Update
photo by Justin Robinson
It takes a baby nine months to grow in the womb, so it only seems fit that February marks nine months since I "officially" started Cassidy Robinson Photography and I just now feel like my baby is full-term and ready to thrive on it's own.
All puns aside, this past year has been a learning and growing process for me. I am thankful for the 29 clients (so far!) who have booked me as their photographer in my first year of business. There are so many wonderful photographers locally and you took a risk in choosing this newbie to capture those special moments for your family. I cannot thank you enough.
Because of everything I have learned this past year, both positive and negative, I am making a few changes to my business. The one thing I am so very excited about is online viewing galleries! One of my biggest hurdles was getting photos back to clients speedily. Because I am a perfectionist and also indecisive to a fault, it took quite some time for me to sift through hundreds of photos and only choose the 20 best. I either ended up over-editing or feeling the guilt that I possibly left out a potential favorite. Because my opinion is just that... my opinion. With online viewing galleries, it now puts the choosing in the hands of the ones who will be displaying these photos for years to come.
I have also updated my pricing. I was told from the get-go by well-meaning friends and family that I was "too cheap." I want to be a photographer for the people. I want to be affordable. I believe every family deserves quality photography, without having to break the bank for it. So I'm choosing to offer a broader range of prices for a variety of different sessions. I'm sure there is a session that everyone can afford in there!
And sadly, I am saying goodbye to personalized jump drives (unless requested). They are beautiful and I love them, but they also take quite some time to ship and seem impractical to those who only want a handful of photos edited. I will be sticking to hi-res digital downloads via the online viewing galleries. You will be able to download your edited images on any electronic device (phone/tablet/computer) and print them anywhere! This will hopefully help my goal of returning photos promptly.
And last but not least, the most obvious change I have made to my business is... this website! Blogging has taken a back seat as I am ever-learning to be present as a wife and mom. I never want to get rid of my blog entirely, so I just reformatted my website to feature the important aspects of my photography business - while also keeping this little blog space personal. Hopefully it's a good balance of personal + professional. :)
Again, thank you all so much for being a part of watching my baby grow. I never thought I would give birth to TWO babies in one year - but sure enough in 2014, I welcomed my Hannah Leigh and also this business. And both have been such a huge blessing to our family!