Yet another giveaway - Lands End Backpack

Ok, its sad I know that all I have blogged about anymore is giveaways. But really I have been SO busy this summer. I have been posting over on the photography blog, so you can go check that out. But for now here's another giveaway. Beth at I should be Folding Laundry is giving away a Lands End Backpack. LaneyBug starts kindergarten this year and would TOTALLY love this bright pink one they have with pretty pink flowers on it!

Check it out here http://www.ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com/2010/08/its-giveaway-day-lands-end.html

Another Newborn Posing Guide Giveaway

They're doing it again! Someone is giving away a newborn posing guide, and I want it. (ok I'm really not as willy wonka whiny rich girl.. what was her name... as that sounded.. but I do want it!)

Check out the giveaway at Inspire Me Baby

Newborn Posing Guide Giveaway

For a while I've been trying to find books and information on newborn Posing techniques. I love the squishy sleepy baby poses, and I want to be able to do them without roughing up the baby too much! I stumbled upon this newborn posing guide today and would LOVE to win a set of these cards. Check them out... they're pretty cool!

http://4theloveoffocus.com/blog/new-vendor-win-a-newborn-posing-guide/

How do I serve? The photography edition

"Tell us how you love, serve or inspire other people in your life, and what attending the workshop might mean for your photography journey. You don’t need to have a business to enter. Whether you are a pro, semi-pro or hobbyist with an SLR, I am so, so excited to hear your story!"


I've been putting this off for a long time. I don't know what to write. Sure, I could write a laundry list of ways that I've helped people, inspired people, taught, loved, listened...

But I won't.

I {can't}.

I've never been the kind of person to be able to talk myself up. During an interview, I get nervous... not the "can I really get this job?" type of nervous, but because I always dread that one question... "What makes you stand out over anyone else?" I don't like talking about myself. I don't like feeling like whoever is listening to me is thinking that I'm bragging and have a big head.

But since this contest is all about telling how we serve and {inspire}, I am going to try. Here is my official entry.

My journey with photography didn't start like most. I didn't grow up with a camera in my hands. In fact, I have very few photographs that I took when I was young.I never even had a camera until I was 22. My first camera was, at the time, my favorite toy. A wonderful little 3.2mp HP Photosmart Digital P&S camera. It took wonderful photographs and I still have some of them for sale in local businesses. I would take the occasional snapshots at family gatherings, but that was about the extent of my photography interest even then.

It sounds silly, but it was batteries that got me into photography. I was working at a local campground and was irritated that my camera's batteries weren't staying charged for very long. I was told by someone at my local office supply store that they would stay charged longer if I would let them drain all the way, charge them, and let them drain again... over and over, 3 or 4 times.

So I did.

And I loved it.

Finally one day a guy I worked with, who happens to be a photographer, started giving me tips for taking better pictures.

And that was it.

I was hooked.

I enrolled in a local college class. I decided I wanted to be a photographer. I wanted to take portraits. I wanted to do it all.

And I DIDN'T want people to have to put up their first born for my services. I wanted to be affordable. I wanted people who couldn't afford the expensive photographers in my area to still get great photos!

And you know what? I took a lot of flack for that. I've heard it all, too. I've heard the "you'll never make it if you charge that", the "well good lucks" with an eyeroll....

But you know what else? I did it. Together with my mom we've made enough money to upgrade some of our equipment, furnish a studio and keep going. This summer we have 5 weddings and a funeral (sorry, I couldn't help it) good handful of senior portraits scheduled... and I can't wait!

I love working with the people I work with. They are so down to earth, so real. I love seeing the look on their faces when they see their portraits and know that they are just as good (or so they tell me!) as the expensive photographers, and I love the look in their eyes when they are relieved that they don't have to worry about how they are going to pay for their portraits.

I'm not even sure why I decided to enter this contest. I decided at the last minute, and all my writing here has probably just been rambling. I'm sorry for that. I do know that the world of photography is an ever changing one and that we, as photographers are always learning. Since taking that first photography course, I have completed the Course in Professional photography through the New York Institute of Photography, but I have so much more to learn.

It has been my dream for a long time to attend a photography workshop, especially here in Michigan. I don't get to work with many photographers, as there aren't very many in my area. To network and socialize and learn with other members of the photography community and not have to go very far to do it would be wonderful.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! If you'd like to read more wonderful stories, click here. I hope a link is ok... I couldn't get the button to show up!

I'm a millionaire!

Or so says the Microsoft Email Lottery Committee, headed by one Mrs. Janet Sharp, stationed in England.

Wow! What to do with my newfound wealth?

Well, for one, I will buy a house, with a beautiful back yard and a nice large studio space out back. Yeah... that'll work. Then I'll pay off my car....

