HAPPY NEW YEAR! It happened so fast, didn't it?  It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in 2009, and here it is, already at an end.  And it's not just 2009 that we are leaving behind - it is also the first decade of a new millenium that started with the fear of Y2K and is ending with a world still in chaos, but our computer systems intact.

It is a time of new beginnings, of growth and change.  A new year holds such promise and what we do with it is up to us.  We have a few things on the way here, at Bebb Studios.

Our first book is being published this year.  It is already available for pre-orders on Amazon and we are really excited about it.  Writing a book has been a life long dream for me, and to see it realized is a little surreal.  

We have a new company ready to launch.  Many of you have already guessed what it is, and details will be coming very soon.  If you're not on the list for our exclusive launch, send me an email (info@bebbstudios.com) with I WANT ON THE LIST in the subject line and we'll add you. You don't want to miss this one! 

IUSA is coming up fast and we're looking forward to seeing many of you in Nashville!  

The Vancouver SMUG is getting its groove on!  All the details can be found at www.smugmug.com/smugs or over at the Vancouver Smug Event page on Facebook   

In the meantime come and find me on Facebook and check out what we're up to (and don't forget to join our Business Page too)!  And if you're really into social networking, you can follow us on twiiter:  www.twitter.com/JenBebb

Remember the Y2K panic - the worldwide fear that as the clock hit midnight and the year became 2000, everything would change.  Financial panic, computer failure...the world as we knew it would never be the same.  And what happened?  Nothing.  Life carried on as normal and the fear of turmoil that had briefly joined us all together, faded as the weeks passed.

Yet for some of us the clock striking twelve and the year changing meant permanent change.  For Steve and I, that was certainly the case.

It was ten years ago this week that we made the decision to leave our full-time, real jobs and jump into wedding photography full time.  I was 34 weeks pregnant at the time, and we had absolutely no money in the bank.  We were like many couples who are just starting out - working hard to financially establish ourselves, build equity in our home, and starting our family.  Our journey was just beginning, and we knew that our future was bright.

We were young - in our twenties - and filled with the optimism that youth brings.  We believed that we could succeed at anything we tried, believed, in our innocence, that we would be ok, no matter what.

And so, when Steve turned to me, in that week between Christmas and New Years 10 years ago and told me he hated his job and wanted to do this "photography thing" full time, I paused for only a moment before saying "Yes!".   

It was exciting, and scary, and the perfect time to jump in with both feet (except maybe for the baby on the way).  We were young enough to know that if we failed, we could fix it.  We owned our home, and I was going on maternity leave, so we could pay the mortgage for 6 months.  We gave no thought to anything beyond that and we were truly stunned when our parents stared at us with disbelief when we shared our plans.

In hindsight, quitting a good job while you are expecting a baby and starting a new business with no back up plan or money in the bank may not have been the wisest choice.  But it was, obviously, the right one for us.

Steve managed to talk us into a Bridal Fair booth for January 8-9, 2000.  We had big plans - three large, framed images and three sample albums, from the three weddings we had photographed to that point.  We were bringing Steve's mom, a natural salesperson, with us, and we naively believed that we would book enough weddings that we wouldn't have to go back to our real jobs.

And then, the morning of January 5th, I woke up at 5:30am realizing my water had broke.  It was a scramble to get to the hospital and stop what was coming.  It was too soon - only 35 weeks - and I have never been more afraid in my life.  Once at the hospital, and being monitored, nothing happened.  My water had broken, but there were no contractions, and the baby was fine.  But we couldn't stay like this for the next 5 weeks...the risk of infection was too high.  They told us that if labour didn't start in the next 24 hours, they would induce.  One way or another, we were going to have a baby by the weekend.

I sent Steve home - nothing was happening and we still hadn't completed our bridal show booth.  And labour, after all, takes hours and hours.  Expect, apparently, for me.  The first contraction was around noon and three hours later, on Thursday January 6th, 2000 Logan was born. 

Two days later Steve and his mom went to that bridal show and rocked it out.  We booked 35 weddings on the strength of that show, and we have never looked back.

10 year ago this week...our lives changed forever. 

I love the end of a year, I really do.  Not only is the weather cooler, so I can wear my favorite boots and sweaters, but things seem to slow down as the nights get longer.  Business doesn't slow down, that never seems to take a real break, but I do.  I find this time of year is when I gather my loved ones more closely around me and hibernate for a time.  I sleep in, lounge in my pjs all day, read books, snuggle with my children and husband, eat loads of awful food, and prepare for the year to come.

This is a natural time to take stock of where we are, where we've been, and where we hope to go.  So I hope you will enjoy this year in review as I share some of the life changing and life affirming events of 2009.

As has become custom, we started 2009 with a trip to a convention.  This year we were speaking at the DWF convention in Phoenix.  It was our third time in a row on the stage, and we were looking forward to it.  We had just finished our Fusion DVD and we were excited about the possibilities for something new.

