Sign up via email th_photography@ymail.com Rain date is Sunday the 20th.
.jpg)
Saturday:
9:00 taken
9:30 taken
10:00 pending
10:30
11:00
11:30
12:00
2:00
2:30
3:00
3:30
Grab your spot-leave a comment to reserve your fall mini session and send me an email.
Category Archives: Blog
.jpg)
WELCOME! It’s time, right now, for moms with a camera to learn best how to use that camera to keep memories of their family, their children, their life forever in print. We know that life passes by so quickly. At risk of repeating your parents, the older we get the faster that blur before our eyes really is. So take that camera out every day and shoot your life as it’s happening!
Together we’ll learn how to use that dslr camera you own (oh, the things that it can do that you just don’t know how to YET!), how to make that next great pinterest inspired craft, and how to enjoy the life we have while doing it.
So, join me. Sign up for these blog posts, and if you’re local to me (Richmond, VA area) shoot me an email and tell me to put you on the loop for class sign-ups! You’ll be the first to hear about any photography specials (such as mini-sessions which fill up in a heart beat!) I have coming up.
So, are you ready?
Link me to a pinterest idea you love for the fall. I’ll see you soon!!!
Pssst-here’s what I’m thinking. Nice? My Life.Camera.Shoot pinterest board!
Leave me a comment, and the first craft we do, I’ll make two and give one away.
th_photography@ymail.com
I see it and hear it on one forum after another and in women’s conversations all the time: “You’re a saint!” “You’re my hero!” “You’re SUPER WOMAN!” And those comments throw heaps of weight onto every woman’s shoulders who hears them (real or imagined). I want to scream: No, no she’s not! And, no you’re not ! And and I’m not either!
Super woman is only a good thing fictitiously speaking, and only in the strange places my husband likes to visit every Wednesday when the ‘new issues come out.’
She, Super Woman herself, has done more to create havoc in our lives than we know. Funnily enough, she’s someone we really never talk about to anyone, but ah-we think about her every.single.day. And in those thoughts, she speaks to us.
*you’re not doing enough
*you should be more like Ella, Jim’s wife…did you see the way she…?
*or, Cody’s mom: president of the PTA, room mother, snack Queen etc
*you need to lose 50lbs, get your hair colored, drive another car…and then you can try to fit in with that crowd, but until then—consider yourself, loser
*you don’t spend enough time with your children
*you haven’t fixed healthy meals recentlly — like all good moms do
*who could blame your husband for looking elsewhere when you’re sooooo tired from working and cleaning and taking care of the children 14 hours a day; he works too
*when you were younger you could, did, were _____, and now look at you
*everyone else has: a clean, tidy and organized house, well dressed (and behaved) children, plenty of money, grand date nights out every week with their husbands who gush over them, new cars that shine and purr, a college degree or two, children attending the best private schools, dinner served nightly on fine china, time for a hot breakfast (and not of the oatmeal kind), delicious lunches to go and weekends free to entertain their friends
(Are you still with me?)
Do you hear her, too?
Well, I’m so far from Super Woman. As a matter of fact, I’m as imperfect as they come.
I am sitting in a room that I’ll have to be careful to not trip over something when I get up from my desk. I think, but am not sure, my laundry room has flooring in place. In a grand valor effort, I started an exercise program this week-yesterday to be exact; I now have shinsplints. My youngest was running the dog up and down the road this morning donning in his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Boxers; it was 50 degrees. We ordered in pizza for dinner, our bank account is screaming, lunch to go means go to the fridge and see what we have, my china has remained safely in its place since we moved in 12 years ago, and the last date I had with my (yes, adoring) husband was during a work function. I think.
I am perfectly imperfect. It’s who I am. I’m good with that. You should be, too.
To portray to our children that we are perfect-super women, if you will, only proves to set them up for certain failure. For we know, the surest route to failure is to settle for nothing less than perfection. I only know of one perfect person who has ever lived, and He loved me so much He died for me. Setting our sights on perfection is the path to certain failure. Don’t get me wrong; striving for excellence is noteworthy and a goal worthy of pursuing, but alas there’s a grave difference between excellence and perfection. Only one is attainable. Think about that.
Often times, I am afraid. I am disorganized where I used to be flawlessly scheduled. I get lonely. I can feel inadequate, and for no real reason. I wish better for my children, yet I’m doing my best. I would love to win the lottery (but I don’t play it!). Every day I ponder the thorn-in-my-flesh and my physical struggles. Every day! Not often do my plans for the day and the day’s end shake hands in affirmation. My to-do list is every growing and never ending. I am imperfect.
You know the most ironic thing about all of this?
There’s only one who expects me to be perfect. (That voice in my head I listen to.) Me!!
I have succumbed to the truth that while there will be perfect times in my life (thank you, Lord!), I nor anyone else will ever be perfect in life.
