On May 29, 2014, I officially left my lab job at IU. As I write this, it is hard to believe it has been over 2 years already. I’ll save where I am today for another blog post. For now, I have to tell you about the initial 6 months. In truth it was glorious! I did not focus on my business right away, that would have been the practical thing to do. Instead, I decided to take some much needed time off. In the end, despite the monetary cost, it was worth it.
After photographing one family session and making final preparations for our trip, it was time. A six-week, 7000-mile trek across the Western U.S. was just what I needed. I had envisioned this trip for the past year and a half. We drove through 15 states, visited 10 national parks, countless other parks, camped 40 nights out of 47, and I took 1000’s of photographs. It was truly an inspiration and it forever changed my way of thinking. If you have never toured the great American west, you owe it to yourself to do so.
Returning from a trip like that was difficult. I did not want to come back to my home state of Indiana. It was such a let down after seeing so many beautiful sights. However, with limited savings, it was time to return to reality. Upon returning, I wasn’t sure what to expect in terms of my business. With no advertising or marketing for the summer, I did not expect much business. While driving back I received a request for a family anniversary photo session and within a few weeks of returning more requests came in. By year’s end, I had 3 family sessions, 2 senior sessions and 1 musician session. Not bad for just starting out & taking the summer off. Fall was good to me, to say the least.
As business was winding down for the year, another incredible opportunity dropped in our laps. A friend of ours had property available he wanted someone to be caretakers of when he moved in 2015. After thinking about it for a few weeks, we made the decision to move from our home in Speedway, IN to 100 acres of woodland 40 minutes away. What an incredible 6 months the back half of 2014 turned out to be.
Next up: Our first year in the 100-acre woods.
Ralphie Rough Road 
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