Tuesday, June 30, 2009

How disturbing is this?

Every Fathers day Danny requests a lovely dinner of “beer in the rear chicken.”  Gross right?  It’s actually really good but this year I had to take some pictures because it really is upsetting to look at!  Don’t worry – the alcohol never actually touches the meat…it just gets shoved up it’s backside…still in the can….ok now I’m done.

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oh and the huge gouge out of the side is from me tearing at it with a fork because of my crazy fear of undercooked chicken….or really any kind of meat for that matter :)

 

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Oh yeah…

With all of this catching up to do I forgot to post the pictures of Parker boy’s Kindergarten graduation!  I had to be home, so Danny took Brin and Kaden to go watch big brother.  Danny did a good job with the pictures too!  Parker was so cute and we sure do love Mrs. Williams.  Now Parker tells me all the time “mom your first grader will take the garbage out.” “Mom y0ur first grader will help clean up”  Sure glad I have a first grader around here!

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Excuse the snacks all over the front of him! Boys will be boys I guess!

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Monday, June 29, 2009

Grandma Great

We had so much fun visiting with Gramma Great last week!  We don’t get to see her as often as we would like so it’s always nice to have her here for a while.  I got a chance to sit and chat with her about some genealogy stories and the kids really enjoyed asking her to “watch” everything they did! 

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We also went out to Dugualla Bay Farms the other day and picked LOTS and LOTS of strawberries and I jumped into my very first adventure in canning!  We now have strawberry jam and strawberry syrup – much to my husbands delight!

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Now I am all irritated that the fruit from the east side isn’t ready until Sept…. don’t they know I will be WAY too busy with kids and school stuff then to can?  ARGH!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Marge and Me

I know that is not correct English but I like the way it sounds!  Ciera asked me if I would come along on one of her shoots the other day and be her second (you know like in grease on thunder road??)  anyway – She was shooting for the Fire Dept and asked me if I would get some candid shots while she was doing the posed ones.  We had so much fun!  She was strapped to a harness and hoisted in the air in a bucket while I was safely on the ground.  The weather was great and it was fun to visit with everyone.

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Please excuse my adorable outfit and hair – I had been working outside all day!

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Puttin’ out the vibe of course

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And giving skip a little bum squish!

Friday, June 26, 2009

at the park with Connor Cash

One of my besties Annie and he cutie boy Connor took a walk on the wild side and joined the kids +ry and I at the park a couple of weeks ago.  It was so fun to watch them all play and I had brought snacks so that they would be nice and happy for a while!  Brinlee was so excited for Connor to come that the whole night before she kept asking me “Mom, to the park with Connor Cash?”  I think she just really likes to say his whole name! 

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I think a little spark of love was lit…

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And then she caught on…

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We had so much fun.  It was so nice to get a visit for a while!

These two.

They kill me.  They really do.  This particular night they stopped by on their way out to show us the new toys!  I almost died laughing when I saw the chin sucking helmets.  Then they busted out the hot bike moves and it was so game over!  Love you guys!

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I don't even know where to begin!

oh man...it's been way too long! What a terrible blogger I have become. To be fair (to myself) life got a little nuts there for a minute. I will fill you all in later. But for now I will do some serious back blogging! Hold on to your screen!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Major back-blogging to be done!

I am aware of it.
It will get done.
possibly tonight...
we'll see.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Parents of the year…again.

My Mom says its not the last time this will happen.  I hope it is.  I am officially the worst Mother on the planet!  June 9th…Parker’s first and ONLY Kindergarten music program.  I put it on my calendar in my phone.  I stuck the flyer to my fridge with a magnet.  I reminded myself daily for a week and a half.  And then I forgot.  I got home late Sunday night after being gone all weekend, Danny left early Monday morning for work and got home at 11:30 on Tuesday morning – just in time to drop Parker off at school at 11:55.  I got Started cleaning up the kitchen and simultaneously working on my website.  Fed the younger two lunch, put a load of laundry in, more website, washed the younger two off, put younger two in bed for naps, more website, Danny ran to home depot to get some stuff for the garden, I moved the laundry over, took the dog outside to run off some energy, cleaned up after lunch, went on a (Danny) guided tour of our garden, and just as the younger two were waking up from what were supposed to be at least hour rests, I reminded Danny that it was almost time to go and get parker….just in time to walk past the fridge and see the flyer…and envision my sweet Parker boy, singing his heart out and looking for us in the audience…and then I cried.

