It’s not uncommon to find me in a coffee shop in Seattle as soon as it opens in the morning, like this one. Truthfully, I’m a morning person, and get the most out of my day between the hours of 6am and 11am. Sometimes Billy doesn’t believe me because he leaves for work at 5 in the morning, but I’m usually up and starting my day not too shortly after him. I like to keep on (somewhat) of the same schedule, that way I’ve put in a full day by the time he strolls in the door at 3:15 and I don’t have to feel guilty about turning work off for a few hours to just hang out with him and live LIFE.

Life, what’s that? Oh yeah, it’s the stuff we’re doing when we aren’t taking phone calls, answering emails, having meetings, attending events, or running work related errands. It’s the stuff in between, the stuff we actually work so hard to enjoy. The “life” part of my life is about to get more complicated with the addition of the Bean come February, so I’ve been spending some time researching work/life balance.

How many of you struggle with work / life balance? I would wager than anyone who has the kind of profession they feel a slight twinge of passion for takes part of it home with them, finds their mind wandering during down time… to what has to be done at the office, or genuinely would rather work than do most things. That’s where I’m at. I would rather do “work”  than do most things.

According to most of the things I’ve Googled on the subject, including Wikipedia (our most trusted source) and the Mayo Clinic… that’s pretty unhealthy.

Some of my favorite tidbits on how to manage a freelance, self employed life have come from the genius mind of local Seattle writer Michelle Goodman. She’s the author of the Anti 9-to-5 Guide, and My So-Called Freelance Life. Good friend and fellow freelancer, Liz Andrade turned me on to her books right after I took the freelance plunge in 2008, and while I’m completely guilty of not following a single word of her advice on most occasions, I think she’s got it right. I use Liz as my shining example of what to live up to when it comes to work/ life balance. She has a fabulous blog on what it takes to be a freelancer, and you can check it out here.

Things to consider when the Bean comes in February to maintain both a healthy thriving business, and a healthy thriving life:

- Taking actual maternity leave. Setting all autoresponders and voicemails to reflect that I’m taking legit time away from work. Every new mom is entitled to that.

- Working hours will likely change, and a lot will have to give.

- Learning to say no. I’m fully aware that I have a problem saying no. Anything and everything that isn’t directly contributing to the happiness of my life or the success of my business is going to have to get the axe. I’m only one woman. I’m going to have to practice this one over and over. “NO I’m too busy to help you” “NO I’m sorry, you’ll have to either hire me or find someone else to do that project for free”, “NO” “no” no” “no”. Next time you see me, ask me to practice on you. Trust me, I need the practice.

- Rearranging my priorities; Family first, then business/clients, then every other distraction.

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It’s going to take some work, as there are a lot of changes to come. Changes I’m sure I’m not even aware of, but in the end it will be worth it. Having a family, for us, is what life is all about.

What are some of your helpful work/life balance tips? Anyone have advice on managing self-employment with kids?

And because everything is better with a photo, here is a belly update! This crew photo is from a recent commercial shoot I did with Bella Signature Design for Event Solutions Magazine! We used the new space next to Sodo Park, The Oasis. So excited to share the details and rest of the images of the shoot, but it’s pretty top secret, so I even blurred the props out. You might recognize me  [Sidenote - I'd like to point out that this dress was a flawed purchasing decision and has since made it's way to the bottom of my closet, never to return. I think I look HUGE! It's either the dress, or I need to put down the bagel chips. I'm going with the dress (probably in denial)], the rest of these amazing people are Daniela and her Bella Signature crew. A team of very talented Seattle Designers.

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How is is mid-August already? The summer has completely taken me by surprise and cruised right by. Maybe it’s the fact that in Seattle we’ve only just begun our summer. For those of you baking in the rest of the country, I’ll share with you that it’s a big joke here in Seattle. As of August 1st, we had only 72 minutes of summer. Climates have been so reminiscent of spring, it’s a little hard for me to grasp that fall is right around the corner. I’m actually not butt hurt about it. I live in Seattle for a reason. This girl… does NOT like the heat. I become the Incredible Hulk and try to rip unsuspecting criminals to shreds. Heat + Laura = no bueno.

I’ve actually been relishing in my non-summer, and wedding season this year. It’s been a glorious 3 months of travel, beautiful weddings, personal projects, and family happenings (more on that later). All this fun was made possible by one thing. This summer I’m not stuck behind my computer with my wedding post processing. Friends, if you are still processing in house, let me share with you that there is a big big life out there to be lived. It’s possible for this to be taken off your plate, and in a way that won’t cost your first born child.

My wedding workflow has been simplified so much by just outsourcing, I now have more time to spend on my clients, my family, and myself. HECK, I even walked my dog!

