every shoot since then, i've continued to learn something new. what works, what doesn't work. besides learning new technical things, i also learn more about my art. i keep looking at my work differently. i feel my style keeps changing. i'm not sure i like this, or that i'm trying to do it, but it is. i want my work to evolve. in the same respect, i want my business to evolve.
the more i shoot, the more interest i have from potential clients. obviously, this is great. however, i already have a different full-time job. i work 40 hours a week. i get paid vacation and sick time, with holidays off. i have a retirement plan. i have lots of great benefits. i work for the government. in my dreams, i could quit this and just be a photographer full-time. but my dreams are not reality. i live in a small town. i don't trust the industry my husband works in (mining). if people ever lose their jobs here (it would probably affect my husband) and people would stop buying pictures. this is how my brain operates. it doesn't register clients standing in the field on summer evening catching the golden hour of sun. it registers having money for the mortgage, food on the table and clothes on our backs. that part of my brain that dreams really hates the part of my brain that is obsessed with reality.
two years ago, i became very burnt out with photography. i had taken on multiple clients during the fall and was in editing hell. i had a client that shook my trust in people and taught me a valuable business lesson. i was starting to doubt my work. however, that wasn't even the worst of it all. during this time, i was neglecting the very people that meant the most to me. my family.
the actual time spent with a client is just such a small fraction of the whole process. the workflow to get your images from out of the camera, edited and into a gorgeous gallery is time consuming. i'm not complaining about it, because i love making that kind of magic happen ... however, it's not easy. it's not easy when my two little dudes just want mom. they want mom to be mom, not the photographer. i've logged many hours sitting at my computer for my business. i am so thankful to my clients for giving me the opportunity to capture their images. however, in order for my business to evolve and not crash and burn, i have to change things up.
the time to change is now.
i am going to be changing my pricing and package structure. it might not be the typical package structure people are used to, but it is what will work best for me while giving my clients what they deserve. photography is an investment. there is no better way to capture a memory than to put it on film and keep it forever. i also will be booking fewer clients. i have learned that working full-time, managing a family, making time for friends, and adding in the few things i like to do outside of photography leaves me with little time to ... sleep. honestly. i hope potential clients hang in there with me. also, since there are things i don't photograph (weddings, events, etc.), i can help you find a photographer if you need help. for real. a photograph can so easily tell a story. which leads me to the last change i will be attempting to make. i want to walk away from capturing all the 'traditional' images. sure, there will still be a hint of traditional in all sessions (for documentation sake), but i want my images to speak. i want them to tell a story to the world. i want to capture life. i'm not just looking for a cute face and a pretty smile (although that is a bonus). i want to capture kids enjoying childhood. i want to capture couples in love. i want to capture families in their daily life. i have so many big ideas. now, it's just seeing who wants to come along on this new path with me.
the last thing i want to change (or improve upon) is to take more time to shoot my own family. the entire reason i ever started down this road was to be able to better capture the daily life of my own family. the big events, the milestones, and the everyday life that we often take for granted. i want my own treasures captured as well.
so, things will be changing soon. i hope that my clients (past, present and future) understand. i feel honored every time i recieve a compliment on my work or each time a client books a session. i am thankful that so many have let me capture images that hopefully will serve as a bookmark for all those great memories in their life.
this image below is from a recent maternity session. this mama welcomed twins into the world to join their older brother (shown in the image) and an older sister. it's moments like this one that i want to capture. moments like this that his mom will cherish forever.
