Keeping the ball rolling

I've had a great week! I've had people interested in the work that I can do, and that's exciting to me. What I really would like to do is keep this ball rolling. I know that if I really want to make this my life I need to keep moving forward! A big part of that plan is to make real relationships with my clients and subjects. I want a relationship that could go beyond just a photo and check. Something substantial and real is what's going to make me different.

For a number of years now, my Aunt Karen has paid for Holiday photos of the kids. They're usually taken at places where you can buy underwear and groceries. They charged $XXX for a photo session that lasted all of 15 minutes and then we were rotated out like old stock. Last year, the photo was taken and it was horrible. The photo was way too blue: My kids looked like they were holding their breath! In addition to that, the photo was inadequate for printing a 4x6, let alone anything larger. I was extremely disappointed. Worst of it all, my poor Aunt Karen paid for the photos even though they were just... disappointing.... I loved the photos because they were of my kids, but not cause it was a great photo by any means. That experience inspired me to be better than "those places." Just because they can "have everything you need in one place" doesn't mean they should.... So that's just a peek at what I'm striving to NOT be.

If you've had a bad experience at one of "those places" leave me a note. Don't mention the company name, just the experience and what you liked and didn't like.

In other news, my friend Lauren (both photos on the right) is up for helping me for personal work, and that's totally awesome! We shot a little bit last Saturday evening, but we soon discovered that light fades really fast when you need it to hang around longer. We plan to shoot again soon, and I really excited about trying new things with light (or lack thereof).

I've been trying to think of different themes and ideas to shoot. There's a possibility that I have too many ideas! I really should learn to draw or something so I can get these ideas down on paper. Stick figures are awful models for remembering themes and ideas. :-)