There have been a few Year in Review posts in my Facebook feed the last few weeks.  I haven’t felt the urge to click on any because I can see from the excerpt text they are about how wonderful 2016 was.  Thinking about writing this post I really thought the best thing I could say about 2016 was I survived, literally.  At least there are pictures LOL.

The Good.

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Sessions – I started the year with my first quarter almost fully booked and so many returning new faces, even got to see several of my previous newborns as big siblings.

Publications – I ended 2015 with my first published article and followed up with 4 additional articles and one image feature in 2016.

Embracing Growth – The Long Way Home (Volume III: Change)

Visiting Hours Only – Lemonade and Lenses (Newborn Issue – Feb 2016)

10 Tips for In-Home Family Photography – Mozi (Lifestyle Issue – April 2016)

Wir Waren Hier – Eltern (August 2016)

I Am Not The Same – The Long Way Home (Volume VI: The Courage Issue)

 

The Bad.

Oh if I look at the statistics, which my brain loves to do, I failed to even match any of my business measures from 2015, much less the goals I set for 2016.  This is the first year I haven’t met or exceeded my goals so I am just going to call it a wash.  I still have more blog posts in draft form than I published the entire year, but this just means I have a jump on 2017 right?  Here is what I did publish in 2016 outside client sessions.

 

The Ugly.

This is the first year I missed more than half the days in my Project 365 for Slackers.  When all was tallied there were several times I didn’t take a non-iPhone image for 2+ weeks.  I only did one personal Day in the Life.  It was a whole new level of slacking.  I did post my Top 16 in 2016, personal images only.

Over the last few years I have seen a photographers I admired close up shop and I never understood the urge.  That is until this year.  The business made it out alive, The Stories We Tell however did not.  There are a lot of reasons, most not worth listing, but the main reason is it was just time to let it go.  I will continue to offer the materials through individual and small-group mentoring, but have no plans to offer the workshops in the immediate future.

I will say this review I received from Edyta in the October workshop almost made me change my mind.  It is always really humbling to receive such kind words.

I am someone who can say that Colie’s Business of Telling Stories workshop has divided their life into “before and after.”

For a very long time I was a photography enthusiast (still am 😉  but also an amateur who didn’t treat my hobby seriously enough to make it a bigger part of my life. And then as I found myself at the crossroads of my professional life I “accidentally” bumped into Colie’s workshop and plunged into the deep waters of the Business of Telling Stories. 

In short, it gave me the confidence and solid grounds to start thinking about making photography my way of making a living. I am at the beginning of my journey but I feel like I have already taken the biggest step. 

In her workshop Colie gives you the tools you need to start up your own business. She leads you step by step explaining everything you need to know. Her experience as a successful and amazingly creative professional is invaluable and serves as a source of inspiration and know-how. 

If you want to give photography business a try, Colie would be your best mentor.  

 

Just a personal note, I refuse to place the blame for The Ugly solely at the doorstep of my illness.  Losing my sight was awful but it taught me a lot.  The importance of family and that at the end of the day nothing related to a profession is more important than them.  I really hope 2017 is a great year not just for Colie James Photography, but for me (Nicole).  I am going to be very cautious about setting goals this year, let’s just see what happens.

 

Happy New Year!