I'm taking the opportunity to express. Oh, do I ever feel ready to express, so verbal upchucking shall commence.
Imagine if you made pencils, and I mean you made pencils from scratch. Okay, forget pencils -let's go for applesauce. I like the movie "Baby Boom" and she made applesauce -homemade gourmet baby food applesauce- from her enormously productive orchard in the middle of New England woodedness. She harvested the apples, washed them, peeled them, cut them up, cored them, cooked them, added ingredients, canned them and labeled them. She also boxed them, filled orders for them, restocked them at local stores herself, advertised them and so forth. She. Did it. All. (And by she, I mean "The Tiger Lady," Diane Keaton's business savvy, know nothing about farms character.)
I maee homemade gourmet baby food applesauce and have been since I was 7 months pregnant. Okay, replace that product with "photography." It feels the same, though. It's wedding season right now and my calendar looks like a... well, it's looks like sheer insanity, that's what it looks like. Besides weddings, everyone in the great state of Texas wants their portraits done, too. Everyone AND their mother. Literally.
I feel my head full of crying babies banging on the table demanding homemade gourmet baby food applesauce far, far faster than I can make it. This, too, shall pass (as Grandpa Bob and may other wise folks say) and thank Heavens that it will. I'm tired, I want to make everyone happy and I want everything to be far, far better than excellent.
I had a wedding officiant ask me a few weeks ago while I was shooting, "So, what do you do during the week?" Seriously? I mean, really- seriously? Then again, most people think that photographers just take pictures, download them, burn a disc and they're done 20 minutes later. Easy, right? No, your Uncle John does that and he does it for free, but any photographer making a living doing weddings and related portraiture knows it takes a heck of a lot more time and energy doing their job.
One wedding will take me nearly 1 month of work when you add up all of the correspondence, coordinating, advertising, networking, meeting, editing, work, at least 1 portrait session, making the book, packaging etc. I shoot 20-30 weddings a year. I know, the math is impossible, but I never was very good at math. Realistically, though, if people what a wham-bam-thank-you-maam time turn around, they're going to get just that in their product quality.
Yes, yes, you sense my current frustration. And I know exactly what you're going to say. Kelly, you ought to write a post on your photography website that helps outline the process for your clients so they understand what's involved and how long it really takes. That way they won't be frustrated and neither will you. See, I knew you were going to say that -but it was still helpful expressing a little bit of my "hands thrown in the air, head shaking kind of feeling." And -AND- (get this) I actually have a family. WOW. Bet that never, ever, ever occurred to anyone. And I have toddlers that cry a half dozen times a day because every time I pop (how many read that and thought "poop" -be honest) out of my home office for a bathroom break or to get a beverage because mommy has to go back to work. And tiny hands commence pounding on my door with very sad, pathetic little cries for Mama. But there's nothing sad about working -I am HAPPY, very, very happy to work. I love my job! I also love my family. And, by golly, I love me, too. Kelly is beginning to forget that she's a person and is instead a corporation -of one. Now that's frightening.
All in all, with this unfiltered expulsion of feeling, I come back to the knowledge (that Brian continues to chant -I really should take what he says to heart more often, you know) that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it doesn't matter how they think you should live every waking (and non-waking) moment. You have to keep your priorities straight, do the best you can do (now this is my mother talking) and keep moving forward (that's my 2 cents at the end.)
By heck almighty, you bet I'm moving forward. And right now I'm moving forward towards some homemade french fries. In the meantime, if you haven't seen what's been going on lately, catch an eyeful here at kellycameron.net I've done a crap load of more work lately but they've either been political shoots or boudoir sessions meant for the grooms eyes only.
I'm taking off my complaining hat and putting my party hat on now. Thanks for hanging out for my grumpy bear session.
Now, this porridge is juuuuust right. :)
Imagine if you made pencils, and I mean you made pencils from scratch. Okay, forget pencils -let's go for applesauce. I like the movie "Baby Boom" and she made applesauce -homemade gourmet baby food applesauce- from her enormously productive orchard in the middle of New England woodedness. She harvested the apples, washed them, peeled them, cut them up, cored them, cooked them, added ingredients, canned them and labeled them. She also boxed them, filled orders for them, restocked them at local stores herself, advertised them and so forth. She. Did it. All. (And by she, I mean "The Tiger Lady," Diane Keaton's business savvy, know nothing about farms character.)
I maee homemade gourmet baby food applesauce and have been since I was 7 months pregnant. Okay, replace that product with "photography." It feels the same, though. It's wedding season right now and my calendar looks like a... well, it's looks like sheer insanity, that's what it looks like. Besides weddings, everyone in the great state of Texas wants their portraits done, too. Everyone AND their mother. Literally.
I feel my head full of crying babies banging on the table demanding homemade gourmet baby food applesauce far, far faster than I can make it. This, too, shall pass (as Grandpa Bob and may other wise folks say) and thank Heavens that it will. I'm tired, I want to make everyone happy and I want everything to be far, far better than excellent.
I had a wedding officiant ask me a few weeks ago while I was shooting, "So, what do you do during the week?" Seriously? I mean, really- seriously? Then again, most people think that photographers just take pictures, download them, burn a disc and they're done 20 minutes later. Easy, right? No, your Uncle John does that and he does it for free, but any photographer making a living doing weddings and related portraiture knows it takes a heck of a lot more time and energy doing their job.
One wedding will take me nearly 1 month of work when you add up all of the correspondence, coordinating, advertising, networking, meeting, editing, work, at least 1 portrait session, making the book, packaging etc. I shoot 20-30 weddings a year. I know, the math is impossible, but I never was very good at math. Realistically, though, if people what a wham-bam-thank-you-maam time turn around, they're going to get just that in their product quality.
Yes, yes, you sense my current frustration. And I know exactly what you're going to say. Kelly, you ought to write a post on your photography website that helps outline the process for your clients so they understand what's involved and how long it really takes. That way they won't be frustrated and neither will you. See, I knew you were going to say that -but it was still helpful expressing a little bit of my "hands thrown in the air, head shaking kind of feeling." And -AND- (get this) I actually have a family. WOW. Bet that never, ever, ever occurred to anyone. And I have toddlers that cry a half dozen times a day because every time I pop (how many read that and thought "poop" -be honest) out of my home office for a bathroom break or to get a beverage because mommy has to go back to work. And tiny hands commence pounding on my door with very sad, pathetic little cries for Mama. But there's nothing sad about working -I am HAPPY, very, very happy to work. I love my job! I also love my family. And, by golly, I love me, too. Kelly is beginning to forget that she's a person and is instead a corporation -of one. Now that's frightening.
All in all, with this unfiltered expulsion of feeling, I come back to the knowledge (that Brian continues to chant -I really should take what he says to heart more often, you know) that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, it doesn't matter how they think you should live every waking (and non-waking) moment. You have to keep your priorities straight, do the best you can do (now this is my mother talking) and keep moving forward (that's my 2 cents at the end.)
By heck almighty, you bet I'm moving forward. And right now I'm moving forward towards some homemade french fries. In the meantime, if you haven't seen what's been going on lately, catch an eyeful here at kellycameron.net I've done a crap load of more work lately but they've either been political shoots or boudoir sessions meant for the grooms eyes only.
I'm taking off my complaining hat and putting my party hat on now. Thanks for hanging out for my grumpy bear session.
Now, this porridge is juuuuust right. :)
