Big News for the New Year

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas!!  My family enjoyed a trip back to Illinois to celebrate with great friends and family!

I wanted to take a minute to update you all on some big news!  I've decided NOT to raise my prices for 2011!!  I was going to raise my rates by $50, but after thinking about it and discussing it with my wonderful husband, I have decided to leave everything alone for the next year. 
My goal as a photographer is to give you great images at a great price.  My overhead is nearly zero since I don't have a studio and work on location, so there's really no big need to raise my rates.  I just invested in a new camera and some equipment, so my costs for this upcoming year should be fairly low.

I want my customers to come back year after year.  I can't promise that I'll never raise my prices, but for this year things will stay the same.  I value your business and look forward to serving you in the coming years!!  Have a safe and blessed New Year!!!!
~Tia

Big Awesome News!

I've started a wonderful relationship with an amazing print company and will now begin to offer my clients the option of making their prints for them.  This is an optional service.  You'll still receive your disc of images from your session.  But if you don't have time or don't know where to go to have your prints made I can offer you that service for a great price:)
I'm still working on my price list, but will have it available soon!  If you are a client and you haven't gotten your images printed yet and you're interested in having me do them, just let me know.  I'll give you a quote and we'll start rollin'!

Merry Christmas!!

Wow!  I feel like I've been neglecting my blog!  I've been so busy!  Business is booming and I'm loving every minute!  Christmas is just a couple weeks away.  It's hard to believe!  This year has just flown!  Just in case I don't have time to get back on here in the next few weeks I'd like to take a minute to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas!!

(Oh, and can someone please tell me why my images are so blurry on this blog!  My images look great on my website and in print, but on here and facebook they look so, well, 'blah'. ).

Family Fun

So far this fall I've had quite a few Family Sessions!  I've had so much fun getting to know everyone!  Here are just a few of my favorites:)

CHALLENGE TIME!!

Today I'm taking on a challenge:  get rid of EVERYTHING in this house that isn't serving a purpose.  If I put it in storage with the thought that I might use it one day, it's getting purged!  We don't have a lot of clutter, but there are closets and drawers and cabinets that are holding things that just need to go.

I'm getting rid of clothes I don't wear.  I'm getting rid of baking pans, dishes and kitchen utensils that I've never used.  I'm going through the kids' toys and trashing every single McDonald's Happy Meal toy I can find!  Leave no stone unturned! LOL  I've had it!  I'm ready to be free of 'stuff'.  One room at a time.  One closet at a time.

Things of value will be sold.  Time to pay off some debt/investments that I've made in my photography business.  This is going to be fun.  I'm excited to see what this place looks like in a couple weeks.  The next step is design.  It's time to paint and be creative.

When we lived in Illinois we COMPLETELY remodeled our house in just 4 months.  It was a major challenge!  We were so tired of the home improvement shows/magazines.  We vowed to never take on that big of a project again.  Now that we've been here for almost 6 months, it's time to start thinking about making this house OUR home.  Bailey got a new look in her room and loves it!  But all the other rooms are beige, beige and beige.  It's time, baby, it's time! 

My first creative goal is my office.  I'll have free riegn in here with no opinions from the husband:)  I can't wait to get started.  Logically, we've decided to wait until after Christmas, but if things really take off with the business it will be sooner:)  (I'm praying for 'sooner'.)    I can't wait to share our progress!  I'll post before and after images as we go.

So, challenge yourself!  Are you struggling to find that little extra cash for the holidays??  Go through a closet or two and find those things that just aren't working for you anymore.  Don't hang on to anything that isn't serving a purpose.  I think we'd all be surprised to find how much potential cash is hiding in our closets!!

*Sigh

Have you ever questioned your ability?  Has self-doubt ever crept in causing you to re-think everything that was once so clear?
Rebuilding my photography business has brought me to a very humble place.  Before we moved in June I was very confident that I would be successful right away.  I guess I was so use to being busy all the time back in Illinois.  In teh back of my mind, I guess I thought I would just pick up where I left off back at home. 

