I had a blast on the 4th of July doing a baby reveal portrait session with Glen & Isabel! They came prepared with a bag full of props to play with and great attitudes about having fun with the shoot. Here are just a few of the images we captured … including a couple of goofy poses thrown in for Glen’s entertainment.
I’m quickly learning how delicate the balance of owning my own studio is. There is so much behind the scenes ‘business’ to take care of that since moving in I’ve done almost nothing creative – and this has been slowly depleting my energy. I’d read a blog post a few weeks back about a woman whose had a successful working studio for many years now. She wrote that in the beginning her experience was much like I seem to be having – the day to day tasks of keeping things in order leaving no time or energy for the reason she opened her shop in the first place. Then she made a decision to commit to her creative process as much as she was to the business part of things – and she dedicated three days a week only to her art. I love this idea and want to adopt it. Today I succeeded in getting in half a day of ‘just art’ – and it was great!
I’ve been wanting to learn about encaustic photography for a while now. I hope to be able to take a class from Corina Alvarezdelugo soon – check her out on FB here, she’s an expert in the field of encaustics. Until then – I tried to teach myself today.
I learned that it’s super easy to make a big mess with melted beeswax; that I really need to take a class; and that you can just peel out what you don’t like and start again.
Can’t wait to do a little more tomorrow. What new thing did you try today?
I took a break in today’s busy schedule to travel into Hartford to meet the three sisters who own and operate Hartford Prints! – a Letterpress studio.
Addy, Callie and Rory run all aspects of the business and it was fun to meet them in person and watch the printing press in action. They’ve designed some vintage (with a modern twist) gift certificates for me which will be ready just in time for my Open House on Saturday (if I remember to order the envelopes tonight). Each one was run through the press individually. How cool is that?!
I have to admit – I love paper and the craft of the old printing presses. If I weren’t already immersed in photography, massage therapy and running a studio I would definitely want to learn more about what these girls do all day. Since I couldn’t dive into all the old wood and metal letters or take them home with me, I took way too many pictures and will share a few with you here.
It’s so important to support your local artists. Handmade, one of a kind items are a treasure! Hartford Prints! offers a class at Christmas time where you can go into the studio and make your own holiday cards!! Check them out on Facebook to be reminded of the event so you can mark your calendar and plan to be there.
I see posts online all the time about the “10 minute portrait” – how to get a decent shot when you are short on time.
Five year old Carter and his mom popped into the studio recently to deliver me a piece of furniture – and Carter insisted on being my model.
We invented the “two second portrait” … lol. First he ran full speed through the studio – in and out of the massage room, kitchen, gallery space – then back to the photography space. He’d hop up on a chair, stool, couch – and shout “take my picture now” – at which point he’d smile and sit still for literally two seconds before wiggling down and running the course again.
It was actually a lot of fun to photograph someone so excited to be my subject and gave me a great opportunity to explore the light and space. I’ve been so busy just setting up and promoting the massage therapy portion of the business that I’ve neglected to remind anyone that I am a photographer too.
The possibilities here are endless. There is a beautiful indoor space, a huge front porch and even a small yard. Room for both styled and natural shoots, I can’t wait to get started.
There’s been some confusion over my use of the term “soft opening” for my new studio. Several people told me they had no idea what I was talking about – so they didn’t know how to respond.
I think I learned the phrase from my days in the service industry. When a new restaurant opens it is good practice to do a soft opening before the grand opening. It means that you open your doors for business quietly (no advertisements or announcements) and test the waters with a few customers who wander in. It gives the employees a chance to learn the ropes and gives a little cushion of time to correct any oversights that arise or errors in equipment functioning, etc. That way when you have a formal grand opening you are more prepared to put your best face forward.
In my case by soft opening I mean that I’ve only just gotten my hands on the space in the past couple of days. I’m pretty much ready to do business – but not everything will be in place for a while. Aesthetically probably not for a year. Specifically – my massage room is up and ready to roll. I already have a massage booked for May 1st – the first day of my soft opening – Yay! …and have sold my first gift certificate! The art gallery is in progress – and will develop over time. Many of my things are in – and in the near future I will add more variety from other local artists. Photographically – I’m ready to take portraits – as I have always been, using natural light and organic backgrounds. Photo studio wise – my backdrops are still coming as well as some extra lights. So that end of the business is ready to function – and will grow and change as time goes on.
The grand opening will probably come in late May/early June. This will be a chance for the general public to come see the space – enjoy some refreshments – and learn about all I have to offer. In the meantime – I appreciate all positive word of mouth. For all of May 2013 there is a special offer of $15 off of the 60 or 90 minute house massage – so tell someone to take advantage of it and book today!
Here are several quick pictures I took today – sneak peek.
Doesn’t it make you smile? :)
A good portion of my day today was spent designing and ordering some marketing materials. It’s amazing just how much time that can take when you are not a graphic artist … and are very inept at the software you are using to attempt a design. While in the end I enjoyed the process – it took up a ton of time and I’m looking forward to becoming financially successful enough to be able to hire out for these sorts of things in the future. I was getting a little punchy by the time I got to the back of the business card and went with a touch of humor in my ‘save the date’ section.
Here’s the sneak peek … one postcard and one business card:
Tania Palermo [Studio on Main] 