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I figure I have to start with a photo so I can get you hooked right away. I know I'm a delinquent blogger and honestly I do feel bad about it. The problem is that I am like a little hummingbird flapping my wings a million miles an hour and rarely slow down to take a break. Maybe in the next life I will be better at time management and relaxation :)
On to the good stuff...The photo above is sweet baby Avila. Isn't she just gorgeous?! I mean look at those lips, kill me now would 'ya!
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I swear to you blogger hates me! No matter what I do or how I load my pics the color is ALWAYS off. I guess I'm a little picky about certain things and when you're a professional photographer color is definitely something to be picky about. Anyway, this sweet little girl wasn't all dreamy and angelic the whole time. She certainly made me work for what I got. But you'd better believe I stuck it out and we have some beautiful memories for her fabulous family!!
Now to setting the record straight. I promise I'm not going off on some political tangent or anything crazy like that. I just want to start off by thanking my loyal clients. I love each and every one of you more than you will ever know. Photography is my passion and capturing your beautiful moments and memories brings me so much joy. I am a perfectionist and I strive to provide you all with an unforgettable experience. Am I the biggest name photographer out there? No way and honestly I don't want to be either. I want to know each of my clients personally and connect with them in a way that huge studios with multiple employees and large overhead will never do. I want you to look back on your session and smile, maybe remembering a funny joke we shared or a quiet "in between" moment I captured. One of my very favorite quotes says: "Life stands still in moments that look suspiciously like ordinary life." It sums up my business goals perfectly. To capture the amazing adventure that is ordinary live and preserve it forever.
With all that being said I feel like I need to address a couple of things. I do have a family and a husband who works out of town. Just like your family is your #1 priority to you, my family is my #1 priority to me. I certain work hours that I have set up to accommodate you as well as my family needs. There will always be special circumstances that require special handling and I will always do my best to make it work. I have no plans in the foreseeable future to bring on anyone else to lighten the load. I enjoy the process of working on every aspect of your session and seeing it through to the end. I do not outsource anything other than the professional printing and framing (photos, books, collages, custom framing etc.) Everything else is handled by yours truly. That is the reason it takes approximately 2 weeks to edit the photos from your session. I am looking at each and every photo then editing the best of the bunch and custom designing all the special add ons you always see. The collages I create are 100% my original design. Same goes for the albums and wall galleries. A piece of my heart and soul goes into every photo that you see from me.
The other part of all this is that it is my business and I do need to make a living. Just like I am not the biggest photographer out there I am also not the cheapest. I have certain costs associated with running a business and as much as I love what I do I still need to make money. When I am working I am taking time away from my family and therefore need to be compensated for doing so. Your time is valuable and so is mine. I have always promised never to take advantage of anyone and I vow to continue with that same guarantee. My prices will never be on par with the Target and Wal-Marts out there. My services are not the same so why should my prices be? I will also never be the most expensive professional photographer out there. I am very frugal with our family budget just like you are. I promise to continue to make beautiful professional photography with a touch of spunk very affordable for the average family.
The last piece of this "novel" has to do with social media. I understand the desire to stay connected 24/7. However I will go back to the part about my family being my priority. If I am online on Facebook or even blogging every single day I am not connecting with my family and they are missing out. I am more than happy to post your photos on Facebook or here on my blog for you to share with your friends and family. However I request that you respect that I am a professional and these images are copyright protected. Please do not remove my name or logo or use them them without my permission. If you want me to post 15 photos online-great! Just ask and I will gladly oblige once you have placed your order. I do occasionally post a "sneak peak" but the bulk of the photos will not be posted until after your order. I do not check Facebook or this blog everyday. In fact I don't really even check them every week unless someone has asked me to. I will not ever have a million "friends" or "likes" or "followers". That is just not me or how I want to run my business. I would much rather be a real friend and trusted photographer with a handful of fabulous clients that I connected with personally and who come back year after year. At the end of the day we only get one life. I choose to spend it doing what I love with the people I love the most. Thank you again for your continued support. I truly feel that my life is blessed because of all of you.
sincerely,
Angela Lilyquist
