Fall Update and Winter Plans – Sweet Pickle Pictures – Manhattan, KS Photographer

Hello all! I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving week! I’m going to jump right into this and apologize to clients who are still patiently waiting on their fall sessions – unfortunately fall has not been kind to us this year in the health department! We haven’t had a week without some sort of illness in our home for 4 straight weeks now. This means I’ve clocked in a lot of couch hours, whether it was being mommy to a sick kiddo, or unable to get up and around myself. To say this has made a dent in my productivity is an understatement! Fall is always a hectic pace, and unfortunately one small bump in the road tends to create a domino effect, so while I continue to work hard to get caught up, I may need a little extra patience this year. It definitely was not in my game plan to fall this behind. If I haven’t sent you a couple of images for your Christmas cards and you are still waiting on your session – let me know and I will work a couple of edits into my workflow to send along!  Below is the next four sessions that I am working on. I am going to attempt to keep this section updated as well as possible, so if you’re waiting on a session feel free to bookmark this and refresh it every now and then!

Next four sessions in the queue are:

• Foutch Newborn (in progress)

Even though my life is ALL about editing right now, I am also setting aside some time to plan winter sessions! Currently I am booking studio milestones for babies and small children for the months of January through March! I also have room in my schedule for studio and lifestyle newborn sessions starting in February, so now is a good time to get in touch and get things on the books! Since I do have a little more wiggle room in my schedule this winter vs. last winter, I’m also going to flesh out an idea that has been floating around my head for a year or two. I cannot divulge full details as I need just a wee bit more time to plan things, but will be announcing more by the end of December or beginning of January and I’m super excited!  Essentially what it will boil down to are themed mini sessions – and not just one, but THREE events/chances to be involved with those and get some fun updated images of your little ones in our nice warm studio this winter! These sessions will be limited and will likely be held on weekdays to keep weekends open for full bookings (and my family!) If you think this might interest you, keep an eye on my facebook page as well as here for an announcement later this year. The first round will be happening sometime in January, so I definitely intend to set aside some time to flesh things out!

In closing, I want to thank all my fall clients again – this time of year definitely requires patience, and I fully appreciate those of you who have given it to me in spades. Fall is the busiest season for those of us who focus on families and despite fully knowing the drawbacks of filling my calendar too full, it’s very hard to turn away clients who I’ve worked with for years. Every fall I take on more than what I say I will, and the more I shoot, the less time I have to catch up on the back end of this business which inevitably leads to falling behind on editing, emails and orders. Sessions have slowed down for the year, so if we can all stay healthy for a week or two, I’m hoping to make great strides in getting sessions back to you! That said, I do not rush my editing and I fully believe in giving my October and November sessions the same full attention I provide the rest of the year as this is a huge part of my work ethic. I want your session to be perfect and sometimes that means waiting just a little longer than planned, but I hope that in the end you will feel that it was worth it. I love all my clients and I want the very best hanging on your walls!

And because all posts are just better with a visual, here are some recently completed fall images I grabbed and threw together. It’s hard to believe (looking out the window as sleet is coming down) that the world looked like this just a few short weeks ago! One thing I absolutely love about opening my computer in the morning is being reminded of just how beautiful and absolutely fleeting this season can be and I love all the sunsets I have shared with you and your families not just this fall, but this whole year! Thank you for allowing me to be a witness to your incredible love for each other and your very real and important life moments!  ~ Cristen