This past weekend I got to shoot my first local wedding in MANY weeks….Holly and Gary were married in a traditional Vietnamese/Catholic ceremony in Hampton, then hosted a (delicious) dinner reception for their friends and family at the Water Table in Virginia Beach! It was so great to see these two get married! More than anything else, I could tell they were so glad to be marrying one another and that was the top priority of their day. I am so happy that I was able to be a part of their wedding!

Love this shot of Holly’s parents getting ready together!

I loved that Holly’s mom sang in the choir!

• Learn SEO and use it (Forgot…)
• Video blog once a week (Oops…dropped the ball on this one)
• Develop an editing workflow that is seamless and makes sense (In progress, but getting there!)
• Blog more tips and helpful posts (I’ll give myself a fifty percent done…I’ve posted a few things but not as much as I wanted)
• Organize my office. KEEP IT ORGANIZED!!!  (This was kind of touch and go during the flood aftermath, but I’m back on track!)
• Stay on top of my inbox. 
• Create a new pricing guide
• Design sample albums
• Develop more ideas for client gifts/suprises
• Blog more images of each session! (Thanks to faster image insert, I’ve been able to blog a few more images per session than I was in the past!)
• Figure out a good client filing system
• Create a bridal guide for new clients (Decided not to do this…but something different is in the works instead)
• Create my own invoices/receipts
• Update my contract
• Bring DIY back to the blog

Personal goals:

• Create a meal plan and cook dinner at least four nights a week (HAHAHA…fail. I’m still working on this, but it’s hard and takeout is so good…)
• Go to bed at the same time every night (These days I go to bed when John does. Score!)
• Make it to the gym at least four days a week (HA! I started training for a half marathon, but the past few days I have been sick.)
• Read a book a month (at least)
• Shoot for ME (I hope to get to this in the off season)

All in all, I would say the past three months have been pretty successful. Yes, money is really tight around the Nesbitts’ right now, and there is a lot of stress that I never expected would be a part of being a small business owner…but I also wake up happy and excited about each and every day. I no longer dread weekdays or watch the clock all day wishing I was somewhere else. And I can tell that the life change has helped my photography too! I feel much more creative and excited to shoot because I’m not worn out and overwhelmed all the time.  It’s AWESOME.

Since photographers aren’t supposed to blog without sharing pictures too, here’s a peek at my little office! It’s still in progress, but it will be on the blog on Thursday!!

Ah this weekend was fun. I can’t believe that it’s Monday! For the first time in a long time, I had a Sunday wedding this weekend! That left my Saturday wide open, which was really nice, but strange. I kept feeling like Sunday was Saturday…and now I feel like today should be Sunday…but it isn’t! I’ll take it though…would you believe we drove from Hampton to Virginia Beach from the ceremony to reception and hit NO TRAFFIC???? None in the HRBT, on 264, or anything!! Miraculous.

Here’s a peek at Holly and Gary’s fun wedding! Look for their full post on Wednesday!

I am going to admit right up front that I don’t have much experience as a second shooter. I jumped right into shooting on my own without shooting with someone else first, and I have only been a second shooter three different times. So I have to admit that I’m not the best at it…It’s hard for me to come at the day from a different perspective than primary photographer because I never really got used to working as a second shooter. So I have no tips for people who want to second shoot (sorry, guys) but I have definitely had a lot of learning experiences this year about working with second shooters of your own, so here are a few tips!

Choose seconds who have a similar style to you.
There have been a few occasions where I didn’t necessarily pick someone whose style was very similar to mine…not to say they aren’t an AMAZING photographer and that I didn’t LOVE their images, but I definitely wasn’t able to use as many of their images because all of the images I deliver to clients should look as though they all belong together, if that makes sense. Also, when I say “similar style”, I don’t mean editing, because obviously I will be editing the RAW files afterward…I mostly look for people who like similar compositions whose work has a similar feel to mine. Can you tell there is really no science involved here? I have a couple people I LOVE working with because I think their images are just amazing and very similar to mine, so I try to work with them as much as I can.

