Worst Blogger EVER!

I'm the worst. blogger. EVER!  My last post was in May....MAY!  Ug!  Ok.  I've come to terms that I will probably never earn money by doing this.  I would love to say that I've just been soooo busy that I haven't had time to log on and write....but, that would be a lie.  Basically, I'm just lazy and forgetful:/  Someday I'll get it in gear....maybe.

So, I thought I would log on and just give a little life update of our summer.   It was short.  The end.  Man, it flew!  I had so many things planned in my head to do with the kids...never happened.  I kept busy shooting, editing, cleaning....and repeat.   We took a couple trips to Illinois to see family....that was the high light of the summer.  We got to see my sweet new nephew, Josiah.  And, boy, is he gorgeous!

 

Now, the kids are back to school, my schedule keeps filling up and there's always an iron in the fire, it seems.  As Farris Bueller said,  "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." 
So, that's the plan....to stop and look around once in awhile.  I encourage you to do the same!  Life is too short to get weighed down with 'plans'. 
Have a great week!!!

Hot Fun in the Summer Time!

SCHOOL'S OUT!  It's summer break and we're loving it! 

Every year, I'm amazed at how quickly the school year goes, but this year it seems like it just FLEW!  Am I the only one who's thinking this??  My kids will be in 7th and 10th grade....how did this happen?  As I'm writing this, I'm watching my 15 year old daughter clean the kitchen and mop the floor......WITHOU BEING TOLD.  Um, I may just completely die here! Are the years of hovering and telling them OVER AND OVER AND OVER to do their simple little chores over with?  Could it be?  For the love of God, I hope so!
But in reality, I highly doubt it.     BOOM!  The dream is over....I just had to tell my son to pick up the dirty sock that he kept stepping over as he walked through the living room.  I mean really!  When does it sink in that dirty clothes floating across the middle of the living room floor isn't the normal in this house?!  Or that if you blow your nose, the kleenex gets disposed of in the trash can......NOT on the coffee table.  No one like a pile of snot wads sitting in the middle of the room for all to see.  Ug.

In other news:
This summer we have a couple trips back to Illinois planned and are gearing up as we speak:)  I can't wait to see my little sister who is expecting her third baby boy!  We are also building a new deck so we can actually enjoy our back yard.  A pool would be nice, but we'd have to sell one of the kids in order to afford one, so we'll pass......this year. ;)

Sessions have really picked up this year and my summer looks steady.  Not raging busy, but a nice even keel.....I like it.  Fall Family Sessions are already almost full!  I'm still in awe by that wonderful fact.  And I have lots of new things up my sleeve.  New props.  New locations.  New, new, new:)

And that about wraps it up:)  My husband took the day off to work on the new deck and he just poked his head in to let me know that he needs my help.  Of course he does!  I just managed to sit down for the first time today.....that automatically insures that someone needs me.  HAPPY FRIDAY!

Seniors!

Seniors!

Social Media FREAK! Yep, That's Me!

I grew up in the 80's. The days when home video cameras were huge and weighed about 30 lbs. or more! And they cost a fortune! My family never had one, but my grandpa did and we LOVED hamming it up whenever he turned it on. (I'm sure we were annoying, but when the camera turned on, so did we!)
Oh, goodness! If there were iphones back in the 80's, I would have been in trouble! Talk about a huge distraction! LOL I have a feeling I would have spent most of my jr high and high school life grounded from any kind of technology involving pictures, videos and status updates! hahaha!! But now... Oh! Now I'm a grown up and I can do whatever I want! And being a business owner, I have found that social media is the best, most absolutely wonderful way of advertising, communicating and sharing!

Facebook, Instagram, Vine, Twitter and Keek. My husband calls me a social media freak;) And I embrace it;)
So, if you haven't yet seen my posts concerning Keek...... Oh, who am I kidding!? I'm sure you have;) And I'm loving it:) Keek is like Instagram, only with video. So, now I'm sharing my little videos with you thru Keek:) I post some of them on my Facebook, while others I just upload to Keek and let my followers/subscribers see. The content is random... I share my family, photography, Pinterest projects, pets, well, a little of everything:)

I'm also having Flash Sales on Keek. What a great way for you to save some CASH!! I'll be selling half priced gift certificates, prints and even discounts on sessions! But you have to be a follower/subscriber. The Keek app is available from the app store and is totally free:) Just download it to your smart phone and start following me at tiawind1973. Boom!