But, 2009 seemed to be destined to be the year of disillusionment.  At least that's how it started.

We were unprepared for the backlash against Fusion, and the accusations that were subsequently thrown at us.  The idea of Fusion proved to be divisive, pitting friends against each other in the debate.  Without ever having tried it, opinions were formed and we found ourselves in the middle of a controversy we never expected.  At the time it was challenging, even hurtful, to experience such attention.  We had seen it happen before - to other people - but we were surprised when it came our way.  

But we watched as more and more people were quietly adapting Fusion into their offerings, choosing, like us, to do so out of the public eye. And that was interesting.  Our reasons for flying below the radar were obvious - we had stuck our necks out, been shot at, and were trying to come to terms with it all.  But other people were staying under the radar as well.  It seemed that the age of putting it all out there, of sharing freely on forums and blogs, had shifted somewhat as photographers, turned fusion-ographers, were developing something away from public scrutiny.

And really, who could blame them?  Our disillusionment was sudden and complete, for a time turning us bitter and resentful. We moved away from forums, blogs, etc, turing our attention inwards are focussing on our own business.

But those emotions are not in our nature and so it wasn't long before we decided to leave the angry mob behind and move on to what was important to us, Fusioning the entire time.

We had other, more important, things going on.  While the debate about Fusion was raging in the background, we were involved in a Legacy Project that had us documenting the last months of a friends life.  At times more difficult than anything we had ever done, and at other times more rewarding, being part of this family's life as their daughter, sister, wife and mother fought her last fight was perhaps the most important thing we would do this year.

Crying behind the lens more than once, crying with her more than once, and raging against the fates for taking this woman away, we moved through the first few months of 2009 in a bit of an emotional blur.  And when she finally passed in June, the loss, though expected, was devastating.

She was the first person either of us had lost, and it was so very, very sad.  And for a time, that disillusionment from the beginning of the year once again reared its head.  We were tossed into deep sadness, not only for her death, but also for the loss of innocence and the reality that life is fleeting.  It's one thing to know in your head that all life ends, but it is another to see it happen right in front of you, and feel it with your heart.  

Heidi forever changed me, forcing me to realize that each moment has the potential for joy, and that the bitterness that had so hurt me at the start of the year was not worth my energy.  She helped me re-focus on what was important and what I love more than anything.  And so it was with equal parts sadness and joy that we said our good byes to her.

Our Spring was spent educating and traveling.  WPPI, a Bebbinar at home, and a 10 day adventure in Brazil where we spoke for FHOX and then had time to visit Ihla Bella.  Our dear friends Jeff & Juila Woods were there (as were Mark & Chantal Ridout) and we couldn't have asked for a better group to be with.  Julia and I, so similar in so many ways, were able to really spend time together and come away with a friendship that would survive distance and time.

This past summer was truly delightful.  We had deliberately taken fewer wedding commissions this year and enjoyed several weekends with our boys.  We watched them blossom, particularly with their dad's undivided attention.  We traveled with friends, had dinner parties, stayed up late.  It was a time of joy and playfulness, as we stay-cationed around home.  Camping in the backyard, mountain biking our local hills, exploring our city, enjoying our home.  We emerged from the summer invigorated and excited about the rest of the year.

It's funny how things happen - the year began with hurt, disillusionment and loss.  But by summer's end, it seemed everything had shifted.  It began, for me, with an email asking me if I would like to write a book.  At first I thought it was a joke, but I googled the sender and slowly realized that this was a real question.  And there my journey to fulfill a lifelong dream began.  

Since I discovered books at an early age, I have been a prolific reader.  Even now I spend at least 30 minutes each night reading purely for the joy of it.  I hear stories in my head all the time - my imagination is wild and untethered - and I have dreamed, since the age of 5, that I would one day write a book of my own.  It's been a goal that I knew I would get to one day, but it was pushed back as the realities of running a business and raising children took my attention.

That email changed everything.  Once I had spoken to the publishers directly, I did a happy dance that took on a life of its own.  I didn't want to tell anyone, even Steve, about this - this was mine and I wanted to relish the moment.  My dream, coming true.  I could barely contain my excitement, my joy.  And it was this wave of happiness that I rode into the fall.

September was, as it always is, a time of transition.  The boys went back to school and we went back to the studio.  The days flew by as we edited stills and video, dreamed of new projects for 2010, and my writing began in earnest.  Steve was so supportive of the efforts the book would require, taking on some of the studio and home tasks that were typically mine.  

Clients became friends, old friends came back into our life, and we realized how blessed we are with the people who surround us.  We spoke at the ONE Conference in September, once again organized by Jeff & Julia.  The ONE conference is such a fantastic thing, and Jeff & Julia truly give their hearts to it.  The best part, for me, was being able to have real time with the entire Woods clan, and saying goodbye was certainly difficult.

