Goals, What are Those?...

So my husband is a better business planner than I am and actually a better planner than me in anything. I love that man as he keeps me grounded and focused, though my mind wonders too much. He has told me that a good rule of thumb when it comes to business planning is making goals and sticking to them.

So I have come up with a few for my photography, both personal and professional.

First the Professional part:

1. Have at least 2 clients a month for the first six months. After that I reevaluate.
2. Advertise as much as I can, where I can.
3. Network
4. Continue to learn
5. Make friends with other photogs in the area.

Second the Personal side:

1. Start and finish a 30 day challenge.
2. Shoot something everyday, no matter what it is or what the weather is like.
3. Keep a "photo journal" of the kids.
4. Take more photo walks.
5. Start a photo group. 

So now I need help be accountable. I'm really hoping that I can keep this all going. I have a wonderful new photog friend who I'm helping get her on the right track and hopefully we can go places together and learn and grow.
So for now these are my goals and I'm gonna go and start them and pray that I keep myself accountable. God is watching over me and He gave me this talent, now I just need to get back on my feet and put it out there.

Christmas Mini Sessions...

So I am teaming up with Amy Swaner of SixthDay Photography to do Christmas/Winter mini sessions. We have decided to collaborate to help each other out with the group of people may come to have their photos done. This event has been planned with Christmas photos in mind, so you as a client can have photos to put onto your Christmas cards this season. Also you will be have new family photos to display on your wall. We are both looking forward to hearing from you.
Don't hesitate to contact us as soon as possible, as spots are limited.
More information to come please watch out.

Where's the Restart Button...

Well for a while now I have been fighting my drive of doing photography. I even stopped taking photos of my babies. I had lost all motivation. I then had an extremely long talk with my husband about this whole situation, because he saw what was going on. Finally he had to say something. He asked what was going on as he had never in our 10 years of marriage not seen me without a camera for more than a couple days. He knows me all too well :). So after the talk we realized that some of it may be that I am fighting with God on His will for me. He gave a wonderful gift that brings joy to people and myself. I love photography, I love capturing the world around me and I love capturing the memories we all make everyday. I have love this since I was a little girl and constantly asking my mom to buy new cartridges of film for my camera. I took pictures of EVERYTHING. Well I reevaluated everything and have put my price list back together. I have my contracts, model releases and price releases made up. I have "hired" my husband as my business manager. Got all the tax forms and business part taken care of. Now I'm ready to get back into it again and now that I'm settled here in Fort Worth, I'm ready for you to contact me with your inquiries. Can't wait to hear from ya'll and help capture the memories you will cherish for a lifetime.

"Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel." - Philippians 1:27

At This Moment...

So lately, I've been discouraged about my photography. I have had one paying customer and it's like pulling teeth to get friends to let you get photos done. Really the only ones willing are my kids and my niece and nephew. I am hoping when I move to Texas it will be better. Though these last few weeks have been hectic, these next few won't be any different really.

However I have been trying (really to no avail) to do photos here and there. I've either been to lazy, tired or the weather was bad!

I have spent time with family I hadn't seen in about 4 and 8 years. It was fun, though very long! I got a lot of clothes for Taylor and some for James from my sister, she is just awesome!

We went to the zoo and I saw my BFFs new daughter and nephew!

 

 Miss Shannon above and Mr Myles below!

This last week I tried to help my in laws move out of their old place, but the kids were a nightmare, so Kris helped them out. They had one stressful week! This week and the next couple following I'm gonna attempt to not stress out about Christmas. I have all the stockings, plenty for my babies, decorations up and food planned. This weekend we have our church banquet. That should be good for some laughs. I will be bringing my camera for some special photos. 

This month I am gonna attempt to take my camera out at least twice a week just to keep my head up and get some more lovable shots of my beautiful babies. I am gonna also try and get some new ideas for this blog. Kinda like maybe "fantasy friday" or "music monday" or I choose a day of the week to share my likes, thoughts and/or new finds.

A Little Push...

I finally had my first paid photo session this past Friday. I guess my patience paid off :). I have decided since I was only getting inquiries from people/friends/family from out of state, I needed to be more proactive in my approach to getting "clientele" for my portfolio. So I went to Facebook and messaged a bunch of my friends and family in the area to see about sessions for them. I have gotten four people to contact me back. YAYAYA. I have a few set up already. Kris even got two for me from a friend he goes to school with. I'm excited. It felt really good to have that first paying job, it made it feel real. Kris said I was glowing afterwards. So now I am really working my butt to get everything going smoothly. I have all the paperwork I need, Kris is taking care of the invoice/tax/money portion, and I am working on all the software I need. All I needed really was a little push of myself and from Kris.


This is one of the "bridges" at the park where I live in Dixon.

My Little Man

My beautiful Little Lady

This is from the session on Friday: Julee and Tessa. They are both so beautiful.

Business...

So I have prayed for a while about where my photography is gonna take me and I have come up with a date to start my professional career in photography. My business with offically open in January 2013. I'm super excited for this. I have set goals for now, until then. Like my first goal is by the end of August to have all the business portion of the deal done with. End of December have the software and hardware. My husband has agreed to be my business manager.

Right now, I am taking bookings. I need to build up a portfolio for client to see my work. I have a link on this page, a tab saying "Business Blog". When I get it up and going you can go and see my sessions as I go along.

If you are in the Dixon, CA area and would like to have some photos taken of you, your child(ren), pets and/or family, Send me a message on Facebook. Please leave your number or email address and I will get back to as soon as possible.

Please note at this time I can not travel outside of Dixon, CA for shoots. Thank you.