I've had a handful of sessions in the few months that we've been here.  It's been a slow start, but I've loved every single sessions I've shot! In my downtime, I've had plenty of time to research what other photographers are doing in the area and, boy, are they busy!!  Then I feel it:  the pressure to be busy and 'successful'.  *sigh.  I begin doubting my creativity.  I doubt my ability to grow.  I doubt everything about myself.  It's a horrible, humbling feeling!  My stomach does flip flops when I see other photographers out shooting by an old barn or a field of tall grass with the sunsetting gently behind their subjects. 

After sulking for a couple days my amazing husband took my hand, looked me in the eyes and said, "There is no limit on success.  You had a measure of it back in Illinois.  Take your time and enjoy the journey....we've only been here 5 months!!"  It was at that moment I realized that, 1.) I'm married to the most wonderful man on the planet and 2.) comparing myself to others success is unneccessary, distructive and smothers my own creativity.

So, I look to the upside of things from now on!!  I'm excited to grow and I'm determined to enjoy every painfully slow and humbling moment! (smile) 

I'd Like to Try!!

As a photographer, there are so many things I'd like to try.  I want to expand my horizons and shoot for things that I haven't done yet.  I'm in the fun, (and sometimes painful), process of expanding my business.  Investing in better equipment and growing as best I can.  It's fun because I get to play with new 'toys'.  But it's painful because I'm not nearly as busy as I was back in Illinois.......YET. 

I want to try a few Kids Sessions shot completely in Black and White.  I'd like to try a 'trash the dress' session.  I can't wait to try my new u-lites that are enroute as we speak!  I want to try to get better at walking up to a cute pregnant girl in the grocery store to give her my business card.....but it always feels like stalking:/  I'm trying to become more patient as I wait for my phone to ring with new clients.  (I constantly remind myself that I've only been here 5 months!  Patience, grasshopper).

I want to try and find my niche.  Is it Families?  Kids?  Babies/Newborns?  I've heard that it takes 5 years to find your niche.  Great!!  More waiting!  I'd like to try and find more amazing outdoor spaces where I can shoot my clients.  I love my neighborhood where everyone loves to come, (and, yes, it saves on gas), but I would absolutely LOVE to do more on location where I'm not in my comfort zone.

I want to try so many things.  New things.  Improving on old things.  Investing in fun things.  Exploring amazing things.  I can't wait to look back in a year or two and see how far I've come!  I can't wait to see the areas where I've tried and failed as well as the areas where I've tried and succeeded.  It's an uphill climb right now......but I'm trying!!!

All I Want for Christmas is.......

.........A NEW CAMERA! :)  And it looks very promising!  I'm in love with my camera, but as my business grows, so does the need for a backup camera.  There's just one thing I need before I can run out and get it:  fundage. :)  I've racked my brain trying to figure out how I'm going to pay for it, but until my schedule is a little fuller I'm just going to have to be patient. 
I've come up with a priliminary 'plan' on how to reach my goal: give YOU an incentive.  So, I'm offering you something very cool.  *Whoever sends me 10 people before December 31st will receive 3 FREE sessions to use in 2011!!   If you think about it, it's not terribly hard.  For those of us with Facebook, we can look at our friends list and see that we know PLENTY of people who might enjoy a fun session for themselves or their kids. Especially this time of year!
Then there are our church friends, work friends, best friends, neighborhood friends........well, the list goes on and on!  I'm in the process of registering my business and just picked up my business license yesterday! Yay!  But I'm not in the position to advertise quite yet.  I run completely on word of mouth.  And it's working:)  Arkansas has been VERY gracious and kind to me! 
SOOOOO, if you'd like your sessions to be completely free in 2011, just tell your friends to look me up!  And they'll tell their friends.......and they'll tell their friends.....Before you know it, I'll be booked with a shiney new camera in hand!  AND my images will be even more crisp and clear!  THAT makes me excited!  I want to offer my customers the BEST images possible!
Y'all are the GREATEST!
~Tia

Spooky Ookey Hallween Contest!!

It's here!  My Spooky Ookey Halloween Contest is up and ready for you to vote!!  Just pick your favorites and vote by leaving a comment here, on my facebook or go to my contact tab on my website and leave your vote!  Happy Halloween!!

My Model, Emily

I'm sure you've seen most of these, but I thought I would pull my favorites from my MANY sessions with my little sister and willing model, Emily. 

