2014 was a fantastic year for my little Kansas City photography business! I got to catch up with long-time clients, met and photographed lots of brand new faces, and the biggest change of all, moved into my very own studio in Waldo!
One of the not-often-discussed aspects of running a business, is the fact that you’re constantly analyzing whether you’re doing things in the most efficient way possible, and if not, coming up with ways to make it better. Once again, I’ve analyzed and dreamed up some tweaks to the way my business works! Some stuff will be going on behind the scenes, and won’t really be noticed by all of you, but some things definitely will be noticed by you so I thought I should lay out the basics here!
A New Look
– Coming in the next couple of months will be a little make-over to the Faces You Love Photography brand and marketing materials! While I love the current logo, it doesn’t fit as well as it once did, and I feel like it’s time to freshen things up. I’m in the middle of a work-over with the same graphic designer that made my current logo, and I am so excited about the direction this new one is headed in!
The Way You Order
– Starting immediately, all non-newborn and non-mini portrait sessions will do their print orders in person. This is one of those “sometimes things start out well, but then end up not working so well long-term” things! Life is busy – if anyone can understand that, it’s me! The number of times I heard this summer and fall “I’m glad we just sat down together to do this, because I don’t know if I ever would have taken care of this on my own.” helped to solidified this move. Scheduling a time to sit down and order makes this a priority, and ensures you’ll have the images we worked so hard for actually printed and ready to display in your home!
So how will this work? At your portrait session we will set up the date and time we will meet up again to view all of your images and place your print order. Depending on the time of year, and my current work load, that ordering session will happen 1-2 weeks following the portrait session.
What You Can Order
– 2015 marks the return of an entirely a la carte ordering menu for single sessions! A small selection of Collections will remain for Newborn sessions, and a couple of Watch Me Grow session packages for those parents wishing to pre-book sessions throughout the first year of their baby’s life.
Basically
– If you’re coming to me for a child or family session, you’ll be ordering a la carte.
– If you’re coming to me for a baby milestone session (not booked under a Watch Me Grow plan), you’ll also be ordering a la carte.
– If you’re coming for a newborn session, you can choose from a few Collections or a la carte – your choice, and you’ll order online.
– I’ll be removing some items from the product menu (things that didn’t really sell) and adding a couple of new items that I’m really excited about! I’ll be ordering samples this month, and will post pictures on the FYL Facebook page, so keep your eyes peeled there!
Pricing Changes
– Beginning February 1, 2015 there will be price increases to select print sizes and products. This isn’t a sweeping price increase across the board, but just to certain items as necessary, and it’s only a slight increase in most cases. Any sessions booked and paid for by 1.31.15 will lock in the current pricing. Any print orders (re-orders or initial orders) from 2014 and older sessions placed on 2.1.15 or later will fall under the new pricing.
– I’ll be bringing back the “Spend ___ and receive your digital images” system, which people seemed to love back in the day! It’s the best of both worlds really – you get gorgeous, high quality prints and items for your home, and digital copies to print and share on your own at a later time. Exact details will be laid out for you during your ordering session.
The End of Sneak Peeks – sort of…
– Beautiful images will still be shared on the Facebook and Google+ pages, but now they’ll go up after your ordering session! One of the fun perks of doing it that way, is that you’ll be able to tell me your favorites and I can be sure to share some of those along with my own favorites! I know, I know…. the anticipation of seeing your pictures will be killing you. Believe me – it’ll be just as hard on me to not explode with sneak peeks in the days following your session, but after a lot of thinking, I really think this is the best way to go for multiple reasons.
Session Expectations Laid Out In Advance
– While I do my best to highlight session expectations, policies, and timeline in advance (and usually via e-mail), some things still get skimmed over or lost in translation. In an effort to make the really important stuff known up front, and in a clear and concise way, you’ll now receive a digital Portrait Session Agreement at booking! The digital document consists of 5 bullet points, with a spot to “check” after each one, and then allows you to sign it digitally at the bottom, which automatically e-mails a copy back to me. Super fast and easy, and ensures we’re both on the same page!