Friends, yesterday was my twenty fifth birthday. It’s probably the first birthday where it’s really hit me how old I’m getting. I’m actually an adult? Maybe, but I’m gonna keep acting like a kid. I don’t want to be an old man. Not yet.

Of course, 25 comes with it’s perks. I can now rent a car without paying extra for the “underage” fee. And I’m told my insurance premiums on my car will go down. Which could be awesome because they dropped when I was 21 too.

I want to thank all my friends who helped celebrate the big day with a little trip to our favorite birthday restaurant, Red Robin. I know I’m getting old, because there were four kids under the age of five at my birthday party. All of our friends have babies, some of them start Kindergarden soon. NUTS.

Also, I’m pretty sure no one actually goes to Red Robin unless their celebrating a birthday. The waiters and waitresses must have sung the special birthday song four times while we were there. And I can almost guarantee I was the oldest person celebrating a birthday there… which leads back to the first point, I’m still a kid inside. And I hope I feel that way for a long time.

This week is officially our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY! We’re facing this next year head on and we’re excited about the opportunities that lay ahead. As part of this anniversary celebration, we’ve been doing a little bit of housekeeping and have spiced up our brand a little bit. We’ve dropped my first name from all of our branding, in an effort to show that Mindy is just as much a part of this little operation as I am.

You can also now follow us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/braunphotography) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/braun_photo). This is a new Facebook page, so for those of you who are “fans” on the current Cameron Braun Photography, please come over and be fans on the new page as well.

As part of this new branding, we’re also making a new commitment to providing the most complete experience for our clients. We’re constantly searching for great new products for you, and we’ve found a few things that we’re working on that we know you’re going to love. As part of this we’ve decided to attend this years WPPI conference in Las Vegas. We’ve been members of WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Professionals International) for almost a year now, but the conference is new for us. It’s a week of classes taught by some of the most respected photographers around the country. There’s also a huge trade show where we’ll be able to look at samples of new products to enhance your experience with us. We’re super pumped about it, especially since Mindy and I have never been to Vegas.

We also got new business cards printed this week. Next time you see us, ask for one. You’ll like to look at it. You’ll like to touch it. You’ll like to smell it… okay, maybe not the smell thing, but they’re covered in glossy damask sweetness!

2010 is year two here at Braun Photography. Our official one year anniversary is coming up later this month, and with it we’re re-thinking, re-imagining, and re-positioning. A lot of changes are on the way, and we’re sure that you’re going to love them.

This whole thing started because I was tired of my job. I was working at an advertising agency here in Dayton, working for clients who didn’t want to spend the money to do things the right way. It was tiring, and I was bored. I began to pray and ask God to show me the next step for my life.

I didn’t expect Him to answer in such a direct and unexpected way.

In January of 2009 I was laid off. A result of our poor economy sure, but even more so a result of a poorly run company. Here was my answer. I wanted a change, and boy, did I get it. At the time I didn’t know what to do or where our future was going to take us. I have a degree in Graphic Design, and so I started doing freelance design. Little by little the idea crept into my head that I could use this opportunity to do something I’ve always loved and start taking more pictures.

Mindy was such a huge support, I definitely could not have started this without her. Now we’re a team, and we shoot everything together. She’s blossoming into a very talented photographer, and a wedding would be nearly impossible to do without her. As a result of this, you may have noticed throughout the year that we started dropping my first name for our watermarks and started referring to ourselves as simply “Braun Photography.”

Starting later this month we’re going to be transitioning into a new branding package for our little operation here. We’re jumping headfirst into this brand, with a commitment to showing people that we’re a team. It’s not just me anymore. We’re in the process of developing a new look that will hopefully show off the fact that we’re a husband and wife photog team. It’s got more color. Less grey. The current branding is very cold, very masculine. We’re warming things up and bit, and hopefully we’ll appeal more to our target market, the brides who’s weddings we capture.

Keep your eyes peeled over the coming weeks, and please be patient with us as we make this transition. We’ve got a new Facebook page coming, a new Twitter name we’ll be using, and a new website URL. We’ll be providing more details, but we appreciate your support now as much as ever. We certainly couldn’t do it without all of you.

Here’s a little taste of what’s coming: