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When we arrived at the stunning lodge tonight, we were graciously greeted with champagne, dark chocolates (my favorite!) and a personalized welcome note. We love our clients and the incredible venues they select for their weddings. Subtle details create a remarkable experience. Superlative service = a superlative experience. We can't wait for the wedding tomorrow! Now, I'm off to enjoy the whirlpool tub in our room!

We've heard from many of you this month about ShootQ. Thanks so much for your support! We look forward to seeing you at the ShootQ Set-Up Parties. If you haven't had a chance to sign up, put your name on the list. It's free, but seating is limited.

ShootQ FAQs:

ShootQ is the result of a need LaCour had in our studio. We were struggling to organize our inquiries, keep records of client contact, organize our production/projects, and close sales. So, we designed a database-driven management tool for LaCour. We discovered that our photographer friends really needed this tool, so we began to develop it for multiple users.

ShootQ is designed to make photographers' lives simpler and their studios more profitable by allowing creative people to focus on what they enjoy doing while also allowing them to have more free time. In short, ShootQ is designed to improve your overall quality of life. It does this in three ways:

1) Organization and Efficiency. ShootQ is a tool that is designed to do the tedious work for you -- from filling out contracts and invoices to keeping track of sales leads.
2) Community. You can share leads with other photographers who use ShootQ. If you're booked already, share the wealth with a friend! ShootQ will foster true collaborative community -- we'll train photographers at ShootQ Setup Parties to use the software. We always want an experienced ShootQ user to be just one phone call away.
3) Understanding your studio inside-and-out. You amass a lot of data by using ShootQ, why not analyze it so you understand your business more fully? We designed ShootQ so that you will be able to analyze product and package profitability, referral sources, and to record vendors you've worked with for future marketing efforts. This functionality will be available in the near future.

Click here to watch a video demo.

1) ShootQ is cross-platform. It currently works with Safari and IE/Windows, but we're working on FireFox compatibility now.
2) Training. ShootQ is currently available to photographers who are trained during ShootQ Setup Parties that we're hosting in select US cities. We will be adding a few dates to the calendar, including many West Coast dates. To be notified of new dates, please sign up for our mailing list by clicking here.
3) Price. Normal pricing for ShootQ is $40 per month with an initial setup fee of $200.

We are offering a limited number of ShootQ Founding Memberships, which are lifetime, for $595. Currently, we're limiting all ShootQ memberships to those who have attended a Set-Up Party. We wish we could release to everyone immediately, but we want to carefully forge a strong community, which takes time to build and nurture. Also, we want to be sure everyone receives the support they need.

To be notified about future ShootQ developments & announcements via email, sign up on the ShootQ homepage. Also, watch the LaCour blog for the announcement.

We're excited about the future of ShootQ. Nearly everything in life is done online today -- we are literally a global community. We want to access our information from anywhere, anytime. ShootQ allows us to do this.

That Moment

When you are sitting right on the edge of something daring and scary and creative and powerful and perhaps wonderful... and you blink and take a step back.

That's the moment. The moment between you and remarkable. Most people blink. Most people get stuck.

All the hard work and preparation and daring and luck is nothing compared with the ability to not blink.

-- Seth Godin

Photographers love great love stories.

Our dear friends Drew & Kathryn just got home from France and shared their beautiful engagement story with us! Drew's words are more eloquent than mine, so I'll let him tell the story:

"The first village we visited was Rousillon. Rousillon is notable for being on a hill of ochre — bright orange red, and all the buildings in the town are bright ochre color. It has to be the most colorful and cute hill town possible.

We went into town to get some lunch. We climbed to the top of the town, past the 11th century pre-Norman church and looked down onto the old town below and saw a terrace on top of a 3-story building with red canopies. Lets go there! So, we went down to the square and realized the restaurant is actually at the top of a 3 story bookstore. Yes, a bookstore.

We go upstairs and the waiter tells us they are behind in the kitchen, and are we sure we want to stay and we say YES! He proceeds to turn away clients and the other tables empty out until its just US.

The ring is in my bag and its starting to glow. Anyway, the weather turns windy and so they move us into a 2nd floor dining room inside the bookstore, which is set up with a big country table, beautiful old white candelabras and dried flowers with books all around us. The waiter even lights the candles "pour faire plus romantique." And mysteriously, they leave us all alone.

I am trying to play it cool but the anticipation is killing me inside!

They clear the plates and ask if we want tea or coffee and we say yes and I ask them to leave us for 5 min and then bring the coffee. It was perfect.

I took Kathryn's hands in mine, told her life with her has been so expansive, so joyful, that I wanted to spend my life with her and for us to be by each other's side. She said she could not imagine it any other way.

I got out the ring, put it on and frankly neither of us remember much of what happened next! But we have some awfully cute photos and the owners of the bookstore were ecstatic and gave us a cute book on Le Bonheur du Mariage and are going to put us on their website because they have never had anyone propose in their bookstore.

Drew and Kathryn are among the most creative, generous people in our lives. We are thrilled for them to start a new journey together.

We love you guys...and you have the coolest glasses on earth!

Our friend Emilie Sommer posted this hilarious video of her dog, Dakota, gnawing on a ShootQ "Sport Flyer" (can't use "Frisbee" b/c it's a registered trademark!) I think we should hire Dakota for our next promo!
CLICK HERE to see the video — but I warn you...there's lots of slurping!