Happy 11th Blogiversary!!!

Wow!  Eleven Years!!  On the SAME blog!!  I've never even lived in the same city for 11 years, and yet my blog has stayed in the same internet home on blogspot all along- big kudos to Google for keeping up a massive archive.  I started this blog on Chinese New Year in 2005, so it's only fitting that I celebrate this Chinese New Year.  (Never mind that I completely glossed over the 10 year anniversary!)

The people I've met and photographed over this last decade has been amazing.  It's mind-blowing how this work has expanded my world and brought wonderful people into my life.  Many of the older posts in my archives reveal how technology has changed over time- which slideshows disappeared from my blog when Apple closed down their dot mac server and which images remained because they were loaded directly into blogger or Flickr.  Reviewing archives also revealed how much my blogging changed once Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram came onto the market as a place to share personal stories or short posts, and how client image privacy changed dramatically over time.  More than anything, these blog archives remind me of the amazing people, moments, and places that I've had the good fortune to photograph.

I tried to pick one image and blog post for each year- but it wasn't easy, and they were all chosen for different reasons. This is just a tiny sample of what I've shared at the intersection of my business and personal life over these 11 years....

2015: Transitions Are Tricky



2014: My Evolution As A Professional Photographer


2013: Fransisco Family Adventure


2012: One Minute Vacation: Great Ocean Road


2011: Union Studio Yoga


2010: Honoring Our Veterans


2009: Weddings Sneak Peek


2008: Mary & Matt's Detroit Public Library Wedding


2007: I'm an Artistic Guild Winner Too!


2006: Sally & Rodney's Wedding


2005: Artwork of Franklin Jonas


Some people switch blogs over time or hide their blog archives or history, but nope, mine are right in my sidebar for all to browse.  There's some really revealing and slightly embarrassing stuff in those archives- wooooweee- but looking back also allows me to measure how far I've come.  If you're ever feeling like you're working really hard and not getting far- just look back at my early annual reports and I think you'll feel better!  Onward!

2015 Review: Less is More

Even though I had quite a few professional and personal accomplishments this year, for me it felt more like a year characterized by being present for distant family during loss and love.  Many of the  moments that mattered this year will only live in my memory and my heart rather than in a camera.  Continuing to choose self-employment each year has so often been influenced by the ability to be present for family when it matters.  This year I was able to honor that commitment by spending 60 days with out-of-state family members- which is probably more time than we spent together living in the same state.

(all photos are phone snaps from my instagram feed)


Professionally, I fully embraced my niche focus of architecture & interiors in New York almost to the exclusion of all other work and finally created a portfolio to represent this.  My workload gradually shifted from hundreds of small fast jobs to dozens of large projects that required multiple days of coordination, shooting, and post-production.  I'm grateful that many of the clients I started working with last year hired me for additional projects this year and referred several new clients as well.  Returning and referred clients mean so much to me because it confirms that I'm meeting and exceeding image expectations, providing service that earns continued trust, but even more than that- getting a chance to grow with clients while supporting them in their professional journeys.




Since the world of architecture & interior photography encompasses several different types of projects, I decided to get a little more specific in my number breakdown this year so that I could more closely measure the changes in types of projects from year to year:

Photography Stats:
88 Residential Rental Properties Photographed
9 Commercial Architecture Properties Photographed
9 Residential Interior Design Properties Photographed
5 Creative Business Consulting Clients
5 Photo Licensing Only Clients (83 images)
4 Residential Renovation Properties Photographed
4 Residential Real Estate Properties Photographed
3 Portraits Photographed
2 Commercial Real Estate Properties Photographed
2 Historic Properties Photographed
2 Commercial Editorial Assignments Photographed
1 Shark Tank Photographed




Client Stats:
25 New Clients
9 Returning Clients

Professional Development Stats:
14 Networking Events Attended
6 Architecture & Design Talks/Events
1 Architecture Photography Workshop Attended

Professional Giving Stats:
48 Hours of Photography & Image Production Donated to Non-Profits (284 images)
11 Business Articles Contributed to PhotoLovecat (48 hrs)
1 Marketing Webinar Organized & Hosted (6 hrs)

Bonus Stats:
- Social Media Travel Sponsorship (#carsharenyc)*
(*I've often talked about how cool it would be if someone would just pay me to take instagram pics, and that's exactly what happened with this sponsorship!)
- TEDx Talk



A few years ago I started measuring how many days off I took advantage of during weeks when business was slow and how many vacations I took during the year as a way to help me measure success beyond the financial numbers alone.  The whole reason we strive for business goals is so that we can have the ability to enjoy more of the life stuff when we aren't working, right?  By measuring the life experiences that make me happy in between the work experiences, I've been able to track how both the personal and business sides of my life have impacted my overall happiness and ability to feel balanced and fulfilled from year to year.  If you're a freelancer or small business owner, I highly recommend keeping some personal stats along with the business stats in order to easily measure how your business is contributing to the rest of your life.  I keep track of mine simply by putting all of my appointments, dinners, production, vacation, etc. right into my calendar.  It's the easiest way to add it up at the end of the year.