I am a professional photographer. You may be wondering why I am telling you. Believe it or not, it’s a common question from others: “How do you know when you’re a professional? When did you consider yourself a professional photographer?”
Welcome to my office!
The easy ways to tell:
1. I have a business license.
One morning my home phone rang and I answered it. There’s only one reason I did, because I was still asleep and didn’t know what I was doing. On the other end a woman from our county business office began questioning me. Before my mind caught up with my half open eyes, I was fumbling with my thoughts while trying to respond. The fact is, as far as my photography was concerned, I was shooting, but I was not charging anyone anything. I was past practicing, but just slowly building a portfolio for ‘what if.’ That was a hard sell. As I explained I didn’t have a license because I wasn’t collecting any money or doing anything beyond favors, really, the voice on the other end said, “I’m on your website and I don’t believe you’ve done these photos for free.”
Now I was awake. It occurred to me that she was harassing me, or at least it seemed that way to me. I told her I was not in business and that is all she needed to be concerned with. I’m a big believer in being upstanding no matter what I’m doing in my life be it personal or business. She informed me of Chesterfield County’s rule (unwritten?), “You need a business license if you’re pursuing clients or they’re pursuing you.”
By the time I hung up the phone that day, I was a bit shaken up. I had decided it wasn’t a good time for me to be in business and yet I felt like I was being cornered into it. And, so I did. Let it be known, what the IRS says is a hobby could very well be considered a business in your county…and never charge even a penny if you don’t have the license to do so.
2. I file and pay taxes
Check out your city, county, state and federal taxing requirements, and then pay them. Enough said.
3. I know the importance of insurance for both liability and equipment.
4. I support the industry in a professional way.
My husband works for a company who sells paper and corrugated. If another in their industry came in with quality material and sold them at a mere fraction of the price, it would be detrimental to the industry, to his company and to any hope of longevity for the other one. Same is true with photography. I remember thinking I would never consider charging $30, $40 or $50 for a single 8×10 print or why it mattered to any other photographer how I did things on my end…I was so naive’ and had zero idea how to run a successful business. Things have changed, and I now help other beginning photographers with just these types of things. It’s important to build your own clientele, your own business plan and your own success while supporting your peers in this business. Not only will they be thankful, they’ll support you, too with kindess, friendship and even referrals for work. There are a million stories I could insert here, but just take the high road as you start out. No need to dig out from the bottom and throw dirt on anyone. It’s much better for everyone to just do it right from the get go.
5. I have a solid mastery of the basics of photography.
While I’m learning all the time, I can walk outside (or inside) to a session in any given weather or time of day and know where I’m going to set my wb, meter, ss, ap and iso before picking up my camera and lens. I can make adjustments on the fly and create the style I’ve grown to love and make my own. I know what I’m going to hand over to my clients and I am confident that it’s going to be consistent with what I show on my site and fb page. I do not depend on editing to ‘save or fix’ an image.
6. I invest in education (vs cloning myself to become someone else or some other photographer)
I’ve invested time and money, and time and money, and time and money, and time and money, and time and money, and time and money…you get the picture. (Ha, I made a funny!)
More to come, but I want to stop and elaborate on point #3, because this was hard for me. I’d rather just give everyone everything. Reality check was looking at my youngest son one day and realizing, at the risk of being cliche’, time is money. This job I was doing was time intensive.
Every single day I see a local fb page announcing –photos for CHEAP, FAIR, BEST PRICES ANYWHERE….
So, what does one session look like in numbers?
I’ll take the infamous $50 for all edited images:
* Session is 2 hours (prep and travel to/from time bump it to 3 hours)
* Editing 30 images is minimal 30 minutes and I can say with confidence it’s probably 3 HOURS or more.
* Uncle Sam’s hand is out and an average of 30% is due him.
* Booking and delivering/uploading a session even without prints is another 30 minutes at least.
* So far, no problems encountered, you’ve done a 4 hour job…if you’re really good and have honed your editing skills and sooc shots (not likely as you begin). I wonder if any of you just starting out would be willing to tell me how long it takes you to edit one full session?
* That $50 is less $15 for taxes. Congratulations, you’ve got $8.75 an hour IF you got it completed start to finish in 4 hours and IF you didn’t have any costs of goods involved.
* How much did that camera, lens, computer, editing program, card, extra battery cost you? (gas???), childcare? insurance? fees? Oh and so much more. Double it, $20 an hour…still not going to make a profitable business out of it–can you imagine how many of these sessions you would have to do to just pay for one lens? I hope you can see some aspects of photography business to consider, and that you’ll reconsider your pricing if you need to. There are smart ways to build your business once you have #4 above solidified , and that includes pricing.
Email me; I’d love to help you out!
