Earth Day!

Today is the day when we all look at our lifestyle & think, "how can I minimize my carbon footprint?"


Being Earth-conscious is something that is very important to me, & I am forever wearing Bear down with assertions of how we can better live in harmony with the planet.  Hilariously, I am very much a homebody who prefers the indoors, dislikes bugs, easily burns, & has a horrible bottled water habit.  But I am all about making changes to help the planet where I can.

Here are some changes we have already made in our own home:

* plant-based cleaners, rather than chemical ones

* saving, reusing &/or re-purposing glass containers (soda bottles, condiment jars, etc)

* recycling!  This can be traditional blue-bin recycling to crafty re-purposing.

* making plans to grow food, instead of a lawn!

* creating our cloth diaper stash for Squiggle (Bear's brother & sister-in-law cloth diaper our niece L, too!)

* choosing to make holistic remedies rather than purchasing mass-produced chemical options

* opting for more traditional, reusable cleaning instruments, over one-time use products (like Swiffer, which I was a huge fan of for a long time, before realizing how much waste I was creating in the name of dust removal!)

* saving energy by line-drying clothing & blankets when possible

* thrifting new-to-us items, & donating our unwanted items so that they may find a new purpose in another life

* using site such as Freecycle!

(Pictured diapers are pre-loved gDiapers; origami book flowers from our wedding by The Crane Factory)

We can still make further changes to live a greener lifestyle, but we are making small changes every year, working more towards recuperating Mother Earth!

Some other ideas around the internet are:

* these children's companies that are Earth-friendly as well

* botanical jewelry & art with an Earth Day Birthday sale

* a great round-up of garden markers for budding babies

* a whole list of alternatives to plastic wrap (I also really love this idea!)

And Free People are running an Instagram contest to win an amazing, one-of-a-kind Earth quilt!  I would LOVE to get my paws on it for Squiggle's room, which is in a World Travel theme!  Perhaps I will put my recycling sensibilities to good use & make something of our pile of "dead jeans"...




HAPPY EARTH DAY!  What are you doing to celebrate?

xo


Edit: I forgot to mention that another great thing to do for this planet is to sign this petition against Monsanto.  Yes, Monsanto is all science-y & I like science, but I also think it's wrong to genetically mutate seeds so that they are unable to reproduce new plants next season, to completely change the genetic structure of food, to force farmers to forfeit the seeds they have used for generations in favor of Monsanto seeds... there is a long list.  Essentially ceasing the circle of life in the name of insecticide immune plants?  That can't be healthy for Mother Earth...

The Sweetest Boarder

Last week we were dogsitters for this adorable puppy!  Whenever we care for someone's pet, I try to get at least ONE decent photo.  Last time, I got this adorable shot of Belle with our Tic-Tac, & then the computer ate it & I never was able to find it again.  So no pictures for mommy & daddy.  This time I was determined to get a couple cute portraits.  These were all taken in a 5 minute time frame in our bedroom on the floor rug (poor Belle is not a fan of our wood floors... she kept tensing up & sorta skimming around corners like an air hockey puck having a panic attack.  I tried to assemble all our area rugs- which are few- to create a kind of pathway between her bed & the front door!  haha).  Josie was happy to have a friend for a week, but Belle was super happy when daddy came to bring her back home!





These images were edited using Totally Rad Lightroom presets.  I know.  I can't help myself.  I collect processing shortcuts like charms for a bracelet.

Loved having this sweetheart for a week!  Her favorite activity?  Chasing the ducks into the pond.  Fowl herding?

xo

Worst Blogger of the Year Award!

Yeah,  I deserve that award.

I've been MIA for a few reasons.  One, I heard from my awesome Auntie Lynn, our wedding photographer, that photos were en route.  My OCD determined that I couldn't really blog about the honeymoon until I could blog about the wedding, since that would be a travesty and go against chronological order.  I can't have that, it would bug me for all time!