How could I have forgotten that?  SERIOUSLY??? I felt so terrible, Danny was already on his way to get Parker so I called him, all kinds of hysterical, and told him what had happened.  He ran in to catch the last 5 min of the “tea” party they were having.  I’m still crying at home… I call Danny’s cell again and he tells me Parker is fine, puts parker on the phone (who by the way sounds less than traumatized)  “Buddy I am sooooooooo sorry”  to which my cutie boy responded “it’s alright Mom!”

Needless to say parker and I went on a special date to go see UP right afterward. Danny stayed home with Kaden and Brin (cartoons are not really his thing).  Parker and I(and every retired person on the island) hit up the 3:45 matinee and even got some snacks (so I was making up for being a rotten parent – don’t judge). 

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Long story kinda short:  If you have not seen this movie – you MUST. Parker and I loved Dug (or doug…not sure) and I bawled.  like a baby.  I have never cried in a Disney movie before.  It was a little embarrassing.  It didn’t help that Parker kept repeating – in a very loud voice so that all of the retirees I’m sure had to turn down the bell tones- “Mom…Why are you crying?”  And the retirees laughed.  and I cried some more. 

Just as I was trying to figure out when I became my Mom, and wondering if at some time (in the very near future) I would need a tissue before the ending of Teen Wolfe, I read some reviews and realized I am not the only one!  This movie was so cute and really very touching – even for Disney.  Definitely two thumbs up from the Weibling fam.

And the world is right again.

Until tomorrow.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

oh boy...

Found this on another blog and had to post it. This was something we talked about at the workshop as well. Something I think most photographers struggle with. Seattle sistas...read up!

Why Does Custom Photography Cost More?
February 27th, 2008 by admin
Professional child photographer


The digital revolution has brought amazing flexibility and ability to control various factors during the image taking and making process. Photographers, the hobbyist, the professional, the amateur all benefit from this ability to manipulate pixels. However, with flexibility comes a price. Digital camera equipment is still considerably more expensive when you factor in its’ lifespan, the need for additional resources for processing those images, the time it takes to get a usable image and the effort that goes into creating a work of photographic art.

We all know that you can go to the local Walgreen’s and pay a $1.99 for a print - as a client you may wonder why you may pay upwards of $50, $70, $90 for a custom photography print. Photographers hear this statement every once in awhile:


“How in the world can you charge $60 for an 8×10 if it costs me less than $2 to print at x store?”


The truth of the matter is the answer to this question is multifaceted. Much of the cost of a photographic print produced by a professional photographer has a lot to do with the time, equipment costs, artistic vision and reputation of the photographer not to mention expertise and the usual costs of running a legitimate business.



The cost of TIME
Approaching it from a time standpoint, let’s imagine that you have hired a photographer who has work that you love. This photographer is traveling an hour to your destination to photograph your session. Here is an example of a time break down:
session prep time (30 mins - 1 hour, includes equipment and back up equipment checks + vehicle checks)


one hour travel time TO session


15-30 minutes prep time at client’s home


90 minutes-2 hours with client photographing subject


one hour travel time FROM session


30-45 minutes uploading time from digital cards from camera to computer


30-45 minutes time spent backing up the original images


2-5 hours editing time to present you with a diverse gallery of edited images


1 hour prep time getting ready for ordering


2-3 hours time with client for ordering images


1 hour sorting through and checking order


30 minutes-1 hour prep time for delivery


30 minutes-1 hour getting order shipped


any additional phone time or time needed for add on ordering, shipment issues, quality issues


In this example, the time spent per client can range from just under 13 hours to 19 hours - dependent on the photographer’s level of service. This is time dedicated only to ONE session. When the photographer charges $150-$300 for the photo shoot (aka SESSION FEE) you are not just paying for the two hours of session time, you are paying the photographer for 12-19 hours complete time for your session.The COSTS of Maintaining a Custom Photography Business:

Regarding equipment costs, a good quality professional camera with a selection of good optical quality lenses and digital storage mediums and computer set up can run from $10,000-$30,000 costs dependent on the photographer. Even though you can purchase a really good quality digital SLR for about $2100 there are still other costs related to photography. A good lens for portrait photography can run from $900 to $2500. A dependable computer system with software loaded for business and creative usage can run $2500 to $8000 dependent on the photographer.

