The excitement about  her wedding has me thinking about other Photography related goals I would like to set (and hopefully meet) in the next year. But, I have a complicated relationship to goals. I am not competitive so if I don't reach a goal I am never upset, knowing I can always try again.

I am going to throw my "goals" for  2013 out there. I hope to accomplish a few. But, above all else, I hope to have another fun year with my camera.

Goals:

• Photograph 3 additional weddings in 2013. I really enjoy the spirit and feel of smaller weddings (be it a1st or 2nd wedding).  It can be tricky to find "small wedding" couples who want to hire a photographer. All of the weddings I photographed have been small or small-ish and I have loved each and every one of them. I truly believe those are "my" types of weddings to capture.

• Photograph a  Birth Session. Like, someone giving birth. I was inspired by this session.  A birth session would be completely different from anything I have photographed previously and I am intrigued by the uniqueness of the experience.

• I would love to find an assistant to help at sessions. This idea is still marinating in my brain, but I am excited about the possibility of having help to wrangle children and hold reflectors while I am shooting.

• Blog more consistently and blog more of the images I capture. I edit and TON of images but I am not consistent enough at blogging to get my work "out there." I do post a lot more images to the PictureMommy Facebook page, find me on there and give me a Like.

• Inspired by Kate, I would like to participate in a photography challenge.  Either a competition or a self-created project. She has worked seriously hard on her photography in the last year and it shows, she is rocking out the local photography scene.

• Lastly, I really want to photograph baby twins. A girl I know is pregnant with twins…fingers crossed I can get my camera on those two little dudes!

I was worried I couldn't come up with 3 goals, now I have thought of so many I could keep on going. This list seems like a good place to start.

If you have any advice, comments or suggestions about my goals please give me some feedback. I had to turn the comment section of the blog off because the 10,000 spam messages were annoying. Talk to me on Facebook, shoot me an email, text me, call me. Whatever! I want to hear what you have to say!

1. I decreased my prices (I know what the business-y photography diehards say about decreasing prices, and I don't care…I am doing what *feels* right to me).

2. I am offering Mini Sessions year around

3. I have re-introduced the Belly + Baby Package and First Year Package

4. All images will be now be delivered via Digital Download only

5. I have cut out all paid advertising and marketing and am working toward a more organic client referral program

I am happy to feel "settled" into my routine as a photographer. After years of self-doubt it's a nice place to be.

I also want to give-back more, but I am not sure how to create or structure a program. I was thinking about taking monthly nominations for deserving families or couples. What do you think? Any ideas?

I have updated my galleries and pricing pages. Take a look and see if your smiling mug is on there!

I am super happy Laura hired me to capture this day. Most Mamas are good at taking pictures, but not as good at being in the pictures. I love that Emily and her parents have images of them together on her first birthday.

(She was upset when Mama took the cake away)

I just looked back, my last blog post was in February. Ummm, whaattt? That's crazy. I am posting quite a few pictures to the PictureMommy Facebook page. It's quick and easy for me to throw images up there. If you're on Facebook give PictureMommy a "Like" and you will see the fun images I post there. There are some discounts offered at the end of this post if you're so inclined…check them out!

Despite my lack of blog content, I have kept  busy with a few family shoots, two weddings and some cute kiddos. I have also been swimming with the girls, running the trails and putting some serious hours in at the hospital. I am a nurse by schooling, working part-time for the last 7 years. In March I started working more hours to get a few projects off the ground. The increase in workload and time away from the house was significantly harder than I ever expected. I hadn't realized how much my little  family ticked right along because I was around and accessible to the girls and Chris most of the time. I am returning to part-time hours again in August. I am forever grateful to my sponsoring physician for being understanding and flexible. It's not often that one person gets to have two equally fulfilling jobs.

This week I am putting together my fall shooting schedule for Holiday Mini-Sessions, I hope to announce those details by the end of the week. These sessions are so fun for me, I look forward to them every year.

I am offering 20% off any Full or Half session booked between now and Thanksgiving. I am also offering a referral "Thank You" if you refer a friend who books a Full or Half Session.

Have an aweome August! With any luck I will have a few more blog posts up between now and September!

Looking back, 2011 was the best year of my life. Hands down. I worked hard, traveled far, ran a lot and settled down into a nice rhythm of life. I know years like 2011 don't come along often. Enjoy these last images of 2011, I look forward to everything 2012 has to offer.