Sheetal Petkar Photography at Utsav exhibition,2014

So being the typical artist who dreads the marketing part and loves photographing part of business, it was eating me up that i am not getting as many clients in. I had a lot of ideas of marketing what i do and none of them really pulled me in. So i just googled for trade shows/exhibitions in Pune and got this entire list of upcoming exhibitions. I clicked on the first link and posted a general enquiry to know how much it costs to put up a stall. The event organizer calls me and gives me the details and the next thing i know is i end up paying the advance without giving myself the space to think if i should do it. If i would have analyzed i would have definitely talked myself out of it.

Now that "to do" or "not to do" was out of question, i had to arrange for the money needed for the entire thing. (Yeah i know!) I had no clue what to expect out of the exhibition. The exhibition had an estimated footfall of 2 lakhs in the entire 11 days. All i knew was this was the way i could meet the end consumer directly and show people i exist on a big platform. The primary reason i needed to do this because my self doubt kept saying i couldn't. Fears, self doubts roaming in my head needed to rest in peace now.

The Branding stage: Even though it was going to be a 6ft x 9 ft stall, i wanted it to be the best looking space that stop people in their tracks and look. I wanted it to be a space people wanted to be in. So i focused my energies on the branding. 

I printed over a 1000 cards and brochures for people to take away.

The way i got the stall

I covered the stall with black satin and filled it with huge prints on the shelves. 

Satin background and shelves

 I put some lilies and carnations in vases so that it smelled and looked good. I put all my products i offer on display. My portfolio box of portraits, magazines, before and afters and also my promo videos, behind the scenes of the shoot and slideshows were looping on the television.

Even the name on the top of the stall, i did not want it to be the default naming with the white background. So i pasted a flex with my logo for the top banner.

A unique before & after :D

Got a standee made and placed it at the entrance. Many people saw the standee and came searching for the stall so it was totally worth it.

The Introduction/Client education stage:

Now that involves a lot of talking :D I have never spoken to so many people and so much in a single day ever! I had some really meaningful conversations with so many people. I got to tell them about why i do what i do. I could understand different requirements of people. I could study some really honest reactions from people too through their micro expressions. Some people were vaguely ignorant and rude but so many were so nice and appreciated the work. After a while you stop taking people so seriously. You just learn to move on quickly if the interaction is not so pleasant.

The Learning stage: I have been an artist and an employee before but this was the first time i felt like an entrepreneur. The exhibition showed me the spirit of entrepreneurship.I was never exposed to watching how hard people work to setup and run their businesses. I had a huge sofa stall in front of me and watching them sell their sofas all day, the technique, the hardwork, pitching to people without any fear of rejection. People coming from different cities to sell their products may it be clothes, jewellery or expensive artifacts. People manufacturing beautiful clocks with their own original designs and artistry, lamps, huge brass statues. Here a 11 day exhibition was so physically demanding for me, i was stumped when i heard some businesses do 100 exhibitions a year. It was like a bootcamp for  me in pitching, marketing, market research, sales and getting real bookings.

Starting day 3

The Booking stage: Even though everything looked good and people loved the concept of my business, the first 5 days i had no bookings. That is because i did not push anyone to book. I did not even ask people if they wanted to book now. I thought my product was good enough for them to take a step themselves. You see all kinds of awesome stuff in the market, it does not mean you buy everything. I let them go when they said they will think and get back, discuss with wife, mother, sister, friend, etc. They never get back - Lesson learnt! When they are physically present at the stall, things are in your control. Ofcourse i don't mean followups don't work, they do but you can make the most impact when they are physically in front of you. So yes by end of day 11 i made a total of 12 bookings which are spread across till the end of this year. Plus i have a nice email list i can stay in touch with and share my updates with.

On day 5

 Weekdays when the flow of the crowd was less, it was boring to sit there. It needed a lot of patience to be sitting at 1 place and doing something that is not so much in your original nature to do. I kept asking myself why am i doing this?! When people are not so pleasant, the entire effort feels pretty stupid. People have enough things to crib about, be sad about and I just want to spread some goodness in the world. Although i knew it was necessary i had to keep reminding myself of the bigger picture here.

