Dawn’s Bloggin’ It

I treasure my repeat customers who are so very loyal to me as I watch their children grow but we must face it-eventually they quit having babies and when they refer their friends to me I am so grateful.  So to Heather and Melissa- Thank You from the bottom of my heart for your words of praise that brought Lilly and her amazing mom and brother’s to me.  What a beautiful life this little girl has in store for her as I watched her brothers who are loving life with a mother who let’s them be who they want to be and guides them with simple kindness.  I hope as always that the images I captured of Baby Lily will be treasures in your home for generations to come and that you will gaze at these images, these moments and remember those tiny little blessings!

It seems as though when your young you spend your days saying “It’s taking forever to get to do this or that”… and then as you get older you spend your days looking back saying “I wish it wouldn’t have gone by so fast”.   I think right now I’m somewhere in the middle of that.  Just 16 short years ago they laid this baby in her father’s arms and as I lay there on the operating room table after a c-section, I was in awe that that was the first time I’d ever seen her dad with that look on his face.  I can still “feel” that moment in time.  Someone snuck my camera into the operating room (I was a nurse back then so I think I had a couple of friends) and I have that exact image in her baby book.  It was the beginning of my realization that a moment can last forever in a portrait.  I look at my camera as the lense of life.  It enables me capture those moments to treasure forever.  You won’t look around and see very many pictures of me but in every single image you see what I saw and felt at that moment.

These images are my baby and her friends- God has been good to me- I am blessed!

What an amazing and crazy event!  Fresh Paint, New Back Drops and TONS of sessions scheduled.  What started out as a fresh coat of paint ended up a complete makeover.

When I opened my business 6 years ago I had one goal…to be debt free in 5 years.  At all costs, I had to make that happen.  There’s a lot of sacrifice that goes along with building a business literally from the ground up  and setting a goal like that.  I’ll never do anything like that again that’s for sure.  Although attainable it wasn’t without cost.

For those of you who’ve been here you know that I love Chocolate Brown and so a few years ago I had an employee paint most of the walls that great chocolate brown.  It was never done completely right though… Furniture wasn’t moved correctly and there were areas that the old maroon or white showed through and it always looked a bit sloppy.  Kind of drove me crazy-I’m not gonna lie.  Busy building my business I never took the time for the details of presentation and finer things.  I simply survived from one session to the next so as to reach that goal.

In January,  I sat down and wrote myself a list of goals that I wished to attain in my personal life and business life.  Taking control of my business with me as the person in charge was first and formost.  I had been coasting for far too long.  Things were spinning out of control, my family, my staff and my customers all wondered where they fit into this whirlwind and it left me frustrated most of the time.  So I sat down crossed off a bunch of dates in my schedule and specified each of them to a task.

I wrote out an employee handbook, had my first ever employee meeting and the girls knew what I needed from them.  Change is tough and the girls were amazingly receptive to this for the most part. Afterward a couple of them talked to me specifically about how nice it would be to have the ability to know what I needed done without having to ask.  You see, we have a lot of fun here but that cannot be at the cost of a satisfied customer.  I needed to know that the details were done at ALL times and that my customers were not left wanting for anything more than to come back because it was such an amazing experience.  I believe that with these changes- this will happen and the experience our customers receive will be like none other in the area has to offer.

Which leads me to the second thing on my list- the appearance of my craft, my skill and my love displayed in this amazing studio that I worked so hard to build.  I wanted it to take your breath away as you walk through my doors.  The dark and classy brown (with maroon peaking through) just wasn’t cutting it.  Rita offered her time and her love of painting to do it right.  And wow- lighter and brighter does more than change a wall- it changes a mood.  And you are never quite sure where that new coat of paint may come into play!  Here is our new dressing room… LOVE the color as a backdrop too!It’s fun and fresh to come into Dawn’s Photography and to work in it every day is so refreshing.  I invite you into my dream to share it with me.  The coffee is always ready and I don’t have to take your portrait for you to come and pay me a visit- just call ahead of time as I always reserve the studio JUST FOR YOU!!!!  So I want to know that I have time to share my life with you and you alone.

I’m working on the 3rd thing on that list.  Time with my family.  With a daughter who is now almost 17 and a Senior in a few days and another at 14,  I know that I gave up valuable life experiences with them to reach that all important 5 year plan.  I know…had I been working at a different profession, I wouldn’t have been able to shut the doors to attend nearly every ball game, school event and to be just a jaunt away when they were sick.  But we quit doing the bigger things like shopping trips to Mall of America (we made it!) and 2 week long camping trips (can’t wait to do her Senior Portraits on one of these this summer!)  We experienced life in hours- a few here and a few there.  Mom was always “here” but not always “HERE” if you know what I mean.  No regrets- don’t get me wrong- not ONE!  I did alot of things with my girls that my nursing career would never have enabled me to do but to those moms out there who think they are going to pick up a camera, put photography behind their name and build a business, it isn’t without cost and constant CONSTANT sacrifice.  It’s more than picking up a camera, it’s learning a PROFESSION.  And to call yourself a professional  you must make the sacrifices to be and learn professionalism.  Had someone told me that 6 years ago I may have not had to learn every single thing the hard way.

The other items on my list are yet to come but I’m feeling excited about the success of the top three.  I pray that I can continue to succeed in business, in life and in the pursuit of my happiness.  And who knows- perhaps one day after these 2 amazing daughters of mine are all grown up they may find the passion in what I did and I will have a legacy to leave them.  After all, it was in the front seat of the car on our Mother-Daughter trip to Mall of  America that the oldest one looked out the window with my little point and shoot camera and captured this image. 

Just a quick post tonight now that I was able to get this portion of the server working.  Making some changes to the website and it’s taking a bit to transfer stuff over.  We’ll see how long it takes someone to copy this site.  Last one was less than 3 weeks. All frustration aside it was so fun to see this couple again after photographing their wedding a few years back.  Together they have made such a sweet little baby and I’m so grateful to them for sharing him with me.  It’s so fun to see couples again and it makes me wish that I still was able to offer weddings in my portraiture- don’t get me wrong I’m grateful that the rest of my business keeps me too busy to do weddings but…  Thanks again so much to Aaron and Crystal for sharing baby Morgan! And Grandma Melody for introducing me to your AMAZING family during Senior Portraits and 2 weddings!  What a joy it’s been to watch your family and share in these amazing moments!  He’s PERFECT!