I would ABSOLUTELY love for you to be a follower/subscriber!! And I'd love to follow you as well! Please, for the love of all that is holy, (and so you don't have to listen to me beg), get the app and follow me:) I'm also on Vine, Twitter and Instagram;) I hope to see you ALL soon on Keek! My goal is to get every single person who has 'liked' my page to follow me. I know that's probably not going to happen, but the more, the merrier!
AND for every 50 follows, I'll be having a $50 gift certificate giveaway!
SEE YOU ON KEEK!!!!
~Tia

Building a Business....It's Kinda Hard.

Business owners/fellow photographers:  Have you ever wished for a time machine??  A chance to go back to the beginning of your business and re-do the way you run things?  Me too!!!

I started out, (and this is embarrassing), giving away my sd cards so clients could just go plug them into a kiosk at a local retailer to get their prints.  (I can't believe I said that out loud!).  I only charged $30 for Kids and Families, $70 for Senior Pictures and a wedding was just $300.  But as I gained confidence and my images starting improving I raised my prices and went to burning discs for my clients.  At first, I was burning over 100 images. Then I 'narrowed it down' to 80....LOL.  When my husband staged an intervention, (not really....but kinda), I whittled it down to 30 images....and that's where it was last year and into the beginning of this year. 

Up until last fall, I thought I had a good thing going!  Clients LOVE getting a disc with their images/printing rights!  And for good reason!  For me, it was somewhat easy....take the pics, edit, burn, mail disc, done.  But then I booked more and more....and more.....and WAY MORE sessions than I've ever taken....EVER.  I was spending my entire weekends shooting from 9a.m. Saturday morning until sunset on Sunday evenings. Monday's thru Friday's were spent editing from 6a.m. until 9 or 10p.m.....sometimes 2a.m. if someone needed their disc in a hurry.   And all the sudden, my business was suffering.....as was my sanity.  When my family was playing a game or watching a Christmas movie, I was at the table in the other room working on edits.  It was sad.

My husband and I sat down and figured how much I was making per hour based on my rates.....and I think I cried.  (I can't remember clearly due to the lack of sleep I was getting at the time).  I think it ended up being the pay rate of a sweat shop in China.  And due to the fact that I barely took a break to eat or go to the bathroom, I looked like a sweat shop worker, too.  Not cute.

We then sat down and figured out how much I would make per year if I had filled my calendar COMPLETELY at the rates I'm charging..... Let's just say it didn't move me out of 'poverty level' income.  ARE YOU KIDDING!?  Not kidding.

So, things had to change.  Quickly. And they are.  And it's good! 

My Beautiful Girl

I can't believe my inspiration for starting my photography business is going to be 15 years old in March!  My sweet daughter, Bailey, has been my little muse since she burst on the scene.  I took her out a few weeks ago for a quick session and the images I brought home blew me away.  It's official: my little girl is all grown up!  We're so proud!

 

Welcome, 2013

Hello, 2013!!  I can't wait to see what this new year will look like!  So far, it's been pretty fantastic!  I've been behind the camera quite a few times already and have had a BLAST capturing some really fun images.  I'm venturing into more Lifestyle sessions and I'm loving the response I'm getting.  What is a Lifestyle Session?  Think fun, layed back, easy and adorable images of your kids, family and even pets in your own environment....whether it be your home, a sporting event or a day at the museum!  I tag along and capture images of your day....priceless!

I was planning on uploading some images from my sessions so far in January, but blogger isn't cooperating..... grrrr!

Huge Awesome News!

I'm so excited!

Beginning next week I will be offering prints through Zenfolio!  What does this mean for you and what changes will be going into effect?

Here's how it's going to work:

~About 2 weeks after your session, you will receive a flash drive with 5 edited images plus printing rights.
~All other images, (30 total), will be loaded to your Zenfolio gallery.  You'll be able to pick and choose which images you'd like to print/enlarge. 
~One of the best things about it: You'll be able to send friends and family to your gallery and they'll be able to order the prints they want.  No more passing discs/flash drives around to family members.... No more worry about losing your disc/flash drive.  No worries about uploading images to your computer, then to mpix or shutterfly and navigating their websites to order your prints.  Everything is at your fingertips for quick and easy ordering.
~I'll be able to set my own prices.  Don't worry!  I won't be charging an arm and a leg!!  You're NOT going to spend $50 on an 8x10..... More like $15 for a basic print:)
I'll be offering canvas', stand outs, mounting.....and other products! 

Don't like the new changes?  That's ok.  I can keep everything 'as is' for you: 30 images on a flash drive with printing rights.  BUT, the cost of your session will increase by $50.  Which isn't terribly expensive in the long run:)  You can't put a price on memories!! 

I hope that these changes don't throw you for a loop, but rather get you excited for the prospect of better service to you and your family! As my business has EXPLODED in the past year, I find it necessary to grow and change with the eb and flow.  It's been an amazing ride so far!  I'm looking forward to even bigger and better things!