Emily

Oh, I love my little sister!  She was born during my senior year of high school, so I'm 'technically' old enough to be her mother;)  She and my mom came down to Arkansas this past week and we've had such a blast!  I've taken them to a few of our favorite spots, (Hot Springs, Little Rock, Pinnacle Mt......), and it's been so wonderful spending quality time with them!  If you've been on my website, you've, no doubt, seen Emily in about 3 featured galleries.  We've shot everyday!  I'll be posting more later, but here's a fun out take.  She's so fun:)

It's DONE!

We successfully finished painting Bailey's room!  It looks so cute:)  Next; boy's room.  Lord knows when we'll get moving on that one;)  On the plus side, their ceilings aren't vaulted, so we should be able to knock it out pretty quickly.  As soon as they decide what color they want, (they're leaning toward 'Cubs Blue'), I'm getting the paint mixed.  I think that will force us to be a little more productive:)  Here's some more images of Bailey's room in progress.

 

It Begins!!!

Thank you, God, for color!!  When we moved into our new house every room was/is painted the same color: tan.  Floor to ceiling.  Even the ceilings are painted tan.  And it's flat paint.  Dull, flat and ugly!  Until today!  Today I start painting Bailey's room!  I know, in a recent blog I said we were doing it a couple weekends ago.  Obviously it didn't happen:)
Last weekend Jon painted the ceiling and got everything ready for me to start sloshing on the color!  So, by day's end I should be covered in hot pink semi gloss.....and that makes me happy!  I'll post more picures as we go.  Just thought I would share some of our progress with you.  Happy Wednesday, Everyone!!

Fall Kids.........so far!

It's starting to pick up!  I don't have much on the books, but I've got a lot of interest and a few things in the works.  This makes me very excited!  I've been doing mostly kids sessions and I'm loving every minute!  You've probably already seen these images on my website and facebook, but I thought I would post them here as well.  These are my favorites from my sessions so far....enjoy!  (And don't forget to call and book your Fall Family/Kids/Halloween/Pictures with Santa!!)

HO! HO! HO!

I am sooooo excited!  This year I'm going to be offering pictures with the big man!  SANTA!!  I went out and bought a Santa suit and set aside a day in November especially for the jolly fat man!  I'm sure I'll be using him more than once.  I'd love to put him in a few family sessions to be used for Christmas cards.  How cute would that be?!
Now I just have to bribe my husband to put on the costume.....unless I can find a willing volunteer.  He put the wig, beard and hat on the other night, but I don't think THIS would impress too many kids.....

Getting to Know Me.......

It's nice to see the professional side of people, but I also enjoy learning about the personal side.  I think it's a good idea for business owners to be human........not so buttoned up all the time.  So, I decided to get personal myself.  My blog is the perfect place to be a little less formal and a whole lot more 'interesting'. ;)

I thought I would 'break the ice' with a list of things all about me.....just so you can get to know me better.  This ia a completely random and nonsensical list, which, if you know me....it just makes sense;)  Let's get this party started:

1.) I absolutely LOVE chocolate!  If chocolate were a person, we would be having a scandalous love affair!

2.) Sometimes I'm shy.......baaa haa ha!!  Ok, maybe not 'shy'.  Sometimes I'm reserved.

3.)I could watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation all year 'round.  Best Christmas movie of all time!!

4.) I could sit and listen to an 80+ year old tell stories of, "When I was a kid...." all day long.

5.)I think ghosts are real.

6.)I hate that I have to put makeup on and do my hair everyday!!  Shower?  YES!  But getting ready....HATE IT!

7.) There are certain things about my past that really tick me off, but I'm stronger because of it.

8.) I dislike coffee....a lot!

9.) I'm recently addicted to Sonic Sweet Tea!

10.) I make killer cupcakes......(see photo above!)

11.)  There's an interior designer down deep inside me dying to get out. When we have the income my house will look like Kirklands threw up in here!

12.) I love to buy clothes for my kids, but I can never, (rarely ever), pull the trigger and treat myself:/

13.) I have a bucked list.  I've crossed off 3 out of 100 things to do before I die.  I hope to live to 592 years old so I can knock everything off that pretty little list!

14.) I will put off dinner plans in the hope that my husband will come home and create something spectacularly wonderfully delicious!  He's so much better at it than I am!  I can cook.....I just despise it!

15.) Pumpkin spice candles are my favorite of all time.

16.) Fall is my favorite season.

