Wednesday January 11th “Managing Client Expectations Through The Experience

Friday January 13th- “Pricing and Marketing: Core Components of your Business”

Saturday January 14th- “Shooting, Editing, and Presenting Your Images To Tell A Story”

I’ve decided this year to make the most of my time at the convention and take advantage of the other amazing speakers, and will be attending classes everyday to renew and invigorate me and my business for 2012.  I think it’s the perfect way to start off the year.  I’m also super excited to be able to meet up with other photo friends I’ve made over the years in that area of the world.  If you’re in London and are going to be attending SWPP, I’d love to meet you so keep up on Twitter!  I’ll try and blog a few times while I’m there……

When I return I plan on making some other exciting announcements and continuing with my main passion in shooting- WEDDINGS!  I have some really great weddings lined up this year and can’t wait for each of them!

I’ve also joined in on another photo project for this year through Instagram.  I don’t have any themes or specific topics, it’s just to shoot one interesting photo for myself each day.  If you have the app and would like to join in, you can tag your photos as #instagram366 ……I’m 5 days in and loving it.  It’s amazing what we can do with these devices and my iPhone has completely replaced my point and shoot camera for personal and travel stuff……see you around!

Last week I went to go visit my grandma in the assisted memory care center she stays in.  She’s my fathers’ mom and is originally from Texas.  What started out as a fun visit to my parents house, turned into looking at old photos of my grandparents, and an overwhelming feeling to go visit my grandma.  Sadly, I hadn’t been in a few months  The last time I saw her, my parents were down in Houston and I told my mom I would go pick up grandma and take her to her weekly hair appointment.  She has severe dementia, so when I picked her up, she didn’t know who I was and wondered why I was taking her out.  As we got in the car, she asked me who my parents were.  When I told her, that Jeff, her son, was my dad, she had a moment of clarity and said, “oh that means your my grand daughter and that means that little guy is my great grandson”……She was weak and feable, I had to help her walk, but she remembered for a moment who I was.  Fast forward to last week, and as I was looking at old photos and videos from when my grandparents were young- they must have been from the 40-60′s and it made me reflect on how our lives change over the years.  I saw one photo of my grandma at age 21, in a swimsuit, and used for a beauty contest, penned “to my man, all my love- Georgia”.  So we went to visit her with the kids.  You see, hospice has been called in and that means, she probably doesn’t have much longer to live.

She was weak and skinny laying in her bed, surrounded by photos of her past life, and I began to cry quietly (the baby that I am).  Not because I was sad really, but because I saw her life coming to a close.  She has lived a great life, and at the end, once beauty fades and our bodies are spent and wrinkled; what matters most is the loved ones that remember you…..even if you don’t remember them, and I’m so glad that they documented their life so fully with photos, journals, and videos.  This experience, along with the reflecting I’ve been doing these past few weeks, have renewed something in me.

I love what I do, but I also want my life to be full!  I’m excited about the future and changes that are coming…..I was able to get out this fall and take photos of my children.  Something I haven’t done in quite a while.  I think this sums up how I want my year to start…..spending time, creating memories and photos of my life and sharing that with other people too.  I hope you have a renewed sense for this coming year and remember to enjoy your life!  Here’s to a fantastic 2012!

this series totally captures Kasen’s personality…..impish for sure!

they’re growing up so fast, but definitely into giving me some camera love without much direction, of course they’re boys and had to get IN the tree…as you can see Riley loved it with his big smile!

This is how most moments go- interactive, with Kasen losing interest fast and pointing at a bird flying by, I love this series anyway

in case you missed our Christmas card this year, I DID get at least one great photo for the card, our home and my Facebook cover photo!

I started off the year being invited to speak at SWPP in London, England.  It’s been one of the highlights of my career and continues to be, as I prepare to return in exactly 1 week.  The first part of the trip I got to shoot a wedding with a dear friend of mine and see how English weddings compared to ours here in the United States.  My mom was able to join me on the last half of the trip and it was so fun! You can review pics from my trip HERE, HERE and HERE.  It really was amazing, and one I look forward to again in 2012!

