Over 500 celebrations
Serving Dallas, TX and destinations worldwide
Since 2007
ElevateElevate your passion withLEGACYMENTORSHIP
Want to learn how to start your business, structure everything, and start your career on the right foot?
1:1 mentoring
If you want to grab a coffee and pick my brain about all things photography - I got you, boo! My hourly rate for 1:1 mentoring is $250/per hour. During these sessions, depending on where you are at, I will tailor a road map for you that we can follow. I recommend having the sessions one hour per week so you can have time to apply everything you learned between the sessions. There are no minimum requirements for how many hours you can book.
Even if you don't know anything about photography but are curious to learn, I can take you to one of my gigs so you can observe and see if this is for you. I won't take your money just because you want to throw it at me. I want to ensure you are cut out for this and that your investment will be worth it. Trying to sell whatever I can is not my style, not with my students or clients. Most of us don't have a money tree in our backyards, and I know how much effort you put into making that money. If I feel like we're not a good fit, I will tell you that - no hard feelings. If you want to give me your money, sure - I'll take it. But I don't want you to look back 3-6 months later and wonder if photography is for you and if you did make the right decision to invest in my education program(s).
mentoring Group Sessions
If you are within a certain budget and can't afford $250 for one hour - I have a solution for you! Bring your friends (minimum five people per group) with you for a group session for $200/per person for an hour or $150/per person for two hours. That way, you can reduce the per-person cost while still getting the same benefits. If you don't have that many friends interested in the program, that's ok too - I'm sure we can gather a group where you can make new friends. However, this might take a while to gather, depending on how many people want to do sessions with me within the same time frame as you. I have a private Facebook group for my students to mingle, discuss all things photography, and help each other. You can see if anyone there wants to team up with you.
Both 1:1 and group sessions will be Q&A style. I don't want to talk and talk about things you already know. Do you know how to use your camera? Great! Let's hop on to the next topic. If you want to learn something specific about how to use your camera or what my settings are for particular situations - just ask me!
So how can i help you ?
I'm probably going to circle back here soon to update the list. I've been working on this website for a full week non-stop and my brain is mush.
TOOLS I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
I've been in business for a while, and yes, I made a shit ton of mistakes - paid for a bunch of stuff that didn't meet my needs - UNTIL I found the perfect solutions. Oh yes, I will give you my special discounts too because who doesn't love freebies and discounts?
If you're a newbie, welcome to the gang!
There are some tools here that you will not immediately need. I highly recommend building your clientele and having a consistent income from photography to ensure you can cover the monthly expenses.
If you're a seasoned photographer - how did you not lose your mind and make it this far? I was losing my mind before I discovered those tools!
Come join me!
I love love love what I do. I really do. I love chatting on the phone with my prospective clients. I love doing the sessions and photographing my couples' weddings all day.
What I do not like is editing. Barf. I have spent 16 years in this business, and I've had it. I can talk on the phone all day, so there's no problem. I can do back-to-back sessions for an entire day - no problem. But when it comes to editing, I'm not going to lie: I DRAG my feet. I become the ultimate queen of procrastination.
I had concerns when AI started peaking - like any other photographer. What did that mean for us photographers? Then, as it progressed, I realized there was nothing to fear. Artificial intelligence cannot replicate me as a human being or how I interact with my clients. Sure - the "my phone takes photos too" crowd will flock to those apps and make fake portraits of themselves. But those people are not our target clientele, so there is nothing to worry about.
Let me introduce you to Imagen AI. It takes a bit to teach the software your editing style, but once it learns and fine-tunes it, it's just *chef's kiss*. This tool saved my sanity. It used to take me at least 3-4 days to finalize a 1-hour session gallery and around 6-8 weeks for a wedding gallery. Now I'm the speed of light, and my clients LOVE IT.
Oh, don't worry - nobody judges you. It's still your style, and you teach it to the AI. It's not really different than outsourcing to an editor. I tried that, too, but they drove me bonkers. I'm a perfectionist, and Imagen AI does the job right.
Click here to start.
I went through a bunch of different client management systems. The first one I used was good for a while - until they started having errors and constant crashes. It made me look so bad to my clients (and back then, I wasn't this established in the area - so it was panic attack-inducing for me to have failures like this that made me look "meh" even though it was not something in my control.)
I asked them to give me all my data so I could move on to another system - but they told me they wouldn't do that. I almost lost my shit. And no - I won't disclose their names - not here, at least, lol!
I tried several different CMS platforms, but it didn't cut it.
(Please press play and then continue reading.)
(Yes. I'm trying to set the mood here...)
Then there was Honeybook. I don't even know how I survived without them for that many years- constantly booking and juggling everything MANUALLY.
Honeybook pretty much has everything you need to manage your business;
They actually care about us and our needs. They are always improving and adding new features. A while back, they removed the ability to add GIFs to emails, and I was devastated. I loved adding that little bit of humor to my emails; it felt like they were so dry. I think I bitched enough that they brought it back within a few months. So yeah, they really LISTEN.
Within the last four years, I have been with them, it only got better.
If there's one tool I have been using for over a decade, it's ShootProof. I use this tool only to deliver galleries and offer my clients printables and digital image purchasing. You have multiple options for which print house you want to connect to your gallery system; the rest is just a breeze. Having the shop option with ShootProof brought me an additional income I hadn't accounted for, and it's just *chef's kiss*
They also have a contract and invoice system. If you are a portrait photographer only, meaning you don't have to go back and forth with your clients for a year or more, you book-shoot the session within a week or two and be done with the work once you deliver; you can use their contract and invoice tools. My work requires a lot of automated workflows (for each category!), so Honeybook is where I collect all the important stuff available to my clients/couples under one roof.
I've been working with ProPhoto since 2013, a long time before I decided to move back to the States. All I can say is they are WONDERFUL to work with. While most of my friends have been having many issues with the competitor's websites, ProPhoto has never caused me an issue. Especially after I ditched BlueHost and GoDaddy and moved everything to ProPhoto Host - life got even better and easier. I have only worked with Ben and Dan; they have been a delight and very responsive when I need help. When I do something stupid or try something with the website, the whole site may crash. *insert Ghost Busters theme music here* Who am I gonna call? Ben or Dan!
I haven't met those guys in person but working with them for 10+ years, I know what wonderful human beings they are.
The template shop pretty much has something for everyone. Best part? You can customize EVERYTHING on each template you purchase to make it your own.
The easiest and (most reliable) way to contact me is through my contact form. If you don't hear back from me within 72 hours, please send me an email at hello@taraarseven.com
1409 Botham Jean Blvd. #237 Dallas, TX 75215
Visits by appointment only.
TEL: 469-500-4121
Wed-Sun: 10 am - 7 pm
Tara Arseven is an all-inclusive Dallas, TX-based wedding and portrait photographer that offers wedding, destination wedding, elopement, engagement, surprise proposal, boudoir, family, business portrait, and fine art photography services.