live intrepidly

2012-02-10T23:35:00.002-05:00

Oh, I've been a blog slacker lately. But, I have sequestered Sunday to planning and executing regular blogging again, and working on other projects I've been putting off (ugh laundry).

In the meantime I'm going to spam you with another "Hey, Girl." Sami pinned this on pinterest and tagged me, and it's perfect because I essentially said the exact thing to her... although except for Hey, Girl I probably used a more stern intro...

Alright I'm past my 11pm bed time for the third night in a row, so I'm off to bed (and by off to bed I mean I'm putting my computer down since I've been in bed in my pajamas since I came home at 10:45...)

tuesday inspiration ::find your niche::

2012-02-07T22:24:00.000-05:00

I've been working on narrowing down my photography niche, and what do I find during my research (unnecessary hours on pinterest)... Hey, Girl: Teacher Edition.

Seriously::

You're welcome teacher friends!

p.s. finding a niche is important in most careers, especially photography. I would have a fantastic resource to share with you about it, but I just spent 20 minutes reading Hey, Girls.

2012-02-05T16:46:00.001-05:00

Here's a new favorite first dance photo::

::february goals:: 30 day project

2012-02-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

It's day two of my 30 day goals and I've already accomplished all of them! haha So I'm off to a good start and now I just have to keep going. I've actually be doing this since Monday, and I've felt a lot better about life in general considering those three goals are three of my major weaknesses.

I am off to get ready for bed and make sure I keep up with good ol' #3!

2012-02-01T21:43:00.002-05:00

I'm not a bro, but I think this can pretty much be applied to anyone.

Hope you're having a great week!

like a ::postcard::

2012-01-30T21:55:00.001-05:00

This was the scene outside while I was photographing Tina getting ready at the Waterbury Marriott. When I saw it on my camera I figured it would just be the one random shot to show the scene of the day. In reviewing it in Lightroom though I realized my focus was on the bottom of the screen and with the depth of field it looks like a lovely new england post card!

I have over 3,000 photos to go through from Tina's wedding. I'm guessing it will be narrowed down to 1,500-2,000. It sounds like I'm discarding a lot, but most of them will be repeat reception photos or duplicate portraits that aren't necessary. Although who knows... maybe I'll end up keeping more and Tina will hate me for overwhelming her. haha

so many ::lists::

2012-01-29T19:08:00.000-05:00

It's probably a good thing that I never cease to find new ways to keep my life moving at a wonderful pace. I think I'm going to print this and tape it to my planner. Then when I need a creativity boost I can find a great idea with a simple flip and go to town on it!

Here's hoping your weekend was as lovely as mine!

Speaking of lovely - I found a super cute yellow shoulder/messenger bag at Marshall's for $25 that I'm going to change into a cute, every day camera bag. It's time my Mark II made more regular appearances in my life! yay!

::follow the day:: and the horcrux shuffle!

2012-01-25T20:32:00.000-05:00

I can't help but say that Kb and I continue to top our brilliant vacation videos. If you weren't aware - Krystal Brown and I started making vacation videos in 2009 when I first went out (with Christina) to visit her in Utah. Since then we've made a ton of awesome videos that show just how nerdy we are and just how awesome the places we visit are.

This winter we didn't end up traveling anywhere other than to her cousin's house an hour away. Instead of our usual adventure we settled in my apartment, made a fort, and watched all 8 Harry Potter movies in a row! During the two day event we had several people stop by to watch with us, made a ton of delicious food, and came up with the main idea for our video: the horcux shuffle.

Before you watch the video I've made a simple photo log of all of the dances involved in the horcrux shuffle. The dances can be done out of order - as they are during the main part of the video - or in a row - as Kb demonstrates at the end of the video.

And now that you have the moves down - check them out in "Follow the Day"::

<3

tuesday inspiration ::hope::

2012-01-24T20:25:00.002-05:00

Watch John speak the words in the video below::

I promise that at some point I will stop posting John Green quotes all of the time... although I do think he is brilliant... and I do identify myself as a nerdfighter. Ok the John Green quotes won't stop, but I will try and spread them out a bit.

I'm about to finally put together my KB & JF video from over the holidays. I'm insanely excited about it.

p.s. anyone know who did the illustration above? stupid image sharing site it was linked to didn't link back. let me know if you know!

sneak peek ::tina & her bridesmaids::

2012-01-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

Hello backlighting...

I love snow, but it put me a little bit out of my element this past Saturday while photographing Tina's wedding. Luckily I purchased a radio sync for my flash and was able to create a bit of dramatic flair! The only downside - the excessive need for photoshop.

I left the carpet in the above two photos above, but when it came to large photos of Tina in her dress I could not keep that carpet. Of course trying to create a new carpet that is at least a little bit realistic is not the easiest thing in the entire world. I've already sent a test to Kb and her response was essentially letting me know that I failed. haha I will make it work, it will just take time.

I'm off to be productive and come up with content for my new website. I'm being proactive!

<3

::26 before 27::

2012-01-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Following the path of what I can only assume is hundreds of other bloggers (everyone blogs now apparently), I've decided to set 26 goals for myself to complete before I turn 27 (AH). I was AH-ing the age, not the goals.

I came up with the majority of the goals in the week following my 26th birthday, but it wasn't until I watched the video about the 30 days project that I finished the list.

Setting goals for yourself isn't necessarily easy. They have to be attainable, but challenging. Plus, a lot of goals I have are more personal and not really things you put on a list. Or they're hard to put into terms of an accomplishment. I needed to find goals that I could clearly calculate and mark as completed - otherwise I just wouldn't do them (I'm good like that).

Without further ado, here are my 26 goals before I'm 27::

I'll explain a couple of things, so they seem less weird, and or generic.

#12 - please note that my goal is to exercise regularly. when I say exercise I mean do an activity that lasts 20+ minutes that is different from my day to day activities. this could mean cleaning more often and vigorously, dance around my apartment (which I love to do), walk around the block, or do a full scale workout. exercise is something that should come naturally with our every day lives, but has been replaced with sitting around on the internet (oh, pinterest), I'm trying to change that for myself.

#15 - my universe journal is a really pretty journal from Anthropologie that I bought 2 years ago and wrote in twice in the last 4 months. the goal is very generic, but I essentially would like to physically write more about my life and my goals and my accomplishments. I call them notes to the universe, since I don't believe in a higher power. if it's easier you can imagine them as notes to myself. they could be specific notes about what I want to do in my life, or just thoughts from the day that I don't feel like blogging about. it's relaxing and definitive, and I like those two things together.

#18 - my current personal style is dirty jeans (who washes their jeans after one use??), and a hoodie. sometimes I wear cute cardigans with a cute tank top. sometimes. I do dress a hell of a lot better when it's warm out, but even then I don't really have any kind of style or fashion sense. in fact, my photography has more style than i do... maybe i'll start a style blog with a similar title. spectacular photographs + bad fashion = every hipster's dream blog.

#25 - I bought a super cute bathing suit last year and wore it once. this year I plan on rocking that pink retro suit until it wears out... or at least use it more than once.

#26 - see post from a couple of days ago.

So friends, what goals are you setting for yourself? Do we have any in common?

Next week I'll be starting my 30 day project for February. I'm still debating what particular goals I'll be setting, but I have a few ideas that I'm excited for.

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

<3

::full-width::

2012-01-22T12:39:00.003-05:00

Yay! My blog is now full-width... well full-width in the sense that it doesn't have a sidebar anymore. Sidebars are generally used for self promotion and advertising and considering I'm horrible at self promotion and not blogging for advertising purposes, so it seemed irrelevant!

I also added a tumblr tab at the top. I'm not a great tumblr-er, but I love the ability to quick post and share photos without dedicating an entire blog post to it. So, go ahead and follow me there for random bits and pieces of life and inspiration!

Alright I'm off to get ready to meet Christina at the movies to see The Beauty & The Beast 3D. haha We are reliving our tiny youths.

p.s. The photo above is of Sami's tra-la-las and I could eat those every day forever and ever.

<3

::30 days::

2012-01-18T21:29:00.001-05:00

Starting February 1st I am going to big a new thing each month to stick to for the rest of the year. This is going to go along with my 26 goals before I'm 27, which I have yet to share because I was looking for another goal to round out the 26. Although I think this 30 day project will be that last goal, so yay! I'm done! haha

I have a lot of things I would like to accomplish this year. Little things that I know will add to my already happy life. I'm spending the next two weeks organizing my goals and coming up with my plan of attack. I'll be sharing everything along the way if only to keep me more organized and focused!

<3

tuesday inspiration ::awareness::

2012-01-17T22:20:00.002-05:00

::Lilah::

2012-01-16T23:31:00.000-05:00

I keep saying I will be blogging regularly and then I become a slacker again. Part of the reason is because I have been busy, but the other part is that I really love not being on my computer sometimes. Also, last week I did a lot of reading because The Fault in Our Stars came out, so I was really busy being a nerd.

Anyway, tonight I will try to make up for it with some photographs from the portrait session I had with Lilah a week ago with Corey Lynn Tucker Photography. These are three of my favorites from the small bunch I edited::

And here is a great one of Corey going all out to take her shot::

I mean there were prickers everywhere! haha

I hope everyone had a lovely (despite the cold) weekend! I had a portrait session yesterday morning in West Hartford and damn was my client a trooper. I mean she went outside in a sweater and dress pants and made it look like the warmest of fall days. I'll share those soon!

<3

tfios tour ::and how to be awesome::

2012-01-12T21:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was by far one of the loveliest days in my life. On top of having the most easiest travel day ever (seriously it was perfect), Ange and I met John and Hank Green along with a ton of other awesome nerdfighters!

If you haven't seen me post about it before, John & Hank Green are the Vlog Brothers. Click through and love life before I continue....

Ok, so now that you know how great it is, let's talk about my day in NYC with Ange!

We started the day with the Natural History Museum. I had been once before with Kb, but Ange and I went to a few different exhibits and it was fantastic. We talked to a man with a badge around his neck reading, "fossil explainer." We saw the bones of neanderthals. We saw the squid and the whale (and tried to remember why that was such a big thing). We marveled. We laughed. We learned. We were rocking at being nerds. haha

After we wandered around the museum for a few hours we were starving and made our way to find the taco place Ange looked up during the week. That was until we realized the taco place was BLOCKS away. Ange broke out her phone, googled places, and we found Cafe Frida right down the street. Hello grub.

In the photo above Ange was creeping on John & Hank's twitters to see if they were in NYC already hanging out with their super cool author friends who lived in the city. Turned out they were actually geotagging! Still awesome. haha

After Frida's we walked over to the local Barnes and Noble to look through John's latest book (came out Tuesday - signed by John - it's a big deal). We found a book that had a hanklerfish and left a note for a future nerdfighter to find. Oh and I completely understand that this will be gibberish to most people.

Then we found Baked by Melissa and ate a ton of delicious mini cupcakes (photos above). My favorite? New York Cream (essentially boston cream). I could eat a million of these right now.

We continued our walk uptown and when we were finally within sights of the theater we spotted the tfios tour bus and excitedly walked quickly over and started taking photos and asking other nerdfighters to take our photo. It was PERFECT timing. Once we got our photos in the area was flooded with nerdfighters all jockeying (super nicely) for their photo in front of the van. It was so much fun to watch everyone geek out!

We spent most of our time in line listening to everyone's conversations and joking about how we were the oldest people there. We did eventually learn that a good amount of people were a mix of high school and college students. I would say that we are just out of college, but we aren't. I mean Ange has a masters, and I've been out of school for 3 years. I think most of the older people there (25+) were working at the event, friends and family of john and hank, or from the publisher. Of course all I could tell Ange while discussing this is that we are still, "the coolest people I know." haha

Once the show started it was nonstop smiling and laughing for an hour and a half while John read from tfios and answered questions, and hank sang some of his most popular songs. I took a bunch of videos, and one photograph that I absolutely adore. My favorite video is only 9 seconds long. They ended the show with 500 miles and John joined in! By the time I started taking video everyone was standing and I couldn't take a clear enough video. I'm still over the moon about my 9 second video::

And then my favorite photograph... It's hard to use a point and shoot and love the photos as much as I would if I had my dslr, but I don't think I could love this photo more. Usually Hank performed on stage alone, but for the end of the last song, and the encore song, John joined Hank on stage. The look on their faces was just absolute perfection. John looked at Hank with all of the admiration in the world. Hank sang with so much joy. The man sitting in front of me was recording video, so instead of aiming randomly above his arms I framed the photo, tried to hold my hands as still as possible (no flash) and went for it.

LOVE.

And finally, after the show there was a book signing. Luckily we were in row G and didn't have to wait too long (they went in order of rows). They passed post-its around so that people could write down their names for John and Hank. Ange and I both included wanting Hank to make his Hanklerfish say DFTBA. Although when I told Hank I wanted this he decided to make the dash coming out of the fish's back end and a brief conversation about pooping out awesome happened between Hank, Katherine, and I.

After the signing Ange and I grabbed our free tour poster, signed John's copy of tfios, and made our way back to Grand Central. We finished the night with a random helping of taco bell and then I spent my drive home thinking about how wonderful life is!

Yesterday was pretty perfect. I could relive it over and over again. Still thought, I cannot wait for all of the amazing days in 2012 that will top yesterday and make my life all the more better.

To a great start to the year!

corey's ::pin up:: calendar

2012-01-09T22:37:00.001-05:00

Last night I wrote about and shared a photo from a shoot I did with Corey of Corey Lynn Tucker Photography. While Corey is still at the beginning of her own adventure with photography, she is really pushing herself to achieve amazing goals, and create her own works of art.

Right now Corey is in the middle of two fantastic projects. The first being a pin up calendar, and the second a local art show!

Blogger is still not letting me upload photos, so all I can do is link you to where you can see photos! haha Corey is really brilliant about updating her facebook page with new photos (I suck at it), so check that out here. Also check out this article about her gallery show opening this Thursday night here!

Sorry for no photos! I'll figure out the issue, I promise. If you head over to Corey's facebook page you'll have plenty to check out!

<3

::lilah:: sneak peek!

2012-01-08T19:41:00.000-05:00

Today I had an incredible photo adventure with Corey & Lilah. Corey has her own photo business and I adore her logo... of course her logo is now not uploading properly (stupid blogger), so head over to her facebook page here to see it along with her work! I think it fits her so well because she is a landscape photographer and a portrait photographer so the nature aspect of the logo really matches her personality and style.

I myself am currently in the process of rebranding. I know, I know. it's going to be the third time things changed for 60b, but I'm more clear on my direction now and with that comes change. For now I'm still using my camera logo, but eventually it will change.

Enough writing, let's sneak peek it up!

I adore the photographs I took of Lilah and had such a wonderful time editing them. I'll probably show off the rest during week... maybe by then I'll have a new logo!

I don't know how blogging will go this week. I'm 99% sure I will have a tooth ripped out tomorrow because I've had a horrible painful weekend with it, so I may be miserable and avoid the computer (that means I'll be lying in my bed all week). Who knows it may go fine and I'll blog like crazy! We will see...

<3

::sweetness::

2012-01-06T00:07:00.000-05:00

I will forever reblog Jonas Peterson's brilliance and you will just have to deal with that::

I promise I will be blogging regularly again soon. I have not been sleeping this week and still need to get a million things done, so that is why I'm up at 12:05am. Ugh.

Hopefully tonight I dream about a lovely boy with a beard in a jacket with elbow patches instead of, you know, random Back to the Future mash-ups featuring Catherine Zeta-Jones, a gun fight, and a random amount of barbecue sauce (cooking was involved at some point).

tuesday inspiration ::sleep deprived::

2012-01-03T20:43:00.003-05:00

I bet if I were in this situation I would have slept well the past couple of nights instead of tossing and turning all night...

