May 10, 2024

Haven’t written in this series in a while. When I was last sharing, I think I just kept mentioning snow, ha! #tundraofmaryland

But now it’s been consistently warm. Since the first week of April, we haven’t seen snow or bitter cold temperatures. KNOCK ON WOOD. Of course, as I write this, Deep Creek + Garrett County weather is giving us a reality check with 50 degree temperatures and rain. But as I look at the long-range forecast and as hard as it is for me to believe it, I see more consistent warmth for us. 

Question: Why do we talk about the weather so much? Whether you’re with your new friends or old, a person you just met or your parents whom you’ve known forever, the weather comes up, doesn’t it? Funny. 

Maybe because the weather affects our activity and moods. Like yesterday, it was raining as I was carrying my giant photo canvas into the elementary school for a Career Day presentation. I was very excited to see Natalie and all her second grade friends, but that rain was making my entrance and prop handling difficult. It tipped the mood a little bit. 

But hey, that’s nothing a bunch of second graders couldn’t turn around! Natalie hugged me as soon as I got in the room and some of her classmates even clapped for me. First question before I even started my presentation was “How much money do you make?” HA! My answer? “I’m not telling you that.” 🙂

It definitely got me thinking about money, though. About being a professional photographer and how I’m pretty sure many people don’t think it’s my, or a, full-time job. It’s not just taking pretty pictures and delivering them. It’s having a website, building a portfolio, marketing services, emailing clients, emailing online proposals, talking with perspective clients on the phone, sharing an experience while taking photos, editing the photos and delivering them in a timely manner, and then marketing those photos so I can keep the cycle going year after year.

The photography is the product, the art. The service is the business. And running a business, any kind of business, is absolutely, positively a full-time job.

I’m reminded of when Brian told me he thought this would be a $15,000-$20,000 per year kind of thing. And it’s not because he didn’t believe in me, it’s because he didn’t know the possibilities of a photography business. 

Happy to report I’ve pleasantly surprised him with my earnings.

By the way, random share: been listening to the Oceans Calling 2024 official playlist on Spotify because we’re attending the musical festival this year, and I must say, it’s been a nice playlist to listen to…both in the car and while working my full-time job.

One of the pictures I used during my presentation for the second graders yesterday: Natalie and our Guinea pig June.