Thursday, August 23, 2012

Addiction Confession...and Triumph!

So a select few out there know that I had a problem...an addiction...


I just couldn't be satisfied with what I had ~ I always wanted ("needed") more!


The smells...they way it all made me feel...when I was tired, or feeling down, I knew what would help me push through...


Yep, I had bottles everywhere.  My sister-in-law tried to help - she'd collect what was left over and get the remains out of the house.  I had my stashes though.  I was never without...........
bath and body works.


That's right folks, what you're looking at is only a tiny sampling.  New season?  I had the new line.  Stress-relieving scents?  I had all three.  A good name?  IE, "coconut lime verbena" - it just rolled off the tongue! And was SO summery!!  And who doesn't need one to help you sleep?!  Lavender Vanilla, YES PLEASE!! What can I say?  The BB&W store made me happy.  Its products made me happy.  

(I do, however, draw the line at shimmer products.  No.  Thank.  You.)

BUT...I do not, in fact, need 4 scents in my shower at once.  And their lotions, and their sprays (I never used the sprays, I have NO idea why I kept buying them!).   I'd start using a new favorite, then grow tired and pick a new favorite to suit my mood.  And then there'd be a new something-or-other delicious scent that I needed right then.  I don't know what happened specifically, or when I realized this was a ridiculous habit (maybe when Sister-in-Law moved overseas and I couldn't just give her my extras so I didn't feel so wasteful??), but I knew that I had to get things under control.  And it started with one bottle.  I had one left in my shower, and I FORCED myself to use every last drop.  This is my triumph.  



While I don't see one single thing wrong with finding a little something that makes your day just a little bit brighter, I personally didn't want to keep not fully using what I had!  I didn't want to waste!  I wanted to spend that money on photography stuff (well, at least save it to put toward photography stuff - I don't know if you know, but THAT'S one expensive habit!)!!


Thank you for letting me confess, and for letting me share my happiness in overcoming my little challenge :).  If you too, share a silly little addiction, I hope you are enjoying every second of it!!  If you're moving on, kudos to you!!

Sunday, August 5, 2012

The EYES have it!

Hi!  LONG time no write!

This post is short and sweet:  I've been working on two projects simultaneously - catching Leia with her eyes open, and catching Leia in photographs in general!  Leia is just way too busy exploring her world to pose for me, but we're working on that :).

Shar-peis can have eye problems, because the folds over their eyes can damage their eyes/vision.  Brutus had surgery before he came to us that prevents this.  Leia - so far - does not seem to have any problems.  Although Brute's and Leia's vision is just fine, those fun folds create dark shadows that hide their eyes in most of my pictures, and it drives me crazy!  I've been working on finding angles and light that will highlight those peepers.


Here's an example that drives me crazy: you can see She-Ra's eyes so nice and clearly, but not Brute's and Leia's!  Don't worry, I'm not losing any sleep - I love this picture - it's just something I want to work on improving!

 

If their eyes aren't shaded, they're often squinty!!



But that's ok, because I am persistent!!!!!

 





Whooohooo!!  Beautiful brown-eyed girl!

Sweet Brute!



She's so easy :).  Even though I have tons of her face, I couldn't post the others and not post her!



Aaaaaand the grand finale: I'd like to introduce you to Tut!  He's my neighbors' adorable super sweet fun rescue!!  For being new to my camera clicks, he did a GREAT job of posing!  Welcome to your forever family, Tut!!



Saturday, June 23, 2012

VICTORY

Hello everyone!  I have been on cloud-nine since June 12th, but I just needed a little while to process things all by myself...Hopefully this will be the last post you read about She-Ra's health for a VERY long time!!  As some of you know, I went off to visit my brother and his family in Germany (that post will come later).  Before I left, the vet team and I had a difficult decision to make:  find a way to get She-Ra to treatment (in the form of a GREAT neighbor OR Boyfriend treating her - yes, he knows how, but it was risky doing it at home for various reasons)  OR take a chance and pause the treatments.  We were all torn.  Because of her unique, mostly internal issues, it was difficult to say just how licked the fungus was.  It's true, there were no new lesions, but who knew if they were lurking just beneath the surface waiting for a break?!  And we did NOT come all this way only to have to back track!!  The other successful case had needed treatments for six months! On the other hand, we all knew there would come a day when we would just have to see how she did.  She had a full-strength immune system at this point, and she just really looked good...  After about two minutes of personal deliberation, I decided it was time to trust that God had taken us this far, He would be with us regardless of the outcome...........so we took the leap.  She would miss three treatments when I was gone, and then be evaluated the day after I returned.

