FAQ's on 2009, comments, ideas, shoot locations, clothing, etc.......

It's been a while since i've done a FAQ post :)

A) Unfortunately, I can not take on any more shoots this year. I am completely booked (a tad OVERbooked even) for the remainder of the year. I am blessed to be able to say that i'm booked for the year.....but truly hate turning people away. For the sake of my own life, family....and sanity (haha), I can't take on any more than I already am. I'm a one woman show folks.....and add that on top of being a wife, mom, sister, aunt, friend, etc.......I have to draw the line somewhere :) I still have a little one to take and pick up from preschool a few times a week, lessons to attend, birthday parties to plan, go to and take photos at, soccer and football games to attend (when I can), weddings to be a guest at, holidays to celebrate and plan for, etc.  

A lot of people don't realize that a shoot is a lot more than just a shoot. There are so many things and many hours that go into just one session, so here is a breakdown of what each shoot of mine (and most photographer's) consists of:

1) Time spent emailing back and forth to set the date, time, location, clothing suggestions, etc. (this could be 2 or 3 emails....or it could be 20 or more).

2) Time spent collecting (and depositing when checks) deposits. 

3) Time spent driving to and from each session.

4) Time spent actually shooting at the session. 

5) Time spent editing photos and typing up/posting the sneak peeks on the blog.

6) Time spent editing all of the photos.

7) Time spent uploading and watermarking all of the photos to the online gallery.

8) Time spent emailing the client the gallery with all of the detailed info.

9) Time spent burning discs, packaging and sending the clients their discs. 

Now times that by 2 (or sometimes more) times a week.....on top of my regular life as a mom, wife, etc.....and you'll understand why it's impossible to take on more shoots :) 

.........and all this time you were wondering why I charge "so much" for just "ONE hour" of my time ;)  It's not one hour at all........it's many, many hours :) But hey.....I LOVE MY JOB....and it sure beats the socks off of working elsewhere. I mean, my "boss" (my daughter PJ) can be a pain....but it's worth it! ;) 

A) Yes, but at this time I already have a waiting list of 5-10+ people in each month hoping for cancellations....and honestly it's very rare for someone to cancel since deposits have already been paid, etc.

A) Absolutely! I already have a few bookings for 2010 (which is just crazy to me!...but awesome!), so no, it's definitely not too early to book for 2010.

A) My wonderful brother in law is working on adding comments to my site, so hopefully soon I will have the comment feature added to my blog. If not, you all can email HIM and bug him at......... just kidding! ;) Hmm...but when it's up....ALL of you who have emailed me and gotten on my case about not having comments, BETTER comment all the time ;) I don't want to be the lame-o that has all of 0-5 comments! LOL.  In the meantime, you can add Lot116 Photography on Facebook and leave comments there! :)   Here is the link:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lot116-Photography/98199290026?ref=s

A) Absolutely not!! In fact, I hope that more families will try something a little different. The family who did that does NOT dress like that every day. For them, it was all about dressing up, trying something unique....and most importantly....having FUN!   The amount of emails and comments I received about that shoot was insane. It totally made my day(s)...and was one of the most fun shoots i've done!  The wheels in my head turn ALL the time and i've got ideas and visions spinning in my head. There are SO many ideas that I think would be fun to take photos of families/kids/people doing. The hard part is finding people who want to step outside of the box and try them! ;)  If you have a shoot scheduled with me this year and want to try something different, let me know! I love trying new things!

A) I love all kinds of things....especially fun bright colors and cute clothes.  Stuff from H&M, Target, Old Navy, Naartije, Knuckleheads, Etsy, etc are all great. Most of my clients know that i'm a sucker for Converse, so you get extra brownie points when you show up in chucks ;) 

It's hard to say exactly what TO wear....so instead i'll tell you what NOT to wear (in MY own personal opinion).........

Please DON'T be the family that shows up completely matching in khaki pants or light washed denim with white shirts ;)  If you are looking for that "Olan Mills" look....please head to Olan Mills.   

Please DON'T put a huge bow on your child's head. If you want the first thing noticed in the photos to be the bow, then sure, add the bow, but if you would like your CHILD noticed....avoid those big (anything bigger than a regular sized barrette is considered "big" in my book) bows ;)   

Please DON'T wear anything with big logos on them (including TV characters on your kids' clothing). It might be cool or in style right now, but in a year or  so will you really want to see the huge "Old Navy", "Dora the Explorer" or "Spongebob Squarepants" in the pics? Yeah, doubtful.....and again....it will be the first thing noticed in pics. 

A) My location suggestions usually vary depending on whether or not children will be in the shoot, and also the age(s) of the child(ren). There are many things to factor in, like, possible passing cars/traffic,  whether your child is the type to "run off", steep steps that may not be safe, sand being eaten (by little ones) or rubbed in eyes on accident, etc.  Another thing is the time of year. For instance, in the fall, trees have beautiful leaves, but it's usually very cold, etc. In early Spring the grass is really green, the flowers are in bloom, the fields/meadows look gorgeous. In the summer, all of the plants have dried out and died, the chance of possible rattlesnakes, etc in the bushes is very high because of the heat, etc.   I suggest locations on a case to case basis depending on the above.  

A) I don't have a studio...and don't plan on getting one. I love shooting on location to change up variety. Don't get me wrong, if there were an amazing loft  (which I would turn into a mini play haven for kids with awesome couches, cool toys, fun bright colors, etc - think Ikea meets Pottery Barn) or something somewhere that had awesome natural light and didn't cost a ton, it would be fun.....BUT budget wise, it's easier for me to shoot on location and keep my costs lower. Paying to rent a studio would cost me money....which in turn would mean that I would have to raise my prices to pay for it.   Some photographer's just bring "backdrops" (either blankets, sheets, rolled paper, etc) and possibly studio lighting to do "studio shots" at clients homes....but I have no interest in doing that (the only time I will do anything remotely like that is for newborn shoots). Picture People does plain white, black, etc backdrop studio shots.....so again, like the Olan Mills thing.....head to Picture People if you want that look ;)  Plus, kids aren't usually thrilled about being "stuck" in the same spot for more than a few minutes (especially if they are already crawling and/or over the age of 1).....so trying to keep them on a backdrop/sheet/whatever for about an hour would be torture. I'm all about kids having FUN....not pissing them off ;) 

A) I absolutely plan on doing mini sessions again......BUT time is a huge factor. Since i'm booked up for the year, it most likely won't be until next year (probably in March, April or May of 2010). 

There are still some more FAQ's that I need to get around to, but i'll have to do that another time. "Cinderella" (me) has already gotten PJ ready for school, fed her breakfast, cleaned out my dresser drawers, finished cleaning my closet (and wow, there are at least 8 garbage bags FULL of donations downstairs!), cleaned the guest room closet, posted this blog entry and am now off to clean the bathroom, jump in the shower and then head back to pick up PJ from preschool.   Do I at least get to go to the ball??? ;) 

Thanks for reading everyone!! I'm taking the next 2 days OFF!! :)