The Basaldua Family | Family Time | Ted Ensley Gardens | Lake Shawnee
I work at a production facility with about 150 guys and 15 women. I never talked much about my photography business at my day job until recently, until I decided that I didn't just want to be a hobbyist, because like I said a few blogs back, women/wives are normally my target audience.
But when Matt asked me a few weeks ago if I was still doing family shoots, I was pretty excited. He is probably one of the funniest and most personable guys I work with. His wife emailed me (see, the wife plays a big factor!) and we set it up. Their boys, Nathan and Adrian, were so nice. Not surprising because their parents are too, but sometimes kids and teenagers, especially boys, just don't want their photos taken. These two graciously did everything I asked.
We went to Ted Ensley Gardens at Lake Shawnee, and while there were two weddings happening/about to happen, we managed to make our way around the entire park. It changes so much with each season, and that is one of the reasons I love to shoot here so much. It never looks the same. And we only got photobombed by a squirrel once.
Also, Matt and Sarah are celebrating 16 years of marriage in a few weeks so let's wish them a Happy Anniversary!
My Built-In Model
When I found out I was pregnant at the end of 2013, I was ecstatic. Over the moon happy. And then, I was terrified. I remembering telling myself out loud "You are fine. You are totally fine."
The truth is, in the beginning, I really wanted a boy. I figured that Greg could teach him all the things boys should know, and I, as a momma, could fill in all the rest with love and snuggles. I imagined a boy in overalls and Converse, carrying a fishing poles with muddy hands. I knew a girl would be so different and depend on me to teach her about girl stuff. Pink, lacy, sparkly, girly stuff.
My longing for a little boy came from the fear of failing a little girl.
When we had our sonogram at 16 weeks to find out the gender of our little nugget, we couldn't tell. The baby had its legs stretched high over its head so the tech couldn't tell us one way or the other. That's when I knew she was a girl. It was the already apparent stubbornness.
I was right.
I then promised myself that I wouldn't be the mom who had everything pink. I was wrong on that one. Our house is very obviously the home of a little girl. Pink blankets and curtains in her bedroom. Stuffed animals and dolls. Dresses and cute shoes. Frozen toys everywhere. Hair bows.
Now, I can't imagine NOT having a girl. Being able to tell her she is beautiful and paint her tiny toe nails and buy itsy bitsy swimsuits is the highlight of my life. So naturally, I had to put her in my wedding dress and veil and capture it. Pearls and lace are her thing.
She is my favorite person.
Lesson Learned | Picking the Best Images
I am going to admit something.
I edit too many photos. Really, when I cull (choose the images to keep for galleries) I pick too many. Especially ones that are similar. I sometimes have 3 or 4 of very similar photos that I will keep just because I see a slight difference that I think might matter to the client. A change in smirks, a slight change of angle of the chin, a gust of wind that blew a few strands of hair just right in 2 or 3 frames.
And the thing is: they probably don't really care. If I chose ONE photo of a pose, they wouldn't even KNOW about the others.
I heard something a few days ago on a podcast that makes so much sense to me, and it is definitely something I need to implement in my business.
STOP GIVING PEOPLE SO MANY OPTIONS.
People trust me to take their photos and capture their most important memories, so they trust me to decide which are best. Right?!
In this day and age, there are so many options for almost every single thing in life. If you go into a grocery store to buy spaghetti sauce for dinner, you stroll the aisles and have to choose ONE spaghetti sauce from dozens of brands and flavors. Are that many people THAT particular about their sauce? They wouldn't be if they had fewer options to choose from.
So I am paring down. It really will save me time and make me more productive and efficient, ensuring a better, faster client experience.
Win, win!
Where I Want To Be In 5 Years
I have always had big goals and big dreams career-wise. I mean, I wanted to be the next Katie Couric for crying out loud. I decided i hated the media world (because of the exact tunnel vision that is so evident in today's media) but kept going to get a degree in mass media/writing and publishing. I wondered for a year, then I found a job.
And then somewhere along the way, I settled. Maybe settled isn't the right word. I became comfortable is a better statement. I had a job that paid decent money and wasn't hard. I used my degree sometimes in my work, and for me, that was okay. Comfortable.
But over the past year or so, I have come to the realization that I don't want to look back in 20 years and regret not taking the chance to really make a living from photography. I don't want Reagan to ask me why I never made a go of it. It's always been a hobby, one that slowly turned into a small business, but I want more. I have been working really hard, learning so much, and investing so much time. I think it is starting to pay off, both in clients and confidence.
My five-year plan is to be a full-time photographer. Full-time. Like a work-at-home momtographer. I want to be able to work and have happy clients and make a good income to help support our family, but still be able to take an afternoon off to go to Reagan's field trips and make treats for her class. I want to be the annoying mom who volunteers for PTO, only to organize a huge school photo for their hallway every year.
Goals. That's what I have. Big goals again. And it feels so good.
The Spilker Family | Family Time | Grinter Farms | Lawrence, KS
Sometimes you come across those families that are so fun and so spunky and full of energy that you just can't wait to edit their photos and send them out like RIGHT THIS MINUTE. That's how I felt about Ann and Tim's photos. Their twins, Kate and John, were so cute and sweet, and I could tell that those two are a team.
Tim's parents were in town from Illinois, so we managed to grab some shots with them too! It really reminded me again how important photography can be. In twenty years, Kate and John might look at these and say "Hey! I remember when we went with Grandma and Grandpa to the sunflower farm." It's all about the memories, people. The memories!