Hello! Are you there Natalie?

So I'm racking my brain trying to figure out how pull more clients out of the woodwork and I completely miss the opportunity handed to me. What a bonehead! I'm standing here at work and the perfect couple comes in asking about teeth whitening. (For those of you that don't know, I whiten teeth during the day to keep the bread on the table and pay for my expensive photography pursuit.)

So anyway, the woman proceeds to tell her boyfriend that she would love them to have their teeth done for their wedding. And I say...Oh congratulations and continue talking about the teeth whitening process to them. Could I be any more dense? I just gave myself a pep talk on needing to take the leap by asking people if I can take their pictures and I completely bombed. I didn't even think about asking them until they stepped out of the store. Then what was I supposed to do? Run through the mall with my white lab coat on and business card in hand screaming, can I take your pictures??? Ugh....lesson learned. Always be on the look out for prospective opportunities. And who knows...If I see them again today I just might turn into that crazy lady with the business card. What's the worst that could happen? I might get a weird look or some new clients!

Why am I such a chicken?

I have been giving myself a lot of crap lately for not being further in my photography career. Asking myself: why don't you have more paying clients? why don't you have a 5d mII? And when will I book my first "real" wedding? All that hassling myself just to conclude that maybe I don't have what it takes to make it in this business.

And then I snap out of it. Of course I'm good enough! Why am I being so hard on myself in the first place? I have only had a camera in my anxious little hands for 7 months and it is completely not fair to expect so much already. Sigh...but I do. I am an over achiever and I want to be the best at everything I do. So how can I push my business along at a healthy rate and not get so down on myself about what I haven't achieved by now?

At this point I need to be more willing to jump out on a limb and ask people if I can take their pictures. I know enough people, so why can't I bring myself to ask them? I mean, I wouldn't even charge them! It's a sweet deal for both of us...so what's holding me back? My fear of rejection, of embarrassment, incompetence, or am I just being lazy? It's probably a combination.

But I have to do it! I just have to.

The pic above is one of our freebie clients...it's just harder to be turned down when the clients can't say no.

Highland Prom 2009

This past Sunday we took a drive out to the beautiful town of warrenton to photography my younger sister Sarah and her friends for her senior prom. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for prom hair...no worries about humidity frizzies or muddy high heals. We had just about 45 minutes to work in some pictures and plenty of beautiful scenary. Here is a little slideshow for my sister Sarah, enjoy!