Wedding days pass quickly…the hours seem to positively fly by. And then moments like this when the grandparents of the couple are dancing and kissing and hugging without prompting…they stop me in my tracks. 
Building a marriage that lasts a lifetime, to love and dance and kiss each other forever. To cherish the short seconds that bring pause. To have and to hold, to remember. This is why I do what I do.
(the rest of Taylor & Luke‘s wedding is coming to the blog tomorrow! XXOO)
Comments: 6
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Beloved, Business
Last week I had the distinct pleasure of delivering not one, but two stunning albums to two amazing brides! Of course I had to take a few pictures before letting them out of my sight :-) I now have all three sizes to show. The 12×12 is my absolute favorite and I normally use the 8×8 for parent albums.
So much pretty from Jen & Nick and Mallory & Matthew‘s weddings!!
Have a beautiful Monday! XXOO
Comments: 4
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business
I can’t believe it’s Thursday again! Is it me, or are the weeks flying by?? My favorite Thursday of the month is next week. Thursday Therapy. It’s a networking networking event for wedding professionals. A wedding venue hosts, a caterer provides yummy hors d’eouvres, a florist decorates, and a photographer takes pictures. And every month it changes! So if you go frequently, you can see new spaces and meet new people each time. Brilliant right? All thanks to Joan from Five Grain Events and Kelly from Fleur for organizing the whole thing. Anyway! These are a few pictures from last month at the Museum of Contemporary Art. All images by Anna Guziak! Aren’t Kina and Julia so pretty? And yes, the food was de-licious. Plus! AJ and I were greeters, which was so fun!! (She is also the reason my hair looks so fabulous!)
Next Thursday we’re at Bottom Lounge at 6pm. Will I see you there?? :-)
Happy Thursday!! XXOO
P.S. If you live somewhere else, check out the Thursday Therapy map to find out if there’s one in your neck of the woods!
Comments: 4
Categories: Business, For Photographers
Hi! How are you today? I hope you’re well. I really do. I know I don’t ask you enough :-/
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you might remember a post called The Pretty & The Ugly from last summer. All week I’ve felt like I really need to post a part two to that…but I don’t have a lot of “pretty” in my real life to post. Even for a minute for a posed photo. It’s just messy everywhere! Last monday was my first full time working for myself from home day. As new things go, I’m not very good at working from home by myself yet. We moved all of Wil’s music gear to the basement and my desk upstairs so now I have an “office” but really it’s a total mess and half the time I’ve been working from the couch. I’ve been staying up late and sleeping in (until eight). I had quite a few people I wanted to catch up with and spend some day time with now that I have day time availability so the past week and a half has literally flown by. I’ve made three trips to Home Depot so far. It’s getting kind of ridiculous. I knew this week that I couldn’t continue like last week…but I just wasn’t sure where I was going wrong. I definitely don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m taking one step that feels very much like the right direction.
Over laughter, tea, and tears with my beautiful friend Ashley on Tuesday I realized I hadn’t been setting aside a quiet time. Sure I’d still read most days…but it had felt rushed after posting my blog post to facebook and then getting sucked into the internet for another hour and a half in the morning. So yesterday I made a change. I set my alarm to get up an hour earlier and pulled myself out into the cold as far as the couch. I gave that hour to God. I prayed, I definitely dozed a bit more, I read, I watched the sun hit our front windows for the very first time that day and I felt ten thousand times better about everything else. I’m going to try to do this every day. Dedicate that time, and start my day with intention.
I know that I have been placed here on earth to love people well. My husband, my family, my friends, my couples, you all. I want you to know that’s my hearts cry.
So please forgive me for filling the blog with pretty instead of real for the past while and take this dose of my day-to-day with a promise of more. Once I get my head on straight I do want to talk more about what it’s like to work for myself (I’m definitely not a nice boss). I never want you to feel like I’m being disingenuous or shallow. I just haven’t quite found myself in this new stage yet so I’m having a harder time talking about it than I thought I would.
And because no post is completely without a picture…this is the pretty sunlight coming in through our front windows yesterday morning.
I never want to forget what this feels like.
Comments: 8
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business, For Photographers
Friday I had the incredible opportunity to meet with Emily Gluntz of Fernweh Photography. I feel so blessed to have connected with her through Delight. Emily came over and we talked business! We talked about creating your ideal client profile, building a pricing strategy that makes sense for a growing business, creating touch points to wow clients that don’t cost a fortune, workflow, and seriously so much more. I can’t wait to see what the next steps of her business bring forth!
If this is something that sounds interesting to you, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email! I love getting to meet with photographers and small business owners at every stage to talk strategy, goal setting, marketing, shooting, whatever you’d like :-)
Happy Tuesday!!!