Yes, that is an image from our wedding day, as we were getting dolled up.  I brought the poopourri... because everyone poops, but our room didn't need to smell like it if the need arose.

Two, I've been going through some rough patches in my personal life (which happen periodically, but lately I feel like real tragedies have peppered my life in the past year or so).  Our first family mini-daucshund, Shadow (whom I have blogged about) was put down this past Saturday at 18 1/2 years old.  Which made him roughly 150 in doggie years.  His heart was going strong, but his eyes had completely receded and deteriorated, his arthritis was awful, and his teeth and mouth were really falling apart.  We loved him and hated to see him go, but we hated to see him in so much pain even more.  When his hind legs gave out, we knew it was time.  It was rough, but we were all prepared for it.  Well, as prepared as you can be to bury your best friend since you were barely seven years old.



As awfully sad as the sad parts of life are, other parts are equally exciting.  Bear and I are beginning to save up money and plan for our future, which is something I am constantly daydreaming about.  We have some pretty huge trials we've had to face in our very new marriage already, but we are ready to start looking forward to endless possibilities.  I can't go into details (I feel like I am always saying that on here), but I am really optimistic about our goals!



Tax season is upon us and that means getting W2s from two jobs and hunting for where exactly I filed all those receipts and booking info for my own business.  I hate this part of owning a business.  Then I thought about it more and realized... I am not all that enthusiastic about running a business altogether.  I understand that hard work is involved and that you can anticipate losing money in the first five years of operation, but that wasn't my issue.  I hate asking people for money.  I hate the pressure of pricing my work and factoring in all the hours of editing, creating albums, maintaining websites... I just love taking the photos and making beautiful memories.  It occurred to me that asking for money from it makes it feel like a dirty business to me.  And therefore, this is not the path for me to take.  So I began figuring how many bookings I still have, determined to honor those, as well as already inquired inquiries, and decline future job proposals.  I am slowly working on closing up shop, as it were.  I figure I can still take photos for family and friends on a barter system.  I like to barter.  Money is something I detest, especially when I ask my friends and family for it... even if it is necessary for making the finished product (and every session I have done to date I made less than I spent when all is said and done).  I also realized I'm not a very self-motivated person.  And then it occurred to me that I had put a lot of other passions on the back burner to try and make this business I didn't really LOVE.  So, I am ending my photography business, and taking up art again.  I will still photograph, because I love to do that.  I plan to start painting again, and I've been working on catching up with my scrapbooking.  Already the relief is flooding through me.  I don't feel like my business endeavor was a failure at all.  I learned a ton in the past three years; about business, photography, and myself.  I view it as a success.  A success that taught me that I am not cut out for that profession.



And I've generally been doing a lot of living.  I've been reading a ton and writing in my private journal, SMASHing our Honeymoon, and thinking about (but not quite getting motivated enough to begin) spring cleaning.  We DID finally round up the errant Christmas decor (it's hilarious how much holiday trappings we missed the first time around... mistletoe is completely acceptable spring decor, right?  And that advent calendar... and stockings... and that one string of lights...), which made a huge dent in the "stuff I perceive to be clutter".  If it's been lying out for a few weeks, it becomes a permanent fixture in my mind somehow.  Of course, I spend a lot of my time daydreaming in general, about all the places I want to visit and all the things I want to do with my life.  I am a dreamer.



So, I am beginning my series of wedding related posts, intended to highlight various vendors and Etsy sellers of awesomeness!  You all will probably be checking your Bloglovin's and GFC's and will be blown away by my sudden resurgence into the bloggisphere!  Get ready!  Here we go!

*All wedding photos c/o Lynn Norgren Photography!

A Photo Challenge...

So, Squeebie sent me a message via FB asking me to test out my new lens with a few specific shots.  I wasn't able to complete the whole list, yet, but among the images she wanted to see were:

Bear rolling a cigarette; a favorite childhood toy; a picture of me without a camera (which I couldn't do, so I had a "prop camera" instead, but I think generally she wanted a photo of me in front of a lens, rather than behind it); and a picture of Josie.

