Friday’s Thoughts

Hello, faithful blog readers who read my blog everyday, even when I don’t write for more than a week.  You are the best!  I was so excited to share with you that I finally created a facebook fan page….and then I couldn’t figure out how to make a link to post on here that would take you to my facebook page.  SO, that was a little bit of a bummer!

In case you didn’t figure it out…I am not a techy person!  And that is okay!  But I am pretty good at capturing moments with my camera.  Check out this cute moment in time that is captured forever.  How fun will it be for her to look back at this picture as a teenager and see what a personality she had before she was even two years old!

Friday’s Thoughts

When you get your photos taken, what is your expectation of how many photos you will get in return?  Ten?  Fifty?  A hundred?  Why?  Why do you have that expectation?

I love taking pictures and might give you one hundred pictures.  <smile> But in all honesty, it is all about the ONE photo for me.  When everything lines up just right and I can capture the moment completely… I love it.  My heart sings and I am happy if I get just one shot that says it all.  This last engagement shoot was amazing!  I had not only one “the ONE”, but two.

When processing the photos though, this one felt more like the “ONE”:

Many more awesome pictures to come!  But if these were the only two – it would be enough for me!

Friday’s Thoughts

I spend a LOT of time thinking about photography, looking at photographs, reading about photography and photographers.  I get so inspired by the great stuff out there and wonder about the process, wonder how long it took for that photographer to get so good, wonder what their journey looked like.  In all of my pondering, one of my favorite things to fall back on is the blog post I read by Nick Onken talking about “The 10,000 Rule” (from Malcolm Gladwell’s book).

It reminds me that life is a process, that art is a process, that it doesn’t happen over night.  We know these things in our head, but when the rubber meets the road, how do we live?  Are we out there 10 hours a day EVERYDAY shooting hoops in order to make it to the NBA?  Or do we shoot hoops once a week for about an hour, but wish we could play in the NBA?

Happy Friday.

May and Mother’s Day

May is upon us!  Did you know that Mother’s Day is on the 9th?  Just about a week away!  What are you going to do to honor your mom?  Have you come up with a plan yet?  More importantly do you like your plan?  Take some time this month to really think about what your mom would like and then spend some time making that happen.  (And if you need a photo session or a gift certificate, just give me a call!!!  714 dash 270  -  7215)

In the past my brother and I would often get photos of ourselves taken as a gift for my mom since that is something she would treasure.  Trinkets, gift certificates, a nice meal out are not things that are on her top ten list of things she would like from us. She is all about family time and seeing our faces.

And since it is the first of the month here is another photo of this month’s cute calendar that my sister-in-law made for me.

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My mom is an avid quilter and most, if not all, of the quilts she makes go to wounded soldiers.  This is one of her recent quilts:

All of that to say, that my mom and I are going to go see this musical for mother’s day!  Check it out!

Friday’s Thoughts

A thought….when was the last time you had your family photo taken?  Do you even remember when the last time was?

This photo is from many, many years ago!  Two of the kids are married now and the twins are as tall as their mom.  But this photo represents a moment in time where the family was together, enjoying each other and enjoying the beauty of San Diego.  The 3,300 miles that normally separates this family didn’t that day.

Why is this important?  Why is this photo being pulled from the file?  In memory. Grandma Saundra passed away unexpectedly this last week and the family (my dear, dear friends) asked me for any pictures I had.

Take time to love those around you.  Take time to build memories.  Take time to take photos.

Friday’s Thoughts

So how many of you know what yesterday was?  Besides the fact that it was Thursday.  Did you do anything different yesterday, were you made more aware of a certain issue, did you walk away from yesterday making a change?  No?  But yesterday was “Earth Day”.  Now, I’m not big into things like that, nor am I a tree hugger.  However, I can certainly appreciate the fact we are called to be stewards of this earth that we live on and if it takes “Earth Day” to cause some people to be more mindful, then so be it.

Did you know that there is an island of plastic floating between California and Hawaii that is twice the size of Texas called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch“?   And plastic is not water-soluble; it’s not biodegradable.  It’s not going anywhere! In fact, each year we add about 20 billion pounds to it.  This is only one issue out of the many, but this is one that I can do something about.

What can I do?  I can inconvenience myself a little bit by taking reusable bags to the store when I go.  every. time.  Not just once a month when I remember.  It is worth it for the future generations.  It is worth it for the environment.  And since I have posted it here for all to read and hold me accountable, I will take my reusable bags to the store.  every. time.

p.s. I should probably stop buying plastic water bottles!  But at least I do recycle them.  Hmmm…  One thing at a time!

******edited to add****

WOW!  A day after I posted this I met with a client to deliver her photos and she surprised me greatly by giving me a stainless steel water bottle!!!  You are the best Leelee!  Thanks much!

Also…when I went grocery shopping I discovered that I did not bring any bags with me, therefore I bought two new ones and will be using them as promised!  (Thank you iphone for being SO easy to use for snapshots!)

Friday’s thoughts

Friday is not here yet, but my thought is and I feel like sharing it NOW!!!  Being present.  How often are you fully present?  Recently I have noticed that I am often only halfway present in a lot of situations.  Today at work (spring school pictures) I noticed myself (like I do everyday) checking my iphone every so often (obsessively…while waiting for my assistant to pose the child) to see if I received any new emails, text messages, phone calls, or checking facebook.  WHY???  Why don’t I just ignore the world for a few hours and enjoy being fully present where I am?

Not only at work am I not fully present, but at times when talking to people my mind can wander to other places far away from the present situation.  I know, I know, I’m not special; you do that too!  BUT, the point is, being present.  How hard is it to be fully present?  How healthy would it be to be fully present, immersed in what you are doing, loving it, thriving, making the most of it, investing, reaping, finding treasure that is below the surface…

I want to be there.  I want to be fully present.  It’s not the iphone’s fault, it’s not the internet’s fault, it is simply a fact that the culture has become ridiculously obsessed with speed and technology far beyond ten years ago when a cell phone was pretty advanced.  The beauty of it is that I have a choice!!!  I can choose to be fully present; I can choose to not worry about everything happening somewhere other than where I am; I can choose to calm myself, slow down and smell the roses.

Currently I am fully present.  I am sitting in a nice cushy chair in the library, near calm people, with the sounds of a water fountain being the only noise disturbing the silence.  I like it!

Be fully present!!! On a side note…when I do photo sessions, you’d better believe I am fully present!  I LOVE being 100% engaged and present, watching for that nano-second when everything lines up for that perfect shot like this one!  And this one: