Category Archives: Personal Photography

Gymnastics Photography, Blue Springs, Mo ~Dragons In The Woods

I wear many hats. The ones I am most proud of are the ones my children have placed on my head and end in the word “mom”. As a “gymnastics mom”, I was so sad to see this competition season cut short. These girls practice year-round, some for as many as 30 hours a week. They leave school early, miss extra curricular activities, parties, and events. They have calluses and “rips” (the skin actually rips off of their hands) and bruises. For all of this they get typically less than 10 meets a year where they get to show off and (hopefully) be rewarded for their hard work and amazing achievements. This year that was only 4 meets. I’m a “fixer”. As soon as a problem or dissapointment presents itself, my brain starts working overtime trying to figure out how I can fix it, or at least make it a little better. I couldn’t fix this but as a photographer I could give them a day in the spotlight. I could show the world (or as many people as social media will allow) how beautiful and amazing they are. It was hot and the day was long, but there was a lot of laughter and fun. I photographed girls doing what they loved more than anything. I photographed sisters, friends, teammates, role models…family. This was one of the most fun and rewarding sessions I have ever done.
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From the Heart

This post has been weighing heavy on my heart for a while. I have known I was going to write it but had no idea what it was going to say…until tonight. It’s something I have prayed on, thought about, prayed on some more and tried to remain patient while waiting for some kind of answer. Tonight it came to me clearly…”If you want it, fight for it!”. So here it is- the honest truth.

This little business that I have spent the past 6 years building is not having a great year. As a matter of fact this is one of my worst springs that I can remember and after my busiest wedding season ever in 2016, my wedding schedule is pretty bare as well.

Also, being honest, I just wrote a very long theory as to why I believe this is happening but to spare you all of that I will sum it up by saying there are A LOT of DSLR (or in other words…big, fancy cameras) floating around out there and a lot of people know someone who is willing to take some quick photos for them for free or next to nothing. This makes it hard for people to pay big bucks to a true professional (although it is soooo worth it) and I get that. I spent a lot of time on my pricing when I started my business and changed it as needed through the years. I started out low while I was still fine-tuning my personal photography style and still perfecting my skills and increased it as my photography kept improving so that my fees matched the artwork that I was delivering to my clients. I paid attention to other photographers and made sure my pricing was competitive with those who’s work was similar quality to mine. I took into consideration all of the expenses (taxes, business license, website expenses, marketing fees, equipment upgrades and upkeep, marketing, etc). I have always tried to keep my pricing reasonable. But times have changed at least for now and what is reasonable to MY ideal clients might have too. While I know that my work is worth every penny that I worked my way up to, I also know that many quality photographers are charging less now and many clients are just going with that “friend with a camera” to save money. So the dilema I have been praying on…Is it time to hang up the towel? Should I go back to shooting personal photos like when I first fell in love with photography and give up on the idea of a growing business? I thought about it but my heart said “NO!”.

Soooooo at least for the time being I am going to take it back a few steps. I have changed my pricing and my 2017 clients will be getting amazing deals! I will be working more for less money but hopefully in the process will be builiding new relationships with new clients who will fall in love with the artwork and memories that I create for them and stand by me as I fight for my business and dream. I hope that you will be a part of it and I can’t wait to start capturing your memories this year.2017-05-23_0002.jpg

Welcome!

If you have visited my site before you will notice my website has changed. If you are new here, Welcome! Either way I hope you love what you see. While on vacation in Florida over spring break I worked hard to get this new site up and running. Now you can find blog posts for all of my sessions and my website information in one place! I am still adding to the galleries and have more changes and additions coming in the near future so check back often for updates, but in the meantime…enjoy!2013-03-27_0002.jpg