Enjoy!!

What would you do with 1,000 true fans? As the record industry starts to to bow out to the power of the digital age, starving artists don’t necessarily have to be starving artists anymore. After reading this article, I am considering how I can use this knowledge to increase my true fans number. Being dedicated to 1,000 true fans will more than well support you and your photography goals. In our industry 1,000 true fans pays the bills and puts food on the table.

Daniel Magallanes

WQ Magazine which stands for Weddings and Quinceañeras Magazine is based in Phoenix, AZ and has a tremendous following. They are going on 4 years of providing local quinces and brides valuable information for planning their events. You can find their magazines locally at most retail outlets that sell bridal magazines. The magazine has a mixture of Spanish and English content and is printed 4 times a year.
www.wqmagazine.com

Quinceañera y Novias Magazine which has had a west coast standing for a few years now is franchising around the country to feature more localized content. They currently have localized issues for most of California, Las Vegas, Phoenix and now Chicago. This magazine is a valuable resource for finding vendors for your event. You can find this magazine at local shops that cater to quinceañeras and weddings such as bridal shops, hair salons and photography studios. The magazine has primarily Spanish content and is printed 2 times a year.
www.quincesynovias.com

Mariah’s Quinceañera was one of the highlight events of  my work last year. Mariah’s mother Peggy had done all the proper research to make sure her daughter’s fiesta was the best it could be. After a long search to find the best quinceañera photographer around, Peggy ran into me. Her search was over. LOL

We ended up having to pre shoots, one with Mariah and her family in normal everyday clothes which in the end resulted in some great family poses. During the shoot we initially focused on the family but in the end it was all about Mariah. On the second shoot, Mariah wore her Quince dress and we paraded around downtown Glendale, AZ to get some nice old town/urban shots.

Quinceañeras of this kind don’t happen everyday and when we finally got to the big day, it lived up to all of the promises. Mariah’s court consisted of all girls and one Chamberlane whom was her escort. The day started at Mariah’s home where she of course got ready and where all the court met for the limo ride to the church.

After the church ceremony, we took a cruise in the limo to Glendale’s infamous Westgate where the Cardinals’ and Coyote’s stadium reside. One day prior I had a run in with security at this place as I have in the past but it was made very clear to me that pro photographers were not allowed to take pictures on the premises. Unfortunately we had planned this moment months ago and we decided to go ahead and give it a go anyway.

I made it clear to everyone that we might be welcomed and that we had to get the pictures done as fast as possible. So I had all the girls and the one guy shuffle off the bus to the first position, we posed them quickly and got off a few shots. From the corner of my eye, I could see security walking towards us but I continued anyway. Once security was tapping at my back, I thought we were through but….. lol this particular guard decided to compliment us on what we were doing and before long, we had at least 6 security guards standing around watching us work as well as other passers-by.

We did get the shots we were looking for and continued on our way to the Quinceañera Hall called Estrella Vista Reception Center in Avondale, AZ. Once there the rest of the night went without a hitch. I would go on with the rest of the story but my time is short.

In the end I was able to get Mariah’s story featured Teen Magazine in their first Quinceañera section ever.

To see more of Mariah’s pictures visit my blog or visit my website www.azweds.com which will only be weddings soon so eventually www.azprincess.com will be my quinceañera exclusive site.

Daniel Magallanes
Southwest Styles Photography

Southwest Styles Photography specializes in unique Quinceañera and Wedding Photography. Their artistic approach creates some of the most memorable photos for you and your family can treasure forever. Southwest Styles is located in Avondale, Arizona.