Here's hoping my dreams are inspired by Matthew Cory's illustration tonight!

happy ::new:: year

2011-12-31T23:34:00.003-05:00

I've decided I'm not going to give in to the selfish need to recap my year in blog form. It's been a great year, but I'm starting the year off right by looking forward instead of back. So to welcome you to the new year I'm leaving you with this::

Special thanks to Neil Gaiman for posting the text version of this on his tumblr (and blog).

dftba

Pink Hair, Thai & ::Being Goofs::

2011-12-31T14:42:00.002-05:00

From the title you can correctly guess that I had my hair dyed Pink! I went for a pale pink - although the dye had a mind of it's own and it was quite bright the first couple of days (as shown in the photos below). Now it's much more subdued and quite perfect. I absolutely love it and may keep it up if it stays this lovely. It is slightly splotchy, but I think that is just because my hair is crazy and not because of the process.

After the hair dying, Julia and I went to a new Thai restaurant in Torrington. It was actually the first time I've had Thai and I enjoyed most of what I had. I didn't like how hard the veggies were, but Julia enjoyed everything and ate some of my bamboo (not a fan). Then we took some coconut ice cream and sticky rice back from the restaurant to where Julia was staying (she was house sitting for a friend) and chatted the night away. It always amazes me how much we can talk when we're together. haha

We wanted to take a few photos since we never take photos when we hang out. It started with normal smiles and then eventually goofing around was all we could do.

I'm off to rejoin the Harry Potter marathon that is currently taking place in my apartment! We're on the 6th movie and loving life. Right now it's just Kb and I, but soon Sami, Stan, Christina, and Jake will be joining us for trivia!

See you next year!

guess the ::hair:: color!

2011-12-29T00:07:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I decided it was time to dye my hair again. It's been natural for a few months and it's been SO boring. Plus a lady cut my hair last week and chopped it super short, so to deal with the super short hair I decided it needed to be a new color.

What color did I chose? Well I'm going to let you guess for a day before revealing it. I do have a sneak peek for you! Before my hair was dyed it needed to be bleached. Let's just say bleaching is NOT a look for me.

Leave your guesses below - or in comments on facebook! Check back tomorrow night for new photos of my badass hair!

tuesday inspiration ::vintage flower love::

2011-12-27T23:50:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to finish most of my new apartment decor by this weekend, so I've spent most of tonight cutting out letters (for quotes on my wall) and watching NY Ink on Netflix. Here is the downside to watching NY Ink on Netflix: All I can think about is how much I want more tattoos.

I'm pretty sure that if I had the money I would just cover my arm with vintage flower tattoos along with keepsakes of my life. This Tuesday I'm finding the most beautiful illustrations of vintage flowers so I can spend tonight dreaming of my next tattoo.

The top two illustrations are from Hasiyne. The bottom three are from a website that no longer works, but google could somehow find the photos for. Although if you search for vintage seed packets you can find a million more of them.

What's inspiring you this Tuesday?

2011-12-26T01:07:00.002-05:00

This may have made my day::

and by may have I mean it completely made my day!

<3

berta & megan ::engaged::

2011-12-24T11:38:00.005-05:00

I just realized that it's been forever since I posted Berta & Megan's sneak peek! Normally I'm really good at posting the follow up photos, but I've enjoyed being a bit of a slacker lately. haha

I've already posted a few of their photos that are my favs, but here's a few more as a holiday treat::

We were so lucky in light that morning. The fog lifted as we were shooting so there was always new light to fall in love with. Oh, light.

In other news I'm rocking this holiday weekend on my Dad's couch. It's warm, comfy and the laundry is free, so I'm loving life. Right now we're watching The Italian Job and I cannot help but watch Mark Wahlberg picture him saying, "say hello to your mother for me." Any time his accent comes out more I just giggle thinking about it. haha

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday, no matter what you celebrate. You know I'm not really a celebrator, so I hope all of you do whatever makes you the happiest during this season!

<3

oh fictional characters - how you ::thrill:: me

2011-12-23T23:28:00.002-05:00

It's probably been obvious lately that I completely adore illustrations. Well I also adore TV. So what happens when you mix TV (slash movies) and illustrations? You have Nan Lawson Illustrations. My favorite thing about her illustrations is that all of the pop culture ones are so subtle it's almost as if they're an inside joke. It makes me feel like the cool kid who understands why they're perfect even though someone else might think they're ridiculously random.

These are my absolute two favorites::

The top one is called, "The Piemaker" and the bottom is called, "Just Give Me All The Bacon and Eggs You Have." Both pieces make me love these boys even more! Oh fictional characters, how you thrill me!

nerd post level ::high::

2011-12-22T23:32:00.001-05:00

siriusly... how did this happen??

I'm still baffled as to how he became so freaking attractive (if I were to revert back to high school speech I would probably write "hott" -- yep two t's). It's lucky that my research for HP decorations and recipes ends up resulting in pretty much stalking awesome photos of the cast.

I mean how great is this::

Alright, alright... I promise I won't post anything else about HP until after the marathon when I reveal the brilliant photographs of the best movie marathon ever. You're actually getting off kind of easy because I've been rereading the books for a month now and have yet to post a major post about it. It's either because I'm lazy or have made an effort not to alienate non-hpers (you should probably read the books though).

It's probably a mix of both.

Either way it's past my bedtime. Here's to a night of HP based dreams!

tuesday inspiration ::light & lace::

2011-12-20T21:21:00.001-05:00

In the past few months I have been more and more excited to delve into boudoir photography. I spend a lot of time on other photographer's blogs (looking at trends, styles, and photography types), and until recently, never found a boudoir photographer that I really liked. Everything was very high fashion editorial. It's still beautiful work, but the women never seem real enough to me. Where's the personality? Where's the fun?

Then I found Simply Bloom Photography. The name itself is lovely, and the work is even lovelier. They're inspiring me this Tuesday to think of goals related to the types of photography I would like to pursue and how I want my style to grow. This past year has been a wonderful transition year for me. I've been working in photography and have already grown so much personally and professionally. While I'm still not ready to take my photography full time, I'm using the photographer's who inspire me to push me to the next step in my work.

In saying that here are some initial favorites from Simply Bloom's boudoir photography portfolio::

I love these photographs because they're so full of light and quite dainty. If there is anything I love about photography it's how light can fill a frame and add drama and detail to a photo. I think that is why I've been drawn to boudoir photography. Not only does it give women the opportunity to feel confident and lovely, it lets me use light in different ways than I would for a regular portrait.

I'm most likely going to spend this spring building my boudoir portfolio and figuring out what my particular style of boudoir will be. I may try it and find out it's not for me, or I may find a new specialty for myself. Without the urge to be a full time wedding photographer, it's all about mastering a type of portraiture to excel at.

On the flip side I will also have my first new-newborn shoot! I've photographed babies before, but they've all been at least 6+ months. Both of these goals will definitely give me some guidance for the future of my photography career. Who knows - maybe by this time next year I'll be writing about a completely different type of photography I'm trying to delve into.

So, what's inspiring you this Tuesday?

hey ::girl:: by ryan gosling

2011-12-19T19:30:00.000-05:00

Have you see these images floating around the web? They always seem to pop up on pinterest and even though I'm not a die hard Ryan Gosling fan I find them absolutely hilarious. I don't know where it started or why, but it's pretty great.

holidays and ::pancakes::

2011-12-18T19:25:00.000-05:00

Fact: owning a camera that can shoot in low light doesn't mean you should always avoid flash. haha My new camera (canon G12) can take a hotshoe flash and I have a small one that is perfect for it, but for some reason I spent the weekend avoiding it and just turning up the ISO. The downside is graininess. Plus, because it was still pretty dark where I was there was a slower shutter speed that ended with a bit of camera shake. It's not really noticeable in the photos below, but I tend to get into a particular habit and stick there... and I don't want grainy shaky photos all year. I promise next time I will rock my flash... most likely.

Anyway Friday night Christina and I went back to the Hillstead (high geek factor) and took part in their holiday tour. It was so much fun. People around the house were dressed in authentic 1920s attire, and they spoke to us about how the family celebrated the holiday season at the Hillstead. Because we took part in the last tour of the day we had the opportunity to drink champagne and eat shortbread cookies while chatting with the volunteers. I don't drink alcohol so I didn't partake in the champagne, but the homemade shortbread cookies were pretty epic. Plus we were able to chat more with Sharon, who owns the authentic vintage clothing that everyone was wearing. She is this brilliant older woman who just rocks at life. Christina and I left the tour discussing how cool she was and how we wanted to be her when we grow up. haha

I had Saturday to myself, which was lovely. As I've mentioned countless times I'm a bit of a hermit, so it was quite perfect to have no plans other than do everything I wanted. My only semi-regret is not taking a nap. I did finish a good amount of apartment decoration though, so that's why napping is only a semi-regret. Plus, I hate regrets.

Sami visited me on Sunday and despite our plans to do something spontaneous, we just lounged around my apartment and talked about blogs, design, and life. We did go to the bakery down the street and had breakfast for lunch. I wish I took a photo because my pancakes were delicious. Sami bought us a red velvet whoopie pie and red velvet cupcake for a treat. It may sound like a lot of red velvet, but one was with buttercream frosting and one was with cream cheese frosting and there was a difference. We enjoyed our treats with passion tazo tea. One of our tasks for the afternoon was going through photos that I took of/for Sami a few weeks ago, and that is why you can see her peeking into my tea. I thought it was kind of brilliant so I didn't retake it!

How was your weekend?

::slides:: are always good decisions

2011-12-18T10:06:00.000-05:00

I'm in the process of redecorating my apartment (I have settlement issues, so I change things a decent amount), and I've found more inspiration from children's bedrooms than any of the adult one's I've seen online. I refuse to live in a land of neutrals!

p.s. how brilliant would it be if my loft had a slide?? I would be working out on a regular basis just because I would keep climbing my stairs to go down the slide.

See more cute kid rooms here.

when ::nerdiness:: attacks

2011-12-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

You find out who your real friends are, luckily mine are the very best::

This was pinned next to my door when I arrived home from work today! It is pretty much one of my all-time favorite gifts I've ever received... THAT is how nerdy I am. haha

So this holiday season remember... to give an awesome gift all you need is tea stained paper, a printer, some wax, and the nerdiest friend you can find. They will most likely frame your gift and show it off when anyone comes over.

<3

tuesday inspiration ::letting go::

2011-12-13T21:57:00.001-05:00

I don't think I have to point out to anyone how easy it is to be bogged down by missed goals and the feeling of worthlessness. So and so is doing this and is so successful at it, or I thought I would be so much more successful by this age. I tend to focus so much on figuring out big picture goals for myself (and how to get there) that I stop thinking about all I'm accomplishing right now. I'm sometimes living in a future that will not exist unless I pay attention to my life in the moment.

It's when I ignore the present that those heavy feelings bog me down and sometimes they easily pin me there. Yesterday's budding tip can easily transition from photography to life in general. If things aren't ideal or you (I) want something different, make the opportunity to be there. It's time to kick negativity to the curb and focus on everything positive about life NOW.

That leads me to today's motivation::

Here are a few details I've loving right now:

- the fact that Jenny and I downed an entire pizza at Flatbread and it was a-mazing.

- the burn in my thighs from Zumba yesterday.

- that I had the opportunity to take cake smash photos at work the other day!

- the new quote wall in my apartment that is coming out splendidly.

- my bed is so warm and cozy I could spend forever in it.

- how encouraging and loving my friends are.

- that I finally turned my vintage duvet into legitimate curtains - tacks no more!

Photos of my apartment will come as soon as I finish changing things up a bit!

What are you loving about your life right now?

budding tip ::make your own opportunities::

2011-12-12T21:52:00.000-05:00

How was everyone's weekend? I enjoyed leaving my computer behind and seeing random friends, and starting the re-decorating of my apartment (photos soon).

I decided to start the week off with a budding tip I've been thinking about recently. When it comes to breaking into the business, or even breaking into photography as a hobbyist - it's important to recognize opportunities and seize them when possible. I know this seems as if it's a no brainer, but you'd be surprised by the amount of budding photographer's I've met who have let grand opportunities just slip right by.

I've said it before and I'll say it over and over again: as a photographer you need to constantly be growing and learning. The field and it's trends are always changing. If you don't catch up and hang on, you will always be stuck with cheap clients and bad photographs. Find a photographer who you love and want to emulate (success, business, and quality wise) and do everything in your power to get there. Contact photographer's you like and ask to shadow or assist them. Take every workshop you can afford. Photograph every friend you can think of. Try different editing techniques. Talk to other photographer's about editing. Upgrade your equipment as you can. Look at every photograph and think about how you can make it better.

Every opportunity you have to make yourself better, whether it's assisting on an editorial shoot, or reading about how another photographer works on their blog, is worthwhile. In most cases these moments won't just fall on your lap, so go out into the world and make them. You're responsible for your own success.

My example for this tip is my friend Kayla. She has a lot of different ideas of where she wants to go with her photography, but one of the best things about it is that she has an open mind and is willing to learn no matter how much work it may be. Every time I've done a shoot that I thought would interest Kayla I've invited her along and the only time she didn't take the opportunity was when she had a class to attend. Otherwise she was there photographing her butt off, asking questions, and being awesome. haha

Even without my help Kayla makes her own opportunities. A friend of the family's (or family member? Kayla will have to remind me of the relation) was having a small wedding. So small that they didn't hire a photographer. Kayla asked to borrow my T1i for the occasion and stepped up as photographer for the day. When Kayla showed me the photographs a couple of weeks ago I was so happy. Not only are they lovely, but they showed so much growth from the first time we photographed together. All of the pieces that will make Kayla an incredible photographer are there, and as long as she keeps making her own opportunities it won't take her too long to get there.

Oh, and here are said lovely wedding photos::

So what are you doing for yourself this week to improve your photography?

I'm attempting to break into boudoir photography, and trying to figure out an editorial type shoot I've been wanting to try out.

::follow the day::

2011-12-08T22:58:00.001-05:00

One of the trailers before Hugo a couple of weeks ago was for The Lorax. I loved Dr. Seuss growing up so I am always excited when hollywood makes one of his worlds come to life in film, but the one thing that has me over the moon excited for The Lorax is their choice of song for the trailer...

Once the song started Christina and I both looked at each other and whispered, "I love this song!" It's so magical and lovely AND I've decided it's going to be this holiday season's vacation video theme song! Essentially it means that Kb and I will be documenting our awesome time together when she's home at the end of December and then putting it all to this song.

This video makes me think we need balloons...

What songs are you loving on this winter?

<3

tuesday inspiration ::whimsical bride::

2011-12-06T20:27:00.001-05:00

This photograph took my breath away as a thumbnail and completely thrilled me once I clicked through to see it large. I love everything about the colors, composition, and look of the "bride." It makes me want to grab my camera, find a girl in a beautiful dress and shoot! haha

Found on ruffledblog... by Alea Lovely!

illustration love ::restyleshop::

2011-12-05T21:41:00.001-05:00

I'm slightly obsessed with camera based illustrations...

and pretty much everything else in this etsy shop (minus the star wars prints)!

Happy Monday... anyone else as tired as I am?

::acting out:: at hillstead

2011-12-04T23:08:00.001-05:00

Today Christina & I visited Hillstead in Farmington, CT.. I know - we've been twice in a month and I would not change it for the world!!

Since it was the first Sunday of the month the museum was in open house mode so visitors could walk around and there were docents in every room waiting to talk to you about the house, the art, and everything in between. This on it's own is brilliant, but today was special because it's the holiday season! So on top of everything else, the house was decked out for the holidays and many of the docents were dressed in period clothing (for 1901) and acting as the people who once lived in the house. My nerd brain went crazy for it. They even had a piano player in the living room who invited everyone to sing carols!

And to add to the awesomeness, Marvin and Rosemary visited Hillstead today as well and Marvin sang a round of carols for everyone! It was pretty brilliant.

