Suzanne Melissa Photography, Engagement, Wedding, Wedding Photographer, Scottsdale Arizona, Phoenix Arizona » Scottsdale Arizona Wedding and Portrait Photography

With my decision to go full time I am working on putting more ME into my business.  This feels strange and slightly narcissistic to type out, but I’m learning that it’s a crucial part to being successful in a heavily saturated market.  When I meet with brides I always tell them that even if they don’t hire me make sure you like your wedding photographer.  You are going to invite this person to perhaps the most important day of your life.  You want to LIKE them and really feel a connection with them. It will make a difference in your photos and your overall wedding day experience.

To help build that connection I realize that I have to put more ME on the blog for YOU my clients.  Feel free to check out the “About” section of my blog for a quick speed date of getting to know me, but also know that I will be blogging more personal tidbits under the “Personal” section of my blog.

To kick things off here is my favorite picture from my honeymoon.  This was taken as we boarded the dinner cruise with warm seafood and cocktails so strong I was afraid to stand next to a fire for fear my breath would ignite into a ball of flame!  I still have that dress and I might just have to dig it out and wear it this summer!

 

One of my goals for 2012 was to quit my day job and a few weeks ago I did just that!  I have been a civil engineer for over ten years and have had a very fortunate career.  Fortunate, but not full-filling.

While on maternity leave I purchased EXPOSED by Jasmine Star.  I’ve heard her say this before, but as I read this quote I realized it was time to act:

“I would rather see you fail at something you love then succeed at something you hate.”

I should note that I didn’t hate my job, but I also didn’t love it.  Quitting was complicated though.  My job paid well, had good benefits including 401k and paid time off and…and this was the big one.  I was a part owner in the company.  Quitting would mean that I would have to give all of this up.

I asked myself what was the worst case scenario if I quit my day job, pursued photography and failed.  What if I failed?  What if I never booked a single wedding or turned a single profit?  What did failing look like?  It turned out to be a surprisingly simple answer: I would return to engineering as an employee and not an owner…and I was perfectly okay with that.

Now that I knew what failure looked liked I was able to think about what success looked like.  Success would be spending more time with family (specifically my new son Andrew) and turning a passion into a successful business.  I realized how simple “success” would be.  Success didn’t have to be becoming the best wedding photographer ever and booking 100 weddings a year.  It would simply be spending more time with my family and getting paid to do what I love.

I’m tempted to say that the decision seemed suddenly simple.  Just like an actor that has been working in their craft for 20 years and suddenly becomes an overnight success.  My decision was years in the making, but when all of the pieces fell into the right place it was suddenly clear what I wanted to do.  I wanted to quit…and I did.

I am officially launching Suzanne Melissa Photography and my first employee is this little guy with the title of “Director of Cuteness”.

He was in the process of cutting his first tooth, so it was non-stop drooling.

So unprofessional to cry at work!

I hope you are doing what you LOVE!

It’s that time of year when I promise myself to go on a diet (again), to spend more quality time with my family and to stop watching excessive amounts of reality TV.  I almost can’t take anymore of Team Mom 2 (seriously-If Jannelle goes back with Kiefer one more time I’m going to stop watching…until the next episode).

Anywho-who, this year I decided it’s time to go big or go home with my New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m not just going on a diet I’m on a mission to lose 30 pounds, make a serious commitment to my family and to put all of my creative energy into my photography business.

I’ve read on-line that people who write down their goals make on average % more over their lifetime than those that don’t.  80% of Americans say they don’t write down their goals, but a study out of University of California showed that people who write down their goals, share them with friends and regularly update their friends on the progress are 33% more successful in accomplishing their goals.  Just WRITE THEM DOWN and you have already increased your odds of success without doing anything else!  (Maybe I should send Jannelle some pen and paper??).

So my friends, here are my goals for 2012.  I decided to split them between Business and Personal.  I wanted to have an even 20 for each, so I am leaving myself some room to add on later in the year.