I walked in to Nashville Vet Specialists that Tuesday afternoon - late, because I had stayed late at work to catch up - and was met with bunch of grins and "where have you been?!"s....I was standing at the counter waiting for the balance to pay...Ashley called the techs to find out the day's total...she yanked the phone away from her ear as someone yelled on the other end....Ashley grinned, turned to me and said, "There's no charge today!"  Excuse me?

Dr. O'Neill came through a door with She-Ra.  And then Jennifer came out a different door.  And then Dr. Wang, Meredith, and about 5 other people that I had yet to meet...."We'll see you in August," Dr. O'Neill said.  August?

So for the next 45 minutes or so, we all stood around talking about our miracle girl, sharing stories (they snuck She-Ra people food!!) and pictures (see below!) and "I can't believe it"s.  There was no one else in the waiting room, so tech after tech came out to say hello/goodbye and to love on She-Ra.  We were all grinning like goofy kids.  Dr. O'Neill is excited to share the case at a conference she'll be attending in July - the practice of administering drugs under the skin like we did is not common, but we sure want the world to know!

I have said the entire time how much I love and appreciate the staff at NVS for their attention and care toward She-Ra.  I was even more moved when they showed me all the pictures they had taken of She-Ra.  They took pictures for themselves, which proved to me how much they really want to remember her, which proved that they really truly did care!  I know it's silly - it's not like I think they were lying - it's just difficult to imagine others caring about your pet they way you do.  Jennifer is the tech who gave She-Ra her treatments each week, and she just sat on the floor snuggling her for a while.  She-Ra absolutely sensed the excitement, and bounced from tech/doc to tech/doc just eating up all the attention.  This is the main team that treated her, and I am SO IN LOVE WITH THIS PICTURE!!  {I added their names}

Dr. Wang - Internal Medicine: she's been with us from the start fighting the immune disorders, and constantly checking on She-Ra throughout.  Dr. Schmidt consulted, and covered for Drs. Wang and O'Neill when they were gone.  Meredith is Dr. Wang's tech, and is the very first person we met at NVS.  She visited with She-Ra each time she was there, even if She-Ra wasn't there to see Dr. Wang.  Dr. Stenross - Emergency Medicine: she also consulted and covered.  Ellie is another tech that's been with us from the beginning.  Dr. O'Neill - Dermatology: she's the one who decided to try a treatment plan that was mostly unknown, and who kept the faith the entire time.  Jennifer is Dr. O'Neill's tech, and probably spent the most time with She-Ra.  


This has been one crazy ride, but I am so grateful for all the love and support along the way.  Her first condition - the immune system fighting itself - could always come back.  But for today, we won, and that's what we focus on.  Our girl is happy and playful, and only has a few scars to show for all her fighting :).  They just make her look all the tougher :).




PS:  WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Chasing Cohen!

On this Mother's Day, I'd like to share some shots from a recent shot of a friend's insanely adorable 3 year-old.  Meet COHEN, but don't blink, because he'll be gone!  I was so excited to have a kiddo old enough to follow some direction - and he does - he just strikes the pose for approximately .7 seconds (that's "point 7"...did you catch that itty bitty decimal point?!).  If that.  So, we decided to just try and keep up!  We had a blast laughing at his funny faces, running around the park, and trying to catch that oh-so-charming smile.  Although I was terribly nervous about what images we caught, some of these are now my favorites!  So here's Cutie Cohen (my nickname for him) and his beautiful mother, K:  
Game On: Run, slam into Mom, get swung around...repeat.

How do I love this hat?!  Let me count the ways....


He's about to break free!!

Fave.  Fave.  Fave.  I can't tell you how much I love this picture!

Practicing for his pirate-themed birthday party!

