Wednesday, December 7, 2011

December

December usually brings about a reflective mood for me. 2010 was successful, so far as I accomplished many of my goals. 2011 has been a transition year, in many ways. Adjusting to a new, significantly busier job where I started being a supervisor and not a supervisee, as well as adjusting to life without grad school.

I set forth the mantra this year to "accomplish". I don't know what that really meant, but I started to accomplish things with gusto. Knitting. Work. School. I put my all into it and spent a lot of energy to finish the things I started. The problem was, I had too many projects and not enough time. I would throw my all into knitting, then switch gears into art and music, then try to get involved with volunteering. By May I was burnt out.

For 2012, I think I am going to balance. My 2012 mantra will be "Balance". With the job I have, it's almost all or nothing with me. I work super hard (12+ days for weeks on end) trying to get everything done, and then I crash. I go from uber-productive to a complete procrastinator. This hurry up and stop method can I only last so long. In 2012, I want to practice the art of setting limits, achievable goals, and making room for a healthier lifestyle. But instead of starting gung ho, I will start small and strike a balance between work, play, and life.

Speaking of play, I took four (four!!) days off for Thanksgiving this year. It was simply wonderful to not have to answer calls or worry about clients for four consecutive days. I spent the holidays in Colorado with my in-laws and manged to have a pleasant time. I even got some knitting done:

 Of course, I found a yarn store in Colorado and bought myself some Sweet Georgia sock yarn. I have been on a sock kick recently, and these bright colors make me super happy. I am doing the "Fire Starter" pattern by Yarnissima.
I also finally finished a scarf that I have been working on for a LONG time. I call it my "Kaylee" scarf, because I spent the bulk of it knitting while watching Firefly. Dear followers, I am a super, duper, Firefly nerd!  Though my favorite character is Malcom (swoon!), I absolutely love Kaylee's character. This scarf just reminds me of her with its warm fall colors and the XO cable pattern. 

I am such a Firefly fan that I named my Doxies after Malcom and Inara:
They're brown coats! ;)

I have also been finishing up on the Christmas Photo spree. I have learned so MUCH about posing and composing over the last few weeks. Here are a couple more sneak peeks:


I really like working with families. By far, these series have been my favorite projects ever.



Monday, November 21, 2011

Free

It's been two weeks since my facebookicide, and let me just say, it's really liberating! In the last two weeks since I have removed the shackles from my heels, I have been far more productive with my time at home.

That said, I have some fun new pictures to share. I have been donating my time to the community in efforts to provide those of lower economic status the ability to give professional family portraits in their Christmas cards. I am always game for new challenges and thus far, it has been difficult working with posed pictures. Even though I am completely in control and can manipulate everything prior to sessions, right down to lighting, it's still unnatural. That unnatural feeling translates into my photographs if my subjects are not completely comfortable. It's tough to covey the feeling of ease and fluidity when you are posed for a picture and waiting for everyone (yes, even the three year old) to look at the camera.

If anything, this foray into the realm of still, contrived photography has given me the opportunity to practice prior lessons (like frame the picture before clicking and paying attention to EVERY detail) as well as learning new ones.

Another upside to doing portraits was the excuse to purchase a super cute backdrop from Lemon Drop Stop Studios! I absolutely love their product and will certainly be purchasing more in the future. I got the least expensive option and it's super high quality. It also comes out great in the pictures. Check them out and buy a couple backdrops, you won't be disappointed!

Here are a few snapshots from the first session. I am editing the others this week.

Overall, I had fun and I cannot wait to get better and better!



Monday, November 14, 2011

Of this, I am certain

Last week I did something completely drastic. I deactivated my facebook account. In todays world, doing such a thing is akin to social suicide. That is to say, I removed my "online presence" from easy access and made it a whole lot more difficult to reach me.

I did this for several reasons, the first of which being that I am completely impulsive.

I don't meant to go emo on any of you, but lately I've been pretty down. Down for many reasons, most of which are my own fault, but I was down because I feel as if I do not have any friends. This is a pathetic statement, but it is true. Yes. I have facebook friends, but I don't have friend friends. Friends that come to visit. Friends that go out for coffee. Friends that treat me like I'm someone worth hanging out with.

I used to have friends, back in college and even after. We would hang out weekly and do things together, and it was nice. Now, time and distance separates us, and we are reduced to digital buddies. The occasional wall post, poke, or message is all that we have left. Even texting seems somewhat mediocre compared to the level it once was. I understand the convenience of it all, but in some ways, the substance is lacking. Watching this slow decline into casual acquaintances both infuriates and saddens me.

So I deleted my facebook account.

And it feels marvelous. Like starting from scratch in life. No longer do I feel the weight to update, check, and post, just so I can stay visible to my friends. No longer do I feel sad as I watch myself be replaced by closer, more convenient friends. No longer am I constrained to parameters of digital friendship. Now I can pursue those deep, meaningful, substantial friendships that I have been lacking these last three years.

I'm hopeful for this future.

I'm also incredibly busy with work and life. But that is a story for another post.

Friday, July 1, 2011

It's been awhile

Wow, it certianly has been some time since my last post. I haven't forgotten about this blog, but I have been incredibly busy. Currently, I am finishing up my final semester of my Masters program, attempting to conduct a Thesis, and managing a caseload of about 20 clients. On top of that, I am the maid of honor for a wedding in two weeks AND I'm trying to build my photography portfolio.