Business

1. New business cards
2. Update portfolio
3. CD cases
4. Welcome package for brides
5. Book 10 weddings for 2012
6. Book 15 portrait sessions
7. Book 5 newborn or maternity
8. Network w/venues, other photogs, and others
9. Develop wedding workflow
10. Better reception images
11. Be featured on a wedding blog
12. Have a wedding published
13. Attend two PUG meetings
14. 2^nd shoot for other photographers
15. Buy 100mm Macro Lens
16. Attend a workshop
17. Watch Photo DVDs
18. Photograph wedding at a venue I have never worked with
19. Make two new photography friends

Personal

1. Lose 30 lbs
2. Wear a bathing suit on my b-day
3. Add a new meal each month
4. Take swim lessons w/Andrew
5. Have date night with the following couples w/Trey and Kandy, Mom and Rick, Dad and Cindy
6. Hang pictures on the walls…anywhere!
7. Decorate Andrew’s room
8. Hike the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim
9. Take 6 month and 1 year pics of Andrew
10. Organize/decorate office
11. Go to lunch/coffee w/Bre
12. Take a vacation
13. Read 5 books
14. Tailbone to heal
15. Get pregnant
16. Complete Legacy File
17. Quit day job
18. Run a 5k

You’ll notice that number 2 on my personal list is to wear a bathing suit on my birthday (August 31…just in case you wanted to plan ahead!).  I’m pretty sure the picture below is the last time I was photographed in a bathing suit.

So go ahead, don’t be scared. Write down your goals, tell a friend and start earning 9% more!

Yep…child birth is no joke.  I’m sure many of you out there already know this, but I did not.  I thought, sure, it’s going to hurt.  A little bit of pain, okay maybe a lot of pain, some he-he-hooooooooo and out would come a baby.  Let me tell you the truth.  Let’s get real.  Child birth is freaking crazy!  The pain, the waiting, the pain, the baby, the joy, the after pain…

I wanted to write this post so I can remember all of the events of this painful joyous day.  It’s limited TMI, but feel free to skip to the end and just check out our cute baby!!

9/10/11-due date.  No baby.

9/14/11-Ultra sound.  It’s a girl boy?!  Induction scheduled for 9/20/11

9/15/11-Last day at work.  No baby.

9/18/11-BFF’s birthday.  No baby.

Monday 9/19/11 9pm-Did I just pee my pants??

9:15pm-Did I just pee my pants…again?  No…my water just broke and my hair’s not done.  Damn!  Side note: my husband’s only request during my pregnancy was to not go into labor on a Monday.  Request denied.  Now we’re even for the Christmas ornaments

9:20pm-Shower and do my hair because who greets a new baby without your hair done.  Right?

10:15pm-Husband makes coffee and I tell him to take his time because I’M ONLY LEAKING FLUID HERE!

10:30pm-Check into the labor and delivery triage.  Nurse confirms, yep my water broke and those cramps that I have been having those are contractions.  Dilated to about 2.

1:30am-Get moved to a labor and delivery room, go to the bathroom and get moved back to triage.  They need the room for someone having a baby RIGHT NOW and apparently that’s not me.

2:30am-Get moved to a labor and delivery room again now to stay.  Pitocin drip stated.  Dilated to about 2.

2:35am-First contraction rips thru like a freight train.  Wow…that didn’t feel good.

2:40am-Second contraction even worse.

2:45am-Husband wonders if he left the coffee pot on and wants to go home to check it.  Third contraction hits and I wonder if I am going to die during child birth like in the movies. The headline will read, “Woman dies during childbirth while husband is turning coffee pot off”.

2:50am-Husband really wants to go home and check coffee pot.  I’m thinking it’s just a ploy to go get more coffee since the cafeteria is closed and really I could care less if the house burns down right now….I’m about to DIE in pain!  Oh, and another contraction.

2:55am-Contraction-unbelievable pain.  Nurse recommends I try and get some sleep.  Guess she’s not aware of the thriving pain I’m in.  How about I prove it by throwing up.  Done.

3:00am-Contraction-unbelievable pain.  Nurse asks if I want to try sitting on a “birthing ball” (which by the way is just an exercise ball…why do they have to call it a birthing ball.  I’m not going to birth anything while working on my core).  Pass on the birthing ball.