Christina and I plan on going back another time on December 16th for a night tour where the docents will be in the 1920s. They rotate the years because on top of the people who lived in the home they will also have docents act as particular famous guests that visited the home during that particular time. We talked about it with a couple of the docents and how absolutely lovely it is.

Photography is not allowed inside the museum, although the communications director snapped a few of us, so hopefully those will make their way online, but here's an evo shot of us loving life after::

I made the headband I'm wearing this morning! It's just yarn wrapped around floral wire and I tied a pink ribbon to it for added loveliness.

How was your Sunday?

<3

times have ::changed::

2011-12-03T10:47:00.001-05:00

1994::

2011::

Forget sledding, I'm spending this holiday season dressed in a skimpy Santa suit and dancing up on a wall at Macy's.

(Actually I'm eating ice cream for breakfast and laying in my bed all morning! Hurrah!)

<3

Illustration ::Obsessed::

2011-12-01T22:42:00.001-05:00

Kb pinned this piece of art on Pinterest the other day and since then I have been geeking out hardcore over the artist's illustrations::

The artist, Elisandra, is from Germany and she has a ton of different illustrations on her flickr. While she doesn't blog too frequently, it's always wonderful when she does. She comes out with new desktop backgrounds free for download every month and even has her illustrations available on t-shirts, journals, and posters (here). Oh and her etsy shop is here.

I cannot tell you how much I adore her work! It's vibrant, fun and a little retro. All things lovely in one beautiful print. Right now she has 7 camera prints done and is planning on completely 12 so that she can make a calendar of them. I'm pretty much going to stalk her blog until it becomes available. haha

p.s. do NOT look up other illustrations for sale on etsy - you will lose hours of your life. I promise.

::hump:: day

2011-11-30T18:32:00.001-05:00

On my drive home from work I was thinking about how Wednesday is often called, "hump day." Then I thought about this::

If you didn't laugh at the above video we may not be friends. haha Or maybe you just need to watch other Vlog Brother videos to understand the context.

Either way, DFTBA - and happy hump day!

Tuesday Inspiration ::Redwood Forest::

2011-11-29T22:29:00.001-05:00

I've decided to start blogging things I find inspiring on Tuesdays. Little things to push me through the week and give my mind something brilliant to process. I'm starting with one of the places I would give anything to travel to...

Please read this article and love on this photo::

I want to go to there.

::hugo::

2011-11-26T23:04:00.001-05:00

It's been 20 minutes since I left the theater and I have a feeling I will be thinking about Hugo all night. I expected to enjoy the movie, since reviews have been unbelievably kind to it. I did not, however, think that it would be as lovely as it was, or as touching as it was. I imagined it would be a fun children's movie that lifted my spirits and left me smiling. It was a horrible judgement on my part, and while it did lift my spirits and I'm still smiling, it is far from your average children's movie.

With familiar themes of family, friendship, and love, the movie takes them to incredible depths and surrounds them with light, indescribable color, and perfection. If anything the pure production value of the movie is something to relish in. Add 3D and I can feel myself in Hugo's world just by closing my eyes.

As a photographer I adore when movies exist that inspire me to create. Last year The King's Speech allowed me to see subjects as a piece of the portrait, instead of the entire thing. I became more aware of how surroundings can add to the personality of a portrait rather than take away from the personality of the person.

Hugo has solidified my particular love and use of light to enhance, and draw out the beauty in my subjects and their surroundings. Light was a major part of the movie, in fact, light was it's own character in the movie. It was able to change the mood of a scene with a simple flicker. It made moments haunting, and other moments so powerful. It was used so effectively, and so brilliantly that I was lost in the actors' eyes and the sets' details, while being gripped by the storyline. I could not ask for anything more than that.

The use of light in Hugo is clearly depicted in the movie posters. I adore this one::

The light over his shoulder is perfection, with the orange glow right where his coat and face meet the horizon. LOVE.

And then I could just love on this still forever::

If you don't have plans for tomorrow I recommend heading to the theater and giving yourself a giant dose of inspiration with Hugo. I saw it in 3D and it wasn't gimmicky or over the top. 3D let the movie come to life rather than take away from the experience.

If you do have plans tomorrow you should probably just cancel them and go see Hugo. haha Kidding!

2011-11-24T22:03:00.001-05:00

Forget everything I've ever said about photography. This is pretty much the greatest wedding photograph ever.

Wouldn't it have been so much better if she were in a heart shaped hole?? Come on get a little creative with your editing people!!

being ::thankful::

2011-11-24T21:13:00.001-05:00

I spent the day ignoring the fact that it was Thanksgiving. Sure, I went over Sami's house and ate turkey with a couple of members of her family (and Stan!), but it was so casual and fun that it felt as if we were all just hanging out on any other day.

At first I wasn't going to even eat a thanksgiving dinner. I bought a bunch of my favorite foods (turkey kielbasa, mac and cheese, baked beans, cinnamon buns, and bacon) and I was going to feast all day! I still ate the cinnamon buns and a ton of bacon, but around 2pm I finished cleaning my apartment, and organizing my camera gear so I figured what the hey, I'll go over Sami's.

Even though I don't like holidays, and thanksgiving doesn't particularly thrill me, I do like the idea of giving thanks. We, as Americans, are always so on the go and self involved that many of us don't stop to be thankful. I find that I tend to overlook all that I have around me, and despite the forcefulness of the holidays, I've decided that I'm going to be thankful anyway.

Here are the things I am most thankful for today:

- My friends. I may not like holidays, but most of my friends do. I cannot tell you how incredibly thankful I am for my amazing friends who are so willing to take me in on a holiday. Every offer made my heart so happy and I am so in love with how brilliant my group of friends are. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!

- My family. We may not all get along, but my family has helped form who I am, and since I love who I am, I guess I love who they've helped to make. haha

- Bacon. Oh yea, bacon's number 3. I don't like to judge, but I don't know what I would do if one of my friends didn't like bacon. I mean it's one of the most delicious things ever. ever.

- My body. I know, random. I think everyone is aware of how pervasive the media in it's representation of the perfect woman. While I would be happy to lose a few pounds, I am still so happy that my body is so pale that my tattoo artist tells me it's wonderful for tattooing because the colors pop. I'm so happy that no matter how much I weigh I will always be curvy because my hips are, as people have told me, "child bearing hips." I am so happy that I can run, jump, play and dance with this awesome, curvy body!

- My job. Maybe it's better to put: having a job. I am so thankful that I can pay my bills, and still live my life without thinking about money all of the time. I mean it's always there in the back of my mind, but it doesn't dictate my life the way it could if I didn't have a job.

- The art of travel. I'm creating goals for next year and I can't wait to conquer day-tripping and whatever my next great adventure may be.

I could probably go on... I have PLENTY to be thankful for, and I will be thinking about all of them tonight. I hope all of you have had a lovely day. Whether you love the holiday or hate it, I hope you spent it doing exactly what you wanted to be doing and are so happy because of it.

Oh and before I forget - here is a photo of my dinner tonight::

I didn't bring my big camera since I'm shooting a wedding for work tomorrow... and I can tell you that I mostly just mixed up everything on that plate before eating it because that's how I do.
And Sami made Cup-Pies inspired by Pushing Daisies. They were apple with gruyere cheese on top. SOOOOOO GOOD. I also had some regular apple pie from Lyman's. It was alright. haha

I'm off to go to bed at a normal time so that I'm not completely exhausted while photographing tomorrow. The wedding is all day so I will not be blogging until Saturday sometime. The weather is supposed to be gorgeous anyway so go out and enjoy your Friday!!!

<3

let's ::play::

2011-11-23T23:26:00.001-05:00

This just makes me want to be goofy and do something ridiculous.

<3

all I want for the ::holidays::

2011-11-22T22:23:00.001-05:00

I'm not a holiday person. I'll most likely end up spending the upcoming holidays pampering myself with my favorite foods, movies, and books. Not celebrating means I will have the least stressful holiday season anyone could ever imagine. It's quite perfect actually.

However, I can't help cruising online thinking about all of the gifts I would want someone to buy for me. If I was the type to make a holiday shopping list these are the items that I would be dying to open::

1. Brass Vintage Camera Necklace

2. DIY Duaflex Camera Kit

3. Fujifilm X100

4. Fotoclips (technically I just bought these for myself!)

5. Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L

I can't decide if I would rather have the Fuji X100 or the 35mm lens. One benefits me professionally, but the other one is just plain awesome. haha The look and quality of the X100 is so lovely I can't stand it. At some point when I feel less adult-ish I may splurge and buy it for myself... but that is probably a long time away when I work at a ridiculously high paying job! haha

What are you hoping to open this holiday season??

the unbelievably adorable ::nico::

2011-11-22T00:02:00.001-05:00

The best part of photographing little Nico was meeting his wonderful, loving parents. They were a joy and it was obvious right away why Nico is such a happy, smiley little boy. At one point I commented on Nico's gorgeous wispy hair and they showed me a photograph of Nico's Dad when he was a baby and not only did they have the same hair, they had the exact same face. It was brilliant. Like Father, Like Son!

We were stuck indoors because it was right after the October snow storm and there was snow and tree branches everywhere. Luckily they had plenty of light streaming in from their sliding doors so no flash was necessary to photograph Nico in his element.

<3

the ::look::

2011-11-21T23:47:00.001-05:00

Before I blog about the adorable Nico, I should probably say something about the look of the blog.

Well first I can say that this is not the last change to live intrepidly's design. Because I'll have access to super affordable web hosting I'm going to team up with Sami from Poor & Pretty to transfer Live Intrepidly from blogger to wordpress. In a way I don't want to switch it over because I ADORE blogger, but in terms of design, wordpress destroys blogger in capability. In saying that I've simplified my sidebar just so I can take stock in what I have and want to keep, so please ignore the blandness.

The change in the header is not so much based on the switch to wordpress, but more because of my decision to turn this blog's old domain, 60b Photography, into a real live website! While 60b will always be my fun, amazing, brilliant hobby on the side, it still deserves to be well represented and I still want it to thrive all year round. I love taking photographs and I want make sure 60b doesn't disappear behind Live Intrepidly. The logo for Live Intrepidly was originally designed for 60b. I decided to change the name of the blog shortly after it was designed and at the time it made sense to keep the logo. Now that 60b will have it's own website my little argus is moving back to it's originally place and my kite is taking it's place.

The Live Intrepidly kite (its new name) is based on my kite tattoo that sits on the side of my left calf. It originally debuted on this blog all bloody and gross, but has since been epically captured in this photograph::

My friend Bobby was able to take my crappy cell phone photo of it and convert it into the brilliant icon that it is now!

I'll be writing more about changes and design as it's happening. For now let's move on so I can post my favorite photographs of Nico!

<3

2011-11-20T17:47:00.001-05:00

My weekend::

Iron Man 2
Cars 2
Harry Potter 7.2 (I made it 3/4 of the way through before crying!)
Fast Five
Hairspray
Night at the Museum
Transformers
X-Men: First Class
The Mask of Zorro

camera free, care free, and loving life.

Don't forget, you can be adventurous with an open mind and active imagination... I'm pretty sure my dreams tonight will be of some sort of musical action movie featuring attractive men with interesting accents. Holler!

<3

Vintage ::Video::

2011-11-19T08:40:00.001-05:00

Yes, we are smack dab in the middle of a vintage revival. It seems everyone loves vintage, wants vintage, and dreams in vintage. I am no stranger to the movement and find nothing more exciting than loving on vintage clothes, cameras, and photographs.

Lately I've found a love in vintage wedding photography. Whether it's done in post processing or filmed using vintage cameras, the effect is dreamy and lovely. Here are a few swoonworthy videos I've added to my creative inspiration archives.

First up is a CT videographer, Jim Altieri. Jim's videos are beautiful, and you know he's good when he works closely with the likes of Carla Ten Eyck and Katie Slater. His most recent video from Newport is beyond lovely!

Lindsey & Jonathan Get Married from Jim Altieri on Vimeo.

I adore Shark Pig! They do all of the videos for one of my favorite blogs, design love fest. While some of his videos are shot with normal recording equipment, he also uses 8mm to record dreamy highlights of the day!

shanin & david from Shark Pig on Vimeo.

I would be lying if I told you that I stumbled upon this video months ago and saved it specifically for this blog post. The truth? I had the first two videos of this post in mind, and then went searching for something to fill in. How crazy is it then that I stumble upon a random video on vimeo that is a promo for two CT wedding photographers that I don't think I've ever stalked before. It's crazy because I love looking at photography blogs, and I love following what other photographers are doing. How did I not know that these two people existed?

Either way I love the idea for their promo. It's not about them shooting, it's about their love for each other and how that affects how they're able to photograph loving couples. Plus the video mixes 8mm and HD video, AND has a pretty great narrative. I will definitely be adding them to my blog list!

a photographer promo // meet justin + mary from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Oh the couple is Justin & Mary and the videographer is StillMotion.

On that note I'm off to research photography websites so I can figure out what exactly I want mine to be. I've never really branded 60b, or live intrepidly for that matter, and it's finally time for me to nail everything down. Just because I call myself a semi-professional amateur photographer, doesn't mean I don't need awesome logos and design!

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!!

<3

::Lindsey & Scott:: Engaged

2011-11-17T22:49:00.001-05:00

1. Harkness Park is always so beautiful.

2. Lindsey & Scott could not be cuter together.

3. I love these photographs.

::Berta & Meghan:: Sneak Peek!

2011-11-16T22:56:00.001-05:00

Can you believe I went to high school with Berta? I mean that in the OMG can you believe that I knew you when I was 16 and you were 17 and now you're engaged and I'm photographing your wedding?? haha

I have a feeling that might happen a decent amount now and it's terrifying. I still feel 18 and just want to eat buffalo mac and cheese and act as if I don't have adult responsibilities!

Either way, adulthood has happened and I am so excited to photograph Berta & Meghan's wedding. They are so freaking sweet together and SO easy to photograph. I think some couples expect engagement photographs to be very posed and stiff, but I'd rather photograph couples interacting, making each other laugh, and yes, kissing. Every couple I've ever photographed has been most comfortable when they can just kiss and be sweet to each other, and those photographs always end up being my favorite because they feel the most real.

Alright enough rambling! Here's to Berta & Meghan::

<3

::The Cedors::

2011-11-15T21:11:00.001-05:00

I've decided to go out of order with the photos I'm posting because Kb wanted me to post her cousin's photos today and if she listens to me whine I'll do whatever she asks. haha So here are just some of my favorites from their shoot. I say some because I think all of them are my favorite because they're all so wonderful! I can't wait until the little one joins us and I can rock new family photos for them!

Tomorrow will be a sneak peek of Berta & Meghan's engagement shoot, and then after is Lindsey & Scott's! I know a week of photographs, but I'll make up for it with great stories later in the week.

for the love of ::duaflex::

2011-11-14T22:59:00.001-05:00

I've decided to start a collection. I don't really collect much. I used to collect a lot of pop culture (backstreet boys & harry potter... I know) memorabilia as a preteen and teenager, but once I went to college my frivolous spending trickled down to just food and clothing... mostly food I'm a horrible dresser.

After purchasing my Argus Seventy-Five (the camera detailed in my 60b logo) I fell in love with Through the Viewfinder photography and found these incredible duaflex cameras to be pretty much perfect. So, this weekend I went to the weekly flea market in my town and went hunting for duaflex cameras. There is a guy there who has all kinds of vintage cameras and I feel as if something always steals my heart from his booth. This time it was an Ansco Rediflex and a Kodak Duaflex Camera. Kodak was not that original when they named their products.

