New Year=New Me
I've been teasing changes for 2018 and I'm finally working on the one part I thought my business needed- my voice. So here's my blog *gestures to everything*. I hope you like it. I require a lot of praise, so if you do like it you should tell people about it.
Anywho... my goal for this blog is to give you (the reader) information you want and need regarding my photography and any questions you may have in general.
I'm really all over the place.
So January 1st, is the launch of Olson Photography 2.0. Let's detail some changes I'm making.
1. New name! Ok, so I just put Paige in front of Olson Photography, but it's still new and it's the most basic of all the changes. Why add Paige to the front? Because I felt "Olson" was too masculine and vague. There are lots of Olson Photography businesses. Also I don't want to be called "Olson" or "Mrs. Olson" I'd rather be called "Paige" because that's my name. Another thing about Olson is that it's my married name, and it's not even my married name. My last name is Schauf-Olson because I wanted to retain myself when I got married. It's difficult telling people over and over again that it's actually Schauf-Olson, so I just went with Olson. But this business is mine, and since I had dropped the Schauf I wanted to add Paige.
2. New Logo! With a new name had to come a new logo. I will also have a new watermark. My grandma made it for me and it's perfect. You will find this new watermark in the corner of all of my social media images soon. I'll probably blog about it once I get it cleaned up and ready to go too.
3. New Website! Same Name! So I changed my business name, but kept my website, because I wanted to reduce as much confusion also I like my website, and I couldn't find a better name. But the platform I'm using is now Wix instead of Zenfolio. I will continue to use Zenfolio for all of my client galleries but the rest of the site is all Wix. I really like this so far and I think it adds more personalization than I had before.
4. New Pricing! Yay! Ok, so this one isn't that exciting for clients but it's really importnat to me. As I am growing my business I am really really working toward Paige Olson Photography being my full time gig. BUT I can't live off of the prices I had them set at, so with all the new I had to change pricing. The basic session fee is the same, just less inclusive. You'll see that all on my rates page. I no longer will include the digitals with the session fee. I do this not to make more money but to make sure that your images are printed in the bests quality they can be. I will still sell the digital downloads, but I'll encourage you to purchase your prints through me. Which brings me to my next point.
5. In Person Reveal! Instead of me just posting your pictures on my website and being done, we get to hang out some more. Once I have completed editing I will reach out to you and we will set up a day for you to meet me in my studio and I will reveal your photos to you, and then we will go over what you want to purchase. I know this is goihng to sound like a hassle but it really is going to benefit the both of us. The photographer I use for my family portraits switched to this, and while it seemed like a hassle, I've loved this experience. It's given me a chance to build a relationship with her beyond seeing her once a year for an hour. I get to see the work she is proud of and how I fit into it, and I get to actually see the products that I want to buy, and hold them in my hand. The benefit I get is basically the same. I get to hang out with you, and learn more about you and your personality, which will help me make your images more personalized. I also get to see your reactions to our images and see what you like and don't like. This truly will help me become your photographer instead of just a photographer you hire.
6. Mini Sessions! I'm no longer going to offer what I call "open mini sessions." Instead I will only make mini sessions available to clients that I have photographed previously. This decision was based on how much time I put into mini sessions but how little time I spend with you all. This month I have had 10 mini sessions scheduled. For this I have to get someone to watch my boys or schedule it when my husband is home so that I can go to the studio and take pictures for 30 minutes, come home, edit and post a picture on my facebook page before midnight. It's exhausting and while I love doing it, it is really hard on my family. So my dilemma was this: Get rid of mini sessions all together and alienate my clients that are unable to afford full sessions, or keep doing mini sessions and spend little time with my family and spread myself thin. I didn't like either option. So we are at this sort of "loyalty program." And I think it's going to be awesome. I hope so at least.
7. This Blog!
8. Boudoir! I'm going to offer boudoir sessions throughout the year, and I will have one boudoir event a year. I plan on doing this the end of each January so that they can be used for Valentine's Day gifts. These will be at the standard session price, but you will get a lot out of it. You will have your hair and makeup done by my lovely assistant Madison Luken. AND most importantly champagne. I love boudoir sessions because they really let you get out of your shell and appreciate your own beauty.
9. Focus! I really want to focus on family photography. Specifically I want to specialize in birth and in hospital newborn photos. I can and will do in studio newborn photos but I love the raw joy of the in hospital session. Most photographers refer to the in hospital photos as Fresh 48. Anyway, I plan on mainly focusing my blog posts on family sessions, fresh 48s and birth photography.
10. I worked really hard to list 10 changes.
