Hello, lovelies! This month I took a break on #fridaytips because J and I really needed some time to enjoy life and his holidays! I shoot two weddings during our holidays but besides that, I also had time to go to the beach and walk around with my love. It could be completely off but this is a special year because we´re getting married and we´ll be on vacation almost the whole September! We´re doing a road trip around Italy and I´m thinking about doing some shoots there, but only a few spots available because it is our honeymoon and we must enjoy it as it is supposed! I´ll talk about this issue next week, so stay tuned 😊

Let´s start our favorite Friday morning routine ❤

Signature Style System: I talked about this course here some weeks ago and I finally did it! I must let you know that I don´t buy workshops like crazy, in five years I only invest in two online workshops. The first one was more about technical issues and this one is about your soul, being yourself and letting go all the  "inspirations" that suffocate you. At this time of my life, I didn´t feel I need more information about how to shoot, the best poses or how to edit. I already know my style. I´m not saying that I know everything, but being an artist is about what you feel happy with, and there´s no success if you´re not being yourself or trying to be someone else´s just because he or she has success.

There is no right or wrong. No perfection at all. You need to know your camera better than you think, you need to improve every day, study technical issues because they will definitely help you to do your best with your vision or style. I loved this course and I ended up so much more confident about who I am and where I want to be. And most important, who my ideal client is. Yes, get ready because you´ll have so much work to do! I used to worry about followers, especially on my Instagram account, I really got mad because they´re always changing like I gain 10 and then loose 3, BUT now I know that this isn´t the most important. I speak from my heart, I share what I most love like I´m talking to my ideal client and this freedom makes me feel much more relaxed. I still have work to do on my site and my daily routines, but I´ve learned so many things about myself with this course that I´m already grateful for my decision. Nadia won´t tell you how to shoot, how to edit or how to pose, she has the mission to let you know the true you, what you love or hate, who you want to work with, etc...The course will close tomorrow, so you still have 24 hours to 'join the revolution'. You can read more details and join it here.

What we´ve learnt so far, the biggest pieces of advice from starting Deliciously Ella: well I´m a big fan of this girl. Why? Because I think she is genuine. This is the most important after all. This was not planned to share because she only posted yesterday but the moment I came across with her words I immediately knew that I wanted to share this with you. Her story is real. If you think that the success you see now is like a fairytale this is an excellent example that before this there was a long road, with doubts, insecurities, criticism and so on. When we have a business we want to inspire people and most of the time we don´t talk about our problems, but they´re still there on a regular basis. If you have some time, read her post. You´ll feel inspired and that you´re not alone on your freelancer trip.

50 things to do about yourself: Yes I´m a lists girl! I love to write lists for everything. Shopping, working, housework, holidays and so on. I found that on Pinterest and I want to challenge you to pick four things to do until the end of July and share it with me on comments! Deal? Get it here.

My choices:

- Go for a jog or walk by the beach

- Send a handwritten letter to a friend

- Listen to an album from start to finish without doing anything else

- Donate your old books and clothes to charity

I hope you loved today´s post! 

Amazing things going on in my instagram! Go and check it out!

Much love,

Hello, lovelies! I´m so happy with #fridaytips, I´ve received so many kinds words from all of you and also from some friends that I never thought they would read it! So, thank you so much for being such an inspiration for my heart. I feel so close to you around here and this makes me feel blessed. 💕

Let´s start today´s tips! Well, at this time of the year I prefer a cold tea instead of my beloved warm coffee!

Friends, friends of friends & special prices: Well, this is a delicate subject. I´ve been there a lot of times and you probably have too. After some bad decisions and regrets, I finally came to a clear opinion. You don´t have to do it if you don´t feel like you really want to. It is your business, you have your target client and you´re investing your time and equipment like any other work you do. To sum it all up, you are investing your money. If you think, you are paying to work. Does it make sense? These people who ask about discounts, I´m sure they love to be paid for their work too. I´m not saying to say NO to everyone, you have to evaluate each situation: the relationship you have with this person, if this kind of work will fit your portfolio and if you have the time to do it without affecting your business plan. I don´t like when people ask for a special price just because they know me or they are a friend of a friend of mine, in true I think it is rude. Nobody on this planet should question your value, only you know it. Sometimes I make special prices, BUT because I want to. And I´m happy with my decision. And most of the times to friends that didn´t ask for it or to my clients that trust and love my work and have been with me for years. It is a gift I want to give them, it´s not an obligation. If you´re not comfortable and happy giving a discount to this or that person, don´t do it. Explain you cannot do it because it doesn't fit your business plan and inform this person about the value you charge and feel happy with. People will understand it, and if they don´t, just let it go, that just means they don´t value you as an artist and your beautiful work!