The fall has passed in a blur.  We have taught two Bebbinars - one in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the other here at home.  We are the hosts of the Vancouver Smug group, launching it during our November Bebbinar, and watching it grow into December.  Our dream of building a community of photographers in Vancouver seems to be becoming a reality as more and more people come, willing to share and grow together. The new year is going to bring incredible speakers, both local and from afar, as we all become advocates not adversaries.

The list of things we have done this year is long and varied.  Those of you that read our blog regularly are aware of some of what we have done.  But we don't always blog everything, so it's a partial view of our business year.  And that list of accomplishments is really not important anyway.  What is most important is the lessons taught to us by this challenging year.

This was a year of circling the wagons, of evaluating what is most important and of relegating the rest to the dark closet under the stairs.  This was a year of building stronger relationships both personally and professionally.  This was the year we invested in our own happiness and that of our family, learning to let unhappy obligations go and saying no to more than ever before.  This was a year that saw us rediscover what we love about our job, and let go of what we don't.  This was a year that we lived every single moment of, for better or for worse.  This was a year of disillusionment and discovery, of sadness and joy, of holding things close and sharing more than ever.  This was the year that we realized the only people we need to make happy are those we hold closest.  This was the year we realized the nay-sayers and the haters only had as much power as we were willing to give them.  This was the year we realized that we are the Bebbs, and that together, there is nothing we cannot do.

And so the year comes to a close, all the struggles and achievements fading in the excitement of something new.  Looking ahead to 2010 we see that anything is possible.  With a new associate, a new company, a new book, and a new lease on life, 2010 may just be the best year yet!

Our wish for all of you is that you go into to 2010 unburdened and open-minded, ready to embrace the possibility of new!

Happy New Year to you all!  

Yesterday's post about why YOU matter was meant to stand alone.  Yet, the response it received began a process, for me, of thinking further about you and how YOU allow yourself to matter.  And so it would appear that Why YOU Matter may become a series of posts over time.

Today:  INTENT.

We hear over and over again that there is nothing new under the sun, that everything we can put into a picture we make has been done before, that originality is, in essence, a fallacy.

I disagree.

While it might be true that there are a finite number of compositions we can use, I don't believe that has any bearing at all on the images we make.  Rather, I believe that every time we make an image with intent, we create something unique.

Let's say that again:  if we create images with intent, we are unique every time.  

I realize that on some forum somewhere, someone will link to this post and decry everything I am about to say.  After all, how can every image we make be unique?  How are we not all somehow derivative of someone else?  Well, we're not all unique in our image making, and some people are derivative of others.  But we don't have to be, and that is where INTENT comes into play.

Why you choose to make a particular image, at a particular moment, in a particular way is up to you.  No one is telling you when and how to make an image.  No one is telling you how to see the light and compose the frame.  That is all up to you.  And if you choose to look to someone else for inspiration and create a derivative, well, that is also up to you.  Your choice was to be the same.  Your INTENT was to re-create rather than innovate.

If your intent to is to make images that are not disingenuous, to make images that are reflective of your subject, than your INTENT is to be different every time.

Think about it this way:  at a wedding there are expected moments - the kiss, the recessional, the first dance, etc.  Yet those moments, although similar from wedding to wedding, are different every single time.  Not on the surface per se, but underneath the facade.  They have to be different - the people you are photographing are different, the relationships are different, the life experiences are different.

As wedding photographers, the greatest trap we can fall into is to believe all weddings are the same.  That is where your INTENT no longer becomes about doing your best for each client, but rather becomes about getting the job done.  You choose to see every wedding like the last.  But that is your choice and it is something you can change.

Whether we are formulaic photographers, sprayer and prayers, or deliberate shooters, it is the intent behind each frame that becomes the catalyst for mediocrity or ingenuity.  An image made by accident, without intent, cannot by its very nature everbe repeated.  But that same type of image, that you discovered by accident, can become intentional.  Remember the first time you discovered the magic of backlight?  It may have been intentional, or it may have been accidental - if you fell in love with it and chose to use backlight frequently, then you are making images with intent.  

Certainly, some of the best images I have ever made have been accidents.  And I could have left them as accidents, choosing to consider that moment a fluke.  Or I could have chosen to learn what it was that made that image compelling, why I felt moved by it, and taken the next step by intentionally incorporating that accident into my next shoot, and my next.

Why do you choose to make the images you make?  Are you comfortable with your methods and complacent with your subjects?  Are you moved to find something unique about everyone you photograph?  Are you content to merely follow the lead of photographer A or B?  Or are you willing to step off the well trodden path of those who came before you and to discover your own intent?

You see, every time you choose to make an image, you are in a place you have never been before.  How?  Simply because the people you are photographing, the environment you are in, and the Intent with which you are shooting will be different every time.

