Yowza!!

Holy Cow!!  It's been too long since I sat down to blog!  I must do better!!

So, how have you all been!?  I've been creating more marketing material for my seniors, mass mailings, spring sessions and more!  It's been fun!  I love being able to create my own flyers, business cards, etc! 
January is my slow month, so I've had a lot of time to just relax!  It's been wonderful!  But now I'm ready to get back behind the camera!
I've booked a few session for the spring and highly anticipate that my schedule is going to EXPLODE!!  I'll be shooting spring sessions at Wye Mt.'s Daffodil Festival this year and CAN'T WAIT!  It's our first spring here in Arkansas and I've been told it's GORGEOUS!

I can't wait to see what this new year brings!  I am anticipating great things!  New customers, new ideas, new locations and lots of new friends!!
Please call or email to book your spring and summer sessions right now!  From my experience, I can tell you that there will be a mad rush in March and April to get spring/summer and senior sessions booked.  Don't miss out by procrastinating!!  We can always reschedule, but you don't want to miss out completely!!
Have a wonderful day!!!
tia1973@tiawindphotography.com
501-303-7383

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)