Yipes…I have seriously neglected my blog lately! I have a few recent sessions that I need to share (those will come in the next few days), 4 sessions to edit and share, and I have some updates on the Scott family. So…instead of Ten on Tuesday here is my edition of Wordy Wednesday.

For those of you who don’t know, we sold our house and are moving next Monday. I kept mum, or as mum as my personality allowed, and only told close friends that we sold the house for fear something would happen and the deal would fall through. That was just me being paranoid, though, as everything went through fine. The house is perfect for the family moving in and we were amazed that it sold so fast. I held my breathe for those 15 long days of due diligence but we now close on the 28th and will start to move on the 24th. We put in our offer on the dream house and are awaiting word from the bank. In the meantime, we are headed to Greystone at Columbus Park, which was the first apartment complex my mom and I went to and since they had a ground floor apartment AND would take our dogs (for a hefty price, of course) I signed on the dotted line immediately. Poor Bobby hasn’t even seen it yet but I love it and I am sure he will, too. We have an awesome swimming pool (of which my girlfriends are very excited about!), a playground, a lake, a movie theatre, etc. Plus, it will be fun to live in the north side of Columbus for a change considering we have always lived in the Park District. Now, everyone needs to cross their fingers as we await word on “the white house”. It is a short sale house and due to head to foreclosure in July, so we should have an answer by then. The hardest part about this is going to be leaving the Hocutts–our dear friends and neighbors across the street. I am in denial for the time being that soon we won’t be able to walk across the street to play or borrow a cup of milk for Tuna Helper.

Preschool ended for Robbie on Monday. He got a cute little diploma and his teachers made me a scrapbook of photographs from the year. Miss Beverly and Miss Emily made the experience so wonderful for him and our family and for that I am forever grateful! Thankfully, I got the phone number of Robbie’s best friend, so I can try to plan a play date with his mom over the summer. He just loves Rhett! I cannot wait until August when he can go back and attend 3 days a week. I was lucky enough to get him into St. Paul’s summer program, so he will start there on June 1st. I was so looking forward to the 2 minute drive to St. Paul after having Wynnbrook be clear across town but now that we are moving to the apartment, Wynnbrook is 2 minutes away and St. Paul is on the other side of town. Oh, well!

Summer is almost upon us (I always really think it is truly summer when school releases), and I am scaling back a bit on appointments. We have a lot going on and I simply don’t want to over do it as I am so prone to doing! I am definitely not scheduling anything before June 14th to give myself time to get moved and unpacked. I have a few appointments already set that I will honor, but nothing new will be made before that time.

Be on the lookout for recent session posts soon and keep me in your thoughts during the move. Bobby has depositions out of town Monday and Wednesday, so it looks like I will be spearheading the move (aka doing it all myself). Not fun. I better get a prize for this.

Kayleigh Grace was back in the studio recently and even more adorable than when I saw her at a month old. Her entire personality lit up the room and she once again was an absolute joy to photograph. Happy is the best word to describe this cutie whose smiles just kept coming and coming. Mama even painted her tootsies for her session. How cool is that? Once again I realize how much I need a little girl of my own.

Amy and Michael it was a pleasure as always to see you both and photograph your precious girl. I can’t wait to see you again soon!!

I sincerely apologize for not having the results of my one year drawing posted until now! Things have been VERY chaotic in the world of Scott (more on that later), so I appreciate everyone’s patience. There were 23 individual comments posted and I used a random number generator to determine my results, which are shown below. For example, since Kathryn was the first comment, her number was 1.

Anyway, without further ado, here are our winners!!

First Prize, which is a free session goes to: ASHLEY FARMER

Second prize, which is a $50 print credit goes to: HOPE BOSWELL

And finally, third prize, which is a $25 print credit goes to: ELLEN GREER

I really and truly want to thank everyone who entered the contest and for all of your congratulations and kind remarks! It really made me feel wonderful to hear such kind things about my work!

The minute I saw James I was eager to start his shoot. Look at all that hair! Is it not so incredibly cute? One of the most awesome things that James’ mother did was to spike his hair up and not attempt to make it lie flat. I loved how she embraced it! Our goal was to capture some beautiful images of James in his dedication outfit, but we incorporated a few outfit changes as well, which made the shoot a lot of fun. James was a natural in front of the camera. He posed and smiled and cocked his head. It was so cute to watch. Apparently, James is used to the limelight as his mama takes lots of photos of him at home! He is a well seasoned photo veteran, so my job was easy!

Donna thank you so much for bringing sweet James to see me! I hope you enjoy your images.

Anna brought her cutie patootie daughters, Parker and Emma Grace, to the studio to see me for some updates photos. This was Parker’s first shoot and my second time photographing Miss Emma. Emma was all go, go, go and we snapped what we could of her. Oh so typical behavior from an 18 month old! She had a ton of fun in the prop room, though, trying out all of the chairs and throwing the tutus around. Her antics were hilarious as she would jump in front of the camera and then run away laughing. Parker did beautifully in front of the camera and we even managed to grab a few photos of mama and her babies. They were never looking at the camera all at the same time, but that’s life! I love photos like that–very true and genuine.