Make your expectations clear ahead of time
The best way to do this is with a second shooter contract, but if you don’t have one of those, make your expectations very clear via email. Things like whether or not the second shooter can blog their images, when they can blog, and your Facebook rules are good things to try and go over ahead of time. You always want to make sure both parties are okay with the terms before working together.  Also, make sure you share the timeline with them before the day of! I am trying to get into the habit of always printing a few copies of the timeline so that if my second shooter forgets theirs or the DJ or a bridesmaid, etc, needs one, I have it!

Let them know what to wear
This is very important because every photographer approaches how they dress at a wedding differently. There are some photographers that like to be ninja and wear all black, and then there are some that love tailored pant suits. I personally view attire as an extension of my brand, which is very personable (I hope haha) so I try to wear something cute and comfortable that I would also wear if I were a guest at the wedding. This usually means I’m wearing some combination of dress, cardigan, and flats or wedges. Since you and your second shooter are a team representing your business at the wedding, attire is definitely worth mentioning because everyone has a different idea of what they like to wear and it’s great to be on the same page!

Talk about how you will get their images
Everyone does this differently, so it’s worth trying to talk out how you plan to get the images. Will it be at the end of the night before you leave the wedding? Or do you use dropbox or mail them to the person?

Be considerate!
I think I always think of this one because I’m such a fatty, but if you stipulate that your clients must feed you a vendor meal (in most cases, clients will feed you anyway) make sure you let them know to provide a meal for your second shooter as well! This would be totally awkward and uncomfortable if you left it until the last minute. And no, it hasn’t happened to me, but that’s because I’m always thinking about food and I bring it up with clients during our last minute consultation. Also, if you bring water or snacks for yourself, bring enough to share!

I know these tips might seem basic to a lot of people who have been working with second shooters for a long time, but if you are new to hiring seconds to work with you, hopefully there is a tip or two here that you can learn from! If not, oh well,  I hope you were at least entertained by how simple my tips are haha.

The last thing I wanted to share is that Tofurious has a FREE second shooter contract that you can download and use as is or make your own. It’s on my to-do list, so you should add it to yours too!

PS…Holly and Gary are getting married on Sunday!!!! I CAN’T WAIT!!!

I’ve been reading a lot about unplugged weddings lately, and though I don’t really have a coherent opinion on those (I’m both for and against the idea haha) I am definitely forming a solid opinion on what I like to call my overplugged-in life. Maybe a week or so ago, I started getting these terrible headaches. Like a headache and nausea so bad it makes me unable to drive. I started thinking to myself about where these headaches might be coming from…At first I thought maybe they were brought on by stress, or maybe even my contact lenses (which I still think are a part of the issue), but then I realized that a big part of the problem might be how much I use electronics! When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is look at my phone. I check my emails, look at instagram, and then hop on Facebook. After I get out of bed (and off of my phone) I go right into my office, where I sit at a computer for hours and hours on end. My office is also very bright, so when I’m using the computer, it’s often an eye strain. After I’m done on the computer for the day, I take my phone and sit and watch TV with John for a while. Yet ANOTHER bright screen! And during commercial breaks, I’ll be back on my phone, texting or playing a game! Does your head hurt yet just reading that?

I thought about adding up all of the time I spend looking at screens every day, but I honestly think it would be like 80 percent of my waking hours, which is just scary to think about. As much as I love electronics and need them, I think I am becoming co-dependent on them, and it’s not healthy! It’s not good for mental OR physical health.

I realize that there’s no way to live completely unplugged. That’s totally unrealistic. And for me, even going halfway unplugged is not really realistic just due to the nature of my business. I am not able to quit Facebook or Twitter and I need to blog and use the computer to edit sessions. Unless I’m going to sneak into an Amish compound (is that the right word??) I have to come up with some ways to deal that don’t involve giving up technology.

Here are some of my ideas so far:

Set time during the day to be “unplugged”. This time would be great for yoga or a run. Or cooking. Really any activity that does not have a screen is appropriate during this time of day.

Take work email off of my phone. This one is going to be hard for me, but I think it would be better to only check and answer emails a couple times of day rather than looking at it intermittently throughout the day and night.

Plug my phone in at night in another room. Right now I plug my phone in right beside my bed. It’s the last thing I look at every night and the first thing I look at every morning. Not good! If I plug it in somewhere away from my bed every night hopefully it will cut down on the urge to check it so much.

