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The Way Home

Traveling through life documenting what matters most to our home.

Categories: Life, Photography, Spoiled Rotten Photography

Passing the Purple Crown

Hindsight is 2020

When we are called to leave and start something new, we may not have the vision to see what it will be, but we can have faith in what it can be.

In 2013 when our family was faced with a move to Atlanta, GA I decided to put my established E. Bailey Photography custom photography business to the side to open one of the first Spoiled Rotten Photography franchises. The prior year I had met the owner of the company, Melissa Tash, and was fascinated with the business model she had created. For me this proven successful preschool/daycare/mother’s day out portrait model made perfect sense and was the opportunity I was looking for to regain my weekends and still be able to be a stay-at-home mom, doing the majority of my work while my girls were at school. 

The Lord opened doors and provided the people and resources I needed to get Spoiled Rotten Photography – Alpharetta established pretty quickly. 

Moving into my 3rd year, I saw the potential for adding a photographer to come alongside me as my schedule was beginning to be full. In my own might I tried to fit several people who were already photographers into this role, but it never seemed to work out. Then the Lord opened my eyes to the potential of training the photo stylist/assistant who had invested 2 years of her time with me. One of the beautiful things about the SRP model is the ability to take someone who has never used a professional camera and teach them how to achieve beautiful portraits in all settings, through an intensive in house training program.

In sending Christine through training in 2016, also came her sister Patricia who wanted to be a part of what we were doing. While I didn’t have the vision for triple capacity at that moment, what we created was a beautiful dynamic sister duo who I was able to trust to provide the quality portraits I was used to providing my schools. In the seasons that followed, I was stretched in my ability to manage employees and give up control of different aspects to effectively scale my business. 

In 2019 I was given a job opportunity for the year in Birmingham, Alabama. This meant I would need to completely step away from the on-the-ground operations of my SRP business in Alpharetta. I knew my two photographers wanted to take on more work, so this would be their time to shine as I was able to pass off almost all of my portrait events for the year. We worked in harmony with each other, and thanks to our amazing new proprietary software system, I was able to manage the business remotely. 

After our move was made permanent to Birmingham, we discussed the option for Christine and Patricia to aquire the Spoiled Rotten Photography – Alpharetta franchise so they could continue to nurture and grow the business beyond what I could ever do remotely. This scenario was best for all three of us.

I am excited to announce as of January 2020, Christine Mamon and Patricia Mesi are the new owners of Spoiled Rotten Photography – Alpharetta. 

In releasing my own Spoiled Rotten Photography franchise, it will free up my time and allow me to assist and help with growth for new and existing Spoiled Rotten Photography franchise owners. I love business, business strategy, marketing, developing brands, and developing leaders, so I’m sure I will find plenty to keep my hands busy in the years to come. 

If you have ever considered owning your own business, love children, love photography or have a teachable spirit to learn, this opportunity may be right for you to bring to your hometown. I speak with perspective owners all the time, so ask me all the questions you might have!

It was an honor to receive my Master Photographer award after our 2020 Image Competition!
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Categories: Faith, Life, Spoiled Rotten Photography

Vision

VISION…

Sometimes it is more about putting one foot in front of the other and taking the next step that is in front of you, than seeing the big full picture.

It may sound cliché that I chose the word Vision as my word for 2020, but that is what I desire, clear 20-20 vision for this year and my next 40 years. I can’t think of a better time to pursue new paths and begin dreaming again about possibilities for the future.

I’ve been thinking a lot about things in this life that we have to let go of, so we can grow. It may seem counter intuitive to give up control of one area of our life to grow in another, but often it is necessary to clear one space to make room for the next right thing.

I recently sat in a puddle of tears as I listened to this song after releasing and selling a business I spent the last 7 years building from the ground up. (I’ll save that story for another day soon.)

Let It Go

I won’t cheat on my future with the past.

-Fearless Soul

While I don’t know what the rest of this year, 5 years, 20 years will look like, I do know I am on the path I am supposed to be on.

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Categories: Photography, Spoiled Rotten Photography

SRP Image Competition

One of the best ways to grow in your field of expertise is by evaluating your experiences. Our Spoiled Rotten Photography franchise owners and photographers grow each season through our print competition. After scanning through the folders of thousands of images taken during a preschool portrait season, there are always images that rise to the top pulling at our heart strings. We personally evaluate our favorite images for authenticity, technical excellence, pleasing poses, impact, and composition.

Our SRP Image Competition is one of the highlights of our annual conference each year as we have a panel of professional photographers judge our repertoire of images providing feedback to help us grow as photographers.

Here are the 3 images I submitted for this year’s competition…

My Eye Is On You

In a year where I took an intentional break from a lot of portrait photography work to pursue other opportunities, I am thankful that I didn’t miss opportunities to photograph my own girls.

I entered this image, “Ready to Blossom” in our annual Spoiled Rotten Photography print competition because it makes my heart sing! It is more than a field of sunflowers ready to blossom, it is my baby girl who is living those tween years with grit and grace and it makes my heart leap to imagine the teen that she will soon blossom into.

