I wanted to take a moment to post an update to my blog so any new clients stopping by aren’t wondering why it’s been so long since a new post. I’m actually committing a blog felony right now by not posting any new content. It’s not that I’ve run out of things to post about or that I’ve run out of clients. It’s just that I’m making some changes behind the scenes right now to make my business better! Plus I’m preparing for that new arrival due around New Years that will suck up my precious sleep :). No lie I’m starting to get scared having two babies so close in age, some days I feel like I’ve got Will’s schedule all figured out and the next I’m completely confused. No idea what is going to happen when the new one gets here. But that is why we aimed for the off season so I can get my act together before weddings start back up!
So why no new blog posts? Well I’ve been spending the last couple months putting together a new look and design for my business. Something a little bit more grown up. I’m really excited to be working on it and as such I’ve been squirreling away blog posts to go on the new site. I know it’s totally rude to hold back all the prettiness I’ve been photographing but I think the images will look even more pretty on my new site! It’s coming but I don’t have a hard deadline set yet. I’m thinking I need to though so this project doesn’t drag out too long!
Why a new website design I like your old one? I heard a great piece of advice recently that you want to update the look of your website before people start thinking it looks dated. So that’s what I’m doing, working on it now while people still like the old one :). There are also elements of my site that have bugged me from the beginning and now is a great time to overhaul them. Like the search bar being at the bottom of the blog, I use that function all the time to look for past examples to send to clients and there are way too many clicks to get to it. New site will have a search box right up top! Plus the blog theme company I use, Prophoto has tons of new features that I’m excited to play with!
What else are you working on? Oh so many behind the scenes stuff that I will be blogging about on the new site. I’m changing up a lot of how I do things so I can better serve my clients and better serve my family. This means letting go of some things, streamlining others and overhauling my marketing. Things that worked great for me years ago have changed or others are doing them too now so I have to find ways to be better and stand out from the crowd. It’s a constant battle in business but I have to say all the elements fascinate me!
In the meantime I’ll share with you one more sneak peek of an engagement session I did down in Alexandria last month! I can’t wait to share the rest of the images on the new site soon!
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2023.
