Wow, what fun! The annual Cheyenne Bridal Expo this last Sunday was great! Erin and I had a wonderful time meeting and talking with people. I was pretty nervous before hand, but after things got started and we got to talking, I was feeling pretty good, I think Erin was feeling much the same way. Unfortunately, since it was a last minute decision to attend, I didn't have time to prepare any sample albums or have as many display prints as I would have liked. I was able to get a projected slideshow up and running, which I thought was a lot of fun. It gave me the opportunity to show more of what I do other than just having a few sample prints of my best work. Over the rest of the year, we're going to work at getting more studio samples, partly in preparation for next year's bridal show. Yup, that's right, we enjoyed it so much this year we're going back for more next year. I'll post dates closer to the end of the year, as soon as I get them-.

It was interesting to see the wide range of dates that people were planning for; everything from this March to November of 2009. We also got a better understanding of when the more popular weekends were. Most were August, especially the first two weekends. July seemed to come in second, again, especially the first two weekends. I'm guessing the last two weekends of July are less popular because of how busy everything is in town with Frontier Days; that's definitely one thing for couples to keep in mind for that time of year.

I would like to remind all the couples looking at my services, that in order to reserve the day, I need a signed copy of the agreement as well as the retainer fee. Dates are filling up, so the sooner, the better. For those that I may not have had a chance to speak with on Sunday, if you don't see a package that fits your needs, let me know what you're looking for and I'll customize something for you. That's the hard thing about designing packages, you try to provide what you think everyone may need, but they actually only fulfill the needs of a few (hmmm... reminds me of a line from the first Star Trek movie. Ok, yes, I'm a SciFi dork, I admit it). For everyone that made appointments to talk to me further about my services, I look forward to speaking with you!

On another note, I finally got my photos back from the week long behind the scenes coverage I did for the episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that was filmed here in Cheyenne back in August. I did have a chance to look through them real quick and it still boggles the mind how much they leave out on the actual episode and how little of an emphasis they put into all the work and dedication that goes into it from all the people that donate their time and services. Hopefully, starting next week (after I finish a couple other jobs I have this week) I will be able to start editing the photos and create a gallery for you to view. I'm really looking forward to finally having a chance to work on them. Once I get the gallery up, if you see a photo of yourself, let me know and I'll give you a copy of the image.


Until Next Time...
Stay in Focus,

-Keith

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Hi! Keith's just invited me, his lovely wife and partner-in-crime, to contribute to The Blog.
Here's me in a nutshell: writer, sci-fi geek, former classical musician, former florist, now a graphic designer/marketing stiff. I'm a Jill-of-all-trades and I know A Little about A Lot.

(If that doesn't sound well-rounded...)

I'm the behind-the-scenes gal at Keith Turbitt's Shutter-Vision; If you see a brochure or a newsletter, chances are I threw it together. I'll also be doing wedding albums and my style mirrors Keith's: we both really focus on telling the story behind your very special day, and creating an extraordinary memory you'll cherish for years to come.

I'm also going to be expanding the design portion of what I do and offering general design services. Wedding invitations, graduation announcements, birth announcements, general invitations, business cards & stationery, etc., etc., etc. You name it, I can probably do it. Just ask!

You can also expect to see some very special posts from me written exclusively for the Neurotic Bride (tm). (You know who you are.) (Yes, you do.) (Yup, I'm talking to you, there.)

So.

Okay, yes?

(Edited to add: Disclaimer-on a scale of 1-10 of Neurotic Brides, I was about a 20)

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Happy New Year!!

Boy has the last month (actually, the whole year) been crazy, the snowy weather hit a week or two before it did last year, putting a kink in some plans and making getting around ugly at times. I have one or two projects to get caught up with. After that I am turning my sites toward 2008 and hoping to make the best of it.
There's a lot to look forward to.

First event of the year is going to be the Cheyenne Bridal Expo on January 20th. I'm in a mad dash to get things ready for that; display prints, paperwork, website updates. I'm also working on details for a discount I'm going to offer for the brides. I'm actually going to offer this discount to all brides interested in my services for 2008, so keep your eyes here over the next couple of weeks or contact me for more information. I'll also post the details for the bridal expo as soon as I have everything I need to set.

The next event that I'm really excited about is a photography workshop in May. The focus is going to be on Weddings and Bridal photography. I'm really looking forward to this. I attended the workshops this last year under a different instructor, when I returned it really pushed me to do more and better. The images I created were better than what I did the previous year and continued to evolve as I applied different things that I learned. I'm looking forward to learning new techniques and getting that creative spur that helps push me to evolve and improve. It also gives me a chance to mingle and share experiences with other photographers.

As far as projects are concerned, the next one I have in mind is what's called a "self-project," images I’m not being hired to create. I'm going to try and focus on Wyoming Outdoor Sports. Since we're in the season for it I'd like to start by focusing on winter sports: skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, etc. I'm also looking for people that like to participate in these events to be models. If you're interested and have your own equipment, please contact me. I'm going to want to do the same with spring and summer sports as well (jogging, hiking, camping, kayaking, biking, 4-wheeling, etc.), so if you're interested in those contact me as well and we can start planning ahead.

I am starting to get a few other ideas but I need to pace myself, see what kind of time I'm going to have after the bridal expo and go from there. Look for more fun stuff after the first quarter of the year.

Finally, Thanks you to everyone that made 2007 such a great year. With your help, I'm hoping to make 2008 even better. Resolutions for 2008:

1. Find the means to streamline the business side of things to help put more focus on the client and create a better experience for them. I'm currently looking for software and organizational techniques that should help this along,

2. Get in shape. While this may seem like a personal goal, I think it will also help with my business and services.

3. Include my wife in more of the business activities. A things continue to grow I'm starting to realize I can't do it all, especially on my own. Only with her help can things continue to grow.

4. Try and do a blog post at least each month if not twice a month. This I think will be one of the toughest, but also one of the tools that will help keep me focused. It'll force me to sit and think about what I have done and what I'm going to do. Help, me create a roadmap. Most of all, it will keep you informed on what's going on.


I'm really looking forward to 2008 and making it even better than 2007.

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