I guess the only thing worse for a photographer than having a broken computer is to have a broken camera!!! I bought a new Dell laptop last November. A month later....it died. Out of the blue...dead! I lost everything that I didn't back up. They sent me a new one calling the last one a "lemon." I learned my lesson, and Iback just about everything up that I do on the computer.
Yesterday I was working on the computer, left to do something in the other room and when I came back my screen was just black and gray with horizontal lines running through it!!!! Nightmare for someone who relies on their computer for work! After spending the entire day today on the phone with Dell and at a friend's house who works on computers I need to wait til next week when someone can come out to look at it! Soooo, please be patient with me as I wait to be able to use my programs again!
Sure, I can do email on other people's computers, like I'm doing now. I can't however use my photoshop and actions that I do for editing! So this week I will be practicing some patience as I won't be able to edit the photoshoots I have done, and will be doing.
Can someone promise me I won't have another "lemon" computer after next week?
Friday, September 16, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Daniella: Senior
It's that time again! The seniors start pouring in and I get to have the best photoshoots! I love working with seniors! They are so excited about life. They are happening upon one of the most memorable years of their shool life and I get the opportunity to capture them at this special time!
Daniella is not only a beautiful girl, but someone with great character! Here is to her senior year!
I've been wanting to try this shot for awhile. The light was gone and we were trying to hurry, but I love that is is fun and different. I wish I had a little bigger frame though!
Isn't she a natural beauty?
Daniella dances and sings, and we wanted to try and capture that! She is with the Galena Street company!
Gorgeous!!!
Thank you so much Daniella and Dawn! I had a great time!! Good luck with your senior year!
Daniella is not only a beautiful girl, but someone with great character! Here is to her senior year!
I've been wanting to try this shot for awhile. The light was gone and we were trying to hurry, but I love that is is fun and different. I wish I had a little bigger frame though!Isn't she a natural beauty?
Daniella dances and sings, and we wanted to try and capture that! She is with the Galena Street company!Gorgeous!!!Thank you so much Daniella and Dawn! I had a great time!! Good luck with your senior year!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Holiday Mini Sessions!
Update: My mini sessions slots filled up so fast. In order to fit everyone in that ones a mini session I will be offering some additional time slots in the morning.
I have the following slots available (same place, same 25 min slots, etc.)
9 and 9:30, my 8:30, 10:00, and 10:30 are filled!
Holiday Mini Sessions are coming soon! Are you wanting a family portrait for your holiday cards? A quick update for your growing kids? A couple of times a year I offer mini sessions, and your chance is now to book your session. Slots are limited so sign up fast if you want a spot. I will be doing sessions every half hour from 3-5:30 at the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Gardens in Carmichael on Saturday, November 5th. Your session will last 25 minutes and you will receive 5-10 edited images on cd as well as a holiday card design. (this does not include the printed cards...you can print on your own or go through my pro lab!)
I now require a $25 deposit for mini sessions to hold your spot. This way I don't lose out when people cancel and I've turned clients away for your time spot and don't have time to refill it.
Refer a friend and you'll get a calendar design with your family or children's portraits!
I have the following slots available (same place, same 25 min slots, etc.)
9 and 9:30, my 8:30, 10:00, and 10:30 are filled!
Holiday Mini Sessions are coming soon! Are you wanting a family portrait for your holiday cards? A quick update for your growing kids? A couple of times a year I offer mini sessions, and your chance is now to book your session. Slots are limited so sign up fast if you want a spot. I will be doing sessions every half hour from 3-5:30 at the Charles C. Jensen Botanical Gardens in Carmichael on Saturday, November 5th. Your session will last 25 minutes and you will receive 5-10 edited images on cd as well as a holiday card design. (this does not include the printed cards...you can print on your own or go through my pro lab!)
I now require a $25 deposit for mini sessions to hold your spot. This way I don't lose out when people cancel and I've turned clients away for your time spot and don't have time to refill it.
Refer a friend and you'll get a calendar design with your family or children's portraits!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Why Custom Photography? New pricing list!
A lot of people ask me why custom photography costs more than large photography studios. If you have ever been to a studio like JC Penny, Picture People, etc. you know how chaotic your visit can be. Often you end up waiting for a long time as you are moved in and out like cattle. You don't get very much time, and you don't know who your photographer will be. Yes, you often get your pictures right away, but you often only walk away with a million prints of one pose.
