Granted, this is supposed to be a photography blog so if you came here looking for photos just scroll down a little bit and there are thousands of images.   Sometimes I just like to talk.  This morning is one such time, and yesterday…   I have this idea about how we could all help each other out a little bit.  Wouldn’t you like to look smokin’ hot in your wedding photos AND have some extra cash flow to help pay for everything?  Would you prefer to escape the 9:00 to 5:00 and set your own hours working from home?  Ultimately, would you prefer to have the discretionary  time and the financial freedom to do what you want NOW instead of 30 years from now when you may or may not be able to retire?   You just think about that for a minute while I change the subject.

A little over 3 years ago Rick and I both quit our jobs on the same day.  Wait, it gets worse.  We were in a sickening amount of debt, had no other jobs lined up, and walked away from 10 years of portfolio work that was owned by another studio.   In other words, we were broke and empty handed; having nothing to show for the time we had already invested into our photography careers.  The only asset we had was the loyalty of our friends.  (you know who you are!)  We had a plan that, at best, could be called suicidally stupid.   If someone were to ask me if I thought that leveraging relationship equity was, in and of itself,  a good strategy for starting a business I would say emphatically, “NO”.    However, being well past the point of no return and with no safety net or plan B, success was the only option.   We built a 6 figure business in one year.  And for helping us pull this off I have to thank all of you: our clients, friends, colleagues and family members.  No success is achieved overnight, or independent of a support network.  What I didn’t realize going into it was that the loyalty and support of our friends was actually a far more valuable asset for successful business building than was having 6 months worth of savings in the bank.

As most of you are already aware I am putting the word on the street that my PiYo classes will be starting next month. (see previous post – Something New Is Coming To Dry Heat Photography) I intend for this to be not only a good side business for me but, most of all, a beneficial endeavor for those of you who choose to participate.  You know, the tools we need to do whatever we want are all around us.  They are right there in plain sight and all we have to do is pick them up and use them.   Most of us, myself included at times, have become so blinded by the routine and workload of our lives that we forget to look around at where we’re headed or to even consider if we’re going where we want to go or just trudging along the path we think we have to take.  Do you look and feel the way you want to look and feel, are you doing what you want to do?  Do the things that matter to you get set aside for the things you think you have to do?   Am I gonna get to the point sooner or later?  Yeah, now would be a good time.

So I have this vision and here it is.  There is a company called Beachbody.  You may or may not have heard of it but you have most likely seen an infomercial for some of their better known products like P90X or Turbo Jam.  They also sell nutritional products like Shakeology and the P90X Results and Recovery Formula.  I’ve been turning to Beachbody for my fitness products for years.  Only recently did it really sink in that Beachbody is an MLM corporation meaning that I could open my very own online Beachbody storefront and sell their products for a commission.  <light bulb!>  With my recent decision to add “fitness instructor” to my job title, becoming a Beachbody “Coach” seemed only natural.  I already use a ton of their products and now if I order them through my Coaching website I can save 25% and if other people order from me I make 25%.  Well, that seems like a good deal right? But hold on now, that’s only part of it.  I have a vision that is bigger than just me convincing you to buy Shakeology.  For all of you who are considering joining me on this fitness journey I say to you “think big, pay it forward” and by that I mean embrace the new lifestyle by getting fit and by signing up for your own Beachbody Coach account so that you will have access to the nutritional products that will help you along the way (at a substantial discount) and so that you too can use it as a means to make some extra cash.  You don’t have to be a fitness instructor to be a Beachbody Coach, you just have to believe in the products you use and share them with others.  If you discover that you have a burning desire to teach your own fitness classes then I can help get you going on that as well but I want to clarify that you don’t have to do that.  So this is the vision: #1 we all work together to get fit and to bring fitness to those around us.  #2 as an added bonus we all have the opportunity to start a home business that requires no inventory but that has the potential be hugely profitable.  All of us working together have the potential to be far more effective, and profitable, than any one of us working alone.

Be ready to tackle your New Year’s fitness resolutions.  Sign up to be a Beachbody Coach now, it’s free until December 31st!  If you have any questions or would like to talk to me personally about being a Beachbody Coach, taking PiYo Classes, or your wedding photography please feel to call or email using the Contact Form at the top of the page.  I look forward to hearing from you!

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

One final thought -  I have photographed thousands of brides; all kinds of women from all walks of life.  There is one quality that is universally appealing and attractive on everyone and that shines through in the photographs more than anything else : confidence.

If you know me at all, or if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, then you know I have two passions in life: photography and fitness.   Quite obviously photography takes the forefront hence Dry Heat Photography while fitness has been relegated to a one person activity that occurs in my living room.  This has been going on for years, and by “years” I mean like 8 years of solitary workouts.  My shelves runneth over with fitness dvds running the gamut from yoga to cardio to extreme resistance training and a new format I’ve recently discovered called PiYo.

So, why fitness? I wasn’t always this way, oh no, quite the opposite in fact.  I was absolutely not a fan of unnecessary physical exertion.  I have always been thin and for about 27 years I thought that was good enough.  It took a long time for me to realize that thin doesn’t mean healthy, it only means thin.  (I should clarify that by thin I mean under 100lbs and people used to ask me if I had an eating disorder) Ironically it was during my early days of shooting weddings in Albuquerque when it began to occur to me that not being able to carry my camera case up a flight of stairs or through a huge hotel parking lot was going to be a problem.  Chronic back and neck pain were becoming a huge problem and all this physical discomfort was taking a debilitating toll on my morale and general well being. Being thin did absolutely nothing to make up for being constantly racked with pain, stressed out and suffering anxiety attacks on a regular basis.  The main reason I bring this up, by the way, is because a comment I often hear is “you don’t need to work out because you’re not overweight.” To this I say “it’s not about that”.  Fitness, contrary to popular belief, is not about vanity, it’s about health both physical and mental, and it’s about empowerment.   The point is to be strong and energetic, to have a calm, clear mind; to be free of back pain and to be confident in all areas of my life.  These are the reasons that motivate me to invest time in fitness.  Of course, looking hot in a bikini doesn’t hurt either but again, ultimately not the point.

Over the years numerous people have suggested to me that I actually do something with my other hobby like, say for instance, pay it forward by sharing it with others.   I would always think “yeah, but who’s gonna want to take classes with me?”     It took me awhile to notice that the answer to this question was staring me in the face.  All the people I already know, that’s who!  In my wedding infused life I am surrounded by people who are either trying to shape up before the big day, maintain their fitness level after the wedding, get back in shape after having a baby, or work in the biz and need to stay fit so they can keep up with the workload.

So, after months of deliberation, I have summoned all my gumption and coming in January 2011 I’m going to start offering PiYo classes.   For those of you who have never heard of PiYo let me offer a brief description.   PiYo is a fusion workout based on the principals of Yoga and Pilates.  It is a low impact, yet high energy workout that will improve your balance, strength and flexibility as well as burn calories, promote weight loss and visibly improve muscle tone with regular practice.  PiYo is a wonderfully dynamic and endlessly variable workout that is suitable for all fitness levels.   Sound fun?  Are you ready to start (or continue) down the road to health and fitness?  Join me, let’s do it together.

More details coming soon!

-DeAnna Dimmitt

Dry Heat Photography

More than an image, it’s a relationship