My new business venture

As if I'm not crazy busy enough, I've decide to add another little somethin' somethin' to my list of to-dos.

I think I'm glutton for sleep derivation or something because just when I find my groove with my task-load, I'm looking for something else to add to my plate. But this little venture I'm working on is very VERY part time for now. But I'm really excited about it!

Lil' J's adorable dress and headband is from:

I've been shooting and editing videos since high school. I do it at work every day, and recently I upgraded my camera to a Canon 5D Mark ii.

Rewind to having my daughter. I picked up a digital camera and started dabbling with still photography. I'm self-taught with the help of my manuals and Google, plus a workshop at EVO.

This year I started to do family shoots for friends, and a month and a half ago I did my first engagement shoot. After seeing the results, how happy the couple was, and from all of your support and encouragement over the last couple of years in this photography journey of mine, I finally started to consider offering this for others.

But here's the thing, I don't want to be like every other pop-up photography business out there. And I've been resisting jumping on the bandwagon of new mom+dslr+facebook page= photography business. I wanted to make sure I feel comfortable charging, and that I'm happy with my work before taking the next step. And I wanted to do a lot of research about starting a business.

I'm getting there. I'm close to opening for business. I'm researching, and using the help of ClickinMoms forums to get going. I have a 10 page (and counting) business plan and monthly goals for the next year. But there are a few things I'm working on that I could use your help with.

Like I hinted to earlier, some of my greatest skills that set me apart lie with video shooting and editing. Naturally people may think that a family video isn't as special as a picture you can hang on the wall but I beg to differ. Imagine looking at the photo hanging on your wall, but also having the laughter, winks, and secret kisses that happened when the camera wasn't snapping. Imagine seeing some of your newborn's first blinks, and how she grabbed your finger. Or the kiss your husband placed on your little boy's head. The first thing big brother or sister said to the new baby. Oh so much you can't get in a picture!

I want to do both, but eventually I want my main focus to be on video.

If you live in the Central Texas area and may be interested in being in my video and/or photo portfolio let me know. Depending on interest I may hold a mini session day specifically for my blog readers. More details to come!
 
For now, I'd love it if you "liked" my (BRAND) new facebook page, and if you'd like, check out my website. It's in the VERY early stages, still so much to add, but you'll get the general idea. Part of me is embarassed to show you so soon but the other part of me wants to invite you on my journey to starting this endeavor.

I'm really having fun fixing up that site by the way. Wordpress is a breeze, I may have to consider switching this blog over too!

Also, a big huge thank you to Ceci Jane for her inspiration and helpfulness. She called me and let me pick her brain about her videography business in Dallas! Thanks to Veronica for nagging me about making a business plan, it's really helped me find a focus and get the ball rolling. Thanks Tara for being such a great friend and mentor the whole time I've been learning how to rock my camera as well as you do!. And thank you Heidi, Laura and Allisa for letting me text you at all hours of the day and run my ideas by you and for always being so encouraging.

You'd think I won an Oscar or something, but really, I'm just excited to have made it this far. Let's see how far we can go!