Emily Dean Photography » Lifestyle & Family Photographer | Based in Birmingham, Alabama

January is going by in a flash…I knew that it would simply because I was gone for the 1st half of the month & I only had 1 week to recover and regroup before I started my new part-time gig yesterday.

My main “To Do” for this month is to set goals & layout a plan for 2013.  I know that a lot of people set New Year’s resolutions during this time of year, but not me.  They never work out & I usually forget what I resolved to to by the time February rolls around.  However, now that I have started this business, I do want to use this time to re-evaluate, set goals & plan for the year.

I’ve been following Lara Casey, the editor-in-chief of Southern Weddings, on her blog as she encourages her readers to “Make Things Happen” in 2013.  As I follow her through the 10-step process, I’m discovering things about myself that are pretty interesting to me {more on that later}.  I’m a little bit behind in the process because of my crazy schedule these past few weeks, but I’m making progress & I hope to be finished with the final step before the end of the month so that I can start the work to make it all HAPPEN!

The 10th & final step is to set goals for 2013, so once I’ve completed that step, I’ll post them here so that you can all help me stay accountable.  {Which is totally scary because then you’ll all know and if I don’t make it…you’ll all KNOW!!}

Thank you for following & encouraging me along the way! I’m so grateful to everyone for your support this past year.  You’re all amazing.vPINIMAGEV

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Today is New.

A new day, a new week, and, for me, the start of a new adventure.

My BFF, Micah, has started a new job, so I am going to begin picking up her 2 precious babes from preschool every afternoon & hanging with them for a few hours a day.  When Micah was making the decision to go back to work, her main concern was childcare.  Both Christian {4} and Addison {2} attend preschool until 1:00 everyday, but she didn’t feel like it was best for them to stay there all day, everyday, so in an effort to minimize the disruption to their schedule, give her peace of mind, and to also help me out during some financially precarious times as I build and grow a new business, we discovered the perfect solution.  {Longest sentence EVER.} ME!

I’m excited.

I’m certain that this new adventure is a part of God’s plan & I have a feeling that this will be good for me.  I’ve been spending a ridiculous amount of time alone, sitting, stressing and working from the time I get up until I go to bed with no real routine or schedule to follow.  This will be a great way for me to force myself into an efficient schedule, get up & moving more often, get me out of the house & possibly meet some new people and/or clients!

I’m excited.

I’m certain that I will have a wealth of hilarious stories & adoroable photos to entertain you with over the next few months…so stay tuned!

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Happy Monday, y’all!

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Before I start, let me just say that I am no expert…at least not yet.  I’m not claiming that these tips are going to change your life.  I just want to tell you what helps me in the hopes that it might help at least 1 other person out there.

Ok, so let me back it on up for just a minute & let you in on a little secret.

I get nervous, people.

Like, REALLY nervous…about everything.  I didn’t used to be this way.  I used to be super brave & pretty fearless as a kid…and I have 3 sets of stitches, 2 broken bones, a couple of sprained ankles & several missing {baby} teeth to prove it.  Maybe you call that clumsy, but whatever, who asked you?!

Anyway, somewhere along the way, all of that changed & now I get nervous…a lot…and it seems to get worse as I get older.  Before a session, I get major butterflies stampeding elephants in my stomach.  I’ve found a few ways to calm myself down, so I thought I would share those tips with you.  A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how to get fabulous engagement photos, which was geared toward the couples, but this post is for all of you photographers out there that need a little advice on how to calm those pre-shoot butterflies elephants.

Alright, here goes…

1.  Be prepared.  I’ve found that the #1 reason for my nerves is a fear of the unknown.  Not knowing what to expect when I show up for a session is beyond nerve wracking, but if I have fully prepared myself the day before, then I’m a lot less nervous.

The 1st thing I do, if at all possible, is scout the location.  I try to go to each location around the same time of day as I would for the session so I can get a good feel for how the light will look.  Then I do a practice run.  If you have someone that can go with you, that’s even better because you could take some test shots on a live model and you’ll be able to get a good idea of what your camera settings will be.

The 2nd thing I do is Pre-Visualize.  I make a mental list of different poses and/or actions I’d like to happen in specific areas so I’m not scrambling for inspiration and drawing a blank in front of my precious clients.  You have NO IDEA how much this helps.  If you haven’t already, just try it.  I promise it helps.

2.  Relax!  Easier said than done, I know, but if you’ve prepared, you can relax and HAVE FUN!  Engagement sessions are a favorite part of the wedding experience because I am able to use that time to get to know my clients before their wedding.  It’s a great practice run for the big day & it allows me to see how they interact together as a couple as well as allowing them to see how I work, which goes a long way in helping them to relax & have fun, too…a win-win!

I hope this at least helps someone a little bit, but at the very least, now you know that I was a clumsy brave kid.

Happy Monday y’all!

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Decisions aren’t my favorite.

In fact, I hate them.  It takes me FOR. EV. ER to make them.  What if I CHOOSE THE WRONG THING?!? AAAGGGHHH!!!!  That’s basically what happens in my brain when faced with any sort of decision making scenario, so I’d much rather someone just tell me what’s best…so then I know…and I’m saved hours, days, weeks, MONTHS of research, comparison & overall agony.  Unfortunately for me though, life just doesn’t work that way & sometimes I gotta choose.

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Which would be why, when I decided {back in February} to get a website, it was May before I finally chose a website company to work with.  But, oh boy!, am I glad I did all of that research.  I decided to go with a company called Showit and they are AH-MAH-ZING!  Not only did I get an incredible, flexible, 3,000% fully customizable-I-can-do-whatever-I-want website, I also go an amazing community of fellow photographers that are dedicated to supporting, helping, teaching, serving & loving each other as we all follow our dreams.  I’m in love.

One of the major perks to this company comes in what are called +Sites, which basically means I can create an unlimited number of custom, individual websites to go along with my main site.  What the WHAT?! Awesome!!

So my gain is your gain, my friends.  I’m so excited to offer something so incredible & unique to all of my wedding couples this year…their own custom website!! This will allow me to display their engagement & wedding images in a beautiful way & allow them to simply share a link with all of their friends and family that want to see their photos…instead of trying to upload individual pictures to email…which basically takes YEARS to do 🙂

Chrissy & MJ are my first couple of 2013, so they have the honor of having the 1st customized site!

Check it out here: www.chrissyandmj.emilydeanphotography.com

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I hope y’all love it as much as I do & I hope it serves its purpose in making your lives just a teensy bit easier and brighter!

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I’m not going to tell their story.  It’s not my story to tell…it’s deeply personal, but just know that nobody deserves happiness more than Heather.

God sent Luke to her at the most perfect time.  His timing is always impeccable & I believe it more than ever now.

I don’t know that I could ever accurately describe Heather to you in words.  She is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet & I love her to the moon & back.  She is a ray of sunshine even on her darkest days.  She is a breath of fresh air always & the greatest encourager I’ve ever known.  I’m blessed beyond imagination to call her friend.

You can’t even imagine how unbelievably happy I was to be able to spend her wedding day with her.  It’s probably my most favorite thing about being a wedding photographer…being there for my closest friends on such a special day.  Sharing in their joy & excitement and preserving those feelings for them…forever.  Incredible.

The day couldn’t have been more perfect.  The amazing women at Mathews Manor in Springville, AL blew me away.  They did the most beautiful job and were so accommodating.  They made me feel completely at ease and made the bridal party as comfortable and relaxed as possible.   I can’t wait to work with them again!

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