Woohooo!!! Got a print order to place?? Do so by Friday and receive an 11x14 or 8 wallets of your choice. Why? Just because i am in a giving mood and you people rock!
Happy Monday!
~A
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Balance and Swings
Business this summer has really been very steady. I have a hard time taking time for myself and sometimes i am even guilty of not taking time for family. I have had to learn to walk away from the computer sometimes. I have had to learn to really manage my time better. I still can do better but i am feeling like i have spent more time with my family lately. I quit scheduling myself so much and tried to space sessions a little more. There are lots of exciting and new changes coming in the next few weeks. i cannot wait to announce all the new stuff. My dad asks me "Why reinvent the wheel"? And he is so right. Sometimes i try so hard to march to my own beat that i march right off the path i am trying to take.
With saying NO to over working myself i have found some great moments i would have missed. Here is a time out i am so SO happy i decided to take. Just a couple swings and a couple kids to some. To me this is my heart and soul.
Although taking these moments put me a little behind on work. I know it has been the right thing to do. I will catch up on the behind items by staying up a little later and being creative with time. I cannot get these years back. It is so important that i ind a balance between life and work. I am still working so hard to find it. I have faith that it will all work itself out.
Hope you had a wonderful meaningful weekend.
A~
With saying NO to over working myself i have found some great moments i would have missed. Here is a time out i am so SO happy i decided to take. Just a couple swings and a couple kids to some. To me this is my heart and soul.
Although taking these moments put me a little behind on work. I know it has been the right thing to do. I will catch up on the behind items by staying up a little later and being creative with time. I cannot get these years back. It is so important that i ind a balance between life and work. I am still working so hard to find it. I have faith that it will all work itself out.
Hope you had a wonderful meaningful weekend.
A~
Friday, August 20, 2010
Perfect Vs Perfect
I have been Photographing "B" since she was about 5 weeks old. She has always been my "Serious" child. Never got a smile from her until her 1 Year pictures. She has always captivated me with her deep thought type looks. She has always had something going on in her since the very first day. Her Firey Red hair makes it all the more interesting and fabulous. I recently got to hang with "B" and her family again...Twice. We were hoping the second time would produce some smiles. It did not. And you know what. I am not sad about it. I left thinking..."B" is who she is.
Is a Perfect picture really a child smiling so perfectly? For "B" the answer is no. I truly believe that the photographs i captured were Perfectly "B". Her as herself. Not some fake smiling kid. Just her. And she is absolutely perfect in all of her shots. Because they are all of her being "B".
Here is a Sneak Peek of "B" in all her perfectness.
A~
Beauty and Dirt
Thats my Girl! Wearing a white dress sitting on a dirty tire.
And this is how we started our morning.
Beauty amongst the ugly.
Or so some would think.
I have always hated my back yard and the fact that no grass grows. Not even the grass that they claim can grow on a rock. But this morning in this moment it was perfect. It was a perfect scene for how i was feeling. I am trying to learn to love what i have and not wish for something bigger or better. I am trying to take what i already have and make it into what it CAN be not what it is NOT.
So for this morning i will not ask my yard to grow grass but i will just look at it in a different way. And here in this photo is what i saw in my yard looking at it a different way.
Happy Friday Morning to You!
A~
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Just a little like a Gypsy Today
I have always been a Dreamer Gypsy type. I have always dreamt of a road trip across the country. Actually that was the plan when i graduated. My Good friend and i were to take all the money we received for graduation and buy an RV with it. She graduated 8 weeks along and well we decided that giving birth in a campground or on a road somewhere not only sounded terrible but just was not very smart. She married. And i left town in my sunbird. I landed in Atlanta. I loved it and i hated it. I moved to quite a few places there after. I then married. 3 kids i have and 3 she has.
That pull of freedom is still there. Yet it is much different now. I have much more luggage and many more hearts to look out for now.
With the typical day in and day out we lose our freedom thoughts. I am not talking freedom like single. I am talking freedom like not being a slave to the necessities and trials of life. The laundry, bills and responsibilities that pile up.
I have been on a search for a long time for freedoms. Whether saving time on things i dislike so i have more time for things i enjoy, Like playing with my kids. I don't want to be a slave to the technology as much anymore either. Facebook lost its glow to me a long time ago. But since a big chunk of my lively hood comes from social networks and technology i have to hold onto some of it. I am just learning to do it my own way. Make my own hours. Things like that.
I recently was introduced to a blog about a family who is RV-ing around the country right now. It brought back that 18 year old girl who wanted to see things. But now she is 26 and has children and a husband she wants to see these things with. So Jer and i talked. And i think i have him convinced to do this. When i was 18 had imagined that my face would be wide eyed pulling up to things like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore. Now i hope to photograph their wide eyed faces. I had daydreamed of my extended family members running out of their houses to greet me as i pulled in. Now i get to introduce them to my beautiful family they have only known in pictures. And i hope they would feed me HAHA and they will. Thats how my family is.
So My mommy/wife journey is one part, As is my Photographer journey and now i am looking forward to an actual journey that includes real movement not the metaphorical type. I post this now to hold me accountable...Why? Because this is one thing i REALLY want out of life. And now i plan to make this happen. Starting with all the research. Where, When, How much and just other things like what to do with our stuff especially this house.