70+ Terrific Blog Post Topics: I loved this! Sometimes when you know you want to talk about something but you have no idea about the title, this list will help you a lot. Or even when you´re lack of inspiration to blog maybe this can bring out a super idea! You can check it here.

Lance collective - free ebooks: Dear Portuguese friends this is for you! Filipa made some very useful ebooks to help us: site planner, copyright checklist, social media kit and so on. They are five and you can download them here for free! 

I hope you loved today´s post! 

Amazing things going on in my instagram! Go and check it out!

Much love,

Hello, friends! How about your week? Mine was full of adventures and work. I´m traveling to Algarve for the next couple of days to shoot and relax a little bit.

So, let´s check today´s tips. Grab your cup of tea first!

Being Perfect: All of us have that little desire of being perfect in what we do. Yes, I´ve been there too for a long time. Most of the times when I looked at my work I was searching for some flaws and then I spent hours choosing a photo to share on my social media. Well, this way of thinking didn´t match at all with what I truly believe about being a photographer. For me, being a photographer is to eternize emotions, let people be who they really are. There´s no way to rate an emotion like perfection. Right? I work with real people in their real lives. I´m not talking about technical issues because we´re always improving our techniques and workflow, I´m talking about our purpose in being who we are in our dream job. I wanted to share this amazing video by Nadia Meli, where she talks about this desire of being perfect.

Antler graphics: I love these graphics! And best of it, they´re free to download! You can use them in your work to make something different, announcements...Just go with the flow and do your best. You can download them here.

Being a freelancer in your family perspective: Well, I could spend hours and hours talking about this. I´ve been a freelancer for half a year and I still struggle with family perspective. I don´t know if it's because they think that I should be a pharmacist forever and a photographer isn´t a real job, but I really don´t care. It broke my heart in the beginning but I learned how to survive, in fact, I became stronger than ever. It is my life, my dream and I must at least give it a try or I will regret my attitude forever. Nowadays, I smile every time they ask how I can survive, what I think about my future or when I get old. Again: I really don´t care. I live in the present, I´m independent, I pay my bills and most of all I´m much happier now with my life. I believe that one day my family will understand my choice and be happy for me. My parents were the first ones to support me and I know it wasn´t that easy but they understand that the most important thing is my happiness and they also know that I always assume my choices and their consequences. SO, DON`T BE AFRAID. If you feel that your moment arrived, go for it! Once more, it is your life, not theirs.

8 Excuses you keep putting in between you and your dreams: yes they really are excuses. You must read this excellent post from the Collective Hub. Read it here. After you read it, get up and do something new for your business. One single step is all it takes to make way for your dreams.

Bom dia ❤ Sexta-feira de #fridaytips são as minhas preferidas! Espero que gostes das sugestões desta semana, vamos a isto?

Good morning lovelies! I love Fridays with #fridaytips, they´re my favorite! I hope you love today´s tips! Let´s start it!

Parcerias: Este é um assunto que considero importante para discussão, sobretudo por já o ter experenciado e ter a minha opinião delineada sobre o mesmo. Haverão muitas pessoas a propor-te parcerias, surgirão algumas que te vão deixar quase fula e com vontade de gritar com quem está do outro lado, mas há que ser paciente e responder sempre e com educação. Nunca deixei de responder a ninguém, mesmo que ache a proposta sem qualquer tipo de nexo e que seja um não sem pestanejar. Não é porque começaste agora que tens de aceitar trabalhar de borla para "teres visibilidade". Estas propostas de visibilidade são traiçoeiras, precisas pensar e analizar caso a caso antes de te iludures e achares que te vai trazer imensos clientes. O que falo aqui é como eu faço e baseado na minha experiência, não sou nenhuma pro neste assunto. 

