Recent shoots

I enjoy photography. I really do. It's my creative outlet. I'm always caught between just wanting to do it for the love of it and making a legitimate business out of it. My best shoots tend to be those I do out of service or because I have an idea and want to let my creative juices flow. Dealing with the public annoys me-though a few families that I have met through referrals have become very good friends, and I love hearing peoples stories and capturing their personalities for what I hope will be their future posterity. I also love earning money to support my interest.

I have a lot to learn...and I'm comfortable with that. I love learning. In my hopes of learning more and establishing a business model I had signed up for a photography workshop in Colorado Springs hosted by Kelli France of France Photography. I stumbled across her site a couple years ago. I really like her work-but more than that I really like her business-I think she has done amazing things. She gives gifts to her clients, is amazing at presentation and organization. I was really excited to go...I bought my plane ticket...and put the deposit down... As the date approached the remainder of $900 began to be very daunting. A wedding I had scheduled this month was called off and that was going to cover half of the workshop fee. I felt this nagging inside me-you can't go. I could go...I could easily come up with the $$ and get reward points at the same time for using my AMEX... No. I'll lose the deposit, I know I won't get my airfare back. Hmmmm.... Then I received a phone call. It was the travel coordinator from Francipants Academy. They had booked the workshop full and their was another photographer who they were trying to fit in. She asked if I would mind sharing my room with a third attendee-she was willing to put an air mattress on the floor. This was my opportunity. I had a choice to make now. I explained my situation and asked since they were booked full if I could get a refund on my deposit then the other photographer could have my place.

It all worked out besides the $100 I spent on the non refundable ticket. Better to lose $100 than spend $1400 you don't have. Right? Though I felt a sense of relief and peace after the phone call-I still shed a couple tears out of disappointment.

I had said from the beginning I would not take money from our family budget and I would not go into debt to start a business. So there it is. It is what it is.