Welcome to our MAKE IT SWEET w/Prairie Sweet Blog today for our latest PHOTOGRAPHER FEATURE!
We’re so excited to introduce you to The Wild Child Photography! The unique and magical nature of their photography is inspiring and just plain beautiful to look at. Check out our interview with these two amazing woman behind The Wild Child and be sure to enter our GIVEAWAY at the bottom of the post.
PRAIRIE SWEET: Welcome to Make it Sweet with Prairie Sweet! First, please tell us a little about yourselves and your business:
THE WILD CHILD: We are Kim Bear and Amy Cyphers and together we created The Wild Child. We are a small portrait studio located in Holton, Kansas. We specialize in editorial story art. We are flea market junkies who love vintage props and old books. We started from a small idea born in a coffee house (where all good ideas are made!) Our goals was to create a way to be creative, shoot what we love, and still have time for our families. So we created a monthly themed shoot idea inspired by fairy tales, imagination, and of course our own children (the true Wild Children.) We shoot together, laugh a lot together, and use each other as sounding boards for new ideas.

THE WILD CHILD: Working as a partnership is exciting and we are both so grateful to have the chance to do this together. One obstacle we had to overcome was merging our workflow. The first thing we did was to create our Watercolor Action set that created the Wild Child look. It makes it so easy now for both of us to edit our individual images and put them together as a collection.

THE WILD CHILD: Children!!! There is something so special about putting a cape on a child, giving them a doll to hold, or a crown to wear. All of a sudden they are magical. The images we love to create are timeless. We are after natural expressions found when you let a child explore and be themselves.
We offer limited story/editorial sessions for families and seniors. We might do a senior in a coffee house, or her favorite vintage bookstore. Or we might have a family fishing or jumping in puddles. We love to add motion and context to each session.


THE WILD CHILD: For me (Kim) it is not what I shoot but how I shoot. I LOVE to shoot film. I can’t get enough of it!!! I have a Contax 645 with a zeiss 2.0 lens and I am head over heals in love. When paired with Fuji 400H film it is dreamy. For me (Amy) I am a bit obsessed with my iphone and Intagram. Follow me at amy_cyphers. Composition and light still apply when shooting even with an iphone. For fun I like to shoot nature and of course my children doing the everyday and even the mundane because I realize this time of them being little is very fleeting

THE WILD CHILD: The best thing we ever did was create a partnership. Hands down. We are able to get more done, be more creative, and use our individual strengths to create a rock’in business.
PRAIRIE SWEET: That’s so great that your partnership is going so well. Will you please tell us a little about your most memorable session/client?:
THE WILD CHILD: We recently were commissioned to shoot the local prom. Which is not really our deal…but was super fun. On top of shooting formal images in front of a HUGE sunken ship background set, we set up a fun photo booth using just a simple black paper, simple props, and a remote trigger! The kids has a blast taking their own pictures. To make it really easy we just popped our speed light right on the camera.
This is an image of us (Kim right and Amy Left) having a great time in the photo booth.

THE WILD CHILD: Tip One: Do in person sales! It takes more time but you can make more money while shooting fewer sessions.
Tip two: Hire someone to do your in person sessions! haha. But really… someone who is good at sales as well as has an eye for grouping image into collections can make you a lot of money. They are able to offer suggestion and talk up your work. We think it is best to hire them on commission… the more they sell for you the more they make! win win.
Tip Three: Shoot what you love. We have been overwhelmed by the response from clients and other photographers about our work. We believe they can see how much fun we are having through our images. What we have found is that others want to be around and a part of what we are doing.

PRAIRIE SWEET: Those are GREAT tips! The in-person sales one is HUGE. I’m surprised at how many photogs STILL don’t do them. Next – Please share with us your TOP 3 TIPS for how to PAMPER YOUR CLIENTS:
THE WILD CHILD: Tip One: This tip goes back to our sales tip… meet in person. We enjoy meeting with our clients because we can help them through the buying process, which for many is overwhelming. The more support we give to them the more they trust us and appreciate the time and attention they had and feel satisfied with the whole experience and are more likely to return.
Tip Two: Make the children HAPPY. Taking pictures is stressful, especially for moms. So if we can keep it easy for moms, keep it fun for the kids, and offer simple rewards (ok…bribes) we get great images and happy mamas willing to spend money on large wall portraits.
Tip Three: Packaging. One quick thing we do is to mat and cello our gift prints (5x7s and 8x10s). It is a simple thing to do, but give a wow factor. Plus the image is protected if they don’t frame right away or is already to give as a gift.
PRAIRIE SWEET: Again, GREAT tips! Most clients DO want our advice as a expert advisor. So tell us – What is your next photography/business/personal related goal?
THE WILD CHILD: We are creating an interactive photography manual ipad/android publication that you can purchase in the app store. This tool will be used as a stand alone way to learn more about photography as well as a tool used in our Wild Child Photography Workshops. We are beyond excited about what this tool will include and offer. We have also just released our Watercolor Action Set and will start on our next set to be announced soon. As for next steps we plan to get crazy creative and continue to follow our hearts.
PRAIRIE SWEET: WOW! An app? That sounds amazing! It is evident that you ladies follow your heart. Your images are magical and inspiring. I can image any parent with images of their children in this beautiful, whimsical settings would want to blow them up HUGE on their wall to cherish forever. Thank you SO much for sharing your work and insights with us today on Prairie Sweet. We look forward to seeing what the future holds – we KNOW you will go far!!
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samantha mcdonald - beautiful!
Jennifer - While I like the tips, I loved the creative ideas in the pictures themselves more than anything. I’ll also start going to more yard sales…could use some props.
Tara - Wow! I am in love with every single one of these! Fantastic work!
Michel Fahey - The inperson sales – ooooh, that is so hard for me!!!
Siobhan Furia - I have recently started to get into Photoshop and Lightroom, and love all the beautiful actions out there. I would love to try these ones too!
Jessica - Loving the different photos here and the different styles each one brings. Thank you for the info, invaluable as always!
Cindy O'Neil - It’s all about the personal contact and making a connection! Without that emotional connection, you don’t enjoy what you love doing most!
Kristin - I had the pleasure of having Kim shoot my two older boys shortly before she moved away and started this AWESOME new venture. She is super nice and a fantastic photographer. I love the whimsical and vintage feel they add to their images. It’s very timeless and classic.
Amanda - I had never given thought about having someone else do my sales consults… I think I have found a job for my husband!!
Barbara - The “Shoot what you” comment really struck me. Sometimes, in the crunch of doing what I need to do for my business, I forget I do this because I love to do it. I have to remember to “Shoot what I love” in order to keep the creative juices flowing. I loved these images and the willingness to be creative rather than cookie cutting!
silvia - I love your tips! I will try to partice it in my bussiness, hope i ca follow your success