Motherhood and studio space

I have said a few times now...

"This is my favorite phase of life so far." Murphy Lou is such a breath of fresh air. She's on the cusp of eight months and on the brink of crawling. Her pediatrician had made the comment, "The first six months of their life is just surviving and the second six months fly by." I am feeling that right now. It feels like we are both mastering milestones day in and day out. She's scooting around, pulling her self up, and I'm learning how to set her down for naps long enough to swap the dishes and run through the shower. Car rides are still my least favorite thing to do.

Once I made it through my fall wedding season, Murphy and I certainly slowed down, taking the days as they come. Plus, we are in the thick of the slow winter photo season anyways. I always struggle with this time of year. It's hard to fully relax, feeling like I'm wasting precious time that I could spend updating my website, posting to social media, getting books ready for taxes. Which I totally should be doing those things, but I have also learned that my photography career has evolved in waves of busy and slow seasons. I thrive on that. I still have small laundry lists of invoicing, print ordering, and booking the few weddings that have trickled in to keep me busy enough this time of year.

One thing I have finally accomplished is setting up my photo studio. My dad was kind enough to share space in his leather shop with me. This fall I finally broke down and purchased real studio lights, and everything else was pretty much stored here and there waiting for me to make a run at it. The space for me is a bit life changing creatively.

Dad and I have had a few discussions about how we could improve the space down the road. Perhaps a bathroom in the back, maybe some new sheetrock eventually. I've told him a few times now, he doesn't need to move out any of his leather things, because it isn't terribly off brand from the western vibes I typically lean toward. And for now it's a real start. I just need to put my Piper Crowe Photography sign (curtesy of Montana Metal Art Co.) out front.

Here's a list of ideas for mini session events I would love to do. I'm hoping to make it a comfortable place for people to frequent more than once every few years for a family portrait, but maybe a place they can come to for a fun date night or mini event often. I'd love to hear if any of these speak to you.

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• Valentine's Photo Booth - I will mail you printed photo strips after
• Pet Portraits
• Old Time Photos - I'll have to track down some outfits for this, but it would make 10 year old Piper's dreams come true
• Senior night (70+)
• Send me your ideas!

My soap box: photos throughout all phases of life are important. It's the most classic way to document us. So do it often.