IT’S HERE! Finally — the site I’ve been envisioning since I began this career. The site I always wanted but made excuses for never having — It’s too big an investment. My work can speak for itself. I can make my own site. Etc etc etc.

Last year I rebranded and it was the best thing I’d done for my business up until then.  I knew I still wanted to take things to the next level with a truly legit site … but I wanted to be sure I’d be working with someone who would GO BIG OR GO HOME. Not someone who would plop my brand into a template or a wedding photographer formula. Then, I found Ribbons of Red.  Let me tell you a little story about working with the best designer ever. Immediately upon contacting Renee, I knew it was a perfect match.  Not only was she excited about my brand vibe and my vision … she totally “got” me and where I wanted to take my brand experience. I liked that she wasn’t a branding ‘factory.’ I was always only talking with one person … one person who really cared about my business, the process, and the execution of my site. Everything was customized to my business and not to anything else she had ever done before.

I’m the type of person who can’t send just one email. If you email with me often, you know there’ll be an addendum to the initial email — a PS, or even a PPS. I change my mind a lot and I’m random and I type ‘aloud’ to work through what I’m trying to convey.  My mind is basically a junk drawer that needs to be organized. Yet, as soon as it’s organized, I know it’ll be harder to find stuff.  Renee never once made me feel like a crazy mind-changing photographer. (Even if she thought it, haha.)  She was patient, kind, awesome, professional and yet personable, and most importantly … a VISIONARY.

I know how easy it is, as a small business owner, to make excuses when it comes to major investments like custom design work. And I don’t think it’s something to run after right away. I spent a whole year collecting inspiration before rebranding, and another 8 months sitting with that brand before pursuing a custom site. I think the biggest mistake we photographers make is thinking we can do our own print or web design. As creatives, we’re almost offended by the notion we cannot do it ourselves. You might dismiss my advice, but I believe that investing in custom design with a dedicated design professional is the best choice! And I think it’s okay, and good, actually, to take your time … you’ll know when it’s right to take that step. For me, it was when I finally stopped changing my mind about what I wanted. I knew exactly what my brand experience was … who my ideal client was … I had the identity work I finally adored … and I was ready to take it all the way. A clear vision for your business is crucial — no designer can read your mind.

I recommend working with Ribbons of Red without hesitation. She’ll take every little quirk that makes you you and showcase them in a way that’ll make your day. She did that for me. Finally, the Anda Marie Photography brand experience is everything I’ve dreamed of. And I’M THRILLED. Thanks for stopping by to see it all.

Please click around and let me know what you think!

xo,

AM

Sometimes all it takes is 10 minutes.

I got real in my last blog post and shared how I’ve been derailed and uninspired these past couple months. I always take December and January off from shooting in order to reflect on the previous wedding season, reassess my business, and to just have a breather and spend time with friends and family. The past couple years this has been totally necessary, but this year I think I made a mistake. I was crazy busy these past months, but I wasn’t doing anything to feed my soul. It’s a common misconception that wedding photographers work one day a week, but most wedding photographers own their own businesses, and the Business Owner hat consumes far more time (6 days a week, oftentimes 12+ hour days) than the Photographer hat (maybe only 1 or 2 days a week at about 12 hours total). Most of us spend a small percentage of our week actually shooting (the inspiring part, for me) … and the rest of the week is spent meeting with clients, fielding emails, sending out contracts and invoices, doing bookkeeping and accounting, setting goals, editing images, branding/marketing/social media’ing, writing copy for print and web materials, burning and packaging client discs, going to the post office and bank (my least favorite things ever), participating in forums and workshops, and (the most time-consuming for me) designing books and albums.

As I mentioned, the soul-feeding and inspiring part of my job is the shooting. And I need to do it consistently to feel alive and to feel myself. Even in the terrible winter, I’ve realized. So when Abbey told me she was coming to Madison and wanted to meet (we met previously only through the Twitterverse), I immediately let her know that I’d be shooting her (and she wasn’t allowed to refuse). Abbey is a fellow WI photographer (very new to the scene) who is a real talent. Talking with her was completely natural, exciting, and great. I felt like I found a long-lost friend and kindred spirit. We went out for tacos, tried some new Madison beer, and then ran around on Lake Mendota for 10 minutes. Those 10 minutes were all it took for me to feel myself and on track again. I woke-up this Monday morning fired-up for the week, for the coming year, and for being 30.

When I shoot, I prefer to observe before directing. One thing I noticed and loved right away about Abbey is how quickly she talks and how much she uses her hands when doing so. I wanted to capture some of that.

After being on that lake with Abbey I returned home feeling so revived and wanting to go back out there. So I took Troy along and he turned the camera on me instead. I wanted some updated photos that I didn’t take on my iMac, haha, and to remember the first awesome day of being 30 :)

Abbey, I love ya. Thanks for everything.

Hey, it’s me below. Feeling good.

From now on, even if I don’t have time (and especially when I don’t have time), I just need to get out and shoot something for myself on a regular basis. I don’t want to burn out on the Business Owner front because I’m not nurturing the Photographer side of things. Have a great Monday. Some GREAT things are in store here soon. I hope one of the next blog posts I write is on my NEW BLOG!!!

So today is the final November morning and I can’t wrap my mind around time and timing. I’m always thinking about it too … how it moves, how its speed is amplified in proportion to the number of days we are alive, how it places us in certain places and next to certain people, and how it’s not really linear at all. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much Haruki Murakami lately … but parallel realities and timing/time have always engaged my mind.

