We all had a blast at the Baby Loves Disco Earth Day celebration, held at Avalon Disco last April 5. Whew – I really pushed myself hard and by the end of the day – I had photographed over 70 children in a span of 3 hours! Can you believe it? It was such an awesome experience to meet all the kids and parents who visited our booth. Thank you so much! The photos are now up on the on-line gallery. You know the password! You can also check out the slideshow here. Til next time — keep it groovy!

Here’s what the booth looked like:

And kudos to my super efficient assistants and staff that day – Angela, Josh, Kinsley and Andreas – you are all fabulous! Thank you!

The month of April, let’s celebrate Earth Day by putting our dancing shoes and getting your grove on! Baby Loves Disco South Bay will be held at the Avalon Nightclub on April 5, Sunday from 2-5pm. It promises to be a super fun event for the 5 and under set – complete with face-painting, arts area, crawling zone, and green giveaways! I will be there on hand to take free portraits that send out a message. Yes, you heard it! Your child can be the ambassador for Earth’s cause with fun photos, to share with family and friends.

So be there, for the love of Mother Earth! We’re looking forward to meeting you! Click on the Baby Loves Disco logo above to buy your tickets on-line. They sell out fast!

Master photographer Sandy Puc was in San Francisco to give a seminar entitled “Bellies & Babies 2008,” as part of a 30-city tour. I’ve heard and read so much about her in the photography circles and publications, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear her speak. And since I had missed WPPI this year due my recent birth, I was hungry for some new marketing and creative ideas for the business.

I wasn’t disappointed and Sandy (aka Sam to family and friends) was an awesome speaker. She was engaging, quick-witted and darn talented. What mostly touched me was her extreme passion for her work. I know this sounds cliche, but Sandy was the true article. Her photography was the result of her not just her talent and creativity, but dedication, hard work and keen business sense. Her pet project is the Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation  which is a organization of photographers who donate their time and talent for infant bereavement.

If you are a portrait photographer wanting to make a niche out of baby and maternity photography, I strongly recommend you attend her seminar when it comes to a town near you.

…Wedding book that is.

I got big news for my 2008 brides. I am now adding simply bee-you-tee-ful handmade pure Italian leather albums from a homegrown company called KISS to my album offerings. Available in five funky colors, the leather is extremely supple and soft. The sample below is in Redlight Red. Isn’t it yummy looking?

And while the leather is amazing, what I love the most about it is the binding. When compared with a standard flushmount album, the binding of the spine is sturdy and tight. Plus, the prints which allow for a seamless 12X24 inch spread, no gutter in the middle!

I am totally psyched to start showing the sample around! I also plan on offering these leather albums to those who avail of premium family portrait sessions. Just ask me about them!

I really hate dealing with money matters except when I’m receiving a check or spending it at B&H. But being in photography business, I realized that you can’t separate the lines between wedding photography as a business and a service.

So in line with being a registered business owner (pat back, pat pat), I decided it was a good idea to get educated about my responsibilities regarding paying taxes. The Board of Equalization had just sponsored a FREE one-day workshop at California State University Hayward for Small Businesses and I decided to attend. The day consisted of various workshops catered to two different tracks: 1 for those considering going into business and 2 for those already in business. It was a great resource of information. But being sponsored by the Board of Equalization, you could expect a lot of emphasis on proper payment of taxes: income tax, sales tax and use tax. But what I did enjoy about the seminars were all the little secret deductions they also shared with us. Of course, they also stressed proper record keeping and documentation to justify these deductions. It was a day well spent, me thinks.

The classes I attended included:

Marketing

Sales and Use Tax: Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Succeeding in a Home Based Business

If you are interested in attending a future workshop sponsored by the California Board of Equalization, I highly recommend it! Visit their website at http://www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/tpsched.htm
for updates.