6.23.2009

classes

So, I started two summer classes yesterday. Social Psychology and Cognitive Psychology. I thought I was going to be seriously depressed about these classes, comforted only by the thought that I can read for them while relaxing outside in the sun. But here's the thing...

I LOVE THEM. I'm addicted. I check the discussion boards for them like it's facebook. I choose to read my text books before my novels or magazines. I made my patient boyfriend listen to me ramble on and on about one super exciting concept the way he makes me listen to him ramble on about languages. Except I usually like his talk about languages...not sure how he feels about my psychology ramblings. He will probably appreciate them more when we get into Chomsky further...he combines language with psychology. And my teacher emphasized on that and did studies relating to how children learn languages, something that's ridiculously exciting to me.

Oh my, I am such a geek!

6.16.2009

grandpa

Okay, it's officially summer, I saw three old men without shirts on my bike ride this morning.

Is it messed up that that makes me kind of happy? Mostly because it means summer, and maybe a little because it reminds me of my grandpas. Which is appropriate, with Father's Day coming up and all.

6.13.2009

kansas

So, I went to Kansas with Jilane. Surprise! It was for a mini photography seminar called a Family Circle, and it was amazing. I learned lots. And saw Andrea and Lisa, my friends from the last seminar, who I love dearly. We got all excited and hugged each other like crazy.

It was through an organization called SPA, Senior Portrait Artists. I like seniors, but I really think what I like best is weddings. Usually whatever venue of photography I’m around is the one I like best at that time…but this time, even though I was surrounded by portrait work, I kept pulling everything back to weddings. We did some cool model, high fashion stuff though too that was fun.

I came up with all these ideas for a wedding business. I’m so thankful for these seminars and all I learn before I’m even in business. I feel like it’ll prevent me from making so many mistakes, even though I’m sure I’ll make tons of them as is. But seriously, how many 20 year olds have a fairly detailed business plan? And know how successful other businesses like theirs have been and what’s worked and what hasn’t worked for them? It’s just such a blessing to have this knowledge that gives me confidence that isn’t blind when it comes to starting a business.


I had this realization that I feel like I could be really happy being a 2nd shooter forever and a sales person. When we learned about sales this week, I like that stuff. I like learning about that and I have lots of ideas, and even though I’ve never sold I feel like I’d really like it. And again, even though I don't know a lot of this, I have learned a lot about it to at least have an idea of what I'm talking about.

So many changes still to come in my life...we'll see what happens!

6.11.2009

sinatra

As usual, my fears were ridiculous. Shooting the wedding with Adam was amazing. He’s so excellent when he’s teaching me things, letting me use his equipment and explaining what it can do and explaining how to use it and then sending me off to play and see what I come up with. He teaches exactly the way I learn, and there was no pressure for whatever I came up with for pictures, so I didn’t have to stress about it and I could just play around and practice on those beautiful people.

The budget difference between this couple and the couples Jilane and I usually shoot was just insane. What people can do with money to make a beautiful wedding…wow. Not that weddings with a budget can’t be beautiful, what makes a wedding beautiful is the love and promise surrounding that day, but the details and the things that make it extra fun to photograph are great bonuses.

Adam dropped me off at the house the groomsmen were getting ready at --- a huge country cottage covered in Pottery Barn products on the water. It was gorgeous. The groom had fallen down the stairs first thing in the morning and ripped his toe open, so when we pulled up they were outside and one of the groomsmen was taping up his profusely bleeding toe. It was a great moment to stumble in on, because it gave immediate insight about the relationships between the groomsmen. These guys loved to pick on each other, but they’d been friends forever and were super close.

The locations we were able to go to between the wedding and the reception just added more beauty to the whole day…on the water, up on a hill in a state park, so pretty!

My favorite part of the day was at the reception. They had hired a jazz band to play. The saxophone player was actually the sax professor at my college, and they were really good just as an instrumental group. But then the singer got up there…hello Frank Sinatra. Obviously not really him, but this guy had a great voice and sang all old ballads, I kind of fell in love with him a little. Nevermind the fact that he was in his sixties. That fact is completely irrelevant as soon as he starts singing.

dresses

I'm hopelessly addicted to dresses. I love fancy ones, but lately I'm into the casual, everyday type sundresses. Ones that allow my style to be a little more flirty, and let me show off my girliness with ease. Nothing makes a girl feel more like a girl than a cute little dress!
These three from Forever 21 are all in the $15-$30 price range too, adorable and easily affordable!
These three are a little more expensive, from ModCloth and Anthropolgie. Nonetheless, I'm in love!

websites

Okay, seriously. If you want to sell ANYTHING, whether it be a physical product like clothes, or a service like photography, you HAVE to make your website functional. If someone can't find the clothes or information about how to obtain the services, YOU WILL MAKE NO MONEY.

Done with that little rant now.

6.10.2009

shy

How is that I, the photographer, wind up dating the person who, as soon as he sees a camera, does this?

6.04.2009

book

I'm reading the most excellent book.