2011 is also when I found Instagram (I’m amandakphoto on there), Pinterest (also amandakphoto), and I launched my new blogsite (which still needs some tweaking now that PP4 came out).  We also made a HUGE life change as a family in 2011, and in July moved from the Seattle, WA area, to Boise, ID; mainly due to personal reasons with extended family members.  As many of you witnessed on my blog in late 2010, my dad was diagnosed with a rare kind of bone cancer.  We wanted our family to be closer to them, especially the kids and even though there were many things sacrificed for the move, it has been the best decision!

With all the changes and starting over in a new city and market, my photography business slowed down just a bit.  This was intentional, as I’m a notorious planner- just ask my husband!  As we’re making plans to do some things to our house here, I sketch out everything, place the furniture in my little drawings, have to-do lists for each day, and even plan out how to pack the car for family vacations!  Other than some weddings and a few portrait sessions, the last half of 2011 has been me reflecting, preparing and planning for 2012.  Needless to say, I’m itching to get back in the swing of things and I also have a renewed sense of exactly what I want to do in 2012.  Sometimes it’s refreshing to take a little break.

I shot  8 weddings and 9 portrait sessions in 2011.  That’s all.  But each one was great, and I moved parts of my business forward in ways that I hadn’t in 2010.  Here’s a few of my favorite images from each of my own weddings I shot in 2011:

And here’s some of my favorite shots from my Lifestyle sessions in 2011:

In other year end news, Nathan was accepted into his Officer Program for the Navy!  He’ll be attending school at his favorite place on earth- Boise State for the next few years and then it looks like our next 10 years will be split between here in Idaho, Washington and possibly San Diego (although we’ll always return here to Idaho in the end, we love it here!).  If we’re really lucky maybe we can get an overseas duty station, in say Italy?  We’ll see what the future holds.  I’m excited for 2012 and I’ll be writing on my short term plans for the new year tomorrow ……..HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!!

My wedding season kicks off this Friday and I can’t wait!

Which brings me to today’s topic.  Some of you may have heard through the grapevine that we will be moving.  Yes it’s true….after much deliberation (and I mean MUCH), the decision has been made to move back to Idaho!  Boise area to be exact.  There’s many reasons for this- some personal, some business wise, but we’re SO very excited to do this!  We’re right smack dab in the middle of negotiations on a house WITH a studio!  Yep, you heard it right, the new headquarters of Amanda K. Photography will be based in the Boise, ID area.  Does that sound pretentious?  HEADQUARTERS?  What am I thinking?  But seriously I will still have a presence here in the Seattle area.  I have many regular clients that get their photos done yearly and I will still be back regularly.  Also, I made the decision a while ago to be “local” to Seattle, Boise and Portland brides.  So if you’re planning a wedding, that means that my travel between the 3 cities is included in the basic wedding coverage!  I have a ton of weddings here in the Seattle area all summer and fall, so it will be like I’m hardly gone!  I guess it should REALLY be that Amanda K is expanding into Idaho, so there will be offices both in Seattle and Boise

Now I don’t want to jinx any kind of good things we have going on with the property we’re looking at (an offer has been made and accepted by the seller, but we’re STILL waiting on the bank to approve the offer as it’s a short sale) so I’m going to post some images of what my mind has been dreaming up for our new space!  It’s 1500 sq ft and will have a sales/consult area, great big shooting area that will open up fully to the outside if we want, and an upstairs hideaway for me to edit and create to my hearts content! And that’s just the studio space…..I won’t have to share that space with the rest of the fam because there’s a whole other HOUSE to live in- I’m downright giddy!  I couldn’t have asked for a more ideal place! Here’s some elements and ideas that I’ve finally been able to put down on paper…in the next 6 months, these colors and ideas will segway into a brand new Amanda K…..get it?  BRAND new?  Can’t wait to share more!

OH….P.S.- The big move date is tentatively set for the beginning of July after my kids get out of school for the summer and I shoot a wedding on July 2.  I will be stopping any new portrait sessions here in Seattle on May 31, 2011 to give me time to concentrate on my summer weddings and getting packed up, moved, and settled in Boise.  April is already full, so if you’d like to get your session in for May, contact me soon!

So what do you think?  Share your thoughts below!

