It was early spring when I made this 101 in 1001 list, and shortly after I first blogged about it, April contacted me. “So how about I make that #47 happen for you?” I got to photograph April’s family earlier this summer and I think it’ll always be one of my favorite family shoots. I loved taking her and her hubby, Dustin, aside for some special maternity photos of just the two of them.

And as you know, from my post last week, my best friend is pregnant too, so it was a no-brainer that a maternity shoot with her wouldn’t be far behind.

It feels good to check goals off lists, especially when it involves women as gorgeous as this.

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

Growing up, there were two places I always dreamed would be the PERFECT place to read a book. A window seat like this. Annndddd a hammock. There wasn’t a window seat in my childhood home. And the nylon version of a hammock that stood on a stand in our backyard? Well, it was authentic the way Olive Garden is authentic Italian food. As in, not very.

So I always dreamed about getting a FOR REAL hammock. And this year, I thought, “We’re DOING IT.” So I went online, headed to the most outdoorsy company I could find (why, L.L. Bean of course!) and ordered this cotton style. Then Nick spent a few days trying to figure out to hang it. It involved hooking it off a tree, digging a hole for the post at the other end (a hole he had to RE-DIG because there wasn’t enough distance from post-to-tree the first go around…did I mention this hole might have been deep enough you could see China on the other side? And that he had to RE-DIG it?) Oh, and that my husband is a perfectionist? So folks, this thing had to be perfectly level.

When he was finished and we’d taken an inaugural swing in it, I told him that it might have been the best gift he’s ever given me. To which he pointed out, “You bought the thing.” And I said, “Yes, yes, I know, but it was you did all the work. For me.” And now I have the most perfect spot in the world to curl up with a good book. I also have a photo to stare longingly at come January, but that’s a whole other story.

Speaking of my husband and backyard projects, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share a shot of him with the flagstone patio he’s spent the past MONTH redoing. I am SO proud of my man. He researched this project for quite some time (unhappy with how unlevel the existing flagstone patio had been…see, I told you this is a man who likes things—from frames to flagstone—LEVEL), and then spent weeks playing a giant game of Tetris to make each piece fit just right. I love you AND the new patio babe!!! And because he so seldom lets me do it, I told Nick we were getting our picture taken in the hammock. He gave me four tries. This was the best I could get …which means it’ll do

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Become a fan of Gail’s work on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

At some point during my visit at the end of last month to shoot with the lovely Gwyneth Colleen, Gwyn was quick to point out that while I had been telling people I’d not really been to New England before my trip to see her, that—as a matter of fact—I’d been to Boston last fall and well, that counts as “having been to New England.”

To which I promptly followed with a “Yes, that’s true, but that’s not like, the real New England.”

I know, I know … if there’s anyone from Boston reading this, I’m going to get it, but folks, when I think of New England, I picture more Kennebunkport and less Red Socks.

Yes, the New England I was envisioning was EXACTLY what greeted me as I stepped off the plane and set off with Gwyn to her New Hampshire home. All American flags on the doors of beautiful Colonial homes and lots of rolling green hills and stands selling lobster rolls and plenty of salty sea air. Over the course of a few days, we shot a lot for clients but relaxed quite a bit too and when she took me for a detour to Kittery, Maine after an awesome burrito lunch, well … it was then that I realized I could cross this one off the ‘ol 101 in 1001 list. For I’d now been there, seen that and promptly fallen in love with this pocket of what I like to call the real New England

We visited Fort McClary right on the water and the view of all the sailboats on the ocean in front of us was so peaceful and relaxing. And then I spotted a house with a tennis court butting up to the coastline and I thought, “Yeah, I could live here … for sure.”

I liked the texture of this sign and hey, sometimes you just need proof you’ve been, you know? Gwyn took this shot of me peeking my head out of one of the fort’s window frames. With that scarf wrapped around my neck, I feel quite jaunty in this photo. “Jaunty”…now isn’t that a word that feels New England-y? No? Just me then?

