March 2024 update

Ya know, I’ll be honest — I forget the blog section of this website even exists! Sometimes, the web guru types tell us entrepreneurs that routine blogging is good for your website’s search rankings. Based on my experience, I can’t really say I’m convinced it’s true. But a lot has changed since I last blogged, so I thought I should provide a little update!

My style has evolved

The first thing to say is that as a photographer, I do like to think of myself as an artist, and my style has evolved considerably. I’ve significantly expanded my understanding of studio lighting and editing, and I’ve integrated an entirely new program into my editing workflow that allows me to do some things in minutes that in older apps (like Photoshop) would take hours. You can see a pretty dramatic difference between these two photos — the first from 2021, the other from February of this year.

Shelbi, from 2021

Shelbi, 2024

My prices have gone up, except….

As with so many things these days, my costs have continued to rise, so my prices have increased a bit. I haven’t bothered to calculate my average sales, but client coming in today can expect to spend anywhere from $900 to a little over $2,000 depending on products. But while I’m charging more in some respects, there’s one area in which I’m able to save my clients a lot of money and give them more creative control over their products, which is….

I have some amazing new albums

I use a company called Pixieset to host my galleries and connect with print labs for prints and wall. But for albums, I’ve always used various third-party companies (out of necessity). This means purchasing expensive album design software, spending hours designing the albums myself, sending them back to the client for proofing, making any changes they request, and then finally ordering the final product.

But now, you can purchase your album directly from your online gallery! You’ll see a real-time visual representation of your album, as well as the price. You can choose how many pages you want, design the photo layout however you like, and choose from a large variety of exceptional cover materials. I’ve had a few clients receive theirs so far and the feedback has been just incredible! And because my clients can design their albums themselves, it saves me a ton of time and I can sell the albums at a much lower cost than before.

The Bodies Project is returning soon

For a variety of reasons, I had to put my public project, The Bodies Project, on hold. I’m going to be opening spots for it again very soon, and releasing the rest of the photos and interviews I did last year.

Online booking is gone

I decided to end my subscription to Acuity Scheduling, which allowed clients to easily book their sessions online. I simply didn’t find the service to be worth the cost. You’ll just have to fill out a short form to schedule a photoshoot with me. As of today, I’m taking spots for June — I hope to see you in the studio!