My husband and I like to tell a story about our honeymoon. We think it pretty much sums up our relationship and both of our personalities, which believe me, are pretty much as opposite as you can get. We were climbing waterfalls and saw people cliff diving. I decided I wanted to do it so I took a running jump off the cliff and leaped off the waterfall without even thinking. After Michael got over his shock, he decided he better jump off the cliff too. (In his own words, he said that “He wasn’t going to tell our future children that their mother jumped off the cliff in Hawaii on their honeymoon but he didn’t.”) So he decided to do it. Fifteen minutes later, after walking to the edge of the cliff at least twenty times, probably calculating a risk assessment in his mind and doing a few mental Excel spreadsheets, he finally decided to jump off the cliff. That’s us…I jump without thinking. He thinks before jumping.
So here is the moment of truth…when it comes to photography, I jumped without thinking (I know…surprise, surprise, right?). Because of that, it has become necessary for Michael and I to sit down and really assess my business to come up with a new plan for the future of C.C. Miller Photography. I love photography. But I love my family more. WAY MORE. My most important job will always be wife and mother. This month as Michael and I discussed my business, the goal was to find a way to operate my business that still allows me to be the wife and mother I want to be. That means making quite a few changes. So with that being said, here are the changes to C.C. Miller Photography that you need to know about……
1. I will be using a sign-up system for scheduling sessions. What exactly does that mean? It means that I determine what nights, days, weekends, etc…that I have available for sessions each month. I am a mom of three young kids. I have no idea what is going to be going on three months from now on a Wednesday evening. I can’t book sessions that far out. I will be posting available session times on my blog and people can email me to sign-up for that session. Right now, it looks like I will have most Monday evenings and Friday mornings available for sessions. That is when I have babysitting available. I will also try to throw in some Saturday mornings and Friday evenings occasionally. I realize that the times I have available might not work for you and if so, I am sorry for that inconvenience. However, I hope you can understand that I have to make best decision for my family. If I do not have any session times that work for you, I will be happy to refer you to another photographer.
2. Release Forms – Everyone will be required to fill out a release form and sign it prior to their session. I will not post your {Sneak Peek} until you have done so.
3. My pricing has changed. This is a difficult decision for me because to be honest, I am a chronic people pleaser and I worry too much about what others will think. Believe me, I have been stressing about this one. What are people going to think if I raise my prices? Are they going to be upset? Will they think I am charging too much? Then I realized that the same thing I said about my scheduling applies to my pricing changes. I have to make the decision that is right for my family. I hope that my clients will understand that, but if not, I totally understand if you would like referrals to another photographer. The truth is, my husband is always the one who helps me get things back on track after I “jump without thinking.” One of the many things he had me do was track my time and calculate how much time I spend on a session from beginning to end. As always, he was right and I was shocked at how much time that really is. At the end of the day, we have to decide as a family what my time is worth and set my prices accordingly. I hope everyone can understand that as a wife and mother, I cannot just give my time away. I don’t have it to give.
4. My DVD’s will be sold separately – My DVD will be available for you to buy but it will no longer be included for free in the session price.
FALL FAMILY PHOTO SESSIONS
Please take a moment to read over the changes in my Pricing/Info Section on my website (www.ccmillerphotography.com – click on website). I will be posting my availability for September & October on Thursday morning at 8 a.m. This will include a {Sneak Peek} of some family pictures I just did so you can see what to expect if you book Family pictures with me. It will be followed by my Fall Family picture sign-ups.
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