Comments: 5
Categories: Business, For Photographers
(image by Simply by Suzy)
Last year I had twelve goals for business and twelve goals for personal. Frankly it was too much. So this year I’m simplifying. I’m going to attempt to simplify both my life and my goals. I realize it’s already the thirteenth day of the second month of two thousand thirteen…but I didn’t want to just commit to the first ideas I had this year. I wanted to better plan and strategize! Without further ado:
1. Focus on my faith. Commit to daily quiet time, pursue joy in all things, journal, pray, breathe, tithe.
2. Learn to listen. I’m a talker in case you haven’t noticed ;-) This year I want to strive to love others better and listen more carefully and speak less quickly.
3. Be a better wife. I could learn a thing or two about respect (see above^^^).
4. Figure out how to say no. To excess, to appointments, to lots of things frankly.
5. Be wiser with our money. The goal of this year is SAVING.
6. Build up my body. I need to eat more healthily, exercise, drink more water. Less days where carbs are my primary food group, seriously.
7. Talk more about marriage. With friends, with my couples, on the blog.
8. Learn & teach. Be mentored and mentor. Learn new skills. Get a library card and use it. Share what I know. Read again.
9. Blog less pictures I don’t love.
10. Streamline my business. Finish setting up the studio management software I’ve purchased. Get my contracts online. Automate where I can instead of reinventing the wheel over and over. Spend time on the stuff that matters and figure out how to simplify the rest.
11. Figure out how to better engage on my facebook page.
12. Have some of my wedding work featured in print. Continue to submit to the blogs I love.
13. Paint the bathroom and buy new towels. Isn’t it funny the things we procrastinate? Also funny, the things that make us feel less like “adults.” I’m ready for matching towels.
Cheers to dreaming big, loving bigger, and leaving the stuff that doesn’t matter behind. XXOO
Comments: 11
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business
Clean water is something I take for granted every single day.
I rarely think about the 2.5 MILLION people who die each year from drinking contaminated water – 90% of whom are UNDER five years old or the nearly one BILLION people who don’t have access to clean drinking water.
To give a child clean water for life costs $5. FIVE DOLLARS. That is one Starbucks latte.
Thirst Relief International is an organization whose sole mission is to “overcome death and disease resulting from the consumption of contaminated water by providing safe, clean drinking water to those in need around the world.”
Each year Thirst Relief partners with some amazing photographers who donate their time for an auction. Anyone can bid on their favorite photographers for a one-on-one 90 minute mentoring session and 100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief International. Clearly, they have thought of a brilliant way to bring awareness AND provide a way for us to HELP (and give back) with our careers, passions, and skills. Last year this auction helped provide clean drinking water to over 8,000 people. I am so excited to be a part of the Thirst Relief Mentor Auction this year (and a little bit nervous!). Though I definitely plan on doing my fare share of bidding on others too ;-)
I find myself completely honored to be on the auction block and crossing my fingers in the hopes that someone, anyone, bids on me. Not only would you get to spend 90 minutes with me (either at United, in person if you are or plan to be in Chicago anytime soon, or on Skype!), and lunch on me. I’m also including a 30 minute follow-up session by phone or online (because I always wish I had this when I’ve been mentored by others), and the chance (if you’d like) to second shoot (and get paid–of course) if you’re close to Chicago or one of my other wedding locations this year. Normally this session with follow-up is $450.
So, go digging in those couch cushions and car cup holders and maybe skip a few coffee trips, realizing that you can change so many lives by helping provide one of their most basic necessities.
The auction starts tomorrow night (1/31/13) at 11pm EST and ends Sunday night 2/3/13 at 11pm EST. You’ll be able to bid right here!
If you can’t bid, you can still help by spreading the word – facebook, twitter, blog, whatever. Just get the word out!
**Typically a 90 minute mentoring session with me is either focused on the technical (shooting in manual, posing, etc) or the business side (marketing, workflow, etc). But honestly, we can talk about whatever you’d like!**
Comments: 5
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business, For Photographers
I’m so excited about this :-D I worked with Ravyn of 315 Design to do my branding and put together my site last year and loved how smoothly it all came together. So, naturally, I went to her with a couple ideas for a little facelift this winter and I could not possibly be any happier about how it’s come out!
We went all navy with the logos instead of rotating the purple and emerald, lightened the grey in the background so the arrow wallpaper is fainter. <3 <3 <3 Then, my-oh-my did she out do herself crafting the EJP Experience page. All of a sudden, all the necessary info is in one place!
AND a pretty way to display my press & blog features!
with reviews from past couples (YAY!!)
Smoother galleries that point to the blog post and anywhere else that wedding was featured!
An “About Emilia” page with my new pictures from Suzy!!!!
Annd because I’m sure you’re sick of looking at screenshots of my website, you can just go take a peek for yourself! Everything is just a little bit smoother & prettier and I couldn’t be happier about it!
PS If you’re thinking of hiring a designer, call Ravyn ASAP! She’s booking out like crazy.
