Today's about Seanna, my oldest and my dreamer.  What a bundle of energy and creativity she can certainly be!  She's my fairy dancer and the one to tell us stories.

It's really quite amazing to watch Seanna interact with the world and then to remember that she's not even 3 years old yet.  I've lost count of the words that she can say and she is well beyond her years in her ability to put together complete sentences.  She is so funny with what she chooses to say as well.  Last night, she decided that she wanted to sleep in bed with NiNi (my mother-in-law).  When NiNi told her that it was alright for her to do so and helped her up into the bed, Seanna leaned back, stretched out her arms and proceeded to say (in dramatic fashion, of course) "This is Amazing!".  Life is a constant display of such occurrences around here.

Seanna is also my artist and my dancer.  Although her art skills are definitely more along her age skill-level, her intensity and focus when working on her art definitely seems to be well beyond her years.

 This is a child who will sit and think before she marks on a page and who's favorite day is one where she can sit out on the porch with her easel and stool.

Her love for the arts does not stop with paints, etc... and paper, though.  Her days are spent dancing and twirling throughout the house as she imitates Angelina Ballerina.  And, do you know?  She actually already is on her way to accomplishing many of the classic ballet positions.  Boy, oh boy, you should see her lift that leg up, too!

Let's not forget that all dancers need to interact with fairies and pretend to be fairies themselves.  Seanna's ballet outfit is only complete when she has on both her ballet tutu and her fairy wings, as I learned recently when we went on a trip and both had to be packed.

Life is definitely a constant surprise with Seanna around and I am so glad that I am her mom and able to be a part of these magical years.

Mom + Photographer - A Reflection on the Photography Industry

A slightly different subject today.  As part of my photography business, I read the blog posts from others in the industry who have been out there longer than me and who are respected in the photography world.  You see, I know that running a photography business is a constant growing experience and the only way to grow my business is to continue learning.

silhouette of a sleeping baby

A growing trend that I'm noticing is that it is becoming harder and harder to be successful in this industry if you stick to both basic business practices and a high standard for your art.  You see, everyday someone new is picking up a camera and deciding to become a "professional photographer."  I find myself these days in an almost constant unique position of being a newbie who is trying to get a photography business off the ground at prices that I feel comfortable charging while also having to compete with those who have been labeled, quite appropriately, by the industry as shoot and burn or fauxtographers.

A girl's best friend

I have to admit, I share the concern of others in the photography industry for it's long-term health.  But, I have different views.  When I look at the photography industry, I see multiple challenges, stemming both from the upper and lower ends of "professional photographers."

Let's start with the end that probably is going to tick the most of other "professional photographers" off (and is not meant as a slight, just an issue that I see).  The problem that I see here is that quality photography is pretty much just not available to any but the highest income level of clients.  Don't get me wrong, I'm an artist and want people to respect my work and to be willing to pay me a premium for that work.  But, unfortunately, that's just not an option for the average household.  I think that a large portion of our industry has priced itself out of business.  Now, if you're good enough at what you do and at marketing to make a living that way, go for it ... it's the dream that all of us have - to be paid top-dollar.  But, don't then look down at those of us who charge less as being less professional because we have different business standards.

Along the same tack, have you noticed how many cliques exist in the photography industry?  I have found that it is very difficult to make a dent in becoming part of the photography industry because most photographers will only interact with a select few.  If you're a newbie, often you are left to flounder on your own unless you are willing to pay all kinds of money for this book or that book or go to this conference or take that class.  I think that this is a shame.  Now, I will say that this is not the entire industry.  I am a part of a few photography groups where the photographers are really good about supporting and encouraging each other without discrimination and it is refreshing to say the least!

I think the biggest issue with the cliques is that the photographers who have been out there for a while feel threatened, and rightly so.  Everyday a new "photographer" enters the business.  Some do it for the right reasons and are an asset.  Others do it for the wrong reason and make it that much harder for everyone else.  I think that this is the reason that so many photographers are not as willing to help out new photographers or offer constructive criticism anymore.  Instead, it's the tough love approach of sink or swim on your own and we're going to criticize every image that you do without offering any encouragement or suggestions for how to improve.

Now, let me move to the other end.  The photographer who doesn't care about quality of work and just wants to get as many clients as possible no matter what the cost.  This photographer makes it extremely difficult for any photographers in the industry, but especially those, like me, who try to maintain more affordable rates, to maintain a viable business.  You see, they can charge rock bottom prices because, at the end of the day, they have very little time or effort invested.  My personal opinion is that the term fauxtographer really is a better description because often these photographers will edit a few pictures.  But, they are little more than a shoot and burn photographer because all they will do is edit and share their best 5-8 pictures and then burn the rest to a disc.  These photographers put up a good front and fool a lot of people but they create an impossible standard.  It is simply impossible to charge low rates and keep up with these photographers. Putting up this front is much easier now-days in the Pinterest world where an entire shoot can be copied from other photographers' work.  Don't get me wrong, Pinterest is a great tool and I visit there often for inspiration or to check out posing ideas to see if what's in my head has been done and will work.  But, don't just blindly copy what other photographers have done, use Pinterest as a springboard for your own creativity.

Let's face it, professional photography, when done right, is hard work.  Every photographer has their own process, but these basics should always have some part in the job.  You're hired for a session, that means you need to talk to your client to see what they want from the session.  You are creating art that your clients can hang on their walls and share with their friends, so they don't want just generic stuff.  If that was all they needed or wanted, then please save yourself and them the trouble and send them on to a chain store that can do the generic stuff and not charge much because they are a volume business.  You are a custom professional photographer who creates art, so treat your business that way.