Here’s the workflow I’ve worked out for this season:

Friday/Saturday.. or?: shoot

Monday: Cull, process and edit slideshow and blog selects

Tuesday: Ship drive, check off list until edits are returned 1-2 weeks later.

Not as hands off as film maybe… but working my way there. It was a tough decision to relinquish the control of editing my own images. I anguished over how to choose the right company to entrust my life’s work to. It wasn’t easy. After a few tests and trials, and running the numbers budget wise, I found my match in Pro Image Editors. They have terrific customer service (love you Tanya!), fast turnaround, incredible affordable price, and the best of all… the image quality. I can confidently say, they do I better job than I can do myself. It was a logical choice to outsource, take this portion of the “business” off my plate, and focus on what makes me a better person and better photographer.

disclaimer… The ONLY way this outsourcing thing works for the control freak inside me is that I cull my own, and I have final say over how the finished product looks because instead of sending back processed jpgs, my editor sends me the Lightroom catalog file. Admittedly, I’ve only ever had to tweak a couple of things over the course of the summer, but it’s a control I like to have.

Pricing for PIE is on a sliding scale, which means… the number of images you send either between 0-250, 251-500, 501-1000… has a set price. I almost always fall into the 501-1000 image price range. This costs me $155.00 plus my shipping costs to have someone else do my editing. I signed up for a slick FedEx account, so I get sweet discounts on very secure shipping, and they’ll pick it up from my front porch. I don’t even need to get out of my jammies! My cost per wedding to outsource averages $200.00 after shipping. My time costs WAY more than that.

Here are a couple before and after comparisons (forgive the resolution… I used screen grabs, but hopefully you get the point):

I strongly encourage everyone who has the desire to have a life in conjunction with your successful business, to consider outsourcing. Try it out, and see how amazing it feels to take this burden off your shoulders. You’ll be happier, your clients will be happier, and you can all hold hands and skip along together in your stress free environment.

For those of you who have read this far, I have a little reward for you. Clearly it’s something you’ve given some thought. Set up a new account with PIE, and use this code to save 75% off your first order: PIE_wants _U2_save

DO IT. Trust me. With all the time you save, you can write me a really nice thank you card.

xo,
Laura

This is my very FIRST… gasp!… reader FAQ post! I asked for your questions on Facebook and twitter a few days ago and got some great questions in response. Most of these questions are photography related, but brides and wedding pros please feel free to send in your questions for the next post and I’ll hang on to them.

Q:What lighting equipment do you use during weddings?

A:I prefer using the sun, my camera, and finding great light for most of my image creation.

However, I always have my lighting equipment with me when I go to a wedding. I have a Dynalite Pack with 3 heads. I love these lights because they’re small, compact and really simple to travel with. I also have a couple of compact lightstands and it all fits in a case the size of a carry on. Do I often need to use these lights? No. But I’m prepared.

I also use on camera and off camera flashes, synced with Pocket Wizards for lighting details and reception events when needed.

Q: How many images do you give your clients?

A:   We deliver 100 images per hour of coverage, so an average wedding for me equates to about 600-800 images. I remove all duplicates and blinks in my editing process and only deliver the best. I’ve heard lots of schools of thought on this one, but any more becomes overwhelming and unnecessary for my clients.
Q: Do you offer them digital files?

A: I feel that the service we provide our couples is more than individual image capture. It’s the storytelling of their family history. That’s why it is always my dream to have my clients view their day in an album first… rather than 700 individual images. Their story is best told through a tangible item they can hand down through generations, share with their grandchildren, and cherish for eternity. The reality is, our clients want their images in addition to this. I provide my clients with a digital record of their images as a gift with any album, or it can be purchased a la carte.
Q: Do you use any outsource anything?

A: This is an important and excellent question. YES. I’m not going to hide behind any charades here. I have to outsource parts of my business, because quite frankly I don’t like doing them, or they take me FOREVER.

• Processing. Let me be clear here, I know how to process my own imagery. I’m educated in the tools, I just choose to spend my time on things I’d rather be doing, like living my life. Much like we used to send out our film to be processed, I send out my digital negatives to be processed too. I use a FANTASTIC company out of Ohio called Pro Image Editors. I highly recommend them. You don’t have to be grossing a million dollars to take this off your plate, they’re affordable. Try them out, then thank me. I do about 100 artful edits in Photoshop for my clients, but the majority of the grunt work I leave to PIE. If you use this code: “PIE_wants _U2_save” it will save you 75% off your first order. Now you don’t have an excuse not to try it!
• Accounting. I went to art school for a reason people. Don’t hate.
• Album Design. The albums we offer are not the simplest to design. They have some crazy margin requirements, if you mess up, it can be a costly mistake. Queensberry (our amazing book binder) has a team of graphic designers standing by to create gorgeous designs for these albums, and they know their product the best so I let them handle it.
• Blogging… Just kidding!

