afO's Walk Two Moons PR

 all for One has another show coming up, and I'm excited to see it!  I don't really know anything about it, but I'm very intrigued after doing these promo photos for them.  The cast is bigger than afO typically has and is so diverse in ages.  I had a lot of fun switching the lighting around to achieve the different looks they wanted such as silhouette, directional, and diffused. 

To learn more about this show and to purchase tickets, go to https://allforonefw.org/walktwomoons/

My Mother's Wedding Dress and Veil

On this Valentine's Day, I find myself reflecting on my parent's marriage.  Last year my family gathered with dear friends to help my parents celebrate their 50 year anniversary.  It was due to that celebration that I had my mom's dress at my house and decided to take the opportunity to get some pictures of it.  I think that may have been the first time I had seen the dress in person.  I was impressed at how pretty it was and how well it was preserved.  The veil had some stains, but the dress was still in nearly perfect shape.

My parents' marriage has not always been the best, but I have learned a lot from them which has helped my own marriage.  I appreciate their example of dedication to each other over so many years.

Looking Ahead

 As I reflect on last year and look ahead to this year, I realize that I have very similar goals, hopes, and desires.  I love having clients return and seeing kids growing up.  I also hope to meet many new clients this year!  While my focus and specialty continues to be newborns, I'd love to grow into more pet photography, both in my studio/backyard and going to clients' homes.  I would like to do more cake smash sessions as those are always such a blast!  I think it'd be fun to create more mini sessions that occur throughout the year, instead of just doing the Holiday Minis.  I want to continue to make my own props, blankets, hats, and more.

Each year, I take a moment to reflect on how my business is running and evaluate if there are any changes that I should make, specifically to my pricing.  Normally this is a quick and easy decision for me as I decide things are running well enough, and I don't have a need to raise my prices.  This year I spent quite a bit of time on this topic though.  I strive to be upfront and transparent in my pricing which is why I keep it listed on my website for anyone to see.  I know my pricing is quite low for being a professional with a BFA in photography and over 15 years of experience.  I also know that the economy is tough and people don't have lots of extra money to spend on anything that isn't completely necessary for survival.  While photography may not be necessary for people to survive, I do think it is a necessary component for people to truly thrive in this life.  There's a balance between wanting to be properly compensated for my work and trying to do what I can to offer my services at a low enough rate that most people could afford to hire me.  So I've kept my prices the same for many years.  And I decided that I will continue to keep them the same for 2025.  

Our years on this earth are unknown to us, and time is always marching forward for us all.  Photographs capture moments of time that can never be relived.  So I hope you take time this year to slow down and not just enjoy special moments, but make sure they are photographed.  Check out my website for more information on my pricing by going to https://www.rachelwilhelmphotography.com/pricing.

Thank you!

 Joe and I did our yearly pictures in a couple of the sets I had for my Holiday Mini Sessions.  The cats did not want to cooperate at all this year.  Kira wasn't too bad, but Arien was in such a bad mood.  I think the third picture where she has her paw on Joe with her ears back really shows just how much she wanted us to be done with pictures.  😂  We decided to give up on getting a good one with the cats and went outside for a few by ourselves.  

As I reflect on this past year, I want to start by saying a very heartfelt thank you to all of my clients!  You all bless me more than you could know, and I truly hope that the photographs I've taken for you all will continue to bless your families for generations.  💗

This past year was overall pretty amazing with lots of wonderful experiences I'll remember for the rest of my life.  We witnessed a total solar eclipse, pet wolves, and saw the auroras.  We did so much work on our house including renting a dumpster and tearing out our deck in preparation for having a stamped concrete patio.  We saw our favorite band called For King & Country in concert, went to various zoos, and tried lots of new restaurants.  It was a year of hustling and hard work but we got to enjoy the fruits of our labor through buying many of the things we had been saving for a long time to get.  We are so grateful for God's faithfulness to us and the way His guides us and gives us wisdom.  We'd be nothing without Him.

afO's Longing for the Light

 This was such a sweet show.  It's made up of skits and songs which were all so well done.  I definitely remembered some of it from last year but there was also new material that was really good.  I was extremely happy that the "Ben and Hannah" skit was still a part of this.  I'm not entirely sure when I first saw this or how many times I've seen it since.  This was at least the third time over probably like 10 years or something.  I still absolutely adore it though.  It's hysterical, and I thought this time was the best ever.  It's such a highlight of this show.   Dennis and Laurie are amazing!