Has everyone settled into this new year yet? It is 2017 and boy did it happen quick. 2016 was literally a blur. As with every year of business, you look back on the year that just passed and realize that there's things that need to change, ideas that did/did not work and some ideas you need to try out for the new year. Last year was no different. 

Here are some things that I loved and worked out this year:

1. I started using my 50mm lens and I will never go back...mostly. I still have love for my other lens', but I am so in love with the images I captured with my 50mm. It took me forever to put that lens on my camera and just get comfortable with it and I'm so glad I finally did!

2. I met and worked with some new, incredible clients this year and also worked with clients that have been with me since I started this crazy ride. I don't know how I get so lucky to work with such incredible people, but I really do believe I have the best clients!

3. I finally got on Instagram. I've never claimed to be up on new and current forms of social networking and I'm usually dragging my feet getting there. I will admit to how much I love Instagram though because of how much it's allowed me to connect and follow other photographers around the world!

4. I offered/included prints in some packages for sessions this year and I loved being able to give those clients not only an amazing session and images, but prints to go with it. I have so much love for the photo lab I use and they never disappoint with their products. I do have some things to figure out first, but I'm going to work this into my package details at some point this year.

5. I revamped my website and updated the work on here. I love the cleaner look and definitely needed to get more current work on there. Again, social networking is obviously not my forte and I need to work on it.

Here's a few things that I realized with last year that I need to work on/change:

1. I'm awful at blogging (this is not a new revelation). I need to work on it.

2. As much as I love giving my clients a cd with their pictures on it, nothing is more bothersome than to find out they printed at a local store and they can't figure out why the prints don't look the same as they did on the computer. I talk with most (if not all) of my clients about printing and every year, I still have clients that message me about their prints. I've said this a thousand times and I'll probably say it a thousand more. Unless you are printing at a professional printing lab, the chances of your photos turning into amazing prints is pretty slim. I give my clients a cd as part of their package purchase because I believe they paid for their photos and should be able to do with them as they choose. Having said that, please don't do me the disservice of printing at a local store and then asking me why the prints don't look like the images on your cd. I haven't figured out yet what I want to do about this dilemma, but I'm working on it.

3. I have been pretty flexible with deposits for sessions and as a result have unfortunately had more cancellations than I care to think about. Because of this, I will be more strict on deposits this year and going forward. To all of my clients that have booked and kept their session dates and times, I truly appreciate it and hate to clump you into this. However, as with anything in business, once you've set a term or condition for yourself or business and you mean to stick to it, it has to be a blanket term or condition. Please understand, I don't think my clients are untrustworthy or going to cancel, but the few have ruined it for the many :(

While there were so many other things that I loved, didn't love, worked out or were a disaster.. These are the things that stick out the most for me. I am always open to comments or questions, whether it be an opinion or just things clients would like to start seeing or have the option to choose. So let me know your thoughts!