So happy that our schedules finally meshed, Anna, and thank you as always for allowing me to photograph your sweet children! Give those cuties a hug from me!

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you! The blog and website have been revamped and rebranded. This has been a long time coming and I am tickled to finally be able to share it with you!

Exactly one year ago today, my website went live and I announced that I had started my photography business. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would photograph 76 clients in my first year. 76??!! That number amazes me!

My business has been based solely on word of mouth and my website/blog. I have business cards, but I don’t pass them out to people on a regular basis like I should. I don’t do promotions or any marketing and the only other way that people come across my business other than being told about it through family or friends is through a google search for such terms as columbus georgia children’s/newborn/family/maternity photographer. It is exciting to think that the reason my business is successful is because people have heard praise from other clients or have searched me out, taken a look at my work, and decided to book me. If you are a client or friend who has recommended me to others during this past year, please know that I am incredibly grateful. So grateful in fact that I want to give back to those who have given so much to me. Therefore, my new client referral program is now in affect. Please see the bottom of this post for more details.

This business venture has been a huge learning experience for me and still continues to give so much yet be so challenging. There have been days when I simply have wanted to pull my hair out and call it quits and days when I would literally be in tears as the loads of laundry piled up and our family ate take out way too much. Was this worth it? Was I doing the right thing by pursuing a dream? Time helped a lot. As time passed, my work flow improved. I was able to proof faster and work smarter. In the end, this business is still a challenge and there are days when I feel like it is too much to juggle but I feel like the challenge is worth it. The struggle feels like it pays off tenfold when I receive emails from clients about how much they absolutely adore their photos. That my friends is a photographers greatest payment–to hear that their work is memorable and loved.

Beginning now, in my second year, I am going to be scaling back a tad on the number of appointments that I accept in a week. This will keep me both sane and fresh so that when it comes time for your session, you will receive the absolute best from me. Please email or call to schedule an appointment with a timeframe in mind that is later than a week! That is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. I have had a few people call or email on a Tuesday or Wednesday requesting an appointment slot for the upcoming Saturday and been upset when that time is not available. Weekends are peak times and fill up very quickly–sometimes up to a month or more in advance. I occasionally take a weekend off to spend time with my own family and recharge, so emailing me in advance is almost a must. I also only schedule one appointment a day with the only exception to this being newborns since I have to work around their time of arrival and fit them in before the 2 week mark. I know I have said that a million times, but I just wanted to say it again! 

If you plan to book a session with me, then you more likely than not either have children or one on the way. With this being said, I just ask that you remember that while photography is my business, my first priority is my family and I am a stay at home mom with a 2 and a half year old that only attends preschool on Mondays and Fridays from 9 until1. There are times when things come up in my life that are out of my control and put me a tad bit behind like my husband’s recent illness. I work very hard to get your fully edited proofs back to you within the 2 week time frame but there are times when I have needed a bit more time due to the goings on in my own life. So far, the few times this has happened, clients have been extremely understanding for which I am thankful, but I need to and want to make this information known. I want to show you your proofs as much as you want to see them but you have to remember that I am human just like you.

CLIENT REFERRAL PROGRAM:

Effective immediately I will be beginning my referral reward program. When you book a session, you will be given a set of client referral cards as shown below. For every 2 new clients that you refer to Hadley Scott Photography, you receive a $50 print credit. The new client must turn in the filled out referral card the day of their session. All new clients that are referred and turn in their card will receive a free set of 8 die cut wallets (all the same pose) from their session. This is my way of saying a great big “thank you” to all of my fabulous clients that pass my name along to their friends and loved ones.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY

In the spririt of a year filled with meeting wonderful people and their adorable children, I am giving away a few awesome prizes. First prize is a free session giveaway, second prize is a $50 print credit, and third prize is a $25 print credit. The print credit prizes must of course be used towards the purchase of prints and can not apply to a standard session fee. Past clients as well as those who have never booked with me are welcome to enter. If you are a past client and win the print credit prize, you can either use it towards the purchase of prints from a future session or I can upload your past sessions and you can order from those. Now…how to enter? Simply scroll down to the bottom of this post, click ”add a comment” and in filling out the comment form you will be entered! I will announce the winner on Monday, April 26th and it will be determined by www.random.org

As I bring this long blog post to a close, I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone out there that has believed in me, supported me, inspired me, assisted me, referred me, and wished me success in this venture. I have learned so much and continue to do so on a daily basis. I cannot wait to watch the wee ones below grow bigger and add new faces to the collage! I look forward to another year of capturing your memories. Hope to see you soon!

I was so excited for Baby Ava to come and visit me since it would mean getting to use some of the brand new headbands that I had recently ordered. Well, that and the fact that I had heard what a beautiful baby she was from Meghan. Ava’s mama is actually Meghan’s father-in-law’s legal superwoman (that’s a mouthful). See–someone always knows someone on the Hadley Scott Photography Blog.

Ava was precious and tiny. It is amazing the difference that a mere 2 pounds can make in terms of how teeny eensy a baby can appear. Ava settled right in to sleep and we had a smooth session that was over before we knew it!

