RazNoggle

Here’s some of my favorite snapshots from recently. I get so focused on the “photography” side of pictures that I forget sometimes to just get snapshots too.

This seems, to me, like one of the most uncomfy ways to watch a Baby Einstein that I can imagine! Ella didn’t seem to care though.

The lads were outside riding their “bikes” down the hill one afternoon. Myles is our little stunt dude for sure, and LOVES taking risks that his bro absolutely won’t.

See how proud he is of his ride! Funny lad!

Qade had fun too, but on a tamer part of the hill. I love this lad’s smile!

This was probably the first time I’ve EVER seen them play nicely on this tandem swing! Most of the time one or the other wants to ride it alone. This was a special moment!!

Ella, loves to be outside too. But until she starts crawling OFF of her belly, she’s going to spend her outside time in the excersauser!!

Love her face!!

I’ve been lazy, busy, lazy, unorganized, lazy, traveling, lazy, and the studio is a mess, so I haven’t got Ella’s 10 month or Qade’s 4 month pics done yet. It will happen this week, oh yes!

Ta ta for now

(That reminds me, I saw the new Pooh movie, and wasn’t that impressed, though I was happy that they stayed true to the “classic” with the characters and all)

I got the business blues, ba-da-dum da-dum. Ha! Not really, but my head has been reeling recently while we’ve been trying to figure out this business stuff. I have said to myself more than once lately that I should have been a business major instead of music. But I always recollect how much fun WE had and how much fun THEY didn’t seem to be having, and think that it all worked out in the end. I do NOT have a head for numbers, not now, not then, so it likely wouldn’t have helped me in the least then or now! Ha!

Still in some ways I wish I were more accountantly inclined so I could more easily wrap my head around this stuff. I also wish that there was nothing more to it than clicking away, having fun with my clients, editing photos and ordering prints. THAT would be fun! But no, the IRS and g’ubment don’t care how much fun it ends up being, they just want their “fair” chunk of change. And working out how much change it takes to actually keep a business afloat (and I’m lucky that I don’t have a building space to worry about) and actually make something is mind-blowing!

So for the past few days I’ve been living in my little glider rocker, with my lap-top crunching numbers. And thanks to a free resource called “The Single Greatest Guide to Wedding Photography Pricing that Ever Was and Ever Will Be” (humble huh? ha ha) I have been able to actually make some sense of the numbers. When you get online and look for pricing structures and business model help, you can run in circles… and I was. I really just wanted SOMEONE to tell me how to figure it all out!!! I was looking into another very highly recommended pricing guide called “Easy as Pie” but it comes with a nearly $400 price tag. This free one breaks it all down into easy to understand steps that give you concrete numbers. Yes, I still had to do “homework” and deal with a lot of numbers, but in the end it was so much easier because I had a guide. Ahhhhhh!

Now I have some basic numbers that I will use for each and every session. They are quite a bit larger than what I had been offering before. However I’m considering those as portfolio building sessions. Now I’m on to the wide world of (hopefully) money making business. I’ve got my Session price set, and I have compiled my Bebe packages, and Wedding packages. I still have to churn out some Family packages and of course, the Senior package.

But those will have to wait because my head has decided to mutiny and I’ve been reeling (really) from the dizzies since late last afternoon. Going to bed at the same time as Ella hasn’t fixed the problem, so I’m taking my Hurb’s advice and giving the computer a break today. I’m quite sure it’ll help. Either way, my brain needs a break. You know it’s bad when you start dreaming about Math, ugh!!!! Talk about your nightmares! Sorry to all you Math-heads out there, but it is SO not my cup’o tea. Ick!

Stay tuned anyway. I’ll be updating the pricing on cdostudios.com in the very near future. Oh, and while you’re there, check out the updated “about” page as well. And tell your friends!!
?Ta ta!

The End.

