Snapshot: April

Okay, so I realize that it is now May, and I didn't recap April. Boo. This has sort of turned into my little work diary, so we're proceeding with April now because I'd hate to miss the opportunity to see the journey this past month - and what a journey it was. Better late than never!

// What I did //

Hello busy season! Okay, so photography officially became my full time job in June of last year, and there are still some things that are new to me…like the three-ish months of the year where you feel like you will never work again and you stress out because you like paychecks and you don't see as much of them. On the East Coast, those months coincide with winter, so it's just a scary season all around. At least now I know? Anyway, once April started, everything changed almost at once and it swept me up and I don't know when it will calm down, although August is looking nice right now. It's good to have a purpose again and people to photograph on a weekly basis - I was running out of things in my home to photograph and the cats can't be on the blog every day, as much as they'd like to be. Specifically, I worked on a lot of weddings as a second shooter and a whole bunch of styled shoots that you'll be seeing on Wednesdays.

// Goals accomplished //

Got to cross off #3 and #9 this month from my list of 26 things to do. I got to work with the lovely Jazmine Turner on our croquet styled shoot and I signed up for and completed a One-on-One With-Intention workshop with Jess Lively. Working with Jess was the most amazing experience and gave me a new direction to take my business. It made me feel more confident and fulfilled, and was the impetus behind my new styled series. You can read my full review of working with Jess right here.

And this was the awesome packet with a beautiful workbook that came in the mail when I did the workshop:

// What I read // 

Back in January, I bought a stack of books and finally in April I got around to reading the last one, the most meaty. But it was a life changer (yeah, along with the With Intention workshop, April was big on epiphanies). Daring Greatly is by the author of this amazing TED talk, and is all about her research on vulnerability. The basic premise is that in order to live a life where we fully experience joy, we have to allow ourselves to be vulnerable. But being vulnerable is uncomfortable and hardest when we feel shame, so we put up barriers. A lot of the book is spent deconstructing the barriers - so many of which made me cringe because I felt like it was directed right at some of my very worst habits. My biggest takeaway was the realization that instead of feeling like "I am enough," I constantly gauge my worth through the paradigm of "I'm not doing enough." There are a lot of reasons behind this, but after reading this book, I feel much more self aware of how I get in the way of my own happiness and feel like I finally have the tools to allow myself to healthfully handle stress and welcome joy. I've already purchased additional copies to give to some of my favorite people…it was that good.

// What I loved //

This article about Jenna Lyons. Having a retail background, there were so many things that I found fascinating, and there were even more little nuggets that were applicable for creatives. 

Also, I loved spending more time outdoors and working on some personal projects. And walking downtown on Sunday afternoons with my husband - he's the best.

// What I'm working on //

I finally gave up on the DIY approach to my website. Sadface. Sort of. While doing the workshop, it became really obvious that it was time to move on and get professional help to make my visual online presence match the places I want to take my business. After following several designers via my google reader, I knew who my dream designer would be and thankfully she agreed to take on my project. I have to be all secretive about it now, but…hopefully mid/late June I'll be able to share it all with you! I'm already so excited!

// What I watched //

Thank you Mad Men for returning during wediting season! It helps so much to be able to time travel back to the glorious late sixties while working on wedding images. 

Also, there was this...

// Who I added //

Max Wanger. He's pretty cool.

// Favorite cat photo of the month // 

Adding to the family

NO, this is not a post about babies. At least not the human kind.

I might consider my cameras my babies...they get treated with special care and I know them the way I assume I might someday know my children. I've heard it said that children feel like an extension of your person, and I must agree that my cameras feel much the same way when I hold them. I love them about as much as you possibly can love an inanimate object.

Last weekend, I decided to rent a camera for the three events taking place between Friday and Sunday. Instead of picking up more of what I already know I love, I decided to try something new and completely totally different from the norm. There has been a lot of buzz in the photography world about the rangefinder-style cameras that Fuji makes, and after reading this review from Zack Arias about how much he loved the X-Pro1, I decided to give it a try.

And once I tried, I knew there was no giving it up. Sorry, LensProToGo, you can't have your camera back.

