Hi everyone. It seems like I have tried to write this blog post over and over and over again and every time I delete it. Well here we are and now it's March and in 2014 I promised so many changes with my business. I am here now to explain a bit of those changes and they are some changes I am extremely excited about.
Last year, I worked and worked and worked, I worked so hard and I loved it but I found my self drained, and not excited about my sessions. That non-excitement really showed in my work and I found myself in a work slump/depression of sorts. I wanted to keep shooting, but I really had no clue WHAT and HOW. So in December and January I took some time off and tried to really focus on ME and PhotoArt By Jessica.. I found out that I have been drawn to a few very specific types of photography. Right now this is where my heart is and I am really excited about working again.
The biggest change of 2015 was a pretty big price increase. I've gotten a lot of private criticism about my price jump and some of the words were extremely hurtful. Running a business is HARD guys.. there is so much more to this than owning a "fancy" camera and having software.. Did you know that for every single session I do I spend no less than 10 HOURS working and now If I am doing a wedding, at least 48 complete hours go into that. If I was keeping my prices where they were I was making less than $1.50 an hour.. GUYS.. $1.50 an hour!!! I was slaving away and getting little to no money in return. I decided that I am worth more than 1.50 an hour. So yes, I decided it was time for an increase.. If that meant less clients- so be it. But at the same time I didn't want to alienate those wonderful people that have been with me from the very very beginning.. THANK YOU for letting me grow with you! For those clients that have booked with me before the start of 2015, I will be offering sessions every 2 months or so at my old price- JUST FOR YOU! (Thanks Audria Abney Photography for helping me and giving me great ideas!!! You ROCK LADY) You guys deserve it. Be on the lookout for my first announcement of these sessions in the next couple of weeks.
The next change is well, I am taking A LOT of different types of sessions off my plate and I am focusing on just a few. Yes that mean I am turning away clients... don't worry I have a nice little list of amazing local photographers that I can refer you to. I have found that if my heart isn't in it.. it SHOWS IN MY WORK and I want you to have the best photography experience possible- even if that's not with me.
So with that being said, I am only taking the following types of sessions:
Birth and Birth related sessions (Maternity, Babymoon and Documentary Lifestyle Newborn)
Couples- I want to show the world your love.
Documentary Family Sessions (WHAT IS THIS??>@> You might be asking.) These sessions are 2-3 hours in length, have ZERO posing and is just us hanging out together while I document your life, just how it is.. because it deserves to be documented. I want to be able to help you remember your sticky floors, and brownie batter covered faces, snuggles and bath time.
Military Homecomings- Because our men and women in uniform and their spouses deserve to have these wonderful memories preserved.
And a select few SMALL, unique weddings...
And possibly throughout the year Mommy and Me or Daddy and Me sessions... I am still on the fence about this...
and THATS IT!
I am not taking posed family sessions, milestone sessions, cake smash sessions, children only sessions, themed mini sessions, in studio sessions, big events, big weddings and whatever else you can think of. Maybe in 6 months my heart will take me in a new direction, maybe not.
If you read all this, THANK YOU for sticking with me. I am so excited about this new direction and I hope some of you are too.