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senior & family photos in Des Moines, Iowa

December 20, 2012

2012 Goals: 4th Quarter Report

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My time as a high school teacher taught me how to instantly connect with teens and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. I love photographing high school seniors all over the Greater Des Moines Metro and Midwest (yes, I’m willing to travel). 

Hi, I'm Carrie

I’m glad we were able to accomplish several of these goals in the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the year because the 4th quarter was dominated by first trimester fatigue and growing another human. (It takes some serious work!) I didn’t mind the fatigue (a friend has mentioned that it’s the best reason to be miserable) and it taught me that not everything has to get done RIGHT THIS SECOND. I am still going to make a list of goals of all kinds for 2013, knowing 3rd quarter will be dominated by aforementioned human coming into this world, Lord willing. 🙂

You can see how we fared first, second, and third quarters with these links.

Without further adieu, here’s the last report of my goals of 2012….

Photography
1. Educate myself more on photography.

MAGAZINES
-Rangefinder
-Click
-Behind the Shutter (FREE!! online subscription)

COMING UP
-Photoshop/Lightroom (rewatch) from creativelive.com.

2. Create 2011 Portfolio album

3. Have new Thank You postcards printed.

4. Drop business cards more often (use them up!)

5. Find 3 new places to shoot.

6. Look into a website or blogsite option.

**7. Same Day Slide Show.
I hadn’t listed it here until now because it seemed like a pipe dream and I didn’t know how it would fly. But, I really wanted to be able to do a Same-Day Slideshow for a wedding. At my last wedding of the year, I had a second shooter who covered the meet & greet hour while the ceremony site was flipped to house the reception. During that hour, I gathered my favorite 40 images from my own cards, edited them very lightly and put them into a slide show in Lightroom 3. Thinking I’d just put it on the Guest Table, my second shooter recommended putting it on the big screen of our church’s sanctuary where the reception was going to be held. The geniuses behind the media booth rock and got my laptop hooked up to the projector. Bada boom, bada bing! The wedding party, bride & groom got to see a huge photo of the whole wedding party as they were introduced on the Grand Entrance. While people ate, the 40 images were looped on the big screen for all to see. It may have seemed small to the media folks in the booth, but it felt HUGE to me! A definite, measurable achievement for my business. Done.

Health & Personal
7. Continue to commit scripture to memory.
Working through Psalm 139 as a refresher. I’d memorized this about 18 months ago, but it’s not permanently in my brain yet, so we’re having another go at it.

8. Keep exercising 3 times a week.
There were definitely some days early in pregnancy that I didn’t want to go, didn’t feel that I had the energy to do anything. But apparently, exercising gives you some energy and for me, it was at least enough to make the drive home from the gym! At the urging of my school schedule and body’s needs, we’re going to do just one afternoon a week with Patrick and possibly a Pilates class to keep flexibility up.
Tuesday-Pilates class @ gym
Thursday-with Patrick the Trainer
Saturday-assignment from Patrick the Trainer on my own.

9. FLOSS

10. Stand up straight!
-work in progress

11. GREET GERARD AT THE DOOR WHEN HE COMES HOME. (Be a better cheerleader-even if that means going out and buying a pleated skirt and pom-poms.)
-getting better

12. Grow what Gerard will eat in the garden

13. Keep adding dairy back into my diet
Newest addition?? PIZZA & 4 spoonfuls of ICE CREAM!!!! Perfect way to celebrate my birthday. 🙂

Home
14. Sell office furniture via Craigs List or Facebook.

15. Purge unnecessary items. If it’s not beautiful, I don’t love it, nor have used it in the past 2 years, it’s outta here!

16. Move more trellis to raspberry bush (it’s steadily taking over it’s little corner of the yard!)

17. For our home this year, the name of the game is STORAGE. In the garage, in the basement, in the shed, in our closets. Organized, clean and logical.

18. White trim upstairs (door jams and windows)

19. Paint/seal deck

20. New doors for our upstairs rooms-they’re beat up, hollow, and spakled with paint from when this was a foreclosure…

21. Landscape north side of house very, very simply with low, low maintenance plants.

22. Redecorate basement desk area to be more conducive to productive work.

23. Paint kitchen island white.

24. Plant more bulbs in the fall: hyacinths, daffodils and let’s try iris if possible…
-As first trimester fatigue set in, it was all I could do to keep up with my photography clients! And Gerard’s schedule didn’t allow for it this year, but I’m banking on the fact that bulbs multiply underground. 🙂

In the past I’ve tried to make seeing professional grade concerts and going to farmer’s markets goals and it’s never happened to the degree I’d like. So this year, I just want to get out of the house and take advantage of what Des Moines has to offer more often.
-Tonic Sol Fa
-Les Miserables

DESIRES
1. photograph 4 weddings
Jen + Jason 3.18.12
Aimee + Troy 6.2.12
-Phitsamai + Evan 8.18.12
Sara + Sam 9.22.12
Rachael + Ned 10.6.12
-Rebecca + Nolan 12.16.12 (photos forthcoming!)

2. increase income after expenses by 10%.

3. photograph 4 new families

4. photograph 2 seniors.

5. decide whether I want to invest in a 70-200 2.8 or a 35mm 1.8.

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Hi, I'm Carrie

My time as a high school teacher taught me how to instantly connect with teens and make them feel comfortable in front of the camera. I love photographing high school seniors all over the Greater Des Moines Metro and Midwest (yes, I’m willing to travel). 

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