Ashley thank you so much for bringing your precious Ava to the studio and thanks so much for recommending me, Megs!

Disclaimer: this edition of Ten of Tuesday is going to be Lightning McQueen fast because #1. I have so much to get finished before naptime is over it is frightening and #2. I am in denial that a week has already passed since I last wrote. I think my life is set to ultra warp speed.

1. I have no idea where my husband is right now. Not that I am concerned and need to file a missing person’s report–I just thought I would throw it out there. I believe last night there was a vague mention of Americus, court, blah-blah <insert a bunch of “legalese”> and I was just angry because I was in the middle of a cool dream and didn’t want to listen. I guess that is what I get for preferring to picture myself as a jockey in the Grand National (think Elizabeth Taylor, 1944) and not listen to my lawyer hubs and his schedule. The more I think about it, the more I think geez…hope this isn’t an overnight trip. I have Bunco tonight!

2. Prescription sunglasses are this week’s Hadley Scott oh-my-gosh-I-don’t-know-how-I-ever-lived-with-you item. Seriously, I think they are the most awesome thing ever. I mean shades my nearsighted self can actually see out of and thus not run off the road while trying to look Jackie O chic? You had me at hello! I ordered them yesterday while Robbie was at preschool but had to pick them up today with tot in tow. Big mistake. Lens Crafters had 4 people ahead of me. I thought we’d wait it out but then realized the eye lady was giving me “the eye” because all Robster wanted to do was try on Versace frames. We somehow magically moved to the front of the line after that one.

3. Meghan and I are really doing great with Couch to 5 K! We go on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday nights–no kids or strollers allowed. Tonight is a bit of a bust, though, because we have Bunco and I got way too much exercise yesterday when I lost my keys at Cooper Creek. Refer to Facebook for full details. Anyway, we are changing the race that we are building up for to this http://www.columbusroadrunners.com/event_detail.aspx?recID=145 Word is you can run it in your jammies! Sweet!

4. I am loving my Canon 100mm 2.8/L IS macro lens or Mackie for short. Only problem is I took it out of the box and have only played with it maybe two times, max. No fear, though. I have an all for me photography day planned soon! I need more of those. Here is photographic proof of its existence.

5. Robbie is gearing up for potty training. Those 7 words need no elaboration.

6. I have booked at session with my ubber talented photo friend Ginny Daniels in May for Bobby and I. Sort of engagement-esque photos except we have been married for 3 years. I am beyond excited! She is wicked talented and super fun. Check her out!

7. I have a 3 year old outdoor session tonight that I am really excited about. I have been doing a ton of studio work lately so I am excited to get outside and do some toddler wrangling. His mother says he is “full of fun”, which I am sure translates to nice and hyper (I say that with all the love in my heart!) but I am pumped. Bring it tot!

8. Mom and I ventured up to IKEA and Hill Street Warehouse this past weekend while Bobby took Robbie for a much needed visit to Covington. I was sad, though, because Bobby’s parents now have chickens and apparently Robbie thought those birds were something else, but once I passed through the doors of IKEA or Mecca as my mother calls it, I was blissfully happy that I passed up poultry for Swedish meatballs. The amount of stuff I came home with was unreal and I even have two bags still behind our bedroom door out of sight from Bobby. Shhh…don’t tell.

9. Just a reminder that the blog and website are getting a facelift this Saturday morning, and I am offering a major giveaway in celebration of my first year of business being a smashing success. Stay tuned!!

10. And as luck would have it, my toddler is screaming mommy, mommy, MOMMY. Up, up now, up now peas (please), which means I need to go fish him out of the crib and convince him to let me play in the tent we constructed out of chairs and a blanket yesterday. He and the beagle were being very mean about not letting me and the weenie dog inside. Apparently it is a boys only clubhouse.

Have a fabulous rest of the week!

Gus was a champ through his session, but he really came to life when we realized that the studio was just a bit too quiet for his taste. On came the radio with some sports news and we had a dreamy baby on our hands! The station was duly noted by me at the end of the session.

Whitney and Lucas thank you so much for bringing Mr. Gus to see me. I hope to see you again in the future as your sweet babe grows! 

  You get 5 more minutes, camera lady, and then I am done! 

Sweet Megs humored me with the “tie on baby” pose even going so far as to watching a YouTube video on how to correctly tie a tie since both of our snazzy tie wearing hubsters were at work. And…there is nothing more adorable than baby tush, so we stripped William to his skivvies (and beyond) so we could capture that tushie squish. Gotta love it when people feed your creativity. You also have to love the fact that Meghan wanted photos with William. I wish more mamas would let me photograph them with their babies. Seriously, slap on some lipstick and let me take a picture! I promise you will thank me in 5 years! 

William’s previous sessions can be see here, here, and here.

Did I mention that in addition to being a domestic diva, interior decorator, and currently in school pursuing a nursing degree Meghan sews custom clothing for tots? Check her out…http://nutmegsclothing.blogspot.com/…she rocks! 

Thanks for bringing William to see me, Megs, and see you tonight as we continue our Coach to 5K quest!!