I think about my oldest child, Nathan, who is about to turn 8. I have all the memories of how he came into this world, 3 months too soon, and how much he has grown and changed and matured into the little man that he is.  The other day, I  found some pictures of him, and took the time to go through them.  At the time, taking them was just because I needed to document his life, but now, I know that it was my heart reminding me that I never want to forget those moments.  I don’t want to forget what he looked like when he was only 2lbs 8oz and struggling to hang onto life.  I don’t want to forget the big head he had when he was 9 months old, that made him look like he could probably just topple right over:)  I don’t want to forget the time that we had big birthday parties complete with water balloon fights in the backyard.  I don’t want to forget the first time he went to school or the first time he wrestled in a meet.  I want to remember that he snuggled up tight to read stories and that he got stitches trying to ride his bike with one hand.  All of it. Every single detail of when he was small, I want to remember it and cherish it.  His life is worth the investment to document it.  Like many photographers, I often don’t pull out my big camera as much as I used too to just snap pictures.  But I have been trying to make sure to do this more often.  I do, however, make sure to get our family pictures done and the kids done every year because they are ever changing and I want to look and see what life was like back then in our family:) I don’t need the sit down and smile pictures, I want the silly expressions and the crying (if that be the case!) so that I can go “oh yeah, life was a little crazy back then” and remember what it was like!

That’s why my job is so great.  I get to do that for you.  I get to take those moments, the silly ones-the tearful ones, and freeze them in time so that someday, you can go back and look and remember that moment in your family’s life.  That’s why having sessions are SO important and SO worth investing in.  You get to keep those moments, forever.

Now that the sappy part is over, lets get into a little breakdown of WHAT your investing into this.  Some people get sticker shock when they have to pay for pictures.  So I want to give some insight into what exactly, you are paying for.

Your session fee includes my time, travel, and talent.  What does this mean exactly? Lets break it down a little-travel is self explanitory (the cost to travel to and from the location(s) of the session)

Time Includes:
Time to set up session, prepare and email invoices and receipts, send reminder emails about your session, time to charge batteries-clean cameras and lenses-format memory cards, time to shoot the session itself, time to unload and backup memory cards, time to sort and organize images, time to edit (more on this in a moment), time to re-size for web viewing, time to post previews for you, and time to upload the gallery.  It sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? And this is BEFORE you even order!  I won’t go into all of that process today, but you get the idea-lots of time:) 

Talent Includes:
Well, this is the shooting and editing part.  That means that I’ve spent a lot of time learning to perfect lighting situations, cropping, etc (In camera) to provide me with the best base image I can, to work with in my software programs.  This is where the editing comes in.  Now, some call it editing, some call it retouching, to me it’s the same thing: taking a good picture and making it GREAT.  This is what people come to me for, they come to me for the FINAL product!  The stuff they hang on their walls:)  So I try to give them exactly that, I turn that piece of time into a piece of artwork.  This is where my slogan “turning life into art” comes from-in case you wondered, hehe. 

Now a little before and after-to show you how much time and effort I put into EACH and EVERY image I take and why it’s worth investing in custom photography.  Here is an image straight out of camera and one after I’ve spent time with it:

Another example. Straight out of the camera:

Wouldn't you prefer the bottom?

I have gotten my website all up to date with more recent  images.  I’ve also added a FAQ section to answer some frequently asked questions I get about sessions.  There have been minor changes to my  pricing for 2011, nothing too substantial.  I’m excited to be bringing mini-sessions on board as a year-round selection for people that like to just grab a few updated images throughout the year.  I’m hoping this will help my clients that are consistently booking with me every 3-6 months to get new pictures of their children. I appreciate your consistent business with me, and I want to offer you a cheaper way to get multiple sessions in throughout the year.

I’m looking forward to embarking on this year in my business. I’ve made a lot of changes (mostly behind the scene stuff) that will help me continue to keep my turn a round at a fast rate for my clients and help me maintain a consistent level of high quality service for everyone.  I have already announced that I will be taking less family sessions this year. In addition, I’ve decided I will only be taking on a maximum of 6 weddings this year.  I have made this decision based on the fact that I have to balance my family life with my business life and be able to perform in top condition in both areas of my life.  I feel like not over-booking myself will help ensure that everyone gets the dedication and quality they expect during their time with me.