But wait.. it wouldn't be right if I didn't travel to Englad to thank Mrs. Sharp. I mean afterall, she is the head of this lottery. She is the one who took so much of her personal time to notify me in a 6 paragraph email that I had won her lottery. It must have been a pain for her to type all that gibberish about ticket numbers and cashier's cheques. I would feel bad if I didn't personally thank her.

But then again, maybe I'll just wake up, go back to work and delete the trash out of my spam folder... yeah.. that sounds good.

Do people seriously believe that stuff? What are some of the crazy/weird trash emails you have gotten lately?

The one where I am happy, sad and royally annoyed!

It has been a whirlwind of emotions for me lately. If not for all that has been going on, I would swear I am Bi Polar.

If you follow me on Facebook or follow my Photography blog, you already know that I opened my photography studio. I am so friggen excited about this, you don't even know. I have been busy getting things ready, which has also turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

You see, on Monday, I had to say goodbye to one of my best friends in the world. Pardon me while I step away to cry... I thought after a week, I would at least be able to type that, afterall, I have been OK with saying it. Around Christmas time, my awesome little Scottish Terrier started limping. Thinking he'd slipped on the ice, we took him to the vet... just in case. They took some X-rays, gave us some anti-inflamitories and told us it was probably just his arthritis acting up. Even then though, I knew it was something more, but I figured he had just pulled a muscle or something. After a week and a half when did didn't get better, we took him back. The vet told us that since the meds they gave us didn't work, they wanted to try steroids. Still nothing, so back to the vet on Monday. They wanted to put him out so they could get better X-rays.

It took them only about an hour to call back... He has cancer. I knew right away that we would not be bringing him home. I guess its a feeling I had had all along, even with the first vet visit... that our time with him was coming to an end, but that still doesn't make it any easier, and any less shocking to hear what was actually causing his problems.

So we decided that we couldn't take him home and watch him be in pain. It was bad enough watching him limp around when we thought it was just a bum leg, how do we watch him hobble in pain every day, knowing this could kill him at any instant (I mean, it got to the point the day before we took him in the last time that he'd have to lay down and rest 2 or 3 times from the living room to the back door to go out and pee!). The vet also told us that usually if they have it in the bone, they have it in at least 3 or 4 (sometimes as many as 6!) other locations throughout their body. She told us we could take him home, put him on pain medication and he could stick around for 4 or 5 months, we could bring him back in a few weeks or we could bring him back the next day because it was so bad. So we decided it would be best to let him go.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you question if what you are doing is the right thing? Yup, totally happened. They had him all ready, had an IV in to give him the drugs.

They.

Wouldn't.

Go.

In.

They actually had to take him in the back, start another IV and start the whole process over again. The fact that he never once made a peep and could have cared less that they were sticking a needle in his foot (he absolutely HATED having his feet so much as touched) was the only thing that kept me knowing we were doing the right thing. My boy, the fat boy that I picked out of the litter when he was 3 months old, silently slipped from his pain with his head in my hand.

Not having him here has been hard. I cry at the stupid things (like when mom got a bowl of ice cream (THAT... along with the cheetos in the cupboard will have to go!) or when I almost stepped in puppy poo today!) and haven't had one night that I've gone to bed without crying. I never thought I would ever be so emotional about an animal. I tell ya what... he was my baby... I love you, Winston.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Last week I got the lettering done on my studio door! Yay.... Not.

You see, it was wrong. It was too big, it was not the font I had chosen, it wasn't even the correct color. I'd like to know what happened to proofing? Did that go the way of the VCR?

My thinking is that when I do a job for someone, I want them to be happy with it before its set in stone so I don't have to redo it, wasting my time and money to correct mistakes that could have been avoided.

Apparently not everyone thinks this way. That saddens me.

I brought it to the attention to the guy who made the lettering. This was our conversation.

Me: I do have a couple of issues with the lettering. The font for our studio name is great. It's exactly how it should be, however, ShutterBugs should be all one word, which it is not, and also the word "photography" and the phone number are huge, and are not the font I chose.

Letter Dude (henceforth referred to ad LD): Well I did the font bigger so it could be seen from the street.

Me: *thinking* with that font, it'll be seen from the expressway. *actually saying* well it's very overpowering. I'll see what it looks like tomorrow after the backing comes off, but I'm not sure I like it (I've since decided I can settle for it.. mind you, that doesn't mean I like it). Also, the ones you did for our cars... on was supposed to be gold and one silver (they were white).

LD: I don't remember that.

Me: Yup. We decided that because mom wanted Gold to match the gold on her car and silver to match the silver/gray on my car.