Yesterday I took these two bad boys out for a spin at Hill-stead in Farmington. I will have a whole other post to detail my love of Hill-stead, but for now just enjoy what I like to call Duaflex in Fall::

Le sigh. I can't wait to continue my hunt. While I have found ones I love online, I always think there is something special to finding them at flea markets or tag sales. I'll be looking while adventuring and whenever I find my next one, believe me, I'll let you know!

Tomorrow I have an engagement session to share! I may even double post with a bit about my weekend which involved lots of cooking, lots of friends, and lots of happiness. Big ups to the universe for rocking so much this weekend!

DFTBA

<3

::Scott & Jenn:: Engaged

2011-11-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

I honestly cannot wait for Scott and Jenn's wedding next year. Why you ask? Well...

1. Their wedding is at Wadsworth Mansion, which is gorgeous.
2. They're freaking adorable together.
3. They're so laid back, but so much fun.
4. I want to use the crap out of my new camera. haha

Did I tell you I bought a new camera? I think I mentioned it... I'm sure I'll dedicate a whole new post about it sometime next week. For now let's just discuss Scott & Jenn.

Scott is apparently a scrabble champion, so he put together a scrabble board and brought just enough letters to write a few sweet sentiments for their shoot. Jenn found great picnic themed engagement sessions online and brought everything needed to set up a really lovely scene. The only thing missing from their shoot was a ton of color on the leaves and my new camera. haha

Here are a few of my favorites... click through to flickr to see the entire set!

The best part about Jenn's eyes below is that I did absolutely nothing to them individually...

This weekend is my first non crazy weekend since vacation in September. I'm really excited to accomplish a lot of tasks I've let slide and relax! I do have an engagement shoot on Sunday morning I'm excited for, but other than that it's all about loving life this weekend! With that I'm off to read and perhaps finish the latest book I'm reading. Despite it's remaining 175 pages I feel as if I've reached the point of no return.

<3

My Birthday ::2011::

2011-11-09T23:28:00.003-05:00

I'm not one for birthdays. They've never really been that wonderful for me, so I tend to steer clear of them. While I was in college Christina and I would go out and celebrate the day after my birthday as a sort of un-birthday party. The days usually consisted of going to NYC in the early morning hours to buy rush tickets to a show.

While I miss those crazy city trips, I do enjoy having my own place and feeling less pressure to have particular birthday plans. Last year was somewhat of a bust, but this year ended up being absolutely perfect.

The night started with Sami coming over early to finish making her cupcakes/cake for me! She was going to make a ton of mini cupcakes, but then when she came over the night before to bake she forgot her pan and all I have is cake pans - so we had some cupcakes and some cake! She is really harsh on herself, but both the cupcakes and the cake were beyond delicious.

A master at work::

While Sami baked, I cooked! Everyone was suggesting going out to dinner, but I really didn't want to. For a while during and immediately after school I loved going out to eat. Recently I feel as if every time I go out to eat I end up spending more money for food that doesn't taste as good as mine. Granted I haven't gone anywhere too fancy recently, but still. The menu for the night ended up being a mix of random foods I love. They included::

- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Annie's Mac & Cheese (with buffalo sauce on the side)
- Turkey Sausage & Peppers (with rolls and mozz for those who wanted a sandwich)
- Fajita Rice, Black Beans & Peppers

It was a downright feast and I loved every single part of it - although my stove was somewhat overworked::

Since my apartment is so small I ended up taking my couch cushions upstairs and making a faux-couch across from my bed. That way we all sat across from each other. I set the food up on my computer desk (4 ft table) so that we could all pick and choose throughout the night::

They insisted that they turn off the lights and put candles in the cake and sing to me. I protested, but I figured sitting through it would at least get me cake. haha It was quite lovely, though. Here is the cake coming at me::

And then Julia took over from there taking photographs on auto... (yes it's necessary for me to point that out!)::

Dear Krystal Brown, please note the dainty hand::

The cupcakes made an appearance too! Oh and Christina made Smores brownies because she is amazing and they are incredibly delicious. Between the cake, cupcakes, and smores brownies I'm pretty much overwhelmed by sweets!!

After cake it was time for board games!! I played this one a few years about with Curtis and Krystal Brown and it was so much fun I just had to have it for my birthday. One of the best parts it the little figures lurching after each other as if they were zombies. I can't tell you how many times we raised our hands in the air in real life joking about it.

All in all it was a great night. Thanks to Julia, Sami, Stan, Christina, and Kayla for rocking my world. If you're reading this and wondering why you weren't here it was probably because my apartment is smaller than the average sized storage unit. If I ever have a bigger place I would definitely consider having a much larger gathering with some sort of ultimate board game tournament. Too nerdy?

<3

60b ::Sneak Peeks:: A Weekend Whirlwind!

2011-11-08T23:02:00.003-05:00

Instead of posting birthday photos I decided to share sneak peeks from the weekend instead! I would love to take all of the credit for the photographs below, but most of their brilliance is completely due to how awesome my clients are.

First there is little adorable Nico!

He pretty much hated this costume, but it was so adorable::

Then there was Lindsey & Scott who were so comfortable with each other it pretty much took no work at all to take beautiful photographs of them. I always love a couple that loves to laugh with each other::

I knew this would be a favorite of mine the second after I took it!

And finally there is Keri, John, and Tyler! John is Krystal Brown's cousin so they're pretty much my extended family. haha Tyler is three years old and pretty much giant for his age. He is also a master at saying "cheese" and loving his parents! If it isn't terribly obvious below, Tyler is expecting a little brother at the beginning of next year!

I'm loving this busy season of mine, and hope it keeps up the momentum through the holidays!

<3

::Happiness:: & ::Creativity::

2011-11-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm slowly easing back into this. A week off was kind of nice, especially since it wasn't that exciting of a week. I did have an epic weekend filled with amazing photography (by me, of course), so I can't wait to share that. Plus today was my birthday and I had a few amazing friends over who made it beyond wonderful and lovely. I cooked some of my favorite foods and Sami and Christina baked for us! I took photographs and hopefully I will be proactive and share them tomorrow.

For now I want to leave you with a note on happiness and creativity. I recently read Eat, Pray, Love for the first time, although I guess since I wrote about reading it 2 weeks ago I can tell you that I recently finished Eat, Pray, Love. I really enjoyed Elizabeth Gilbert stories and found sections to be really meaningful to me. First, her definition of God, which proves that even when you don't choose to believe in a specific religious God you can still be spiritual. Also, the way in which she dedicates herself to being more of a whole person. I always like to say that when it comes to relationships I'm not looking for a guy to fill a missing part of me or be my other half. I want someone who compliments my entire self, because I feel fulfilled in my own life and don't need someone to complete me as a person. It's always reassuring when other women not only feel the same way, but outwardly express this idea.

One of my favorite passages from the book is the following paragraph about Happiness::

"I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're fortunate enough. But that's not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it, and sometimes even travel round the world looking for it. You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings. And once you achieved a state of happiness, you must never become lax about maintaining it, you must make a mighty effort to keep swimming upward into that happiness forever, to stay afloat on top of it. If you don't you will leak away your innate contentment. It's easy enough to pray when you're in distress but continuing to pray even when your crisis has passed is like a sealing process, helping your soul hold tight to its good attainments."

Once I finished the book I researched her a bit more online. I never like to research a book in depth before I start just in case it leads me to find a random reason to not want to read it. I know, it's weird. haha

Her (poorly designed) website features the following TED talk on Creativity and I love her voice, and her ability to be overwhelmingly expressive without caring what other people think.

If you've made judgements about Eat, Pray, Love based on it's movie or Oprah sponsorship I hope you will put them aside and open yourself up to what Elizabeth Gilbert has to say. I've posted one of my favorite book quotes on this blog before that essentially says that the best thing about reading is finding something that you feel is particularly meant for you, that you relate to and it makes you feel as if you're inside the pages (my addition). Even though all of Elizabeth Gilbert's journey may not relate to your life, or you may have different religious beliefs, the story itself is one that can relate to everyone's search for happiness, love and peace.

Also, yes, I will probably be blogging about every book I read from her on out. I promise it will always include brilliant quotes and videos.

2011-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Two people have viewed my blog in the past 24 hours. I understand since I haven't even been on here in the past 48 hours.

Things are a bit crazy. The likelihood that I will be in my apartment in the next 5 days is slim. I've never been so cold for so long before, and it's pretty much the worst. Although I have to be thankful that I at least have refuge at my Mother's and I'm so lucky that I had amazing friends such as Christina, Sami and Heather who were willing to put me up for a night. Staying at my Mom's is simply the easiest because we kind of already know each other's schedules since I used to live her and all. The power is on, but the heat isn't so we have a space heater and blankets and layers. At least I can take a hot shower and eat hot food. *sigh*

Another thing I can be thankful for? this morning's sunrise::

Also, the people who live in my apartment complex. Not everyone had somewhere to go, so when I went back today to pick up some of my things I found them surrounding a grill in the parking lot - chatting, laughing, and enjoying the company, and the hot dogs! I sneaked a photo because I always want to be able to recall the sense of community these people were able to conjure in the middle of a parking lot.

I hope everyone is staying safe and finding a way to stay warm! If you have power and heat (I hate you! haha) then consider yourself so lucky and open yourself up to the people around you!

DFTBA

<3

2011-10-29T21:48:00.001-04:00

Well the last 2 days have been interesting....

Since power is out here are some phone photos of the last 48 hours.

I'm wondering how long ill be able to keep my phone charged by having it connected to my laptop... Hopefully ill report back using my computer tomorrow!

::Inspiring::

2011-10-27T22:52:00.001-04:00

All I want to do tonight is curl up in my bed and feel inspired.

p.s. why the eff is it snowing outside??

I have two mirrors in my bathroom and I'm pretty sure I want to write a message on one of them... I don't know if shining is my thing, but something similar!

Anything that shows how vast the earth/universe is will forever be one of my favorites::

The Vlog Brothers (who I adore) speak highly of George Watsky. After watching this video I'm pretty sure I will be dedicating a blog post to all of my favorites within the next couple of weeks. Be prepared::

And finally, this screenshot has been on my desktop for a few weeks now. If Ron Swanson doesn't inspire you to be awesome I don't know what will.

This is the first time I'm doing this, but I feel as if it's fitting for this random post of nerdy things that inspire me...

DFTBA

::Machine Man::

2011-10-26T22:59:00.000-04:00

I'm now in this groove where I cannot stop reading. Last week I read Tina Fey's Bossypants, and this week I settled into Machine Man by Max Barry. I read Company by Max Barry a couple of years ago and really loved his voice. I didn't know he was writing a new book, but then I was browsing a bookstore at the airport on my way to Utah and was immediately drawn into it's cover, it was only after I picked it up and read the details that I knew it was a new Max Barry book. I really wanted to buy the book right then and there, but I knew that a couple of people were waiting for me to read the Hunger Games, so I held off for the time being.

Once I bought my nook and devoured the Hunger Games, I thought it was time for me to jump into Max Barry's world again. I say his world because even though the two books of his I've read are in two very different places, they still have a distinctly similar voice. The characters are dramatically different, but also the same in a strange sense. It's hard to explain in type on a blog whose audience has probably never even heard of him (although I do know that Christina has read Company since I made her), but if you did you would know what I was talking about. Maybe it's better if I explain it this way: the core values (to me - off the top of my head at 11pm) of the books, the concept of how a business works, what people value in life, and how we're attracted to each other, are all present in both books. They work their way into the pages through different words and actions, but they're still there, slapping you in the face (in a good way).

In saying that I completely adored reading Machine Man. My head clicks with the way Max Barry writes and his words just flow through my mind. The plot of the book itself was beyond entertaining. I couldn't wait to know what happened next, and best of all, I could never predict what would happen next. Every turn was new, exciting, and thought provoking. As Charlie, the main character, pushed his limits, I found myself needing more. And let me tell you, whenever I needed more from the story, Max Barry gave it to me. I was reading during my break at work today and I came to the end of a chapter that ended brilliantly and I wanted to jump up and down I was honestly giddy over it.

This post isn't just an ad for the book, even though you should probably be reading it right now. I wanted to tell you about how this book was written through blogging. I find the process almost as brilliant as the book itself.

Here is how Machine Man started (direct from his website because rewording seemed like a lot of effort)::

In March 2009 I began posting pieces of a story to this website: one page per day, five days a week. Readers responded with comments, which I read to help me figure out where the hell this thing was going. I had no plan, just a curiosity about how it would turn out. This was the beginning of Machine Man.

I posted a new page every weekday for nine months. Once each page was posted, I couldn't edit it: for better or worse, it was locked in. I was often tempted to skip a day, but I'd written the code to publish and email out each page myself, and it would have been more work to make it handle a missing day than to just write a new page.

The serial finished in December 2009: you can still read it, but you're not reading along with me as I write.

After I finished, I began rewriting the story as a novel, which was a lot more work than it sounds, because a serial is essentially a series of cliffhangers, and a novel is not. The novel is complete and due out August 9, 2011. It's the same core story, but better, since it's not a first draft, and quite a lot longer.

You can still read the Serial on his website, and even be sent a page a day, which I may do now. I'm pretty much in love with the idea of a writer being so open with his followers that he would show such rough work. It would be as if I would blog unedited photographs, which is way more boring than a page a day story. Below that text on the site he also mentions that the story is in development for a movie. Normally that would bum me out, but I'm actually really excited about it. Throughout the book I kept thinking about how incredible it would be interpreted into a movie. Although if they change the ending to be more movie goer friendly I would be pretty mad.

Next on my list to read is, Eat Pray Love. I enjoyed the movie and was told by several people that the book was worth the read. Also I could use something a bit more fluffy and less dramatic as Machine Man was.

For more on Machine Man head over to Max Barry's website here.

Tomorrow I will either have more photographs from Jenn & Scott's engagement session OR some photography inspiration. I can guarantee that you will enjoy whichever one I end up choosing! haha

<3

Jamie & Jason ::Getting Ready::

2011-10-25T19:42:00.001-04:00

Wasn't I going to continue posting photos from Jamie & Jason's wedding a few days in a row? I guess over a week later works well enough.

The getting ready portion of weddings is never the most exciting. The best reason to have a photographer with you while you're getting ready is to become used to the idea of being photographed. It's somewhat alarming at first, but eventually everyone starts chatting, realizes that photographers are human too, and all is well with the world. haha Luckily Jamie & Jason's wedding party was just as easy going as they were. I felt welcome immediately and enjoyed just hanging out and documenting their morning.

Photographing the details while the girls get ready is one of my favorite parts of the morning ritual... expect too many photographs of details. haha Oh and Heather was photographing the guys getting ready for me!

The handkerchief was a family heirloom::

Their invitations were gorgeous! Jamie said the printer was going to make them a new one as a keepsake with the new reception location.

I love the lines::

I've shot a couple of wedding since this and I still think Jamie's hair and makeup was completely top notch...

Rockstar status::

On our way!

If you haven't seen the ceremony photos you can check them out here. I'm off to check on my apple sauce that's brewing! My apartment smells unbelievably delicious right now!

<3

let's make it ::better::

2011-10-24T23:15:00.001-04:00

I've mentioned on this blog several times that I don't like defining myself as a Photographer. The whole truth to that is, I don't like defining myself as anything. Obvious titles such as woman I accept, but beyond that I have a hard time aligning myself with a particular group or interest.

I've been thinking about this more lately with so many people claiming they are the 99%. It's made me think about if I would claim myself as a 99%er and what that would mean. And right there is what I don't like about titles. Saying I'm a 99%er, or a Photographer even, gives people an image in their head that may not be what I see as the true meaning of those titles. My knowledge of what it means to be in the 99% may be different from yours, and aligning myself with the general group doesn't actually tell you who I am or what I think.

So who am I? and what do I think?