Then come lab costs for specialty products. A good photographer knows the lab is integral to their success. Photography labs dedicated to the professional photographer often cost more and offer a range of products that allows the custom photographer to continually offer new, innovative products for you, the discerning client.

Discussion other costs of running a photography business could take awhile so we’ll skip many of the intricate details. There is of course much more: including costs of running the business, taxes, studio rental/mortgage if the photographer has ownership of a dedicated studio, vehicular costs, costs of advertising/marketing, costs of sample pieces that the photographer will likely bring to your session, etc.

APPLES to ORANGES to BANANAS:
Often times clients will mention to their photographer that X studio in the mall/department store only charges $19.99 for an 8×10 “sheet” or they may mention other things related to discount photography chains. The fact is those discount chains make their money on volume, not on customized 1:1 service. In February 2007 leased photography retail space by a rather well known discount department store that started in Arkansas closed down 500 of their portrait studios across the nation? The reason is simple, you cannot make money on 99¢ “professional” prints if you do not sell enough of them. Interestingly enough - those same studios that offer the loss leader packages often charge much much more for their a la carte pricing (as high as $40-50 for an 8×10). The whole reason the big department stores began offering portrait services in the first place was to get you, the savvy consumer, in through their door so that you could spend more money with them in other departments. Your “PORTRAITS” are considered the “loss leader”.

Going to a chain studio, as a consumer, you don’t have the benefit of 1:1 attention for 2 hours at your home where your child is allowed to explore, play and be comfortable in their home environment, nor do you get the experience that many custom photographers are known for or the lovely captures of natural expressions. You simply get a bare bones, “SAY CHEESE” experience. Keep this in mind when selecting a photographer.


REPUTATION/EXPERTISE of the PHOTOGRAPHER:

Being in demand, being well known for quality work, having a good reputation often costs time on the photographer’s part. Their expertise comes at a cost, their time learning their craft and learning the intricacies of lighting and the commitment put forth on their end to create a persona about their business that oozes professionalism. A great number of photographers go a very long time from the time that they purchase their first good camera to making money at the business of photography. Many photographers, when first starting out, rush in thinking that the business will be easily profitable in no time, how expensive could it be to get a camera and use it to create their dream? They often neglect to factor in the cost of business, the cost of equipment, software, back ups, etc..

Being of sound reputation, a better professional photographer knows that they must always reinvest in their business to create the reputation of being top notch. To create good work good equipment, reliable equipment, back up equipment is a necessity. The photographer who desires to be known as better/best/unparalelled reputation-wise knows that the most important thing they can do for their business is reliability and dependability. This is how reputations get built. Good work often is a wonderful side product of building that good reputation.

****

Snagged this off of Tiffany's blog. Thanks Tiff I think it sheds light on the subject perfectly. I must say that I am lucky to have clients that appreciate the value of photography. So THANK YOU to all of you! I mainly posted this because the people that I see struggle most with the value of photography are photographers! I hope that photographers can carefully consider how much time and money REALLY goes into running a photography business and try to price themselves accordingly. Place a high value on your art! Don't give out the high-res discs so easily for such a low price. Help bring up the industry!!

so many things!

I know I am way behind on blogging so I figured I will start to catch up. I will try to cover a couple of days here :) So last Friday I left for the workshop and we had a meet and greet that evening at Me Ra and Brian's house. It was so much fun! We had delicious thai food and sat out on in their fabulous back yard. They were so warm and inviting and I swear I have not laughed that hard in a really long time. It was so cool to meet all of these other women and hear their stories. I cannot believe that I have no pictures of all of this - go figure!
The next day we started bright and early I left Jen's at 8 AM and the workshop began at 9. Breakfast and Lunch were catered and we learned all about the basics of our cameras and basics of composition and how to make people look their best. We also learned a little about each of the ladies in the group. We were all at different levels and if was fun to see where everyone was at in their journey. After lunch we split into groups of 5 and met our first victims! We had 4 mom and baby models to shoot and before we got started, Me Ra asked them to tell a little about themselves. Most were former workshop attendees and photographers - talk about intimidating! When she introduced the Mom that my group would be shooting, she told us about how special baby Finley was and why. Marianne (Finely's Mom) had been through a miscarriage last year while expecting her first baby. She and her husband were devastated and sad. But now they have sweet Finley and he is their little miracle baby. I think from that point I was just way too sidetracked.
Having gone through that I wanted to make sure that I got some amazing shots for her and really wanted her photos to be special. Knowing what I would want, I knew they had to be perfect.
Needless to say, we were shooting in a hotel (a fabulous hotel by the way) and with all of us around it was quite crowded. It just turned out that my entire group (all 5 of us) were shooting with a 50 mm lens and so things were tricky from the start. We didn't know each other that well yet and we had trouble working as a team so we were all trying to get our own shots and with a 50 mm lens you have to be constantly moving to be at the right distance so there were other peoples feet in all of my shots (and mine in theirs I would imagine.) I was SO FRUSTRATED. I left the first day feeling really irritated and just knowing that I didn't get anything that this mom would like. And that I totally sucked as a photographer.