Can you say WOW?

The next two weeks will be the most hectic. After that, I will be able to rest a little easier.

June was a great month for me, photographically speaking. I had a chance to photograph two senior portraits and a newborn. It was quite an experience, especially the newborn shoot. You've got to be quick when working with children, or so I found out :)

I've slowly been working on my style, composition and overall approach. I am happy with the way things are shaping up.

Here are a couple shots. I haven't had time to put the logo on some. Maybe later... after this paper...





Getting better and better!

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Don't Judge Me

It's a beautiful day and I thought I would spend some time with the pups. We have a massive backyard for them to run around in, but they don't do much running unless we are back there with them.

I took a few pictures, but felt really embarrassed, because the weeds in our backyard are just massive! I am not exaggerating. We haven't done anything about it though, because they're pretty much the only thing that DOES grow in our hard clay/sand soil. There are areas of the backyard that have been lasagned (See here) for a garden later, and I am so glad I covered them with tarp before the weeds grew!

Just to prove how large they are, here is a picture with our Shiloh Shephard, Ivy, who I affectionately call the BEAR. She comes up to my hip and intimidates everyone with her massive size.


Only her head pops up. Those weeds are massive.

I took these pictures on my new Quantum LG that I'm still learning how to use. This new phone that I got for work is pretty impressive. The picture quality is very clear and I can do all those things my tech savvy friends were doing four years ago, like get email and check in to foursquare and tweet. So far, I'm locked in a battle for mayorship of my local Starbucks. I swear, I will defeat you random stranger!

I can also make calls and texts. So now... I'm more reachable than ever.

Yay?

From a hermit like me, I am not sure if I am pleased with this change, but it was necessary for work. So while I get random emails all day, at least I can take cool panoramic shots of my horribly weed-filled backyard!

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Video Podcast Ep. 1


Look! Its me! Oh my gosh. I just got to get over this nit pickyness. I talk too fast and weird. Oh well! Here you go!



Show notes:
The Glowing Stars
Chunky Cable Scarf
Autumn Light (Ravelry Link)

O Hai Thar

Um. Hey. Howyadoin'?

Been awhile huh? Life got crazy over here.

I switched companies and I'm just settling in here at my new agency. I am now a supervisor, which is pretty awesome. It's still early, so things haven't gotten busy yet. I am sure when they do I will probably not say it's awesome.

After being supervised for so long, it's weird for me to be on the other side of the line. I need to work on being more assertive and confident, but without being a total you know what. I want my staff to respect me, but I also want them to feel like I am approachable and open to suggestions.

It's exciting to start a new chapter of life :)

Still knitting. Still spinning. Still gradschooling.

The next post will contain my newest endeavor, which is podcasting. Please don't laugh :P

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Other stuff

There was more I wanted to say in the last update, but I think it needed it's own post.

In the spirit of my new 2011 mantra, I finished a few knitting items on my list. Most notably, my first ever, completely from scratch hat!
I <3 making stupid faces.

It's rough around the edges, but I'm kind of in love with it anyway.

Up next, alpaca wool that I washed and carded myself. I have a trashbag full of this stuff. What am I gonna do with it?

Note the blurry orange blob in the background. That's the cat, Conan O'Brian.

Singin' in the Rain

Last month, I had the pleasure of working with two wonderful people on my first real attempt at a photo shoot. It was good practice for me, and I could not have asked for more photogenic subjects! Their energy, love, and enthusiasm really made my work easy.

In doing this photo shoot, I realize the importance of framing before ever clicking the camera. I had a lot of great shots, but since I'm somewhat new at this, some of the shoots could not be edited the way I like because I didn't frame it correctly to begin with. One thing that I tend to lack in whatever I do is planning. I don't plan for what I want, I just like to see what happens through the view finder. Unfortunately, there are a lot of photographers out there who do this, usually hobbyists trying to do this as a side gig. I myself am a hobbyist, what with a full time job and grad school taking center stage, but I really want to work at becoming a professional. I want to make sure everything is framed, everything is accounted for, before I start clicking away.

Not to say that candid photos are not great, but you can't have great candid photos without great preparation, right?

Anyhow, here are a few sneak peaks. Please excuse the logo, I'm still working on it! :)








Not bad, for a first shoot :)

Friday, January 7, 2011

2010 Wrap up?

I'm not one for resolutions, but I am someone who likes to make goals. It's a strange combination. This year, in place of a list of resolutions, I have favored the trend of a mantra. One word or a phrase that will embody the spirit of 2011. For me, it will be"Accomplish" The idea is to stop procrastinating. Stop spending time on meaning less things (I'm looking at you, Facebook) and accomplish what you set out to do.

I want to apply this to grad school, of course, but I also want to apply this to the rest of my life. No more loafing. Finish those sweaters! Design that sock! Buy that spinning wheel! Start a lasagna garden! Do more photoshoots! All of these things require time and effort and this year I am not going to be lazy! And somewhere in there, if I could just update this blog once a week, I would be so happy. Baby steps though... baby steps.

2010 was successful in my book. Of the five things I wanted to achieve, I did four. I knit a sweater, I bought a house, I learned to spin and I had a garden.

So 2011, let's see what happens, eh?