I wanted to follow up my 2011 highlights post from yesterday with some upcoming changes that I want to implement for 2012… My ultimate goal with my clients (wedding & portrait clients) is not only to give them beautiful images — but to give them an awesome experience… not just during the photo shoot or wedding, but from their initial consultation all the way through the delivery of their final images… to ensure I give my clients 100% attention & provide impeccable service — I decided I needed to make some changes… I simply cannot be my best while juggling 40 clients — all at once… there’s only one of me — and I just can’t do it all… as much as I’d like to… so here are some changes below…

1. Except for my current clients, I will no longer be shooting Maternity & Newborn Sessions.  As much as I love being able to gift newborn images to families, it simply just takes a lot of time — and it’s unpredictable… it could be a 2 hour session or (like my last newborn session) it could be a 4 hour session… and Maternity sessions kind of go hand and hand with the newborn session — so unless you really want me to shoot your maternity session, I would suggest having one photographer doing both… and I have photographer friends who actually specialize in newborn sessions so I would be happy to refer you to them… [For my and brides & grooms… and my current clients… I am basically your photographer for life — so yes, I will capture your babies]
2. I will be booking a limited number of Lifestyle Sessions on designated dates and locations.  The past two years, my life was scheduled around  my client’s photo shoots… and I missed life opportunities…like spending time with my husband, my family and friends… or being able to enjoy the holidays (as I worked up until Christmas Eve)… this year, I’m making it a point to put my life… my husband… and my family first… because as much as I love giving my clients beautiful memories, I don’t want to have to sacrifice my own memories with my loved ones… So instead of clients choosing specific dates for a session, I will announce in advance the dates & location that I will be booking sessions… Lifestyle Sessions are any photo shoots from married couples, families, children, high school seniors or fun portraits of yourself…
3. For Weddings, my goal is to only book 15 weddings this year… again, for me — it’s about being able to take care of my clients and to give impeccable service… especially for my brides & grooms — it’s really important for me to build a relationship with them in order for them to be comfortable with me on their wedding day… I’ve learned the more time I spent getting to know my brides & grooms — the better their images came out… simply because they were comfortable with me (and less gaurded), and it didn’t even feel like I was following them around the whole day…

That’s pretty much all the changes! I’m still learning the ropes of working for myself and being a full time photographer… and one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in running your own business, is that you actually work more hours than a regular 40 hour week… I work until midnight &  through the weekends… And I can’t keep doing that… at least not if I want to stay sane… I need a life — outside of my work! So that’s why all the changes… I’m trying to work smarter — not harder =) So I hope you understand… and embrace the changes with me… It’s going to be an awesome 2012!!

And what’s a post without pictures? Here are some images from one of my recent stylized wedding shoots with a bohemian theme… I will be posting more images in the coming weeks so make sure to come back…