What Did and What Didnt

No holding back...no fears...no timidity. Today is February 1st and it's the day I promised myself to post my evaluation of 2010 and our goals for 2011. This is gonna be a long post, just a warning...so I would strongly recommend grabbing yourself a big cup of coffee and join me in what did work last year, what didnt work last year. Later today I'll post our goals for 2011 cause seriously, I didnt want to overwhelm you all at once.

So first up, the recap of 2010...

2010 was a molding year for Olimb Photography. We really started to get a firm grasp on who we wanted our clients to be and how to get them. We streamlined a lot of little things that were draining any sort of creative energy from our business and found a handful of things that we were really, really lacking. Here's a little overview of what we learned from last year. I'm gonna put up a disclaimer...this is how we did things, how we learned and how we feel. It's not going to be right for everyone and I'm pretty sure it's not even the business school and photography school way of doing things. But it's how we work.

1. Look for light, not for pretty backdrops. Forever I was always worried about where to shoot, what location had pretty backgrounds and cool props. I dont know what did it but one day I suddenly decided to look for light and viola! We love our shooting style now, getting pretty lighting and simply capturing the subject, our clients and their love, their energy.
2. Andrew is never allowed to touch engagement rings...ever. Is there a story there? Yes, yes there is. But it will not be shared, all ended well and he's never touching an engagement ring again.
3. Brides that set aside a good hour for photos at a variety of locations get absolutely amazing photos.
4. When shooting kids, the higher shutter speed trumps all.
5. Go with your gut...not matter how weird or scary it seems.
6. Sometimes weddings that stretch you are what you really needed to discover your shooting style and to see just how strong you can be.
7. Always always be prepared for rain and fog...always.
8. Read the situation and the emotions. There were a few times last year when I read the situation and was terrified to do anything. Emotions seemed weird and I just gave up and became a fly on the wall. That's not what we're hired to be...so it took a few instances to learn to just step back, take a breath, re-evaluate the situation and everyone's emotions and try again and again and again until you get the images you need.
9. Finding a bride you absolutely cannot live without and form a friendship with is the most amazing thing ever. She is who we strive to find and who we want to spend every weekend with.
10. Shooting for the sake of shooting is a two edged sword. Practice is always key in photography but there comes a point when you need to recognize when you're passion is gone and to take a break. Trying to shoot through a creative-less and passion-less existence doesn't do anyone any good.
11. We live in Florida. Florida is hot. Hot is an understatement...Florida is Hades! In light of this obviousness, we no longer accept weddings in the dead of summer. Because I'd like to live.
12. Whenever possible, I will always always shoot a first look. They're intimate and amazing and sweet and precious. Despite that, I will never push a first look on a couple if they're arent open to it.
13. I want to shoot pudgy little babies covered in cupcakes and pearls and tutus and headbands and little footie shoes. It scares me to death and I'm not 100% sure on how I'm going to go about that but I want to shoot pudgy little babies!
14. Family photos took up a tremendous amount of time last year. Especially close to Christmas when everyone wanted a Christmas card photo. So, this year, we're not shooting family photos like we did last year. We only have a limited number of shoots for the entire year because frankly, we got burnt out by Christmas and seriously, who wants to be burnt out at Christmas!
15. It took almost two years, but Andrew and I finally have a system at weddings. I always know where he is, what he's shooting and what I need to get. Feels amazing to not be stressed at a wedding anymore wondering if we have what we need.
16. We no longer design our wedding albums. It's complex and I hated using the program and I wasnt very good at it. It took a lot to release control of it and send it off to a designer...an amazing designer that I cannot imagine life without.
17. The word amazing. I use it way too much...I've got to start finding new words because saying things are amazing all the time is getting old and unbelievable. Things are amazing! But I'm a writer and I'm gonna find another way to say it.
18. Buy what you need, not what you want. When we first started our business I swore I wasnt going to take out a business loan. I bought a lot of things that I thought I needed and didnt, things I wanted and should have waited on and some things I desperately needed but didnt have the money for. This year we're really evaluating what we need to buy and want to buy and writing them on 3x5 cards. We're prioritizing what we need versus what we want.

*Breathe* I think that about scratches the surface of last year. I'm fairly certain that I left out a lot or at least a handful of things of importance, but 2010 was an amazing year. We've learned so much and come far last year as a photography business. Personally, we've come even further and changed just as much. There's a lot of change coming for this year. I'm terrified. I'm excited. I've cried. I've gotten angry. I've wrestled depression and anxiety and experienced a ton of happiness and genuine joy. There's a lot coming...

Dwell in Possibility...
Cassie