Posted by DrewB on January 25, 2012 · 3 Comments
Exactly one year ago I did something spontaneous and crazy. Well, not super spontaneous because I had been dreaming about it since they day I decided to become a photographer. Exactly one year ago I signed the lease on my very first studio. To say it was bad timing was an understatement. I was pregnant with Kennedy, I was crazy busy with DrewB Photography and with Mom*tog. But, I saw an opportunity to grow my newborn side of my business and I took it.
I was never really able to invest the time in that studio to make it what I really wanted. I think maybe I knew in the back of my mind that I wasn’t going to be there for long. I loved it and it worked for me, but I guess I just knew something better would come along. Before I renewed my lease I decided to look and make sure there wasn’t a better space for me. Low and behold I found the most PERFECT space. It’s amazing. AND it has EXPOSED BRICK! That’s not something that you can find very easily in Orange County. The building I’m in now is almost 100 years old. It has character, charm, and gorgeous light (and a ghost, apparently).
Yesterday I went back to my old studio to pick up a couple of things that were left behind and I got so sad. It was my first space and I loved it. It wasn’t perfect, but it was mine. I worked hard for it. And it is fun to see your dreams become a reality.
I snapped these shots early the morning that we moved out. The light wasn’t ideal (so don’t go Pinning these, people!), but I wanted to remember my first studio.
This is my client meeting area / hanging out area when I’m shooting.
I tried to have a cozy and kind of private place for moms to feed their babies. This is the comfiest rocker. It’s from Target and was cheap!
This is where I shoot my newborns (Kennedy says hi!).
And this is all of my props. They are tucked behind a curtain, which you can kind of see in the first picture.
I wanted to go back and get a picture of me with the kids in front of my window, but my landlord took it down before I was able to do that 
Here’s an iphone picture I took right after it went up last year.
I promise I won’t wait a year until I post pictures of the new place. It already looks so great. Everything fit perfectly, which I took as a sign that it was the right move for me. Can’t wait for you all to see it!
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Posted by DrewB on January 24, 2012 · 4 Comments
I’m the type of person who likes to do everything myself. I’m a control freak. I want it my way or the highway. Especially with my business. But, there comes to be a point where you realize you can’t do it all. You’re not super mom (or at least I’m not). And you might just need some help.
With my photography business I like to outsource the things that I don’t like / don’t have time to do. And one of those things is RAW processing. It’s tedious and time consuming and I’m just not all that great at it to be totally honest. In the past I have just shot RAW for my weddings. I’ve used two of the big RAW processing companies and they’ve been okay. My biggest complaint is that it’s just not consistent. There are different people processing my images each time and it can be a bit frustrating. Especially for a control freak like me.
If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter you probably heard me talking about editing a lot this past Fall. Okay, fine. I was complaining. A lot. I was drowning in my editing all while still nursing a newborn and taking care of my crazy 3 year old. A very nice Mom*tog reader, Marissa Lynn, emailed me telling me that she wanted to help me. To offer her services so I could start spending more time with my family. See, Marissa is a Navy wife. She’s the mom to a little girl and loves photography, but because they move so often she’s not able to really establish her business. In the mean time she has started editing for other photographers just because she loves to do it. I decided to give her a try and I was so impressed. She’s FAST, super great and accommodating, and her prices are so reasonable. And she’s a mom. So she gets that you would rather be spending time with your kids rather than sitting in front of the computer. I’m so glad she reached out to me because her help has really freed up more time for me to spend with my family! Really.
Marissa is looking to take on a few more clients and if you are drowning in editing like I was, I would really suggest contacting her. Because she’s awesome. And you’ll be happy to have more time to do what you love.
Check out Marissa Lynn’s website to learn more about her services!
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Posted by DrewB on January 22, 2012 · 10 Comments
No one said learning how to sit is easy…
Canon 5D Mark II, 50 1.2
F 2.0, 1/160, ISO 640
*** No babies were harmed during this shoot. Kennedy thinks falling is funny 
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Posted by DrewB on January 19, 2012 · 6 Comments
If you can deal with the traffic, smog, ridiculously high costs of living, and EARTHQUAKES, Southern California isn’t that bad of a place to live. Especially when it’s 85 degrees at the beach. In January.
This was Kennedy’s very first trip to the beach. She didn’t hate it.
5 days later we drove an hour and a half and spent the weekend up in the mountains. There wasn’t a lot of snow left. But, the boy found enough to make a couple of snow balls.
And he loved hunting for pine cones.
This whole outing lasted for about 5 minutes and then he had to go back in the cabin because he was FREEZING. It was in the high forties. Thank goodness we don’t live in Minnesota or Alaska. There’s no way we could survive!
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Posted by DrewB on January 17, 2012 · 9 Comments
Dear Kennedy,
Can you slow down? Please? 5 months went by in the blink of an eye. I want to freeze this stage. It’s my favorite. The “super happy, content baby” stage. The “I can give you a million kisses stage and you won’t smack me (like your big brother)” stage. The “I laugh at anything” stage. The “Mom, you are the coolest person in the whole, wide world” stage. The “non-mobile before the chaos of crawling and walking starts” stage.
I want to bottle you up right now. Your cute babbles and your chunky thighs. Your HUGE gummy smile and your sparkling eyes.
I know you can’t stay like this forever. And I’m okay with that. Because who is going to be my shopping and mani/pedi partner if you don’t grow up. I’m just doing my best to cherish every, single second of this stage. My favorite stage.
Love,
Mama
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