Random FAQ's..........

Q: Is there any way we can still book a shoot with you in time for holiday cards?


A: Unfortunately, I really can't take on any more shoots this year (or else I will be the worlds worst mom, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend.....AND photographer). There are many hours that go into editing photos after a shoot. As it is, I find myself only having time to edit photos when PJ is sleeping, while she's at preschool (which is only twice a week for 4 hours each day), or maybe for a teeny bit of time here and there when she isn't asking me to have a tea party with her, put on one of her gazillion princess costumes, read her a book, watch her do a puzzle, etc. If you're a parent, you know how hard it is to get ANYTHING done with a little one around. Imagine sitting at a desk editing photos and trying to have your "only child" keep busy all by herself. Yeah, hard....AND I always start feeling bad :( Oh and to those family members, friends, clients, etc thinking "See! That's why you should have another! PJ needs a baby sister or brother to play with!", ummm unless you are willing to come LIVE at my house for the first 6 months of that baby's life and wake up for all feedings, diaper changes, non-stop cry sessions, etc....then no ;) Oh and another part of the deal would be to come back and live with us when the terrible 2's hit ;)

Anyway, on top of that, Sept, Oct, Nov and December are not only my busiest months photography-wise, but they are also my busiest time of year in general (thanks to a million family birthdays, our wedding anniversary (6 years next month!), Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc).



The only options I can think of (or other people have suggested) are:
A) Having a waiting list. Basically I can start a list and IF for some reason another client has to cancel, then I will take the first person on the list and so on. The downfall to this is that the chances of a client canceling is VERY slim, and I would hate to anyone to miss holiday card photos.

B) Charging a "squeeze in" fee. As I said above, i'm extremely busy in those months, but if I was getting paid to stay up all night and edit photos, then it wouldn't be as bad ;) The downfall to this is that if the price was too low, I would end up with A LOT more shoots...and I just can't do that, so in this case, it would have to be a pretty high squeeze in fee to make it worth my time (since I will be killing myself) and so it's not "too easy" to get squeezed in.

Email me at julie@lot116.com if either of those sound good to you.






Q: What photography classes or workshops have you taken, and which do you recommend?


A: To tell you the truth, i've never taken a single photography or Photoshop (or Lightroom) class in my life. I picked up the camera one day and just started messing with stuff. I still have a TON to learn, so if any fabulous SD photographer's want to take me under their wing (*ahem* Ashley, Carrie.....anyone? LOL) and teach me a few things, I would be MORE than grateful (don't worry, i'm not out to "take clients"....I have plenty, so i'm just looking to learn more). Same with PP programs (Photoshop, etc), I basically messed around with settings and stuff, and taught myself. I've never been great with directions or homework (ask my dad ;) haha). I'm a hands on learner, so reading photography books is like reading japanese to me. Luck and messing around has gotten me where I am today :)







Q: PJ always has the cutest clothes! I love her style! Where do you buy her stuff??


A: I buy her clothes all over the place. If you've ever seen her closet (hmmm....I dare not take pics because it will show just how out of control I am, and it's quite embarassing LOL), it's INSANE. The drawers will barely open, and there is NO more room to hang anything.....so yeah...I have a problem. I can't stand it though, little girls' clothes are SO cute. I need to lose a ton of weight before *I* can even *think* about dressing cute, so yeah....I go crazy on her. Anyway, I love Etsy (www.Etsy.com), H&M, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Baby Gap, Target, etc. I love fun, bright, funky stuff (especially for photos!!), and so does Punky Brewster....I mean PJ ;) I also love finding things that not every kid on the street will be wearing. Etsy is an AWESOME place for that. So much handmade/custom cuteness it's bananas. Last but not least, i'm a TOTAL bargain shopper, so even if I buy her WAY too much stuff, keep in mind that majority of it was bought on clearance or on sale ;) My husband (and my brother in law) are infamous for using the line "Just because it's on sale doesn't mean you need to buy it", but my sister's and I beg to differ ;) Hey, if it's 100+ degrees outside and there's a LONG sleeved shirt on sale for 97 cents at Old Navy....you bet your sweet bippy i'm buying it for fall/winter ;) Another cool thing about buying WAY ahead is that the chances of another kid wearing the same stuff the following year is super slim.







Q: I love that your print prices are so cheap. Will they remain that way?


A: I will actually be raising them (as well as the CD's) a little bit in 2009, but seeing as though my print prices are INSANELY cheap right now, even when I raise them, they will still be WAY less than most photographers. For instance, the average price that photographer's charge for ONE 4x6 is anywhere from $15 - $50 or more. WHEN my prices go up (on January 1st, 2009), I will probably be charging $5 for a 4x6 (I won't even say what i'm charging right now, because it's pretty embarassing ;) LOL). Why so low? I like being affordable. Even before I started doing photography, I would look at getting PJ's photos taken professionally. The session fees were always reasonable, but once I added up how much the prints might cost...I would freak out and pass. I just couldn't pay hundreds of dollars (session fee & prints) for maybe a handful of photos (small little 4x6's at that LOL). Needless to say, PJ has never had professional photos taken :( I definitely regret never having newborn photos of her taken, but at the same time, paying upwards to $1000 for photos just wasn't in our budget back then. I like charging what *I* personally wouldn't mind paying.



Alright, that's all for now. Have a great weekend everyone! :)