Cutest little pirate I have ever seen!

Full slideshow HERE!!

HAPPY, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the mothers out there!!  You have the toughest job on the planet, and I whole-heartedly salute you!!!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

She-Ra, Princess of Perseverance!!

(Brief re-cap for those of you just joining in: my dog developed a freak immune disorder that required drugs that suppressed her immune system, and then a nasty fungus moved in with her compromised defenses.)

About a week after the high of my Jasmine Star shindig, we received the results from She-Ra's biopsies.  It was what the docs had feared, a nasty fungus had started trying to kill my girl.  We had no idea how widespread it was, how far advanced it was, if it was in her organs, or just in the two legs that had swollen up.  As my new derm doc best friend, Dr. O'Neill of Nashville Vet Specialists, told me: it doesn't matter how far the fungus has moved in, the treatment will be the same.  

The Treatment:
We are replicating a treatment plan of the only known success story of a dog surviving this combination of afflictions - a whippit in Australia in 2006.  The NORMAL course of action is amputation/excision of the affected area.  That is not possible in She-Ra's case because it's in two legs (that we know of), and because her immune system disorder has affected her clotting, she wouldn't survive surgery anyway.  So for us, we place a drug in fluids under her skin, and the medication is slowly absorbed into her system.  We do this twice a week - thank our Heavenly Father that I work in Nashville and that NVS lets me drop her off early in the morning so I can continue working my normal schedule!  The staff continue to amaze me in their generosity and affection toward She-Ra.

After 8 anti-fungal treatments, She-Ra received the go-ahead from the internist to start weaning off her final immune-suppressing drug (woohoo!).  We are hoping that with a full-strength immune system, she and the anti-fungal drug will start kicking some serious fungus tail.  The last two visits have been encouraging - it looks like we don't have any new lesions, which is very exciting!

I've been debating about addressing the question I am asked the most...isn't that EXPENSIVE?

Um.  Yes.

But I am what you might call....determined.  She has a chance to survive.  Dr. O'Neill is determined to have her survive.  Boyfriend and I are resolute that she will survive.  My 6 year old nephew speaks daily with God about helping her survive.  So as I told Boyfriend, I will find a way to make this happen.

And God has provided.

I have had more opportunities to take pictures and make extra money in varying ways than I ever have before.

BUT, it's truly not about the money.  I don't add up the current costs in my head, I don't count how much it will cost in the future.  We all have our own battles that we have to decide to fight.  Right now, this is mine.  It's about triumph.  Miracles.  Faith.  It's about fighting the odds and not backing down when things get tough. The chances of her survival were 50/50 with just the one immune disorder.  Even slimmer when the fungal infection moved in.  But even with those slim chances, A CHANCE DOES EXIST.  How could I not take every advantage to be the one in a million long shot hail Mary that makes everyone wonder how in the world we did it?!?!  To stare challenges in the face and declare that WE will win?!  I'm a fighter.  I'm not a quitter, or a fair-weather fan.  I like long shots, because I like coming out on the other side tougher and having done something few others have done.  These two freak and rare diseases trying to take my girl down don't stand a chance.

It's not about the money.  It's about not giving up.

Don't give up.



Friday, April 20, 2012

Time!

Wow!  Where have I been?!  I've updated this thing in my head a few times, so when I logged in the other day and saw my last post, I confess to being quite confused...where were my updates?!  Oh.  Right.  Still in my head.  Oops!

So Jasmine Star - the seminar I attended....WOW.  I loved how simple the whole thing was.  How great and down to earth everyone was.  How amazing and gracious Jasmine's husband (JD) IS.  How they ran down the street in Nashville in pajamas to take JD's birthday pictures because they were running out of time.  Jasmine and JD + me = hugged by both of them.  As a matter of fact, I think everyone in attendance was hugged by them.  Seriously, we were just a group of groupies sitting around Jasmine and soaking up her sincere, genuine, radiating, humble, generous self.  Here I am with one of the super fun fellow photogs that I met (Jessy of Daisy Daydreams Portraits and More) gushing at the fab Ms. Star...



Jessy and me agreeing that Jasmine TOTALLY needed to take cowboy boots and a hat back to Cali!


