New Year's Resolution: Revisited

As some of you know, I set some goals for myself at the beginning of the year. Since I've reached the deadline for one of those I thought I'd make myself accountable and give you an idea of how things are going so far this year.

1) I've been testing my lighting equipment. A lot. Trying different settings, one light vs. two. Lots of different backdrops. I think we're even going to make a wood floor (it's going to be awesome) in the coming months. I'm getting better at seeing the "bigger picture". I know what I want the picture to end up like. Sam sometimes looks at my SOOC (straight out of camera) pics and thinks "aggh. She totally messed that one up" but then after the PP (post-processing) they look awesome. It's all about having a vision. I'm also much better at Photoshop. My workflow is definitely more...streamlined. Cuts back on extra work. I like it.

2) My workshop date is August 8-10. I'm registered. It's seriously been the best thing ever. Remember the forum I'm addicted to? Wow. I can't even begin to explain how much I've learned about business, photography, lenses, working with clients, etc.

3) I had my first engagement shoot awhile back. I have a wedding booked for June (including engagements & bridals). Wahooo!! I'm hoping to pick up another couple of weddings to help pay for the new lens we're thinking we "need". :) Anyone interested?

4) Uhhh... still in progress. We are going to Seattle to interview with Amazon as well. We'll see how that goes.

5) We now read our scriptures (almost) every morning with breakfast. It's been so great.

6) I weighed in this morning at 179. So that would be 12lbs lost instead of 15. I'm close. I'm going for losing another 10 in the next three months. June 30th. Going for 169lbs. Oh baby.

Maternity Photoshoot

Isn't she gorgeous? I seriously wish I had looked like this at 9 months pregnant. :) I had so much fun with Marin today at the Provo Library. Her baby is due in about a week, so wish her luck!

Hats, Bows, & Headbands

I found these for a great deal the other week and asked my neighbors girl down to model them for me. She was amazing. Seriously restored my faith in 2 year olds. She smiled, posed, and was so much fun to work with! Anyway, the accessories are available if you are interested in using them for your session. (Make sure you check out more cute pictures with the hat (both blue & pink) in previous posts.)

10x20 Storyboards

I'm so excited to start offering these! It's a great way to display 2-4 of your favorite pictures in a unique & stylish fashion. You get to pick the pictures, I'll create you up an example, and then you can give me the okay. These are available in 10x20, 10x10, 12x12, or if you really love your pictures, 20x20. Prices start at $20. They come mounted ready to frame (you can add texture for $5 extra), you can stand them on a easel, or we'll drill holes in the corner for you to hang with ribbon. I just got mine from the lab and I love it! (My wall is almost finished, I'll be posting pictures soon. Hooray!)

Impossibly Real Photography

Bryan Niven is a local photographic artist who does some amazingly crazy stuff! Seriously. He has an artistic background (drawing, painting) and incorporates it into his photography like you would not believe. He takes pictures of each of the components of his end product, and then post-production combines them all together for these one-of-a-kind family portraits. This guy has more artistic talent in his pinky that I will probably ever have in my whole body. Oh, and he teaches community education classes at UVSC.

Hale Center Theater: "She Loves Me"

Sam & I had a date last night to the Hale Center Theater in Orem to see the play "She Loves Me." I was little hesitant as the last one we saw was just okay, and did we really want to get a babysitter and go out on a Tuesday night? Yes. Yes we did. This play was awesome! All of the characters were cast phenomenally, the music was upbeat and entertaining, the storyline cute and believable, and FUNNY. We laughed so much! Georg Nowak (played by Greg Hansen) and Amalia Balash (Cindy Winkel) work at Maraczek's Parfumerie and hate each other from the moment they met. Little do they know that their secret "Dear Friend" penpals are each other! Very much a "You've Got Mail" storyline. The play only runs through April 5th, so if you have a spare evening between now and then, I would highly recommend it. You can get more information on their website.

New Logo

I got a new awesome logo designed by Tiffany Hix. She's just starting out and is offering super discounts for the month of March, so if you are in need of a logo, head on over. She was great to work with and I love what she did! She's also an awesome photographer in the Boise, ID area if you know of someone in need.

Little L

This boy is so yummy, I really could just eat him! I invited a friend over today to help me try some props (the hat & tie) and to give me some practice with my lights. I'm really trying to get consistent, so sorry for more pictures of the same. I can't wait for the weather to get nice and go outside to shoot!

And...what's a photo shoot without some of mine? I do have a good reason for all the pictures though. We're putting together a wall display (on our living room wall, obviously) so I'm trying to get a good amount to choose from. I'll post pictures when we're done, I'm so excited!

I found this WAY cute hat at the mall yesterday. Don't you love it?

Price Increase

Just wanted to let you all know that I will be raising my session fee pricing on Monday 3/24. If you want the current pricing, ya gotta book it before then. Thanks!

Playing Around Part IV

That seems to be all I do these days, huh? Ha! I love it though. I wanted to use the basket some more, and then after Rachel woke up from her nap she wanted to play too. Ahhhh... I love them.