i am getting excited!!! michele bowman photography is changing it's look and it's name, and this week i'm going to be diligently working on my new website and NEW blog!! i purchased some new templates from Into the Darkroom, and they just need some lovin' from me before i can get them live. i am currently buried under mounds of photos to sort through. i need to make sure that everything that makes my new website galleries, is up to my strict standards ! LOL! with all these changes, comes a change in name and focus. as i've written before, i am currently in LOVE with photographing weddings. my career didn't begin that way, but weddings have worked there way into my heart, and it was love at first shoot. i originally wanted to focus on family and kids, since there is nothing as fun as chasing a kid around a park for a photo! really. for some reason, God brought wedding photography into my life, and while i am still young enough to endure the crazy physical demands of wedding photography, i will give it my energy and my all. i didn't realize how many wedding photographers ACTUALLY lived and worked in Windsor Ontario & surrounding areas, but instead of discouraging me, the numbers have actually made me want to work even harder to stand out in a crowd. i am finding my OWN HILL (as Kevin Swan puts it) and making it my goal to bring another aspect of wedding photography to the Windsor market. i have always loved being an individual, and my wedding photography will be no different. i do have to say that i was super excited the other day after talking to a potential client. she actually 'GOT' me and what i want to show the world through my wedding photography! you can't even imagine how wonderful it felt to be understood, and have a client WANT to hire you because i am just what they are looking for. trust me when i say that i have always known what style  of photography i wanted to bring to the market, but it's been a journey getting there. i don't feel that i have arrived, but at least i know i'm on the right track. i look forward (more than you can imagine) to working with client's who's vision for their wedding photography matches my vision for photography and telling their story. i don't want to be the photographer for everyone, but i want to be the photographer to people with the same artistic vision as myself. they are bound to be matches made in heaven. this journey into the fantastical (yep, my new word) world of wedding photography has been exciting so far, and with my new branding work and new marketing materials, i will be  starting on a new path with an even more focused vision! i am so very thankful for all the love and support i have been getting from my family, friends and other photographers. your comments on my blog and support on facebook, have meant more to me than you can imagine. so, i'm just letting you know that changes are on the horizon, and hopefully i will be able to get my new blog up and running by the end of this week or so. i will have a new domain name , but i'll make sure to keep you all posted on any changes. now, to post a photograph that has NOTHING to do with wedding photography, but has everything to do with my love and passion. underwater photography gave me my start into the world of cameras! the ocean is truly my love.

i am parent. i have regularly commented on the awesomeness of my kids, and i love them so dearly that it hurts! i remember the first day of Josh's school life. it is an experience burned deeply into my brain, and i will never forget that face or that day. darryl had gone to school or work (he was doing both at the time) and i walked Josh to school, for his first day of JK. Emilie was 2 1/2 and Josh was not quite 4 years old, and i was pregnant with Cameron. i threw Em in the stroller, and we made our way to the school down the street. Josh had been excited about the new adventure he was embarking on, and i was thrilled at the thought of getting rid of one kid for a few hours a day! LOL! i had been so sick with my pregnancy (i threw up for 9 mths straight and only gained 1 pound. yep..... sick) and i was looking forward to a small break and a bot less chaos.  both my kids were angels, but 2 toddlers is well..... more work than 1 ! we took Josh into the classroom, and i made sure that he was feeling ok about it. all seemed well at the time. i took a few steps towards the door to leave (since i'm not a clingy parent that needs to sit through the first 3 days of school with my kids to make sure that the teacher isn't a mass murderer or something) and Josh had a FIT! the teacher encouraged me to leave quickly, since staying would make it worse i guess, and i remember that face and those tears. Josh stood at the doorway screaming "mommy don't leave me, don't leave me!!!" i thought in that very moment that i was going to die. at that very moment i didn't care if 2 toddlers were too much work and i was sick, i just wanted to scoop my baby up and take him home with me! i felt like the worst mother in the world, leaving my baby in the care of strangers for 3 hours a day! he was screaming and crying, and i wanted to hold him and make it all better. i walked away from that school, pushing the stroller back home, just sobbing my brains out. Emilie could care less, and was actually mad that i wasn't leaving her at the school too! i cried all the way home that day, and then was a wreck the rest of the morning. when i arrived back at the school to pick Josh up, he was happy as a clam! the teacher said that once i was out of sight, that the crying had stopped and he was good as gold the rest of the morning. i got the best hug that day, and Josh showed me his awesome artwork that he had made. he was also proud of the way he was learning to write his name, since the kids had to sign themselves in everyday. the next day Josh cried again, and so did i , but that was the last time. his school years had begun. today is the end of an era. Josh is at school right now, writting his grade 12 biology exam (i've raised my kids to be science nerds). this exam is the last high school exam that he will ever write, and therefore it's his last day in high school. EVER! Josh heads off to the Laurier University in the fall, for cello performance. as much as i am excited about this new chapter in his life (much like i was when he started JK many years ago), i know that i will drop him off at school in september and i will cry all the way home because i will know that i won't be going back in 3 hrs to pick him up and get the best hug ever. he will be living 3 hours away from his family and starting his own life. where's the valium?!