All good things, and bad for that matter, must end. The last half day of the conference was just as amazing as the rest. We really didn’t want it to end at all. We heard from Graham Wilson more about Operation Smile, but he went beyond that and discussed a lot of great Facebook marketing things that he uses to target high school seniors in his own business. He’s doing something right because things are going very well for him. I appreciated his tips on that as it seems a lot of people are not as willing to share what is working for them. That’s understandable to a point, but I think that giving a little is a lot better way to influence people than staying walled up and crabby… just sayin’.

Anyway, after Graham we got to hear Vicki Taufer speak. She has one AMAZING story. She has been back in the country since Feb after spending 6 months in Nepal trying to bring home their adopted daughter. They had anticipated being gone for one at the most! It was an amazing story. The journey that she has been on is incredible! From her working for free basically out of her basement, to booming and growing into a HUGE studio space, to now reorganizing their business and actually shooting to be smaller. She shared lots of her experiences in Nepal, and the soul-searching that being there has forced her to do. It was an awesome session. Her whole point was “Joy in the Journey” and it’s good to remember that. No, you can’t neglect the numbers, or the fact that you are/have a business, but not to lose yourself in that is a good reminder. And near the end of her time her husband actually walked into the room with their little girl, and from the back you could hear a very distinct “Mama!” and that made everyone smile.

The drive home was uneventful but not that fun. I was tired, and it’s uncomfortable to be the driver for so long. But the time was good and since I’ve got so much to think about after soaking all that stuff up like a sponge, that a little quite time was nice. It was SOOOOO good to get home though. I just can’t say how much I enjoyed this time away, (I don’t think I really realized how much I needed it till I got back) but coming in and being enthusiastically greeted by Myles’ “Mom, your back! You’re back! You’re back!!!!” and of course nearly getting bowled over by his hug felt the best! Not to mention sniffin’ in my sweet Ella and having “serious” conversations with Qade about what he did while Grandma was there, and the comfortable hugs of my Hurb all worked together to just feel like HOME!

I learned a lot over the last 4 days, and I hope that it continues to sink in as some new ideas that I’ve planted begin to sprout, but right now it just feels good to be back! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!! <— happy contented sigh!

So day three of the conference was fantastic, of course! This conference has exceeded above and beyond ANY of my expectations! I’ve enjoyed it so much and learned so much and had so much fun!

This day started with a yummy breakfast again. I forgot to mention that about yesterday’s, ha ha! And there was a session in the morning with Jenn Hudson, whom I’m sure will be making big waves in the photographic art world. She is already making little waves. She spoke on enjoying your journey, and really finding what it is you love about photography and doing that with all of your soul really. The topic was good, and it was a good reminder especially when it really can get bogged feeling when you’re trying to balance the business aspect of it with your passion for photography. But some good thoughts. I wasn’t a fan of her style really, but I could still see the amazing in what she does.

So that was fun, but it just got better. We had breakout sessions in the late morning and afternoon. I had a hard time deciding which ones to go to since I can’t be everywhere at once. I went to the newborn session first and it was good. Max was just as cute a baby as you’ll find, and his mom has quite the story to tell. Max was a 9 pound first baby and he was born in the car on the way to the hospital!!!! Oh yeah! Wow! But they’re both great, and he’s growing to be quite a little chunker boy who responds very well to his daddy’s “motorcycle” hum.

I was a little disappointed because I really wasn’t able to capture much on that one. My 50mm is still “in the shop” and my other lens just could’t handle the lighting situation in that room. But it was informative and helpful.

The second session that I went to was a maternity session. I really wasn’t planning to go to that one at first, but they were doing it in a room with BIG windows and lots of light so I thought perhaps I might just get through with something after all!

When I got there I met our “model” Tina. She is an itty bitty petite gal with the CUTEST baby bump ever! Seriously, she was like the perfect pregnant person to do this session with. She was very willing to step out of her comfort zone, bless her heart, with what seemed like a million of us standing around staring at her. Her baby girl is due in August, and the name is a secret. She is just a glowing little mama and so excited about her baby. It was awesome! And I was actually able to get some good shots of her in this session. I’ve been challenged, like I wrote, to use the equipment that I have till I just can’t grow with them anymore. And yes, it would have been SOOOO much easier to have my 50, but I didn’t. So I popped on my 105mm lens, ha! The room was BIG. And I stood in the back and shot over everyone’s head. Not what I consider ideal, but it DID work! Then when we moved down to the more natural window light, I used my kit lens and got some good shots there as well. I know I can do this stuff, I just sometimes need to be pushed.