Considero que antes de tudo mais analises se o tipo de clientes/seguidores da pessoa que te faz a proposta são os teus clientes target, ou pelo menos num percentagem considerável, se exsite ali de facto uma boa oportunidade para teres novos clientes. Segundo, é importante que a pessoa em questão tenha de facto alguma influência nas redes sociais: mas atenção o número de seguidores não é tudo, o que não faltam por aí são páginas com 10 000 seguidores e com 20 likes nas fotografias, o que se reflecte num engagement duvidoso. Bem sei das políticas do insta e facebook mas há como manter uma interação mínima com os seguidores. Também se vendem pacotes de seguidores e likes o que por vezes também me faz desconfiar de certas contas. Não tenho nada contra quem compra seguidores ou likes, cada um gere o negócio como acha melhor, para mim isso nunca funcionaria. Concordo em fazer publicidade com um target definido, é algo mais real e com sentido para mim. Por fim deves estar confortável e feliz com a possível parceria, é importante que gostes do trabalho da outra pessoa e muito importante: ficar tudo acordado por escrito.

Partnerships: This is an issue that I find very important to discuss with you because I already experienced it. Many people will email you about a partnership, and there will be times that you´ll get really upset and probably you´ll shout out to your computer. Breath! Relax! You don´t have to say yes, you have to calm down, analyze the situation and answer politely. I always give an answer, even when I find it ridiculous and immediately know that is a big no. Don´t think that because you´re just starting you need yo say yes to everyone that is on the market longer than you. Absolutely no! They will talk to you about a super great exposure, but don´t let yourself believe in this without doing your homework first! I´ll talk about my own experience and the way I do things, I´m not a pro on this issue. So, at first, you must investigate if their followers/clients are your target client if those people will probably be interested in buying your product because let be honest this is important for you as you´ll spend time working on your partnership. Second, followers aren´t everything. At least, you have to see engagement between the number of followers, likes and comments. I know about instagram and facebook policies but there is a minimum required. There are a lot of pages with 10 000 followers and 20 likes in a picture, let´s say this is a little doubtful. I have nothing against people who buy followers because each one of us run our business as we want to. For me it doesn't work like this, I prefer target advertising, you have the chance to reach people who match your perfect client. It is more real and makes sense for me. Last but not least you should love the other person´s work, be truly happy about working with him/her and have a written contract.

Project Planner: óptimo para gerires os teus projectos. É um caderno só para projectos, organizas as tarefas, os prazos e tudo o que achares importante. Super prático e com um design lindo! É da Pop the Bubble, podes ver aqui.

This is the best tool for your projects! You can organize your tasks, deadlines and everything you find important for your project. I love it and I find it very practical. I also LOVE the design, super inspiring! You can find it on Pop the Bubble online store, here.

Motivational quotes cards: E porque nem tudo são assuntos sérios, bora animar os nossos escritórios? E deixar recados com kilos de motivação para nós mesmas! Podes fazer download aqui.

Ok, we don´t have to talk about serious issues all the time right? Let´s add some inspiration to our workspace with lovely motivational cards. Download them here and print!

33 ways to stay creative: mantermo-nos criativas já sabemos que não é fácil, por isso, tenho a certeza que algumas destas dicas te podem ajudar. Não tens de usar todas, se escolheres umas 4 para colocares em prática já é óptimo! Podes ver aqui.

I know it is not easy to stay creative all the time, that´s why I want to share these tips with you, I´m sure some will help you. You don´t have to use them all if you pick four it will already be amazing. You can check them here. 

Espero que tenhas gostado 💕  

I hope you loved today´s post! 

Amazing things going on in my instagram! Go and check it out!

Much love,

Bom dia  👀  Gosto tanto das nossas #fridaytips!  E tu? Também sentes que isto é um boost de inspiração para uma boa pausa no fim-de-semana e um começo de semana muito positiva? Este cantinho voltou a ser aquele sítio especial onde me sinto super perto de quem gosta do meu trabalho! Aliás está ainda mais à la mim! Vai estando com o passar do tempo. Só de pensar que um dia pensei em terminá-lo, ainda bem que nunca tive coragem para o fazer.

Good morning! I love our #fridaytips! You? Do you feel that this is like an inspiration boost to enjoy your weekend and start the new week with positive thinking? I feel like this place is my home again, I love how I can connect with you people that love my work! I love how this blog is growing day after day. In the past, I thought about finishing it, thank god I was not courageous enough.