I'm 25 years old. (26 in 2 weeks! ah!)
I transferred colleges twice, unsure of what I wanted to do with my life.
I worked through college in a box office, a work study program, as an RA, and at Walgreens.
I graduated from a state school in 2008 with about $10,000 in student loans.
I was lucky to graduate without any credit card debt.
After graduation I continued to work at Walgreens for 2.5 years.
I worked an average of 32-38 hours per week eventually earning $11.50 per hour.
Even when I was only making $9 per hour I still worked my ass off for that company.
I also interned for about a year writing articles for a local non-profit.
I started 60b Photography in 2009 as a hobby.
Every penny I made from 60b so far has gone back to pay for equipment.
While at Walgreens I applied to 75+ jobs.
I adapted my resume over 10 times. I wrote a new cover letter for every position.
I had one interview with a local private school for an entry level position in their development department. The position didn't even require a college degree.
Within a week of my interview I was told that they were holding off on hiring for the position.
Two months later I received a phone call telling me that they could no longer afford the position.
Four months later the women I would have worked for came into Walgreens and, after recognizing me, told me that she had been laid off.
In July of 2010 I made an appeal on Facebook for anyone who knew of a job I could apply for.
Thanks to personal connections I was hired at a local, independent photography and design company in August of 2010.
Despite my entry level paycheck I still do everything in my power to do my very best every day.
I live within my means, and pay every bill on time every month.
I even have a small investment account with a financial advisor.
I no longer put into it because of the stock market's instability.

When I think about my situation I feel lucky to value money, while not letting it rule my life. I appreciate all of the opportunities I have been given throughout my life to achieve more and make something more of myself. However, my current situation is not sustainable. Eventually I will want even more from life. I will want to think about saving for the future as opposed to saving for emergencies. I will want to own property. I may even want to own my own business.

I understand that all of these wants in life take hard work and perseverance. I don't expect anything to be handed to me. What I do expect is the ability to work hard and achieve my goals. Even if I did want to find a another job, the ability for me to do so is almost non existent. Too many companies are laying off employees in order to make soaring profits, and too many non-profits are failing to receive the appropriate amount of government and public funding to even afford employees. Who can afford to donate anymore when banks are attempting to charge their customers for using their debit card. The places that can afford to hire new employees have expectations beyond what I can include on my resume. I'm overlooked before they know my name.

I'm not one to take a stand, or join a march. I will not give myself a title that covers a general group of people who all have different values and motives. What I will do is openly express my desire to have a future that will enable me to be a successful, contributing member of society. In order for this to happen I believe things need to change. Not just within the government, or wall street, but in how we treat each other and look at the world.

We are not the center of the Universe. It's easy to act as if we are. Selfishness is easy when we're taught to believe we deserve it. I know it will sound crazy, but what if everyone cared just a little bit more about the big picture. Yes, I want to succeed in life and I will work really hard to do so. But what about everyone else?

One thing I've tried to do in my journey as a photographer is to be open to other budding photographers. I will always answer any question, and would never turn down an invite to chat about photography and how it all works. I don't think we're in this world to compete for best of, or knock people down. If you want to be a photographer, and I can help you in some teeny tiny way, then why wouldn't I? We all deserve a chance to do what we love. We all deserve a chance to feel support from our community whether it's a regional community, or interest based community.

In saying that I'm not a saint. I've judged, and ignored before. It feels good at first, as if you really are better, and then you realize that no one is really better than anyone else. A lawyer making $400 an hour isn't better than me. Sure, he knows more about law than I do, but what about that makes him better?

I propose we drop the titles and discuss the issues at face value. I don't care if you claim to be the 99%, the 53% or evangelical, we all deserve a voice. And until we stop hiding behind these titles our chances of really making a change dwindle with every misconception and bad judgement.

I know this is just a lifestyle/photography blog with a small audience, but even if half of you take my words into consideration, then maybe that's just a few more people willing to substitute harsh words with a little bit of understanding.

In other news I'm staying up a little late tonight to finish watching Fast Five. What? I'm not THAT profound. In fact I just paused for a few minutes so I could enjoy Vin Diesel and the Rock kicking each other's asses.

Life is good.

Let's make it better.

<3

Marvin & Rosemary ::Engaged::

2011-10-23T22:30:00.001-04:00

Shout out to Jenny from LoveyVintage for lending us the cape Rosemary is wearing and the mirror used for the first photograph!

Click through to Flickr for more!

<3

please don't stop the ::music::

2011-10-21T20:37:00.005-04:00

I've been editing a lot at work lately, and since I can't wait TV when I edit at work (what I normally do at home) I tend to listen to Pandora. My usual stations are for particular artists I like such as Adele, Sara Bareilles, Eric Hutchinson, Ok Go, and A Fine Frenzy. The best part is that most of the artists (minus Ok Go) play on the other artists' stations so if I'm not feeling the mix from Adele I can switch over to Sara Bareilles and still hear some Adele. It's my random system that has been working out so far.

I have added one station to the mix lately and it's proved to be my very favorite. The Gabe Dixon Band station. I posted a while back when I fell in love with their song, "And the World Turned." Shortly after I bought their album and fell even more in love with the group. The pandora station is perfection because it plays a lot of Gabe Dixon Band that I haven't heard as well as a lot of Jamie Cullum and Ben Folds, two artists I have never really listened to before.

These are a few older songs I'm bringing back so that everyone can love on them::

I recently had the thought to download a few audio books to listen to while editing. At this point most normal edits are sort of mindless for me so I like having something to concentrate on while doing it. That sounds kind of crazy. haha

I'm off to spend my night relaxing before shooting a wedding for work tomorrow. With it so cool out and my refusal to turn on my heat the only warm place in my apartment is under the covers in my bed. Funny how that works.

<3

the ::past::

2011-10-20T22:24:00.000-04:00

Budding Tip ::Know Your Place::

2011-10-19T22:55:00.001-04:00

I need to finish this last movie before my 11pm bed time, but I was doing my usual blog and pinterest cruising and a thought hit me that I wanted to post. It all stems from this quote from the book, Fight Club. I know it's in the movie, too, but I'd rather quote the book.

"You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all a part of the same compost pile."

In the digital world it's hard to describe anything as truly unique. My photography, your photography, that random guy's photography... yes, we all have different skill levels, different styles and different reasons for taking photographs. However, we all serve a base that let's face it - cannot tell a damn difference.

Sure, there are some people out there who really value photography and know good vs. bad, but this isn't the norm.

So what's the point? The point is that when you choose to be a photographer, know your place. Where do you rate compared to other photographers? I've said it before, but know who you think is a great photographer and rate yourself compared to them. Are you a quarter of the way there? half way there? almost there? Whatever stage you're in, continue to work hard and strive for that end point when you consider yourself a strong talent who is knowledgeable and skilled in your style of photography.

Whether you are a beginner or seasoned vet, once you know where you stand in your photography you can let go of the fact that you're not unique and focus on the type of clients that fit your style and how to be profitable from them. The continuous quest for originality will not benefit those who strive to be successful photography business owners. The second you believe you're different, is the second you will boot up your computer and find everyone else doing exactly the same thing. Ignore everyone else, and let yourself do exactly what it is you want to do. That way even if it isn't an original pose or lighting style, it's still you.

Embrace it. Keep going. Be proud of what you're doing. Know your place.

For anyone who doesn't believe my point, do me a favor and just go on flickr.com and click around for a few minutes. Here you will find a mix of regular schmo's sharing birthday parties and bachelorettes, as well as incredible photographers who are creative, and lovely. At first everyone will seem creative and original... eventually you'll see a pattern and move on. It doesn't mean the featured photographers aren't good, most of them actually blow me away on a regular basis, but when you can look a photograph and know that it's been done, the intimidation of talent drifts away and is replaced by the empowered feeling of ability. Repeat after me: I. Can. Do. That.

If that didn't convince you find the portfolio of a well known photographer in your area. Click through as many photographs as possible. See the pattern now?

There are incredible, ground breaking photographers out there. Work exceptionally hard and you could be one of them. Otherwise join the pack and enjoy what you do. No one can take that away from you.

I rhymed!

<3

Sarah ::Burlesque::

2011-10-19T18:51:00.001-04:00

I tried to post this yesterday, but blogger was being a jerk! I may post again later to make up for missing so many days, but I may also just watch my redbox movies and forget about the world.

This shoot was incredible. I always find my sessions with Sabrina to be intensely creative and expressive - add Sarah and we achieved new levels of this. We spent at least a couple of hours wandering around a warehouse turned studio space in Winsted, CT and just rocked these photos out.

Sarah runs the blog The Dancing Baker and we were originally going to go with a baking theme. Then it transformed into a bit of a pin up baker theme, and then we ended up all agreeing on burlesque. Sarah is pretty much a rockstar when it comes to Burlesque. She had a suitcase filled with brilliant clothing and Sabrina put these outfits together with the eye and skill only she can.

A last note is that majority of these photographs were taken with available light from lamps and overhead lighting. A small portion were using my flash, but this was the first portrait session that did not involve natural light. That may be one of the reasons why they make me so happy because it was so out of the norm for me and they're still beautiful!

Sabrina & Sarah practicing poses::

She wears her chakras on her back::

I've been a bit of a slacker lately, which is why the blog posts have been spotty the past week. I'm at the point where I only really have pajama shirts to wear. I have a button up to wear to work tomorrow and then I would have to wear hoodies to make it the rest of the week. haha I HATE laundry. I'll suffer through though. (since it's a day later I should probably tell you that I'm handwashing a few items to get me through Saturday... this has nothing to do with the life of an adventurous person... it's more from the part of me that is an incredibly lazy person. haha I try and suppress that part as much as possible, but when it comes to laundry it's a lot harder.)

On another note I'm trying to sell my Canon 7D, so if you know anyone interested let me know! I want to upgrade to full frame so I can fully utilize my two lens loves instead of using them on my cropped 7D and having to step 20 feet back from all of my clients. Plus I'm returning my new lens. It works really great for well lit portraits, but the darker moments in the wedding on Saturday were not as lovely as they should be, so it's getting the boot. I'll blog about it sometime this week so you can see my crazy lens choosing process.

Sneak Peeks ::Galore::

2011-10-16T22:12:00.000-04:00

Since waking up at 8am on Saturday I have slept 6 hours and photographed for 20 hours. Granted one was a Wedding for my company, but still, I kind of hate my camera right now. haha I had so much fun all weekend, of course. I'm really happy to be breaking in my new lens and learning it's strengths and weaknesses (I'll have a whole post about that soon).

Since I am so unbelievably tired I am giving you a sneak peek from each of my shoots today! I was just going to edit a couple of photographs from Marvin & Rosemary's shoot, but then I thought I would let everyone in on the action.

So starting at 9am (this shot was actually taken towards the end of their shoot at 11am) here is Marvin & Rosemary showing the love::

And then from around noon to sometimes around 3pm here is Susan, my new irish friend, rocking some loveyvintage - the times are varied since it was a mix of hanging out and photographing so time got away with us!::

And then Jenn and Scott were pretty much adorable at 4:30pm::

Oh and here is a photo of me with my enormous slab of beef at the wedding on Saturday night - it was one of the most ridiculous situations I've ever been involved in - the beef was tasty though!

Join the Revolution ::Stop Hating Your Body::

2011-10-13T21:41:00.003-04:00

I don't know when hating your body became the norm for women today. I normally don't see it in my every day life. While my friends and I are open with the fact that we would make changes to our bodies, these thoughts aren't such regular topics of conversation nor are they weighing on us so heavily to cause unhappiness.

Then I stumble onto pinterest and become enraged. Pinterest is a place where people can pin photographs from the internet onto virtual boards. Boards can be for any topic you would like such as, "photography," "quotes i love," or even, "motivation." You can look through all of the photographs that have recently be pinned and search through keywords for something specific.

I always love to look at what everyone is pinning because it's always filled with such a random photographs, recipes, and quotes. Sometimes a pin slips through about exercise that's interesting and I pin it to my "goals" pinboard. Other times a pin slips through about exercise/body image and I pin it to my "ew" pinboard. Here's a few examples along with my comments::

"Come on girls, grow a pair. This mentality is completely fucked."

"staying "fat" is super easy. maintaining weight at a comfortable weight is easy. trying to fit yourself into a particular size or shape because you feel like you have to is just plain ew."

"fuck that. food is delicious. life to be healthy and love your life. size doesn't equal happiness."

"Wrong. Here are things I believe to be better than skinny: italian combo grinder with everything on it, fresh hot brownies, chili dogs, loaded waffle fries, barbecue nachos, and definitely reeses pieces sundaes."

"Love yourself no matter what your size. Of course food satisfies you, that's the point. Making your goal a perfectly flat stomach and a gap between your thighs is completely unrealistic. Be fit, and live a happy life. Embrace your shape, your personality, and everything in between."

I repin and write comments hoping that someone will see them and think, "yes, I am in control of my life and how I view myself. I shouldn't live to fit other people's standards." I'm not perfect, my body isn't perfect, but how I view myself is in direct correlation to how I treat my body. If I love it then I will feed it well, use it well and appreciate the freedom it gives me. Loving your body gives you the ability to be healthy without dieting or working out because it's not a diet when you're just nourishing yourself and it's not working out when you're giving your body what it needs.

The title of this blog post comes from this tumblr account in which women celebrate who they are and come to terms with loving their body. There are a lot of groups out there dedicated to this and I say the more the merrier. Hating your body should be the cliche, not the norm. Eat a cupcake, or eat an apple... do what you love and fuck the rest.

And yes, when those pins annoy me I'm way more likely to swear while responding to them. haha

On another note I fed my body the most glorious dinner tonight:

I cooked some ground turkey, mixed in some taco seasoning with added chili power, red pepper flakes, and a splash of Trader Joe's Habanero Sauce (A-MAZING). Then I melted a slide of pepper jack cheese on a Trader Joes Habanero Lime Wrap, put a touch of sour cream on top, spread the meat around, added some fresh Trader Joe's Hot Salsa and went to town.

1. I could be a spokeswoman for all things spicy at Trader Joe's.

2. It was the best soft taco/wrap I have ever eaten in my life.

And that's how you love your body.

budding tip ::photography is light::

2011-10-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

I know I haven't done a budding tip in a while. I've actually had a lot of random tips floating around in my head, but somehow I always lose them by the time I'm blogging. I need to start writing things down...

Anyway tonight is all about light. Photography in itself is 100% related to capturing light. I mean without light all of our photographs would just be black. The trick to being a successful photographer, and a good one for that matter, is to understand light and how to capture it. In this sense I'm actually using capture in a serious way and not in a cheesey photographer way.

I am definitely not a master at capturing light, or photography in general, but I've been on both sides of the fence when it comes to light, so I feel as if I have the ability to push budding photographers to just hop right over that fence to the well lit side. In any case I won't be showcasing any of my own photographs, just to make a point about successful photographers/photography.

As a photographer it is your goal to provide your clients with photographs that cannot be easily achieved by any schmo with a camera. Hands down that is your goal. Especially now when dslrs are so cheap. If you're photographing someone you need to show that you not only understand how your camera works, but that you understand how to compose a beautiful image. The answer to all of this is light.

A well lit photo, and beyond that an extraordinarily lit photo, separates you from everyone else who claims to be a photographer, but has no real idea what they're doing. What does well lit mean? It can mean a few different things, and will vary by photographer, but in general here are a few guidelines to break it down::

- it means that the subjects are evenly covered with light and/or unevenly covered in an artistic way. if you're photographing someone and half of their face has speckles of light on it from the sun shining through a tree - move them. if there's a fence and it's creating harsh dramatic shadows on the subject, try and be artsy fartsy with it. don't have the skills to be artsy fartsy? move them.

- it means that if your subject appears to have dark hollow eyes from shadows, you are facing the wrong direction - move them.

- it means that your subject should not be squinting - go in shade or put the sun behind the subject. with the sun behind the subject you will need to 1. change your settings and 2. make sure that whatever you blow out doesn't appear awkward.

