Boy did I have a lazy day yesterday or what… and it felt good. I didn’t need to be anywhere or do anything! Lately if I’m not shooting, editing, or designing albums, there always seems to be something going on. Yesterday, I enjoyed being a BUM! By 7pm, I realized I hadn’t left the house all day and I plain out looked a mess! I think sometimes we just need a day like that, no plans! My work was right here waiting for me this morning, HELLO Monday! Because all my shoots where rescheduled last week from the rain (minus the Rehearsal Dinner I shot), I was actually able to catch up on most of my work. It felt good to be back on track…. rain isn’t always a bad thing. (My palm trees need it, too!!)
I’ve been reading alot of books lately about business and setting yourself apart… being the “Purple Cow” for instance. We’ve all seen the Black and White Cows, but how remarkable are the Purple Ones? The Purple Ones are what people talk about. I can tell you that about 95% of my business is word of mouth and still sometimes it blows my mind. I just recently started advertising on TheKnot.com vendor list because I felt it would be good for me to stretch out my wings a little. After a few months, I’ll decide if it’s worth it.
After doing a lot of reading, I want to address something that I think is super important in my line of work. It’s been weighing on me. I’ve been thinking about how many Weddings I should shoot per year. As I talked about in a recent blogpost, I’ve booked quite a bit of Weddings in the past couple of months. I have about 9 Weddings booked for the rest of this year and I have between 15-20 booked for 2011. And then some for 2012. Per year, I think 25 is a good number. I want to make sure I keep time for all my portrait sessions because I love them so much! And to be honest, I am so afraid of not being able to handle booking more than 25 Weddings. ALOT goes into each Wedding from start to finish. I want to make sure that my business keeps its personal touch, because to me, its very important.
There are certain things I’ve learned from my mom as I’ve watched her handle my Dad’s business for the past 30+ years. Staying organized, always being kind, hand writing notes, making to do lists and also reminding your clients how important they are to you. She has taught me how to be responsible from a very young age, including paying every bill on time: meaning sending off a paper check, putting a stamp on it and dropping it in the mailbox. (Randy is having a hard time convincing me to do automatic draft for our bills) I just can’t, ya know why? Because my mom and grandma still do the mail method, DUH! Control freak, yes I think so. Sending a hand written note out with my contracts is something I feel is very important too, I don’t want anyone to feel like just another client or just another bride – so like I said, 25 is a good number for me.
There is only one of me and I can’t imagine giving up control of the things I’ve worked so hard at. Ranging from taking extra time at shoots when we need it, editing, emailing clients, phone calls, photo orders, shipping things out, organizing pick ups, typing each and every contract, blogging as much as I can, balancing my business checkbook, doing my taxes, attending workshops, etc….. I want to make sure non of those things fall short. I am so thankful to have Randy and Dre as my wedding second shooters, they are the best and I am so glad I get to work with them. However, the behind the scenes stuff is ALL me :)
There are different ways that I try to handle my work flow to make sure the client stays the top priority. I always work on client editing from the order that they were taken. I try not to book more than 3 Portrait Sessions per week. On weekends I have Weddings, I know that I will be doing alot of editing the following week, so I may limit it to just 1 or 2 sessions that next week. It depends on the time of year too, I don’t always have a perfect schedule, sometimes things get busy and sometimes I’m free for a week or so. (Which is usually when I dive into some type of creative project for myself) My goal is to make the best of every week.
With all this being said, I wonder where I would be if I wasn’t a photographer. It makes me really sad to think about. I truly enjoy every bit that goes into it, even the mornings I am up until 2am working. I feel like this world of photography and blogging my journey has become an extension of me. It feels nice to call something my own, if that makes any sense? I’m really happy and proud, I guess it’s similar to what it feels like to have a child? This business is my baby and I’m a bit protective of it.
Thank you to all of my clients and future clients who read my blog. This is just another way that I try to stay close to you guys and let you know more about how I do things! I want you to know what I’m up to, just as you all keep me informed about your lives. Congrats to my friends Bridget and Ryan, who’s Wedding I photographed in February of 2009. They are welcoming their first child in March 2011, Bridget already has me all lined up for Maternity and Baby pics ;) Can’t wait to capture another wonderful stage in their lives!
Bridget & Ryan