There are others, and they will come later.  For now, these are the shots I will address.

First, here's my BooBear rolling his own cigarette.  The process is multi-stepped, and he's a pro so he's super fast.  I thought it best to take step-by-step images.




Second, here's my favorite childhood toy.  Well, these are two things that have carried through my childhood; a blanket my mother knit while pregnant with me, and a dog stuffed with nut shells I picked up at a family member's yardsale in Tennessee.  The yardsale had my little brother and I giddy at all the toys going away, and we were told we could choose ONE toy to keep.  When I got him, he had a pom-pom nose and two eyebrows.  He has since lost the nose and a brow, and is stitched up all over (that's how I know he's stuffed with nutshells!).  I cleverly named my two most precious belongings "Blankie" and "Doggie", because I had a lot of imagination.  Ha.  They travelled the states with me and my military family, went to college with me, and moved with me to Bear's house.  For YEARS I couldn't sleep without having them both with me, Blankie under my head and Doggie under my arm.  Like, truly years.  Until I was way too old for things like that... it was my hangover from childhood comforts, I guess.



Third, a few pictures of me.  These will be on the new website.  Pay no attention to the belly... I am the worst at sticking to diet and exercise!  Oh, well.



Lastly, some adorable shots of Josie.  She was game when Bear was with her.  Then I tried to shoot her alone... She sits on command, and then looks around anxiously for Bear to get her a treat.  Which is why she didn't look at me at all!  Bear asked if she let me get any good shots or if she was a butthead.  Well, she's an adorable butthead.  And I can't expect too much from her with her separation anxiety, her boy was a whole flight of stairs ahead of her!  He could have forgotten about her!  OH THE HORROR!!!





Do you have any requests for photos to see here?  I kinda enjoy this "assignment" thing, as it gives me a challenge between sessions!  Keeps me sharp!

Happy Friday!

xo

Hello again!

Hello all!

Thanks for putting up with my extended silence this past week.  Here's the low-down:  I had bronchitis with a side of head cold.  It was awesome.  I learned a lot about myself, such as; I can remember to take antibiotics three times a day, I can go through several boxes of tissues by myself, and I am needy when I feel ill.  Also, I had the most intense fever dream and couldn't feel my legs, which made it difficult to get to the bathroom to pee.  All of these things will, no doubt, help to form me into a better person in time.

Or not.  But I had to go through it anyway.



So I never got to do that Photobomb last week, and will do it this week instead.  I also had to find a replacement to shoot a friend's high school reunion last minute when the head cold added to the misery of the bronchitis and I knew I wouldn't be able to smile and shake hands and take photos until midnight on Saturday after all.  Fortunately, my friend is forgiving and my replacement worked out!  This weekend is super busy for my business, as I have a shoot Friday evening and Saturday morning, and then we are headed back to Ren Fest with Bear's family to order the traditional handmade glass champagne flutes.  Phew!

I am actually really excited about this weekend's shoots, though.  Lately I have done nothing but weddings, and while they are fun and wonderful, I was beginning to feel mechanical.  Sometimes you just need a little diversity, you know?  So, this weekend I have a shoot for a cheesecake-esque session for a surprise product (and I can't really say more than that, but maybe the client will let me share after the surprise), and another pet portrait session with an adorable pug and terrier!  The pet session is sort of REALLY exciting for me... and I am not sure why.



When I got into photography initially, I was interested in portraying people, finding all those facets of their personalities and creating an image of them that really exemplified who they were, more than what they looked like.  Now, I have done a ton of portraiture and the prospect of pet portraiture is like a whole new frontier.  Now, I photograph my own pets all the time (and there are a ton of them... I live on a farm with almost 40 cats alone, not counting the dogs, horses, goats, chickens...) but the idea of meeting a new animal and somehow managing to capture an image that not only looks like the pet itself, but reveals part of it's personality... that's really exciting for me.  Maybe I'm just geeking out on you.  It's possible.  But I've felt so completely unable to help myself when I was sick that this little challenge is the best medicine.