I’m done shooting for a month; I always take December off from weddings and engagement sessions. Working on my accounting/taxes/insurance/other exciting paperwork items until the New Year. Also planning to hibernate the last week or so of December … spend time with family and friends and nothing else. Recharge for 2012 and my first wedding of the year in San Francisco mid-January.

I’m all booked up for 2012 weddings now so I’ve been reflecting on how the 2011 wedding season was wonderful and surreal as always. I was able to travel all over the country once again to shoot engagements and weddings and portraits. The people I’ve met have proved to be one-in-a-million yet again. It’s A LOT of hard work (believe me, none of this just *happened* to me) and ups and downs (read THIS ARTICLE for an idea), but mostly I still can’t believe this is my life and I’m doing what I love every day … for a living. I hope I never lose that feeling of awe.

I was so honored to be featured on some of my favorite wedding blogs in 2011. Below are a few select features from the past few months. Thanks to all my clients (and now friends) for having beautiful and inspiring events and letting me into their lives to document them.

Holly & Kohler’s Wedding on Style Me Pretty

Katie & Ben’s Wedding on Green Wedding Shoes

Jody’s Bridal Session on Perfect Bound

Victoria’s Bridal Session on Perfect Bound

Megan & Brent’s Wedding on Style Me Pretty

Megan & Brent’s Engagement Session on The Loveliest Day

Holly & Kohler’s Engagement Session on Perfect Bound

Several more of my awesome clients’ weddings and engagements will be featured in the coming months in both print and online. If time doesn’t escape me again, I’ll be better about updating the blog with those new features :)

I’ll leave you with a beautiful song I discovered late last night and cannot stop listening to this morning. xo, AM

VIEW MY PORTFOLIO * LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK * FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

Anyone who has talked with me in-depth about the beginnings of my photography career knows the name Jasmine Star. Flashback to April 2009 — I’m at a huge library work conference and in my hotel room late at night. A co-worker friend had recently seen my personal photography (still absolutely just a hobby at this time, with zero intentions of taking it further) and asked me to shoot her wedding. I disliked like weddings in general at this point … I mean my own wedding was 4 hours total and only about us and what we wanted (small morning garden ceremony officiated by a friend, then brunch at our favorite music venue). I never thought of shooting weddings, at all. But I said yes, knowing Emily would let me shoot it my way in my style.

I ran to a bookstore and bought every book on wedding photography possible, including one that mentioned Jasmine Star’s name. That night, in my hotel room, I opened her blog and I read every single post … venturing all the way back and through her old blog as well … until 4am. I knew then, that this … shooting weddings professionally, traveling the world to do so, meeting the most amazing and passionate people, was the life I wanted. More importantly, because of Jasmine and her words, I knew that it was a reality and I could do it … that I didn’t have to come from a background of privilege to have my dream career. Before this very night I’d always brushed aside my desire for a photography/art career due to my need for security.

From that night through today, Jasmine has been a force in my life. I’m indebted to her eternally for all the knowledge she has shared with me through her blog, emails, her workshop etc. Oh yeah … in November 2009, I attended her workshop. It was there I met her and we talked at dinner. It was one of those right-place-at-the-right-time things … I’m grateful she sat down next to me toward the very end. And we connected. I never would have approached her myself to initiate a conversation … I am (or was) too scared to do those things. And I hate feeling like a fan girl … like really a lot I hate that. Jasmine was and is one of the sincerest and nicest people I’ve met. There is more to say about this encounter and what it meant to cynical little me … but I will say that I felt like our encounter set something in motion … a real friendship based on more than just photography. My oftentimes dubious self had no doubts that we’d stay in touch … and I’m really lucky to have her — with all her realness, talent, ambition, care, and heart — in my life. At the risk of using an over-used sentiment, I’m truly honored to call Jasmine a friend and I am so dang full of pride and love for her today because she WROTE A MAGAZINE.

This isn’t just any magazine. It’s legit. Promise Tangeman did the design and wow, yeah. Although it’s full of beautiful images, it’s not your light and fluffy fashion mag … there is a lot of text. Really, this is a book, bound in a magazine’s format. Jasmine shares untold stories from her life and goes in-depth about the first years of her business … from how she booked her first weddings to how she dealt with industry gossip and competition. Every story had me captivated, especially The Copycat. That story sticks with me … and when I’m getting a little upset that a local photographer is designing a new logo/site that looks alarmingly similar to mine, I remember that story and I have an attitude check.

I could write so much more … but really, you should be over at her site checking this thing out. I’m beyond proud of Jasmine … such an achievement … it was a labor of love. Anyone who is a professional wedding photographer or has aspirations of becoming one (or, if you just like to read about that stuff), do yourself a favor and read this magazine. Jasmine wrote all about it HERE. Go go go. xo.

VIEW MY PORTFOLIO * LIKE ME ON FACEBOOK * FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER

I see myself in Portland. In its overcast skies* and its hoodie-wearing, coffee-drinking bicyclists. In its laid-back local dining and in its sustainable values.

Seeing the sights is okay but when I visit a city I prefer to just immerse myself in its lifestyle. What I love most about Portland is how tightly it holds its local/sustainable values. So many restaurants are using seasonal ingredients that it’s actually become cliche. Every shop is lined with local artists’ creations. It’s just what you do there.

And, NoPo is where it’s at.

*It was sunny the whole time we were there.