Sunday, August 30, 2009

Dear Friends and Potential Clients...

I am aware that many of you have been or may have been trying to contact me via email and telephone, but I have been unavailable for quite some time. While I am not usually one to air dirty laundry in such a public forum, this has already been in the Herald-Dispatch and on the local news, plus I feel those of you who have not heard what has happened recently deserve an explanation for my sudden absence, so here it goes:

On August 17, 2009, my husband, whom I had been separated from for only a short time, came to my home and took his own life in my living room. I am leaving out many, many details, of course, including events that lead up to this, but the bottom line is that I have not been in my home or had access to my computer for a very long time. I have also not checked my voice mails because I know there are messages from him on there that I'm not sure I am ready to listen to yet.

I am simply being as honest as possible by telling you that, yes, I am EXTREMELY behind in my photo editing, to the point where I cannot even begin to tell you what my turn-around time is currently. I have had many wonderful, thoughful offers from other local photographers to try to help get me caught up in that regard, but I feel that the editing process is creatively just as important as the shooting process and, therefore, I still prefer to do all of my editing myself. They just would not feel like "my" photographs otherwise. I am also adamant about continuing to take my time while editing and not rushing through the process simply to try to get myself caught up as quickly as possible.

Most of my existing clients have been extremely patient and understanding with me about this and I honestly cannot thank you enough. For those of you upset about having to wait for such a long time to see your photos, I cannot blame you. I would be upset as well. All I can tell you is that I am struggling daily just to re-establish a normal routine and get through each day, let alone get caught up with editing without compromising the quality of my work. If there is a compromise you would like to try to reach in order to receive your photos sooner, even if it means they are not completely edited, I am open to any suggestions you may have. The best way to reach me right now is at the following email address: cbellphoto@verizon.net. My computer was recently recovered from my home and I am now able to access my email account.

Again, thank you all for being so very patient with me during this extremely difficult time. For those of you who have sent me cards and well wishes, I want you to know that your love and support are really what has helped get me through this. I am confident that I will eventually be completely back into the swing of things and able to put all of this behind me. Until then, I cannot apologize enough for the extended delays you have all had to endure. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss your photos.

Sincerely,

Courtney Bell

3 comments:

  1. My heart goes out to you Courtney! Thoughts and prayers coming your way!

    Tiffany Fisher

    ReplyDelete
  2. My heart goes out to you Courtney! Thoughts and prayers coming your way!

    Tiffany Fisher

    ReplyDelete
  3. Loving you from Atlanta!!!
    Hope to see you one of these days!!!
    Buff

    ReplyDelete