Contraction-unbelievable pain.  This little scene plays out every five minutes from 2:35am to 6am.

6:00am-My doctor stops by and tells me I’m dilated to 2.  A 2???  WTF!!!  I’m convinced this is the baby that will never come out.  I’m 10 days overdue, 8 hours past my water breaking and 3.5 hours into the pinball of pain from pitocin and I’m dilated to a 2????  Did this baby not get the memo to GET OUT!

I think for fear of his life the doctor agrees that when the nurse checks me at 8am if I’m at a 3 I can get the epidural.

8:00am-Nurse comes into the room and declares I’m at a 3.  wink. wink. and orders the epidural I’m certain as a show of mercy.

8:15am-My favorite person in all of the world and new BFF shows up…the anesthesiologist.  Oh wonderful person wielding large needle of joy where have you been the last 41 weeks.

I had watched an episode of Baby Story where the epidural only took on one side of a patient.  I recounted this story to my husband and mom and laughed about how awful that would be.  Karma was apparently in the neighborhood and paid me a visit.  The epidural began to wear off quickly on my left side leaving me with intense back pain.  My new BFF was able to adjust the epidural a little, but I still had a lot of feeling on the left side and zero feeling of the right side.

Fast forward to 4:45pm (we all know how babies are born) our baby is born and I hear the doctor say, “It’s a boy?!”.  Yep, our little girl was indeed a boy.  The cutest boy you have ever seen!

The pictures below were taken by a photographer that I have idolized for years and I am thankful to know her now as a friend, Kimberly Jarmen.  Meet our little surprise Andrew Patrick.

Oh I could just squeeze and kiss this little face all day!

It’s hard work being such a cute baby model!  He looks a little cross eyed in this, but I promise he’s not!

We’ve made the big announcement to family and friends, I’ve let it be known on Facebook and now it’s time to share the good news officially on the blog…we (okay me) are pregnant!

It seems as though friends and family got pregnant just by standing next to each other.  Several of my brides got pregnant on their honeymoon and couples at church seem to be multiplying like rabbits.  For us it took a little bit longer.  My husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for about 8 months.  I should have a master’s degree for peeing on a stick…I’m quite skilled.

Finally, two pink lines appeared in the results window.  We shared the good news with family on New Year’s Eve and recently found out that the ladies will continue to out number the males in our house with the addition of a little girl (we have two female dogs and one male dog-so power to ladies!).

I’ve started to put together an inspiration board for the nursery.  This is something I would highly recommend to anyone decorating a room or planning a wedding.  It is so instrumental in helping you narrow down the exact style that you are trying to achieve (it also makes the endless hours of web-surfing seem more productive!)

A couple of things that I have been able to confirm thru my inspiration board:

1. I really like white furniture and I’m currently leaning towards the “mod” type cribs (see picture right below the word Furniture)
2. Pink will be a key color in the room, but I want a more modern feel than a frilly, girly, 10 shades of pink coming out of my ears look.
3. Blue or Green will also be a key accent color.  I want something that feels fresh and lively.
4. Lots of DIY details-I plan on making the crib sheets and most of the decor myself (key word-I plan…we’ll see how that goes)
5. I want to mix modern with vintage/re-purposed pieces.  I have tons of frames and random odds and ends in a closet.  I really want to challenge myself to re-purpose some pieces to work in the nursery.
6. Function, function, function.  Tom (my husband) is VERY big on purpose and function in room decor.  He has not concept of “just for looks”.  So, everything must serve a function to avoid getting tossed out by the hubby.

Here is my original inspiration board before we knew if we were having a boy or girl.

I started by looking on-line at all things baby.  Anything that caught my eye I saved to a folder and later placed it on the board.  This is a great way to get all ideas down on paper.  From here I was able to narrow it down and refine my choices.  Again-this would also work GREAT for planning the details/colors of a wedding.  I really wish I had done this for my wedding.

I will be posting updates on the nursery progress as we go!

PS-Just in case you are wondering…I’m due 9/10/11.  What a cool b-day that would be!