So I have been doing what I always do when I have a new challenge to face.  I research.  Shocker: nerdy library working photog blogger researches.  Yup.  I do.  And I love it.  For this challenge I have been reading Pet Photography Now! by Paul Walker, and looking up images on Flickr, of course.  Whenever I do anything I tend to end up on Flickr.  Then I ran across Brighton Dog Photography and went through her entire Flickr stream, favoriting like a madman!  Of course, where I live isn't NEARLY as picturesque, but seeing so many different angles and images of the same kinds of breeds I will be shooting is very helpful... like this one... love!



And, of course, Elsie of A Beautiful Mess has always had pug photos for inspiration!  Cute!

Are there any challenges in your near or distant future that you are looking forward to?

The World According to Zia Maida...

Zia Maida, more commonly referred to as "Z" in our home, is our youngest and most fluffy furbaby.  She has a peculiar outlook on life:  

Don't take the stairs between the rails... it is far more interesting to balance on the outside ledge.

There is no danger in walking on top of the narrow rail on our second story porch... it heightens the suspense.

Moths are alive for the sole purpose of hunting, catching, spitting out, and pinning again just as they think they have escaped.

Book shelves are just fancy kitty hidey-holes with books that are fun to chew on... and the pages clean your teeth of moth residue.

When feeling neglected, mew for the attention of people... and then cry abuse when they pet you.

The recessed fridge is only a fancy, upside-down cat door and lounging area.

Just when the people go to sleep, pull out the crazy eyes and run around tossing expensive and breakable things!

When the people get you things to play with, snub those things and go for something they wish you didn't notice.

Lick yourself in front of the people when they want to photograph you... and then glare at them for being so rude as to document a private bath moment.

And always, ALWAYS act like you own everything!

Stop and Appreciate

Today I am taking a moment to stop and think back on all the wonderful nature images (and pet pictures!) I got this past week.  I took a ton of photos for the wedding that I have been editing like a crazy lady, and with all the weddingness going on around me, it's beginning to feel overwhelming!  So I decided today would be about the little things that have made me smile.

Sometimes, the best things are the littlest.

xo

Photobomb Friday: We have MiFi!

Again, I bring you Friday's post on a Saturday... but I can because we got Mifi!  Which means I have internet at home (at least whenever Bear doesn't take it with him to work...)!

We are still working like crazy getting this place ready for guests and weddingness... the countdown is at a WEEK.  I've been having crazy stress nightmares that are simultaneously frightening and hilarious.  Bear is also setting lights for the Local Theatre's current show, so a lot of housework is falling to me right now.  It's so stressful, but it will all be worth it!

I am so lucky to have two jobs that are graciously letting me take time off for prep starting Thursday, but I probably won't be posting here as often as the wedding looms nearer.  I have a lot to do, from making decor to organizing my photo equipment and meeting with Patchie who will be my Second Shooter (her first wedding gig!).

So, today I am Photobombing adorable kitten photos to promote smiles and relieve a little stress.  Aw, kitties!

 The Scottish Fold above is was my Aunt's beloved Angus.  Sadly, he passed shortly after I took these pictures.  But, they are getting a new Scottish Fold Kitten, named Cooper!  My Aunt is from Scotland, and apparently the Scottish Fold breed were discovered in or originally bred in Coupar Angus, Scotland.  I have such clever family!

And because they are so darn difficult to photograph, I am reposting these images of Rummy and Dart:

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

xo

PS- Notice a lack of Grateful posts?  I am the worst at keeping up on one of those photo-a-day challenges.  Hopefully sometime soon it will make a comeback.  I am so ashamed... and just plain busy!

Living Large!