Q: What softwares do you use to manage your business?

A: I use ShootQ to manage all of my leads, inquiries and bookings. It’s been a Godsend. Took me a while to get it implemented, but now I couldn’t go without it. It’s my organizational tool.

I also use Two Bright Lights to manage my publication submissions. This is a new tool for me, so I’ll let you know how it works out.

My print sales are all through a storefront hosted by Digilabs. I think it works great for proofing, but prints are also not my focus. I try to do all of my portrait orders in person with my clients, and don’t push the print sales for weddings a whole lot.

Q: How do you choose what to blog and what to write about?

A: If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that most of what I write usually sounds like ramblings of a crazy person. I write the way I want to remember the events, people, or things I blog about. No offense, but the writing itself is mostly for me.

I have a terrible memory.

It’s something I struggle with daily, and I’m pretty sure it’s hereditary because two years ago my parents actually forgot my birthday. As in, the day I was born. I waited patiently for them to call me…. no call. Around 9pm I called my mother and asked her “are you forgetting something”, and she said “….ummm I don’t think so, no”. Yeah. Win. That’s what I’m working with here. I want to remember the stories I write about, so I write them.

The images I choose, tell the story as I saw it. Some of them are artful, some are sentimental, all are representative of the type of images I would like to create more of for my clients. You can’t show EVERYTHING, but if it speaks to the photographic soul inside me, and it’s on par with the direction of my brand…. it’s getting blogged.

Q: Which is more important, blog or website?

A: In my opinion you need both. I get a lot of Google traffic because of my blog (thank you readers!) but my website sends it home for couples interested in working with me. Best case scenario, you have someone custom design you a “blog-site” a site that integrates both seamlessly. Give Liz at CMD+Shift Design a shout, and she’ll hook you up. She is the fine creator of this blog, and super awesome WordPress specialist.

Whew! That was a mouthful! thanks for reading…. and because every post is best with a picture, here is a recent image of my pumpkin pie, Ladybug. She was modeling for me to test light on a shoot earlier this month. This is right before we took her in for her hair appointment, and cut off all these gorgeous curls.

WPPI, our big-giant-humongous wedding photography tradeshow and workshop is coming up SO FAST! I can’t wait to be in Vegas. It’s the time to reconnect with old friends, take advantage of mentoring opportunities, learn and grow. This year is no different from any other, I’ve already managed to book my schedule full of fun things, probably too many…

Daniela Fagét of Bella Signature Design is going to be in Vegas this year styling an amazing shoot out at the Red Rock Casino, and I somehow have been convinced to “model” for her! :-) This is a great opportunity to practice with gorgeous decor and florals in a stunning location! You can get more information on the shoot on her blog and sign up using brown paper tickets. There are only 20 spots for the shoot, so hurry along before it sells out!

I’m mostly excited because I get to borrow a dress from a bridal store in Vegas, and have big hair done. It’s going to be amazing. Simply amazing.

See you in Vegas!

xo,
Laura

PS> I laugh with my mouth wide open…. my apologies, be prepared.

I had the astute privelege of being the event photographer for the most recent Wedding Network USA meeting hosted by Sole Repair Shop on Capitol Hill. The space is urban and chic, with a wide open floor plan and a loft to view the action from above. Jenny of A New Chapter was the designer and event coordinator for the evening. She did an absolutely amazing amazing job with the decor no? I love her modern/hip/eclectic take on this salute to October.

We had the most divine cuisine by Scott Staples Catering. It was so delicious, I had a really hard time capturing it before the crowd emptied the trays!

Events on Edge provided some thrilling entertainment by way of a murder mystery! Chesney Schmidt of All the Flutter, and Christy Weber from Junebug Weddings got roped into the fun as part of the list of suspects.

Check out a slideshow to see all of the images from the evening here! Music selection by the genius himself: Adam of Adam’s DJ Service

We had the photobooth set up and here are some of the rockin’ images from the fun that happened in the booth all night long!

The lovely ladies of Seattle Met!

BreeAnn of Pink Blossom Events…. and I must say, that mullet looks pretty ahmazing on you.

Team Awesome!

And the award for most time spent in the photo booth goes to Jillian from Wavelink Music, and Sheena of the Invisible Hostess. Between the two of them, their image total is in the hundreds. ;-) Love you girls!

To see more of Sheena and Jillian, and a little more of everyone else click here for a slideshow!

I feel absolutely privileged to be a part of this group. Thank you so much for allowing me to capture this months meeting!

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