BE Photography: 2014

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

NEW BLOG

Becca Egger Photography's new website and blog can be found at a new address.

www.beccaeggerphotography.com

Thank you for your loyalty!

xoxo Bec

Saturday, March 15, 2014

1. Baby is here, safe and sound. We're very happy.
2. New website. Check it out. www.beccaeggerphotography.com
3. The URL for this blog will probably be changing soon, unless I can talk google into behaving. Use www.rlephotography.blogspot.com to be safe.
4. It's been real. Time to move over to the new website and blog!

www.beccaeggerphotography.com
www.beccaeggerphotography.com/blog

xoxo Bec

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Almost there!

Well, I've had TONS (okay, maybe one or two...but that's all the encouragement I need, people) of requests for some preggo photos. So...coming to you courtesy of my super incredible cell phone selfie skills, here you go!

Exhibit A: the belly.

I took this photo a week or two ago...but I (think I) haven't grown much since then. So, there you go!

Exhibit B: the coat.

My cousin co-owns a kid's upscale resale clothing store in Houston, and this maternity coat I bought from her is, without a doubt, the best $20 I've spent in my maternity wardrobe. It's been cold in Texas this winter!

Exhibit C: the room.

Her room is almost done. Here it is. I think it's pretty cute, and not too baby-ish...and not too guest room-ish. The room was already painted blue-tealish, which worked great for us.

There are other cute parts to the room that you can't seen from this photo...so, once everything is totally done, I'll take higher quality photos and share those. Because I know you all care so deeply. :)

See that random femur bone on the floor between the rugs? That's a little evidence of a well-known truth in our house: baby's room is Nolan (oldest dog)'s favorite room. He LOVES being in there, and it's not unusual for him to camp out on one of those rugs and chew on one of his toys. The guy doesn't have a ton of patience, though, so there's a strong chance that once little bit comes along, he'll be hiding in a closet somewhere to get away from the noise. We'll just have to see!

Here comes the baby! The question is, when?!

xoxo Bec

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

38 weeks. Perfect time to start new projects, right?

38 weeks tomorrow. Doctors say everything is good, baby's nice and comfy, we'll see when she comes.

Sweet. So I totally have time to start learning how to work my new camera, which is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than any other camera I've ever owned, right? And order new parts to replace the ones I don't like? And start dealing with the big world of film? Yes.

OH, and I definitely should be working on rebranding, complete with reading a great book that's making me examine the soul of my business, commissioning a new (amazing, by the way) logo, AND totally changing my website, pricing, the works. Right?

Super logical. Can I blame this on hormones? Is this a strange sort of nesting? Heeeelp. Someone stop me! I'm having way too much fun, but I don't know if I can wrap all this up in the next two weeks, which I'm not even guaranteed!

Luckily (providentially?), I have all my sub plans done at school. So that worked out.

PANIC BUTTON.

xoxo Bec

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Baby is coming soon!!

Well, I've been trying to limit my social-media-advertising of this little baby, just to stay out of people's hair. I've put up PLENTY of pictures on instagram ( @beccaegger ) because I figure folks who look at that are wanting to see photos...but, in the process, I know I've limited information to folks who genuinely care about us, and I want to be sure to extend a little excitement your way!

Baby is doing GREAT. She (!!) is due in about three and a half weeks (holy Moses), and I think Jeff and I are almost ready. We had an incredible birth class with a friend who is an outstanding doula, we have a great team of OB's on our side, and we toured our local hospital and LOVE it. We have a pediatrician all picked out, and I have washed about seventeen thousand ADORABLE outfits for little miss to model for us. We've had a couple ridiculously generous showers, and are hoping to have a couple "sip and see" type parties in a few months for friends we don't see often enough, so they can meet our little girl. I think we have one big shopping trip left, and I can only think of two more items that need assembly...so we really are getting there! Am I forgetting anything?!

Now, all that being said, I know we're not ready in the least for the wild adventure heading our way...but we have the most fantastic support system in the world, and with the grace of God, I know we'll make it.

The decorations in the baby's room are almost done, and I think I'll probably geek out and share a few photos when it's all ready. I mean, if that's cool. :)

Alright. Tata for now. Baby soon. Again...holy Moses.

xoxo Bec

Friday, January 17, 2014

Follow up and schtuff.

Well, thank you so much to everyone who responded to my questions in my last blog entry! I am excited to say that the results I received were pretty much lined up with the self-inquiry results with which I've been coming up myself...so, whew, I'm on the right track as I take this spring to evaluate the direction my business is headed in! YAY!

A note: Several folks voiced concern that I would be unavailable for family photos in the future. Talk about making me feel like a million bucks, people!! I'm more than flattered that I'd be a priority for such a vital part of your family's history. And YES. Please do still call me! I will be marketing almost exclusively for seniors, but still greatly value the opportunity to photograph families, couples, babies, etc. How could I not? There are so many beautiful people out there!

So, I hope that clears a few things up. I apologize for any confusion...that's my bad. Obvi.

