06/21/2024
WALKING ON WATER inspired shoot.
Iāve been holding out on something.
For a while now, Iāve gone through a bit of a funk with my photography business. Itās been years, to be totally transparent. One bad review (all partial truths, and exaggeration) is what got me. I accepted responsibility for failing my clients. I weighed it out, examined myself and sucked it up like a big girl. That one very horrible review really tried to take me out. The photos spoke for themselves, but to the bride/client who didnāt hire me (her then soon to be husband did), it didnāt matter. I did everything wrong. š
Iāve many mistakes over the years and one of the biggest lessons I have learned in photography is to know my worth.
People are people and can and will make you feel like a turd all for their own benefit. Folks will take what they can outta you just to gain those pictures and try to get something for nothing. Itās a sad truth.
More often than not, people lack the understanding of all photography entails and just how many hours one photoshoot takes. My work only begins when we meet face to face and I start snapping. One day of memories can easily turn into weeks when post processing is put into the equation. If I get your photos back to you within days, count it as a divine miracle and the hand of God doing that thang! Just sayin! š
In this business, itās critical that we have passion for what we are doing to somehow beat the statistics and stereotypes. Burn out is real. Very.
I am no longer accepting clients who are price shopping.
My worth is more than turn and burn. I value my skillset and while Iām not the best there is, Iām certainly far from an amateur and deserve more than Iāve gotten over the past 19 or so years. This has been a season of working much less on photography because I am not within everyoneās budget and Iāve finally set boundaries. Photography and being soul focused/ministry rarely jive when youāre single handedly taking care of, well everything in your household.
Letās talk about pricing. If you canāt afford good photography, do not expect good photography when you go with the low baller. Good photography isnāt cheap and cheap photography isnāt good. If you chose cheap to save money, know in advance, I cannot fix your photos. They belong to the person you hired and altering them isnāt an option even if they gave you the digital files. They are still owned by your photographer.
To set the record straight. I am no where near the most expensive, but am certainly not the cheapest either.
One thing Iāll always do, is do my best to work with you to create beautiful memories. I even help by offering payment plans. We all pay for what we want and what we value.
Iām raising the bar and stretching myself by even making this post. I hate, hate, hate talking money and that part of being my own boss is uncomfortable. I have a heart for people and I spend and am spent in this industry. I give it all away more often than not. The number of free or discounted photoshoots I do, I cannot count. I hate to turn away anyone who ever wants pictures done by me, so Iām usually left sacrificing my own livelihood at the expense of others.
If youāve read this far, thank you for your time. Hold up, just a little more. Iām almost done. š«£
Iām sharing a couple of my absolute favorite photos from a recent shoot I did in Gulf Shores, AL for my niece.
The two of us have seen viral videos of something similar, and were inspired, but we knew we were in the ocean making this attempt with waves. The whole thing was originally created with āwalking on waterā in mind. We did that with a shot or two plus put our own spin, or should I say splash on things!
If you want photos from me, please do not hesitate to hit me up on messenger, but only if youāre not price shopping (š„“). I can quote you a price based on what you want and will work with you, promise.
Candid comments welcomed from whatever perspective youāre coming from.
Of the close to one hundred keepers, here are a handful of my favorites. Which donāt like best?
Cortney Curtis Cassandra Fontaine
