Well. Heyyyy there. Happy New Year! And Merry Christmas! Oh and Happy Thanksgiving. Did you have a Spooktacular Halloween? Figured that should cover the main holidays since I last blogged. Without going into much detail, sometime around September, life got pretty messy. While I was still trying to cover sessions and weddings on top of the messiness and the rest of my personal/day job life, blogging was just put on the backburner. I unfortunately, hit a wall in October and opted to take a self-inflicted hiatus for the rest of 2011( excluding the last two weddings I had already scheduled) . Although it was an extremely difficult decision for me; I truly believe it was the right decision for me and my family.
I would like to thank my clients for being completely understanding and so thoughtful during my hiatus and I am excited to see what is in store for me this year. You are all awesome.
So, that’s where I was and here is where I am today. Any photographer will tell you that January is a time to watch other photographers’ blogs listing off goals for the upcoming year. Well, here is another one. Lucky you!
I am not a resolutions type of gal, but I am a mom now and I find that writing things down is now a necessity in life.
1. Develop a better workflow. I know some photographers may gasp at this, but I just installed LightRoom last week and I have no idea how it works. Oh and? The last version of Photoshop I used was CS2 and CS5 scares the crap out of me. This is what I do know, it is 9:00 pm before I can sit down at the computer to start editing sessions or weddings and I need to stick with a 11:00 pm bedtime (as long as my children stick with a 5:30 am wake up time). My hope for 2012 is to learn (and apparently) love LightRoom and cut my post session editing time in half. Granted, there have been many times where I am so excited with what I am working on, I don’t get to bed to 1:00 am and this is when I need a kick in the pants. So yeah, I need to get that under control.
2. Network with other photographers. Dear Colleen, Stop being overly shy and get your tushy (mom alert) out there. I am lucky enough to have access to such a wonderful network of professionals in our area and I just need to go to the monthly gatherings. Granted yes, that whole “messiness” can come into play. But in 2012, I really want to get over my fears (whatever they may be) and get there.
3. Blog Faster. Pretty self-explainable given my last blog post was September 25, 2011. Are my avid blog readers sick of seeing Sara + Craig’s wedding at the top? More on the way, I swear!
4. Develop a brand. I have spent the better part of the last four years figuring out what I want to do in the photography world. Although I have weaned it down quite a bit, I still don’t have much of an online presence nor a brand to associate with that. I am a big fan of spirit fingers, so I am going to work on that.
5. Sleep more. See # 1.
6. Better photos of O + E. Yeah, those are my kids. Twins in fact. Staring 2.5 in the face and I often get texts from my husband saying, “I need new pics of the kids.” My last reply was, “Me too.” This is a large conflict for me. I try not to shove my photography job in my family’s face. I was told not to bring my “big” camera to the zoo this summer because I start to worry more about settings and getting a shot than enjoying the time with my family. Noted. So I leave it at home and shoot quick shots on my point and shoot and then complain the quality at home. I have actually done really well at this…Maybe too well. When it comes to their milestone birthdays or events or even the dreaded Christmas card, I often find myself rushing to get their photos done. Then the reshoot. Then the proclamation that I will just take them to the Big Box Studio to have their picture taken to relieve the stress. Then I don’t. Then I settle. Then I am sad because I settled. Just get over it! Right?
7. Balance work, family + work. Yes, I still have a day job. For just a shade under a decade now, which is not too shabby given I am nearing 33 years old. As I mentioned before, I have a husband and two kids, a cat who thinks she is a dog, a house. Then I have this other job where I go and capture people’s memories while sometimes I feel as though as I am missing my own. This is where it gets hard because I enjoy summer cookouts or hitting up the local Fair. One of the great parts of doing photography in addition to another forty-hour a week day is that I don’t feel the need to say yes to everything. ::waits for my husband’s eye roll:: Ok, so yes, I have had years where I HAVE said yes to everything, which has lead to a super fun anxiety attack and a lot of sacrifices from my husband, our families and especially E + O. In 2012, I have to toughen up and not book every, single opening I have. Whereas I do appreciate the business, I should hope that client could appreciate the importance of time off as well.
8. More sample albums. I just need them.
9. Quit worrying. A good friend of mine, who is also in the wedding industry, once said to me “your biggest competition is yourself.” Seriously, this was a huge light bulb moment for me in 2011. I had been pinning over other photographers, how they are “better” or how I will never get to “do something there”, how they have better equipment, more flexibility. Blah, blah, blah poor me. After my friend said this to me, I knew that a.) I was annoying her with this and b.) it’s just not healthy. You know the crazy mirrors you see at Funhouses (or really just episodes of Scooby Doo)? That is how I was looking at my work. My friend’s comment was just the kick in the pants I needed and I have been working cut out the crap since. So thanks, you know who you are 
10. New headshots. Yeah, not a fan of being on the other side of the camera, but a necessity. Oh and new family photos, because our last ones were taken when the kids were 9 months old.
So, take that 2012 . Let’s see how you roll.
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