Today I learned the value of what I do! - STORY TIME! - It's long! Grab a drink! LOL
Before I get started on my adventure… I need to tell you why this was so important to me.
1. My last family portrait session was almost 6 years ago. My oldest was a senior in HS, she is now 24! - Yes, I know you think as a professional photographer, I would be better at this! UGH!!
2. I spend all day bringing happiness to others by creating art of those that my clients love the most in the world, and helping them place that joy in their homes for them to enjoy everyday for generations! I looked at my walls, and they no longer brought me joy. Instead my walls were filled with sadness. I was sad that my last family photo was so long ago! I was sad that my home wasn’t filled with the happiness I get to be a part of with my clients! I needed that.
So with that being said, lets start this story. For about 5 years now, I have wanted a new family photo but the last two years I NEEDED a new family portrait on my wall! Sadly, time was not on my side. With 8 kids and a husband that works out of town often and then my own crazy schedule it was just not in the cards… Until I said I am doing this!!!!
I have 6 now adult children and 4 of my littles (or bigs) live in two other states! Step one, operation seek and find! Find a weekend to travel to MT, with my lighting, backdrops and gear in my car, seek a place to set it all up and get my kids to! With planning we were able to take the photos in-between Football and volleyball games. Whew, we did it. Spent the weekend together and then headed home.
Operation eagles nest, get my oldest son to Utah from Idaho. A few months after our trip to MT, we were able to kidnap my son. LOL … But only for a day cause he had to work! 4 hour drive there and 4 hour drive to my house. Then I forced my other 4 to meet me at the studio. We were there for 20 minutes and got what I needed. The next day, drove Jayden back to ID and then home again.
That night I started picking out images. But realized I was doing it all wrong. I know this isn’t how you select which memories you want in your home!!!!! So I stopped, walked myself through my own client journey. I found spaces in my home where I wanted to feel that happiness and see those cute smiling face everyday. I wanted them to go somewhere that I would see them everyday! (Which is not where my current family photos are) once I did that I decided where on the walls I wanted them! THEN I selected the images that my husband and I loved and wanted on those walls.
Now it was time to piece all those images together. Now, remember, I do this all the time. I have many clients where their family members will come into my studio on different days and I photoshop them all together. But doing this for my own family was super hard! It took me two days moving people around over and over to finally find where I wanted everyone. Putting 10 people and 8 different photos into one photo for some reason this time was a challenge. But I was finally able to do it. And then edit the photo as a whole.
So what did I order? I got one 40” framed fine art print, 2 30”canvases, 3 14” fine art prints (I already have frames for) and 40 10” fine art prints to fill my two keepsake image boxes. Those are the products that fit my space and fill my heart!
Now that I have gone through my own journey, and now know what my clients mean when they thank me for helping them, and for being there every step of the way! Before I realized that I was going about all of this all wrong, I was over whelmed! But once I paused and did what I do everyday, it was easy! So today, I was humbled and I learned my own value.
And thank you to all of you that allow me to be apart of your story! I love helping you along your journey!
Hugs, Shae
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