LD: Oh Yeah. Well my computer.. making up excuses about his computer not working and that the lettering program was the only one he could get to work right....

Me: *wanting really badly to say* Well if you would have sent me a proof like you said you would, we wouldn't have any of these problems now, would we?

So bottom line. I'm getting my gold and silver lettering... someday....

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Yesterday there was an article in the newspaper about My studio opening. I don't read the newspaper much. I get so annoyed with errors in text, both spelling-related and grammatically. My theory is that if you went to school for 4+ years to learn how to write, you should know how to write. But apparently that isn't the case anymore, and apparently they don't teach journalists how to check & verify their sources anymore, nor are there any editors anymore.

I read the article and the first thing I notice is that she only mentioned that *I* was an EMT, not mom. Ok, no biggie, I guess. Then mom calls me from work "did you notice the address is wrong. Nope, I didn't. But that doesn't surprise me. At least they said where it is and most people know where it is.

Then last night, as dad is reading the article he says "your phone number is wrong." Since we'd already told him about the address, I thought he was being smart. Oh no... our phone number.. pretty much what we rely on for our business (other than our website, thank god they got that right!) was wrong. Freaking great...

So I emailed the woman who wrote the article. Here is her reply.

Word.

For.

Freaking.

Word.

"Sorry for the mistakes. Will talk with Beth and see what we can do to fix it. Do you have another picture you can send me for your business? Could put it in paper with address and phone info corrected. Either way, will let you know how it will be fixed and get back to you. Thanks, Kristin"

I'm not kidding.

I wouldn't make this stuff up!

Now I understand how she messed up the article. I should go back through and spell check it. I guess I just don't understand how someone, acting as a professional could write an email like that, especially an apology. It baffled me. "Sorry for the mistakes"? It sounded more like "sorry I took the last cookie!" and whatever happened to the word "I"? As in I will... or I could... or again... I will...

Seriously...

We shall see what happens with that... I'm totally not done with her.

Oh yeah... did I mention that my brother-in-law may need a heart transplant? His heart is only beating about 24 times a minute at 25% capacity.. nice!

So that's what's been going on in my world. So far 2010 has been a whirlwind. And just so I don't have to leave you sad, I will leave you with a couple of Chunky Monkey's latest amusing tales....

Tonight I went to my sisters to help her hang pictures. When I walked through the door LaneyBug starts telling me a story... Chunk chimes in with "Achow, I aw arah at tasie's" aka "Rachel, I saw Sara at Stacie's"

Later, he was running around the house, so I quickly ducked down behind the counter. He comes out in the kitchen, stops and asks my mom "air's achow?" and keeps saying "air's achow" Finally, he comes around the corner and I jump up and yell "BOO!"

He looks at me and goes "Achow! Ewe Ared Me!"

CM has one of those big Tonka trucks that he likes running around the house pushing. When my dad came in from the garage, CM comes running out and says "PAPA awtch dis!" and proceeds to tear around the house with the truck... all I could think of was him in 20 years out in the boonies with his friends and a big truck saying "Hey guys, hold my beer and watch this shit!"

New Year, New Opportunities to... fail?

With every New Year, brings the dreaded R word... Resolution. This year I am not making resolutions, but rather I am going to set goals. Do new things, meet new people... and have fun doing it! This way, if it doesn't happen, if I fail... I am not as disappointed.

This year, I will...

1. Be Healthier. I am not going to go on diet. I am however going to wake up in the morning and work out. I love Tae Bo. I Just got out of doing it. I am going to start again. Every morning before I go to the studio, I will work out. I will also stay off my bum all day. I got in the habbit of sitting at the computer playing and working all day. This year I will be more active, both physically and mentally. Even if it is as simple as organizing my studio or taking the computer down there to work at the desk. I will be out of the house.

2. Speaking of my studio... have you heard? I am opening my photo studio! This is something I have dreamed of since I started my journey in Photography. Right now I am moving in and organizing. I am taking appointments, and booking for later this month. I am hoping to make this year the most successful in the history of ShutterBugs Photography.

3. As of Next Tuesday I will be a member of the Little Traverse Choral Society. This is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. I don't consider myself to be socially anxious, however I do get nervous in new situations. I have no problems performing in front of people, but it's that initial contact that gets me. I'm always afraid I will be late because I don't know where I am going and everyone will ridicule me, or that I'll make a fool of myself by falling in the parking lot, or showing up at the wrong time. But I have a friend who will be there with me this time, so hopefully all will be ok!

I'm sure I'll add to my list as the year goes on. This isn't a set in stone sort of thing, nor is it an absolute promise that I'll stick to everything. I like to set realistic goals, though, and I think these are definitely things I can make happen.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, 2010 should be a great year!