What is your intent? 

We often hear the leaders in our industry speak about the power of being yourself - Steve and I speak about it during our Bebbinars, and whenever we get the chance to share with a group.  There is power in letting your personality shine through, not only in the images you make, but also in the way you conduct yourself in business.  After all, small business owners, particularly in relationship driven markets like ours, often start their businesses as a way to express themselves and to be themselves.

So, for the wedding photography industry, this is not a new concept.  And yet, we don't often hear about how YOU are important to other kinds of businesses.  Too often we hear the opposite - how the mom & pop shops of our youth are being swallowed by the corporate buying power that allows for standardization in the shopping experience, and lower prices for equivalent products.

Well, just recently, Steve and I experienced how the power of personality can make a small business successful.

We have been using the same small postal outlet for years.  It's one of those one-stop-shop places that sells packing materials, acts as an agent for Canada Post, and also offers other kinds of courier services.  You can find these kinds of places everywhere, but this one was different.  It wasn't the products they were selling that kept us coming back  - it was the EXPERIENCE of being in their store.

It didn't matter what time of day, or even day of the week, whenever we went to this store, we were greeted by the owner with a hearty, "Hey Buddy!" usually followed up with something like, "I see you brought your better half today" (if I was there) or "You must be making lots of money with all the things you are sending"  or some other jovial and enthusiastic comment.  What he said wasn't as important as how he acknowledged every single person that came into his store, no matter what else he was doing.

To be fair, this sometimes slowed down the process, but it didn't matter.  It was fun to stand in line and hear what he would say next - because it was different for everyone that came in.  He knew many of his customer's names, or something about them that made them feel special.  He always talked about the "special deals" he was giving us, yet you knew the whole time that you were paying the same as everyone else.  But you played along and thanked him for taking such great care of you.  

The entire time you were at the counter, he kept the conversation going - offering comments, asking questions, and always smiling.

His store was out of the way - certainly not the most convenient location - but we went back every time we had to send anything out.

And then something changed.  

Steve went to ship an order and opened the door to silence.  There was a line of people, and no one was saying a word. Rather, many of the customers were shuffling nervously from foot to foot, not engaging those around them in line the way they usually would.

No one shouted hello.  No one even looked up from the counter when the door opened.  There was just a line of people waiting as the employees efficiently took care of their customers' needs.  And it was efficient - the line moved faster than it ever had before.  But it felt so much longer.

Finally, a regular customer entered and when he wasn't greeted asked, "Where's the Owner?".  The response: "I'm the owner" from behind the counter.  Every head swiveled towards the man behind the counter and you could see them wondering, is it true?  Is this the new owner?  Is our regular guy gone?

And you could see that the people who loyally took care of all their shipping needs through the quirky, happy man, were no longer going to be loyal to this store.  What reason could there be to come to a place that sold items you could find in dozens, if not hundreds, of other places if you were not going to get something special for your efforts?  If you were not even going to be acknowledged for your patronage?  

Why shop in a place where you were not treated as special?  

So Steve came home and told me that our favorite guy was gone, and we haven't been back to that location since.  We now give our business to a place much closer to our studio, where we are treated just like everyone else.  But it's more convenient to be ignored at that location...more convenient to be treated as "nobody" when we don't have to go out of our way.

It doesn't matter what line of work you are in, or where you are located, YOU are important.  Especially if you are a small business owner and you work in a saturated market.  Taking the time to treat your clients like they matter, and to share a little bit of yourself with everyone you meet can only strengthen your client base.  YOU are your most important asset in this world of over-saturation and discount pricing.  

So, as we go into a New Year, please remember that YOU matter, and that your business will thrive when you let yourself shine!

After a year spent tirelessly giving the most incredible gifts to your clients, it's time do to something for you - something that will make your business more money, and something that is truly priceless.

Join Steve and myself, plus 27 other industry leaders, on December 28th for a FREE Websummit. That's 28 different money making ideas, promotions, workflow solutions, and more!  This 14 hour event will leave you ready to head into 2010 with a bang!   But it's not just about helping you - it's also about giving back.  While you are learning how to grow your business, we're helping fund smiles for children in need of cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries, through PPA charities.

Over 10,000 photographers registered for the first Telesummit in September, and this one is even bigger and better!  Some of the people sharing with you include David Jay, Julia Woods, Jerry Ghionis and, of course, THE BEBBS!

All you need is a computer with an internet connection and the latest version of Adobe Flash.  That, and the desire to get great ideas for FREE and to make more money in 2010.  The WebSummit is available for 2 hours beginning at 12:01 CST on December 28th.  Listen to as many speakers as you would like - stop, start and pause as often as you need to during that 24 hours.

So what are you waiting for - not only is this an incredible opportunity, it's FREE!  REGISTER NOW, and get ready to learn!