Our Fall 2013 Marathon

Hello friends and fans! We are still working on wrapping up 2013 for you, so we have a few shots from our Fall marathon that I will share today!

I really enjoy doing "marathon" sessions in a specific location. I like to pick a date and location, then let my clients, all prior inquiries, and social media contacts know when and where I will be. The hours are generally dictated by when my clients can get there and I basically hang out all day. Here I will list my top reasons why a marathon session is the way to go for both clients and on-location photographers.

1. Photographer does not have to travel all day.

For me, this is key. I love photography and I love photographing all types of clients, BUT i really hate driving around all day (sometimes for more hours than I am actually shooting for). With a marathon session, everyone comes to me, which is AWESOME! Because I don't have to break down and set up a million times in the day, I am (pretty much) ready to go when each client arrives on location.

2. Clients can pick any time in the day.

This is one of the best things for my clients - many of whom have busy lives with work, family, and businesses of their own. Flexibility is key. I like to set aside the entire day and let my clients fill in the gaps on the schedule as reservations come in. This provides the clients with flexibility and when I have gaps, I advertise the limited spaces that are left or enjoy a nice break (or lunch on occasion).

3. Clients can choose mini-sessions (and the photographer does not "hurt" financially).

YES! Win-win! Clients can get the benefit of a less expensive photo package for less time and the photographer (usually me) does not have to worry about the cost/benefit analysis. As long as the day books (and it usually does so very quickly), we still make money and you still save money! HURRAH! This is also the only time that Rose Marie Cunningham Photography offers mini-sessions because its what makes the most sense for everyone involved.

4. Various types of photo sessions can be done all in one day!

Variety is certainly the spice of life and variety in photography makes a happy ME! I love getting the opportunity to shoot different types of sessions in one day. I know that I will have all different material to work with post-production. Last Fall our marathon included a variety of shots including some for the business (shots of me enjoying the lovely trees in the Poconos while working) as well as some portfolio shots, a few family sessions, and an adorable Halloween session for a 1 year old. As a photographer, when I know I will have a challenge like this, my creativity shoots through the roof and I get the best ideas for shooting and editing.

5. Clients rest easy knowing the location is beautiful - no need to scout!

Many of my clients like to find locations that have meaning or that are beautiful in and of themselves. For many others, this task (if not scouted by me first, or suggested by me) is daunting. Not everyone has a photographic "eye" for a scene and may struggle thinking of a location with meaning AND beauty. For a marathon session, I choose the place and my clients know that the shots will have an awesome setting.

6. [For RMCP Clients] - Paperwork and payment  on shoot day.

This may be a little unorthodox for the photography business, however it seems to work for us. Clients schedule in advance, we send out the paperwork, and we collect it all on site. Everything is reviewed by an assistant before we start, so we keep the flow of the day. Super easy, and if anyone forgets paperwork, we have extra signature and release sheets on hand.

7. Lots of people drawing attention to your photography business in a short period of time.

YES! You can invite people throughout levels of social media and have them respond. It creates a short term buzz about the business and gets people excited. You also will likely be seen by new potential clients in your target demographic based on secondary and tertiary connections through social media.

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned. We have more goodies coming. In the meantime to catch more Rose Marie Cunningham Photography fun, follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/artworkinbl00m and check out our website: http://www.artworkinbloom.com

My October Baby!

As I catch up to current day and the mountain of bridal photos I will be crawling through for the remainder of the 2014 photo year (5 bridal sessions in 90 days....), let's see what I was doing around this time of year in 2013.

As I mentioned in my last post, it was just about this time in 2013 that I found out I was expecting our second child, baby R. I was also celebrating my daughter's 1st birthday! My sister, husband, future brother-in-law, and I, all worked together to get Baby C's first birthday photos done in time to send out thank you cards. She was a handful, but I think when you give a little kid a whole pile of jewelry to play with, the odds that you will get at least one happy shot are pretty good. Here are some of the fruits of that labor - all done in my bedroom, no less!

More to come in the next few weeks to finish updating you on 2013 - probably just in time to wrap up 2014. Enjoy!

I'm Baaaack!

Soooo... for a long while I was on a blogging hiatus. I think blogging is perhaps one of the more challenging things for any business owner/photographer to do. Each day we are so busy focusing on images, capturing images, preparing images, editing images, selling images...that we (I) don't often take very much time to explain our images to the world and showcase ourselves with words.

Based on many requests and the fact that many publishers are now making it a habit of checking out your blog prior to publication, it looks like I am back for good. (Hurray!!)

What have I been up to all of this time? Dude! It's been a YEAR and a lot has happened.

Two weeks after I posted my last blog post, I found out that I was expecting our second child. Surprise! Our little guy, Baby R is here and is almost 4 months old already. He has been a blessing and a joy (an exhausting joy, but a joy nonetheless) every day since we found out. Here is a shot from his first photo session ever (that awkwardly shaped diagonal lump) with his godmother as the photographer.

Obviously, a photographer is the hardest person to photograph, however Virginia did a great job as always. I really have to commend her on this shot she did for me. It was hot. I was moody. My husband kept trying to lick my face...totally normal stuff for a maternity session, right?

A few weeks after this photo was taken, out little prince arrived. *queue screaming baby*

Stay tuned for more fun folks. I have a year of catching up to do and business has been keeping all of us at RMCP busy.