I deserve not to starve

I've read TWICE this month about 2 photographers, one local and one not, closing their doors FOR GOOD. WHY?

Because they BOTH said they could NOT survive and support themselves off their FULL TIME self employed photography income.

I checked both of them out on facebook. One had an ok number of likes with ok work. Alright- so that makes sense, perhaps there was room for improvement, on marketing and on technique. I've seen worse though! One had 5,000+ likes and beautiful work. Clearly people saw the beauty in her work and she had quality images!!

So what gives? How can 5,000 people like your work and you not be able to live off that? I don't KNOW, but I can make an assumption... These photographers were not charging what they were worth. Plain and Simple.

As Artists we love what we do- but this is also our job. We're here to have fun but we don't have hours to throw out the window either. So to anyone who wants something for free, or next to nothing- remember- we aren't just selling paper, or are required to give away digital copies bc they are "free." That "paper" holds cherished memories never to be seen again, those files took us hours to envision, capture, and artistically perfect, AND we have to survive just like you.

We have thousands of dollars in to our gear (and if you don't, I honestly don't feel as though you can call this your REAL profession... I'm not talking about hobbyists who have another job, I'm talking about the people who give it their ALL EVERY DAY.) We have years of knowledge. We have a talent no one else has. We have an eye and artistic mind you can't just borrow. And yes- if you want a custom, specialty service, you have to pay for it. Just like a painting, or a limited release item, or a product built just for you!

The SAD part is- I'm still not saying you have to charge $10,000 per session but you can not be the photographer shooting, editing, burning, and gifting EVERYTHING for $100 either.

WHY? Because you will SINK just like these people did unless you have another job or have someone else to support you. AND bc you have a GIFT that is worth more than what it cost me to buy a pair of over priced jeans from the Mall.

Please think of it this way- $100. approx. for 10 hours broken down in to emailing, meeting with a client, shooting, editing, viewing, making a disc / prepping ordering, (whichever you do), delivering products. Done. $100 divided by 10 is $10 an hour. Then uncle Same takes out 30%. $7 an hour. Then you have to pay all your studio bills, your business insurance,  sales tax, or... or... OR.... the list goes on. SO NOW you are working for yourself for like $3 an hour. Really!?

NO! STOP IT! YOU STOP IT RIGHT NOW! YOU are worth more than that and so is your work, and so is your time!!!!!

To all of my clients- THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for seeing the value in what I do. Thank you for accepting the fact that I LOVE having fun with you but I am NOT here to play all day and that I create beautiful things for your home to support me in mine. YES- I love what I do but I am also very proud to say my full time job is a business I built, myself, from the ground up, and that it's in a field that many put the word "starving" in front of.

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(self-portrait created during my 365 project in 2011)

Think of it this way- I have the drive and the fire behind me that a starving artist does, except I choose to eat, bc I deserve to.

The Mob.

Ladies- never trust a gentleman in a suit

Fellas- Never trust a lady who does shots of whiskey

Neither one ever leaves home without a trick up their sleeve...

The Mob. By AJBC Photography

There's an app for that...

I like things to be easy. I like things to be different.And I like it when someone else can reassure me it's a good idea. That's exactly what this list of apps is. A quick list of things that make my life easier. A list of things that are different and help me stay ahead of the game. And things I've tried out and love, and confident you will too! Some of these things are photography related, and then I did add a few other awesome things I wanted to share with you! Simply click on the link below the picture to be directed to the app's site! P.S. These are not my images. I simply pulled them off of google for a visual.

Ok, I'm going to be biased, but... I think the AJBC app is pretty awesome. Yes. I have my own app. AND, you can too! It's something awesome I have available to all my clients and a ton of them end up getting it for free when they reach a certain price point. Check out a sample and imagine how (more) awesome you could be too when you book a session with me and get your own. Click on the link from your phone or ipad while connected to wifi and it will download onto your phone, just like any other app (you can still view the "web version" of the app if you're on your computer):

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Imagine yourself, here

**Mention this blog and any previous AJBC customer can receive 50% off their very own custom app (containing EVERY image from their previous session!)

Obviously I love taking pictures. And yes, I DO take cell phone pictures when my big DSLR is out of reach. But just because it's a cellphone pic doesn't mean it needs to look yucky or boring. Yes- I even edit my cellphone pictures. A GREAT app that's very cheap (about $2) is PicTapGo. It seriously changed my level of cellphone "art" when I purchased it. You can check it out here:

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Turn your cellphone pics in to masterpieces

I know when I first started using a DSLR all the buttons were a bit tricky. It was hard to understand what it all meant and how they all worked together. A great app I just found (that's more so just fun for me to use now, but still cool) is a Light Meter app. Sure, your DSLR basically has one built in, but if you want to get familiar with how the whole system works, you can pull this out and play with it, watch the settings change, and slowly start to try to understand WHY the settings / numbers are changing based on your surroundings, even without your DSLR. It's a great learning tool- especially for anyone who may be playing around with film still.

