Snow!

We don't get a lot of snow here in flyover country. We do get some. Just not much. And it rarely stays around very long. So...if it snows on a Monday, it's likely to be gone by the weekend when I'll have time to take pictures of it. If it snows on the weekend, it'll likely be a blizzard until dark or too icy for me to get out and take pictures.

Did I say that there is a VERY small window where me, my camera and the snow can meet?

I managed to snap a few shots in the park the other day. Yes. I did risk life and limb climbing a great sledding hill in tennies just to get a couple of these shots!

Did I do that??

This is so funny. Okay. Maybe it's just funny to me. I like to take pictures. You may have already guessed that by now if you've read any of the last dozen posts on this blog. But it was only to support my other love: scrapbooking. But a real love of photography was sparked. I shared some of my favorites with my co-workers - because they're stuck there in the office with me! - and one day, one of my friends asks me to be the photographer at her wedding next spring.

Once I agreed to do that, within a few weeks, I was a real, honest to God professional photographer. And I love it. I have much more stress about it (that happens when you introduce $$ into the equation) but I still love it.

So I took engagement pictures for my friend and her fiance. It didn't take very long and we had a great deal of fun. I was using my mom's point-and-shoot digital and my film camera. I'd run out of film and discovered that hubby (who was my assistant) had left my camera bag at our last location. He ran back (well, drove, really) to get it. While he was gone, we snapped a few pics with the digital. There's a bridge over a small creek next to the football field in our small town that the football players run across from the locker room to the field. It's also where the graduates gather before commencement. It's one of those small town things. They were standing on the bridge and I noticed that the light was hitting the water just right relative to my position on the bank and I snapped a shot of both them and their reflection. It seemed too small, so I just focused on their reflection. It was remarkably detailed. And they both loved it. I love it. They've talked about using it on their invitations.

So, after we were done, I mentioned to my friend that a glamour portrait of herself might be a fun gift to give her fiance for Christmas. Yes. I had ulterior motives. I want to do glamour photography. She agreed and one eveing I went to her house with all my stuff and we spent a couple of hours making her beautiful and photographing her.

The results were so many great pictures that she couldn't settle on one so we picked twelve and had a calendar made.

This is one of my favorites. In fact, I used a detail from one of the images for my business cards! She looked at the photos and said, "Is that me?"

So a few weeks later, we were at our company Christmas party. My friend went to the restroom and while she was gone, her finace asked me what it would cost to get that reflection image blown up to frame for my friend for Christmas? I just thought it was so funny that they were doing the same thing for Christmas for each other.

So, I ordered a 16x20 of the reflection shot on double weight mattboard. It came yesterday just in time to get to the frame shop before the owner of the frame shop went on vacation for Christmas.

That has been the bright spot for me this Christmas.

A pretty girl

This is my oldest niece. I'll be taking her senior pictures next Spring. I am so excited!

This one was my Christmas card photo this year. I just couldn't make myself make any cards. I even BOUGHT a card. *shudder* How the mighty have fallen. I just have no juice!

Looking at something I've created makes me feel good.

It's been a difficult season

So I'll just come out and say it. This has been a hard season. Everywhere I turn, I'm faced with reminders of loss. It used to be that when I looked at pictures of my niece and nephew, I'd feel a sense of shock. Like being hit on the head with something heavy. Now, it's overwhelming sadness. I guess I've gotten it through my head that they're really dead. Some days are easier than others, but when it's not, it's really bad. Today has been really bad.

I'm not getting much accomplished at work today. I need to, but it feels like my arms are weighted down. My eyes won't clear. As I posted earlier, I seem to be offending people left and right. I guess I just miss my life.

I miss having dinner in the evenings with my husband and kids.

I miss cleaning house (well, having the time to do it really).

I miss my kids talking to me and sharing their days.

I miss snuggle time with Nick.

I miss seeing David.

I miss being respected by my daughters.

I miss kisses.

I miss having the courage to pursue my dreams.

I miss having time to spend with friends.

I miss family.

I miss friends.

I miss being able to talk on the phone.

We did our Christmas Cantata at church yesterday. It was the hardest one I've ever done and it's left me with a desire to never sing again. Maybe I just need a nap and some lunch.

On the outs

I like to go to message boards. There are several I'm a member of. But it seems lately that I can't say anything right.



I tend to shoot straight in "saying what I mean." But I also don't try to be mean. I try to say what I mean in the nicest way possible. Sometimes, that's not so nice. But I'm never out to hurt anyone's feelings. But - and you may find this shocking - some people wear their hearts on their sleeves then get mad at you when you bump into them.

Ugh. I know some people use the internet as some sort of shield so they can just be mean and say hateful things to others. I never do that. I hate being on the receiving end of that, so I don't dish it out. I try most times to be as nice as possible. But sometimes...sometimes people need to hear the unvarnished truth. I can think of one person in particular who drives me up a wall with things they ask and talk about. I want to pull a Cher on him (Moonstruck reference) but I can't. These days, I just ignore him. Not because I have any animosity for him, but just because he drives me crazy.

I understand the drawbacks of communicating with this particular media. I know

My niche

As you may have guessed, I love taking pictures. I love capturing an image that others gasp over or cry over or just get excited over. But I really love making women look and feel beautiful. I'm not exactly sure why. I don't know what drew me to this place but I can certainly see that evolution in myself, from my personal interests to habits and whatnot. Any way you slice it, that's what makes me happy. I'm excited that I've found something that might possibly have a market.

While I like my "all about me" blog, I'm also looking to pin my oldest son down to design me a website. One of these days... *sigh*

In the meantime, with very little in the way of supplies and equipment, I have managed to produce some amazing images that have made a few women VERY happy!

I love this job

So I called the gal whose engagement pics I took last weekend and I heard her holler to her mom, "It's the photographer." That was so cool. I'm totally geeked out about that.

In the last few weeks, I've gotten so much support and encouragement and practice it's not funny! I have so enjoyed taking pictures and learning about lighting and exposure. I want to do some more practice to get better clarity on the eyes of my subject but that's just a matter of time. I'm going to try to get the grandkids tonight and use my mother-in-law's christmas tree to get a shot for some Christmas cards. I would like to make cards this year, and I probably still will, but only for those most important VIPs in my life. I still give a lot of cards and can't possibly make 150 cards. I just don't have the time.

So this weekend, I got to use my friend Renee for a model. She's an inspiration to me about living healthy and making your life what YOU want it to be instead of accepting the status quo. She's getting married in the spring and she's giving some glamour pictures to her finance for Christmas. I was so pleased with how the pictures came out!!!

We did some really sexy, glamourous pictures that I'm not showing the general public, but let me just say this...every woman should have some pictures like this!! I hope some day to be able to take some pics like this and share them on my (still in production) website for advertising.