It’s been almost forever since I’ve blogged anything but weddings and portrait sessions here on the blog, but today I’m mixing it up! We want to share some news that we are super excited about. From the outside it might seem like a step back, but in reality it is purely a step forward for us, so don’t get confused.
About 8 years ago I moved my office outside of our home. I was beyond excited and felt like this really meant my business was heading in the right direction. A more “grown-up” and mature direction. I was able to start offering in-person order sessions to my portrait clients, and had a place to meet with potential brides and grooms. I shared the space with 2 other friends (hey Robin and Karynn!), and it was such a great stepping stone for me.
After being there a year, Ryan left his full-time corporate job. We completely rebranded to become a husband and wife team and signed a lease at a gorgeous little space in midtown. We stayed there around 4 years, and I loved every second of being in that space. The hardwood floors, the old windows, and the location couldn’t be beaten. But after awhile we got some new, louder neighbors downstairs, and our parking spaces dwindled and starting causing some issues for our clients. At the same time our rent went up, and it just didn’t seem like somewhere we wanted to stay any longer.
The time came to look for a new home, and we set our eyes on the funky Railroad Square Art Park. Ryan loved the idea more than me (I think because Proof Brewing was within a few feet of any storefront). The rent was affordable, parking seemed fine, and they were doing some construction work to improve the area, so we went for it. I struggled really hard at first because none of our cottage-style furniture meshed with this new industrial space. I went on a rampage trying to swap everything out to fit an “industrial glam” theme, and was finally happy with the furniture and things we had in there. We also had a huge 30+ foot wall in the back where we could hang a background system and have more space for actual studio work. I was excited about the prospect of doing more indoor work.
Well turns out, I don’t like it. Even though the space was bigger, it still wasn’t big enough, and I didn’t pursue booking more studio business. Railroad has it quirks, and keeping the place clean started to feel like a full-time job. It’s a very happy home to lots of daddy longlegs spiders, and every time I’d walk in the door I was having to rehome those little boogers. There is no central heating and air, and our window unit struggled to keep up in the summer heat. I was just over. it. We have been there for 3.5 years.
Meanwhile at home, we were slowly but surely redecorating our living/dining room space. For the last 10 years we had been sitting on couches from my first college apartment. We had a teenaged daughter and small dog at home. But daughter went off to college, my pup passed away 3.5 years ago, and it was time to finally get “grown-up” furniture. All of a sudden I realized that all the reasons why we moved the studio away from home in the first place didn’t exist any more. This space feels like “us”, and I want to be comfortable when meeting with potential clients instead of worrying if the room is too hot.
*Cliffs Notes, skip to this part* So with all that said, we are purging a lot of things at the current studio in preparation to downsize and do all of our meetings from home! We decided a few weeks ago and it has been the biggest weight off my shoulders – I know we’re making the right decision.
What will change? Earlier this year I pretty much stopped offering in-studio newborn sessions, so those will definitely cease to exist on our menu of offerings. Instead we will focus on “lifestyle”, at-home newborn sessions so that you can be comfortable in your own space, and document your nursery as well.
We will no longer offer studio headshots at our place, but instead will be portable to come to you if you need a professional headshot.
I will leave you with some of my favorite in-home newborn images! Also, keep an eye out on our Instagram stories for furniture and things we’ll be selling over the next month. Thanks everyone! Onward and upward!!