And a shot of Gwyn … we had fun exploring the old battle sites and soaking up some much needed sun after a long wedding shoot the day before.Thanks again Gwyn for letting me come out and play and explore a part of the states I’d never been. I LOVED New England and I hope it’s not the last you see of me out that way!

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

Last picture to share from my NYC travels but I just didn’t want to let this one slip by without crossing it off my list! I think it’s funny that on my old 101 list, I also had “Ride an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building”. When I made both those lists, I had no idea how I’d get here. But so grateful to say that I did and can check both of ‘em off

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

When I added this one to my list, it seemed easy enough. I mean, how hard is it to put together a branded look for your marketing materials? Goods that help your product stand out? That make booking you more than about just the pictures that get taken? Well, if you’re a photographer reading this, then you know, it ain’t easy. There are a LOT of companies out there that want your business and a myriad of options to choose from.

But I’m a big believer in doing my homework and so I’m happy with the clean look I developed for my packaging that I hope will better my simple brand experience for my clients. (and if you’ve got questions about any of my products, shoot me an email or hit me up in the comments!)

What’s better than getting a package in the mail with your photos? Opening it up and finding a bright shiny box that you get to open too!

I have to give a plug here for the company I selected to have my DVDs professionally printed. These look SO great in person (they have a nice gloss to them that’s hard to see in this photograph) and I had them done by Discmakers. I have to give a MAJOR shout out to this company’s customer service. They answered every one of my emails within HOURS and walked me through the ordering process every step of the way. The more vested I get in my business, the more I appreciate GREAT customer service and these guys are top-notch!

Now, when you go about branding yourself, you HAVE to have personalized Post-Its, right? (and am I the only one who can’t say the word Post-It without thinking of how Romy and Michelle invented them? haha)

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

#60 Get letterpress business cards made

I’ve never been particularly proud to hand out my business cards for two reasons:

Reason No. 1: The first batch I ever made—the ones from WHCC that I was so happy to order, thinking they’d be perfect, until I realized the font I’d used was so teeny you’d need a microscope to even make out my name. Reason No. 2: The cards from Moo.com. The ones with words big enough to read, but not, apparently, all on the page thanks to a goof with the margins. So you could imagine how nervous I was to get new business cards made. And not just any kind of card, friends. No, we’re talking LETTERPRESS CARDS. THE BE-ALL, END-ALL OF BUSINESS CARDS.

If there were such a thing as The Paper Gods, I’m convinced they’d pass a creed that only letterpress be used for invitations to their soirees. And I’ve coveted something letterpress of my own for long enough that, once I found a company I felt good about and was a cost-effective option, I decided to pull the trigger, aim for the third time being the charm, and get my own simple, classy letterpress business cards made.

So thanks to The Mandate Press for making me a VERY happy girl with these new cards. And I’ll just give y’all a heads-up in advance that these business cards are ones I happen to be VERY PROUD OF. Which means you might be getting one of ‘em thrust into your hand if and when I meet you because I love ‘em that much. This includes you, Mr. Postman.

See more of Gail’s work at www.gailwernerphoto.com. Friend Gail on Facebook. Follow Gail on Twitter.

What, exactly, is that? Many of you have probably heard of this, but to the unfamiliar, it’s a list of an assortment of goals you want to accomplish over the course of nearly 3 years. Thanks to Melissa, I created my first 101 in 1001 on Jan. 1, 2008. Then, I promptly forgot about it. (Here it is, if you’re curious). When Melissa recently blogged about her version 2.0 of her 101 list (’cause, you know, she actually FINISHED her first one!), I got to thinking it’d be nice to give my own 101 a fresh new start (and the attention it deserved).

Looking back at my old list, I’m amazed to see I accomplished over a third of what I wrote down. As Melissa writes in her blog topic on the subject, people who write down their goals are much more likely to be successful in reaching them, and I couldn’t help but think she was on to something. So here’s to tackling everything that’s on this list of mine (and as you can see, I’ve left a small bit of wiggle room to add a few more goals too!). They may not all become reality, but if you don’t visualize ‘em first, how do you know how much you’re willing to try, eh? Wish me luck!