So thats what i am Daydreaming about today. I hung all my laundry on the line today....It made me feel just a little like a gypsy and quenched a small bit of my urge.
That pull of freedom is still there. Yet it is much different now. I have much more luggage and many more hearts to look out for now.
With the typical day in and day out we lose our freedom thoughts. I am not talking freedom like single. I am talking freedom like not being a slave to the necessities and trials of life. The laundry, bills and responsibilities that pile up.
I have been on a search for a long time for freedoms. Whether saving time on things i dislike so i have more time for things i enjoy, Like playing with my kids. I don't want to be a slave to the technology as much anymore either. Facebook lost its glow to me a long time ago. But since a big chunk of my lively hood comes from social networks and technology i have to hold onto some of it. I am just learning to do it my own way. Make my own hours. Things like that.
I recently was introduced to a blog about a family who is RV-ing around the country right now. It brought back that 18 year old girl who wanted to see things. But now she is 26 and has children and a husband she wants to see these things with. So Jer and i talked. And i think i have him convinced to do this. When i was 18 had imagined that my face would be wide eyed pulling up to things like the Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore. Now i hope to photograph their wide eyed faces. I had daydreamed of my extended family members running out of their houses to greet me as i pulled in. Now i get to introduce them to my beautiful family they have only known in pictures. And i hope they would feed me HAHA and they will. Thats how my family is.
So My mommy/wife journey is one part, As is my Photographer journey and now i am looking forward to an actual journey that includes real movement not the metaphorical type. I post this now to hold me accountable...Why? Because this is one thing i REALLY want out of life. And now i plan to make this happen. Starting with all the research. Where, When, How much and just other things like what to do with our stuff especially this house.
So thats what i am Daydreaming about today. I hung all my laundry on the line today....It made me feel just a little like a gypsy and quenched a small bit of my urge.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Climbing that Mountain!
Through Tears, Frustrations and Sweat a Creative Soul is Born...
When I started shooting a couple years ago, i had no idea where it would lead. I felt that tug at my heart strings. I felt the want of a fabulous image. But i just couldn't produce what i felt i my heart. Patience is something i have always lacked. I lack this in every single aspect of my life. I am not afraid to admit it. I mean, admitting you have a problem is the first step right?
I remember days of frustration. Frustration over lighting, sharpness, color management, depth of field and well you name it. There were many sleepless nights and tears shed. I just wanted to be "There" You know to that point where it was second nature and you no longer thought about F-stops or Shutter speeds or shadows or anything like that?
I am now realizing you cannot just "Be There". You get there by experiencing all of those frustrations and tears. I am still not "There" but i do feel a little more confident in my endeavor.
I am so thankful for all the people over the years who have allowed me to practice on them. Some even let me practice on them and still paid me. I went from being a Full time Mom and a part time Waitress and Photographer to a Full time Mom-Blog-Ographer. And you know what? I love it. There are still some serious kinks to work out but the ball is rolling at a constant speed.
I want to thank all of my constant supporters for their time and comments. This past couple weeks have been full of such wonderful heartfelt comments and compliments from so many people. It really helps a girl put the world into perspective. I feel so fortunate to be able to do what i have always wanted to do and meet such fabulous people. I get to share in so many intimate and important moments in peoples lives. And in return i give them that very same moment in a form for which they can hold onto it forever.
This is an important role i take very seriously. I tie a string from my heart to each clients. Whether i shoot them once or 10 times. I will always have a special connection with them that i hold dear.
I am just so looking forward to what fun creative things that god and the world will throw my way in the future.
When I started shooting a couple years ago, i had no idea where it would lead. I felt that tug at my heart strings. I felt the want of a fabulous image. But i just couldn't produce what i felt i my heart. Patience is something i have always lacked. I lack this in every single aspect of my life. I am not afraid to admit it. I mean, admitting you have a problem is the first step right?
I remember days of frustration. Frustration over lighting, sharpness, color management, depth of field and well you name it. There were many sleepless nights and tears shed. I just wanted to be "There" You know to that point where it was second nature and you no longer thought about F-stops or Shutter speeds or shadows or anything like that?
I am now realizing you cannot just "Be There". You get there by experiencing all of those frustrations and tears. I am still not "There" but i do feel a little more confident in my endeavor.
I am so thankful for all the people over the years who have allowed me to practice on them. Some even let me practice on them and still paid me. I went from being a Full time Mom and a part time Waitress and Photographer to a Full time Mom-Blog-Ographer. And you know what? I love it. There are still some serious kinks to work out but the ball is rolling at a constant speed.
I want to thank all of my constant supporters for their time and comments. This past couple weeks have been full of such wonderful heartfelt comments and compliments from so many people. It really helps a girl put the world into perspective. I feel so fortunate to be able to do what i have always wanted to do and meet such fabulous people. I get to share in so many intimate and important moments in peoples lives. And in return i give them that very same moment in a form for which they can hold onto it forever.
This is an important role i take very seriously. I tie a string from my heart to each clients. Whether i shoot them once or 10 times. I will always have a special connection with them that i hold dear.
I am just so looking forward to what fun creative things that god and the world will throw my way in the future.
Jeremiah says just jump...Even if you are scared...Just jump...You just might land on your feet...And he did.
Happy Wednesday Everyone!!!!