- it means that you shouldn't have to heavily increase exposure while editing because the area was too dark. change your settings, or move them.

Remember when you're photographing your clients you are in control. No matter what your scenario you should be able to find a way to create beautiful, well lit photographs. Otherwise your work will consistently be out shined by the photographers who take light and make something brilliant.

And now for the example portion of my rant. Click through any of the photographs below for the source::

Shouting out to Katie Slater first!

Then my man Jonas Peterson!

Tania Lezak = amazing. These were from a wedding at the Hyatt where

my friend Lindsey works! I LOVE the phonebooth one so much!

finally Mclellan Style::

So take these tips (and do some of your own research) and go out and start capturing light like a rockstar!

Jamie & Jason ::Ceremony::

2011-10-11T21:56:00.001-04:00

Since I already posted some of Jamie & Jason's portraits I figured I would continue to go out of order, and start with their ceremony.

Jamie & Jason's original ceremony was supposed to be at the Boat House in Hartford. With the water in the background, and the sun going down, it was due to be picturesque. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Irene had other plans and instead, Jamie & Jason's vows were said underneath the scoreboard at Renstchler Field with the stadium at the JP's back. It was still picturesque... just different.

In the end I really loved the look of the stadium behind them. I wish the sun wasn't as bright as it was, but at least it was to our backs and not above our heads. Here are some of my favorite shots from their ceremony::

Heather captured Jason's joy so well!

I've been in love with negative space in photographs lately::

The shadows were one of my favorite elements of the ceremony.

I think every photographer has an obligation to show the kiss::

But this moment made me a bit happier::

Again, shadows & negative space - this one by Heather::

Did I not tell you her makeup & hair were flawless? Beautiful!!

Apparently I couldn't help but comment on these photographs. If you're wondering why they don't have a watermark it's because I sent Jamie & Jason a link so that family and friends could download photographs at their leisure. I was going to upload my favorites with a watermark, but it seemed unnecessary.

I'm off to watch half of an episode of Parks and Rec before loving Parenthood and then passing out. Despite trying to go to bed at 11pm last night I didn't fall asleep until well after midnight. Here's hoping tonight is a bit better.

<3

All is Love ::Commencement Speeches::

2011-10-10T22:45:00.000-04:00

In June of this year I was slightly obsessed with all of the new commencement speeches from this year's graduations. With Steve Jobs' passing everyone has been posting his commencement speech, and it has sent me down a deep, dark road where I can't stop watching other speeches!

I love how motivating, but truthful commencement speeches are. They talk about overcoming struggles and the long path to finding yourself. And even though they all have a similar theme, they're all so different. Here are a few of my favorite commencement speeches. They're great to listen to while editing!

Of course I'll start with Steve Jobs'.

Ellen Degeneres::

The Average Student::

I was really surprised by how much I loved this speech by Denzel Washington::

I did enjoy Amy Poehler's speech, but I wouldn't consider it a favorite. Then I looked at the comments and someone wrote, "That dad at his eye goop at 1:06" and it's totally true. Enjoy... The speech is good, she's just a little more awkward than the Amy Poehler I'm used to. Totally worth it for the eye goop guy though!

I adore Tom Hanks::

Every time I've seen Arianna Huffington speak she surprises me with her humor and honesty::

I just stumbled upon JK Rowling's graduation speech at Harvard in 2008, but I NEED to go to bed before 11pm. I'm sure it will become a favorite immediately so you might as well youtube it too!

<3

a break and a ::purge::

2011-10-09T23:32:00.001-04:00

I took a couple of days off from blogging, mostly because I was busy, but also because I was stuck on this purging kick that lasted all weekend.

The last three months have been an interesting mix of ups and downs for me. I feel as if a lot of things have happened that led me to the point where I am now.

Life is constantly changing, and with changes your outlook changes, your friends change, your wants and needs from life change. For me, a lot of change is reflected in the things around me. I have a ton of photographs on the walls, and little reminders everywhere of who I am, what I like, and who I love. Recently small parts of those three things have changed, and when I came back from vacation I was overwhelmed by the need to purge my surroundings of the photographs, and junk that were reminiscent of pre-July 2011 Jill.

I recently had a falling out with someone I was really great friends with for six years. For me the timing seemed right. For her, it was probably a bit sudden (even though she was the one who decided she didn't want to be friends with me anymore). Her presence was in a lot of places in my apartment. Photographs of her filled a lot of pages in my photo albums. Small treasures from our adventures were among my small collection of nicknacks on top of my dresser. Certain things were purged immediately. Others remain intact.

The thing with purging bits and pieces of my life is that I no longer want to give power to the parts of the friendship, or just the moments of my life that are not filled with undeniable positivity. I do not want to have a constant reminder of the time in which she gave me an attitude because I made a stupid joke about her smile being weird in a photograph, and how she spent the rest of the day refusing to smile for pictures. Most of those day's photographs with her in them are gone. I do want to remember the time, when along with another friend, we set out on an adventure for the first time in our lives and we truly felt infinite. Those photographs are safely in albums, waiting to be combed over, and relived.

She is currently not my friend, but those photo album pages hold onto the moments when she was. No matter how the friendship ended, there were really amazing times that helped mold me into who I am. Those reminders are still on my dresser, and still littering the pages of my photo albums.

The rest of the items that made their way into my giveaway and trash piles are simply items that aren't important in my life anymore. Whether it's an item I haven't used since I moved into my apartment, or a gift from an old friend that doesn't reflect who I am anymore, they no longer need to fill my living space, and in return, fill my mind with unnecessary thoughts.

Life is constantly changing. I don't know where my changes are leading me, but I trust that every shift my life has taken these past three months is leading me towards the positive, enriched, and adventurous life I work towards every day.

And that is the official end of my rant on purging the negativity out of my life...

On another note, since I've been overwhelmingly wordy lately, here's what my tattoo looked like earlier today when I forgot to put lotion on it::

And that's why it took me a while to show photos. Peeling = not pretty.

Also, I had a caramel apple this weekend at the Riverton Fair and it tasted like Fall (even though it was 80-freaking-degrees)::

Tomorrow I'll be back with an All is Love post since I've been skipping them with vacation and all. Then I have plenty of Jamie & Jason to show you!

<3

::life:: since vacation...

2011-10-06T22:17:00.001-04:00

Life since Utah has been ... well not that exciting. haha Most of my time is spent applying lotion to my tattoo and blogging about Utah. I did come home with a mission to take care of some of the clutter in my apartment. I don't have a lot of clutter, but I absolutely hate clutter, so I'm going through my multi-annual purge. I say multi-annual because every couple of months I usually become fed up with having so much stuff and I find more to give away. This time I'm parting with DVDs, photographs, photo frames, and clothes.

I still need to edit a bunch of photographs for Sarah from before I left for vacation. Plus I need to upload Jamie & Jason's wedding photos and post more of them. Ugh I think I just realized how far behind I am! haha

On a random note, I hung out with "wife" last night and we tried on these hats at Target::

Fact: hats aren't great options for girls with super short pixie cuts. I just look bald. Although I think this matters less when you're wearing a giant turkey.

I've also been thinking about this a lot lately. Jonas Peterson posted it on his blog while I was on vacation and I've been waiting to blog it ever since.

I may redecorate my apartment with some of these lines posted around for motivation/inspiration. Photos will be posted of course!

Tomorrow I promise I will have either something inspiring and awesome, or some of my photography, which I hope is also inspiring and awesome for you.

Utah 2011 ::Tattoo & Video::

2011-10-05T22:43:00.004-04:00

Ever since my first trek out to Utah in 2009, vacation videos have been at the epicenter of all vacations. The first two videos were made on a joking whim. Now we have concepts and plan particular elements.

This years Utah video was planned more than any of the other ones. We had a song in place, and knew that we wanted to replace our regular awesome dance moves with something a little more... thoughtful. It was Krystal Brown who thought we could use a dry erase board to write messages that went along with the song and our trip. I suggested we use a photo frame with a map or tissue paper on the inside since the glass will still let us write and erase with a dry erase marker.

And the rest was history::

The song is by Ok Go and it's one of my favorites. The various quotes are from movies and books we love, including:

"do what you love, and fuck the rest." -Little Miss Sunshine (movie)

"I swear we were infinite." -Perks of Being a Wallflower (book)

"We are Intrepid." -Elizabethtown (movie)

"uncharted." -Sara Bareilles song

"dftba" - don't forget to be awesome - vlog brothers/nerdfighteria

And now it's tattoo time! I'm a bit of a slacker, so the photo I have was taken with my phone. It's fine anyway because it's definitely still peeling, that's why it will appear shiny and crisp. The two elements for the tattoo were taken from a movie and book and put together as an homage to my adventures in Utah.

The mountains are from the movie poster/dvd art for Away We Go. Away We Go is one of my favorite movies of all time, and when I saw the mountain line drawing on the dvd menu I knew it was perfect for my Utah tattoo. I had been thinking of a tattoo to represent these adventures for a while, and since one of my favorite things about Utah is the mountains (except for driving through the mountains), it just fit.

The big change to the mountains from the DVD art is the style of their application. The original artwork is a simple line drawing of triangle tops inside other triangle tops. My artist, Jake, took one look at the art I brought in and told me it would look like a kindergartner did it, but that he would do it anyway if I really wanted. Then he suggested something with more of a brush stroke, almost as if it were a charcoal drawing. Intrigued I let him draw me a sketch and instantly fell in love. The mountains maintained their shape, but had a bit more flair and drama. I told him I didn't want it to be too dark since it's on my arm, and he assured me that he would shade it out smoothly so that only the tops of the peaks were true black. This is why I didn't show it off right away. The bottom part with light shading was bright pink for almost a week after it was done, and it looked kind of dreadful.

The bird... is a bit nerdier. Technically I always wanted something with the mountains to make them less stagnant. For a while I was going to have type with them, but I hate always having to get a word or quote with a tattoo. The bird idea came into my mind times before, but I never found a shape that I liked enough. Plus, I have two little birds on my chest and didn't want them to be too similar. Then I fell in love with The Hunger Games.

The third book in the series is called Mockingjay, and the book cover features an illustration of the fake bird created in the book. There are several reasons why a tattoo of the mockingjay intrigued me:

1. It was a bird and I always loved the idea of a bird.

2. The shape was completely different from my other birds and quite lovely.

3. I loved what the bird, mockingjay, was in the book.

4. I loved that the mockingjay became a symbol of rebellion.

5. I absolutely loved the books.

6. I read them in Utah so it fit the Utah theme.

haha Ok so a lot of random reasons. In the end I just thought it would look great next to it. The artist did trim down the features and some of the details, but I like it even better my way because it isn't an outright copy of the mockingjay, and since this isn't a hunger games tattoo it makes sense.

*side note for fans of The Hunger Games (spoiler alert if you haven't read it - that means you kb!): technically it could be a hunger games tattoo because the capitol was in the rocky mountains and the mockingjay infiltrated... so flying over the mountains... no? too nerdy? just stop typing? ok.

That's that... my Utah trip all wrapped up with a video and a tattoo. I actually did want to create a dancing video too. We didn't end up with too much time thought, and neither of us could agree on a song. I really wanted to do something more with this::

Alas, Kb thought it was a horrible idea! haha

Utah 2011 Day Six ::Antelope Island::

2011-10-04T21:43:00.004-04:00

I posted some cell phone photos from Antelope Island when I was still in SLC. You can find that post here. That post also includes a link to my original post from last year that has more random info about Antelope Island. I'm not going to include a ton of info about the island since I've done it before... so onto random story!

We arrived at Antelope around 8:30am and the light was so perfect and beautiful I could have lived in that light forever. I was actually kind of nervous when we first started walking about because there was a bison really close to our car and I was afraid there were more randomly around the trail. I ADORE bison, but they're not really gentle creatures so I didn't want to be too close to one. haha

Our trail ended up being open, minus some fat birds that flew out of our way once we started walking through. The island was so different from the last time we were there. It really felt as if we were someplace new.

Those mountains and that light... it stirs my soul...

There were so many wildflowers everywhere... something we definitely didn't see last time!

BISON::

ANTELOPE::

Some of my favorite photos of each other::

The drive off of the island was magical::

After Antelope Island Kb had to go back to school for a bit, so I read more of The Hunger Games in her apartment. Actually I finished The Hunger Games that day and spent the entire night missing it. haha It is definitely in the groupings of books that leave you wanting so much more, but in the best way possible.

Our night was filled with Thursday night comedies on NBC and barbecue chicken pizza. Who else is so excited to have Fall TV back??

My next post will be about my last day in Utah... our Saturday. Friday was quite an uneventful day. I hung out at the apartment for a while rereading The Hunger Games and watching a show about how we're all going to die from a horrible natural disaster. Then Kb picked me up so we could prepare for and attend some random chemistry picnic with a lot of very socially awkward people. The food was pretty good so I didn't complain... wait, nope I definitely complained. Seriously, scientists are EXTREMELY socially awkward. After the picnic I made Kb try on every item of clothing she owned and told her which ones she could keep and what she had to throw away. Then we drew out my tattoo and passed out.

See, uneventful. haha

Until tomorrow -

<3

Utah 2011 Day Five ::Capitol Building::

2011-10-04T21:25:00.004-04:00

As the days went on my sleeping patterns kept improving. On the first full day in SLC I woke up at 6am instead of 5:30am! haha Kb woke up at 6:30am to go for a run and I immediately started reading the second book from The Hunger Games. This happened until Kb came home at 3:45 to rush us off to the Capitol Building for the 4pm tour. By that time I was already into the third book and losing my mind over it.

The tour of the capitol building was wonderful. I didn't take any photographs inside, and it was really nice to just enjoy it. They kept so many of the original fixtures and design elements, it was so lovely.

After the tour I spent about an hour telling Krystal Brown how hungry I was. Cara was picking up dinner for us from a local sandwich shop after she left lab and I let my whiney self rage on in anticipation. After dinner (an italian combo grinder with everything on it), we laid on the grass, took some video, and then took a bunch of random photographs::

Bahaha::

We made kb do a yoga pose on this pillar and she was terrified. haha

After our photo journey we went to the grocery store and bought fixings for peanut butter chip, pretzel, chocolate chip cookies. Kb made them a little weird, but we still ate them. haha It was a perfect day! Half the day reading an amazing book - the other half hanging out and rocking photos.

Since I'm posting so many photos - Antelope Island is following this post once I write it...

Utah 2011 Day Four ::Dead Horse Point | Canyonlands | SLC::

2011-10-03T22:27:00.000-04:00

Since day four was mostly a driving day, we picked places that were easy to visit and on the way home. Moab is an incredibly central location to a lot of National and State parks in UT, AZ, and CO. We chose to revisit the entrance to Canyonlands, which features a lot of view points, and Dead Horse Point, which is off of the main road into Canyonlands.

Dead Horse Point is one main viewing area with a few trails. The trails are mostly used for mountain biking, but they encourage walkers too. We weren't looking to do anything too strenuous because we (mostly me) were still semi-exhausted, so we stuck to walking around the main point...

You mean you didn't want me this close?

My fisheye love!

This is technically a preview pose from the video!

Somehow my argus was magical this day. I took two shots and they were both completely perfect - this is the one I kept::

Here are a few of Kb's photos::

Soon after we took all of these photos four tour buses drove up with a TON of tourists. Eventually our tranquil, beautiful view was over run with a variety of accents and poses. It was actually kind of enjoyable watching their reactions when we filmed some of our video. I think I've mentioned before that the video doesn't include any dancing this time, but we did something that confused a lot of people. I'll explain when I post, although I'm sure it will be obvious.

I only ended up keeping on photograph from stopping in Canyonlands. We only stopped at one view point. Technically it was a view point we stopped at in 2009 when we went for the first time (with Christina, too), so I have a ton of photographs from it then. We still had some video we knew we had to take so we filled our time enjoying the view, avoiding the ants, and recording away.

