Nicole Neff

Tomorrow, Tyler and I are taking a day off of work to head to Indy for the Warped Tour! It’s about a 4-hour trip for us to the Verizon Wireless Music Center, but we are fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of people. And everyone says we should do this kind of thing while we’re young…and don’t have kids. So why not?

Plus, the tickets were free! My boss won the tickets on the radio for me (I was trying to call in, but didn’t get through…she did, and I’m so happy!); I’m widely known as the girl who wins stuff on the radio…seriously, I’ve seen live Gretchen Wilson (and met her backstage…I have the picture to prove it), Brad Paisley, Dancing with the Stars and Larry the Cable Guy. All from calling in to the radio. But this time, I owe it to her.

We may not seem like Warped Tour kind of people. I think it’s a little more punk/alternative than we normally would like, but since my husband is a musician, we try to see as many musical acts as possible. It’s good for the creative juices and opens your mind up to other styles to infuse into your own music. Or so I’m told. I’m not the musical one in the family.

Most of the acts, we’ve never heard of. However, one of our favorite Christian bands, RelientK, is going to be there. The “I Kissed a Girl” girl, Katy Perry, is going to be there, too. I’m not crazy about her, but Tyler likes her. Gee, couldn’t imagine why. ; ) I’m also going to try to catch Gymclass Heroes and Angels and Airwaves.

It’s going to be a hot one, for sure, but I love stuff like this. What’s better than being with your favorite guy, hitting the road and seeing some awesome musical acts for free?

And because I love putting pictures in my posts, here’s one from last weekend when my mom and dad were in town. We made our annual trip to Holiday World, and man was it a hot one. We spent a lot of time at the water park, not only because it was hot, but also because my sister is prego and can’t ride rides. Doesn’t she look so cute with her little belly pooch?

Family outing to Holiday World

And here’s one of me…and Tyler groping Santa. What am I going to do with that husband of mine?

The Neffs with Santa

Anyone who knows me will probably tell you I’m passionate about photography. Anytime there is an event worth remembering, I’ll probably be found with my camera in hand. I’m often begging people to let me take their picture. Everyday, I peruse tons of blogs to learn new techniques, poses and tips. Yup, I’m obsessed.

While I’ve learned a lot in the short time I’ve done photography, there is still something I’ve yet to do — shoot completely in manual mode. I dabbled with it in my photography class this past year, but hadn’t learned it well enough to be confident with it. I’ve been shooting in shutter- or aperture-priority modes for ages now. I’ve wanted to go manual for quite some time, but never quite found the right opportunity to practice it; I’ve been too afraid to do it one an actual photo shoot. But this past Sunday at our church picnic, I challened myself to shoot completely manual. There was no pressure, so I could play around with it and not worry about not capturing certain shots. And I have to say, I love it! You have so much more control over how your images turn out. Not sure I’ll ever go back now! (All of these images are straight out of the camera; no Photoshopping at all)

Here are some pictures of my hubby Tyler at the picnic this past Sunday. Isn’t he cute?

Tyler

Tyler shooting skeet

Tyler cooling off by the fan

Elana on the trampoline

Elana in the sandbox

Here’s another one that I like because of the splattering of the egg. I made it a little bigger so you could see the goop…

Yolky mess

You can see more of this fun picnic on my church’s blog.

So what challenge are you really wanting to take on but are too afraid to try? I’d encourage you to get out there and try, try and try again. The worst you could do is fail, but every failure is a learning experience. Which means, really, you actually succeed!

Because I want my clients to be able to have great prints to hang up on their walls after our sessions, I’ve decided to add in a little bonus to my portrait prices…$100 in ordering credit! That means that you get the 2 hours session time, at least 15 images professionally edited, online proofing and ordering, and $100 in products of your choice. How awesome is that?

This would be especially great for seniors and families to take advantage of before school starts up again. Fill out the contact page of my web site and set up a portrait session right away…this deal may not last forever!

And because it’s rare to find a picture of me since I’m always behind the camera, here’s a little picture that David of Cathy+David Photography took of me at a meeting in Indy this past week. Thanks for capturing me when I’m not making one of my many silly/animated faces, David!

Photo by David of Cathy+David Photography

Location: Downtown Evansville.

Family: Clint, Misty and Isaac Majors.

Weather: Muggy, hot and hazy.

Pictures: AWESOME! Aren’t they a cute family? Made my job easy!

Seriously, I had so much fun taking this family’s pictures. They let me do some crazy things with them to experiment with angles, compositions and locations. We were all hot and sunburned after we were done, but I think it was worth it; I couldn’t be any more pleased with the outcome.

Our first stop was at a Methodist church in Evansville that had these amazing stained glass windows. We walked up to the church and Misty admitted she really wasn’t sure the location was going to work. But I’ve driven past it several times on the way home from work, envisioning this very next shot. What do you think?

Majors family photo shoot by Nicole Neff Photography

There were SO many other great shots that I think we’re going to have a hard time narrowing it down. Tough problem to have, right?

(Image straight out of the camera, no photoshopping)

Without further ado, meet the Causeys: Alyssa, Amy and Grant. Thanks so much, you guys, for putting up with me and having so much fun in front of my camera. You guys are awesome!

