A Little Brilliance

With a few photoshoots under my belt, happy clients and (mostly) happy photographer, I'm able to look at these sessions and happily see where my strengths are. Not so happily, that also reveals the weaknesses. In my research to help strengthen these areas, I've been reading quite a bit on The Strobist blog. If you are at all interested in photography, hobby or otherwise, this blog is a just a treasure trove of information and ideas.

One such idea I came across today is something I'd like to start making myself do on a weekly basis. While doing a shoot, snap a shot of behind the scenes. The overall set up, location, lighting, everything. After the shoot, use an example shot and the set up shot, and do a write up of how everything went, what did and didn't work, etc.

Seems like a rather brilliant plan to see what works and what doesn't, and to have record of it to refer back upon as needed!

As an artist, do you have a way to track what does and doesn't work, or do you prefer to fly by the seat of your pants with every project? Perhaps a bit of both?

Portland Siren Miss B

A few weeks ago, I announced the opening of my new venture, Portland Sirens. I've since had the pleasure of photographing the lovely, bashful Miss B. She was a bit shy but warmed up as we laughed and had a good time. A little "Wild Thing" on the radio helps kick things up a notch as well!

Don't you just adore her beautiful eyes? I am so privileged to do this work with the wonderful ladies I meet!

Enthralled with You

"Describe your relationship with your spouse."

There are so many wonderful words in the English language that could be used to describe our relationship! If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know two things: I'm madly in love with Matt, and I love making lists.

My marriage to Matt is:

• Encouraging
• Faithful
• Gentle
• Full
• Patient (mostly, we're not saints!)
• Loving
• Peaceful
• Strong
• Adventurous
• Messy
• Beautiful
• Fun
• Exciting
• Supportive
• Kind
• Adoring
• Compassionate
• Mushy
• Breathtaking
• Intoxicating
• Thrilling
• like a fairy tale

In short, I wouldn't trade any part of this relationship for anything in the world. 

 

Love of my life <3

This is question 3 from "30 Things My Child Should Know About Me".

3 Things That Terrify Me

In case you missed it, the other day I announced the launch of Portland Sirens! Please check it out if you're needing a Valentine's Day gift for your partner, or a little self-love :)

 

Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

I would like to interject here that a fear is a fear - whether someone else considers it "legitimate" has no bearing on how that fear affects your life. My fears may not be reasonable, but they are all legitimate.

1. The dark. I'm not talking just a darkened room, that's generally ok. I'm talking dark enough I can't see anything at all, or just barely make out shapes. It doesn't just make me uncomfortable, it truly terrifies me...my brain goes into overdrive and immediately that bookcase is a serial killer hiding in the corner, just waiting for me to come close enough for him to make his move. My mind doesn't stop there, it goes into gory detail about what would happen, how the end result would look and my family's reaction. Every single shape or shadow turns into an instant threat, and I've taken to carrying my phone with me even when I get up in the night to pee, because it has a flashlight on it, and I can shut down that crazy train.
2. Spiders. As a general rule, bugs don't bother me. I don't particularly like them, but I'm fine with "live and let live" with most bugs, because God created each of them to do some job in the world. Spiders, however, operate on their own agenda. I don't do the whole "scream and run out of the room" deal if a spider is spotted (mostly because I become frozen in fear), and it really depends on the type of spider, but generally, spiders seem to follow me, drop on me, otherwise assault my person and do everything they can to push my panic buttons. I don't appreciate surprise contact from other humans, so spiders why do you think it's ok from you?
3. Losing my job.  While I do want to become self-sufficient, it is not something that is in the cards right now, and we need my job to help us stay financially afloat. This has nothing to do with the economy and how hard the job market is (though that does factor slightly into the fear), and everything to do with how unstable my current position is. It's in a market that is heavily season-dependant, and as I deal with the financial end of things, I personally get to deal with how strapped we are in the off-season. Any time there's a closed-door meeting, I can barely breathe until that door opens again and no one calls me in to join them. One of these days, I will get to leave of my own accord. Until that day, I live in the fear that this security blanket will be ripped out of my hands.

Question 2 of "30 Things My Child Should Know About Me"

About Me

In case you missed it, yesterday I announced the launch of Portland Sirens! Please check it out if you're needing a Valentine's Day gift for your partner, or a little self-love :)

List 20 random facts about yourself.

1. I love butter
2. Small things in life excite me
3. I could drink tea for every drink for the rest of my life
4. I'm allergic to things made mostly of water, such as celery
5. I have always love to go FAST, whether in a car, on a ride, or on foot
6. Gadgets make me happy
7. I often feel I was born in the wrong decade
8. I'm not a strong swimmer, the deep end sometimes triggers panic attacks
9. I have regular, vivid dreams. Nearly all are disturbing.
10. Sometimes a sick day can be the best thing for a weary soul
11. For me, reading a good book, a truly good, well-written book, is just as good as spending an uninterrupted day with my best friend.
12. I am one of those people who drinks alcohol because I actually like the taste of it. If I don't like a drink, I can't finish it, my gag reflex kicks in. 
13. I consider my mom one of my best friends now, and I'm horribly sorry for the way I behaved when I think of my teenage years.
14. Changing the sheets on the bed is one of my least favorite chores.
15. De-cluttering my closet and cleaning out clothing that no longer fits is one of my favorite chores.
16. I'm not very domestic, in the sense of cooking and keeping house...but I sure wish I was.
17. One day, I will have my own photography studio, outside our home.
18. Raising a child is the hardest, most frustrating, fulfilling and amazing adventure I have ever been on.
19. I worry constantly, about everything. I wish I could stop.
20. I am so incredibly proud of you, my daughter. You may never know the depth of my love for you, and how proud I am of the young lady you are becoming, but I will continue to tell you over and over, in the hopes you will one day believe me.

This is Question 1 from 30 Things My Kids Should Know About Me.