Personal Stats:
- 93 Days of Vacation (60 days with out-of-town family)
- 23 New Cities Visited:
Arkansas- Eureka Springs, Marshall;
California- Thousand Oaks, Paso Robles, San Louis Obispo, Napa, Santa Barbara, PCH;
Missouri- Branson;
New Jersey- Asbury Park, Ocean Grove, Sandy Hook, Vernon Twp;
New York- Ithaca, Sag Harbor, Shelter Island, Montauk, West Hampton, Long Beach, Warwick, Amity, Poughkeepsie, Cold Spring, Ulster Park, Finger Lakes.
- 4 New Islands Visited: St. Thomas, St. John, St. Maarten, St. Barths
(2 return visits to Nassau, Bahamas)
- Started Singing with the Chameleonic Choir
- Completed Reiki 1 & 2 

After 10 years of searching, I'm so grateful to have found a choir that I love to sing with.  Chameleonic shares my love of supporting contemporary composers as well as learning and performing challenging music.  I'd love to share this newly commissioned work by Bill Heigen with you from a recording of our concert in December:

Living in Manhattan - My Second Year

At the end of 2014, I was still settling into this big little urban island and wrote about a lot of the things that impacted me after living in NYC for a year.  However, after a second year of living here and getting used to all of the not-so-awesome parts, I've started to appreciate the benefits and bonuses that make this a really desirable place to stay beyond a short visit.  Here are a few of the ways that New York City, but particularly Manhattan, has spoiled me as a resident:

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Sep 8, 2015 at 2:59pm PDT

1. 24 Hour Delivery For Just About Anything
3am craving for ice cream and don't want to get out of your PJs?  Seamless Delivery.  Staying home sick and need someone to go grocery and toilet paper shopping for you?  Instacart Delivery.  Found a couch on craigslist but don't have a car?  Uship Delivery.  Don't feel like waking up early and standing in line for a cronut or SNL tickets?  TaskRabbit.  NYC is a city full of people who don't have cars and whose kitchens rarely do more than chill wine and leftovers- so delivery services are abundant for just about anything you need.

2. Top Chefs in Every Food Category
This city is a foodie's paradise.  From awesomely cheap street food to five star over-the-top meals, there's no shortage of amazing chefs and restaurants in this city.  People don't consider service jobs to be a career choice in other parts of the country or world, but here, you may get poached and recruited to be a star bartender or barista if you make a point of going above and beyond in your service.  I know bartenders whose salaries make people wish they'd never taken out a student loan.

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Oct 18, 2014 at 8:55pm PDT

3. Everyone Comes to NYC
If there's a major art exhibit, concert series, musical act, film, or international figure, they will find their way to NYC at some point.  When the Pope came to visit the United States, he came to NYC.  If there's an international traveling act and they only plan one show in the United States, it's probably happening in NYC.  It sounds a bit over-zealous to say EVERYONE comes here, but it's rare that an act will stop somewhere else and not come to NYC. All the entertainment you could want is just a subway or taxi ride away.

4. Independent Film & Music
One of the things that was hard to find in other cities I've lived in was a movie theatre that would host something other than a major film with a large financial backing and broad commercial appeal.  I used to drive an hour out of town to get to the closest movie house that would host a documentary that was traveling the festival circuit.  Now I have several movie theaters within a few blocks walk that host not only independent film and music, but also have really awesome director Q&A nights.  I've been able to speak with Ethan Hawke, Mike Meyers, and Kristin Wiig about their latest films simply because they were actually attending their own screening down the street from me.

A photo posted by Anne Ruthmann (@anneruthmann) on Mar 15, 2015 at 5:30pm PDT

5. Free Art & Culture Events
Free Summer Concert Series, Free Movies on the Piers, Free Festivals in the Park, Free Public Swimming Pools, Free Ferry Rides, Free Promotional Food Giveaways, Free Samples, Free Tickets to TV Shows, Free Museum Talks & Demonstrations... and the list goes on.  With so many free events that happen every day in this city, it's not a question of what's happening, it's a question of which happening to choose, and it kind of makes up for how expensive it can be to live here.