Savannah Family Photographer // The S Family

This is a family dear to my heart. If you've been following my blog or my work, you know that Briana and I were each other's photographers throughout our pregnancies with our baby girls, who were born just a few weeks apart. We did each other's gender reveal and maternity sessions, cheered each other on through our first year of motherhood, and then took each other's family portraits around our girls' first birthdays.

Briana's style tends to be pretty laid back, but still carefully put together. Her family session was similar to her maternity photos in style--a country chic theme. As a fellow portrait photographer, she understands the importance of details, which makes working with her family so enjoyable!

Little miss Emma was just coming up on her first steps. It was so much fun watching and documenting her practice with mom and dad!

2015 // A Year of Growth

2014 was an awesome year. It was the year that, after 7 years of pouring my heart into my photography, I finally took the leap to license my business and start taking clients. This was a huge commitment--not just the investment of time and money, but the enormous responsibility of delivering valuable, once-in-a-lifetime artwork to paying clients... and without ending up treading water.

There are a few things I want to talk about as we begin this new year, as I will be making some big changes in my business. First is my pricing. In the spirit of being transparent, I'd like to explain my recent increase in prices.

I have always regarded photography as more of an art and a creative outlet than a service, so for years, I made myself a hobbyist instead of a professional. Because of this, when I first crossed into professional portrait photography and priced my sessions, I missed the mark. I greatly undervalued my work and my business. I didn't realize my expenses, and I completely forgot about paying myself for my time! This, unfortunately, is a mistake that many photographers make in their first few years of business. This is why, especially in a market as saturated as the one here in the Puget Sound area, it is so easy to find a photographer with decent skills and prices so low that you could afford to use them every month. But a person can't build a successful business on those prices. A $100 session doesn't even cover overhead, never mind a salary or profit. When, at the end of 2014, I was totaling up my sales for the year and finding that I still had nothing substantial to show for it, I knew I needed to make a change.

Provided I meet my goals, my new prices allow for enough to cover my overhead, a modest hourly pay for myself, and a small profit to help build my business (including furthering my photography education). For me--for now--this is enough. Should I meet my goals this year, I will make enough for a few equipment upgrades and adequate marking materials to help build my business. Yes, as my business grows, I will need to raise my prices again. However, now that I've based my prices on numbers and necessities, rather than how I feel about my own work, I am much more confident in what I'm offering. I know that my products are worth what I'm selling them for, and I hope my clients will agree!

Second is an even bigger change--a change in location. In 2014, my husband and I were faced with the difficult decision that comes around every few years in an Army career. As his separation date was approaching, we knew we needed to come to an agreement on whether we would stay in the Army and move again, or leave the military and make one big move home. We finally decided that this year, we will leave the Army and relocate to our hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

We don't have a definite move date. It will be sometime between July and September of 2015, and I will surely keep everyone posted in the meantime. As of now, I am only accepting Washington sessions through July 1 and I am not taking Oklahoma sessions until September 1. As our move gets closer and we have more information, I will open up more summer sessions.

I'm going to miss my wonderful Washington clients who made my launch year such a smooth and memorable experience. I'll miss watching your babies grow up, and I'll especially miss getting up in the middle of the night to help you welcome your soldiers home! I will always be grateful for the amazing clients that I got to know here.

However, on the flip side, I'm thrilled to be going home. I have many clients back in Oklahoma who watched my work change and grow from 2007 until now. I love and appreciate that so many people back home are already looking forward to booking with me in the future, and I cannot wait to work with you!

So, here's to 2015--another year of growth, change and love. These, after all, are the things that the human spirit thrives on, and I can only hope that my art and business will do the same.

Yours,
Emily

Gender Reveal // Briana & Tyler // Tacoma, WA

When I got the email from Briana inquiring about a gender reveal session, I was thrilled. I had never done a gender reveal session and, quite honestly, hadn't even heard of such a thing until a few months before, when I had thrown a gender reveal party for my sister. The idea of doing a reveal through photos to announce to friends and family (most of whom are very far away, being in a military community) was absolutely brilliant.

Briana knew exactly how she wanted to do her reveal. The night before, she brought a giant box over to my place and her ultrasound photo, sealed in an envelope. "I'm so bad… I held it up to the light to try to see through!" she admitted. "I'm so anxious to find out!" I was just a month behind her in my first pregnancy, so I was completely sympathetic to how she was feeling. Well, not only was I sympathetic, but despite barely knowing her, I was just as excited as she was to find out the gender of her baby! I asked the couple their guesses (Briana was hoping for a girl, but had a feeling it was a boy, and if I remember correctly, Tyler thought it was a girl) and then they headed out.

The second they walked out the door, Nick and I excitedly opened the envelope. There was the ultrasound picture with an arrow pointing at the baby and the gender written out… "GIRL."

We had chosen which park we wanted to do the reveal at, but not the exact spot. Nick and I had the box of pink balloons ready, which Briana had decorated with pink and blue polka dots and a heart that read "Boy or Girl?" As we drove through the park waiting for Briana to arrive, I saw the most perfect spot in front of the water with a beautiful pink cherry blossom tree--how perfect would that be?!

By luck or coincidence, Briana saw the same spot and wanted to meet there. I got to the spot to meet her and she commented about the tree. "Wouldn't that be so cute if the baby is a girl?" she said. I smiled… Actually, it was probably more of a grimace, I was trying so hard not to give it away.

Finally, it was time for the reveal. I set my camera on the tripod and counted down… "On 3, open the box… 1… 2… 3…" The box opened to a burst of pink! Their reactions were so perfect, I felt just as giddy as they did!

This session was everything I love about surprise photography… anticipation, excitement, and pure joy. This is what makes life so beautiful and so worth it. I know that I, for one, will never forget the moment I found out that my baby was my daughter (which, by the way, Briana shot, and it was beautiful!). And I know Briana & Tyler will never forget it either. I love that someday they can show these images to Emmalyn, and know she'll know just how excited her mommy and daddy were about her.

You can view Briana & Tyler's full gender reveal gallery here.