New Studio - At Last…

So it's finally finished and open! I'm half way through my first week and it's going very well. I had a busy week last week photographing and editing and this week is just the same! The weekends are busy as well…

It's fantastic to be back in the studio at last. It's been 9 months since my last studio shoot! I was a bit worried I would have forgotten how to do it… But they have all gone really well so far. I actually think the shots I've taken this week are some of the best I've ever taken. I think having some time off has given me a chance to come up with new ideas and editing methods. Hopefully some of the parents will let me put a few up on my Facebook page… Have a look and see if they have!

Although I've only just reopened it's nearly time to stop for Christmas! To guarantee Christmas delivery the shoot needs to be done by the end of November. So in a couple of weeks it'll be all about the vouchers!

Thanks to everyone for their support so far. It has really helped get me up and running again. I won't name them - you know who you are!

New Studio - Episode IV : A New Hope

A long time ago in a solicitor's not that far away I started the process of renting a commercial property. 3 solicitors, an estate agent and a bank all got involved and 5 months later we've finally completed!

Well it's about bloody time frankly!  At last I have my keys and can now make a start on the renovations, decorations and preparations.

Thankfully there isn't much to do. Some new signs, a couple of new walls and doors and a bit of a window display should just about do it! And obviously a bit of tidying and decoration just to make it look as stunning in real life as it does in my head...

With a bit of luck I'll be open for business by late October. Just in time for the Christmas rush! A bit late to start advertising really but I was a bit nervous to start shouting too loud until I actually had my keys.  I now need to contact my list of interested people and cross my fingers they haven't found somewhere else to go or just lost interest!

I'll be having a big push on vouchers as well in December for anyone stuck for gift ideas!

Right.  Off to strip some wallpaper!

Unusual Wedding Gift???

Just looking for a bit of feedback really.  Please do feel free to comment below or get in touch with me directly.

I've just launched a new idea for my wedding clients.  Many couples already live together before they get married so the wedding list is a bit of a struggle to fill.  I know we had a job choosing things we actually wanted rather than stuff just to fill the list.  There's only so many toasters you can use!

We asked our guests to contribute to our honeymoon, which was great for us, but some of them still wanted to give us a "thing" to open.  Even if it was a voucher for somewhere.  Which got me thinking.  How about getting your guests to pay for your wedding photography?!

So my idea is this: once you've paid me your deposit, you then get a reference number unique to you.  You pass this to your guests (in the invitation) who go onto my website.  They enter the number and the amount they want to spend and I send them a voucher to that value for them to hand over to the happy couple on their wedding day.  In the background I'm tracking all the contributions and amend the final invoice accordingly.

I would have loved a service like that when I got married!  What do you think???