The drive home was uneventful for the most part. Kb drove most of the way since I didn't want to drive through the mountains and neither of us knew how far away that would be... it ended up being pretty far. haha I was not complaining. One thing Kb said on the drive home was that the trip would be perfect if she saw a big train go through a mountain tunnel... BAM::

Ok it's kind of hard to tell, but you can see the tiny black line of the top of the tunnel in the distance.

Back in SLC we ran a few errands (I bought my nook!), and then crashed at Kb's place. It was so nice to be back in a home. No worries about where the next bathroom was or if there was anything tasty to eat around. haha I LOVE adventure and look forward to every opportunity to go away and experience everything possible. But sometimes I just want to sit on the couch, eat homemade chili dogs, and watch the Emmy's on DVR!

Fun Fact: I'm watching Transformers 3 right now, and it continues to rock my world. I've explained my love of over the top action movies before, and this one fits right in. I <3 Bumblebee!

Remember tomorrow is a wrap up of the next two days in SLC when we did a tour of the state capitol building and returned to Antelope Island. My tattoo will probably not be fully peeled by Wednesday, but it should be good enough to photograph and show off!

<3

Utah 2011 Day Three ::Monument Valley::

2011-10-02T17:31:00.002-04:00

I could relive our jeep tour at Monument Valley over and over and over and over again. When you first drive into Monument Valley the area itself is very unassuming. There is nothing flashy about it, and at first the monuments themselves lacked the flair I was expecting.

This is the view from the visitors center. Keep in mind where the cars are. To really understand the scale and epicness of the scene you have to take everything in and realize how vast the space was::

My lack of excitement changed when we started our tour. I researched a lot of tour groups before our trip. You don't need to go with a tour, but it makes a huge difference in the experience. Monument Valley itself is a 17 mile unpaved loop that brings you around the monuments and to various viewing points. They always recommend that you have a high clearance, all wheel drive car because there are a lot of dislodged rocks and steep inclines. I would never have wanted to attempt the drive even in our Jeep Liberty. No one who was driving themselves around looked as if they were having fun just because it has to be so stressful.

I settled on Navajo Spirit Tours after I read all of their positive reviews on trip advisor. A lot of smaller tour groups had issues with being ripped off or guides not showing up. The larger tour groups had problems with crowding or bad guides. Navajo Spirits sounded great and I liked that they didn't require a credit card over the phone to book. Plus instead of meeting the tour guides at the bottom of the parking lot where all of the other tour guides are, we met them inside the hotel lobby. I read multiple accounts of tour groups stealing tourists by lying about who they belonged to.

Navajo Spirit Tours offers a variety of different tours at reasonable prices (compared to the other tour groups). We chose the 2.5 hour back country tour that included a regular tour of the main road as well as an adventure in the back country that is only open to Navajo guides.

Our tour started a little bit late because it had rained a couple of days earlier and the mud was hindering the return of the tour before us. They were extremely apologetic and another guide started telling our 6 person group stories of the valley. The monuments in the valley used to be connected as one giant shelf. This shelf used to be the ocean floor. Once the shelf was above water it became home to dinosaurs. Our tour guide mentioned that he grew up playing around the lands finding fish fossils and dinosaur bones. That was his childhood. I still can't get over how amazing that is!

Before I go into detail about the tour (more details I know!) here is our tour guide::

Our truck along the edge of the recent rain flooding::

My view from the back::

The first part of the tour was a lot of introductions on how the Navajo people live and the history of the land. I won't go into detail about that because I definitely don't remember every detail and wouldn't want to include wrong information. Here are a few photographs from the Monument Valley every tourist can see::

I did not plan on the wind from the drive...

Can you see the camel?

A couple of kb's::

Keep reading after the click!

By the time we entered the back country we were covered in a thin layer of sand with crazy hair. Well I had crazy hair. Kb put her hair in cute braids. I embraced the crazy hair and stopped trying to fix it after the second stop. One of the best parts of using a guide was the comfort level he had with driving. I would say he drove like a maniac, but it just seemed that way because everyone else was going so slow. He just cruised knowing the way and knowing the car could handle it. I adored every second of bouncing around in that truck.

Our first stop in the back country was at a gorgeous natural arch. It was actually next to the photograph of the truck from above. We had to get out of the car and walk around to get to it because of the flooding. In fact we had to skip over a few rocks to avoid the water::

Petroglyphs::

Our guide took the following photograph for me. He had to stand in this nook and balance well looking straight up to take it. I told him I was going to take credit for it because it was so awesome::

A flooding photo from kb that I love::

We made our way to another arch and climbed up a sand dune to stand underneath it!

Maybe I shouldn't have let the hair go...

What happened next was my favorite part of the day and one of my favorite moments of life ever. We drove to another arch that was nestled in a circle, almost cave like opening in the red rock. The wall of the opening was smooth and at the perfect angle for us to lay along the edge of the wall. In a semi circle we were all laid out. I was next to our guide with Kb to my right. This is what we saw when we looked up::

Our guide described the hawk eye in the archway, and the shape of its beak in the rock. As we laid there the clouds drifted through the eye and our guides voice echoed as he told us more about the land.

Then our guide sang a Navajo prayer for safe travels. I took video of the prayer and I will share it eventually, but the video will never be able to convey how incredibly special the moment was. I am not a religious person, and the power of prayer is generally lost on me. However, when you are laying on the side of what was once the ocean floor, looking through the eye of a hawk and listening to a Navajo native sing his prayers you cannot help but feel touched by something extraordinary. His voice echoed around the cylindrical opening and filled the entire archway. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life.

Following the prayer I made Kb take and pose for a photo of what we looked like laying down::

We continued on to the part of the tour that involved insane off roading. This truck made it up, down and through crazy paths. I made a variety of squeaky noises and almost pushed Kb off of our bench because I was flying around so much. It was brilliant...

The views were also brilliant::

Kb rocked these photos::

We were driving along a drained river bed and there was one beautiful big tree with bright green leaves and you could hear everyone on the tour talk about how lovely it was. Then we drove right through the leaves. haha

As the trip came to an end we rampaged back to the visitors center. It was great because there were a ton of random tourists driving slow, being careful, or stopping every 2 seconds and our guide just plowed on through.

There are a lot of moments from the Monument Valley tour that, added with what I described above, will make my experience one of my favorites of all time. The feeling of wind going through my crazy hair. The spray paint from the railing peeling off all over my hand (it was a continuous joke since it showed just how hard I was gripping the railing). The stories our guide told us about how Navajo Nation came to be. Every piece just as perfect as the next!

Once the tour ended we started our drive to Moab. It was about 4pm, and we were happy that our drive to Moab would include sunlight! We played a game I liked to call, "amazing or awful." Every time we came around a turn or went up part of a mountain I would guess if the other side would be an amazing view or down a treacherous road and completely awful. Most were amazing!

We ate a delicious dinner in Moab at the Moab Brewery. I had a Cajun Burger that was a burger with cajun spices, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, and blue cheese crumbles. If you include that on my Monument Valley tour I would live on that truck forever. haha

The rest of the vacation was a mix of activities, so here is the schedule of the next few blog posts that will finish up the vacation posts::
Tomorrow - Dead Horse Point/Canyonlands/Back in SLC!
Tuesday - The Capitol Building/Antelope Island
Wednesday - My Last Day (this will be Tattoo reveal & Video posting day!)

Speaking of tattoo - it's healing nicely and will hopefully be prettier by the time I take photographs for Wednesday. I'm not purposely holding out for any reason other than the fact that it's all kinds of peeling.

Until tomorrow!

<3

Man the :: Up

2011-10-01T21:45:00.003-04:00

I found this on pinterest today... seems like the universe has been reading my recent posts::

If we had internet access at the Grand Canyon, Kb would have sent this to me. And yes, even if we were in the same room.

Utah 2011 Day Two ::North Rim Grand Canyon, AZ:: Part 2

2011-10-01T19:15:00.000-04:00

I left you last at Cape Royal of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had just avoided a murder attempt and took plenty of rocking photographs of the brilliant view.

From there we drove to the turn off for Cliff Springs. It's a half mile hike down a ravine to an incredible overlook. Before we started the hike there were a couple of people standing on the edge of the cliff on the other side of the parking lot. They yelled to us that it was worth it, but I was unsure. I sent Kb ahead and told her to signal me whether to come up. When she reached the top she looked down at me and yelled, "yea, you're going to lose your shit." I stayed where I was and let her soak in the view herself. Apparently it was on the edge of the canyon and absolutely terrifying. The terrifying part was my judgement.

Now let's hike a ravine.

Fact: after walking down this path I told Kb that I was guaranteed to complain about it on the way back up.

Kb's detail photographs::

I'm not a dainty person, but Kb got a kick out the fact that I walk downhill with my hand out all girly like for balance::

This was the gorgeous end result of our hiking though. Things to note: I did not edit that sky. It was just that blue. 2. It was glorious.

This is my favorite photo of us from the trip! My faux-hawk had it's moments of awesomeness and it's moments of droopiness. This was definitely a peak of awesome::

Find out more about the rest of the hike after the jump!

We (I) moaned the way back up the car and we made our way to Vista Encantada for lunch. This was not a restaurant, but a brilliant overlook where we ate our pb&j sandwiches and relaxed for a bit. Then we drove down and up another road to Point Imperial, the highest point at the North Rim at 8803 feet.

There was a recent fire in the area that closed the Point Imperial trail and charred the outer edge of the view point.

There was an Australian girl next to us who proclaimed this view as, "far out!" I may have repeated this several times for the rest of vacation whenever we encountered something cool.

The point of this photograph was the charred remains with the contrast of the distant beautiful canyon, but I just want to point out that the other side of the canyon where the land is flat is the start of Navajo Nation. The painted desert is just beyond the initial start of Navajo Nation.

I don't know why but Kb's camera had this hazy quality to the photographs. I actually loved the look because it reminded me of old film cameras, which I really wanted to bring, but ended up deciding against it.

They make me feel like the vintage adventurer I would have loved to be.

On our way to the next hiking spot we pulled over next to a burned down forest mixed with a grouping of birch trees.

At this point of the day the hours were catching up with me. By the time we reached the parking lot for Widforss Trail I asked Kb if we could just sit in the car for a minute and breathe. I was exhausted. I didn't want to move or pick up my camera. I wanted to sleep in the backseat of the car. Somehow Kb rallied me and we walked out to the trails sign post. The brochure described Widforss as a trail along the edge of the canyon through the forest. That despite being a 10 mile round trip hike, "even a short stroll is worth the trip." They failed to mention that the short trail is jagged and winds uphill. Tired Jill hated life the entire 50 minutes we spent on that trail. It was beautiful, yes, and Kb was losing her mind happy about the hike. I was fighting to stay awake and not fall down the trail. haha

At least this trail had a great warning for us::

Every time we drove by fallen trees Kb talked about how much she wanted to climb all over them. In the middle of the woods on the horrible Widforss trail she had her opportunity and she ran with it::

When we started the trail my phone told us that it was 2pm, but our car told us it was 3pm. When we arrived at the North Rim the night before we thought the car automatically adjusted to the time zone. I'm pretty sure we checked it against our phones and everything matched up. It must have been before our phones switched though, because by the time we walked into the Lodge at what we thought was 4:15pm it was actually 3:15pm and we had an hour and a half to wait until our dinner reservations. In our delirious tired state it took us a full 15 minutes staring at the different clocks around the Lodge and checking our phones to truly be sure that we had been an hour off all day.

We took refuge on the deck of the Lodge overlooking the canyon, and then I made us relocate to the cushy warm couches inside. It was amazing to sit and just watch the clouds glide by. My body was so tired and by the time we had to go to dinner I think I moped my way up the stairs.

Our table was right by a window overlooking the canyon. When the waiter gave us bread with olive oil we finished the entire half loaf in an unhealthy amount of time. By the time my jumbo four cheese ravioli and kb's chicken alfredo arrived at our table we were ravenous. Our reservation was at 4:45pm and we finished our meal before 5:20pm. This did not help the over tired factor and after paying we went back to the car to grab our cameras and while Kb took a walk down the parking lot path I slept in the backseat of the Jeep. haha

Eventually it was sunset time! I do have to say that the sunrise at the North Rim was way better than sunset, but the sunset was still beyond beautiful.

One of Kb's::

Once the sun was behind the canyon we headed out to start our drive to Page, AZ where our hotel was. It was the worst drive of my life and I wasn't driving. We had to drive back up to Jacob Lake and then down the other side of the mountain. Krystal Brown was the greatest trooper and drove the entire time. I was so dead to the world I was beyond exhausted. But the worst part was how terrifying it was. It was pitch black, there were no other lights anywhere and we were driving along the edge of a mountain that sporadically had guard rails. At one point I told Krystal Brown that I just had to close my eyes because I was close to freaking out.

Once we finally made it to Page I climbed into my bed and fell sleep before Kb even made it out of the shower. It was such a physically draining day I don't know how I made it. Of course looking back through all of these photos I am beyond happy with every experience because it made the day completely worth it. Even being so tired the Widforss trail was entirely unique and beautiful (don't tell Kb I said that). From the burned trees at Point Imperial to the murderer at Cape Royal it was a brilliantly story filled day I will always remember as going beyond my wildest expectations.

Oh and did I mention that on the drive out of the Grand Canyon Kb drove into a bird that lodged it's dead self below our windshield wipers, but above the hood of the car so we couldn't get it out. Kb made someone from her lab remove it 3 days after hitting it. It was a source of screaming, laughter, jokes, and kb's crying. bahahaha!

<3

Utah 2011 Day Two ::North Rim Grand Canyon, AZ:: Part 1

2011-10-01T19:00:00.000-04:00

Between Kb and I there are 173 photographs from the North Rim... this may be a long post. In fact I'm splitting it into Part 1 and Part 2. If anyone was wondering we arrived in our motel room at the North Rim Lodge a little before 8::

Let's start by discussing time zones and daylight savings. UT & AZ are two hours behind CT. However, AZ does not recognize daylight savings so when we were there it was essentially 3 hours behind CT. What does this mean? It means that by 4:30am I was WIDE AWAKE. Kb was snoozing comfortably in our North Rim Lodge motel room and I was sitting on the floor playing games on my cell phone and looking through photographs from Bryce.

The good thing about this was that we planned on hiking out to the nearest point to watch the sunrise. So after 20 minutes of hanging out in the dark I took a shower in our tiny bathroom and prepared for the day. Eventually Kb groggily woke up and we were out of the door by 5:30am. This is what it looked like right outside of our door::

When we arrived at the Grand Canyon it was pitch black out except for the small lights on the side of the buildings. We had no idea where we even parked in relation to trails or the edge of the canyon because it was so dark. But when we stopped to drop off some of our baggage we realized we had parked directly across from one of the simple viewpoints on the side of the parking lot. Geeking out ensued::

The walk to Bright Angel Point was about a half mile. The more we walked the more alive the trail became with other like minded adventurers hoping to soak in the morning sun::

It was not as bright as it appears to be in this photograph. While we could see some detail of the canyon below the ridge where the sun rose, it was generally pretty dark in comparison to this photo::

I still think these people are crazy::

Here's a kb shot I LOVE::

There is so much more after the jump so make sure to click through!!

The walk back was mainly uneventful, minus the epic views. Although the hike did include a steep incline, which I did not fail to whine about. Luckily other people walking behind us were saying the same thing so I felt validated. Even Kb eventually started to hate the steep uphill climb back to the car (keep in mind it was probably 20 feet worth of walking uphill... I was being a baby).