E agora vamos às tips desta semana 💘

Let´s start this week´s tips!

Creative market: é uma plataforma para compra de artigos digitais. Tenho lá uma das minhas lojas online, podes ver aqui. Aqui vendo as minhas fotografias apenas em formato digital e pareceu-me uma óptima opção neste sentido. Se és designer, fotógrafo ou o teu trabalho está realcionado com criatividade e conteúdo digital pode ser uma boa opção para divulgação do teu trabalho também. E não é tudo, todas as semanas há uma série de freegoods: desde tipo de letras lindos a gráficos e mais umas quantas coisas! Podes ver aqui.

This is a platform where you can buy digital items. I have one of my online shops there, you can check it here. In Creative Market I only sell my photos in digital files, I think this was a great option. If you are a photographer, a designer or your work is related to creativity and digital content this place is amazing to share your work with the rest of the world. And, guess what? Every week they have free goods! Check it here.

Instagram: vou partilhar aqui hoje as mudanças que fiz no meu instagram e que na minha opinião estão a funcionar muito bem. Claro que ter seguidores e likes é óptimo para divulgarmos o nosso trabalho mas nunca te desvies daquilo que genuinamente és. Melhorar mas sendo quem somos. 

As alterações que fiz: 1- mudei a descrição do meu perfil de forma a ficar simples e objectiva por tópicos, eu fiz no bloco de notas e depois copiei para o perfil do instagram; 2- penso nas fotografias em conjuntos de 3 de forma a que haja um fio condutor de mood entre elas, para que criem uma mancha visual agradável e inspiradora para queme está do outro lado; 3- faço posts a maioria das vezes com base nas estatísticas, as horas a que os meus seguidores estão mais online; 4- os hashtags são também super importantes, não os coloco na descrição do post mas sim num comentário logo a seguir (convém ser durante o primeiro minuto) a postar! Há imensos sites que têm listas de hashtags para assuntos específicos, para a fotografia usei este.

Today I´m sharing the changes I did in my Instagram. Having followers and likes is amazing to share our work but you should never be someone else, you should be always you. You can improve but stay true to yourself.

The changes I did: 1- I reorganized my profile to be simple and clear with topics, I wrote it in my notebook and then I copied it to my insta profile; 2- I always think about my photos as a group of 3 because I find important that they connect between them in some way; 3- Most of the time I post in specific hours because I check my insta statistics to know in which hours I have more online followers; 4- I have my hashtags lists and I always post my hashtags in a comment (right after I posted the photo). You can find a lot of photography hashtags lists here. 

64 Actions to attract more clients now: Um ebook gratuito que podes adquirir aqui.

Free ebook, you can download it here.

Oh Snap Boutique: templates, branding e tudo de giro para tornarmos os nossos conteúdos ainda mais atractivos. Tem pormoções bastante boas imensas vezes! Podes ver aqui.

Here you can find beautiful templates, branding and other amazing things to make your business more attractive. They have super discounts most of the time! Check it here.

Espero que tenhas gostado 💕  

I hope you loved today´s post! 

Amazing things going on in my instagram! Go and check it out!

Much love,

Ultimamente e por influência da minha amiga Rita tenho visto imensos vídeos, o J já se ri comigo porque qualquer tarefa é desculpa para ir vendo um vídeo, seja a fazer o jantar, a limpar ou a colocar a loiça na máquina. Sem dúvida uma solução prática que só precisa dos meus ouvidos! Não é nada que não me tenha já passado pela cabeça fazer, mas confesso que me assusta um pouco passar para o outro lado da câmera. Quem sabe no futuro 😊

Good morning! Friday is here and you can finally make your weekend plans and read my first #fridaytips in english. I hope you love it. I´m not used to write in english in a daily basis so I´ll do my best to improve week after week. Thank you so much for stopping by!

Lately I've been seeing a lot of videos because of my dear friend Rita. My boyfriend, J., laughs at me because every housework is perfect for me to listen to a new video! I already thought about making videos but it still feels a little bit weird for me to be in front of the camera since I´m always the camera girl! Maybe in the future, who knows. 😌

Vamos então começar? Já tens o teu café e o teu caderno preferido? 

Let´s start it! Grab your cup of coffe and your favorite notebook!