There’s going to be some BIG changes with Amanda K. Photography this year, and then some things will pretty much stay the same.  I wanted to outline them here for you, to get you thinking

First of all weddings will be staying the same.  I love weddings and I’ll be focusing quite a bit on my local community this year as the past few years I’ve been traveling quite a bit.  I love traveling, but I also forget sometimes how beautiful it is right here in the Pacific Northwest and how many great places we have for weddings here!  I have lots of options for wedding coverage, so if you’re looking at getting married in 2011 or even  2012, get in touch!

I’ve thought about it, and realized, that my whole business revolves around telling stories.  One reason I really really love weddings, is that throughout the day I’m telling the story of the wedding day.  Getting ready, details, portraits, candids.  It tells a story of the day.  This year, I’m applying that story telling to portraits.  So here’s some of the changes that will be happening with portrait sessions from my studio.

I’m getting ready this weekend to travel to London for 2 weeks.  I’ll be speaking at The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) convention.  This is a BIG thing for me  It’s my first time presenting a full lecture for an organization like this, and also my first time speaking internationally.  I’m excited, nervous, apprehensive- any kind of feeling you can think of, I’m experiencing.  But I’m most of all, thankful.  I’ll be writing about what I plan on doing there maybe tomorrow, but be sure to follow the blog to see what’s going on.  I’ll also be posting pics via my iPhone on instagram.  It’s sure to be an amazing trip for me, and I’m so happy my mom will be joining me on the 11th.  When I get back, I’ll be looking for some special clients to help me feature these new changes with portraits.  If you and your family are planning a fun outing or trip, get in touch with me and I’ll give you some detailed information.  Or just tune in towards the end of Janaury for the model call  So with that, I hope you have a happy New Year’s Day filled with football, relaxation and fun!

My office will be closed, but I will check email periodically and I’ll be doing a little blogging about things going on.  I’m excited for the new year and I’ll be kicking it off big by speaking at SWPP in London on January 15th and 16th at the Novotel West Hotel.  Stay tuned to Twitter and right here for all the latest news!  I actually leave on Janaury 4th and will be spending some time exploring London and the surrounding areas before the convention. My mom will be joining me, so we can’t wait for the trip.

I wanted to take a quick moment and thank all my clients, friends and family over the past year and the continued growth my business has gone through.  Sometimes I wake up and wonder how I’ve gotten to where I am.  It’s really amazing and I can’t do what I do with the support and encouragement that all of these people give me.  I hope everyone enjoys the holiday season and finds joy and peace in the new year!

I’ll be taking new bookings starting January 18th so if you want to book the best dates email me

December Studio Schedule

December 1 All 2010 Galleries are open with Holiday Pricing at 12pm PST thru December 18

***Get those last minute prints for the holidays at 20% off using the code MERRY at checkout.***

December 15 Studio will be closed until Monday, January 24

I’ll be enjoying December with my family and then traveling to London for SWPP at the beginning of the year.  If you’d like to schedule a session I’m accepting bookings now for late January.

2011 Pricing Update

Pricing for 2011 has been kept the same for the most part.  My studio is committed to providing the best service and  quality custom products to my clients.  Coverage prices have remained the same for 2011 with the exception of Elopements and Non Traditional Wedding coverage, including LDS Wedding Coverage.  This coverage will be $1,200 for up to 3 hours of coverage effective January 1, 2011.

Digital Files are now $85/file to cover file preparation and packaging.

We have also added some digital collections for clients who may want more than one digital file, but not the entire CD of images.  Options will be listed in your price sheet once a session is booked.

In 2011 Amanda K. Photography will be offering simple wall collections for clients who would like inspiration on how to display images in their homes.  These collections have over 30 options to display your images with sizes, layouts and one simple price.  Again this will be included in your new client booking packet once you’ve booked your session or coverage, and also discussed in the pre session consultation.  Remember, design consultations in your home, are always complimentary and included with your session fee.

If you have any questions about pricing or coverage please don’t hesitate to contact me.