Causey family photo shoot by Nicole Neff Photography

(Image straight out of camera, no photoshopping)

Then you’re in luck! Since I’m dying to do a wedding — and SOON — I’m lowering my price to $550 to two lucky couples who will walk down the aisle to say “I do” before the year 2009. That’s half off my lowest package! Here’s what you get:

• Photography by me, unlimited hours
• Images professionally edited
• A CD of the best color-corrected images (at least 200) with a copyright release
• Highlights from your big day featured on my blog
• Online proofing if you would like to order high-quality photos from me

If you’re interested, go to my web site, fill out the contact page and mention this deal in the comments section. And don’t forget to tell all of your friends and family who may want to take advantage of this awesome opportunity!

Yesterday, I was reading my monthly Glamour magazine and came across exactly what I needed. It wasn’t the latest gossip, the latest way to seduce your man, the hottest fashion accessory. No, it was words of inspiration that any lady with hopes of making a go of small business can take to heart. The headline had me interested: “Yes, you can start your own business. And if anyone tries to tell you differently, hit ‘em with these facts:” I was intrigued, so I read on:

• 87 percent of freelancers and entrepeneurs say they’re satisfied with their jobs
• $2,000 – The median cost to women who start up a business — you don’t have to be rich (My thought…thank goodness)
• $143, 726 – The average net worth of a female entrepeneur (I’m not there yet, but wouldn’t that be fab?)
• 7% – The annual rate at which women’s net business income grows (that’s nearly twice as fast as men’s)
• 42% – The rise in the number of women-owned businesses over the past decade. In 1997, there were 5.4 million, today nearly 7.7 million.

Some people might criticize me for being so open about the struggles of having a small business, and that’s fine. Honesty is the best policy, and I’ve learned so much from other people that I think that any glimpse I can give into the realities of owning your own business might help someone out there struggling with the same things as I am.

We’re not alone in this. There are more people than we realize in the same boat. Granted, I just started my biz and I have a full-time job that supports me and my family. But being a professional photographer is a dream I’ve had for some time now. It would be awesome to be able to do that for a living; how much fun would that be?

But on a more serious note, I’ve been a little disappointed lately that my business hasn’t take off faster than it has. I want to be buzzing with business, but right now I’m setting a few shoots here and there. Which, truly, is great because I have some absolutely FABULOUS clients. But I’m the kind of person who likes things to happen at warp speed, so this has been a lesson of faith and patience. I’ve been praying every single night about my business and asking God to grant me patience (I’ve been told that’s a big no-no, but I can’t help it). Specifically, I’ve been praying for awesome people to see my passion, creativity and potential and want to book me. My biggest goal is to book a wedding.

I’ve been doing all of the groundwork for my business, so once the clients start coming in, I’ll be ready. I’ve been researching so much lately that my head is spinning: pose/location ideas, contracts, print prices, album prices, design, accounting. The last one is the worst because I’m horrible with finances, but it’s also probably the most important since it can make or break you in the business world.

Owning a small business is not all roses, but it can be very fulfilling. I hope that others out there, especially women, can gain a little something from the fact that there are others out there going through the same things we are and that many of them, in fact, do succeed.

So as I go to tonight’s shoot to capture the love and happiness of a great family from my church, I’ll go armed with the knowledge that I can do this. Not only can I do this, but YES. I. WILL! Watch out world, here I come….

(Sorry, no picture this time. I think the words in this post deserve the focus instead. It’s all weighed heavy on my mind and heart lately.)

Hey, photogs! I just downloaded a really fun ringtone from Sprint. It’s Swizz Beats’ “Take a Picture.” I’d heard this song months ago and just recvently remembered it. I’ve been wanting a new ringtone for a couple of weeks, and this one is perfect for where I’m at in my life right now. I have my photography business on the mind 24/7, it seems.

I think your ringtone can say a lot about you. I’m usually surprised by what ringtone a person chooses…sometimes it can be pretty humorous!

What is your ringtone, and what does it say about you?

And because I always try to include a picture in my posts, here’s a picture I took last week. I loved all of the hay bales in this field. I couldn’t pass it up!

Baled Hay

If any of you tried to order something from my web site, there was a glitch and I would not have received notification of it. I discovered this yesterday when I placed a fake order to test the system and did not receive an email confirming the order. It is up and running smoothly now, so you should be good to go. I apologize for the problem, but thank you for your patience!

And don’t forget that if you want to order any of my artwork, simply type the word “public” in the proofing area to see what images are available. Have a Happy 4th of July!

Today is our dog Lola’s 3rd birthday! I know, I know, you’re shaking your head thinking I’m nuts to celebrate my dog’s birthday. Maybe you’re right. But Lola is family to me. She’s always happy to see me and loves unconditionally. She’s the lap dog I’ve always wanted, but still playful enough to have fun with.

After work yesterday, I stopped at Give a Dog a Bone in Evansville and bought Lola a doggy birthday cake. Last year, I forgot her birthday until the 4th, so I made sure to get her birthday treat early this time. This thing is about as big as she is, so we only gave her a little of it this morning. She also had her birthday banana (she literally goes nuts over bananas…even say the word and she starts spinning in circles because she’s so excited). Tonight we might even take her on a little car ride so she can stick her head out the window as we’re driving…she loves that, too.

She also got a bath last night so she could look her best for her big birthday. She looks so funny all wet – all 7 pounds of her – but I still love her like crazy. Especially when she does that head tilt thing.