photography business...thing?

so i think it's pretty fun that i'm sort of starting my own pseudo-business!! a friend of mine saw some of the pictures i took in alaska, and wanted me to do his engagement photos for his upcoming wedding. i told him that i had no experience, so i didn't want to be paid, but that i did want to be able to use the pictures in my small-but-growing photography portfolio. for the last few months i've been thinking about how fun it would be to start my own studio, but didn't really know how to go about it since i've had no formal training and have just enough talent that every once in awhile i get lucky and take a good picture.

well, the engagement shoot went surprisingly well (the pictures weren't absolutely phenomenal, but they were better than i expected - and i learned a LOT about working with people!), and it got me thinking.

i ended up posting an ad on our school's 'bulletin board,' where anyone can advertise whatever they want. i advertised free photography services for weddings, engagements, maternity shoots, etc., as long as i could use their photos for my portfolio. i posted a hastily created weebly site to show what portfolio i did have, so i didn't expect to get many hits... i assumed that i'd maybe get one or two people vaguely interested.

instead, the ad has been up for only a few days - and i've had about ten people email me who are really interested! i've got three people scheduled for next week, and twice as many who are just deciding what day to do it! sheesh - when it rains, it pours! i haven't gotten so many emails for a LONG time. :)

i'm SOOO excited, because this is my chance! if i can do enough free photo shoots to get the experience i need, i can actually build a decent portfolio! if i have a decent portfolio, i can start charging for shoots and actually get something out of the time besides experience! i'm really happy, and super excited. :)

so, chris, being the techno-geek/adorable husband that he is, built me a website that looks a heckuva lot better than my makeshift weebly thing. we're working on putting a calendar and survey in there, but i'm really happy with the result! if you want, take a look at it and let me know what you think - i'm always looking for honest criticism (seriously - be harsh. i don't care - i just want to learn) of my photography, and for ideas on how to improve the site! kmduncanphoto.com.

wish me luck in this little endeavor. :) even if it doesn't go anywhere, it's still really fun, and a good way to keep me busy while i'm looking for a real job!!