Comments: 3
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business
I have to start by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful mother!!! You are such a huge blessing to me, and I cannot wait for our exciting adventures both next month and for the rest of our lives! I love you! (photo from my wedding by Arlina Rose)
Instead of checking in when 2012 is over next month, I’d really like to start fresh with a new set of goals then! So here we go…
Business Goals:
I. Maintain my business and marketing plan for the year. Yes an actual written, month-by-month plan. Nope. I fell of the wagon hard here. I started strong, and then just toppled over. At least in my marketing plan. I think I’ve almost met everything in my business plan.
II. Rock at surprising my clients and surpassing their every expectation (good surprises only). Yes and yes! Loving it.
III. Shoot 20 weddings this year. Wow. I have one more elopement on the 30th, and that will make my 29th wedding this year. So exciting!!!
IV. Get my packaging branded and simplified. Nope. Dangit. Next year!
V. Better engage my audience –> Triple my monthly online traffic and commenting. Yes. Love you guys.
VI. Hire an awesome team to make an Emilia Jane Photography video! YES! And it’s up on the front page of my site if you haven’t seen it yet 
EmiliaJanePhotography.com
VII. Write a viral post Definitely feeling like this was a silly goal and it will either happen on its own or not.
VIII. Submit at least one wedding/session per month for a blog/magazine feature! Lots of blog features this year! I’m so excited about this. I really want to push for a magazine next year :-D but more about that in a couple weeks!
IX. Better define and streamline my style. This year has been huge for me in this. I feel like I’m finally getting there with my work. Whatever that actually means!
X. Talk more about my WHY and pour my heart into this and into you all! I don’t think I’ve done as well this quarter in this area. I need to strive further and talk deeper instead of just more.
XI. Start video blogging. Well shoot! I did that one. Does that count? Oops!
XII. Rock married couple’s worlds with my new Beloved sessions. I am LOVING these sessions and would LOVE to be shooting even more of them!! Recent Beloved work right here!
Personal Goals and New Years Resolutions!
I. Have a regular quiet time. This has been a real struggle this year. It’s an area I desperately want to work more in next year.
II. Build into my marriage with Wil and into him as a person! In general I think I’m doing o.k. at this but I need to be doing so much more.
III. Master meal planning, eating local and clean. Bahahahahahahaha. We’d have to eat at home for me to do any of this! Silly Emilia.
IV. Dress up more! I do this some!
V. Read more, for business and for fun! I read far fewer books this year than I would like.
VI. Floss five days a week. I need to set an alarm on my phone and grow out of this stupid bad habit. :-(
VII. Hire cleaning people. You guys!!! I met with a woman last night and she’s coming on the 27th for the first time. After procrastinating this for too long I am really excited to finally be making it happen.
VIII. Simplify our home style and make it work for us. It’s funny, even though November was about getting rid of stuff….we seem to still have piles everywhere :-( 7 round two?
IX. Spend my weeknights wisely. I’m going to have to learn how to say no to make this happen. I’m terrible at saying no.
X. Mentor someone. So this hasn’t played out exactly as I thought it would…but I feel like I’ve helped a few people this year! Hopefully even more next year :-)
XI. Get our finances in order. Yes and no. I manage my business money, but that’s not what this goal is about. So it isn’t totally up to me. It’s still definitely a huge point of anxiety for me and I’m hoping to find a good way to be helpful in the coming year.
XII. Pursue joy in everything! Some days are easier than others, but yes, I am pursuing the joy.
Wow. It feels like yesterday that I wrote these goals out. Honestly I can’t believe we’re already to the end of the year! I’m not going to lie, 2012 has been rough. There have been many things to rejoice over, but also a lot to grit our teeth and pray through. I am really ready for a fresh start in 2013! Thank YOU so much for your love and support. It means so much to me. I’m excited to see what joy and adventures 2013 brings our way! XXOO
Kina came over last night…originally we were supposed to meet out for drinks…then we talked about going to Thursday Therapy…then when she texted me she was close, I said “Come over! let’s order food!” And that, my friends, is how I reel you in ;-) Just kidding. But we did seriously order wings, drink wine, and gab for hours. I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to have friends/colleagues that are more supportive than competitive. Mind you, we didn’t plan to get together and talk business… just for the wine. But we both taught each other SO much in a span of three hours, it’s incredible. I may or may not have just revolutionized her workflow and blogging with Photo Mechanic and BlogStomp. She showed me things on my camera and in Lightroom that are already rocking my world. We will always have so much to learn! It’s such a huge blessing to do so alongside friends.
This image is way classier than we were last night…but I do have dark nails right now! It’s from Pinterest.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend! I have plans for fall donuts, a wedding, a consult, a viewing, and a date night. It’s going to be a good one, I can feel it! XXOO
Comments: 6
Categories: All things Emilia Jane, Business