I placed an order for one of my own before I even returned the rented one. That's how much I loved this camera. Too bad human children don't work the same way, with try-before-you-buy and when you find a model you like you just place an order. Who wants to get on that? Until it happens, I'm sticking to cameras.

One of the things that I really and truly love about this camera is that it is so simple. There aren't a thousand programmable buttons or fancy mechanics. It has exactly the controls you need to make a good picture, no extra complications. And it does take great pictures. Whatever special sauce they put in this thing is certainly a winner. It does amazing things in low light, for sure, on top of being much less heavy to carry and relatively unobtrusive compared to a DSLR. I'm using it with an 18mm F/2 lens, making it a perfect wide-angle, photojournalistic camera to contrast the portrait lenses I use on my D700. And, I think it goes with out saying, but the thing is so darn cute and retro, I can barely stand it (because I totally am the person who will buy something for form over function, but thankfully, this has both).

And since we're on the subject of children, it would be against my nature not to include a photo of my furry babies. Sometimes I think they just lay on the floor and have silent conversations...probably about the stupid things their parents told them they couldn't do.

Snapshot: March

// What I did //

The first half of the month was full of travel - my favorite thing! And then I celebrated a birthday. Those two things combined make this the best month so far!

// Goals accomplished //

You know how sometimes you know you need to do something, but there's something holding you back from just saying yes? That's how I was about business coaching. I was afraid to spend the money (after seeing how much we owe in taxes, I don't know that I want any more huge expenses for awhile!), and it's kind of scary to put yourself and your business out there to ask for change. I love change and I want to give myself every chance I can to succeed, so I'm hoping this will be a worthwhile investment. The truth is, we all need a coach, someone outside our little life boxes who can see things that we can't, a mentor who can guide us to the best decisions. So I've jumped, and I'm excited/terrified for what I've signed up for.

// What I read // 

Thankfully, traveling afforded some much needed down time, and I got a chance to read one of the books that's been sitting on my Kindle for months now - The Art of Fielding. It started really slow, but once I got into it, I started to really root for the characters. I kind of love how the pace of the book resembles that of a baseball game - because the story, after all, revolves around baseball, but isn't really about it. At it's heart, it's about how you deal when your world falls apart. There are a lot of really great themes that the author/characters explore, like dealing with failure, dedication to a craft, and of course, the various appropriate and culturally inappropriate versions of love. Absolutely a worthwhile read, even if I wasn't sure of it when I started.

// What I loved //

Nashville. Even though it's all about country, I love a town that knows it's soul. And now I'm dying to go back. Also, I'm addicted to my new record player (thanks Ben!) and my SodaStream (thanks Mom!) and finally listening to more music and drinking enough water. And speaking of birthday presents, these just came in the mail yesterday, and I absolutely wore them to a meeting with one of my brides today.

// What I'm working on //

I've got some great ideas for styled shoots that I would love to see come to light in April (which means I'm looking for a hair/makeup artist and at least two couples who are interested in being a part of this. If you think you're up for a free photo shoot in Annapolis, let me know)! I also found out that I was selected as a finalist in the LensProToGo dinosaur contest, so this weekend, I'm taking my dinosaur visitor out and about to get some photos of him with the Lensbaby he came with (which explains the photo at the top of the page...which is probably not the one that I'll submit, even though I like it). Winners will be announced in May. Super fun! 

// What I watched //

One of my friends and favorite artists, Alejandra, posted this video on Facebook the other day. After spending hours in a darkroom in college and taking a class in alternative photography methods, this story speaks to me on so many levels. If you want to see true dedication to a craft, when things to right and things go wrong, check out the video below. If you're a fan of Breaking Bad, you might also appreciate some of the editing…have to admit, for the first few seconds, I totally thought I was watching a video about a meth lab!

SILVER & LIGHT from Ian Ruhter : Alchemist on Vimeo.