17.) I hate drama....like, REALLY hate drama.

18.) I've never sprained my ankle.  My husband finds this fascinating.

19.) I can dance.....pretty well.

20.) My goal is to be completely happy and satisfied with every aspect of my life.....and to be independently wealthy if at all possible.  I still haven't figured that one out.  Yet.

Something Worth Quoting

A little over a year ago I found this quote and wrote it down in my photography journal. I look at it often and almost have it memorized. It's about being inspired.  It's about catching a spark from something that others may not see.  I've learned to always keep my eyes wide open,  my ears always listening and my mind a steele trap!  Jon, my husband, jokes all the time and tells me to turn off my 'photography brain'.  I see a picture in the way the lights hit an exhibit at the museum.  I see a picture in the way the birds sit up on a telephone wire.  I see a picture when a man on a bike is towing his dog in a wagon.  It's all about finding inspiration in so many little things that go on around us everyday!  OK......so, on to this quote.......

This is a quote from a true genious named Jim Jarmusch. Someone unthreatened by his talent and secure in the artist he is!  He calls us out on the truth:  we all get our ideas from somewhere, and most of the time it's NOT from our own 'amazing' creative minds.  Learn to be o.k. with that.....it's very liberating!
"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, lights and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work, (and theft), will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don't bother concealing your theivery!! Celebrate it if you feel like it! In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said, "It's not where you take it from, but where you take it TO.""

Halloween Pictures!

I can't believe it's already the time of year to buy our kids their Halloween costumes and make plans for parties where WE get to dress up, too!!  Last year I didn't do any Halloween sessions because I was so busy with Fall Families.  But this year I've added them in and I can't wait!

Monday I took my daughter out for her session and we had a lot of fun!  We didn't spend a lot of time because, well, she had homework and I needed to get back in the house to cook dinner.  But we got some cute images.  This will be her last year to trick or treat..........she's 12.  I think that's plenty old to go door to door begging for candy.  After a certain age, it's just not cute anymore;)

So, here are a few images from our session.  She decided that she wanted to be Cleopatra this year.  She makes a very cute Egyptian:)

Chit-Chat

Good Friday Morning, All!
I just got the kids on the bus and thought I would sit down to chit-chat a bit.  I'm sure you noticed my last post about my website being up!  I'm so very excited!  I'm still working out a few kinks, but for the most part, it's great!  I'm hoping to get my blog linked to it this weekend.  I've got a great response and even a few new customers who saw the link on Facebook.  Ah, the power of social networking! :)

I'm also working with 2 salons here in Benton; Sassy Shears and Lorena Dee's!  New customers to the salons will receive a $50 gift card toward a session with me!  I'm excited at the possibilities!!  Both salons are very classy and the owners are beautiful, inside and out!  Awesome!

Not too much else going on at the moment.  Life is quiet and refreshing right now.....I'm gearing up for my busy season, so I'll enjoy every moment:)  We'll be painting Bailey's bedroom this weekend, so be sure to come back soon for before and after pictures:)  Have a wonderful weekend!!  Enjoy every second!
~Tia

My Website!!!

It's UP!!
http://www.tiawindphotography.com/
Take a look and enjoy!!!

Lord, Give Me Patience!!

Oh, it's been a hard 2 days!!  After I sent my 'go live' request for my website, I waited.........and waited....and I'm still waiting!!  :/  I finally got an email LAST NIGHT that informed me that my webhost forgot to register my domain name, thus delaying my website from hitting the world wide web.  Oh, Dear Lord.........In the grand scheme of things, it's really not that big of a deal.  But I have a terrible problem with being patient.  Maybe I'm suppose to learn something, here.  Yes, I'm pretty sure that's it.  *sigh

Anyhoo........if things go as planned, I should be up by midnight tonight.  If not, then I'm going to have to get through this 3 day weekend and wait some more.  Fingers crossed!!!!!!!!!!

NEW WEBSITE!!!

It's not up yet, but I just sent my 'go live' request!!  I was informed that it should be up by the end of the day.....meaning midnight, but that's ok:) LOL
This is a very exciting day for me!  Thanks for letting me share it with you!

Fall Kids!

During every family session, I always make sure to take the kids aside for some fun shots!  Here are some of my favorites from last year!  Enjoy!