HO, HO, HO!

I know, I know - I can hear you saying "Wait! It is isnt even Thanksgiving yet!"

I am just so excited about a new project that will be coming up that I had to share!

About a week ago Preston's mom had made the suggestion to offer Santa portrait sittings to friends, family and community as a way to get myself "out there" and spread the word about my photography. My thought was - "yeah, and too bad dad isnt here to help out, no he lives in UT"
My brain has been trying to figure out a good way to be able to do it, who to ask to be santa - today those thoughts were made into reality!
A friend from 1st ward was at the ACES program tonight (another post coming with picts about that) and we got talking about her dad. He LOVES to play Santa and was sad he wouldnt get the chance to do it often this year. She knew he would love to be "my" Santa for the portrait sittings and even graciously offered her own house for the sittings!

I am SOOO excited. I will be putting flyer and price sheet together as well as coordinating a schedule for sittings in the next couple of days. I would like to offer an actual 90 minute shoot (for more personal setting/lots picts) but also offer short sittings too. Price suggestions have been 30min for $20-$25, 60min for $35, 90 min for $50. I am not sure I am comfy with these as my skills are still in beginning stages...
I would give the CD of picts to families and also have the option of having picts tweaked and "pro" printed for families for extra $.
I dont have the option right now for instant, high quality printing, and I am wondering if that will keep people away? Will people be ok with getting a disk of their own picts and then having the option to do whatever they want to them?
The one thing that scares me about giving a CD at the shoot is not having the time to look at them to tweak them or do touch-ups. Would it be ok to offer a "sneak peek" like they do at Penny's or other places and then only burn the picts the client wants? That would require prob a minimum of an extra 15min/shoot...
My goal in this is to have it be a personal sitting, more relaxed, more time to play, more time for little kiddos to have a fun experience and to capture their "shine" - people can go to the mall for the $5/5 minute/wait in line forever thing....thoughts?

In the past we have tried hard to get away from the whole "Santa/commercialism" stuff for our family. We are not even doing santa presents this year. But I know on the whole that the community really loves it and it is something special for families (like us again this year) who have a little person who will be celebrating a "1st" Christmas.

I would love to get your feedback, thoughts, ideas - what would you be interested in, how much would be reasonable for you? I will prob be trying to put a flyer together by Sunday to go out to wards and community stuff in the next week. I would love for you to post comments here or send me an email directly.

I really am excited about this project. Not for the $, but for the chance to see little people happy, to serve families by sharing this gift, to meet new people, to give K's dad a chance to also serve in a way that makes him so happy too. I think it could be such a wonderful opportunity to share a gift by giving a gift. Really that is what Christmas is about - sharing and giving gifts to others. I love that photography allows me to do that in so many ways.

I will look forward to hearing from you and getting all of your ideas. Wish me luck!