So initially, I had big plans to make a video to explain why this corner of the interwebs has been inactive so much, but I just haven’t made found the time, and it’s reached a point where content is more important than presentation, so I’ll hold off on the videos until later in the summer…hopefully :)
So where to begin?
Well at the end of last year, I reached a bit of a stopping point. I found myself going through the motions of photography, and felt like I needed to step back and refocus…refocus everything. Remember why I picked up the camera in the first place. Recognize where I drifted from my vision. Determine what my goals were…in terms of the craft, the client experience, myself. So I decided to do just that. I ended 2010 with a blog post on Dec 24th of my last portrait session of the year.
And then I stepped back. I stopped blogging. I stopped chasing clients/inquiries (I responded to inquiries, but wasn’t aggressive pursuing many). I decided 2011 would be a different type of year for me. I wanted to refocus my efforts on the few clients I had already set for this year. I wanted to make sure I had a consistent message going out in every aspect of my business. I wanted to be more efficient and streamline my workflow as best as possible. I wanted to love both the creative and the technical aspects of photography again. I wanted to give proper attention to my church ministry and family life.
And so I put down my camera. For the first 4 months of the year, the only images I captured were on my iPhone (follow me in instagram (natemathai) o see all those ;)). And I got back to the point I was at 5 years ago when I jumped into all of this. Learning the limitations of the camera, and creating imagery in lieu of it. I returned to the pen and paper, drafting ideas of what I wanted to see happen. Planning, preparing and learning.
I began to refocus.
I didn’t reject any new clients, but I chose not to actively market myself. My contact form actually broke on my site at some point, and I just let it be (I added a note to email me if you wanted more info). I wasn’t going to turn people away, but my desire was to mainly work with those who really cared about the images, which required persistence on their end. So with limited clientele, I’d be able to focus more of my energy on providing the best for them, as well as direct my attention on other priorities right now.
In the midst of the business ‘perspective-change’ I was having, my personal life was getting busier with my commitments to family (house hunting) and church ministry. I needed to devote a lot more attention to these things as they take priority in my life. The goal was working to a point where I can find that balance, and I’m reaching that point now.
So moving forward in 2011, I’m ready to revive this place again. I’ve got a few things that I’m planning on putting out here, and what better way to share them than with bullet points! So here we go…
Obviously, I’m a photographer, and still have shoots this year. We will definitely return to the images being the heart of this site. I’ve got a handful of images waiting in the queue as we speak. :)
As I’ve been looking over the business, I realized that I have inconsistencies throughout. I figured rather than just make a massive change later on, I’ll bring you all through my thought process as I work to figure things out.
As the cost of dSLRs get more affordable, more people are purchasing them. Which means everyone has a dSLR. Which also means that my facebook stream begins to be filled with a ton more poor images taken with expensive dSLRs. :) I feel that if people are going to spend the money, they should make it worth it by learning the basics to reach the potential of what they can accomplish with the tools at hand. So the plan will be to try to give a few tips (might get technical, occasionally) on some camera basics that will hopefully help people take better pictures.
The wife and I became homeowners for the first time last week! That’s also added to the craziness in my schedule, but I wanted to keep you guys updated on the process of the move/remodel as well. (I’m actually a bit delayed as work has already begun, but I’ll get updates out quickly).
I think that should give me enough content to get me through…September? :) Hopefully the both of you who read this find it interesting/entertaining/beneficial in some way shape or form…if not, let me know!
And of course, since you’ve really come here to see pretty pictures and not read text, here’s a image from my recent trip to Greece- I’ll have the full post up shortly!
