State of the Blog Address Tue. November 10, 2009 people
Isn't it easy to get wrapped up in your life? This year, I'll admit, between being engaged and married, moving, and a bunch of other pretty life-changing stuff, I did not prioritize posting on this blog, even though blogging is one of my favorite things to do! I've been thinking a lot about where to go from here with my blogging, and in doing so, think it is time to shake it up a little bit.
I was reading this one blog yesterday, a blog I read fairly frequently called Becoming Sarah. I don't know Sarah and have never met her--I know about her blog because she leaves comments here once in awhile, and when I read comments I often click on the commenters' website to see who they are. I do this often, so if you have ever left a comment here, chances are I've been to your site as well.
Anyway, when I went to Sarah's site that first time, I was absolutely struck by how honestly she wrote about herself, her life, and just everyday things that were happening to her. She wasn't vulgar but she threw out a cuss word every now and again. She wasn't depressed, but she wasn't afraid to tell people that things weren't perfect every day. She says boobies and has talked about her breast feeding more times than I can count, and although I'm not in that place in my life, I love reading about her journey! I could not believe that she was so willing to share who she was with the internet that way because THEY MIGHT JUDGE HER!! And if they did, she would be forced to run to the bathroom and eat her lunch in the stall by herself, which would be the ultimate humiliation. How can she possibly post about her real self like that knowing that this will be the consequence?!
I love reading Sarah's blog and I feel the same way about Dooce who actually lost her job because of her blog and writes heartbreakingly beautiful letters to her daughters monthly. And when I read the blog of MckMama I am sitting with her in a hospital waiting room, waiting to hear the news about her son Stellan.
I want people to be able to come here and travel this journey with me, and while that might mean more critique, I say to you nasty, cave dwelling, internet hacking smiters, BRING IT! I have the power to delete you at my will and I will exercise that right to the fullest extent possible. It is the only exercise I might do that day, so I appreciate it . :)
And because posts with no photos are boring, here are a couple of shots from Braedon & Lindsay'smaternity shoot earlier this year which was so amazing and yet not blogged:
It seems to be the contest time of year! The folks over at Totally Rad Actions are having their first MEGA CONTEST and are giving away some big prizes! I actually really want to win, so I'll be entering myself.
Also, if you've been waiting to buy the actions they are having a BIG sale right now! The TRA Set 1 is $25 off, the TRA Set 2 is $30 off, and the TRA Combo is $60 off!!! I use one of these actions on EVERY photo, so go grab that combo pack now because they'll probably never be that cheap again. Just click the banner below to get to the site:
We want to see your raddest images. Your eye-popping, jaw-dropping photo magic. That kind of stuff. We want to see before and after shots that show off the Totally Rad Actions. Show us how you’ve transformed your photos, and tell us how you did it. All genres and styles of photography are welcome and encouraged.
Your Name
Your Location (city, state, country)
The recipe for your image (what actions you used, in what order, and at what strength, along with any other special stuff you did to the image)
Two versions of the image - one straight out of camera, and the final version. Please resize them down to 1000px on the wide end. JPGs only.
By entering our contest, you agree to allow us to use your submitted images and your recipe, along with a photo credit, for promotional purposes on our website and in printed literature.
Our TRA Recipe contest through April 5, 2009, and we have some awesome prizes for the best images submitted, including:
The Dream Package from Into The Darkroom. The first place winner will get a new template website, blog template, AND slideshow program from Into The Darkroom. Their blogs and designs are absolutely SICK. This is actually the reason I want to win--I have a new project that could use a new blog and site!!
One Year in the Wedding Chicks online directory, and one month on the site’s front page. Wedding Chicks is a bridal blog that connects stylish brides with elite wedding vendors. This prize’s value is approximately $300.
So go buy the actions by clicking the banner below! I'm sick of all of you who email me asking if you should "really" buy them. Yes, buy them.
And because posts are boring without photos, here's a little photo for you from Chenin Boutwell's maternity shoot! If you think her belly is cute, you should see her baby.
My recipe:
Yin/Yang: Yin @ 100% on the right hand side
Lux Hard @ 58%
Warm it up Kris @ 100%
Katie & John's Maternity Fri. September 26, 2008 people
Can I take a mulligan on the blogging every day? Or just a fresh start, turn over a new leaf, blah blah? How about this, let's just be realistic and say I try to step it up to blog at least 4-5 times per week. Every now and then there's a post that I WANT to leave up for more than just a day!
Like perhaps this one, Katie & John's maternity shoot! Katie and John made an incredibly smart decision a few years ago, not only to marry each other, but to hire the incomparable Mike Colon as their wedding photographer. I happened to second shoot for Mike that day, and I have to say, their wedding tops my list of best weddings ever. One of these days, I'll dig out their original blog post which was lost in the great blog crash of '06--it really was incredible.
As things go, I ended up shooting the wedding of John's niece, so I reconnected with this awesome couple then. Not long afterwards, they found out they were pregnant, and asked me to shoot a maternity session for them to capture their joy and excitement of this time in their lives! I've also spent quite a bit of time with John, as he is my realtor and broker. He's SO hard-working, if you are looking to buy a house in the OC, you really should give him a call.
In any case, check out some photos from their shoot!
**THERE IS SOME MILD NUDITY IN THIS POST. IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THAT, PLEASE DO NOT SCROLL DOWN. EVERYTHING IS COVERED UP, BUT IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THAT, CONSIDER YOURSELF WARNED :)**
By the way, CONGRATULATIONS are in order! Katie and John now have a baby son, named JJ, who you'll all get to see in the next week or so :)
I know I've done this before, but it's fun, isn't it?
Look at this beautiful mom-to-be!
I loved the whole mood and feeling of this shoot. Great outfits, great locations...really, it was hard to miss:
Katie and John do have a country streak, and it looks like JJ will be inheriting that too!
I could have shot Katie all day:
Isn't this location cool?
fun color!
I feel so lucky to live in such a beautiful place:
bringing sexy back. seriously, is there any chance that the baby of this couple isn't going to be gorgeous??
Katie was willing to go the extra mile, and I think she looks AMAZING. Katie, thanks for letting me shoot and post these! I hope it encourages more women to embrace their pregnant bodies and see how gorgeous they are:
John didn't want Katie to feel left out :)
John is SO cute with the belly:
You can just see how excited they both are for this baby. What a lucky baby!
So who do you think the baby will look like? Let's take a vote!
Congratulations John & Katie! It's my absolute honor to know and work with you both! Can't wait to meet JJ!
Absolutely Hilarious! Mon. September 15, 2008 my life
Since tonight I am working on several LONG blog posts (two maternity sessions, a wedding, an engagement, a kid shoot, and several others), here's a little political humor to brighten up your day/night! I thoroughly enjoyed Tina Fey's caricature myself! It's all in good fun everyone :)
*for those who don't know, this was the Saturday Night Live Skit featuring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton*
Maternity sneak peek Sat. September 13, 2008 people
I shot an INCREDIBLE maternity session today! I'll be doing a long post on these in the next week or two, but for now, here's one of my faves from our shoot:
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