That night Me Ra and Brian took us all out to dinner at this awesome Thai (total coincidence) restaurant. I had never really tried a lot of Thai before so it was so fun to taste new things. At dinner I sat across from one of the other girls from the workshop that I hadn't really gotten to know that day and we started talking. I asked her if I was the only one that felt like a total loser after todays shoot and she said that she was SOOOOOO feeling the same way. Total frustration. As we got to talking we realized that both of us had been through miscarriages recently and it was hard to concentrate after hearing Marianne's story. After a while we were sitting there talking and bawling our eyes out as we talked about our experiences. She is amazing and I had so much fun with her. Then we were able to say "we are not talking about this anymore" and just relax and have a fabulous and fun dinner.
On the way back to Jen's that night I was feeling better and realized how many great friends I was making.
The next morning we started at 8:30 and Me Ra had us open with a writing excersize about how we were processing everything so far. Afterward we shared what we had written and as I started talking - I started crying....in the middle of a photography workshop...in front of all of these people I just met. If you know me you know that I am not a big fan of the "public cry". I can usually hold it together pretty well. But I realized that my frustration from the day before was not about everyone else being in the way or the wrong lighting. It was about me and how close I felt to this womans story and frustrated I was because of this crazy expectation. To my surprise, all of my new "seattle sistas" were crying as well! It was all hormonal up in there! They shared how they were frustrated as well and what they had learned about themselves during the first day. It was so great to not feel alone.
The second day was amazing and our shoot was fantastic. We met another former workshop attendee and her family (so cute) and my group worked on their shoot. I got to shoot Ty and his Dad and it was a total blast. This family has been on the Oprah show! After hearing about how they took in their three nieces, Nate Berkus remodeled their home!!! You have probably saw it....they now have a fabulous house with a separate building/playroom that she can see from the kitchen window because it rains so much that you can't often play outside!!!!!
Anyways, that day we learned a ton about metering (which is what I really needed to work on) and it is so easy! I was so sad to leave all my new best friends, and it has been a little rough getting back to real life.
I was so surprised to see that I actually did get some shots of Marianne and Finley and I hope she likes them. Here are some of the photos I captured during the workshop.
I hope that was a good description. Feel free to shoot any questions my way and I will pass along all that I learned to whomever would like to know! Don't want to get too technical on this post!




Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Exciting week!

So this week has been a total whirlwind for me!  Danny was so great and stayed home with the kids so that I could attend THIS workshop! I truly had the best time.  It was just what I needed and I want to thank you all again for your nominations!  A big thank you to cousin Jen for letting me stay with her and her family.  I got home late Sunday night and it’s been back to the grindstone ever since!  I do however have some fun news – I FINALLY got my website up and running and you can check it out at sarahephotos.com  I am totally pumped about this, I can’t believe it is all finally coming together!

In light of all of these exciting happenings, I am offering a little incentive to my clients.  Refer a friend and get 25% off your next session the they book theirs. 

I have tons of back blogging to do now – so stay tuned!

Friday, June 05, 2009

Don’t you love it?

Here is just a snippet (ok one photo that I happen to love) of what we have been up to the last couple of days! 

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Now I am off to the much awaited workshop.  Be prepared for lots of info and tidbits when I return!

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

It’s like Christmas!

So what a day!!! Not only did I find out I get to attend THIS amazing workshop, but Billy my highly talented cousin-in-law sent me my new pretty logo!  I am so excited!  Thanks Billy!

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I love it!

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

FREAKING OUT!!!!!

You guys…..I got the spot!!!!  I am sorry for all of the exclamation points but for reals I am just spinning!  Thank you sounds so wrong for what I want to say to you.  You have given me an INCREDIBLE blessing!  And think of how amazing your pictures will be now!!! Thank you from the bottom of my heart friends.   I am off to Seattle this weekend! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh