Winter Wonderland

The Winter frost this morning was quite breathtaking, and transformed rural Oxfordshire into a scene straight out of Narnia.   Unfortunately I was driving, and wasn't able to stop and capture the image, so you'll just have to take my word for it; although if you live anywhere in the UK, you were probably greeted with an equally beautiful landscape!

When I got home however, I immediately grabbed the boys and went for a walk.  By then the sun had come out, and the snowy scene of the morning had melted away, revealing another kind of beauty.

I know judging from the recent Cujo and Jake heavy posts, it's hard to believe, but I do shoot people (photographically speaking!) and we have quite a few pre-wedding shoots lined up next month, before our wedding season kicks off in April.  In the meantime though, yes it is my trusty models who continue to share this space with me. 

As much as I love my boys though, I am hoping this time next year we will have the joy of shooting some Winter weddings.  Every season has it's own kind of magic, and this is one I would love the opportunity to immortalise in a wedding album.  So if you're a Winter bride... email me :)

The Million Dollar Question

One of the biggest dilemmas I've had since starting the photography business has been pricing. It was so much easier in the beginning, when it was just something I did for fun. But now that this is my occupation, now that this is what I do, it's become so much more complicated.

I've joined forums, canvassed opinions of friends, peers, brides, but the answer is never simple; and everyone has a valid opinion.  Kat and Julia Boggio wrote an excellent article asking the question: what is a good photographer worth, and I often think about that.  After all, I value my work.  I put a great deal of effort into it, so why is it so hard to put a monetary value against that?  This is made all the more difficult knowing the price I charge is also being judged by some as my worth.

Yet something I've said from the outset, is that I want to be affordable.  I want to ensure that good people get good photographs, and I know I for one would find it difficult to stretch to some of the prices out there.   Funnily enough I have been on the consumer end recently, as I am looking for a photographer to document Cam and my 10th anniversary celebrations next year; so I appreciate the fine line between wanting the best for an important occasion, and what I can realistically save up and afford.

This has been on my mind all the more recently, because we've just raised our prices.  This was as a result of an increased number of enquiries, particularly for 2012, and we felt our introductory package needed to expand to illustrate the growth we have achieved.  However ever since doing so, I've been feeling a little uncomfortable.  Some of the most exciting sounding weddings we have booked for 2011 are based on our earlier prices, and the thought we might have missed out on these brides make me sad. 

At the same time, as the business grows, so does our investment in it.  How do I find a happy medium?

I've decided tonight to revise the packages we have on offer, so as to give a wider choice, and ensure the DIY bride's beautiful efforts do not have to go to waste.   I've found that the people who fall in these brackets often have some of the most unique, imaginative and original weddings, and these are some of the weddings we really want to photograph.   

I realised tonight, my ultimate worth is determined by how I capture the spirit of a wedding, and there can never be a definitive price tag on that.

I am in love with this song at the moment.
I know, I'm about a year late, but I just can't get enough of it.
Next year, I will put a wedding slideshow to it.

"Marriage is those two thousand indistinguishable conversations, chatted over 2000 indistinguishable breakfasts, where intimacy turns like a slow wheel."

- Elizabeth Gilbert

In her book, Committed, Elizabeth Gilbert refers to something the poet Jack Gilbert (no relation) once said when he described marriage as that which "happens between the memorable".   Indeed, if I look back over the last 9 years with Cam, it is clearly the highs and lows which stand out, and although those moments form crucial milestones in our marriage, it is in fact all the non-descript days inbetween which actually knits it together.
It is the everyday which is the bedrock of our marriage.  The often unmemorable.

Yet photographs can  work wonders as story catchers.  Holding a memory for you long after you may have forgotten it.  For the first three years of our marriage, I utilised this tool, and created albums every year, on our anniversary, documenting the details of the last year we spent together.  I wish I hadn't allowed complacency to take over, because sitting down with a cuppa, and reliving those mini adventures of our early years is great fun.  The last 6 years however, sit adrift in cleverly abbreviated filenames on my hard drive, rarely seeing the light of day.

This is something I plan to change, and I am starting this month with a fun photo project.
Because if I am lucky, 20 years down the line, this December will be a blurred memory morphed within 20 other such months. Yet by creating a photobook of the month, I will be reminded of the ordinary magic which exists in our everyday, the 'non-events' that layer on top of each other to create the rich tapestry which becomes our life together.

Sneaky Lie In

Cam doesn't allow the boys on the bed, so when he heads off to work, and they are left alone with me...
this sometimes happens!