A Sneak Peek and a Giveaway!

The sun peaked over the roof of the Glidden House just as we were putting the final touches on the cake table. I snapped away and secretly did a few fist pumps. Some days I really can't believe I get to be a photographer in real life, and yesterday was one of those days. I got to be part of the fabulous creative team that put together an Oz-inspired styled shoot, complete with a bride and groom, dainty flowers spilling out of teapots, and lots and lots of emerald and gold. I can't WAIT to share all these photos with you but for now it's just a sneak peek. You guys.

And if that's not enough excitement for one post, I also get to give away two pairs of tickets to Cleveland Magazine's Silver Spoon Awards party happening from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15 at the InterContinental Hotel downtown! :D This is a charitable event that benefits the Arthritis Foundation (of Northeast Ohio) and it includes food-tasting from more than 40 fantastic local spots, including Deagan's, Hodge's and Spice Kitchen + Bar. Plus, wine is included. How can you say no to wine? Or live entertainment, a raffle and a silent auction? The answer is you can't.

To top it off, I get to photograph the event! I'm really looking forward to this, and I want a few of you guys to join me. To enter to win one of the pairs of tickets, please leave a comment below telling us how you choose to give back. You may enter one time between now and Sunday, May 12 at midnight. I'll post/contact the winners on Monday and mail the tickets ASAP! I can't wait to see some of you at this great event!

Business Lessons: Taking Time Off

A little blogkeeping: For me, some of the most interesting posts on other photographers' blogs are the ones about things they've learned while running a business. I get business questions from time to time and I thought I'd start another series to address some of my "aha" moments. I'll keep my FAQ posts strictly about photography and Business Lessons will be about ... business! :) Feel free to e-mail me questions at any time (lane@lanebaldwinphotography.com). My perspective obviously isn't the only one or the right one, but hopefully I can help at least one person along the way. Having worked in an office for the first five years of my professional life, I got pretty used to structure. I had a structured work day, I knew I had weekends off and I had a certain number of PTO hours set aside for my pre-planned vacations. There was not a lot of spontaneity in office life.

Figuring out a work-life balance in this new season of my life is probably my biggest struggle in self-employment ... as you can probably tell because I talk about it all the time! It's really, really hard for me to take a whole day off because my office is in my house and it's SO easy for me to pop in and check my e-mail or look at my business Facebook page on my phone. Plus I feel like I need to be doing things constantly or I'll get behind.

It's taken me a year to realize that this is not healthy. Or maybe it's just taken me a year to burn out from always being plugged in. Being plugged in all the time doesn't make me better at my job. In fact, I get less and less productive the longer I work without a full day off ... completely off, no thinking about photography. Because even though I love photography and it's my passion, it's still work.

It's been increasingly important for me to schedule my work day into chunks of time and stay super focused during my scheduled work hours (see an example schedule here). Then when my schedule says to close my office door, it's super important for me to listen and go do something completely unrelated to work.

And you know what I've realized recently? I can be spontaneous and take a random weekday off if I schedule my days on in the right way. It feels really good, especially when these two are waiting to hang out with me all day ... without a camera in front of my face. :)

Transform

Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing. Sitting in an office all alone day after day, working way more than eight hours. That 8-5 job I had a year ago seems so easy in comparison. At 5 p.m. I closed the door to my office and walked away, forgetting about work for the night. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even relevant. If I can get fulfillment out of taking photos for a long, long while. If what I'm doing is even any good.

And then I'm reminded how great having a flexible schedule is. I'm able to meet my mom for one morning or I can randomly take a short trip during the week without having to ask off. I'm reminded that I'm able to build a life doing something creative and something that I feel passionate about. I'm reminded that I've met some amazing people throughout my photography journey. People I never would have come into contact with otherwise.

I don't know how long I'll be able to make a living with photography. There's no guarantee, just hard work. This video by Zack Arias sums up the exact ebb and flow that I, and evidently lots of photographers and artists, feel at different points in the year. It's comforting and it's inspiring and it keeps me going. Thanks to my friend Kayla for sharing! (Ignore the beginning and skip to 1:34 to get to the good stuff. :) )

Featured: Plain Dealer Bridal Issue

I'm SO, SO honored to have been asked to be a part of The Plain Dealer's 2013 bridal guide. Part of me feels like I'm still the newbie in Cleveland, so to have my name in Cleveland's biggest news source is kind of surreal. Especially since I was a journalism student back in college. I loved being able to share my thoughts on how to select a wedding photographer and get great photos on your big day. And hey, look! One of my favorite photos of the super good looking Nicole and Chris Travis made it in! :) Check out the bridal guide if you have a chance!