Last week wasn't easy. Last week I handed in the keys to the store where I had my studio for the last 4 years.
Not to worry! Carpe Momentum Fotografia is still going strong, it just moved. :)
As we all know, 2020 and the start of 2021 haven't been a walk in the park for those working in anything connected to events. This is why I handed in the keys. It is a change in the present, an adaptation for the future. At this time, in my case, the investment in rent for a store isn't bringing me enough benefits. It's easy math really.
This doesn't mean that I'm never going to have a studio again, to the contrary, I love the idea of the dedicated space, and the type of photography that I can make in a studio, but right now I'm thinking of different ways of having one in the future.
When I opened the studio in 2017 I saw in it a way to generate credibility and trust. If I'm honest, back then I had photographed a small number of weddings, I was "green" and I needed the help of the location to "prove" that I was professional. Right now I know that I have a lot more images to show than I did 4 years ago, I generate trust in the couples choosing me much more easily because of what I've already done and what previous happy couples that I photographed say about my work.
So, now my workspace for communication, preparation, post-production, etc. is at home. The photographs themselves, still happen where they've always happened, at weddings, at ceremonies and parties, and at the locations chosen by couples or families for their sessions.
I've adjusted and embellished my home office, to welcome the couples looking for the right photographer, so I can have coffee with them and talk about the big day.
The objective is the same as it was in the studio, get to know the couples, answer the questions they may have about how it all works, and put them at ease so they can make the most of their big day. Truth be told, even if it's coffee or a drink shared somewhere else, or even a video-chat, the objective is always that: relaxed and happy couples.
Of course, the whole process to get this done was an adventure, because moving always is. The advantage is that now I have a bunch of photographs to give! Even though I used a few to decorate my office's walls, there were quite a number of them on the walls of the studio, so some of the lucky people photographed, are getting some presents in the next few days! :P
Besides all this, what matters is that the rest of 2021 is looking pretty good, plans are in motion and the vaccination is underway! Now we just have to keep the slow but safe re-opening going, so that it becomes definitive.
At the end of the day, I think that change shouldn't be something that scares us. It is constant and inevitable. And it is in changing that we keep growing. :)
P.S. - Oh! There are still some open dates in 2021 for those who are thinking of getting hitched and the calendar for 2022 is open and ready to receive your bookings! ;)