Dark Skies Over a Snow Covered Field

Art is born from creativity but using that creativity in a productive manner requires planning.  I don't believe that every shot that you take should be a "money shot" but if you're taking 600 photos during a shoot just hoping to get 20 good shots, then you need to work on your technique some more before charging for your work.  Each scene or pose should be thought out and have a purpose.  Is everything that you try going to work every time?  No, but that shouldn't mean that you're just hoping to get something, anything from the shoot.  You must spend time before each shoot planning it and walk in with a game plan and the confidence to implement it.

Likewise, you must spend time improving your skills.  Whether reading books or blog posts, studying other photographer's work, or attending conferences or seminars, no one is naturally gifted enough to continue long-term without constantly striving to improve.  Your camera doesn't determine whether you get great pictures, you do, so put the time in to know how to shoot like a professional if you are going to call yourself one.  If not, then move on out of the industry so that the rest of us can make a living.

The session is such a small part of a professional photographer's workload, but that's often all our clients think that we are charging a fee for; largely due to the shoot and burn photographers.  Guess what, that hour or so I spend with you is accompanied by at least 5-6 hours of pre-shoot planning and post-shoot processing, plus countless hours of practice and skill-building.

Post-production is a make or break and involves the expense of quality software to do it right.  I won't say more because then you get boring technical stuff, but, if you're not willing to take the time for post-production and want to just immediately burn whatever images you happened to get, then stick with shooting for yourself as a hobby photographer until you're willing to do so.  Even if you can't afford (which is not a good excuse for very long if you're charging for your work) or are not comfortable with using the top-notch industry standard software yet, there's plenty of free software out there to get you started learning and let's not forget the free trials for software.  That's how I decided on which software was best for my business, I did some free trials with a few until I found what worked for me (and what a difference it made).

So, what is the solution?  First, we need to welcome newcomers to the industry and encourage them to continue improving their skills.  Not just, "if you'll pay me this fee for this class, I'll help you," but reach out and offer to mentor a new photographer, TODAY, yeah, that's a challenge for all of you out there.  Remember that if a photographer is in the business for the right reasons, then they need constructive criticism.  Most photographers are their own worst critics, so they don't need their work constantly torn down, they need a mix of encouragement that they are on the right track with learning their craft and advice on how to improve.  If a photographer is not in the business for the right reasons, then they won't want to put in the work to improve and will fizzle out soon enough.

Second, we need to help get examples of quality photography out there for the public and to make sure that affordable, high quality photography is available.  Yes, we need to make a living as a professional photographer but the "fauxtographers" are only going to keep getting business if people can't afford the real thing to see the difference.

Third, we need to continue to challenge ourselves to improve.  Even the photographer with 20+ years of professional experience still has much to learn, so let's remember that no matter how long we've been in the business and not get complacent with our craft.

Our industry is built on wants and desires.  Yes, every single one of us can offer a convincing argument as to why quality photography services is a need for our customers, but, at the end of the day, paying for a photographer is probably not going to beat out the most basic of necessities.  Plus, let's face it, we're competing with companies like Apple who have made iPhones and similar products into a perceived need.  We need to come together to market in a way that overcomes these barriers so that the photography industry can succeed.  The future of photography is not the wealthy, they can afford it and will spend the money on photography services with very little encouragement (and probably with only a very select group of photographers).  Rather, we need to focus on the average family.  The one who works as hard as they can to pay their bills and who probably has to plan out spending the money on photography services enough in advance to save up for the photoshoot.  These are the people that will truly treasure the work, we just need to make our services accessible and to reach them.

What do you think?  What issues do you see in the photography industry and how can we address them?

Big Sister, Little Sister

Before Russell and I even found out that we were expecting Cayleigh, our youngest, we had discussed many times how much space between kids was best for their relationship, how to make sure they got along, etc...  You see, we had seen how hard the transition had been for several of our friends whose older children were suddenly no longer an only child but the older child.  Honestly, I don't think that there is a magic age, although it seems that either the children need to be close enough together that the older one doesn't have much time to get used to being an only child or there needs to be a long enough distance that the older child really can understand what's going on.  The conclusion we reached, though, was that there was no good conclusion as to the age.

Then, surprise, we found out that we were expecting Cayleigh, who was born in December 2012, putting our girls 19.5 months apart.  I must say, though, that overall, Seanna has done really good with the big sister thing all along; although there are still times that she has to be reminded to look out for or share with her sister.  That said, Cayleigh is now up big enough to stand up for herself some, and look out Seanna! because Cayleigh is feisty!

Lately, though, I've been really pleased to see how much Seanna has embraced being an older sister.  Whenever we're traveling or out somewhere where the girls can get a drink or a treat, Seanna makes sure to get one for both her and Cayleigh, usually picking out Cayleigh's first.  Russell played one of those stuffed animal games at the gas station the other day and won a purple bear and Seanna promptly told him that the bear was Cayleigh's.  She also helped calm Cayleigh down several times while we were driving, giving her some more stuffed animals (including Seanna's "Harley" and "Minnie") and talking to her.  Little things, I know, but a lot for a child who's not even 3 years old yet!

The big key, I think, from my experience, is to teach your children to share and then try to treat them as equally as possible.  Each child has their own special needs, so treating a child equally doesn't necessarily mean treating them exactly the same.  But, it can be so easy to unconsciously treat one child like they're more special than another, for whatever reasons, and that can lead to lasting problems.  Seanna has learned that sharing and being kind are rewarded and that not sharing and being mean are punished.  Cayleigh is now learning those lessons and is fortunate enough to have a big sister to help with those lessons.  

Playing peek-a-boo with each other.