Pfft.  I’m beginning to think this balance thing is a mythical creature or a lie like Santa Claus – told in the spirit of good intentions, but a lie nonetheless…

Once upon a time I used my studio space for proofing and for shooting… all other work was done from home and  I thought it was great and for awhile it was… but then then as time went on and my clientele steadily grew working from home became a never-relenting monster.  If given the opportunity I will work until the work is done, that meant a lot of really late nights and while I may have been at home, my children begun to only recognize me from the back of my head as I was working on edits, admin, marketing, obsessing over fonts for 5 straight hours, etc.   Working from home also meant that I had the distractions of home all around… ‘need to draft a response to Ms. Client .. but ohh… first I should wash the dishes, then fold the clothes, then insert whatever random chore that needed to be dealt with immediately’ … but other than those minor distractions working from home was great because showers became optional on days I wasn’t meeting with clients.. which days without clients would occasionally span 5 or 6 days…. *cough*gag*

Then – a year ago I moved into my current studio space and a year ago is when I decided that I wanted to find ‘balance’ and bring my work to work and be *home* when I was actually *home*.

Awesome!

In theory.

Truth:  I enjoy coming to the studio every day.  Getting out out of the house gives me reason to shower *daily* even more than that, every day I put on my makeup, I dress the part and I think I thrive on the structure that having a work place provides.  Most evenings I’m able to make it home at 6 and actually *be* with my family, kind of.  I say *most* evenings because there are still times I bite more off than I can chew and I have to work later than I’d like – like today, and 20 out of the last 30 working days

Balance.  Truth?  Fiction?  Who knows… What I am certain of is the fact that I wouldn’t trade this jumble of way too much to do for any other career in the world… even if it means I occasionally miss the fact that Monday was Monday and it happens to be Tuesday and I forgot to Miscellany.

Tell me, how do you find balance?

Overworked and overjoyed!

• Lingerie can include bra and panty sets, a corset, teddy, chemise, camisole and garters with thigh high stockings.
•  While black is the standard in sexy, colors can create variety and textures can add visual interest to your portraits.
•  Be true to yourself and only select those items that make you feel sexy not uncomfortable. A simple pair of panties and your favorite sweater can be as sexy as a see-through teddy.
• Other items might include your favorite pair of tight fitting jeans, a variety of sexy stilettos, thigh-high boots and jewelry.
•  The most important thing that you can bring to your session is your confidence, this is paramount to a successful experience.

Pretty recently I started snapping pics of client’s shoes prior to a session would begin.  I’m a bit of a shoe whore ((bordering on fetish, really)) and would post the shoe porn on my facebook biz page to keep it somewhat active.  It’s worked well  because apparently I have hundreds of like-minded shoe pervs that have been actively engaging.  Interesting to note – the activity has resulted in at least two sessions booked directly on the facebook page.  That’s never happened before as my biz page has always been a bit of a step-child or afterthought.  

Then last week while yapping on the phone with Lynn Clark ((she’s my phone buddy, dashtime?  bored?  call Lynn – always a good conversation to be had)) she mentioned that she was starting to capture entire client outfits for blogging.  Genius!  I shall do the same and we can share images and links and Google will be happy by the fresh content and new linky-links!  *giggle*snort*girly squeal*

No really.  It is kinda genius in terms of SEO.  One of the most common phrases used when researching boudoir photography is ‘what to wear boudoir session”  

My approach to capturing client wardrobes is kinda like the details one might shoot as wedding details…

What do you do to prepare your clients for their session?  How can you tie that into SEO and engaging your facebook likers?

Miscellany me,

Sending Your Newsletter Now or Schedule for Later!

It dawned on me last week that I’d left out a product that I once offered.. the 4″ mini albums as manufactured by Kiss.

"The Delicious Duo: Sexy and petite, these duplicate 4x4 albums feature true lay-flat binding for gorgeous panoramic spreads.

As darling as these little puppies are they never sold.  Clients couldn’t understand why they were offered in sets of two and why those two albums were exact duplicates.

“Can I buy just one” clients would ask, to which I would reply “No, I’m sorry they are only offered in sets of two”.

Puzzled look from the client…

Then one day a friend was visiting the studio.  As she was browsing through my samples she picked up the mini-album and laughed as she said “Oh look!  What cute little spank books!”

Mortified, they were immediately removed from my product line.  Puzzled looks from my clients and “cute little spank books” were not feelings or products I wanted to associate with my developing brand.

Till next Monday!