Frustrations and Complications!

Hey ya'll. I haven't just talked to you in a while. As you all can see the business is blooming. I have an average about two shoots a month. It's nice to have that artistic release outside of my routine of life.

What has happened since the last time we talked?

Well, beyond the obvious, i  currently work two jobs, plus do the photographer thing. I work close to home as a Physical Therapist assistant in Hillsboro Wisconsin and I am also a Administrator to an Assisted Living Apartment in Baraboo Wisconsin. I joined the gym and bowling league has started up again.

Phew! Writing it all out is tiring. Lol! It all balances itself out through the week. My hours are set. I basically work 9-5, Monday-Friday. I work out three times a week. By they way i have lost 26 pounds since i have joined in August. I know exciting. I bowl Tuesdays and Wednesdays, i am pretty good, if i say so myself. I have an average of 130. I will get a 500 this year. I have never gotten one in house before. I got one at State last March, but that don't really matter.

So what are we going to talk about today?

Well through the last 10 months of business, i have came across somethings that frustrate and complicate things.

1. Software: I have been trying several different programs. I have been using several of them through trail off the internet. I have used almost everything: Lightroom, Elements, Paintshop, Photoshop, Picasa, and Gimp. But after the 30 trail, i was unable to use them anymore.

So then i came down to money. What i can i afford. I loved using Paintshop Photo Pro x3 and ended up ordering it. I was pretty happy with it, until, i switched development companies. I went from Collages. Net to NationsPhotoLab.com to Mpixpro.com. I switch companies because i wanted to be able to offer several different things to my clients. With Mpixpro, there are things i would have loved to have available when i was a Senior: Wall clings,  Rep cards, Stand out, canvas and books.

Now with amazing things that i am able to offer, my simple Paintshop Photo Pro x3 program is inadequate. Mpixpro doesn't not offer templates in their ROES ordering program. So everything that i will be ordering i will have to make on my own. I am a little slow in this department and if i wanted to download templates for these thing. Paintshop Pro doesn't not support the files they are available in.

So yesterday i broke down and ordered another program. Adobe Elements 8. I think i will be mainly using it for the the templates and brushes that i know are available to use with it. So that small bump in the road is diverted.

2. Hard Drive Space. My current computer is about 6 years old. I still love to use it, but it's only a matter of time before i max out the Hard Drive Space. So i am on the prowl for a new Desktop, preferable with a large screen and lots of drive space. I know i could delete some of the stuff on my current computer to make more room for whats to come. But i am a computer hoarder. I am too scared to delete anything, i may need it in the future.

I have thought about getting a MAC computer and i would love an IMAC, but then the money i have spent on editing programs would be a waste. I would have to repurchase the programs to mac operating systems and i definitely can not afford that all over again.

3. Time: As we all know time is never on anyone's side. It' hasn't became a big deal yet but i can see where it will cause problems in the future. With the two other jobs, working out and trying to have social life. Getting done what i need to get done sometimes is a chore.

I used to have so much more time to look at photos and really thing about what i would love to see happen with them, editing wise. Now i am lucky if i get my watermark on them before i dead line to send them in to get put into a proof book.

These are just three of the complications that cause some frustrations these days, but i just have to sit down and think about what i a NEED to do  and put that before what i WANT to do. These things are nothing i can't handle and with some more time management plus more business they will be things i will be able to handle.

Thanks for reading and all of your support.

Trash The Dress

This is was just for fun and practice. We teamed up with Alison Kim Photography from Cazenovia, Wisconsin. Actually, i should say we were offered a chance to shoot with Alison Kim. She is a good friend and colleague of ours. We bounce ideas off each other.
 
Well this one of one of her ideas. We gathered a group of young ladies, prom and wedding dress, and our equipment. Then we all met at Lake Redstone outside of LaValle, Wisconsin, had a lovely young ladies get dressed and we were off. Snapping fabulous picture after fabulous picture. Check them out for yourself!