I am currently opening my books for sessions this spring.  If you are ready to get a date set for April or May, please visit my website and fill out the contact form to get yourself a date:)  I’m really excited to work with my past clients and also to meet new ones!  I will be offering a 10% session fee discount to anyone that books their April/May session before February 1st!

Please head over to the website and check out the updated look and then drop some comments here and let me know how you like the new color scheme for JM Photography!

Happy New Year to all of you, may this year bring you all great joy and prosperity!  And a huge thank you to all of my 2010 clients, you made it an awesome year and I’m so thankful to have gotten to meet each and every one of you. I look forward to another year of fantastic sessions, beautiful weddings and lots of laughter and fun along the way!

I’ll leave you with picture of three of the reasons my year has been so fantastic, taken by my fab friend Kerri this summer:)

Ava 6yrs|Nathan 7yrs|Jocelyn 4yrs

This is my mom’s youngest sister, we even got to be pregnant at the same time…twice!  She had her last two around the same time I had my first two.  It was a neat experience.  Now her kids are all growing and it was time for new pictures.  This is the second year I’ve had the priveledge to do their family session, hopefully going forward I’ll maintain my spot as their primary photographer:)

I got to a point where I felt like I was not doing enough, even though I barely had time to do the things I was.  I felt like I wanted a break, but no break was comming.  Rather than a break, I decided to give myself ONE day, in the midst of chaos, to just shoot the way I wanted to shoot.  To go out and shoot JUST FOR ME, just for fun.  No requests, no expectations, no time limits, no location limitations, no money involved from anyone, no worry about weather ruining my day.  Just me, my camera, and an idea.  A chance to just feel like I was completely in control of everything, just for once.

So I grabbed some friends, that never got a chance to have wedding photo’s (thanks for being a part of it guys!), and took them to a remote location, away from all the chaos that was consuming me, and just had fun.  Shooting for me.  I think every photographer should do this once in awhile.  We have all these ideas, but rarely have time to use them!  It took me awhile to get around to editing these, I had too much on my plate as it was, but I’m finally entering the time of year that things are slowing down and I can catch up.

I was worried for nothing, it was fantastic.  I had a lot of fun!  We had a location change last minute, but it turned out great. We found an amazing barn in the middle of a field, all alone, just waiting to be captured.  Her daughter, what can I say? She was the star of the show and could seriously be a little model!   Jesse was great too, very easy going. Overall, an awesome family, a great afternoon and some fantastic pictures.  What more could a gal ask for?

1| I am only taking FIVE more sessions for the 2010 season.  I am almost booked up, but have a few spots to fill in November still.  If you are not on the books, and want to be, you will need to contact me ASAP to secure your spots.  The last few are first come first serve and I anticipate them being filled quickly.  If you are wanting to book something for next year, please do!  I encourage people to book early to ensure they get a date they want.  I may be open to take a last minute wedding yet this fall/winter season, so please inquire if you are interested in booking me for your special day.

2| Beginning in 2011, I will only be offering LIMITED family sessions.  As my business has grown, I have decided to focus in a more specialized manor. I will be limiting family sessions to 10 for the year, yes the ENTIRE year.  This is a decision that I did not come to lightly, as I have loved working with my families this year.   I still want to offer this service for my present and future clients, but it will be on a more limited basis. Because of this, I recommend booking in advance to ensure you receive a date in 2011.  If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me directly at jessica@jmphotograph.com.

I am going to be focusing in these areas next year: Weddings/Couples, Seniors, Maternity/Babies/Children.  If you have a question about my availability for other types of sessions, please drop me an email and we can discuss!

3| My website will be undergoing a mini make-over for a short period of time.  You will still be able to access my basic pricing information, contact information, Blog and Client proofing.  All galleries and additional information will be down during the update.  I hope that you bare with me in regards to the changes and if you need anything at all during this time, please contact me through email or contact me at my facebook fanpage: here.

4| Finally, not an announcement, more of a thank you: It has been an awesome year! I couldn’t have asked for better clients.  I hope next year is even more successful as I continue to grow in this business. I thank you all for your support and help through these past few years. It’s been an awesome adventure and I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for my business!  Here’s to another year of capturing love, laughter and LIFE on camera!