So that basically wrapped it up for day 3. I was so thrilled that I actually got to use my camera I got back and started editing right away and posted a shot to FB. Ahhhhh… felt good!

Today the conference ends, and I will be heading home around noon. I’ve enjoyed meeting some amazing photographers and the people from PPA. I will certainly be joining as soon as the studio stables out. It’s a fantastic organization, and I just LOVE the charity work that they do. Stay tuned, I’ll letcha know all about the wrap up of the conference as well. I’m sorry it’s ending because it has been THAT GOOD, but I’ll be happy to get back to my babies and my Love!

Toodles

On the second day of the chicks who click conference we had several marketing sessions, which I ate up! The first was done by a lady from the Denver area named Sandy “Sam” Puc’. She started her photography biz when she was 18 and now has a payroll of 42 in her studio!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW! She is also one of the founders of a charity called Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep or NILMDTS. That group provides professional photography services for families who’s baby did not/will not live. Sometimes older children as well but mostly newborns. It’s an amazing organization that I’ve been looking into for some time actually and think that I would like to be a part of in the future. I’m not there yet, but it’s good to know the opportunities that are out there to use photography to help people in ways you never thought possible. You should check it out!

Anyway, her session was not NEARLY long enough in my way of thinking. I would have liked to hear much much more from her, but she does do tours so perhaps I’ll have the chance to do that someday.

We also heard about other ways to use charitable marketing to actually help your business. I’m looking into the possibility of helping launch a new PPA charity called Smile Day. This conference that I am at is a charity event. The charity that the PPA supports is called Operation Smile and it helps children with cleft pallets. It’s amazing what they can do for those kids and families. And of course photography and smiling go hand in hand. It’s great!

There was a lot of information presented on Day 2, and I really enjoyed it. The photoshop session at the end got me inspired to try some of my own designs with the photos. I don’t use photoshop so some of it wasn’t usable, but the concepts certainly were. So stay tuned for all of the overflow from my inspiration. I’ll have to test it all out on someone after all. ha ha ha!!

I met a couple gals who, like me, are just starting out. It was good to know that I’m not the only one. Some of the instructors have been talking about the recent Texas School that they just taught and of course I’m DROOLING to attend one of those. (okay, not really. don’t send me a bib, please. ha ha) But the one best piece of advice that I have discovered recently was in an amazing little article written to new photographers from someone who has been at it and making it work for a long time, and it was,

“- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.”

So that’s something that I need to keep in mind. Not just with my equipment, but with my desire for more learning. There are so many ways to grow as a photographer, but I can’t do them all… at least not all at once. I need to take and apply what I have learned from this conference and my last workshop, and then when I feel that I’ve exhausted all of that and need something fresh, I go again.

That’s a wrap on Day 2. I skipped out on the “Girl’s Night Out” and went to P.F. Chang’s with my friend Angela. I got the better end of that deal for sure, cause after a very good dinner, (Who is p.f. chang btw?) we finished off the evening with some good old chocolate moose tracks icecream! YUM!!!! I’ll take that over martinis and dancing polls any day!

I was playing catch up with my project 365 today and this was one of the pics I posted. I figured you all NEEDED to see this picture!
Happy Day!

Here are some shots from Aiden’s shoot this weekend. We all had a fun time! I just get such a kick out of some of his faces! Ha ha ha!

Got to be one of my faves! Such a cute smile!

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I’m going to risk jumping on the computer for a few minutes to bring you some cute photos I took of the lads yesterday. Our power has been wonky recently and I’m nervous that the computer will just spontaneously shut off, but here goes anyway.

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