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The month of Elul

Posted on September 7, 2011 by Naomi

The Jewish month of Elul, which precedes the High Holy Days, is a special time of renewal and reflection, a chance to do some real spiritual growth. We look to begin the year with a clean slate, starting anew, refreshed.

I have loved the “Jewels of Elul” for seven years now and this year is no exception. Every day in my e-mail inbox (and the inboxes of about 17,000 others) is a little jewel of light… stories, anecdotes and introspection. Sign up for your own.

“If for an instant God were to forget that I am rag doll and gifted me with a piece of life… I would sleep little, dream more, understanding that for each minute we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of Light.” ~ Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Rabbi Dr. Reuven Hammer says that “because these days are filled with so much meaning and potency, they require a special measure of readiness. We are called upon to enter them thoughtfully and to consider what they mean. Jewish tradition points to the name of the month as symbolically appropriate–the letters of Elul form an acronym for the words in the verse Ani le‑dodi ve‑dodi li–“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song of Songs 6:3). Believing that the “beloved” refers to God, the sages take this verse to describe the particularly loving and close relationship between God and Israel. Elul, then, is our time to establish this closeness so that we can approach the Yamim Noraim, or Days of Awe, in trusting acceptance of God’s judgment. We approach the trial not out of fear, but out of love.”

The very purpose of this 29-day reflection period is to become aware of our failings, sit with them for awhile, and seek forgiveness from ourselves, others and God. Like anything worth doing, change takes awareness and hard work.

Posted in Spirituality | Tagged Elul, High Holy Days, repentance | Leave a comment

Business 101: week 1 assignment

Posted on September 6, 2011 by Naomi

Here are my answers for the first week’s assignment for “So You Want to Start a Business,” a Clickin Moms online class.

1. List some reasons for wanting to start a photography business. At first, I instinctively shied away from the idea because I didn’t want to have to think about my turning my fun hobby into passionless drudgery. I began reading other mom photographer blogs and saw the work they are doing and decided I could do that too. So now I need to decide if I want to. I enjoy making something artistic. I am so touched when I hear compliments on my photo work or see my work displayed in my friends’ homes. I also need to be very busy in order to feel like I’m at my best, with the proper balance, of course. I need other interests outside of being a SAHM. I have a lot more to learn both artistically and technically, which will keep me interested. If I could earn income from it eventually, why not try it? If it becomes a burden, I’m out. I have nothing to lose. It’s rewarding for me to see something come together from start to finish (session to delivery and happy customer). I LOVE the idea of preserving/creating memories for my clients to have forever. Finally, I love to show that there is extraordinary in the ordinary.

2. Determine what Successful Business Startup is right for you. Ask yourself these questions and write down your answers.

What do I like to do with my time? Besides spending time with my family, I like to sit in front of the computer reading blogs and editing pictures or lay in bed reading a book or magazine. I LOVE organizing and cleaning, as well as scrapbooking. Of course, I love exploring the world through the camera’s lens. I am an introvert, so I like being alone after a busy day out and about.

What technical skills have I learned or developed and am I at the level that I feel is adequate to start a photography business? I shoot in manual without flash 99% of the time. I’m good at edits in PS Elements. I know there is much to learn, which is exciting to me. I want to start shooting in RAW but I need more memory cards first! I would like to batch process in LR. I can provide quality images from a photo shoot and I love doing it. I instinctively feel where the good pictures are. Hmm. I have doubts only because there are so many people out there with better/different skills.

What do others say I am good at? (Things that may be an asset to owning a home business) Organizing, accounting, time management, multitasking, hard work. People are comfortable around me. I have good people skills and I love taking pictures of children and babies.

Will I have the support of my family? Yes. I have a wonderful support system. My husband and my parents are great at taking care of my daughter. I am also motivated to show my daughter that mommy does something outside of taking care of her.

How much time do I have to devote to this? Yeah, that’s the issue really. I have three preschool mornings a week, one or two afternoons, and some weekend time if necessary. I can get up early and work (this is my favorite time since I’m fresh and it’s quiet). I’d have to cut down the post-production time. I will aim for one session per week.

3. Let’s identify the niche your business will fill:

What area of specialty? Children and families

What services or products will I sell? Digital images on CD; photobooks

Is it practical and will it fill a need? Yes. My circle of friends want super cute pictures of their kids but not everyone wants to buy a DSLR or knows how to achieve some of the effects.

Who is my competition? Known photographer friends, those who have props or a studio. I’m not really competing against the mall portrait places since those are cookie cutter and not very creative, nor do they shoot on location.

What is my business advantage over existing photography businesses? What can I offer that they might not be able to? Flexibility. Approachability. Also, I’ve invested nothing so I could walk away if I want to. I strive to catch natural moments whereas some of the competition is more posed.