My mission is to create Beautiful portraits of people especially women, I want every woman in my city/country/wherever to have their stunning portraits hung in their homes. I want people to exist in photographs for their loved ones. I want homes to have these huge family walls filled with portraits of people that live in them. I want them to be a reminder of love, beauty and happiness for years to come. It gives me joy every time i show somebody how beautiful they are through my pictures. And every time i dread doing something that i don't enjoy, I just need to remind myself of my mission occasionally and i get back to work ;)

Wrapping up!

How to make sure you hire the best photographer for yourself or for your important day?

Its a spectacular phase of your life. And you want to have a photoshoot that creates the best images of yourself or your wedding or any other important day. You want to own beautiful captures that reflects the essence of who you are, or creates beautiful memories of your wedding day. How do you hire an amazing professional photographer in the huge pool of existing photographers in your area who would understand your needs and capture that essence for you? 

Model : Amruta Yelmar, Photographer : Sheetal Petkar, Makeup & Hair : Bhuvini Shah

A photographer is an artist and not a commodity. If you just select your photographer on the basis of pricing, the cheaper photographer would save you money, but the expensive photographer will give you more in terms of the experience, value and service through their packages. They can provide you with products/service that the cheaper photographer would not be able to afford. The amount of time they would spend in planning your shoot would be more, giving you a lovely experience, high quality products and prints.

Ofcourse on the contrary, you might find a cheaper photographer who is a great artist who isn’t comfortable charging his real worth or you may find an expensive photographer who would give you out a mediocre result. That would be just leaving it to chance. It would be like hiring a photographer and praying they be good. How can you be sure that you are picking the right photographer for you? Can you risk compromising missing out on capturing the moments that exist in a split of a second that would mean so much for a lifetime?

Always setup a face to face meeting with your photographer beforehand. Here are 8 points you should know and check for in a photographer to see if he/she is a perfect fit for you.

1) Ask them why do they do what they do? 

What drives them to pick up their camera and click pictures?  Passion is essential for every art. If they are not doing for the love of it and just for the sole reason of making a living, chances are they won't be interested in what the images mean to you and that will reflect in your images.

2) Portfolio!  

Always check their portfolio thoroughly. Do the images he/she created, steal your breath away? Do they make you want to keep seeing more of their work even if it belongs to somebody else? Does the idea of being photographed by them thrill you, excite you? 

In today’s world, just good isn’t good enough. Don't settle for mediocrity..You deserve more than that.

Model : Pratibha Shah, Photographer : Sheetal Petkar, Makeup & Hair : Sheetal Petkar

3) Remember the camera doesn't click the picture, the photographer does! 

Just because someone owns a superexpensive DSLR doesn’t make them a great photographer. It doesn't guarantee you having stunning images of yourself. There are many more aspects to photography than just the camera. A good photographer can capture a beautiful image with any camera. You, the subject, are the more important aspect than the camera itself. The camera is just a medium of achieving the best picture that you ever have of yourself. The end result should be breathtaking and ofcourse they should be printable in big sizes. That is all that should matter at the end of your shoot!

4) How important are you and your needs/requirements for the photographer? 

Do they listen to you or keep blabbering away/ask you nothing at all and state the price directly? During your conversation/meeting with them is there a vision taking form for your shoot? When you hire someone and you pay them, you need to get the service and the quality of images that justify the price.

Model : Kashmira Shah, Photographer : Sheetal Petkar, Makeup & Hair : Sheetal Petkar

5) Do you like the photographer as a person? 

How comfortable and relaxed do they make you feel? Do you feel better about yourself or nothing at all to worse about yourself in their presence? You being comfortable for the shoot is very important. If you are relaxed, comfortable and can trust the photographer it reflects how comfortable and peaceful you look in your photographs.

6) The concept of photogenic is a myth! 