I had so much fun Wednesday I could barely contain myself.  The Farmer's Market itself was kinda a bust (which was possible, it being a weekday... none of the Amish community were present, which meant I couldn't surprise Bear with an impulse buy piglet or some such), but we hit up a wonderful Thrift Store and Cupcake and I scored some pretty sweet swag... including but not limited to a Hanson CD, an LP of BeeGee's and Beatles songs covered by another artist, a tank top, and Nightmare Before Christmas on DVD.  We left with bags full of goodies for less than $25 total.  My new tank top was only $.95!  Yes.  And, I got weird technicolor change...

someone was bored...

We had a blast hanging out and getting a brief lunch at Burger King (big spenders!  Also, I do NOT recommend the new chicken nuggets; they were weird pressed chicken strings that dried out easily... ew).  We also stood around in the parking lot quoting such great American classics as Cars and Finding Nemo.  I practiced my Orca dialect, which could have come in handy later that day... if there were whales of any sort in the river.  I didn't take any photos with Cupcake or of her because I deserve the bad friend award... and I was kinda afraid that someone would try to barter some scary giant doll with ratty hair for my camera.  It was a little sketchy, but I have high hopes for the weekend.  And I promise to take photos then!!!

Then, I came by the house to kiss Bear hello and goodbye, and set off with Patchie to the State Park where I work on Fridays.  We had a BLAST being photogeeks!  I brought my little circa 1996 purple backpack/purse (which was purchased at a Farmer's Market in '96, ahhh memories), and filled it with the following: my Nikon D80, Holga, and Canon AE-1, as well as an extra roll of film and any lens cleaning things I may need, as well as usual purse things (ID, monies, etc).  I shot a whole roll of 35mm (I didn't realize the loaded roll was already finished, so my "extra" roll ended up my ONLY roll) and several frames on the 120 film, as well as over 200 digital jpegs.  It felt so good.

Here's an old picture of Patchie and I.  Just in case you needed a face for the name!  hehe

Being out shooting with Patchie made me realize how much I have to learn from my friends, even about the things most of them ask me for advice about.  Not that she does, in particular, but sometimes when you take a hobby to the professional level, you forget that your friends who are still hobbyists can teach you a ton about your "profession".  That's lesson 101 on being a pro.  You have to remember you still have the capacity to learn.  Duh.  Even though I tell myself constantly that I have so much to learn, I am always stunned when I turn out much better quality of work after spending a few hours hanging out with and taking photos with friends.  It's humbling, and really amazing.  And I am so grateful for it!

You can't tell here... but it was a 4 foot drop to the "beach" aka mud from this step.

Anyway, Patchie had written a post about her style and technique a while ago, and it really stuck with me.  I felt like I was in a creative rut.  Being a portrait photographer, I usually focus on angles and flattering lighting for a subject, with a minor focus on details (weddings rings, florals, little grubby fingers braiding grass blades...).  She is the opposite... her work is primarily macro.  I know some of you would think "oh, original, another macro photog" except she's not just another macro photog.  She tells a complete story through the series of her macro images.  All you have to do is follow her blog to figure that out.  I think if she had huge enlargements made of her work and hung in a particular order, the viewer would really understand where she was, what she was feeling, and can imagine themselves in that environment and mood.  Which is something you can't always achieve in more general, wide angle shots, or even portraiture.  Or even macros.  In that sense, I have some really amazingly talented friends (and MOHs, haha)!

There was a cool reflection in the lens, but I had trouble capturing it...

Then we met up with Cupcake again and had dinner... then went to PetCo for fun times with little critters!  Love it!  Wonderfully therapeutic day in light of all the bad karma in the area.  If you are a prayer person, send thoughts and prayers to Katietron, who lost both her Grandmother and Grandfather this past week to a car crash.  It's been a tough time for her, and she could use the support.  <3  Like I said, there have been lots of sad tears in the area lately.  Please let 2012 be happier... and not the apocalypse... 

Well, I will leave you with a teaser for tomorrow's Photobomb Friday!!!  Don't forget to keep checking my Tumblr if you want to see my Grateful photos as they are posted daily with little tidbits on what the images mean!