Carmen & Ross

Some of my favorite shots from this afternoon’s engagement portrait session with Carmen & Ross at Hidden Lake Gardens…

Visit my Flickr site to see a couple more, or to see the ones here in a larger size.

 

Pale flickering glow

I have learned a lot about myself in the past week or so.
Some great things, some disappointing things.
Overall, I like myself, and I like the way I see life. I need to apply my beliefs more often, as I’ve been a very passive and tolerant person all these years. (All 23 of them).

I guess I’m out of words, don’t really know how to expand on that subject.

Some photos from today (it was hard to get any good ones with harsh afternoon sunlight beating down on us)

Tiegan had a blast at the parade. She tells everyone she saw THREE (!!!) fire trucks, and a doggy driving a car with its feet (I don’t know where she got this one). She has been quite the little story teller lately.

I’m all out of words for the night – exhausted and sunburned. Sleep well, world.

 

Vanity.

I am trying to be less shy about my wardrobe choices. I am one that loves a little color in her life. I tend to be a little mis-matchy, but in a fun way. There’s a fine line between “what the hell was she thinking” and “that’s funky and different”.

Today my garb is a little red bubble dress mom got me for Mother’s Day, but it shrunk a little in the wash so unless I want to be showing off my undies everytime I reach for the sky, I’ve chosen some black leggings for underneath. No mis-matching today, but I feel bold and daring. The sleeves are a little poofy, and that’s OK.

My hair is boring again. I need to touch up my roots first of all, but I feel like there’s something missing. Maybe some ashy lowlights are what I’ve been needing. Trying to grow it out, but once again it’s longer in back than in front. It’s taking every ounce of willpower I have not to go and have the back trimmed up. It will be past my shoulders in no time if I just LEAVE IT ALONE. For now, styling tips for awkward-length hair would be great.

Enough vanity for today.

We are going to the Rose Parade this afternoon. It will just be me, my mom, and Tiegan. Sunny skies and 75 today. Expect to see photos later today.
Time to finish coffee and soak in some music.

 

Uphill.

I’m writing this on the fly, but I just had to update for once.

It’s actually a good day today.

I booked a wedding and engagement session today! The wedding is in August, and the engagement session will be very soon, so be watching for photos. I’m very excited about the location of the photo shoots. I don’t really have much in my portfolio that is truly indicative of my style, but this will be perfect.

Not to mention the weather is stunning, and the forecast is only getting better. I might just get a tan yet. (HA)

I’m leaving in a few to work on a music collaboration project. Don’t know really how to describe it, so I guess I’ll just say to keep checking in for updates on that front. It’s been a long time since I’ve sang (sung?) just for music’s sake. (Although it’s not a bad idea to get back into singing weddings & funerals, things like that… could make some good cash on the side.)

Anyway, I better head out. I’m trying to chin up for better days ahead.

 

23 on the 23rd

Life is a little bit crazy right now. Not that I’m exceptionally busy, I’m just not quite sure where to go from here. My laptop is slow, ssllooww, ssslllooowww. It’s on its last leg, and it’s all I’ve got at home. The phone &  internet at the studio are turned off for a while until I can catch up on the bill. I am getting way less business than anticipated, and am even contemplating getting an evening job.

As clumsy as I am, I’d be horrible at waitressing or tending bar. So, maybe I can clean houses on weekends. I’m good at that.

So with the studio being “out of touch”, and my crappy laptop being my only connection with the world, I’m having a hard time keeping up. Especially with work and clients. Checking my Aria Designs email on the laptop is a big pain – it keeps timing out and I’m just praying no important messages or potential clients fall through the cracks. I even updated my website, replacing my studio number with my cell number. But my cell isn’t perfect either. I’m not sure if it’s the phone itself (the freebie that comes with the plan, of course) or the service (T-Mobile), but when I check my voicemail I have several new messages that I was never alerted to, and the phone never rang. Makes me wonder exactly what I’m missing!

So, my 23rd birthday is tomorrow. I’ll be hanging out with Tiegan all day, while Jason works a 12 hour shift. he works some looong hours at this job. A few days ago, I checked the weather forecast for Friday hoping for sunny skies so we could at least play outside. Weather.com predicted just that – and 80 degrees too! Score. Well, I just checked again, and we’re down to 65 and partly cloudy. Yesterday it was 45.

Global warming huh? It’s MAY, people!!

I have been waiting for the mall to open up so I can order some prints at Ritz, so I better run. Later!

 

Lit up like the 4th of July

Should be cleaning the studio, but my mind needs to take a little break. Is it weird that I’m actually kind of enjoying this dreary weather?