// Who I added //

First off, can we just say that finding out that Google Reader is not going to be around for much longer made me feel the same sadness and despair that I felt the day I learned that my favorite magazine in the world would no longer be printed? Because I think those are two of the saddest days of my life. In making sure that I had all of my favorite blogs in one place so that I can import them to another reader, I finally added one by a photographer that I've followed for awhile now…Andria Lindquist. Go check her out, because she is the definition of amazeballs.

// Best cat photo of the month // 

Aslan is on a mission to free the balloons.

Happy weekend! Hope you get to feel some springtime!

My Furry Valentines

We spent months talking about whether or not we should add another (furry) member to our family. I was afraid that it would be too expensive, too much work, and not enough love. How wrong I was. Love can only be multiplied, not divided.

I can't imagine not having a family of four now. My boys - all three - are my favorite "people" in the whole world. They make me smile and laugh every day and I love sharing my life with my silly family/coworkers.

A long time ago, probably when I was a freshman in high school and just starting to crush on boys, my mom warned me against falling in love with anyone who didn't love cats. Whatever, mom, I know I thought, it's just high school. I brushed her off, thinking she was crazy and ridiculous...and then fell head over heals in love only a year later with someone who quite possibly loves cats more than I do and ultimately spending the rest of my life with him. I guess I lucked out. Seeing how he loves on our furry children (see exhibit A above) brings me so much joy and is one of my favorite things about my husband. I guess my mom might have known what she was talking about. Okay fine, I'll say it...you were right, Mom.

Happy Valentine's day to the three loves of my life...and let's keep having the family snuggles. I like them a lot :0).

Snapshot: January

I'm not good at working on Thursdays. Maybe I'm too excited for Friday? I don't know, but Thursday tends to be my least productive day of the week. And instead of fighting it, I'm embracing it (which I can, because I usually make up for it by working on the weekends). Thursday is now "get inspired" day, to be filled with reading and workshop videos, blogs, pinterest, and new things to think about.

And on top of it, it's the last day of January. Which means looking back to see what happened this month. I'm kind of nostalgic by nature, and I believe in celebrating successes, but's what's a party without people to share it with? And hopefully something that I found this month will inspire you and give you something new to explore and get excited about. It's always better to share great things so that we can all enjoy them!

What I did: Made gifts for last year's clients, went on a hike, cleaned out my email, started a business plan (and subsequently abandoned it because organizing all of my 100+ goals was too daunting...I need a goal intervention), started systemizing some of my workflow and researched a lot of productivity apps, got all of my client questionnaires on my website, put myself on a blogging schedule (we're still working on sticking to it, but it's getting better!), booked a lot of travel for the end of February and March (so excited about this - I'll be visiting Illinois, NYC, Nashville, and Atlanta, and always love to see old and new friends), put together a completely DIY styled shoot...that will be on the blog tomorrow :0) Oh yeah, and Ben and I finally (after signing a contract in October) purchased our condo, making us officially homeowners!

Goals accomplished: Feeling really good about off-camera flash, after using it for the styled shoot. Can't wait to bring it to weddings this year!

What I read: The Fault in our Stars...probably one of my favorite books ever. And I am working through the stack below. I have made a personal commitment to attending a workshop twice a year, but this year, I really, really, really want to do a big one, that requires travel (read: expensive), so I'm saving money during the first half of the year by participating in an online workshop and expanding my business library. Right now I'm in the middle of The War of Art (I know, am SO late to that party)...it's a lot to digest, but oh-so-thought-provoking.

What I loved: // Kid President...I'm pretty sure everyone posted it to Facebook, but it put the biggest smile on my face, and if you haven't seen it yet, go do it now, seriously // This Isn't Happiness...a great tumblr that has a lot of inspiring stuff, all kinds of art. I could easily spend an entire day there // Glee coming back made my month // And...I got a sneak peek of the new Sitehouse designs from Promise Tangeman Creative that rocked my world (you can see them on Monday if you go sign up for her newsletter) // Also, gold and black is my latest obsession and I think I'm going to cover my kitchen in it, now that I own my walls and can finally paint them!