Every single person existing on this mother Earth can look beautiful in their photographs. People who are called “photogenic” are the ones who are comfortable in front of any camera and instinctively stand/pose or simply just smile in a way that shows their beauty. That does not mean the rest of the lot cannot be photographed well. Its a photographer’s job to make you comfortable, guide you, pose you, direct you. If you believe you are not photogenic, no matter what your body type, color, age, gender, teeth structure, length of your neck, broad face or 10 million other reasons you give as to why you don’t look good in photographs, the fact is - You just haven’t been clicked by a good photographer!

Model : Hema Petkar, Photographer : Sheetal Petkar, Makeup & Hair : Sheetal Petkar

7) What products/services and value does the photographer offer you in their packages? 

Ask yourself this question. What do you want to do with your images from the shoot? Hang huge prints on the wall, have coffee table books or albums, have a slideshow video on youtube..How is the quality of the products they offer? Is what they offer

8) Does your suited package, quality, service fit in your budget?  

If yes, it is a match made in heaven! If not, is the product,service and images thrill and tempt you to experience it? It might pinch you for a while but 20 years later when you look back at your images, would you look back and say “I’m so glad I did this”? If not, move on to the next. You will find your best match.

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You can always earn back the money, but the moments once gone never come back. And that is what a photographer does for you. He captures that moment and keeps it alive for a lifetime making it timeless...And that is Priceless!

Happy Photographer hunting! ;)

The real Freedom!

My last year employed at Rhythm & Hues, frankly i had been fantasizing being out of office. I used to wonder about what i could do with what i have learnt here. I would photograph, shoot films, go to amazing locations, travel probably, wake up whenever i wanted, etc, etc..It was a mere fantasy. My critical side "yeah probably u will have new problems then"..Thank god to the dreamy side of me which had 85-90% side which replied "mm..Yeah probably.. But wouldn't it be so much fun to explore!"

When i did get out first thing that i felt was that i was on vacation. And after a while it hit me! At Rhythm i had a sense of belonging. I felt i belonged to the company and now i felt orphaned suddenly. I was not doing things i fantasized of because i was confused, lost. I fought that feeling with watching Grey's anatomy day and night. I wasn't a big fan of the series but i just didn't want to stop. Its crazy how u behave when insanity strikes you.

Anyways long story short, i did get back to my senses and i cleared my vision as to what i wanted to do. Today i am truly living the life that i fantasized. I am creating art for the love of it. I have never felt so free and fearless in my entire life. I am exploring art and life like no tomorrow. Every night i sleep, i have a sense of accomplishment. I have something to wake up the next morning for. A dream, a purpose worth living for. For the first time, i don't have worry or fear dangling over my head. I feel I'm living life like its meant to live!

I got a team pretty quickly, amazing vendors. Like they say, when you are living your purpose, the universe supports you and everything just falls into your lap. i have slowly started earning money. I am loving the work i am doing and i am getting so much appreciation and encouragement from people, its humbling. It was easy to get into a temptation of getting into a job. Its safe, u feel financially secured, but its not meant for everyone. You need to decide for yourself what works for you. Nobody, not your parents, not your friends, partner, nobody can decide that. If you are not happy doing something it is not meant for you, Period. If the days of complaining, problems, depression is extending for many days, something needs to change! Do not blame it on anyone then. Don't wprry about money, Money follows. It always follows. Its been 6 months i have not been on a salary and not on a single instance have i taken a single penny from my parents. When i decided money will not control me, it will follow me, the experience has been so surreal that when i need money, it just follows. I either get a project or a photoshoot, its just there. Its surreal to see that money does not have to control you. You are the boss! Just do what you want! Follow your dreams. Jump! Your faith will catch you.

Happily sharing my first promo ever "Meet Namita!"

Meet Namita! Sheetal Petkar Promo from Sheetal Petkar on Vimeo.
Every woman is beautiful! And sometimes to Feel that you need to see it through somebody else's Eyes! Please help me spread this to more women out there..I want more women to feel this way about themselves!
For more info go to www.sheetalpetkar.com . If you would like yourself or any loved ones to be photographed please mail me at sheetalpetkar.2@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you!