START DATE: March 7, 2010

END DATE: December 2, 2012

1) Travel Europe (this one’s in the works!)
2) Visit New England (Completed 5.30.10)
3) Visit Seattle
4) Take a picture of myself visiting NYC in Times Square (Completed 4/23/10)
5) Go sledding
6) Take a hot air balloon ride
7) Take a cruise with Nick
8 ) Visit a friend in a different state at least once a year
9) Pay for the meal of a stranger (drive thru counts!)
10) Help a local charity on a monthly basis for a whole year
11) Read the Bible in one year
12) Learn how to meditate
13) Join a Bible study
14) Adopt a family at Christmas
15) Ring the bell for the Salvation Army
16) Read three books a month for a year
17) Watch the LOST series
18) Art direct and create a video with my Flip camera
19) Create a coffee table book of my trip to San Francisco
20) Create a coffee table book of our Europe travels
21) Spend an entire day with my remaining grandmother
22) Tape record/videotape grandmother sharing stories about how she and grandpa met
23) Babysit for a friend and/or family member at least once every six months
24) Put a bun in the oven (had to throw that one in!
25) Cook dinner three times a week for six months
26) Create a easy-to-search cookbook for my favorite recipes
27) Migrate all my old CDs into digital music
28) Practice yoga once a week for an entire year
29) Run another half-marathon
30) Revamp my living room
31) Put flowers on the graves of my decease grandparents
32) Research a well-known photographer
33) Replace the roof on our house
34) Cook Indian food
35) Learn how to cook with a pressure cooker
36) Start an herb garden
37) Knit 3 projects a year
38) Sit down at the piano once a week — even if it’s for 15 minutes— for an entire year
39) Create a collage of prints of my travels; hang them in the living room
40) Have Nick and I’s pictures taken professionally again (Completed 8.16.10)
41) Create pricing booklets
42) Fully integrate ShootQ into my business
43) Begin using SmugMugs for my picture hosting
44) Work on SEO for my Web site
45) Develop packaging for my products (Completed 4.20.10)
46) Join WPJA
47) Shoot my first maternity shoot (Completed 6.11.10)
48) Go to a Jasmine Star workshop
49) Attend WPPI
50) Post once a week on the forums I belong to for six months straight
51) Get inbox down to zero every day for six months’ straight
52) Create holiday card templates for clients to order
53) Introduce new line of guestbooks and albums
54) Read 12 business books in a year
55) Begin using Quickbooks
56) Implement client surveys to get their feedback on how I’m doing
57) Create Christmas ornaments for my past wedding clients of each year
58) Second shoot a wedding with Melissa Jill
59) Second shoot a wedding with Tina Jay
60) Get letterpress business cards made (Completed 3.22.10)
61) Begin a client referral program
62) Hang a hammock up in the backyard (Completed 6.24.10)
63) Bake a pie. From scratch.
64) Take a family vacation
65) Clean out my closet each year
66) Purchase the 35 1.4 lens
67) Purchase a laptop
68) Begin to offer slide shows at receptions for my clients
69) Keep a gratitude journal
70) Take a jewelry class
71) Read a classic novel
72) Go fishing with Nick
73) Ride in a bike ride with Nick
74) Join PPA
75) Learn how to play cribbage (with Nick)
76) Throw a party for someone
77) Go to a taping of Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me in Chicago
78) Complete a Photoshop tutorial
79) Take pictures of my college campus (for myself)
80) Have my photography work published on a style/wedding blog
81) Have my photography work published on a Web site
82) Begin fostering relationships with vendors I work with
83) Create a canvas from my work
84) Shoot a session for a friend for free
85) Take swimming lessons
86) Watch all 100 movies on AFI’s 100 Greatest American Movies list
87) Go to a fancy New Year’s Eve party
88) Have a date night once a month with my husband for an entire year
89) Make a mix CD for a different friend every month for a year
90) Create a birthday list of family’s birthdays and send a card out to everyone for their birthday. On time (for a change).

91) Begin creating ShowIt +Sites for my clients
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