So that’s about it.  I hope that you and your friends and family have a great holiday season and that you take time to think about what is really important to you.  Although this time of year is fun and exciting, I always like to reflect on what’s most important in my life, and that’s my family and relationships I have with my friends and loved ones- take time out to enjoy yours.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Dad:

My dad  is doing ok considering.  He finished his first 2 surgeries.  The 2nd surgery was very long (18 hours) and during that surgery an artery was cut a little bit and he lost a lot of blood.  They did a transfusion and everything else went ok.  Since the surgery was so long and he had the transfusion, they decided to finish up the last little bit of a bone graft in a separate surgery, and that will happen in the next few weeks as his body recovers from the other surgeries and transfusion.  The most critical part of the surgery is over, so we are thankful everything went as well as it did.  Thank you all so much again for your concern and thoughts, it really does mean a lot.

Camera Gear:

Ok this is a big one that has got me a little frantic.  As I wrote before, I sold all of my Canon gear faster than I ever thought possible.  I ordered my new Nikon gear, but none of it has gotten here yet!  EEEK!  I’ve been borrowing and renting until it all gets here, but man!  Talk about stress!  I think I’m going to be very happy with Nikon though.  My first shoot with the Nikon equipment is on Sunday, a senior shoot.  And of course I’ll be using the new stuff at the workhsop tomorrow.

Schedule:

My busy season is definitely starting.  I’ve already started scheduling both last minute 2010 seniors and 2011 seniors for over the summer.  I have weddings galore coming up this summer and I just can’t wait to start those again!  I’m looking for more engaged couples.  So if you’re an engaged couple looking to get married later this year or in the future, be sure to contact me for some SUPER deals!  YES, I’m talking SUPER deals  Here’s what’s coming up for me:

May 16-19   Newport Beach, CA for the Escalate Live Conference (I’m SO exicted about this!!) There’s still tickets left if you want to make it too!

May 25        If you go to my church in Poulsbo, I’ll be giving my monthly photo class at 10:30am, it’s free and we’re working on photography basics

May 28       This is my ANNIVERSARY with Nate, 12 YEARS  I’ll also be hosting an Arbonne Party at my home.  GREAT skincare, if you want to come let me                      know!  I’ll get you an invite!

MAY           Baseball season will finally be DONE!  YIPEEEE!

June           The kids will be out of school, what will I do with myself

June 19      My wedding season starts with a super wedding down in Oregon.  I can’t wait!

I’ve also rescheduled the Hawaii Out of the Box Wokrshop for Saturday August 14, so if you want to get in on this one, in an amazing location, email me and I’ll give you the details!  Plus you can start making your travel plans now

I’m going to be posting a Feature Friday blog later today about an amazing client that I’ve had in the past so stay tuned for that post also  As I leave here’s a few of the senior I did this week.  Another Allyson, her full post will come early next week!

I wanted to post a few updates here quickly about things going on.  First of all thank you to my awesome clients for being patient as I catch up from traveling.  Many posts are coming with jobs and projects I’ve been working on and orders have been sent out!

Next, unfortunately with the health of my dad and the seriousness of his surgeries (2 more coming up), and the critical aftercare we’ll be watching, I have postponed the Hawaii workshop.  This will be rescheduled for sometime in August or early September.  I’ll keep you updated and still can’t wait to get out there!  This decision didn’t come lightly, but I just felt like IF I needed to get to Houston quickly, it would be better for me to be closer and here on the mainland.

Also, I’ve made the switch!  This has been a long time coming as I’ve gone back and forth and back and forth.  But this week my new Nikon camera will be here and I’m so excited about it!  I’ll be sure to post my thoughts and struggles (as I’m sure there will be some as I get used to a whole new camera system).  As soon as my lenses arrive I’ll be extra excited!

Lastly I have some spots left in the May 8 workshop here in the Seattle area.  If you know anyone wanting to really step up their game in their business then send me an email or see the link above under “INFO” and sign up.  We’ll be giving away lots of great things to help your business!

I’m going to leave with an image from a wedding I  2nd shot at last year that I never got the chance to blog!  As I catch up on some blogging, this will definitely be in there.  How could I have forgotten this little gem?  Also, Escalate Live is only a few weeks away!  It’s in Newport Beach, CA and  there’s still tickets available- AND if you can’t make it, they will be broadcasting it live!  This is sure to be an amazing conference!