The Real Deal

(I got some important news yesterday and my darling hubby brought me home flowers, which I promptly photographed.  Of course.) :)

So, now that I've officially been in business for six months (SIX MONTHS!?!), I've been working on the  business side of everything.  I have a business bank account and credit card, I have a financial tracking system online, I log gas mileage, I have business cards...and I'm currently designing a more cohesive, comprehensive and user friendly website complete with blog so I can have all things in one central place.

I bought a Droid Bionic with 4G smartphone with a credit card application so that I could better run my business remotely.  I admire technology and appreciate it, even if I'm a bit of a luddite.

I made some valuable equipment purchases...in addition to the Canon 50mm 1.4, 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.8 macro, and 70-300 telephoto lens already in my bag, today I bought a Canon 24-70mm, 70-200mm, and a wide angle 10-22mm.  And I bought a backup DSLR...a Canon Rebel T3 12.2MP (not quite as nice as my 18MP but it'll do the job in an emergency!).

I recently got a camera raincoat...basically a way to protect my camera if shooting in less than perfect weather.  It's the smart thing to do unless your camera is water sealed.  Add to that a little pop up diffuser for indoor photography and I'm ready to go. :)

I'm all set for my upcoming weddings!  Headshots are easy in terms of equipment (The camera with one portrait lens and a second portrait lens and nothin' else!) but weddings are a whole other animal and I'm shooting three this year already and one next year.  I've learned that different lenses do different things, and it's nice to have the proper selection.  I'm still drooling for a few fixed length lenses (like the 85mm 1.2, the 50mm 1.2, 24mm 1.4 and the 35mm 1.4) and my dream full frame camera (Canon Mark II) but for now, I've got what I need, like:

shootsacs, tripod, hotshoe flash, lens hoods, collapsable light deflector, umbrellas for on the spot lighting setups indoors...and let's not forget the numerous back up batteries and memory cards, camera cleaning tools and hairbands for my crazy red hair that's always getting in the way!

It's weird to have something creative that you love become something planned and businesslike, but at the same time it's exciting to have made the investment in myself and my talent.  I just hope I can live up to that investment.

Tomorrow morning I have a photoshoot...of me.  I'm taking a photo for my website's homepage banner.  It's really important for branding for people to have a face to put with the work.  Me, my dress, jean jacket, and cowboy boots will try to enjoy being the subject of a self-portrait! :)