My first business card, and a new blog layout

I've been asked to come back and photograph another schooling show at Changewater Stables this Sunday.  My trainer, Maren, informed me that this is going to be a much busier show than the last one, and will be starting at 8AM sharp.  She asked if I was going to have business cards, and I said that that would probably be a good idea.  In what is unfortunately becoming a more usual occurrence, I forgot about it- until this morning.  I checked out a couple of "free" business card websites, where you only pay for shipping.  However, shipping was both pricey and would take too long.  

I then went over to the website for Staples.  These aren't free, but they are convenient, quick (I can pick them up today if I get out of work on time), and they had many more card designs to choose from.  The prices were also reasonable.  I did not order many cards because I am hoping to create a website with my own domain in the near future, and so the website information will be going out of date.  I would like to say that I took the background photo, but I must give credit to the unknown artist.  My next business card will almost certainly be my own image.  The black and white printing was free (the horse is supposed to be a chestnut), and I also happen to prefer the look.  How wonderfully fortuitous.

My photography does seem to be taking baby steps towards professionalism.  I am very excited about this but also cognizant of the changes that are required.  For instance, since I am planning on uploading this Sunday's photos to this blog, I decided a more streamlined and professional makeover was in order.  A black background has the advantage of showcasing any photo; similar to how black velvet nicely shows off diamonds.  

I've got a fair bit of prepping to do for the show- the 77mm telescoping lens will be coming off of my Nikon D100 and onto the D300.  I'm also not sure if I will have the time to upload photos once the D300 is full.  Therefore, the D100 and its memory cards will have to tag along, and I would really like to find the attachment piece for my tripod.  Also, I will make printing through Staples an affordable option, but I would also like to try using a professional lab such as Simply Color Lab.  The professional lab will be of higher quality and have more options- however, it will also be pricier.  The choice will be up to my potential customers.