I have SO been looking forward to the hot, sunny summer that it seems a little odd that I’m enjoying the darkness & rain. We finally got a swing set for the backyard (thanks to the grandparents on Jason’s side). It was actually an easter present for Tiegan but it hasn’t been nice enough to erect it until recently. Tiegan LOVES it. She has her warm-weather routine pretty much down:
Wake up, have breakfast, play outside for a few hours, nap for 2 hours, have lunch, play outside some more, have dinner, bath, then go to bed. We’ll be even happier when it’s warm enough to fill the kiddie pool – or better – visit grandma Sheli* on the lake or grandma Fifi’s** pool.

* Jason’s mom
** My mom

So anyway, about enjoying the rain. I don’t know why. I suppose it’s because I’m not so drawn to running outside and soaking up the sun. I would rather actually stay in the studio and get my work done. Maybe that’s it.

Some cute photos from the past 2 days… (click to see larger)

[softball game yesterday - we won 7-8]

["Daddy there's a bug in my eye!"]

[My handsome hubby driving his handsome Firebird]

[Hollywood enjoying her new swingset]

And that’s all from me this afternoon. One love.

 

Dragon Lady.

We’ve been talking about moving to Phoenix for Jason’s band, and of course I’ve been reluctant. Who will care for Tiegan while I try to run the photography business? Will we be able to afford a place that’s not in the ghetto, with an extra room to set up a studio at home, or will I have to rent space in the city? Will Jason be able to find a job to help pay the bills until the band is more financially successful? Will we be staying long enough for Tiegan to start school there? Will we be able to afford plane tickets to visit home? Will I miss my family and put stress on our marriage because of it?

And then there are times when I want to throw my hands up an say “let’s go right now.”

This is one of those times.

I am learning just how hard the 1st year of business can be; and the difficulty is of course multiplied because of our location and the economy here. And chicken-shit me, wants to run away from it all. I just get so screwed over sometimes. I really feel like a jackass. People come to me or call me or e-mail me, saying they want all these photos done, and they have a big project for me. I plan on all of this, and I help someone out immensely, and nothing ever comes of it. OR, they go behind my back (without even saying “no thanks”) and turn toward someone else to do the job.

I just want to be around people that have some integrity. Their feet actually follow their mouths and they respect what other people have done for them. Or at least give a nod when someone has turned over backwards for them.

Being nice here has only gotten me behind on studio rent. I refuse to start being mean just to make money. I know it’s not necessary. You just have to be in the right place to be able to be nice AND run a business at the same time. Is there such a place?

 

Prints

Tiegan spent the night at her grandma’s house last night, so Jason was nice enough to accompany me to some spots around Jackson where I’ve been wanting to take night photos. Of course I’m a scaredy-cat and there’s no way I was going to some of these places alone (for instance… Detroit & Mechanic Streets at 11pm). I’m really happy with the way some of these turned out, so I put them up for sale. See?

So, that’s that. If anyone reading is feeling especially charitable, you might buy one of my prints to adorn your wall.

 

Sisters

Some of the photos Dad helped us get the other day…

The group shot is hilarious; it was even funnier in real life because Tiegan was shouting “I don’t WANT to smile, I want to go SWING!” and Clark was fussing and burying his head in Laura’s chest. All the while, Laura and I were singing “cha cha cha” and bouncing like idiots trying to get these kids to laugh. It’s amazing how foolish you’ll act for your children. Hahahaha. Good memories. That’s what I love about photos. They bring you back to a certain moment every time you look at them.

 

Breaking Ball

What a gorgeous day. Once again, weather.com was completely wrong. I checked yesterday, and the forecast for today was stormy from noon to 6pm. I was somewhat looking forward to the storm and staying inside all day, but I was also a little disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to drive around with the T-tops off. My sister and I got the kiddos together yesterday to take some photos for Mother’s Day. Dad helped us out and got a few cute shots, although Clark and Tiegan were ready for their naps by the end and we didn’t get any good ones of all 4 of us. Oh, but we did get some funny outtakes. I’ll have to come up with a cute craft that includes all the “bad” shots in a collage. After all, that’s real life.

I looooove Jason’s car. One of my favorite things to do as a family is go on road trips (the farthest we usually go is either South Haven or Detroit). And that car is perfect for short trips that don’t require lots of baggage. Tiegan isn’t usually too fond of the wind in her hair, but she’ll get used to it. She better; any offspring of mine better appreciate the fine art of a car ride.

Jason has a softball game tonight @ Ella Sharp. I hope Tiegan behaves. She can be a handful to chase after sometimes — it would be nice if she could sit with me the entire time and just enjoy the game. I, for one, actually go to the games to watch the action… not to cheer for the hottest guy on the team.

I take that back. I cheer for the hottest guy on the team anyway, cause it’s my husband.