Here are some of my favorite quotes from the night:
~ I love Jesus!
~ Can I get an "amen"?!  (Who knew Californians said that??)
On Struggle:
~ Struggle is what brings us together.
~ As you change, you will struggle.  Change and struggle go hand in hand.
~ Sacrifice doesn't guarantee success, it is merely a pre-requisite of success. {This might be my fave}
And finally:
~ You are the leader of your own game.

There was such an amazing mix of attendees - some, like me, are at the beginning stages of figuring out what we're doing, and some are at the top of their games.  I only slightly felt out of place...at times...  :).  Overall, I had a fantastic experience just being surrounded by others who are obsessed with this hobby of photography.  Jasmine's pitch was about helping one another, making friends, and never giving up the dream...the positivity (it just fits!) was oozing from her and I am SO grateful that I had this opportunity!!

I'll post an update about She-Ra next!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

FOTP: Kindness

This will be a fairly short blog post, and there will be no pictures, as I am writing this on my lunch break at work!

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you might have read that today is quite a bittersweet day for me...tonight is the Jasmine Star photography business seminar that I have been SO excited about since I bought my ticket...I've been "meeting" other attendees through our group Facebook page, and can't wait to soak up all the photographical wisdom, experience, insight and love tonight!

However....

Yesterday I had to take She-Ra back to Dr. Wang at the Nashville Vet Specialists.  The infection in her front paw took over with a vengeance this weekend - by Sunday, her front leg was twice as large as the other, and quite warm. Monday morning I woke up, and found she had licked a hole in the leg.  You read that right.  Obviously, I was pretty upset.  She-Ra and I loaded up in the truck.  When I went to get the update from Dr. Wang after work, it was determined that She-Ra would stay over night and Dermatology would perform a biopsy (biopsies?) today with She-Ra under anesthesia.  They let me take her out for a walk and sit with her for a little, and then they took her back. 

Torture.

They will perform the biopsy after 3 today, which means that as I am supposed to be getting crazy excited about meeting a photographic rock star, I will also be wondering how in the world my girl is.  And I will be waiting and watching my phone for the call that will let me know she woke up from anesthesia, and just how bad (or not bad?!) the infection is.

FOTP??

I am choosing to focus on the KINDNESS that the employees at NVS have shown She-Ra.  When I dropped her off in the morning, the vet tech who has been with her from the start (Meredith) was there to greet us.  She-Ra perked up, and loved all over her.  Meredith, in kind, was loving all over She-Ra.  I love Meredith.  Dr. Wang always sits on the floor when she is talking with us, and again, She-Ra LOVES her.  And yes, I love Dr. Wang too.  Becca took her back last night, and said repeatedly how great a dog She-Ra is, and how beautiful she is.  (I just met Becca, but now I love her, because She-Ra IS great and beautiful!)  They let me know that I am free to call in the middle of the night to check on her if need be (or just because!), as they are staffed 24/7.  In this very scary time, I am comforted that She-Ra is comfortable with those caring for her, and so very grateful for them!

As my friend Kimberlee posted the other day - "every single person you see is struggling with something and to them it is just as hard as what you are going through" (Nicholas Sparks, Dear John).  I hope that you can find and focus on some positive aspect - however tiny - of whatever it is you are going through.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Crazy Dreams....

I really do have crazy dreams.  Boyfriend makes fun of them all the time, and I have no rebuttal, because I certainly have no idea where they come from!  In this case, however, I'm talking about a song.  I have recently started watching my DVRd episodes of Smash.  I'm undecided if I love it or not at this point, but on one episode, Megan Hilty's character sings "Crazy Dreams"...here are the lyrics:


Hello you long shots
You dark horse runners
Hairbrush singers, dashboard drummers
Hello you wild magnolias
Just waiting to bloom

There's a little bit of all that inside of me and you
Thank God even crazy dreams come true

I stood at the bottom of some walls I thought I couldn't climb
I felt like Cinderella at the ball just running out of time
So I know how it feels to be afraid
Think that it's all gonna slip away
Hold on, hold on

Here's to you free souls, you firefly chasers
Tree climbers, porch swingers, air guitar players
Here's to you fearless dancers, shaking walls in your bedrooms

