Cardinal in the Snow
Posted on February 7, 2011
I saw this beautiful cardinal at Beaver Lake yesterday. Such a pretty red against all of this white snow that we have!
Wrapping up 2010
Posted on December 31, 2010
Someone told me that I need to get some new stuff up here on my blog (Hi Patty!!). Yes, I am so sorry that I have been neglecting this space recently. I ask you to forgive me, and I hope to do better in the new year. The past couple of months I have been completely burned out and haven’t had much to say. But I’ve had the past week off, have gotten lots of sleep, and I am ready to get back in the swing of things!
First, some old business: I have a couple of orders that were placed recently that have come in and will be delivered this weekend. Holidays really mess with my schedule. Be looking for an email from me to set up a good time for delivery. Also, if you had a portrait session this year and want to order any additional prints, please let me know right away. This weekend I start archiving all of this year’s client galleries. I will waive the re-upload fee now through Sunday, January 2nd for those who want to place an order. Your gallery will be available to you for one week, and I must have your order in that time period. Call or email me as soon as possible!
Good news! I finally have a working answering machine on my home phone. I hope that everyone has been using my business number (308-1567) which has voicemail that works. If you have tried my home number in the past few weeks (592-2356) and have left a message, I haven’t received it. But I got a new phone for Christmas and everything should be good on both numbers now! Also, I have a couple of emails that I need to return, but I am forcing myself to be truly on vacation this week, so I will get back to you after the first of the year.
New items of note: Those of you who have been following this blog for a while know that in 2009 I did Project 365, which involves taking one picture every day for the entire year. (If you’re interested in seeing the whole year’s pictures, click here: Project 365.) I decided not to try that again in 2010, because I felt it was too much for me to handle. The pressure to come up with a somewhat interesting picture every single day was killing me. But in looking through this year’s image files, I see I have almost no personal pictures at all. A couple of soccer games, some swim meets, and the pics I took of the boys when we were in Princeton over summer vacation. Oh, and some of our new puppy. That’s pretty much it. So, in order to force myself to take more pictures of my family and my personal life in 2011, I am starting up Project 365 again. It will have a new name this year – One Frame a Day – and will have a goal of maybe 300 pictures total for the year. That way if there’s just nothing interesting to shoot on a given day, I won’t have to stress about it. I will be posting my pictures here daily (or almost daily). Feel free to leave comments. The more comments I get, the more likely I am to stick with this project!! 
Scheduling: As I mentioned, I am on vacation this week. I have been thoroughly enjoying loafing around the house, reading books, watching the boys play the Wii, and eating good food. But all good things must end eventually, and I will be going back to work at school on Monday. I will also be winding up the late December orders, the book designs, and the other loose ends from 2010 next week. At that point Jen Marriner Photography will be CLOSED until April 1st. Yes, you read that right. I am closing up to give my batteries a chance to recharge and to be prepared for a great 2011 season. However, those clients who are enrolled in my Baby’s First Year plans who have a session scheduled during January, February, or March should not panic. I will still be doing those sessions. Also, I may accept a very limited number of maternity/newborn clients during those three months. But any newborn sessions must, must, MUST be held in the baby’s first two weeks. If that’s not possible, the session will have to wait till I reopen in April. Please contact me if you or someone you know might be interested in grabbing one of these few newborn spots.
Big Changes: There are a few big changes coming this year, most of which I will tell you about later on. But perhaps the biggest change will be the way in which I handle session scheduling. Because I got so overwhelmed with portrait sessions this past summer (and because I forgot how to say “No”), I am going to be limiting the number of sessions that I do each month. Over the next few weeks I will be going over my 2011 calendar and determining which dates will be open for sessions. Current Jen Marriner Photography clients will get first dibs on these dates. After they have had a chance to choose their dates, I will release the remaining session dates to everyone else. If you wish to be notified when these dates are made available, please email me and I will put you on the list.
OK, I think that’s about it for now. It’s late and I need some sleep. But I will leave you with a little look at Christmas 2010 in the Marriner house. Pictures taken with my brand-new Canon S95 point & shoot. Thanks, Mom!
Happy Birthday, Grant!
Posted on November 11, 2010
Twelve years ago today I first discovered what it meant to love someone more than life itself. He was six pounds, ten ounces of pure sweetness. He gave us some scares in those first days, but he has grown into a strong, smart, funny, loving young man, and I am so proud of him. Happy Birthday, Grant!
Where I’ve been…
Posted on October 1, 2010
Oh, blog, I’m so sorry I have been neglecting you! It’s been over three weeks since my last post. I can’t believe it’s been that long!!
I have a whole bunch of sneak peeks coming up for you today. I apologize to all of you who have been waiting so very patiently for your sneak peeks. A couple of these are so overdue that the whole galleries are almost done!
So, what’s been going on the past few weeks that I’ve been too busy to blog?
In a word… life.
This is always a very tough and very busy time of year for me. But this year has been especially difficult. I’ve learned a couple of important lessons, the most important of which is to learn to say “no.” I need to say it more often so that I don’t end up doing over twenty shoots in one month, like I did in August. It’s just too much for one person who is trying to balance family life with business life. So expect some changes in my scheduling next year. There will be fewer sessions available per month, and the dates that are available will be set at the beginning of the year.
Another change that is effective now is that I will be doing most of my Jen Marriner Photography work on the weekends, and spending less time on it during the week. This is to preserve my sanity. Now that I am back to work at my tutoring job, and now that the boys’ activities (soccer, swim team, Scouts) are back in full swing, my weekdays are just jammed full. I will still be doing editing in the evenings when I can, but emails and ordering will mostly be done on the weekends. If you have an urgent matter I will of course respond as soon as I can, but in most cases it may take a few days for me to get back to you.
Changes in my ordering system: Orders will now be placed on the Sunday following the receipt of your payment. Prints will be available for pickup or delivery on the following Saturday. Canvases, photobooks, albums, and other specialty items will take a bit longer and you will be notified when they are ready. Doing all of my ordering at one time each week will help me maintain a more orderly work flow.
In other news, I am now completely booked for the rest of 2010. If you are interested in a portrait session for the spring of 2011, please let me know and I will add you to my list. Once I have set my session dates for 2011 I will contact you so that you can pick your date.
OK, I think that’s it for now. Be looking for some sneak peeks later this afternoon. But for now, enjoy this little preview of the fall foliage…
Tim Conners Benefit
Posted on August 20, 2010
Don’t forget that tomorrow is the big benefit in support of Tim Conners and his family, being held from noon-6:00 at Lakeview Lanes in Fulton. Tim is in a battle against leukemia, and needs all the love and support we can offer him. And with the medical bills involved with a bone marrow transplant still ahead of them, they need your help financially as well. That’s why I have donated the Tug For Tim Portrait Package for tomorrow’s silent auction. This package has a value of $575.00, and I hope that the bidding goes really high on this. If it gets close to the actual value, I may throw in some extras for the winner!
And if you need more information on the benefit, click here: Tim Conners Benefit. You can also show your support by joining the Tug For Tim Facebook page, and by following Tim’s updates on his CaringBridge site. I hope to see everyone tomorrow at Lakeview Lanes!!