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.

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!

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 :)