From step one with custom photography you get some one on one attention. I take time to make sure we choose a location you like. That we style a shoot towards your personality and we work with your schedule as best as possible. Custom photography takes A LOT of work! There is so much more behind the scenes than the actual taking of the pictures.
*Set up/clean up of studio (and cleaning my home for clients.) I wish I had a "studio" room where I could just leave everything set up, but for now I don't so this step takes awhile.
*Taking pictures (usually a 1 1/2 time frame but doesn't include the driving to and from locations). For newborns, seniors and weddings, the sessions are obviously longer. Taking the pictures is the BEST part of photography!
*Selecting pictures: Ahhh, sifting through the favorites, this takes more time than I'd like. The comparing of similar pictures to find the best takes forever. I need to find a faster workflow.
*Editing pictures: This is the most time consuming part. I like for every picture to stand out and look it's best. I also have a hard time narrowing pictures down to the number I say the client will be getting. I put way too much time into this part of the business. Once again, I need a better work flow.
*Blogging/sneak peeks: This part takes awhile too, but I like to be able to share my sessions with everyone. I'm not the best with words, so I try to make my pictures speak for themselves. I'm starting to not like the "sneak peeks" so much as I don't ever get to see the clients first reaction. They see it online, and I'm not even there! Bummer! I'm starting to offer "viewing" sessions for this reason. I'm also putting the pictures into a slideshow with music to view on the big screen. Clients can order a digital copy of the slideshow to share with friends. It's hard to tell how much someone likes their pictures through an email or a comment.
*Placing Orders: Not every client of mine chooses to order prints, but when they do it takes a little time to get the orders in! I wish every client ordered at least one professional print. Their quality is far superior to any out there.
*Designing cards/announcements: Any specialty products require time and effort to design.
*Hours and hours learning/researching, etc.
After taking a good long look at how much time I spend with each client, I would say it averages from 5-7 hours per client depending on the session. I realized I was making pennies on the hour. I started to wonder if this was a good thing for my family as I spend so much time attached to my computer for literally nothing. I used to raise my prices every year around June, but I was too busy this summer to sit down and do it! So, as of September 1st, their will be new pricing for my services. They will be posted in the Current Pricing tab. If you have already booked, or have been trying to schedule a session, the current pricing will stick to that session. After that, everyone will be getting the new pricing.
My session fee, will be just that, a session fee! It will cover my time and talents only. Digital cds and prints will be available for purchase. I have struggled with raising my prices in the past because I want nice portraits to be available to everyone, but it has come at too much of a cost for my little family. Mini sessions will be offered a few times a year so that everyone can have the chance to get pictures taken. The mini sessions are not always available, just at the scheduled times. There will be a Mini Holiday Session the first Saturday in November. Details to follow.
So, the new pricing structure for this year is:
*Family/Child Session Fee: $150 for a family of up to 5 (each additional person is $25) Large groups, such as family reunions begin at $200
*Newborn Session Fee: $250 Will include a complimentary announcement design and 25 cards.
*Senior Session Fee: $250 Will include 24 complimentary rep cards and an announcement design fee.
* Wedding packages begin at $1800. Please email for more details.
*Digital cds, with the rights to print will be available for $100.
* Prints are available with a minimum of $20 for each type of print.
* I also sell albums, mini albums, calendars, place mats, chore charts, gallery wraps, standouts, frames, etc. Please inquire for pricing.
I will be putting together some portrait packages soon to save you on some custom prints when buying a package. Please watch for those.
I have had a great year and want to thank everyone that has come for business. I have been building new friendships with clients and I love what I do!
From step one with custom photography you get some one on one attention. I take time to make sure we choose a location you like. That we style a shoot towards your personality and we work with your schedule as best as possible. Custom photography takes A LOT of work! There is so much more behind the scenes than the actual taking of the pictures.
As a photographer, I do all of the following:
*1st is contacting clients whether via email, phone, etc. to set up their sessios and answer their questions.
*Scouting out locations: This one takes time, and I'm not always successful in finding great "new" locations on each "scouting" trip I do. I also have two young kids, so it's not that easy to do hiking, etc. I wish I knew the area a little better.
*Set up/clean up of studio (and cleaning my home for clients.) I wish I had a "studio" room where I could just leave everything set up, but for now I don't so this step takes awhile.
*Taking pictures (usually a 1 1/2 time frame but doesn't include the driving to and from locations). For newborns, seniors and weddings, the sessions are obviously longer. Taking the pictures is the BEST part of photography!
