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Falling Behind for All the Right Reasons
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S he called me yesterday. At the peak of my productivity time, I sat at my desk and a tried figuring out the best way to scratch things off my list. I feverishly edited, emailed, and sang. Because singing increases productivity levels. Oh, yes it does. When my phone rang, I answered it and chatted with my sweet mom. She mentioned she was on my side of town and planned on lunching by herself. Which, in my mother's language, means Will you please join me?
I stumbled for words. Uhhh, work, a wedding edit, uhhh, email. Then I jerked my head straight. No way. No flippin' way. There was no way I was going to turn her down. For years I wanted a job that gave me the flexibility to meet my mom for lunch. For the years she was in the hospital with brain cancer, I hated myself for not taking her out more often. And now that I was given the chance, I was just going to squander it for what? Email? An edit? No flippin' way.
We met at a cafe in Costa Mesa and when it was time to leave, I kissed her 14 times on her cheeks. Left, right, left, right, left.... It's just something I do. After a long hug, she started to cry. She looked at me with tired eyes and said, It's in these moments I feel alive.
Oh, mama, thanks for reminding me that life is best felt when you're alive, in each moment. |
| JD took this picture of one of my mom's favorite flowers on our trip to Puerto Rico with my family. It sits on my desktop as a reminder to live life. Fully. I'll be blogging last weekend's wedding tomorrow, as well as a few fun shoots soon! :) |
    
Y ou mean to tell me you packed six pairs of shoes and NONE of them are closed toe or flat?! We stood in a small storage closet in the Clift Hotel in San Francisco and I wore a face of sheer exhaustion. It was raining. My feet hurt. And we had a little time to kill before our return flight. I just finished my ReFrame presentation, and we planned to walk around one of our favorite cities in the world. But then the whole shoe thing got in the way. The bell man was waiting for us to grab a few things from our bags before locking the storage closet, but I couldn't bear the idea of walking in four-inch heels in the rain. Not even the four blocks it would take for us to get to the nearest department store.
JD quickly unzipped his bag and grabbed a pair of his shoes, gingerly passing them my way. I threw on a pair of jeans, grabbed my coat, and slipped on the oversized shoes. I didn't even care I looked like one of those fashion transgressors whose eyes are blacked out on the back of InStyle Magazine. And, oh, my coat? It had shoulder pads. SHOULDER PADS!! Internet, I was a mess, but my feet were happy. We darted out into the rain and explored the chilly streets together, shopping along the way. I was supposed to buy a pair of shoes, but--against all odds--I actually liked wearing JD's shoes. I was, literally, walking in his footprints. And it made me feel close to him.
We decided to grab a quick bite to eat at Osha Thai, and over steamy pad khee mao and yellow curry, we talked about life. And our future. Together. Once the bill arrived, I reach out and touched his hand...and thanked him for his shoes. Because, really, all I ever want to do in life is walk in his footprints. |
I kid you not, I felt like I was on a burning plane with no where to run. From the moment I started, I felt like I was off...kinda like comedian starting an HBO Special with a knock-knock joke, but worse. Way worse. As I the started presentation, I heard a cricket chirp somewhere in north Ohio...it was THAT silent in the room. A large group of videographers stared at me and it was then--yes, barely just THEN--that I realized my presentation was going to be difficult.
A few months ago, I was invited to speak at the ReFrame Collective Conference in San Francisco. These amazing conferences are for videographers and cinematographers from around the world to gather and learn from the best in their field. But therein lied the problem...I'm not in their field...the attendees had NO CLUE who I was. To them, I was just a girl who spoke too fast and laughed at her own proverbial knock-knock jokes. When it was time to take a 15-minute break, I peeled myself from the podium and limped to the back of the room where JD greeted me a huge smile. It's okay, he reassured me, you're doing fine.