There's a lot of wonder left inside of me and you
Thank God even crazy dreams come true

Never let a bad day be enough
To go and talk you in to giving up
Sometimes everybody feels like you
Oh, feels like you, just like you

Thank God even crazy dreams come true
Thank God even crazy dreams come true


Well, I couldn't help but feel that song speak to me.  Now I love music.  LOVE it.  It's playing in the background 99% of my day (either really playing, or playing in my mind!).  But there are a few songs that have absolutely smacked me in the face with their words and have either motivated me, or validated me, or just said exactly what I wanted to say.  Crazy Dreams has now been added to that list.  

Previous list-makers:  
~ 2003: Feels Like Today by Rascal Flatts (I was in a funk upon arriving at my first Army unit, and this song was my get-over-yourself-and-move-on song)
~ 2005: Great Light of the World by Bebo Norman (my entire Baghdad deployment: "Oh great Light of the World, fill up my soul...")
~ 2006: Evanescence's Fallen album.  I was in a partially dark place after Baghdad, and so many of her songs were too.  But they are also beautiful, and the disc was on repeat for a few weeks (plus, who doesn't love that part at the end of My Immortal when her soft voice leads to her band rocking out?!).
~ 2008: I Was Here by Lady Antebellum (one of the songs for the 2008 Olympics).  I can't play this loud enough.  I would provide all the lyrics, because I love them so much, but that's not what this blog post is about.  (Just the chorus, because now I have it on repeat as I'm typing:  "I wanna do somethin' that matters, say somethin' different, somethin' that sets the whole world on its ear.  I wanna do somethin' better with the time I've been given.  And I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life, and leave nothin' less, than somethin' that says, 'I was here'...and I know that I, I will do more than just pass through this life...")

Back to Crazy Dreams...well, I have this crazy dream of making photography a full-time gig.  Sometimes I feel like there are SO MANY of us out there with our digital cameras snapping away trying to take it to the next level, what makes me think I'm any different?  I'm moving slowly, but that's how I like it.  Ok, sometimes I wish things would move faster, but I like taking my time learning some of this new stuff.  So.  Much.  New.  Stuff.  Sometimes I wonder why I bother learning all this new stuff,  when I was perfectly happy with my pictures before!  Hmmm...perfectly happy?  Weeelllll......   Then why did I beg Boyfriend for PSE10 for Christmas when PSE7 was working just fine?  Why did I save for my new 50mm lens?  Why did I leap at the chance to nab Lightroom 3 on sale the other day?  Why am I absolutely chomping at the bit and counting down the hours until Jasmine Star's photog seminar in Nashville  (79 and 1/2 hrs at the time of this writing!)?  And why am I obsessively pouring over photog blogs for tips, support and inspiration?!  Well apparently I want this crazy dream.  WANT.  DESIRE.  LONG FOR.  I know it may take awhile.  I know I still have oh so very much to learn.  I know it won't happen tomorrow, or even next year.  But it will happen.  Day by day, lesson by lesson, and picture by picture.  And PS, I am TOTALLY also a hairbrush singer :).

Hello you long shots, You dark horse runners...Hairbrush singers, dashboard drummers...Hello you wild magnolias, Just waiting to bloom....

Friday, February 17, 2012

New Feature: FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE (FOTP)

As many of you know by now, my girl She-Ra {Princess of Power!} has developed an immune deficiency disorder.  While it is mostly under control thanks to medication, we discovered a new infection a few nights ago in one of her front paws.  Ordinarily, this would not be a big deal - and it still may not be - but for the moment we have to investigate if this is a sign of a bigger problem.  I called and left a message with a tech at the Nashville Vet Specialists, asking for our Dr. Wang to call me at work to let me know if I needed to bring She-Ra in.  NVS had taken in some of the dogs rescued in Operation Sweethearts, so I didn't want to pester the vet unnecessarily.  At the end of my work day, I still had not heard anything, so I called back.  Turns out that Dr. Wang had indeed called. Now I RARELY leave my desk.  Apparently she literally called in the two minutes I was not at my desk to answer my phone, so a co-worker answered.  And said that there was no one in the office by that name.  Dr. Wang had asked for me using my boyfriend's last name.  Boyfriend and I have been together for 6 years, so when they call me Mrs. S at the vet, I don't think twice.  It happens all the time.  It never crossed my mind that calling me by his last name would make me miss a message.  It never crossed my mind that I wouldn't be at my desk to answer the phone!  So at that point, it was too late to drive all the way back home (1 hour) to pick She-Ra up, and then to drive her back in to see Dr. Wang (another hour).  Dr. Wang suggested I try to get She-Ra to my local vet.  Which closes at 5PM.  It was 3:45, I had an hour drive to the house, and then I had to get to the local vet.  Sheesh.  My extremely understanding boss let me bolt, and I hit the highway.  And hit traffic.  And got stuck behind a semi.  And I tried not to cry.

