then I start dinner. It works for me best this way, because if I start working in the morning, I cannot seem to transition back to mommy mode. I end up staying in work mode all day.

9. During my work hours, the boys have quiet time. We don’t do screen time, so they listen to Wow in the World Science Podcast or Sparkle Stories.

10. When you find you’re out of balance: working TOO much or not homeschooling ENOUGH, or maybe your house is a disaster (totally okay and its a rubber ball too!), step back and re-assess and start again. Have grace!

That’s it! I know it isn’t as easy as this list, but hopefully this gives you a good starting point.

Click here to read our July magazine featuring Ute-Christin Cowan!

Don’t forget, Inspired is now printable! Print your copy straight from MagCloud, and share your favorite pieces with friends, family and clients.

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Inspiration: The inspiration for this client session was the peach blossoms; each spring they turn a pastel pink and only last for about a week.  I’ve been photographing them for the past 4 years and every year it is a little bit of a guessing game with Mother Nature, to schedule the session at just the right time, to hit the peak color.  This year was no exception, as we had a rather warm end to winter and the peach blossoms bloomed earlier than normal.  For this particular session, we met at the orchard during the golden hour.  It was so beautiful there with the soft pink blossoms and the light trickling through the blooms.

Biggest Challenge: The biggest challenge was the fine balance between the sun and very little shade.  Even though the peach trees are fairly tall, they do not provide much shade while the sun is setting and I ran into a lot of dappled lighting.  I found myself needing to relocate the position of the family members to avoid bright spots on their faces or clothing.

Favorite Element: My favorite element of the session was the beautiful family!  It had been two years since they had portraits taken, and as their kids are quickly growing up, they wanted to freeze this moment in time.  It was fun to watch them interact with each other, and they presented me with many opportunities to capture their authentic expressions.  I also had a fun element of surprise for their daughter.  What the family of four didn’t know is that I brought along some glitter, and at the end of the session, I asked their daughter if she would blow glitter at the camera while I photographed her.  Her dad’s response was, “Glitter?! She loves glitter!”  Instantly their daughter’s face lit up and we topped off the evening capturing some magic.

Final Thoughts: Peach blossoms are one of the most requested times for client sessions as they provide a beautiful, soft backdrop – absolutely perfect for family portraits!

Danelle Sergent is a natural light, on-location photographer specializing in children and families serving the northern Virginia, Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and central Maryland area. You will find that she does not use many props. Her goal is to have your eye be drawn to the person in the photograph. Her style is bright, cheery, and loving.

Danelle’s work has been featured on the cover of Child Guide Magazine, as well as on a popular photography forum, In Beauty and Chaos as a featured photographer. To keep in touch with Danelle, and for session inquiries, visit Danelle’s website, Like Danelle Sergent Photography on Facebook, Follow Danelle Sergent on Twitter, and Follow Danelle Sergent on Instagram.

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Since its inception in 2009, NAPCP has created a collaborative community that educates and inspires child photographers. Our success lies ultimately in the success of our members, whom we greatly value.

As you prepare your images for submission into the Second Half 2017 International Image Competition, be sure to carefully read the Competition Rules & Guidelines. We are pleased to announce that the submission cap has been removed; you are now free to enter as many unique images as you like!

We are so excited to welcome back our illustrious judges: Barbara Breitsameter, Rob Greer, Jennifer Kapala, Julia Kelleher, Summer Murdock, and Michael Taylor.

Getting the Most Out of Your Image Critiques – Why They Are Important and How They Improve Your Business

Photographers – we all come from different walks of life. Some of us were professionally trained, some of us are self taught, and still others are a mix of the two, maybe through online schools and videos. There is no right or wrong way to learning the craft of professional photography. Together, we are all artists making a living doing what we love.

I fall into the third of the above categories. An artist all my life, I went to school for graphic design and upon winning an online competition through Amazon, I finally had the opportunity to buy a nice camera and explore my passion for capturing life and memories … not only for myself, but for others. I love what I do because I am able to express myself and share my talents with the world in ways that people in other professions cannot.

This does not come without it’s challenges and conflicts. Putting your work on display every day, for all to see, does not come without criticism. Some criticism is uplifting and positive, while other criticism is negative and can hinder creativity. When I look back at my life as a design student, going through critique after critique, over and over again, I realize that these moments of reflection on my work are what turned me into the designer and photographer I am today. If all of my teachers and clients patted me on the back for 16 years, my work today would be no better than it was when I started school. In fact, had I not had that teacher who (literally) pulled my work off the bulletin board in front of my peers, ripped it apart into little pieces, and stepped on it, I probably wouldn’t have passed senior review. Truth be told, years later, he was my absolute favorite teacher. Why? Because he forced me to push my limits and he wouldn’t accept any work from me that wasn’t my absolute best.

Photo Credit – Megan Drane of Firefly Nights Photography | 1st Place Seniors

As the NAPCP Second Half International Image Competition approaches, I am reminded of these critiques. I think what I have learned over the years applies in the same way to image critiques during these competitions. As NAPCP members, we are all given two complimentary credits during each competition. NAPCP strives to help its members improve and grow in their profession and I feel this is the greatest opportunity we have for growth and reflection on our work. Since it’s free to enter, it makes sense to spend the money on a full critique from one of the judges so that we can better understand what can be improved. Critiques, good or “bad”, are not meant to force us to completely change our style, but instead are meant to help us improve our technique so we can become better artists. Sure, some parts of a critique may be subjective, but as professionals it’s always important to consider the wants and needs of our clients so that we can make a profit. It’s also good to step back from your work and get an honest opinion from a peer about how you can improve and become better. I don’t think it’s anyone’s goal to stay in the same place from year to year.

Photo Credit – Emily Williams of Emily Williams Photography | 1st Place Toddlers

Below are 4 tips for image competitions. We can use these moments to celebrate other artists in our community, while improving our craft.

1. Remember that you are up against the best. The NAPCP International Image Competitions receive thousands of entries from professional photographers around the world. Some of your competition has been in business for 10+ years.

2. These are professional judges. Unlike other image competitions, the judges for the NAPCP International Image Competitions are carefully selected seasoned professionals. While others may like an image or give it a high score for showing a cute baby and the latest editing trend, our judges are looking for the best of the best in technical skills and impact.

3. This is an art competition. When choosing the images you’d like to submit, it’s important to keep this in mind. Unlike images your clients may like most, of their child smiling, our judges are looking for images that make an impact and and stand out from the crowd. When you are considering an image you should ask yourself if this is something they see every day or not. Try and think outside the box, and even shoot photos specifically with Image Competition in mind. Maximize your use of technique in order to achieve the highest possible score.

Photo Credit – Heather Stockett of HCS Photography | 1st Place Siblings

4. You probably won’t agree with all of the comments on your images. If you are going into a critique expecting a pat on the back, you are setting yourself up for disappointment! That’s not the definition of a critique. The best advice I can give you is to read your critiques when you get them, then come back a week later and read them again. Chances are the second time you read them you will be more open to hearing what the judge had to say. At this point, you can look through the comments and determine what you can improve upon.

I hope this helps us all to look at Image Competition with a fresh perspective! Although its main purpose is to celebrate exceptional photographers in our industry, we can all benefit from it. Remember – if no one pushes you to improve, your work won’t improve. Most often, exceptionally successful people and artists are successful because someone along the way pushed them to give 110%. Constructive criticism is a necessary piece of the puzzle of our paths to becoming the very best artists we can be.

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