What I'm working on: Scared to say this, because then I actually have to do it, but...after seeing the new Sitehouse designs, I've decided to redo my website. It's time...I feel like I've come a long way with my photography and branding from where I was when I created my website last summer. I'm also going to start a 30 day video project tomorrow...do it with me! And, as always, looking for new DIY projects for my house and to share (I pinned a bunch here, we'll see which ones end up working ;0).

What I watched: Sheep LED art...yes, really. This just proves that you can make art out of anything. Easy A...late to the party again...which officially established Emma Stone as my new celebrity crush. And this amazing documentary...absolutely life changing, there are no better words.

Favorite Cat Picture of the Month: yes, this is a gratuitous category, but still. See below.

Who I added to my Google Reader: Breanna Rose - love her modern, minimalist, vibrancy // Ben Sasso - fun, bright, film photographer // Ann Street Studio - fashion, edgy, editorial photography duo (this month they did an amazing photo tour of Italy...my heart is pulling me back there now)

What did you do // what did you love // what are your latest obsessions // in January? Leave them in the comments below!

Aslan's New Best Friend

For all my blog readers who don't like cats...I'm not going to apologize for this post, but I won't be offended if you choose to leave and come back another day. Or, on second thought, scroll all the way down to the post right below this one to see the cutest puppy of the year. You might see something along the way that changes your mind about my favorite furry animals because this post is filled to the brim with too much baby kitten cuteness ;0).

Ben and I have been talking about getting another cat for over a year...maybe more than two years. But it was always one of those things that we had to put off until after a wedding or a vacation or until our life settled down - and that my friends, I can assure you is a joke because our lives DO NOT EVER SLOW DOWN, but that's the way we like it. If we use that excuse for having real human children, we will be dead before we get around to it. Once we got back from our honeymoon, we decided if we were going to do it this was the time - to get a cat, not have a baby, sheesh, we just had that discussion. We contacted the rescue organization that gave us our first furry baby, Lucky Cat Rescue, about some older cats that were on their website, and went to meet a few to see if they would be a good match for Aslan. My mom adopted an older cat after I went off to college, and, after falling in love with him, it seemed like a great idea for us because we wouldn't have to try to conquer a kitten again (Aslan was such a terror - he would bite our heads in the middle of the night while we slept and even burrowing beneath the covers did not deter him from his mission to destroy us while we were unaware and unsuspecting of his master plan to rule the world), and because older cats tend to stay in rescues and shelters longer because so many families want kittens. Even though there were some very sweet cats that were so deserving of a family and a home, in the end we were won over by a kitten who turned out to be the perfect blend of saucy and snuggly that we were hoping for.

As circumspect decision makers (it ultimately took us three weeks to choose the cat that would be ours, which could be the effect of having to make too many major life choices this year and is a topic for another day soon), we still hadn't decided on a name by the end of the first week of the new kitten coming to our home. He was known as Little Kitty for several days while we debated names like Lego, Kodak, Kazoo, and Feeny. After five days of trying to decide who he would be, I threatened to name him Bieber if a consensus couldn't be reached by the end of the weekend. That thankfully spurred Ben to action and we finally landed on Link (aka Linksy) and hopefully it will stick. I guess we kind of screwed ourselves over by picking the best name ever for our first cat...how were we ever supposed to compete with Aslan??

It took a few days, but Aslan finally seems happy to have a playmate...and even if he is still a little stuck up about sharing his home kingdom, the pictures tell a different story.

The tail game is a current fav.

For a tiny kitten, he is very talkative and LOUD. It's no wonder so much noise comes out of this big mouth. We might have a tiger in the making, and then we really will be the proud owners of our very own savannah.

Link is supposedly the runt of his litter...you can really see how small he is when you see him next to a person (in this case, Ben - even though I hate to shave at this time of the year, there's no way my legs would be that hairy).

Because he'll aways be my favorite, I had to toss in a few of Aslan too...he's so handsome I didn't think anyone would mind.

In the spirit of the holidays, a Santa hat made it's way home with Link, and we couldn't resist traumatizing him just a little for a gratuitous holiday photo op!

He returned the favor by helping us decorate the Christmas tree...and rolling in all of the paper cushioning that came out of storage with the ornaments.

