Friday, December 28, 2007

Changes for the New Year

Each year as my business grows, there are changes I need to make to keep things running smoothly. There will be several changes for 2008 and they are pretty random so I will just make an old fashioned list.

1) Plan ahead for the holidays! I won't be shooting anything in December next year. I am thankful for being so busy this year but I am only one person and I'll admit I took on more than I should have. I ended up getting sick and having to cancel several sessions with no time left to reschedule in time for holiday cards. I have to leave December open for ordering & packaging, and unforeseen hurdles such as reprinting, illness, and storms that delay packages. So, no shooting in December. I always make exceptions for newborns though.
2) Santa sessions. These have gotten super-popular so I'd like to start them sooner so no one gets turned away next year. Santa sessions that take place in August and September will be at the regular mini-session price of $50. Santa sessions that take place in October and November will be $75. That should help get you revved up for Christmas sooner and help me by spreading my Fall sessions out.
3) Jewelry. I will no longer be offering jewelry. As I type this draft on December 28th, I am STILL waiting on 9 pieces that were promised to me by Christmas. There truly was an act of God, an ice storm and loss of power to the jeweler's town for a week that caused this. Although completely out of my hands, I feel responsible and so sad that many of you did not have gifts in time for the holidays. I like to have control. :) I still LOVE the jewelry and am a little addicted to it as you all know. It's beautiful and worth the wait in my opinion. If you ever want to order something, I'd be happy to do it for you, just don't count on it for a certain date.
4) Session fees. In 2007, I required half the session fee as a deposit and the other half at the session. This was a great change because no one left me hanging this year! There were several times when I forgot to collect the other half of the fee at the session and all that extra "business stuff" takes up valuable shooting time when we are on a schedule. So, for the new year, the entire session fee will be required up front to book a session. Cancellation policies (on the "details" page of the website) have not changed and will still apply.
5) Beach Sessions. I have decided to make beach sessions longer and take fewer appointments in one morning. Instead of 30 minutes, they will last 45 minutes and I will only take 2 families in a single morning. The beach session fee will now be the same as a studio session, $100 on weekdays and $150 on weekends. I am looking forward to having more beach time with you and being able to capture both posed and fun candid images of your family.
6) Collections and CDs. I sold lots of cds this holiday season and I am aware that this is something more and more families like to have from their session. My concern has always been the quality of the finished print. The same image printed at five different labs, will have five different looks. The pro lab I use is calibrated with my monitor and everything you get is approved first by me. I am in the process of re-doing the collections to include a cd instead of a set of proofs. It's important to me that the cd be available only after prints are purchased that reflect the quality of my work. Expect to see those changes soon. :)

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