- Nadia Meli, Quiting Wedding Photography. Gostei imenso deste vídeo porque esclarece muito bem quando entramos em confusão na nossa cabeça e pensamos que já não gostamos de determinada coisa que em momentos já nos fez vibrar! O exemplo dado por acaso foi de fotografia de casamento, mas a teoria pode aplicar-se às mais diversas situações da nossa vida. Às vezes não é não gostar é termo-nos deixado engolir por determinado conceito na sua totalidade, mas cabe-nos a nós repensarmos tudo e percebermos o que é que especificamente nós gostamos de fazer dentro daquele assunto e o que é que nos causa stress ou outro qualquer sentimento menos bom! Podes ver o vídeo aqui.

I loved this video because it represents so well when we get confused about something we otherwise loved and now we just feel like we hate it! In this video Nadia talks about wedding photography but I think this perspective can be applied in many situations in our lives. Sometimes the problem isn´t about 'hating it', it is because we are so absorbed with the whole concept that we need to think about what specifically makes our heart sing and select what we will or not do. Don´t try to do everything related to it because most of the time you don´t love everything about an issue and you´ll end giving everything up. You can watch the video here.

- Instagram & facebook posts. Já lá vai o tempo de reinado do facebook e a malta precisa agora aprender a usar o instagram como uma verdadeira ferramenta de negócio. Confesso que isto para mim foi assim um pouco para o confuso. Eu tinha estas duas redes como dois assuntos totalmente distintos. Sempre usei o facebook de forma mais profissional e cuidada: os conteúdos e os textos sempre com uma linha condutora. O instagram  era o sítio onde eu achava que só iria colocar fotografias tiradas com o telemóvel e todo um estilo mais descontraído e pessoal. Só que percebi que ou eu me adaptava ou ficava para trás. Agora dedico a mesma preocupação aos 2 porque são os dois igualmente importantes para o meu negócio. Muita coisa alterei no instagram: comecei por passar o meu perfil para profissional; comecei a pensar antes de fazer os posts, a fazer um pequeno planeamento semanal sobre a questão; criei listas de hashtags que guardo no evernote no meu telemóvel; e passei a postar todos os dias! Não digo que nunca mais coloquei fotografias tiradas com o telemóvel, mas as que coloco têm de cumprir um mínimo de qualidade a que me proponho. Há imensas formas de dar vida e tornares atractiva a tua página de instagram e eu vou voltar a falar deste assunto aqui no próximo #fridaytips, com dicas mais específicas.

Facebook is no longer the top social media to promote your business. We must look to instagram like our new best friend. For 3 years I only posted on facebook in a more profissional way: my pictures and texts were organized to be coherent. I used instagram to post only phone pictures in a more personal way and most of the time I didn´t think about it as a profissional platform. But instagram come to stay! I had to change my habits and put much more effort in my posts, specially think before posting.  I made some changes: I changed my perfil to a professional one; I prepare my posts for the week; I have hashtags lits for different issues saved in my evernote; I post everyday. I still post some phone pictures but I have a minimum of quality that I believe is like a rule to do this! I will write more about this issue in the next #fridaytips. Stay tuned!

- Workshop fotografia como negócio. Este workshop é online e totalmente gratuito e estou a partilhar já com muita antecedência para não teres desculpa, irá realizar-se entre 24 de Maio e 5 de Junho. Podes saber mais aqui. Vai abordar temas como a escolha do teu nicho, conquistar clientes, veres o teu trabalho reconhecido e conseguires viver do teu sonho! Eu vou fazer e espero encontrar-te lá 😉  Depois darei aqui a minha opinião sobre o workshop, mas já me sinto super entusiasmada!

The workshop I shared above is in portuguese so, unfortunately, many of you won´t be able to attend it, but I thought about another option for you that I think is very nice too. The signature style system by Nadia Meli, you can read everything about it here. 

'You are frustrated with your business? No creativity? No inspiration? No clients? Wrong clients? Every photoshoot is a pain in the butt? Spending waaaay to much time looking for “inspiration” on Pinterest?  Overwhelmed with Social Media? No idea what your style is? No clue how to brand yourself? Drowning in this overcrowded photography industry?' If you feel this way this workshop is for you and like Nadia says it is a hard working one, so get ready!

Espero que tenhas gostado 💕  

I hope you loved today´s post! 

Amazing things going on in my instagram! Go and check it out!

Much love,