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!

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!

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

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 :)

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?