As 2008 closes, and 2009 looms, I guess it is time to update this blog and lay out my 2009 road map.

I haven’t done much shooting in the past 6 weeks. After the last roller derby bout for 2008, I put my camera away except for family functions and photographic challenges with a small group of friends. My studio has sat unused by me, and is in need of a cleaning.

My baby sister was diagnosed with breast cancer while my wife and I were on vacation in St. John, and I had to cancel two shoots in November to be with and help take care of her during her surgery and at home. I hope the 2 models I had to cancel on give me another chance in January. Hopefully they will be my first shoots of 2009 and will kick me off to a better year.

Speaking of 2009…

I have spent a whole bunch of money in the past years on this hobby of mine, and it is time to think about getting some of it back. I have been rewriting and redesigning my website to make it more business oriented and less of a personal site. I will be putting greater efforts into marketing myself as a “professional” photographer of portraits and events. Pretty girl photography will be secondary in 2009.

I’m not casting a wide net for business. I have identified a small market that will allow me to concentrate my marketing and sales efforts in that market. I have developed a wedding product that makes quality wedding coverage available for brides and grooms on a tight budget, and combined with some corporate, senior, and family portraits, I should hit my financial goal for 2009.

I will also be putting greater efforts into getting published. I have a few sources for submitting my work to, and hopefully will see a few of my shots in at least one magazine in 2009.

More importantly to you (since you are reading this), I will be updating this blog more often. Writing about my photography, and the issues of photography I care about, need to become a bigger part of my photographic life. My wife has discovered art blogs and has been inspired by what she has read. I have a few photo blogs I read with regularity that have been helpful to me as well. It is good karma for me to put some of that inspiration back.

So, Merry Christmas – Happy Festivus – Merry Yule – and keep in touch.