Two questions for everyone.

Doing a little debriefing on my first summer (I still have two weddings to go though) and I came up with these two questions to ask everyone. I've also included my own answers.

1. What do you do in your 'off' season (if you have one)?

I've been taking a graphic design program for the last coupe years, so that's what I'm doing this winter. In the future I'm hoping to branch out into doing more family photography as well. I love being involved in my clients' lives and have already had several family sessions come from wedding shoots.

2. How do you define your own success?

Beyond the obvious answers of financial stability and clients enjoying my work, the biggest measure of my success to me is my family's reaction. Not so much my mom and mother in law, who love my work because I did it, but my dad's opinion really matters to me. He was the one who taught me the basics of photography and has always been my harshest critic. He's also not a very emotional person (and doesn't talk much). So when he hugged me one evening (quite randomly) and told me that he was very proud of me and what I was doing and that my work was great, it meant something to me.

Great questions. 2 really made me think.

1 - The off season.

There is very definitely an off season here. Maybe one or two on "odd" dates but no where near enough for a living.

I have a portait studio, so the off season is concentrating on that - mainly families and fashion make over shoots. We also get some commercial work, and that tends to come in through the quieter months.

It's a great time to take a holiday - I can be away without stressing as much about what is going on back at the office.

I also set up for the busy months - september through to xmas is crazy - lots of weddings, and the lead up to christmas so lots of family shoots - to top it all off we also do santa shots. So making sure I have specials, xmas bonus's for packages and advertising taken care of takes a load off when it gets busy.

We tend to meet with lots of couples over winter as well - bookings come in steadily over these months, the deposits are very handy.

I'm sure there is much more i do - but who has the time to think!


2 - The measure of success.

Great question. It's one I'm not too sure about. Financially, of course. Customer satisfaction. Word of mouth referals. Every time I unlock my studio door I get a fluttery feeling of satisfaction. Business milestones. Signed contracts. Hmm. I'll keep thinking.

Cheers,
Naomi

Thanks for your response Naomi, I definitely agree that the off season would be a great time to take a holiday. Unfortunately my boyfriend is an educator, so he only works during the week and not in the summer, totally opposite of me! I'm planning a trip for next year but I 'have to' go with my mum, she's the only one in my family that doesn't work oposite schedules to me. Hmm... I might even try to book some shooting while I'm out of the country...

Over the English winter I am hoping to diversify into child portraiture.

As for success, well each to his own... For me, I raise the goal every year quality wise and also try to do something in photography that I haven't tried previously. It needn't be anything radical... It is interesting to look back and see where you were a year before...

Thanks Geoff,
I totally agree about looking back at a year ago. For me a year ago I didn't even think I'd ever shoot a wedding. I don't know what came over me, but last January it was a quick decision and a few days later I booked my first. I know that I'd be criticized here for doing it that way, but it worked for me and I haven't had any unhappy clients (I haven't done any for free or done any second shooting).