Hey everyone!!! Happy 2019!!!
I’m the absolute worst at blogging, sharing interesting things and communicating with YOU! And for that I’m sorry. I constantly am trying to do better and maybe this is the year. Although, I make no promises. 😉 I do try to post sneak peeks regularly on Facebook and Instagram so I hope you are following along there!
I am guessing if you are reading this blog post, you may be curious what is new with Bonnie Raley Photography in 2019? So I wanted to share what’s new and what’s “not” new.
Before we start talking about 2019, the numbers and sense side of me loves to reflect on what happened in the past year. In 2018, here’s a quick summary of my sessions:
(26) Family sessions (full hour)
(8) Maternity sessions
(57) Newborn sessions
(18) First birthday sessions
(6) Sitter sessions
(1) Watermelon mini
(15) Fall minis
(20) Tree farm minis
(12) Cherry blossom sessions
(5) Headshots
I also shot some corporate events, a few school events, held 2 First Communion Portrait parties and an additional 8 First Communion portraits. All in all……drumroll please……
over 170 SESSIONS!!!!
One hundred seventy sessions and double and triple that for adorable smiling faces I got to capture (and maybe a handful of tears too)! HA! Wow. I’m blown away by that number. And I’m forever grateful for you all.
-Family-
-Maternity-
-Newborns-
-First birthdays-
Sitter sessions
-Watermelon minis-
-Fall minis-
-Tree farm minis-
So what’s new for 2019? Well, I have purchased an updated lighting system from Paul C. Buff. I have been using a trusty Alien Bee 400 and a Wescott soft box since 2011 in the studio. While it has always done an excellent job, I have decided to make the leap to an Einstein light and umbrella system like so many of my peers in the industry have. This change will probably not mean a whole lot to you. But I am excited to see a softer light in my images and hopefully an easier workflow with my studio editing. YAY!
Second, I have purchased a new prop, this adorable lace teepee! I think its so girlie and perfect!! We can use this indoors or find a field outdoors. I’m very excited. It’s cute right?
Second, I purchased a few backdrops. I love having diversity in studio and already have a ton of options. You can view them here. But here are my latest to add to the collection. I’ll be sure to share some examples with the tent and these new backdrops soon. Stay tuned.
Lastly, I’d love to get into High School Senior Portraits. This doesn’t seem to be a big player in our marketplace. In VA, where I grew up, everyone got portraits done their senior year. They were typically a mix of indoors and outdoors with a few outfit changes. I’d love to get into this!!!! Here’s an example of a friends senior session I did a few years ago. What are your thoughts? How can I break into this market? Drop me a line and let me know!
So now, you may be wondering…..what’s staying the same!?
1)- Cherry blossom mini sessions will be back this spring! This has become my most popular offering year after year. We were blessed with amazing weather last spring while the trees were in bloom and I was able to shoot most days. The season truly only lasts about 7 days and by days 8-9-10 its primarily a sea of pink on the ground which is quite lovely in its own right. I can’t schedule these until about 1-2 weeks out so please reach out if you are interested I am keeping a list of everyone to email when we are getting close. The sessions are typically anywhere from very late April to early May.
2)- Christmas tree farm minis. These are so very popular and oh so fun! I think its a perfect way to get into the spirit! Because fall is coming later and later these are great to offer in October before the fall color hits. I post these are on fb and instagram.
3- Fall Minis. The true, colorful fall season is such a short time and later and later each year it seems. This year I only made my fall mini sessions available to current customers and this will be the same this year.
4- All my normal work remains! I am still passionate about newborn photography. I am probably 85-90% studio but I do go into peoples homes who desire a more lifestyle approach to remember their new baby. I love doing sitter sessions which are babies around the 6-7 month range who are newly sitting, and of course first birthdays. I still love doing family portrait work–one baby? Several kids? Large family? Small family? Teenagers, you name it! Its all fun to me! I typically do those on location and have a beautiful guide to share of places that I am both familiar with and think provide a gorgeous backdrop for your portraits.
I’d love to hear from you!! Do you have any questions or comments? Please drop me a line! Cheers to a fabulous 2019!
xoxo,
Bonnie