i think that my title has a nice ring to it, don't you? ok, so i'm being silly. sue me! i just had to come in here and report on a couple of things with regards to my business growth and development. i told my cyberspace, blog fans (all 3 of you) that i would share the continuing drama of starting a photography business from the ground up, so here we go! as of today, i am now up to about 15 weddings (i think it's 15) that i'll be 2nd shooting this year, and 2 of my own wedding clients! yahoooo!!! i know that 2nd shooting doesn't sound glamorous, but i didn't ever want to do a bride any diservice by pretending to be an awesome, experienced photographer when i wasn't.  it's not as though i don't believe in my abilities to take a great photo (or at least an extremely good , verging on awesome photo), because i have been learning the art and technical side of photography for a few years now. i know how to work my camera (which is more than many photographers can say, trust me), i LOVE working with people and i am creative. the reason i felt the need to 2nd shoot, is because i wanted to make sure i understood the dynamics of a wedding day, crazy bridezillas and all! i didn't think that it was fair to offer my services without the understanding of how to properly schedule a wedding day and make sure that the photos are done well , even with crazy time restraints. this has been my main reason for getting into the 2nd shooting arena. now, i truly believe that i am more than capable of dealing with a wedding on my own.  so, this year i am working for other photographers and next year i will be IN THE BIG LEAGUES & ON MY OWN! i will be on my own with TONS of experience too! how could i ask for brides to pay me for my services if i wasn't experienced? i am all about making sure that i go over an above everything that a bride and groom would need or expect. so, 15 weddings booked so far, and i'm willing to do another 5 or so to make it an even 20! i did have a photographer form Costa Rica offer me a job 2nd shooting for her here in Windsor this coming October, but the bride and groom splurged and paid for her to bring her assistant. i was bummed when that fell through, but flattered that an experienced photographer wanted to hire me and had never even met me. it was all based on my portfolio. i have also been receiving phone calls from people wanting portrait work done, and even though i'm hoping to eventually steer away from portrait sessions, i am welcoming the business because i just love photographing people and i have the time right now. i have also been receiving some inquiries about doing some weddings next year, which is super exciting! i LOVE this job, and i still can't believe that it's actually work, so i'm thankful for every inquiry and every possibility.  by the time next year rolls around, i will be quite the seasoned photog! i am in the process of looking into getting some branding & marketing work done. i know that most new photographers spend all their money on all the fancy new gear and gadgets, but i firmly believe that i need to look like the professional i am, which means getting a united front. i want all of my 'stuff' to represent who i am as a photographer, and it has to have a cohesive look to it.  my website, my photos, my marketing material, should all scream 'MICHELE BOWMAN PHOTOGRAPHY' and eventually become recognizable! yep, i dream BIG! so, i now have two proposals from 2 different graphic designers for all the work, and 1 quote from a designer to just come up with a logo. i guess i will need to make a decision this weekend, weigh out all of my options, and then try to figure out how i'm going to pay for all of this! YIKES! heck, i'd love a new lens too, but i think that this is a better use of the money i don't have ! HAHA!!! what else...... oh, i'm photographing a wedding tomorrow, which is awesome! it is my OWN wedding, which means i am the lead photographer and not a 2nd shooter. i am a bit nervous about it, because everything falls on me, but i am so thrilled that i will be able to set up the shots like i want and start making my style come alive in my photographs! i don't really know if this couple is adventurous, but i'll do my best to get them to have some FUN!!! i will blog the photos as soon as i get them uploaded! OK? wait.... one more thing! i am considering doing a bridal show this fall, to launch my new brand and my 2010 brochure! i am still on the fence a bit , with regards to whether it's something i'm keen on, but it might be a good way to get my name out into the commmunity. i also LOVE to meet new people, so that would be the fun part! i think that's it now. how about a photo!!!! it's ME!!! Becker took  this headshot of me when i was at his workshop in april.