Can I deliver a better quality service than my competition? Hmm. I think I’m lacking confidence.

Can I create a demand for my business? That’s a tough one. I haven’t focused on advertising/marketing yet. I think people feel comfortable with me and so I’ve been relying on word of mouth.

4. Pre-business checklist:

What skills/experience do I bring? Personality, creativity, energy, passion, ability to multitask, desire to learn and push myself, organizational skills.

How will I maintain business records? I’m looking into Bizbooks.

What equipment/supplies will I need? Website, branding, logo, portfolio book? DVD cases and packaging, business license, insurance, props, soft light, backdrop. I would love to upgrade my camera once the 5d Mark iii is released!!! Oh, and I’d like a Mac too. 🙂

How will I compensate myself? I’ll probably reinvest my profits into the business to buy equipment. This is really a hobby, not a profession, at least for the time being. I’m trying to decide if I want to take it further.

What are my resources? Continuing education, books, photography blogs.

How will I purchase equipment? I’ll purchase what I need from my profits.

Where will business be located? I will shoot on location and do the admin part at home.

What will I name my business? Poetic Aperture by Naomi Wittlin

SWOT Analysis
Strengths: attributes that are helpful to achieving the objective

organized
love photography
personable
excellent communication skills
strong technical understand of camera; post-processing
eye for composition
great multi-tasker
perfectionist
always striving to learn more
flexibility
authentic

Weaknesses: attributes that are harmful to achieving the objective

introverted sometimes
I dislike selling
I have a hard time asking for help
I have a hard time saying no
perfectionist
busy mom
post processing takes me too long

Opportunities: external conditions that are helpful to achieving the objective

existing relationships
future relationships in our congregation and my daughter’s preschool

Threats: external conditions which could do damage to the objective

balance between being a SAHM and work.
lack of time
oversaturated market

Posted in Photography | Tagged Clickin Moms, photography class, starting a business | 3 Comments

Cute cookies

Posted on September 5, 2011 by Naomi

Check out these cookies from Manjar Sweets. They have other designs for holidays and special occasions. So cute!

Posted in Creativity, Photography | Tagged cookies, manjar sweets, Photography | Leave a comment

Our home: final before and after pictures

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Naomi

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, our future home. Ta da!

We have inspections on Tuesday. We close on September 15.

(See yesterday’s post for the “before” picture of the front exterior.)

The gas company was out yesterday to turn on the gas and test everything. Soup’s on!

The wine cooler was finally out of our apartment laundry room and installed in it’s proper place…

The electrician installed our speakers and connected them to our stereo. We’ll have music in the living room, master bedroom, and patio.

The house has a ton of closet space.

So that’s it. Three and a half months, mwah hmm extra dollars, lots of time and thoughtful decisions, and much sweating in the unairconditioned house during this unbearably humid Texas summer. I’m so glad we chose to do this and I can hardly wait to begin living here!

See previous house updates here, here, here, here, and here.

Posted in Home, Photography | Tagged before and after, construction, home renovation, new house, remodel | 5 Comments

Extreme landscaping: before and after

Posted on September 2, 2011 by Naomi

The front and back yards of the soon-to-be-ours house was like a blank canvas just calling for some landscaping. Like most things thus far, I wasn’t content to go with the original plan of some mulch and a few shrubs. If we’re going to do this, let’s do it right. Sooooooo…

In the front, after adding soil and mulch, we planted boxwood shrubs next to the house, with Agapanthus filling the beds and lantana and 1 gallon hybiscus as a border. We put a jasmine vine around our two trees because the roots are so high that not much else will grow there. Going toward the backyard along the driveway, we lined our new fence with white rock to prevent weeds. In the back against the fence are 3 gallon hybiscus, more Agapanthus (Agapanthi?), and day lillies. There’s also some knock out roses around an area of water pumps at the back of the house. We filled in the rest of the lawn with grass and eventually, when our small fountain arrives, we’ll have a flower bed around that as well, just off the master bedroom. It’s all very beautiful and makes a big difference.

The backyard fence is a different story entirely. We originally decided not to do anything to it, but as it got very close to today’s appraisal (insert nervous jitters here), we noticed that it was leaning quite a bit and didn’t look very attractive. If we tried powerwashing it, it might have even fallen over. So after learning from the neighbor who shares the fence that she didn’t have any interest in splitting the cost of a new fence with us, we looked into whether we should repair the existing fence or start anew. We decided to leave that fence in place and build a completely new fence on our side.

It’s gorgeous and very solid; the posts are three feet into the ground and secured with quite a bit of concrete. Interestingly enough, the neighbor asked our workers if they’d go ahead and tear that original fence down, which took little effort since it was practically rotted through. It wouldn’t have lasted a year. Still, did she offer to pay for half of the new fence? Nope. (Sigh.)