Read for 20 minutes before bed and when I wake up.
If I were more religious or spiritual I might use this time to read a bible. But I have been thinking a lot about what I can do instead and I’m thinking I might start a paper journal or read something else I find inspirational.

Sew a blackout liners into my office curtains. I’m thinking this will help on the bright mid day glare on my computer and cut down on some eye strain! I actually bought the liner fabric at JoAnn a while back, I just need to make the time to get it onto the curtains!

These are just a few of the things I’ve come up with so far, but I’m still working on brainstorming some things to help me become more “half plugged” haha. If you have any suggestions that have helped you, feel free to share them in the comments!

Lastly, I just wanted to share a peek of my beautiful friend, Annamarie! I drove out to Richmond yesterday and took a few headshots of her. She is such a joy to be around and so easy to photograph!

Jade and Rachel were married on what was probably the most beautiful day of the year at the Agricultural History Farm Park in Derwood, Maryland! I loved everything about this wedding and the venue, especially the goats! The venue is actually a working farm with chickens, pigs, and of course, goats! It was the perfect place for Jade and Rachel’s rustic, but elegant wedding!

First look time! I love when couples make time for this! It’s always such an intimate moment!

I absolutely loved the sense of community at this wedding!

More portraits! I just about died over this field! And the light!

And when I asked if they wouldn’t mind sitting in the grass and they said yes? I DIED.

Reception time! Dinner was held beneath a tent, and dancing was in the barn!

Rachel + Jade, I had an amazing time at your wedding!! Hope you’re enjoying the Dominican Republic!

Vendors:

Venue: Agricultural History Farm Park
Caterer: High Point Catering
DJ: Kevin Grant
Cake: Jamie Vergis
Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

While I was in Maryland for Rachel and Jade’s wedding I stayed with my sister, who’s stationed at a research facility in Silver Spring. She recently moved more toward the east side of the capitol beltway almost halfway between DC and Baltimore. It’s been FOREVER since I went to Baltimore and my sister has never been, so naturally we decided to make a day trip out there!

I’ve been feeling a little under the weather since Thursday, so I am actually going to be taking the day off today, but I couldn’t wait any longer to recap my weekend and share a sneak peek of the AMAZING wedding this past weekend!!

Things I learned over my long weekend trip:

• Don’t be too overeager with gatorade too early in the trip. I WILL be sorry. And sugared up.
• It IS possible to get in and out of IKEA without spending all day in there. I’m sure husbands will be happy to learn that. Ha!
• Don’t just randomly start walking away from the Inner Harbor and almost get lost in sketch town.
• The Wobble and the Cupid’s Shuffle are the two best moments at any wedding. I already knew this, but it’s worth repeating.
• iPhones are only designed to work until another new version is announced. Boo!

And here’s a peek of Saturday’s wedding!

I can’t wait to blog Jade and Rachel’s full wedding! It was such a pretty day, with amazing couple, and the PERFECT WEATHER. Seriously…the weather could not have been any better! Fingers crossed that the weather stays the same for the rest of my wedding season!

Derek and Sirena met while working at the courthouse in downtown Richmond, so this past weekend we met near the Capitol and worked our way around downtown. I always have fun shooting a portrait session or engagement session, but I really am not lying when I say that I had so much fun with Sirena and Derek, I could have hung out with them ALL DAY. They are both so funny and easy going! Sirena is one of the happiest and bubbliest people ever, and Derek’s sense of humor is hilarious!

Derek and Sirena – hope you love these images! I can’t wait for May!!

I’m so excited to share with you guys a couple of awesome features that happened recently!! Amanda and Jordan’s quirky, Richmond engagement session was featured a week or so ago on Borrowed and Bleu. This feature was just in time! Their wedding is in less than three weeks!

Also, April and John’s heartfelt beach/country wedding was featured on Heart Love Weddings! HLW is one of my favorite new wedding blogs! Are you a sucker for a great love story? You need to be reading Heart Love Weddings!

Thanks to Heart Love Weddings and Borrowed and Bleu for featuring these awesome couples!