i know that this is wednesday and i should be doing a 'shout out', but i have so much on my brain and i find it therapeutic to write things down and get them out of my head. i also know that this is my business blog, and some people might find it a bit of a turn off to read personal stuff mixed in with business, but my photography business is WAY more personal to me than i ever thought it would be. i would hope that clients would want to hire me based on my art AND because of the person that i am, because both things are what make me who i am as a photographer. these last few weeks i have been mulling over all of the important things happening in my life and in my business. as most people know, this is my first year in business even though i have been working on my photography for years. never in a million years would i have believed that God would bless me with such a wonderful career opportunity, but i am so very thankful for the chance to use my gifts and talents. i am hopeful that God will use me to bless my clients and colleagues in some way, and i look forward to seeing how He can use me in people's lives. i am not some religious freak or anything, but i know that doing things seperate from God will not bring me the fullfillment and joy i get from doing things God's way. it's who i am and i'm not ashamed to say it. recently, i have been plagued by thoughts that there is so much i need to do, but i'm not sure i know what those things are yet! i know that sounds a bit off the wall, but there is 17 years of putting my family first as a stay-at-home mom that has held down all of my personal goals. i'm not saying that i am not thrilled to be able to take care of my family full-time, it's just that i put aside ME and now there's a storm brewing inside of me. i have SO much i want to do, so far i want my business to take me, so many people i want to be able to minister to, and so much living and loving to do! it's a tad overwhelming, and it has been making sleep difficult.  in some ways, i do wish that i had discovered my love of wedding photography about 10 years ago, but i have to trust that the timing is right and i need to be ok with that.  most of the time i try to contain my enthusiasm a bit, so that i don't scare people off, but this stuff is exciting and Darryl gets a chuckle out of me when i get asked about my business and photography! it's like i've fallen off the deep end and i've lost my mind, all at the same time. i don't think i have ever been this passionate about anything in my life before (well, except my kids, hubby and scuba diving of course) and it's kind of freaking me out a bit. do you know why i'm freaking out? well, i'll tell you.... i am scared that this is all a dream and not my reality. i am scared that i won't be as good as i know i can be. i am scared that i won't be able to break into this crazy competitive market and that i will remain just another silly person that had a dream and was delusional. yep, i'm wearing my heart on my sleeve people. it's how i roll. i think that some people believe that if you love something enough, then of course you'll be successful, but they are crazy and don't know what they are talking about. so, what's a girl to do that wants to make it in this crazy world where everyone thinks they can be a wedding photographer because they have an SLR camera? well, here is my list of things i'm doing to get things happening... - i'm seeking professional help with branding and marketing, since i don't want to use a cutesy font as my logo anymore ('cause that's really not a logo, it's a font) - i am 2nd shooting something like, 13 or 14 weddings so far this year and 2 of my own. i want to build a kick-ass portfolio and i have met some wonderful photographers that have hired me for the year - i am praying and trying to remember to put God first in all of this - i am learning, and researching, and learning and researching some more. i want to give my clients the best and most awesome experience EVER  and i can't do that unless i am GREAT at what i do - i have decided to specialize and find my niche in this crazy world of wedding photography (i think Windsor Ontario can use someone with some attitude) and finally... i am trusting that the right clients will hire me because i am me, and no one else is ME! where will this crazy path lead me? don't know..... i'll fill you in when i get there. as you can see, there is much on my mind. i think i can hear my brain cells actually dying because they are so crowded out!