Ready to Blossom
Flower Girl

Leave a comment and let me know which one is your favorite! If you are on Facebook, check out the images that are winning our People’s Choice Award!

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The Bailey Family

The Bailey Family

Traveling through life documenting what matters most to our home.

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Recent Posts

  • Stepping Out
  • My Blue Eyed Baby
  • The Next Ten Years
  • Boston to Bar Harbor
  • She Will Be Missed

Popular Posts

Stepping Out

It is hard to believe we are already coming up on Sarah Beth’s senior year of high school! She is ready to soak in all the last memories and get ready to step out into her next phase of life. This Summer is the perfect time to get a start on a collection of Senior […]

My Blue Eyed Baby

The girls and I took the opportunity to check out the houses on The Highland Lakes Garden Club Home Tour today. We saw some amazing ridge views and meticulously maintained gardens. All very inspiring! On the tour we got to stop at the Aldridge family home who has beautiful lake views, gorgeous hydrangeas flanking the […]

✨ Chasing Stars in Sedona! 🌌⭐️ Sedona’s Dark Sky ✨ Chasing Stars in Sedona! 🌌⭐️

Sedona’s Dark Sky status made it the perfect place to photograph Cathedral Rock beneath the stars. 📸

Our first attempt began at 4 AM, but without scouting Baldwin Trail in daylight, we spent most of the time wandering in the dark trying to find the right view! 😂

We returned before sunset, explored the trail, and stayed around until it got dark on the trail. This time, we found the perfect spots, and captured Cathedral Rock silhouetted against the starry sky! ✨

The best part? Having Jonathan by my side to help me chase the shot, avoid cacti, and laugh through the misadventures. ❤️

Sometimes the best travel memories come from the unexpected detours. 🌵

Have you ever photographed the stars or visited a place with an unforgettable night sky? 🌌

#SedonaArizona #DarkSkyCommunity #CathedralRock #Astrophotography #thewayhomelife
🎈✨ A bucket list dream come true! I’ve always dre 🎈✨ A bucket list dream come true!

I’ve always dreamed of floating over a beautiful landscape in a hot air balloon, and I can’t imagine a more magical place to experience it for the first time than Sedona, Arizona! ❤️

Jonathan and I got to check this adventure off our bucket list together, and WOW… what an unforgettable experience!

There’s something truly breathtaking about watching the sun rise over Sedona’s stunning red rock mountains while peacefully floating high above the desert. 🌄 The views, the stillness, and the beauty of it all gave us a whole new perspective on this incredible landscape!

A big shoutout to @redrockballoonssedona for making the entire experience so easy, enjoyable, and memorable!

🎈 Tell me… is a hot air balloon ride on YOUR bucket list, or have you already experienced one?

#redrockballoonssedona #hotairballoon #sedona #bucketlist #arialphotography
🍂✨ Chasing golden leaves in Flagstaff! 🍁 Just a l 🍂✨ Chasing golden leaves in Flagstaff! 🍁

Just a little over an hour from Sedona, Arizona Snowbowl is absolutely worth the scenic drive when the aspens begin showing off their brilliant golden-yellow leaves! 💛

Wednesday felt like pure magic as we wandered through the breathtaking aspen grove at Aspen Corner. The golden leaves, crisp mountain air, and stunning scenery were everything we hoped for!

And as a fun little bonus, our timing couldn’t have been more perfect! We actually got to meet the mysterious young man who hung the now-iconic swing at Aspen Corner back in 2021! 🍂

Fall is putting on quite a show in Arizona! 🍁

Are the leaves starting to change where you live? I’d love to hear what fall is looking like in your corner of the country! 🍁💛

#aspentrees #aspencorner #snowbowl #aspenswing #flagstaff
The one hike we knew we wanted to do this trip was The one hike we knew we wanted to do this trip was the Subway Cave off the Boynton Canyon Trail. 

We grabbed the last parking spot in the lot just before 8 am and headed out to find this hidden wonder. We mostly had the trail to ourself until we reach the bottom of the Subway Cave. It is an area you want to stop and spend some time. Whether you take the harder or easier route up to the top, the views are incredible! 

Have you hiked to the Subway Cave or do you plan to on your next trip to Sedona? 

#subwaycave #subwaycavesedona #sedona #boyntoncanyon
This same week in October 2021 I passed through Se This same week in October 2021 I passed through Sedona, AZ for the first time and fell in love with its beauty. 

This week Jonathan and I were able to spend time exploring and experiencing all that Sedona and the surrounding area offers this time of year. 

Sedona is a magical place to visit any time of year, but especially in October! 

#Sedona #fallinAZ #subwaycave #flagstaff #bucketlist
Our last first day of school! @sarah_beth_bailey, Our last first day of school! @sarah_beth_bailey, keep being uniquely you and enjoy all this year has to offer as you work to become the nurse you want to be. I can’t think of a better soul to “fix up” the world around you.

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