The All New Appletini Photography

Hip…Hip…HOORAY!!!! We are officially launched!! My favorite thing about running a business is well, business.  I have been in business for 6 years, 5 years part time and yesterday marked the official one year full time.  Woot!  Woot!  Yes last year I quit my stable full time corporate job and took this show on the road.  Like any good journey there were plenty of amazing lessons along the way.  At the end of last year I was pretty tried but some rest and stillness was all I needed to get my mind focused on the next level.  I took a good look at the obstacles I had overcome, the lessons I needed to learn, and the things that I loved then shifted my focus to what I could do to run a better business.  How could I make my clients love me even more? How can I get some time back with my husband?  How can I help Mom’s?  How can I stop giving digital files that I know never turn into prints?  How could I focus on seeking out more sessions that I love the most like newborns?  How can one girl get it all done in an eight hour shift?  Yes I know that is a lot of questions, I guess you could say I am kind of a Q&A type of girl.

In answering all of those questions is how this relaunch came about.  It’s the rebirth of the business I really want to run.  It’s the combination of every positive quote I pin on pinterest. It’s me being honest with my dreams of how I see my brand.  It’s me focusing on the things that make me happy and outsourcing/automating the rest.  It’s the new Appletini baby!

Please take a good look around the site!  No really click it up…like every button!  I have spent the last 3 months building this baby….lots of blood, sweat, and tears…we’ll not really more like lots of graphics, clicks and late night programming 😉  My goal was to create a site that serves my clients and my daily readers.  A place that is content rich, imagery overload and full of little tips and articles for my Mommas.  A place where all of Heather’s hard work on the blog has a home and something that she can grow with.  Have you seen some of here amazing content?  Stop on by the all new Momma’s Corner!

See that new logo?  I brought the apple back, it went on a two-year hiatus all because someone told me one day it looked cheap and I was silly enough to listen.  Guess what?  I like that apple, I think it’s cute and I’m sticking to it.  You’ll also notice much softer colors, emerald green was so 2012…haha.  I specialize in babies, so I softened up the colors to match the offering!

My goal this year was also to create an amazing product offering for my clients.  I learned that most people want their images printed but freeze up when it’s time make selections.  I worked in printing for 7 years…hello….I know my stuff…why am I not giving all of my clients all of my knowledge?? Putting images online for your viewing pleasure is great and all but for clients that I sat down with last year to review and order images SO MUCH FUN and my clients loved and appreciated it.  I know display options that most people have never thought of and I love getting emails about parties that were hosted where no one could stop talking about the wall art that we had created.  They were confident with their purchases and knew that they had created something that will be cherished forever.  I would rather the images that I spend hours creating hang on your walls and not sit on a USB in your desk drawer or even worst, buried in your Facebook feed.  Want to see the product guide?  Just enter your email address on the Maternity & Newborn page or the Children & Family page for instant download.  Want a sneak peek of some of my new stuff??  Check these out…

Boutique Frames

Metal Prints 

Standout Mounts 

Flow, flow, flow.  Last year I had a great flow and a pretty little checklist for every session but the problem was my clients didn’t always know what to do next so I developed the perfect 3-step system that helps clients know what to expect.  Of course I still have my checklist but now it’s full of items that support the 3-step system.  I have also developed several pieces that help clients with session prep and what to expect.

Outsourcing baby – while I love me some Photoshop I can’t spend hours and hours looking at it anymore.  Some days I felt like I was cheating on my husband with the magic wand tool.  Depending on the session type I was spending 3 to 6 hours slaving away at my edits. (12-15 for a wedding) Then one day out of nowhere this amazing husband and wife photography team located right in Lancaster announced that they opened an editing business.  What?!?! People that loves photography just as much as me pouring their hearts into my work? Sign me up baby! She edited 20 of my images as a trial and to say I was blown away would be an understatement.  I was able to show her exactly what I was doing in my editing and then she replicated it and seriously took it to the next level.  I am beyond excited for my clients to see the difference.  I have already sent over a couple of sessions and the results are off the charts!!

The Baby Boutique is open!  I have an amazing space in my home for a studio but never could get it just right, I had a newborn in the studio one day and that was it!  The perfect place to capture newborns.  The Baby Boutique is my home studio located in Morrisville, PA.  It’s where all the baby magic happens!  A comfortable and friendly environment that has everything we need to capture those amazing newborn portraits.  The best part is Mom & Dad can sit back, grab a cup of coffee and relax while we take care of the rest.  We’ve even had a few Mom’s get so comfy they drifted off for a nap, after your first few nights of limited sleep, we can’t say we blame you.  The art of newborn photography happens in the environment, we keep the boutique nice and warm while having the soothing sounds your baby loves the most playing in the background.  The Baby Boutique is stocked with all of the supplies that we need, blankets, headbands, hats, wipes, pee-pads, diapers, lots of coffee and anything else you can think of.

Office hours have been set!  Last year I had no hours and between September and December I capture 55 sessions (blessing) but I also worked EVERY SINGLE DAY, even Sundays!  When my Gram passed at the end of November instead of being able to take time and cope I was editing images because people paid me their hard earned money and I owed it to them.  I knew this had to stop.  I took this business full-time for freedom and here I was chained to my desk.  I am a self-professed workaholic, even in my corporate life but I have learned that boundaries = happy Tiff!  {{insert Pharrel Happy here}}  I now take Sundays off and annoyingly call them Sunday Funday!  Time with family is so important and I am soaking it in!  I am also enjoying more sleep and have limited the number of sessions that I take weekly.

I have also added a VIP list, I know there are people that come to this site every day and WE LOVE YOU for that, seriously from the bottom of our hearts!  This list is a way to say thank you to those people with specials, photography tips and more.  We are still developing this concept but the goal is to make this group feel the Appletini Love!

There are about 100 more little things in between (like poop aprons for newborn sessions….LOL) but these are the big things.  I am so thankful and blessed for every single person reading this and all of my clients that trust me to make amazing portrait art for them.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!  Welcome to the new Appletini Photography, you’re in for a real treat!

Blessings,

Tiff

A little shout out to my girl Heather, working with you is like a little slice of heaven friend!  I could write a whole blog post about it but thank you for believing in me and trusting my vision!  Love you doll!

Another little shout out to my husband, you make a lot of sacrifices for this dream of mine and never complain.  You always push me to keep going and remind me to have courage.  I love you so much!