Special thanks to Namita, for doing everything as i say! hehe..
My brother, Akshay for capturing the behind the scenes with his cell phone camera,
my best friend, Samik RC for composing such a beautiful piece of music in midst of his busy shooting schedule
my mom, Hema Petkar for styling and handstitching such a beautiful skirt!
and last but not the least Dinesh Jagtap for being an amazing makeup artist and an entertainer

Namita's photoshoot

So my dear friend Namita wanted a break so she came to Pune to visit me and like old times we turned it into a photoshoot :D Mom became the stylist for the shoot and she made a lovely skirt. I found Dinesh Jagtap as the makeup artist and the hairstylist for my shoot. He did a fabulous job as well. We woke up at 4 am and makeup started at 5.15am..yeah! :D We reached Pashan lake - an amazing location i had never been to before. Everything just came together - the dress, Namita, red soil, lovely pathway and amazing trees! It was very windy though..Nam wasn't as comfortable as she looks..She had goosebumps, it was so cold. But nice fun!

Dress in the making

Tea and coffee dye test on fabric

pre sunrise makeup session!

 

Getting your "gorgeous" out series! - WHY?

So as my confusion cleared and i came to a decision of starting a Makeover Portrait studio in Pune, this last month i have been working towards setting it up. Work is so much fun, i tend to happily overwork :P Living a life of purpose can be so gratifying. We hear and read about it but actually experiencing it is so completely on a different level. 

The concept of being "gorgeous" to an everyday woman is still so suppressed. Beauty has been never considered a necessity, yet we are always pulled towards it. The world runs towards it, yet hypocritically criticizing it. 

Why have a makeover photo shoot when you don't model or act? 

What's all the showoff for and what clothes are you wearing??
What is wrong with you?

Have you started modelling? 

Are you shifting careers? 

Your not serious about your work anymore! 

Makeup karnese koi bhi acha dikh sakta hai? (Anybody can look good with makeup)

All this is so fake!

Yet deep down inside, every single one of you is dying to feel it. 

When somebody compliments you at the start of your day - "Hey, you look so good today", your day is made. There is an instant effortless smile. So quick! You feel charismatic the entire day. You stay in that amazing mood, you don't get as angry at people, you do something good for somebody. So why criticize it?

Yes makeover, styling doesn't change who you are as a person, but it brings newness to the way you look at yourself. You love buying that new dress, you buy those new shoes even if its wayyyy out of your budget, you pour yourselves in hot wax, you pluck your eyebrows, you scrub and remove your dead skin, you have a different haircut, you LOVE it when something feels different. Its a stress buster. Why?? You want to feel beautiful. So painful, yet so damn satisfying.

"Getting your 'gorgeous' out series" is not just a photo shoot, its an experience of a lifetime. Your eyes in the photographs look straight at you or at your own self. They stay with you for a lifetime. They teach you how to look at your own beauty. And when you are able to see your own beauty, your world becomes beautiful.

I am still finding ways to convey this to people. Words cannot convey this experience, but only experiencing it can. So i decided to keep this as a regular thing at my studio..Didn't have the guts to do this earlier, but felt confident over time - 

Come and have a makeover and free photo shoot experience. 

Pay a session fee of Rs.2000(makeup artist, styling expenses). 

If after you see your portraits, something inside you does not shift, if you do not feel amazing, beautiful and happy, you don't need to buy any portraits at all. 

If you love them, you can buy as many pictures as you like.  

I am glad to be given such a beautiful gift of being a photographer. Even if it inspires, empowers and brings joy to a few people in this world, i'll feel honored. I'll keep photographing people, showing them their beauty forever. 

Now on, i am consciously going to let only the pictures do the talking. So here starts the series..

Two of the 4 shoots i did this month -- 

Diksha Gupta - Banker

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Dr. Nivedita Page - Anesthetist