Are you wondering about my "focus on the positive" yet??

It was when I got stuck behind the semi that I tried to force myself to calm down and take a deep breath.  I do honestly believe that all things happen for a reason, so I repeated that outloud a few times, and then turned on the radio.  I switched it to WAY FM, a contemporary Christian radio station.  The band Red greated me with their song "Not Alone."  And at that point I smiled.  It's a song that has - no joke - been on each time I've had to drive She-Ra to/from the vet.  And here it was again.  A few minutes later the local vet called to let me know that they had a sister clinic that was open until 7PM, and that our local DVM happened to be there that night.  I'm not making this stuff up, folks. 

So there's my FOTP point for this entry: I am not alone.  You are not alone. 

For some people, this is a cop-out that Christians use when people are going through a rough time..."God is with you" sometimes just doesn't mean anything to a person in the midst of hurt.  I can only say that yesterday, it brought me back to a place where I was ok.  Where I was reminded that I am not, in fact, alone.  I have friends and family who have been supporting us along the way (a friend kept my other two dogs while I took She-Ra to the vet, so they didn't have to spend 18 hours alone), and I have a God who notices me sitting in traffic stressing about a dog....

....my beautiful dog, if I do say so myself :)



"I am with you.  I will carry you through it all...I won't leave you, I will catch you.  When you feel like letting go, you are not, you're not alone..."

~ God, via Red

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Cutest. Baby. Ever.

So baby Farryn was one of my first shoots of a non-family member.  She may possibly remain my favorite (non-family member) of all time.  She doesn't stop smiling.  She is BEAUTIFUL.  She is so loving, and she has some super cool parents who stay cool when I freak out about her moving close to the edge of the bed (how do parents DO IT?!).  Farryn's mom wanted some pictures to share with family who live on the other side of the country, as F is getting ready to turn 1, and she wanted some in a gorgeous vintage outfit sent by F's aunt.  As it was 23 degrees outside, we opted for some indoor shots.  As you'll notice, we couldn't help but get ALL the family members involved ;).


Quality mother/daughter time


Happy Girl!


 Showing those teeth!  I was trying to catch those ALL morning!


Isn't this dress gorgeous?!  Sent by her loving aunt!



Quite possibly my new favorite picture...I mean really...you can't fake that kind of enthusiasm!



This is where I started to freak out...slow down!!  There's a cliff at the end!!  (Mom and Dad just laughed at me, and as it turns out, Farryn did NOT take a dive) 




I am in love with the following pictures of Farryn with Delilah - one of the family's dogs (I couldn't quite catch the other until the end, in the family shot).  Soooo sweet!








Oh this gorgeous baby...

Let my dog out!

(Although there are a few pictures with Delilah out of reach, Farryn and Delilah actually spend a great deal of quality time together...I love dogs and their babies!)

And finally, one big family shot:
 Can you believe it?!  All looking in the same direction?!  This is such a great family, and I can't wait to take more of their pictures!!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Several weeks ago I was able to finish up some pictures I had taken of my friends T&D.  I figure today is an appropriate day to finally post the rest of their pictures, as they are happy in love, and happily awaiting the arrival of their first baby (a boy!).  I'll start off with a "before and after"....before they found out they were pregnant (they just wanted some pictures of their new pup!), and now while pregnant (look how big the puppy is!) - I knew I wanted to photograph a series like this as soon as I found out she was expecting!  Our next session will hopefully have some baby feet added!




