Take 2

I am thrilled to announce that on July 14^th I officially started my photography business… again. Three years ago I was known as Photos by Stephanie. My specialty was family Christmas photos, and back then my services also included creating photo movie DVDs. After one year into the business, finding the time to build it up became frustrating. Several factors came into play: 1. Scott was now traveling 100%. 2. Both children were starting to get involved with extracurricular activities. Those two factors alone made it very difficult to be available for clients and balance family time. 3. It pains me to say this but I was beginning to lose the passion for photography. I started to notice that no one would bring their camera to events and I became the sole person responsible for taking all of the shots. Some of these were non-family events in which people expected those pictures for free. (Not that I don’t mind it from time to time, just not all the time.) 4. Printing photos is not my forte. Therefore I only offered photo CDs, but really wanted to offer clients more choices. 5. And the one factor that shut Photos by Stephanie down to a complete halt was our decision to live in Australia for a few months.

Adjusting back home from our land down under adventure took quite awhile. The last thing I had on my mind was getting back into the business. I think it took almost a year before I even thought about it. And whenever it did cross my mind, I was determined to make it better. I wanted to have the ability for clients to view their sessions and choose from a variety of product from a professional lab. But starting back up was still something I kept looking to do in the far off future. I still had Scott traveling, the kids now in more things than ever, and more responsibilities on my plate– but then I realized something very crucial. If I was ever going to restart my dream, it had to be now. I had to make time for it or I would be making plans and excuses for the rest of my life. So with the support and assistance of my number one fan, we began researching websites and labs and discussing how we could make this work. Scott found a wonderful website called SmugMug to host my business page as well as provide printing. After a crash course in web design code, things were up and running. Why the name change, you may ask? I wanted a new beginning. Plus, using my first and middle name just seemed to flow better. There are many people to thank for believing in me, but I have to give credit to those who have shown such amazing support throughout this entire process: First and foremost – Scott, who has been and always will be my rock, my first three clients – Christy, Trish & Missy who took a chance by hiring me, my incredible cousin-in-law, Jackie whose Sarasota photography business is just out of this world, dealt with many inquiries about the biz and is such an inspiration (please check out her website – located on the side of this blog – Jacquelyn Marie Photography), my Uncle Dean whose encouragement and compliments keep me going, and to my Mom, Dad and brother, Matthew who are my cheerleaders. They remind me to stay focused on what’s important.

So, I’m back! I’m the owner and photographer of Stephanie Reneé Photography and am open and ready for business! (If you haven’t checked out my website or photography blog, please stop by and take a look: webpage: www.stephaniereneephotography.com and blog: www.stephaniereneephotography. blogspot.com. )