As many of you know, in April I was married to the most incredible man and love of my life, Scott Newton. We have had an amazing first three months of marriage, kicked off with a once in a lifetime trip…a honeymoon in Hawaii! We feel beyond blessed to have found each other and are so excited to be on this adventure through life together.

As with most newlywed couples Scott and I have been doing a lot of talking about our hopes and our dreams for our marriage and for our family. The big thing we keep coming back to time after time is what direction we would like my photography business to take. We have been mulling over the idea of moving the studio into our home within the next year or two, mainly so I can be more available to Aly, Scott’s 7 year old daughter, and the children we plan on having over the next few years. Many things, several of which are out of my control, have popped up over the past two weeks and have sped this decision up rather quickly!

I’m excited to announce that I will be moving Nicole Isaacson Photography to our home! I’ve had an incredible two years at 927 North Main and absolutely adore the space I have created. I will definitely miss the building and the exposure, but I believe that in life there are seasons and I’m heading into a new, very colorful and exciting one!

My lease will expire at the end of July, so I have LOTS of preparing to do. Last night we ordered flooring, selected paint colors and finalized the fabric for curtains for my office and gallery space. The studio will be in our garage and that project will start once the move from the Main Street location is finished and I’m settled in the office. (For the rest of the summer or until we get the studio space finished all sessions will be on-location only. Seniors…if you book a package and would like to have indoor and outdoor photos, we can make up your studio portion at a later date.) Along with the move will come lots of new and fresh ideas. I’m going to be launching a new website and logo as well as restructuring things on the business end of thing. Each year I’ve been in business I learn and grow. I started out of college from the ground up and have taught myself a lot over the years. I’m looking forward to implementing a lot of changes to better serve my customers as well as simplify my life. So, even though the Main Street location will close, I am definitely still in business and hope to keep growing every year like I have done in the past!

My close family and friends know that I am a very structured person. I don’t go into any decision lightly, whether it is as small as where to go on vacation or as big as this decision about the business has been. I have spent hours analyzing every last detail and believe we have made the best decision for our family. This change is very exciting for me yet at the same time a very scary one. Isn’t there an old saying that taking risks in can lead to good things? I’m sure that it will be true for us! I have a deep sense of peace and I’m looking forward to getting settled into my new location very soon.

I want thank everyone…my husband, family, friends, fellow business owners and a few clients who are near and dear to me that lent an ear for my analyzing mind over the past few weeks! I appreciate each one of you more than you could ever know and thank you for your valuable insights.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am! Keep an eye out in the weeks to come for blog posts about the renovations, specials and the launch of the new logo & website. May God bless you!

This year has been amazing!  With the opening of the new studio I have been busier than I could have ever imagined.  I feel so blessed to have the clients that I do and I thank each one of you for trusting me to photograph your milestones and once in a lifetime events.  The relationships I have formed with you are priceless to me and I look forward to helping to create more memories as your lives grow and change. I can hardly believe it’s December 5th already!  Christmas is just 20 short days away and I have hardly even begun to shop or decorate.  The decorating may actually just have to take a one year hiatus and return bigger and badder then ever in the Holiday Season of 2010!

With all that said I do have to say that I am very ready for some time to breathe and get back to a somewhat normal lifestyle once this busy Christmas season is over.  I have put my relationships with friends, family and God on the back burner since September and hopefully, with some much needed changes to my studio workflow and organization, that will never happen again!  I will be taking a few months “off” in the beginning of 2010 to take a vacation, organize my studio (well, it is organized, but I am an organization freak so I must do this over and over again!), work on getting a better system for my workflow and many, many other awesome things.  I do say “off” in a very loose way as I will still be working and will take a very limited number of portrait sessions.  If you are pregnant, have a newborn or would like a session that just can’t happen any other time please contact me.  I don’t want to let that pass me by!

In January I will be celebrating my last birthday that starts with the number 2!  Yikes, 30 is almost here.  Where did the careless days of summer and pigtails go?!  I am a dreamer and always have a millon and one ideas going through my head, but I also have a bad habit of letting time slip by way too fast.  I have decided to make a list of the top 30 things I want to do or accomplish before I am 30 and I will be sharing that with you folks in early January.  I feel if I share it on here I may be more likely to finish those goals since I will have so many people to hold me accountable!  Keep an eye out for this…I am excited myself to see what I come up with.

If you are patiently (and thank your for being so patient!) awaiting your wedding proofs, album design, or print order I will be getting those to you very quickly!  I am hoping to have all print orders finished and ready to pick up by Monday, December 21.  I will call you as soon as they arrive.   If you are waiting on a Wedding Album design from me it will be done in early January.  And finally if I had the amazing opportunity to photograph your wedding I will be in touch when they are done which should be very soon.

The blog posts have been very few and far between, but I have TONS of great shoots to post in the new year so I hope to have you back to check it out soon.  If I don’t post before then, I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Much love,

Nicole

This Friday, November 6th, I will be having my Grand Opening celebration with an Open House from 4:00-8:00 p.m. at my new location - 927 North Main Street in Princeton, Illinois.   The Open House will take place during Princeton’s North End Annual Wine Walk.  Many shops on the North End will be open late so be sure to stop in to see their new holiday merchandise and sample their treats and drinks!   I will be serving several different salsa’s (mango salsa is my favorite!) and sangria’s as well as a few sweet treats.  I’m also very excited to have The Friendship Band - Joe Nowak and Bob Cmolik - coming to perform acoustic guitar music and sing us some songs.  Joe is an awesome guitar player so don’t miss out!  As an added bonus you can sign up for a chance to win free stuff and who doesn’t like free stuff?!  Grab a friend and stop in to say hello!  I look forward to seeing you there!

Phew!  The last few weeks have be a whirl wind and I am still spinning like a tornado.  I am sure glad I had a two week vacation fishing with my family in Canada before this all began or I’d be due for a getaway soon!  I will post the pictures of our big catches very soon.  My days have been filled with packing and unpacking boxes in my new studio and my new apartment.  I will be a very happy girl when everything is back in it’s designated place.  My family and friends will testify that I am more pleasant to be around when my surroundings are neat and tidy!  I will be posting pictures soon of the new building once everything is the way I have envisioned.  If you’d like to get a sneak peak feel free to stop by and peak in the windows or if I am there you are welcome to stop in.  The new address is 927 North Main Street in Princeton.

Wedding season is winding down and Senior Portrait season is just beginning.  Since this weekend is the Homestead Festival and my TEN YEAR High School Class reunion (yes, you heard me right…ten years since I graduated from Princeton High School!!), I am offering a Senior Portrait Special.  All sessions booked between today (Tuesday, September 8, 2009) and Tuesday, September 15, 2009 will receive a free 5×7 & a set of 8 wallets with paid minimum print order.   That’s a $38 value!!  (I just felt like the infomercial guy when I typed that!)  Call now to get the best selection of dates for your senior session…815-878-6406.  (You must mention this blog post when you book your session to receive the free prints.)

Since every post is better with some pictures I’ve posted my 2009-2010 Senior promo piece.  Enjoy Homestead weekend everyone!