March has gotten off to a fantastic start! I made several huge steps towards opening my business this week, just in time for the horse show next weekend! I finally got my business credit card in the mail so I purchased my domain, quickbooks, and new MacBook Pro. I also downloaded Lightroom and Photoshop, set up an online gallery to deliver photos to my clients, and finalized my website. It's amazing to see how quickly a dream can become a reality when you pour all your heart, soul, and energy into what you're working towards. I am thrilled for what's ahead and believe this will be a big year for Shannon Castaneda Photography!
My hopes now that I am up and on my feet is that I will become a more active blogger. I was never a huge fan of writing throughout school but I think this is because I was never writing about something I am passionate about. I never thought I would say this but I am super excited to start writing more! I think excelling at this will be a huge factor in growing my business and I can't think of anything else I would rather write about. My goal is to write a blog post every time I post a new shoot on my website so I can tell my visitors about all the fun!
So what's next? I think my next big focus will be getting my name out there, but I have to take it slow because I am still working full time at Wells Fargo. I have a great position as an assistant to 3 financial advisors and plan to stay with them for a while longer to build up my retirement. I will do equine photography part time and hope to have 1-3 shoots per month to help keep a balanced schedule. On top of Wells Fargo and my new business I am also working slowly towards my MBA in commerce. I take one class per semester and plan to graduate in summer of 2020. This will free up more time for horses and photography!
This year I will be shooting at Canterbury Showplace once a month, other than April because I will be in Miami for the Longines show on Miami Beach and September because I will be visiting California for the first time. I am so thankful my friend Julia introduced me to the horse show manager Susan. She is so welcoming and recently warmed my heart by saying "I belong to the show family." I am excited to have a consistent opportunity to practice and get better all year, and am even more excited to make so many people smile by capturing their sweetest memories, as pictured below.
#equinephotography #floridaphotographer #floridahorsephotographer #canterburyshowplace #canterburyopenshow