Amy Wood | Photography Blog

This blog post is coming at a very hectic time for me. I’m buried in work- contracts, meetings, sessions, editing, ordering albums, etc. BUT I HAD to take this time out and post a very special message to EVERYONE- past, current, and future clients, family members of clients, MY family members, other photographers, and blog stalkers. I will be sending out a mass email to all of these people to make sure EVERYONE reads it. Please read all of this, and please know that this message comes from within my heart.
The majority of you know me, from what you’ve heard or read on my site or blog, and obviously from those of you who have met me in person. I am a wife, a mother of 2 fabulous children, an 8 year old girl, Taelor, and an almost-11-month-old son named Evan. I often hear others ask me “how do you DO it all? Run your business, do all the post-work, AND have time for your family?”
The truth is, I don’t. And I haven’t for a long time now.
See, I’ve always wanted to be a photographer. Even though I did odd jobs while growing up and finishing up school, I ALWAYS did it on the side, in hopes of being able to do it full time. One day, I finally took that jump and haven’t looked back since. And it’s been GREAT! I have been so blessed beyond measure with the leaps and bounds this business has made. God has been great in my life and has truly allowed me to do what I love so much and make a living at it, all the while letting me inspire other photographers and making all of my clients happy.
But, in the midst of my business growing at such a fast pace and it being such a happy time for me, it has also been one of the worst. I have completely lost touch with my family- my husband and kids the most. Although I am fortunate to work from home, I don’t get the opportunity to just sit back and hang out with them. I’m always waiting until Evan takes a nap, or Taelor goes to her room, anything so I can get back to WORK! I had to go out of town to shoot a wedding this weekend just to be able to have 5 hours to myself and go watch a MOVIE in the theater! And all the while, I was afraid my clients would be mad at me for taking some personal time to just CHILL! How bogus and insane is that? It shouldn’t be this way! I just wanted my clients to know that above and beyond all, that I would be here for them, to answer any questions, day or night. And it’s that attitude that’s actually done more harm than good, on both sides of the fence. On my family-side, my daughter Taelor is going to be 18 before I blink, and I do NOT want to miss such important moments of her growing up. She always wants to go do stuff, and I’m always putting her off… (”Just a few more minutes, and I’ll be done”…-)- of course, a few more minutes turns into a few more hours, and then it’s too late. I don’t want the same thing to happen with the YEARS rolling by. I finally signed her up for martial arts classes, something she’s always wanted to take, and that is going to affect my availability for sessions and meetings, but so be it. If my clients want to hire me, they will respect that. Secondly, on the business-side, it’s always good to be available to your clients, but what I’ve learned now is that it’s best to keep some structure, so everyone remembers that you are running a BUSINESS, not a 24 hour cafe. I even set up my email so it goes directly to my phone, so I wont’ miss any important info, inquiries, or questions. I typically like to use email as my preferred method of communication, because to be honest, no one wants to hear a baby crying in the background when they call me, and Evan does that a LOT:) BUT, that has impacted what I considered my “free time” (i.e., dinner out with my family, date night with my husband, even my VACATION from a couple of weeks ago).. and I end up checking my phone more than talking to my friends and family. It’s not fair to them that I stay glued to my clients, and it’s not fair to me, either. It affects so much in my life- my relationships, my attitude, and even my health (I’m sick as I’m typing this now)… So, as of today, I’m officially setting some business hours, effective immediately. They are as follows:

MONDAY: CLOSED
TUESDAY-FRIDAY: 9am-6pm (Reserved for client meetings and lifestyle sessions)
SATURDAY: Reserved for Weddings only
SUNDAY: CLOSED

(Kinda like hairtylists’ hours, if you think about it:) Everyone’s used to that, right?:)

***This means that unless there are previous meetings/sessions/etc scheduled already, I will not schedule any meetings, sessions, etc, nor return any phone calls or emails outside of these specified times. So if you email me on Friday after 6pm, please don’t expect a response until Tuesday after 9am******
I also encourage you to bookmark this blog or subscribe to it to ensure you aren’t left out in the dark when I make any future announcements. I post all updates and news here!:)

I hope that you all understand that this is a necessity, both for me as a photographer to perform well and be the most relaxed and refreshed and recharged for my sessions & weddings, (which is also why I only shoot a limited number of weddings per year, so I can guarantee the best customer service and quality images for my clients)….AND for being an important part in my family’s lives. I am only human, and I can’t run around like a robot going non-stop, the way that I have been for the past couple of years! It catches up with me!
I certainly appreciate your understanding!