Here are a few others of the family...








Isn't she just gorgeous??


As for my Valentine's Day, I came home to a super fun surprise from two of my neighbors (both neighbors were kind enough to think of me today - I have apparently failed at being a good neighbor!!): two cards pups (I think you know by now how much we love ours!), some chocolate and some homemade doggie treats!


I'm so lucky!!  


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Project 52 Week 6 ~ Linear

I'm going to join the ranks of the bloggers who say they're way behind.  Because I am.  Another weekend gone, with not enough time to write all I want to write, or show the pictures I'd like to show.  Really, I'm not sure if I'd be writing at all, if it weren't for the Project 52.  There's such an amazing community of photographers (not pro to pro) participating, and I don't want to miss a thing!  This week's themes were Linear and Topsy Turvey (chaos)...I thought chaos would be a piece of cake, since I feel like everything about me is in chaos right now!!  


(A beautiful chaos, but chaos nonetheless)


As it turns out, I just didn't have (find?) the time to capture my chaos, but I did take a picture of my amaryllis...remember the plant I was trying not to kill?  Well I haven't!!  I will not see a bloom this season, but I have leaves.  Bright, beautiful, tall and alive leaves.  I'm pretty excited :)




I will be making a concerted effort this week to share some more pictures that I have taken recently...yes, some more of the dogs, but some more baby bump pictures, and some of the most precious almost-one-year-old little girl!  Also, I've entered into the world of shooting RAW.  Not a big deal for the experienced, but a big deal for me!  Shooting in RAW allows the camera to capture ALL of the light data, and therefore allows for greater manipulation in processing/editing.  Add this to my first complete shoot in manual mode, and I'm feeling pretty good.  Well, I'm feeling pretty terrified, and overwhelmed, but excited and motivated...I need more time!  

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Project 52 and Some Great News...

This week's theme included putting ourselves (the photographer) in the picture - too often we hide behind our cameras!  I had been trying to think of how I'd like to pull that off, when I snapped this picture:



My oldest dog (4 years old, a female named She-Ra {Princess of Power}) has recently been diagnosed with a frightening condition called Evans Syndrome - the short explanation is that her immune system attacks its own red blood cells and platelets.  After two blood transfusions and a ton of ongoing medication, we received word yesterday that her red blood cell level had returned to normal (slightly better than!)!!  This was the picture I sent to my boyfriend to let him know the good news :).


So although this picture didn't really test my photographic skills, and "editing" was merely the push of the "Earlybird" filter in my Instagram app, it is a picture that holds a whole heck of a lot of happiness for me...

Saturday, January 28, 2012

A New Lens!

This past Thursday my new lens came in...it's a 50mm f/1.8.  I've read of so many photographers who have a similar lens, and how much they love it, and finally I couldn't take it anymore.

Now, first let me say, I love my zoom (75-300mm).  I use it all the time, because it lets me put some distance between the scary camera and nervous little kiddos, and I have so many options, near and far.  I feel less invasive in family space. Plus, I'm just plain comfortable with it.


That being said, I now know why others love a 50. I can take much closer shots with greater depth-of-field that help blur out the messy background - or create beautifully blended backdrops....and in not-so-ideal lighting conditions (I did that with my zoom, I just had to be so far away!).  And WOW are the pictures crisp.  Today has been the first day that I could really spend playing with the Nifty Fifty, and as you might expect, the dogs were my subjects.  Tomorrow I'm taking pictures of real people :).  Thank goodness they're my friends, because I need time to work with both lenses, to see if I will develop a new favorite!  So although I usually reserve the dog pictures for the Dog Page, they've been upgraded to the main page today...

Lighting in my house is terrible - this picture would not have been possible with my other lenses.

New favorite of this guy....



Again, an indoor shot that my other lenses just didn't allow enough light for...this is where they sit and wait for someone to come in the door :)






And this was my submission for Week 4 of Paint the Moon's Project 52...the theme was "unexpected perspective" and while plenty of people take pictures from above their dogs, I usually don't.  So today I teetered on a stool to get those shots of the dogs looking up, and here's my favorite of one of my girls: