Well, it’s the off-season, folks. Or at least it’s supposed to be.

Most photographers that I know have an off-season between December and March. Unless they have an indoor studio, they just aren’t shooting as much through the winter months. The majority of couples get married during the warmer months and people don’t normally want outdoor pictures of their families when there’s a good chance of freezing temperatures with no greenery.

I’ve happily welcomed the off-season each year I’ve been in business. After shooting 20+ weddings, 50+ portrait sessions AND working for yourself, by yourself in about eight months, you need a break. A time to maybe shoot less and work more on the back-end things of the business. Or just sit in your sweatpants eating bon-bons and watching re-runs of your favorite TV shows. HA! Who actually gets to do that?

So far this year, JFP’s off-season has been BUSY! Busy is a good thing, sometimes. I had major plans for this off-season…work on all the “little things” and projects that I don’t get to work on as much during the year. And I wanted to do that at the start of the new year. Well, we’re more than half way through February and I still haven’t found a true off-season when I’m able to work on such things. Until now!

After evaluating my calendar last month, I decided that the last two weeks of February would be set aside for “Business Bootcamp.” Between this past Monday and next Friday, I have no sessions or meetings. Almost 100% of my work time will be spent in the house either on the computer or in my office (I’ll escape to a coffee shop or two as well…I need to be around people!). I have ideas to make JFP better and make it run more smoothly. I’m on a mission to keep GOOD balance in life and business in 2015 and going through this bootcamp will hopefully help. I’m going to implement systems and organize. I’m going to do tax prep and put my office together (maybe even order some canvases for the walls!). I’m going to dream a little and explore new ideas. I might even find some time to do a few blog posts and catch up on that. Overall, I’ve got a lot of weight on my shoulders and I need a little bit of a slim-down. Bootcamps are good for slimming down, right? 🙂

I’ll be honest, I’d much rather be shooting and editing and corresponding with clients. But it’s just me here at JFP and if I’m not proactive into making it better, I’ll fall behind and the biz could really suffer. Things are good right now for the business, but I know they can improve and hopefully tasks will get easier for me. I only have three work days a week so I need to make sure I’m making the most of my time when I have it.

So here’s to my Business Bootcamp and the hopeful improvement and organization of JFP! I’m doing this for my clients, myself and my family, and I’m excited to see the end results!

I just finished editing the final session in my queue and it’s a doozy! Snowy engagement session in one of the prettiest parks in Maryland with a super fun couple!?! YES! Our temperatures are finally going back up to normal this weekend, so until then, enjoy a peek into my most recent portrait session…

And while it’s not part of the Bootcamp, JFP is going through a brand refresh and will soon have a new look with a new website and blog! I did some thinking at the end of 2014 and felt as though the JFP brand and look wasn’t “fitting” anymore. My photography has evolved and improved, and my business has become more credible, professional and high-quality, so I need a look that reflects that! I’m not sure exactly when everything will be done, but I’m excited about what my designer Krista and I are putting together so far. I’m thinking I’ll be ready for a launch sometime in early spring! Stay tuned!!! 🙂