laura beth :::welcome !

I would like to officially welcome Laura beth to wiljax photographic Design. It's been about five years since I had any full time help, and I'm really excited to have Laura Beth on board. She has been helping out part time for a few months, but officially began her role as the gallery manager and person-in-charge-of-keeping-me-organized this past Monday. What she has already done in just three days is amazing. I'm really looking forward to having her become more involved with all of you in the coming months.

You'll probably be hearing her voice if you call now. And if you stop by, she'll be here. The gallery is officially open now with regular hours -- Monday through Friday from 10-2 and 3-6. So come on in, take a look around, and say hello to Laura Beth.


~wj

new things coming . . .

I'm excited to get started with 2009.  Since the holiday break, I've been spending quite a bit of time working on making this business more efficient so that I can better serve all of my clients. I'm always looking for new things I can offer, and better ways to offer them. And I'm excited to start launching a few things that have been in the works for a while. So check back here often over the next several weeks as I'll be adding lots of new things to wiljax Photographic Design.

The first thing I'm excited to add is my "Portrait Availability Calendar". You can find it by clicking HERE, or by going the the top menu, selecting "Links", and then you'll see it there as well.

One of the things I really want to make more efficient is my time management. My schedule is getting busier and busier (thank you all!) and it's getting more and more important that I keep a really up to date and accurate calendar. This is something I've been doing in-house for a while actually, but until now I've not been able to find a practical way to share it with all of you. And I've felt for some time that if I could share it with my portrait clients, it might make things easier for you guys to plan your portrait sessions.

But, after gritting my teeth over the holidays, and deciding that I was determined to find a way to do this, I finally found a solution. It took about two days of solid research, experimenting, and tweaking, but I finally figured out a way to make this work. And the links above show the fruit of that labor!

Basically, what you see online, is up to date with the calendar I keep right here at my computer. When I change it here, you'll see that change online within five minutes. All other systems I researched required double entry -- and that just wouldn't work. Now, I just keep my calendar the way I normally would, and all of you are able to see it as well.

So what does that mean?

Well, I'm hoping this will make scheduling portraits a little easier for everyone. You'll be able to see the days I am available just by visiting my blog. See a day that works for you and your family? Click on the "contact me" link, fill in the appropriate information (including the date you'd like for your session!) and you're basically all set up. You'll be getting a few emails back to finalize everything, and that's it!

"But can't we just do that by calling you," you might ask?

Well, yes. You can. And this is not intended to take away that personal attention. However, it is meant to give you yet another option just in case you can't get to a phone for whatever reason, or the only time you have to plan your portrait is after hours. This calendar is ever changing. See a Saturday or Sunday that is unavailable six months from now? Well, odds are that's because a wedding has been booked that day OR I'm holding that day in case someone inquires about a wedding. As that date gets closer odds are less likely I'll be photographing a wedding, so I'll probably open it up for portraits. If you check the calendar daily, you'll see those changes take place. You'll also be able to see when I'm traveling to your part of the country. If you notice that I have a trip planned near you, send me an email or give me a call. I'd love to see if we can set up an appointment for you.

Finally, please note that this calendar does not affect my wedding schedule. All Saturdays have been blocked off from portraits only. At least Saturdays that are more than four months away. This is simply because most weddings are on Saturdays, and I need to keep those dates available for those bookings. Portraits may be available on the weekends, just not four months or so in advance. Again, if you check the calendar frequently, you'll see more Saturdays become available the closer they get to the current date.

As always, if you have any questions at all, just give me a call or shoot me an email. I'll be happy to answer anything I can for you.

I've got several other announcements I'll be making over the next few days and weeks, so be sure to check back here to see just what they are. And if you have any ideas or suggestions, by all means let me know. I'd love to hear your thoughts.


~wj

Portait Availabilty Calendar

Because portraits often aren't limited to a single date for scheduling (as weddings are), I have created this calendar to assist in finding an open time for scheduling an appointment.  In order to be fair to all of my clients, sessions are made on a first-come-first-serve basis.  If you see a date that works for you, simply click on the contact form to begin the booking process.  If you don't see a date that works for your schedule, don't fret!  Check in often, as I tend to open more dates the closer they get.

This calendar is designed to assist current and potential portrait clients. It DOES NOT reflect wedding bookings.

HOW TO USE THIS CALENDAR

1.  Every weekend is blocked off for weddings.  This is why you see the weekends scheduled as "Booked".  However, I only accept a limited number of wedding commissions each year, so as my schedule fills up with weddings, I will begin to open other Saturdays and Sundays for portraits.   If you check in with this calendar frequently, you will begin to notice days that have previously been marked as "booked" suddenly become available. 

2.  Find a date that is convenient for you and your family.

3. Click on the "Contact Me" tab at the top of the page and complete the online form.  In the date field of the form, be sure to enter the available date from my calendar.

4.  I will receive an email with your request and begin your booking process.  Sessions are not finalized until this process has been completed.  

CONTACT ME