Belong To Me, by Marisa de los Santos. The story involves a quirky, eccentric woman named Cornelia and her husband, who fits with her like a glove. The why she describes their relationship is one of my favorite parts. They've just moved to the suburbs, and their new neighbor, Piper, is the ultimate suburbia housewife. Things like using specific stainless steel cleaner on stainless steel appliances and the way a paper towel feels matter to her, when Cornelia couldn't give a hoot about such things. Cornelia doesn't much care for Piper, but feels for her when she brings over medical records for Teo, Cornelia's husband who happens to be a doctor, to review. The medical records are for a friend of Piper's who's cancer is too advanced for much hope. Cornelia also meets a woman named Lake who also just moved to relocate and give her exceptionally bright son the opportunity to go to an accelerated school, where they place you in a 'grade' by your abilities, not your age.

The book just before this one, Love Walked In, was about Cornelia loving for a little girl who stumbled into her care, and about how she came to realize she was in love with Teo. That one was much more light hearted than this one so far, but both are written so well. The way the author writes Cornelia is so fun and smart. She's a quirky character, that's for sure, but she's brilliant.

If you're looking for a good book, either of Marisa de los Santos's books are wonderful choices.

6.03.2009

intern

This Saturday is my first wedding with Adam, the photographer I'm interning with this summer.

He does such a good job, and steers away from the traditional unlike so many photographers in our area. I'm really excited to start working with him...but also kind of nervous. I have this problem, where I'm all confident in my abilities...except with some people. Like, with singing, I used to freak out when I had to sing for my choir director. I was always fine with my mom, I was fine with the gym packed for a regional game when I was on the radio, I was always fine with my voice teacher, but when I had to sing for my choir director I'd get nervous. I got better as the years went on and I did a lot of singing in front of her, but every single time my nerves would flare up.

That's how I feel with Adam already. Like I could possibly always be just slightly nervous around him. Which is so dumb, because he really does everything he can to make sure I'm not nervous, but I'm kind of a spazz that way.

Really, though, despite the fact that I am definitely a little nervous, the main emotion is definitely excited. Ridiculously excited. So excited to learn more even though I feel like I'll probably get a little frustrated along the way. And so excited to take pictures. I love wedding work. I feel so blessed to be able to be a part of all these special days in people's lives...I mean, seriously. I get to spend the whole day with people who are full of joy and totally in love. It's usually the biggest day of their lives to date, and my job is to capture all the emotions that day holds. My job is to laugh and smile and share in all that joy. How can I not feel so amazingly blessed?

6.02.2009

whoopsie

Today was pretty much a day of perfection.

I got up and went for my usual bike ride with enough time to get back home and shower and get mildly pretty before my handsome boy got here. We decided to run some errands because he had things he needed to get done and we didn't have much else to do at my townhouse, so we headed to the mall and ate lunch there and got our things done, and then went to Barnes and Noble.

We're so funny when we go to that store, we completely ignore one another. He goes off to his sections, looking at languages books and space books, and I check out the autobiographies, new books, best sellers, any random fiction novel that looks good, fashion stuff...yeah, you get the picture. When one of us is ready to go we find the other, and we leave. I didn't buy anything this time, but Phil bought a book about the history of languages.

We drove home and played soccer for a while, but then the lawn mower guy started mowing the lawn real close to where we were playing, so we took it as a sign to head inside. I wanted to read my book that I had been reading, and Phil wanted to read his, so we decided we were both going to flop out on my bed and read like a cheesy old couple. I was tired though, so I snuggled up to him with my head on his chest thinking I'd stay like that for a couple of minutes and then start reading. Phil decided to read the preface to his book out loud to me, and I wound up falling asleep. Whoopsie. But the nap was so nice! My roommate came upstairs and laughed at us, we're so dorky. But I love it!

He headed home later and I headed to work, and I did well and still got home early. Couldn't ask for anything more!

dandelions







I look like four thousand pictures of dandelions yesterday.

I got three 16x20 frames at Walmart for four bucks each. They're simple, cheap wood, painted roughly white with the grain really showing through. I love them. I've decided that I'm putting pictures of dandelions in them, because I kind of love dandelions. And I want to make them seasonal, so dandelions work well for summer. I ordered the second two and the last one and can't wait for them to come in!

Also, other new additions to my room, I now have eight pillows on my bed. I got orange pillow cases for two normal sized pillows that I had from my dorm bed. They add a little more color. I still have to make pillow cases for the two little square pillows I had on my dorm bed...they're cheap brown ones from Walmart, and I've got the fabric, I just don't own a sewing machine, so I have to go visit my grandma and make them. Then I'll have ten pillows! My loving boyfriend picks on me, my pillows take up half my bed. He says it's a good thing I'm short, or I wouldn't fit.
I added an inspiration board to my wall right next to the door. It's just a 16x24 bulletin board, but it is now covered with work by my favorite photographers. There's so much more I wanted to put up there, but I did manage to get a lot of images I love on it. I'm going to sticky tack some of my favorites of my own images up around it, I need to see images that I've taken that make me feel like I'm good at what I'm doing along side of the images I want to be capable of taking, helps keep me motivated while reminding me that I'm not hopeless.

Once my whole room is completely done I'll take some pictures to put up, I promise!