This sets my soul on fire::

Once we checked out of the Lodge we headed to the first point, which was actually the farthest point from the Lodge. Cape Royal/Angel's Window is on the edge of another outset of the North Rim. This means that we drove back into the forest a bit and then turned and drove up the edge of the canyon for a while. Of course, first we missed the turn off and spent about 30-40 minutes driving up and down the main road of the North Rim. It was beautiful, and the road was lined with a lot of birch trees, so worth it.

On the way to Cape Royal we stopped at Roosevelt Point to take some video and enjoy the view.

Don't forget to be awesome::

Much later, with a lot of freaking out by me over driving next to death defying cliffs, we made it to Cape Royal. Because we left so early and drove to the farthest point right away there were only a couple other cars in the parking lot. After applying ample sunscreen (and getting it all over my glasses), the trek began!

This is Angel's Window. The entire section over the window has railings so you can walk out and not die.

We saw a lot of legit photographers there::

From Angel's Window we walked out to Cape Royal. It was here that we met fellow photography we so aptly named "hippie murderer." Hippie murderer introduced himself by asking kb what her f/stop was. She looked at me and said, "I don't know, Jill. What is my f/stop?" His response to my 6.3 was, "oh, I'm a photography student and I think it's at least an f/16 kind of day." Fast forward to the next week of vacation in which we repeat, "it's an f/16 kind of day" a million times. I'm pretty sure I will keep saying forever.

The hippie part of his name came from his slightly grubby attire, floppy hair and ratty skinny jeans. The murderer part of his name came from his invitation to join him on a hike to a trail that isn't on the map that he heard about from another photographer. The trail he described was actually a trail on the map that we planned on hiking, but apparently he wanted us to take a turn off of the marked path for some great opportunity for photographs. We kindly declined and then we spent a ton more time at Cape Royal to avoid running into him again. Murder avoided.

Here is Cape Royal::

This is my favorite argus photograph I have EVER taken... ever...

Some of Kb's pics::

f/16 blah blah... I adore this photo::

Now head on over to part 2 for more North Rim loveliness!

<3

Utah 2011 Day One ::The Drive to the North Rim::

2011-09-30T23:48:00.000-04:00

Again, Kb drove most of the way to the North Rim. I think I drove for an hour in the middle and then switched off for her to drive again. I hated that Jeep.

I was driving when we crossed the border into Arizona, but I was a little more prepared and stopped slightly better than the first time I pulled over in the car (if you need backstory head to the Bryce Canyon post below this one here).

To drive to the North Rim you have to go through Jacob Lake, which is essentially the top of a mountain/ a giant forest. The way up wasn't too bad (wait until I tell you about the way down tomorrow).

I taught kb how to make the sun flare out like this::

The best part was reaching the top and turning on the road to get into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Forest fires are a natural occurrence for the forests surrounding the North Rim. The fires actually help promote plant growth and provide vital nutrients to the soil. However, not all forest fires are natural and they can easily grow out of control. We saw evidence of this on our drive through Jacob Lake. I'm telling you this drive was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken. In fact the simple drive through this area easily rates extremely high in my list of favorite places I've ever been.

I don't even think these photographs do it justice, and that's saying something because I took them! haha In this photograph they're soaked in the light from the setting sun, but you can still see the dramatic black burns contrasting the white fleshy areas of tree::

When we stopped it was magic hour. The time in the day when the sunlight is soft and lovely.

We switched drivers and as we drove I watched the sun fall behind the edge of the mountain and take all of it's beautiful light with it::

That first sunset photo makes my heart burst with joy. It's these unexpected and singular moments that make that stupid giant jeep something of a gift. For bringing us up that mountain, and keeping me steady while I admired everything wonderful about this world.

There are moments from this trip that I consider to be my getaways. They're places I can close my eyes and experience over and over again. The main getaway moment happened in Monument Valley, but this sunset, and those trees are definitely a getaway moment I will conjure often, whenever a little peace and gratitude are needed.

<3

Utah 2011 Day One ::Bryce Canyon::

2011-09-30T23:25:00.001-04:00

I should have probably given this disclaimer yesterday when I introduced my vacation posts. There was a bit of a recurring theme throughout this vacation and it will become painfully obvious once we reach the Grand Canyon tomorrow...

You know how everyone has their flaws that their best friends overlook/tolerate because they love you? Well I'm a bit of a whiney bitch. haha I say that with SO much love for who I am, but I can be a bit of a complainer and I do not do well with not getting my way sometimes. This is enhanced when I'm all put off by time zones, rain and driving a car I have no love for (except for the cruise control). The best thing is that my good friends understand this and have their own way of diffusing my condition or just ignoring it until I shut up. I love them.

Now that I've said that, let's begin! haha

Considering what I wrote above I think it's fairly obvious that the day started with Krystal Brown driving our rented Jeep Liberty out of Salt Lake City.

I did drive for a little bit of the drive to Bryce, but I hated it. haha Jeep Liberties are giant and at one point I stopped too quickly pulling over to the side of the road and everything on the back seat flew forward to the floor. I think my response was hysterical laughter followed by Krystal Brown announcing that my camera was one of the things that flew to the floor. I didn't panic and everything was fine, but I don't think I ever developed a better grip on driving that car.

The forecast for the day in Bryce was scattered showers, which we found brilliant because we didn't go to Bryce in 2010 because the forecast was rainy. The best thing about Bryce (other than Bryce itself) was that it operates with a trolley system. Every 20 minutes a bus stopped at the different viewpoints to take you around the park. It makes the experience so stress free and lovely!

We took the trolley up to the farthest point and the second we stepped off of the bus it started drizzling. Luckily Kb is a trooper because she was fine standing out in the drizzle while I huddled under my umbrella covering my camera.

Keep on reading after the jump!!

As a semi professional amateur photographer I was kind of bummed that the rain was hindering my ability to geek out with photos. After we adored the first point we took the trolley to the next stop. It was here that Krystal Brown suggested we walk the half mile to the next point instead of taking the trolley. Now this is an ideal moment for me to whine. haha It was raining, chilly, and the trail to the next point was on the edge of a cliff.

I hate cliffs. I sucked it up and we walked all the way to the next point. I'm sure it took us maybe 10-15 minutes with occasional stops, but it felt like an hour. I was slipping on mud, and Kb kept walking close to the edge. I was so close to panic attacking it up.

By the time we reached the railing at the next point I was deliriously happy. I grabbed on to that wood pole and loved it! Then... the sun started peaking out. Kb grabbed her camera (my T1i) out of my bag and we both started going crazy with photos.

Did I mention I took my argus?

Since it wasn't really raining anymore we decided to walk to the next point, which was only another half mile. I did better because there were more railings and the trail was much wider. Although at one point this old man Dean had us take his photo and almost killed his wife by making her stand really close to the edge. I determined that this fearless man would have definitely been my life partner had we been closer in age. Oh, Dean.

He also took a photo of us::

The loving life taking brilliant photographs continued as we walked on leaving Dean and his thankful to be alive wife behind. Here are some of kb's photos::

Once we made it to the next point we decided to head back to the car and start the drive to the North Rim. Despite the rain, and cliff walks I had to admit that risking death by walking on slippery trails was totally worth what we had just done. Because it was raining we were alone for most of the walking we did and that was incredible. Just hanging out with one of your best friends on the edge of a majestic canyon filled with orange spires that are soaked in rain, yet glowing in the sun. Those are moments when you fight through the whining to realize that our lives were momentarily in a state of epic-ness.

And the day didn't end there!! Since the next event happened the same day as Bryce I'm just going to blog about it right after this post so I take care of it all in one night. Plus I'm excited to blog about the North Rim and don't want to put it off until Sunday.

<3

Flee, All is Discovered ::My Trip West::

2011-09-29T21:33:00.000-04:00

In the next few days I will be blogging all of my photographs and stories from my vacation last week! I edited all of the photographs last night and I'm going to build our vacation video tonight. While the videos are optimizing in iMovie I thought I would give a little introductory course on my vacation. My posts will go in order and give details, but this is more of a starting point for everyone.

The map below shows our vacation route. Since Kb lives in SLC, UT we started there and ended there.

Our main goal was to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. To break up the driving a bit we decided to make 2 shorter stops in between the drive there and the drive back. Those stops ended up being Bryce Canyon and Moab, UT. So we went::

A. Salt Lake City, UT

B. Bryce Canyon, UT

C. North Rim Grand Canyon, AZ

D. Monument Valley, AZ

E. Moab, UT (We visited Dead Horse Point & Canyonlands)

F. Salt Lake City, UT

A lot of what we did and how we did it came down to national park websites and tripadvisor. Well Kb made most of the decisions for the trip because I hate being in charge of the plans. I just looked things up and emailed her with wants, needs, complaints, and whining. haha

Since we didn't really do anything special the first day I was in Salt Lake, I'll be blogging my photos from Bryce with a little info on the brilliance of it... despite the rain!

One Wedding - One Day of ::Editing::

2011-09-28T20:40:00.004-04:00

When I told people that Jamie & Jay would have their wedding photos in hand before they left for their honeymoon they thought I was crazy. I shot their wedding on September 10, 2011 and finished editing, and burned their disks at 4am on September 12, 2011.

Ok, so 4am sounds crazy. I could have finished way before 4 am if I stayed home all day like I planned. Here was my schedule::

September 10, 2011
11:30pm - upload videos to computer & edit some getting ready photographs while waiting for files to upload.
1am - bed

September 11, 2011
7:30am - wake up (I generally wake up between 7:30am and 8:30am no matter what time I go to bed)
8am - start editing photographs
10am - take short break to eat breakfast
11:30am - take short break to take shower & get ready for the outside world
1pm - hang out with Christina
7pm - say goodbye to Christina and start processing reception photographs
9pm - welcome Sami & Mayya over to watch the season finale of True Blood
10:30pm - lose my ish watching the series finale of Entourage (alone so no one else will see me lose my ish)
11pm - deal with my loss and move on to process more reception photographs

September 12, 2011
2am - finish editing reception photographs (slight delay since I was chatting with friends online)
3:30am - photographs finish exporting from Lightroom (yes it took 1.5 hours)
4am - final disk burns
4:15am - dead asleep

Now I'll explain a little more about my editing process. The first step is to separate the photographs into categories. I used to separate my photographs into sections such as getting ready, details, bride & groom portraits, bridal party, reception, etc. In my full time job we simply separate wedding photographs into Getting Ready, Ceremony, Portraits, and Reception. I've done so many weddings like this I don't think I'm able to do it a different way, so I started by grouping my photographs in LR. I group my photographs so that I can work on one section at a time. This is important because of my super slick editing secret: copy & paste.

Some photographer use presets to edit all of their photographs quickly, and while I could easily make new presets with my editing, I tend to prefer copy and paste. In Lightroom I can edit one photo, copy my editing and paste it onto the next photograph. Now, even though I copy and paste some settings doesn't mean I'm done. Copy and paste saves me from maybe 7 out of 10 steps. Even though I tend to take fairly even photographs in terms of settings, each photograph is different and might need a slight adjustment in blacks, exposure, fill light, or saturation. Copy and paste allows me to take each photograph to a certain point so I can add the final touches.

In saying that I used copy and paste with every group of photographs that had similar lighting. Take a section of getting ready photographs with Jamie in the same seat. All of the photographs that are taken in the same area can essentially be copied and pasted with settings. Instead of changing 10 different pieces on a series of 10-20 photos I only have to change 10 settings on one and an average of 2 or 3 on the others. This may only save a few seconds, but a few seconds over 1300 photographs is a big difference.

Here is an example from the portraits. The first before and after series is from one particular pose that is one of my all time favorite wedding photographs::

You can see in the before and after that I adapted the photograph to be in my style. The next post has slightly different lighting because it was at a different spot on the field, but I copied the original editing and then adapted the settings to fit this photograph::

In doing this both of the photographs maintain the same tone and style, but have the settings adapted to the lighting situation.

Maintaining my style throughout a shoot or wedding is important to me. I don't do any hardcore editing with funky colors or sepia tone. It works for other people, but it's not my thing. I tend to stick with warm, bright tones or strong black and whites. Copy and paste allows me to be consistent with my edits and save time!

If you're wondering what took the longest to edit from Jamie & Jay's wedding it was the reception. Reception photographs are always tricky because sometimes lighting isn't perfect and you either have to fix a lot, trash the photo, or make it black and white. A secret I'm totally willing to admit is that not all reception photographs that are made black and white were made that way for artistic reasons. Indoor lighting is funky and sometimes people's faces become way funkier when you try and take the orangey glow of fluorescent lighting out.

Why didn't the portraits take longer to edit?
1. the lighting was more consistent during the outdoor portraits
2. I used my 50mm 1.4 lens, which gave me superb color, control, and quality
3. Jamie looked flawless, and I'm not just saying that. most of the time portraits take a while because I'm clearing skin, or making eyes pop. I didn't have to do that on Jamie. Her makeup was some of the best make up I've photographed, her hair was always in the right place, her dress was a perfect fit, and she was always smiling and happy in every photograph. any of the things I usually fix or spend ample time on I didn't have to because of that.
4. My settings were 97% spot on. I was actually thrilled with my camera's handling of the bright sun.

Alright I've rambled enough. This would be more streamlined if I weren't planning on editing my Utah photographs when I'm done with this. I'm really excited to start them!

In conclusion: know your settings, use a great lens, work with beautiful people with a flawless look, have fun, use copy and paste, and go ahead and rock that wedding in one day.

<3

sneak peek ::my UT tattoo::

2011-09-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

My last day in Utah was one of my favorite days. While I love going on crazy adventures in UT, my favorite times are just hanging out with Krystal Brown. I get to be difficult and whiney, she gets to excel at nerdiness and being overly emotional. It's pretty awesome. haha

One of the events of my last Saturday was going with Kb and one of her coworkers/friends Cara to a local tattoo shop for Cara's first tattoo. I spent the whole week going back and forth with the idea of acquiring my seventh tattoo, and by Friday night I had Kb sketching my idea out for the tattoo artist. haha The sketch acted as a very basic guide for what I ended up getting, and I cannot tell you how much I love my new tattoo.

I will have epic photographs of it when it heals, but for now here is a bit of a sneak peek. It's just black and grey, so most of it is still surrounded by pink, sore skin.

Once the redness disappears and the peeling ends I'll show a real photo and give all of the details. For now I'm going to finish X-men: First Class and head up to bed. I'm still trying to pretend I'm on vacation by ignoring my unpacked suitcase and need for real grocery shopping.

2011-09-25T21:43:00.004-04:00

Flying back to CT completely sucked the life out of me. Christina picked me up from the airport and it was fun catching up. Even though it was only a little over a week we both had lots to share. While I still haven't put my photographs on my computer I showed her everything I took on my 7D. I cannot wait to blog in detail about my vacation! Just telling her about it made me eager for writing about all of the places we went and things we did. It truly was epic!

For now I am going to put a movie in and curl up in my bed.

<3

my favorite ::fisheye::

2011-09-24T23:31:00.001-04:00

I was desperate to take a film camera to UT & AZ with me, because I really wanted a vintage travel look to some of my photographs. While I can always do that during post processing with my dslr photographs I wanted them to be more authentic. I went back and forth about buying a new film camera, and I borrowed a couple of cameras from Heather who had a few on display in her apartment. In the end I took one look at my fisheye camera and thought, "I'm going to use the living crap out of you." So I did.

The best thing about my fisheye (you can buy you're own here at Urban Outfitters) is that it's light, super easy to use, and every mistake you can possibly make adds even more brilliance to your photographs.

Putting these in order will take way too much effort so here are some of my favorites::

I told you my hair was crazy on the jeep ride at monument valley::

I'm pretty sure I stopped walking while she was making that face and this happened::

Can you tell that the sun going into the fisheye is my favorite??

Tomorrow I'm flying back early in the am - although I won't touch down in CT until after 5pm. If I don't post tomorrow it's because I'm exhausted. If I do I'm sure there will be typos and or just more airplane window photographs. haha

<3