I’m getting a little vulnerable on the blog today thanks to some blog posts I read recently from fellow photogs. Those blog posts have been all about recapping how great 2012 was, setting goals for 2013, letting go of fears, trying new things for the business, and trying not to worry but trust God’s plan for the future. I think the most recent suggestion about not worrying and trusting God’s plan for the future hit me the most…and prompted me to write this post.

Last week, I announced a Valentine Day of Sessions…something new for JFP as I test out a grand idea I have for the future of my business. Unfortunately, I’m here to say the day of sessions has been cancelled. I’m here to say that my idea wasn’t popular and NO ONE emailed me to set up a session. That’s right…NO ONE emailed me! Not even to ask a question about the session…NO ONE!

At first, I was pretty bummed and kind of felt like crap. Why doesn’t anyone want to do a fun, cute, unique Valentine session with me? Am I charging too much? Were my sample pictures not enticing enough? Don’t they like my work? Am I failing because I have to cancel this one event?

The answer to all those questions (but the first) is NO! I know my kind of clients and the people who like my style, and it just must be the wrong time for them…or maybe it’s something that doesn’t interest them. So I have to treat this little bump in the road as part of the plan that God has for my business. Maybe I’m not supposed to be doing events like the Valentine Day of Sessions. Maybe this is a sign that that’s not where the future of my business is supposed to go. It’s obviously ok for some photographers because there are lots of similar offerings out there, but maybe it’s not ok for JFP. Maybe I didn’t realize that a day of sessions didn’t fit JFP’s style and I just took off with an idea that got me excited. It was a test for a grand idea that I have for JFP and I should be thankful for the results because it’ll force me to re-think my idea and make some tweaks. Better now than five years down the road when I’ve invested a lot of time and money, right? God knows I need that re-thinking and tweaking, and this is his way of showing me. 🙂

So while I’m being vulnerable and telling you that my Valentine idea failed, I need to be ok with it. I need to be ok with it because for right now, one thing didn’t work…but there are so many other things that are working for JFP! I’m receiving inquiries and I’m booking new wedding clients. I’m blogging more than ever and my readers are enjoying my posts. I’m investing in new equipment and producing sharp, quality, beautiful images that I can be proud of.

One thing in particular that’s working for JFP was my mentor meetings! I was a little nervous about these and wasn’t sure how they would be received, but so far, so good! I’ve done two meetings and they’ve been wonderful! I really enjoyed sitting down with two other photographers and teaching them about this wonderful world of photography. Both were very appreciative and excited about what they had learned and that was so rewarding to me. My mentor meetings worked and my business is growing. 🙂

This blog post may have started on a somewhat negative note, but it’s going to end with this smiling face! Thanks for meeting me for a mentor meeting this past weekend, Marsha! Good luck with your future equipment investments, your new editing adventures and don’t be afraid to bump up that ISO! 😉