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Get exposed here

The next app that I can't live without is my Hobby Lobby app. Hobby Lobby has SO MANY awesome things that I love using for photography- all the way from frames to props, to packaging goodies. It's a 40% coupon, every day, in my pocket. Enough said. Get it here:

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40% off in your pocket, everyday

Next- I make a to do list every day. I have to or my mind would be spinning. But I don't like making a list on my phone, I want to CROSS IT OFF with satisfaction! Yeah- I'm weird. But NOW I don't waste paper and I know what I need to do even when I'm not in the studio with this awesome app that even allows you to separate work from personal. And it makes a scratch off noise when I complete the task ;) Get it for free here:

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Get organized and cross that off your to-do list

Ok, so the next app I don't have, but I came across it and thought it would be AWESOME for my clients. It's an app that allows you to take your own clothes and piece them together in ALL kinds of different combos. Yeah- I like pinterest, but pinterest and all the clothes you pin on there with NO idea where to buy them or finding out later they are way out of your price range doesn't help you. This app allows you to see what YOU can create with what you HAVE, anywhere. So piece together the perfect outfit for the whole fam for our next session together on your lunch break.Check that out here:

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Be your own personal stylist with what's in your closet

Another awesome app for my clients- a mirror. It turns the screen of your phone in to a mirror (as long as your camera is updated and allows you to take pictures from the front and back of your phone- it didn't work on my old iphone 3gs). So for all my females out there that feel silly carrying a compact- EVERYONE carries their phone, and you don't look nearly as vain staring at your phone in public as you do in to a mirror. haha It's the perfect "secret."

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Simply search "mirror" on your app store. There are TONS of free options. Some even come with toolkits (magnifier, ruler, and flashlight.)This next app mildly ties in to photography. Yes- I carry a lot of stuff and get in to some off positions when photographing, so it's good to be flexible, and I always appreciate when my pin ups don't look like they are in pain or stiff, but... that's kinda a stretch as to why it's on the list. Oh my gosh. No pun intended. Ok... maybe. haha Anyways... after all the problems I had with my spine and being balanced, I REALLY feel strongly about yoga and how awesome it makes my body feel. Here's a great beginner app I use that's easy to follow, and it's free:

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Get balanced

And while we're on a health kick- you might as well keep your body happy by not over stuffing it and easily finding out how dangerous that big mac is that you are about to inhale. haha Get the facts for free on your food here:

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Get healthy

Scared you won't be able to remember all these awesome apps? Pin this blog post for later!

Memories must withstand the test of time

These last couple of weeks have been pretty rough.

My husband's grandfather went in to the hospital unexpectedly. It was a big scare, but we were very excited when he got released to go home.

The afternoon following he was sent right back.

After hearing he had suffered from a stroke we were later happy to hear he would be allowed to leave the hospital and go to a home for recovery.

When I was 7 my mom and I went to visit my great grandmother in a home nearly every day for almost a full year until she passed away.

Being younger, my mom had warned me it was a place that would be full of things I wasn't used to, but to not be scared. We quickly got used to all the people there, understood who they were, their own little things that they did, and a lot of stories we gained from going there still stick with us to this day that make us smile.

Being young, you walk in to a place like that and accept those people for who they are at that very moment.

I went back in to a similar care facility just yesterday to visit my husband's grandfather and the experience was so different.

You would think being older you would have a better grasp on reality, and that would help.

Reality is actually what hurt the most.

As my husband and I sat and talked to his grandparents (who by the way, is appearing to be doing slightly better and is really giving the nurses a run for their money- he's quite the rebel there) I also overheard a little lady, sitting just at the end of the table from us, say over and over again to herself, "I want to go home, I want to go home."

This morning I was telling my mom about it, and as I cried telling her, we talked about how the worst part is, is they used to be so full of life. They had dreams, they had fun.

And that's what I missed when I was 7. Those people weren't always those people. This exact moment that they are in is not what they have worked so hard for. That little lady who kept yelling she needed help to an empty room, I can only imagine, never assumed that this moment is what she was getting up and working towards every day.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to be honest. That flat out sucks. It sucks, it's scary, and it's the truth.

So am I writing to go on and on about how cruel life can be? No.

I'm writing to tell you to make your life count. Now. While you are still at your own home, while your loved ones are still there to help you do it, while you are still capable of making memories for yourself that you can cherish.

I just had a conversation with a client the other day, and we spoke about how, yes, she was getting portraits for now, but she was also getting portraits for her kids to keep, for her grandchildren to keep, and to have something to pass down.

All too often people get wrapped up in the NOW. Right now my kids are misbehaving and this session isn't going to be my dream session. I need to get that disc from you now bc I want to get prints from the local store right now to pass out. I don't really care about an album to have to store, right now I don't have room for it.

So you buy that disc, that in 15 years, you won't be able to use on ANY device, just like your cassettes, just like your soon to be DVDs, bc man just will not stop pushing the newest and coolest things at you.

So you buy that 4x6 that gets crushed in the drawer bc that currently is your storage system.

So you skip out on your session bc your kids aren't at "the right age" and miss that time in your life all together.

Think about WHO you are, WHAT you are about. Think about your family, and who they will be and how they will SO want to know about who you were 50 years from now.

I LOVE looking through the huge box of pictures that my grandma has. And you know what's so cool about that box? Those prints never go out of date. They will forever be able to be viewed by people who can't wait to hear the story behind them (people ask why I don't just sell a disc, this is why!) No disc can tell me the names of the faces, the story of that time, only the time you make to get that box out, over a cup of coffee and sweets can answer those questions.

Above is a print of my great aunt holding my grandpa on their family farm. I snatched it one day from my grandmas. She probably doesn't even know I have it, but I think it's the coolest thing and I'm so thankful someone took the time to capture this exact moment, bc if not, it would never now be a part of my life too, nearly 85 years later.

In the end, all we have to really love and hold on to are memories. That's it. We get stripped of our homes, our money, our cars, our clothes, our jobs, and our titles until we are nothing more than who we are.

Make sure you make time to capture your life every so often, to share with your family as you grow, so they know exactly who you are, who you were, and what your story was, bc as we grow old, even our own memories fade, even if we try to fight it, and you too may even need a visual to remind you of what once was.