Merry Christmas!

Published!

**HOPEFULLY THE LAST UPDATE**
The articles are all back on the magazine and the site seems to be working well. There were many articles missing. Thanks Laura for letting me know you couldn't get there this morning so I could let Brent know. All the links to the magazine, article and gallery should work correctly now.

**UPDATE AGAIN**
It has been brought to my attention that the link to my article no longer works, and that it isn't listed in the contents of the magazine either. I've got a note into Brent about this and hopefully it will be fixed soon. The good news is the magazine seems to be working better now. The heavy traffic from a couple of very popular blogs yesterday overloaded the server and caused it not to respond correctly. So while you're waiting for my article to come back, go read some of the other great information included in this issue!!

**UPDATE**
If you tried to get to my article today and had problems, try again now. The site got overloaded due to all the traffic from MckMama's Blog!!

**Original Post**

A couple of weeks ago, after I wrote this post, Brent Riggs sent an email out saying he wanted to do a photography issue of Serious.life Magazine to be published before Christmas. He and I exchanged a few emails, and the issue published today,including my article on Posing Hands.

Check it out, if you get the chance. I also have a small photo gallery in the magazine. Be sure to go through the whole magazine as it has a ton of great information from some other really great photographers (including one many of you probably will recognize), as well as a lot of other fun and interesting articles.

Thanks again Brent!

Christmas Memories

So there is this contest on another blog that I entered. She's giving away a cute little apron and chef's hat. Wouldn't LaneyBug just look adorable in that!?

In order to enter the contest, you're asked to leave a comment with your favorite Christmas Memory.  I have a lot of wonderful memories of Christmas. Really, I don't have any {bad} Christmas memories... ok so there was one Christmas I was sick, but still, it wasn't THAT bad.. I mean, by dinner time, I {was} able to eat mashed potatoes.

After reading some of the comments I am reminded of other great Christmas memories.

Going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service. The whole dynamic of Church changes on Christmas Eve. The kids are quiet, yet excited because they know Santa will be there soon. The chatter is minimum as everyone takes in the wonder of what it must have been like that night so long ago in Bethlehem. But I think the best part of the night is the very end of the service, when the lights go down, candles are lit and we all sing silent night. There is something about the quietness, the stillness as everyone quietly sings those verses that I just love.

After church, we'd all come home, quickly change into comfy clothes, jump in the car and run down to the gas station to get hot chocolate (or as we got older, cappuccino... or if you're like me.. hot chocolate {mixed with} cappuccino) to take on our Christmas Lights ride. We'd all (Dad, Mom, my sister and I.. and even LaneyBug the year SHE was born) ride around town, looking at all the light displays. And even though every year they were all the same, and we knew all the people who lived in the beautifully lit up houses, it was still magical.

When we got home, we'd all come in and just sit in the quiet.  There's just something about Christmas Eve.. the TV can be on, the Scanner (in our house the scanners and pagers are ALWAYS on) and still there is quietness in the air.

Every year, mom would buy my sister and I pajamas for Christmas (this year, she even let us pick them out on our Black Friday excursion!). Finally, one year we were able to convince Mom one year that we needed to be able to open the package with our PJ's in them on Christmas Eve, so we could wear them on Christmas morning. So that became a tradition.

When it was finally time to go to bed, it was just too much to sleep.. yet at some point we must have, because I would always wake up in the morning to a brand new stuffed Christmas animal in my bed (ok... so usually by the time I woke up, the poor thing was on the floor because I am a wild sleeper!) To this day, I have a hard time going to sleep on Christmas Eve.. the magic is still there.  I always blame not being able to sleep on the fact that we always left the Christmas lights on, both on the tree and outside. Don't tell anyone, but that's not true ;) Even though I do sleep much better in the dark, those lights always remind me of the magic of the night and I can't help but NOT fall asleep.

Our Christmas morning tradition was always to open our stockings first. After that, mom would go out and put the Cinnamon rolls in the oven.  They were always done just as we finished opening our gifts. After we ate, we'd call friends and family or wait for them to call us, then the rest of the day was full of playing with all the new things until it was time to have our steak dinner. Because our large family always had our Christmas about a week before, when everyone could get together, Christmas Day was just a day to lounge in our new PJ's and enjoy the day together.

Over the years, things have changed but some of our traditions still remain.  Now, Christmas Eve is spent chatting over homemade pizza with the kids running through the house. We exchange gifts then, and head over to eat dinner with Grandma at the care facility.

But no matter what traditions we hold, the heart of the day is still always present. And there are a whole new set of traditions to form, and memories to be made.

What are some of your favorite memories? Post them in the comments, and also be sure to head over to the Indy Photography blog to enter her giveaway!