*Selecting pictures: Ahhh, sifting through the favorites, this takes more time than I'd like. The comparing of similar pictures to find the best takes forever. I need to find a faster workflow.
*Editing pictures: This is the most time consuming part. I like for every picture to stand out and look it's best. I also have a hard time narrowing pictures down to the number I say the client will be getting. I put way too much time into this part of the business. Once again, I need a better work flow.
*Blogging/sneak peeks: This part takes awhile too, but I like to be able to share my sessions with everyone. I'm not the best with words, so I try to make my pictures speak for themselves. I'm starting to not like the "sneak peeks" so much as I don't ever get to see the clients first reaction. They see it online, and I'm not even there! Bummer! I'm starting to offer "viewing" sessions for this reason. I'm also putting the pictures into a slideshow with music to view on the big screen. Clients can order a digital copy of the slideshow to share with friends. It's hard to tell how much someone likes their pictures through an email or a comment.
*Placing Orders: Not every client of mine chooses to order prints, but when they do it takes a little time to get the orders in! I wish every client ordered at least one professional print. Their quality is far superior to any out there.
*Designing cards/announcements: Any specialty products require time and effort to design.
*Hours and hours learning/researching, etc.
After taking a good long look at how much time I spend with each client, I would say it averages from 5-7 hours per client depending on the session. I realized I was making pennies on the hour. I started to wonder if this was a good thing for my family as I spend so much time attached to my computer for literally nothing. I used to raise my prices every year around June, but I was too busy this summer to sit down and do it! So, as of September 1st, their will be new pricing for my services. They will be posted in the Current Pricing tab. If you have already booked, or have been trying to schedule a session, the current pricing will stick to that session. After that, everyone will be getting the new pricing.
My session fee, will be just that, a session fee! It will cover my time and talents only. Digital cds and prints will be available for purchase. I have struggled with raising my prices in the past because I want nice portraits to be available to everyone, but it has come at too much of a cost for my little family. Mini sessions will be offered a few times a year so that everyone can have the chance to get pictures taken. The mini sessions are not always available, just at the scheduled times. There will be a Mini Holiday Session the first Saturday in November. Details to follow.
So, the new pricing structure for this year is:
*Family/Child Session Fee: $150 for a family of up to 5 (each additional person is $25) Large groups, such as family reunions begin at $200
*Newborn Session Fee: $250 Will include a complimentary announcement design and 25 cards.
*Senior Session Fee: $250 Will include 24 complimentary rep cards and an announcement design fee.
* Wedding packages begin at $1800. Please email for more details.
*Digital cds, with the rights to print will be available for $100.
* Prints are available with a minimum of $20 for each type of print.
* I also sell albums, mini albums, calendars, place mats, chore charts, gallery wraps, standouts, frames, etc. Please inquire for pricing.
I will be putting together some portrait packages soon to save you on some custom prints when buying a package. Please watch for those.
I have had a great year and want to thank everyone that has come for business. I have been building new friendships with clients and I love what I do!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Denise and Justin: Maternity
I had this gorgeous couple in this weekend for some maternity photos. They have waited so long to be able to have a baby, and they are so excited that their dreams are finally coming true! I had a great time capturing these images of them! They are going to be wonderful parents to their baby boy that is on the way!
Seriously, could they be more beautiful?
Yeah, she's 7 months pregnant and super tiny! Don't hate her because she's beautiful! :)
Seriously, could they be more beautiful?
Yeah, she's 7 months pregnant and super tiny! Don't hate her because she's beautiful! :)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Brianna: 5 and off to Kindergarten
I am so blessed to have this beautiful little girl in my life! She turned 5 this month and is starting to seem soooo grown up. While we were in Oregon I did a mini photoshoot of her, but I didn't have as much time as I would have liked. This girl is in heaven when she's at the beach! I know she wishes she lived there!
On top of turning 5, Brianna started Kindergarten. When did I get old enough to have a child in school? She LOVES going to school and wakes up extra early every morning ready to go. The other day she started to cry and when I asked what was wrong she replied, "I don't want you to walk me in, I want to go by myself!" I wish she was a little less grown up! :) This is going to be a great year!!!
On top of turning 5, Brianna started Kindergarten. When did I get old enough to have a child in school? She LOVES going to school and wakes up extra early every morning ready to go. The other day she started to cry and when I asked what was wrong she replied, "I don't want you to walk me in, I want to go by myself!" I wish she was a little less grown up! :) This is going to be a great year!!!
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