If you or someone you know is thinking about adopting a cat or kitten for the holidays, please check out Lucky Cat (and see some of my photographs on their website! - had to make those kitties look extra cute so that they can find their forever homes!). New cats and kittens are added several times a week and they would love to meet you and woo you to take them back to your house for a life of love and happiness.

More of Aslan and Link and life to come...

Cat Trap

Aslan loves presents almost as much as I do.

Between my recent purchases and our upcoming wedding, we have a steady stream of UPS delivery people parading past our door, bringing gifts for the hoomans and boxes for Aslan.

My latest purchase brought both of us an insane amount of joy. And maybe even a little bit of joy for Ben.

We lovingly call that pink thing a catnip tampon. I know it's not appropriate, but we call it how we see it.

Someone's had a little too much nip.

Once things calmed down (and he regained his mental faculties), Aslan made himself at home with all of momma's new toys.

And still to come...my post on how our wedding planning is going. Oy vay.

Happy Wednesday!

Guest Blogger

Today I started the Hunger Games.

This is fair warning I will be fully engrossed and unable to complete normal adult human activities until all three books have been devoured.

So as not to neglect my faithful readers, I have delegated all official blogging tasks to Aslan until further notice.

As official guest blogger, he wanted to share his favorite pictures. Of himself. And because my nose has been buried in an (e)book, I have not had time to edit his selections.

He can be slutty and inappropriate, so you have my condolences in advance. I should take more responsibility for his actions, but I have more pressing priorities at the moment. With any luck, the odds will be in our favor.

T minus 10 days

...until my little sister's wedding!

And I have a lot to do. We went to meet with the catering manager at her venue, and the manager asked my sister for a list of vendors.

My sister pointed to me. Yes, I am her vendor. Without an "s."

So if I've been a little MIA lately, please forgive me. I had grand plans for blogging all of the decorations I'm making for her, and sharing it all here, but it will have to wait until after the wedding. And that way, it will be a surprise for everyone!

But I'll give you a little sneak peek. So you can see how much glitter is involved.

But of course I could not do all of this without my trusty assistant. I'll give him credit in the program.

Stay sane in this crazy pre-holiday week. <3

'Tis the Season

Spring is most favorite season, followed closely by Christmas.

In my world, Christmas is its own season. It might have something to do with my day job. Christmas began there on September 15th, on the day I unboxed my first Christmas ornament of the year. The next day I treated myself to a pumpkin spice latte, even if it was 70 degrees outside, because that's what I do to ring in the season.

I bought my ornaments in October. And it was before Halloween thank-you-very-much. Two weeks ago, we went out to buy an artificial tree, to avoid the debacle that was the Christmas Tree Disaster of 2010, which involved an antique heirloom artificial tree (read: decrepit tree from a parent's attic that's stand went missing circa 1970 and refused to stay straight in a modern tree stand) and our dear furry child (read: greedy demon monster who believes all ornaments belong to him and will go to all lengths to destroy them with his gnashing teeth and gnarly talons). Let's just say that by the end of the holiday season, the top of the tree was dressed to the nines with holiday goodness...and the bottom was naked. It also may have found a horizontal resting place on the floor at one point in time, tipsy with too much holiday joy and bowled over by our sweet little ornament thief in his quest to destroy every last one. I think that was when I gave up and packed it all away to try again in a year.

So this year we hauled ourselves to Target to get a tree that might withstand Aslan's advances. We put it up in the days before Thanksgiving, and decorated it over the weekend. Everything was gravy until we noticed that the bottom branches were drooping as if they had held too much weight. And that was when the Christmas Tree was promptly moved to the sunroom, where it would be protected by double paned glass doors from the menace who will not leave it alone.

Of all the things I have trouble designing, my Christmas tree is not one. Each ornament on it I love and cherish. As we were decorating it, I apologized to Ben that it may scream me more than it reflects him. He seemed to be okay with that.

Oh, and if you haven't discovered it already, I now have a real Facebook page just for photography. Finally! I've been trying to post extra exciting stuff there too.

Happy Last Day of November!