Love you people. By the way, I ordered something SUPER EXCITING that has EVERYTHING to do with the direction in which I want to take this lovely business, and it's stuck in customs in Japan. The tension is building.

xoxo Bec

Friday, January 10, 2014

Change is gonna come...

I've alluded to some upcoming changes here in the business, and I've decided that the time has come to publicly discuss some ideas with all of you! Please, contain your excitement. :)

Here are a few non-negotiables:
1. We're doing photography here. Boom.
2. I'm going to focus primarily--almost exclusively--on senior portraits. Boom times two. Boom boom.
3. We're going to keep prices reasonable while maintaining the value of the product. I'm done with the boom thing.

Other than those three points, a lot is up in the air! I'm reading a great book right now--May I Have Your Attention, Please--as recommended by a friend and trusted professional. I'm exactly (seriously, exactly) halfway through it, and can't wait to finish it. My students asked me today what I was reading, and I showed them, and they were like, "Ewww...that's about business and stuff? Gross," and went back to their vampire-Sherlock-romance-thrillers. I'd usually agree with them, but this is a great read, and is making me think a lot about the BE Photography brand, what it already represents, and what I would like for it to represent.

Going forward, I really would like some feedback. So, if you don't mind, please answer any or all of these questions in the "comments" section, so I can be sure I'm on the right track! Whether or not we've ever met, if you like my work, I really do relish your feedback.

1. What makes BE Photography different than the other (wonderful!) photography businesses out there?
2. Other than price and products, what guides your decision in choosing a photographer?
3. If you know me, what are a few words you'd use to describe me?
4. If you do not hire a photographer often, what would it take to change your habits?

That's it. Pretty simple. Answer any or all! I'll bring you a chocolate as a thank you! ...maybe...

xoxo Bec

Thursday, January 2, 2014

A look at the undeniable

You can quit holding onto your seats now. Here's a little of what I was teasing about yesterday when I did my "year in review" post.

So, for any of you who aren't familiar with blogger (Google's blogging option, and my poison of choice), there's all sorts of cool (and hazardous) information on the backside. For instance, I can log into my account and see how many views I have from what countries on a daily, weekly, monthly, and all-time basis. I don't see names or anything...obviously...so don't worry, there's no big spy ring headquartered in my den. But, it is fun to see that after the United States, my blog seems to have had the most views in the Ukraine. Shout out? Honored to have you here, people (Third, fourth, and fifth place go to China, Russia, and Canada, respectively. If you were wondering.).

Anyways, I haven't found a way to use that information to my advantage yet, but there are other categories which are more applicable to my business. For instance, I can track what time of day tends to yield the most views, what search terms lead people to my blog, etc. That's helpful.

Most intriguing to me right now, however, is a little box titled "Posts." Here, I find out how many times each post I've written has been clicked on specifically. If someone is just looking at my blog, scrolling down from post to post, that won't register here. But, if someone follows a link directly to a specific post, and then has to click "next" to navigate to the next post, DING DING DING, that sure as heck registers.

My top post is from 2011. It was a fitness model shoot. Popular lady. :) I don't have much "figuring" to do about that one.

The other top entries were all from 2013. My "second place" post puzzles me a little. It's this one. Weird. I don't get it. Anyhow, third place goes to the post where I introduced our new house, and fourth to the journaling I did regarding the Best Day Ever--the day my parents finalized their adoption of my four youngest siblings. Fifth is a pregnancy-related post.

So, ONE out of my top five posts has something to do with photography. And I'm not a fitness model photographer--that was a one or two time gig that I thoroughly enjoyed, but I never pursued anything more (to be fair, the fitness model industry didn't pursue me either ;). The others have been extremely personal, and sometimes vulnerable, journal-type entries. I have a feeling I have some big thoughts to consider. Just not sure what those are yet.

Edit: My sister says that this reads like I'm quitting my photography business. That is not the case. Just FYI. :)

xoxo Bec

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Year in Review: 2013

Well, friends, here we are in 2014. I'm taking a few minutes this morning to look over the previous year, gather some data, process some emotions, and make goals for the coming year.

I want 2014 to be a year of steady growth, personal fulfillment, and hopefully doing some good for some folks.

I do NOT want 2014 to be focused on numbers. No way. None of those pesky numbers. Math isn't fun for me. At some point in high school, I tried to convince my dad that the world could operate without numbers. That argument didn't last long...for obvious reasons...but I have decided that my business goals can exist without numbers, while business operations will, of course, have to deal in the world of digits. Oh well. Nature of the beast.

So, that being said, how about a look back on 2013. I had a fun time going through each blog post and picking out some of my favorite photos for the year. They're not all perfect--in fact, none of them are at all--and I selected each for different reasons, but I think this is a good picture (BAH, picture!) of the year, where I've been, and a glimpse towards where I'd like to be.

I have a few other thoughts about 2014, in regards to the past year of doing business, but that can wait until another time. You just hold on to your seats until then.

P.S. Some of these black-and-white photos are publishing as sepia. This maddens me. Just so you know. Maybe I should add "figuring out the sepia thing" to my list of goals for 2014.