Our Biggest Year...
I’ve been collecting my thoughts, but no one REALLY likes hoarders...
First, and most important...THANK YOU! To everyone...
The MRPC, The United Parish of Lunenburg, everyone...
We shot 152 sessions in 2018. In 2017 we shot 138. As a reminder, in 2015 we shot 21.
It’s not the 168 that I initially thought, and I’ll get to that...
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You voted for two puppy names this year. It was a tight race for a while, but when the next few batch of puppies comes in to start their training at NEADS, there will be...
Gordon...after photographer Gordon Parks.
WATCH THIS!
and...
Dubley..after photographer Elliot Erwitt..or E.E.
Get it? Double E? Dubley?
WATCH THIS! The first five minutes or so are photos of dogs, and sometimes their people...
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We had at least three dogs have “accidents” on the floor. Including these two Great Dane pups... They are not labs... Part of the fun...
One of them started to go, and it was as if the other one said “Oh, is this what we’re doing now?” and let it rip... while walking around... everywhere... Part of the fun...
We had return customers...
Some people coming in for their fourth time...
We had new folks...
We had new babies...BRAND NEW BABIES...
We had teenagers... holy smokes you guys...just give me one good smile...
Growing families...
Families going through some stuff...keep going...
People bringing their own props...
LOVE THIS!
We had a hell of time finding locations for this year, and I need to do better and plan earlier with this... Gaaahhhh! NETFLIX!! HULU!!! (shakes fist)
Thanks to Glen and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission for letting me shoot in their entryway for the second weekend.
We were a couple centimeters away from having to cancel one of the days... ahh..documentary photography...
We had college students come in remotely...
We had Emma... who took advantage of me not locking my phone, and gave us this:
I really can’t begin to express how grateful I am for Emma’s willingness to endure long days and limited snack options to help her Uncle Ed with his crazy hobby... Thank you Emma...
The Housh Family came back, and didn’t disappoint...
We had a 12 foot gray paper background, lost on a truck, somewhere in Pennsylvania, so I went to three Targets and a Wal-Mart, the day before Thanksgiving, looking for enough black out curtains, of the same style, in the same color, that I thought maybe I could make work, but they were too short, so on Thanksgiving, I cut one in segments, and taped it to the bottom, and set it up after a quick Thanksgiving dessert with my family, but the seam made everything look weird, so I went home and got a nine foot roll of gray paper, and set it up at dawn the next day, shoot day, but there were some weird lines in it, so I took that down, and put up two black fabric panels which I brought just in case. The sausage got made. Photo Sausage. Trademark.
A few photos were snapped of me...
with Emma goofing off...
with so many Keenans...
with mermaid legs.... thanks Emma...
We celebrated, snacked, and raffled off props...
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So...the nitty gritty, and the lessons...
I had space for 165 sessions, not 168.
We sold out. We had a wait list with 50+ names on it.
Then we had a few cancellations which I filled, then a couple more a day or two before the shoots, and then a few less than 24 hours before the shoot, then less than 12 hours, then a couple no shows.
It’s a lot for me to manage in the middle of prep and shooting and editing, etc..
So, we shot 152 sessions. It’s huge, and I am so proud. Truly.
But it could have been a bit larger. It was supposed to be. I ran out of time and energy when I should have been filling cancelled spaces.
We raffled off the props and prints and brought in an additional $327.
So I’m rounding up a bit, and contributing an additional $973 to get us to the $16,500 that we initially sold out with. It’s our biggest year. Even without the rounding up. $5500 for NEADS, $5500 for the Worcester County Food Bank, and $5500 for the Worldwide Orphans Foundation.
with Sally at theWorcester County Food Bank
with Doreen at NEADS World Class Service Dogs
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So far, in just four years, the Simple Shot Experiment has been able to donate $43,900 in shoot fees.
Sometimes I forget to slow down and to be proud of this, but I really am. I just move on to the next item and don’t take the time to reflect.
receiving a Harvester Award from the Worcester County Food Bank in November
My friend Deb said something like this this to me at the celebration event “You’re showing people that they can make a difference with the skills that they have.”
That made my night.
I really have a great time when I’m shooting. Solving visual problems, while trying to figure out how to make a toddler smile, simultaneously getting multiple dogs’ attention by using a squeaky toy like a thigh master, all while trying my best to have you guys not see me look at the clock, because sometimes twenty minutes goes by REALLY fast when you just need ONE smile out of a teething teenager...and someone showed up early, and, and, and...
It’s a challenge, and I love it
That’s the experiment... How hard can I work, and how much can we raise...
When I finally hang up my camera, or my body gives out, whichever happens first...I want that total donation amount to be significant. I want to know that I have worked hard enough with my limited skillset to make a difference for people and organizations doing REAL good in this world. I imagine it will be a good way to retire.
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But it’s getting a little expensive, and it’s just a hobby
So, we’re going to tweak how we do things. Just a bit.
1. We’re going to have people pre-pay when they sign up. People have told me The new system worked well this year.
2. If you have to cancel, you can give away your spot, but I can’t spend the time filling it. It’s too much.
3. The session fee next year will be $110. $100 will be a donation to the charities, and $10 to cover the cost of the hall rentals, postage for gift prints, and the nuts and bolts of doing this.
4. We’re going to sell raffle tickets for props, prints, gift certificates, etc., during the shoot itself. I think we’ll be able to raise more this way. I love seeing people at the celebration event, but it’s a lot of work, and the ROI needs to bump up a bit.
5. I’ll be asking for help. Which I’m not good at. For donation items, for set-up help. For picking up munchkins. Thanks to Simple Shotters Jake and Dan who work at Frito Lay, the snacks are covered for next year.
6. We’re opening registration to everyone, at the same time. Emails and Facebook.
So that’s where we are...
Thank you to everyone for your support and enthusiasm, and coming back year after year. Email or DM me with ideas and suggestions for next year, and I’ll see you in 2019!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
-ed