After a few kind souls approached me during the break and offered encouragement, I approached the podium again with confidence. I apologized if they thought I sucked, but I was merely there to share my experiences with branding and building an online presence...and, truly, I only wanted what was best for their businesses. Then the tides turned. I literally felt the energy in the room morph into a warm, goopy mess of hope and desire...and the innate ability to know one's propensity for success. And for that, I am the luckiest girl. Evah.
Many thanks to the fabulous videographers I met yesterday and I wish you only the best as you follow your dreams and make your passion a reality.
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| I think this picture is pretty heinous, but I thought it was pretty fun to show I laugh at my own jokes...I'm so cool it hurts... |
I 've always known I have the distinct propensity to incorrectly pronounce a word. I've accepted it. Afterall, I have immigrant parents who commonly use the words like sangwich...frash light...banning suit. I can remember the first time I visited Palm Springs with my dad like it was yesterday. It was blazing hot, so he and I walked into a sundries store and he wanted a sparkling water. May I have a Perr-Ree-Err, please? Bewildered, the girl behind the counter had no idea what he was talking about. He asked for it again, but raised his voice as if she was hearing impaired, causing everyone in the store to look our way. She still wore a big question mark over her head. When he pointed to a small green bottle, I jumped in and saved my ego from further embarrassment. Perrier...my dad wants a PAIR-E-AYE. We walked out of the store and my father laughed until tears rolled down his face. Through his cackling, he turned to me and said, It has an R at the end!?!
A couple months ago, I chatted with a girl who simply couldn't bear with my lazy tongue. I referred to a mustache as Mus-Tash, and she blinked a few times in discomfort. She went on with her story, but when she got to the part when she used the word mustache, she stared intently at me and said Moo-Stahhhsh. Just like that. With raised eyebrows and everything. I stopped her mid-story and told her my lineage would be darn proud of my pronunciation because I have the distinct propensity to look at the word mustache and pronounce it MUST-ACHE |
| This photo is from last Saturday's wedding in Arizona and it's just a small peek into all the fun we had! We hopped into the photobooth and made our mustaches proud! JD and I are in San Francisco now, as I'm speaking at the Reframe Collective today. I woke up way too early from nerves, but I'm hoping to use the extra time to practice and ensure I can correctly pronounce all my words. |
T he last time JD was in Scottsdale, Arizona, he was there for a start-up company he worked for when we first got married. He traveled extensively and his absence made life feel extra lonely, but he continued to work for the company because he believed it held the keys for a bright future for us. He'd come home and recount stories of new restaurants or a cool deli he visited on his business trips and he promised to take me back one day. I politely smiled, but hoped we wouldn't be going back for someone else's company. I wanted us to go on our own, to be free from outside expectations and demands.
Today, I'm writing from our hotel room in Scottsdale happy to report the food has been just as good as JD recounted!
As we drove up the 51 Freeway, I turned to JD and asked, Can you BELIEVE we are here?! Together?! We're incredibly stoked to be shooting a wedding tomorrow, and I am honored to share in such a special day with the bride and groom. Until then, however, JD and I plan on living life...free from outside expectations and demands.
I worked on a FAQ post on the plane ride, so I hope it helps at least one person. Like usual, I don't think I'm right, cool, smart, or some type of sage...I'm simply answering questions the best I can and I hope they help! A few of the questions were emailed from readers, and others were pulled from my Facebook page...
Julie asked:
Thanks for your recent post on shooting group formal photos at weddings! I'm curious what f/stop you use. Do you shoot group formals wide open with apertures like 1.8?
It's funny because I received this question a lot after I blogged that post. While I love shooting wide open, I definitely do not shoot this way when shooting group formals. I don't have a hard and fast rule, but I usually keep my aperture somewhere between f/4.0-5.6 (depending on how many people there are, and their formation) for bridal party pictures, and I keep the center focus on the bride
Wilamena asked:
I have a hard time coming up with things to blog about. You blog everyday without missing a beat and I can't help but wonder how you do it. Do you have any tips on making my blog a little more personal, especially if I don't have too many shoots to blog about?
Oh, Wilamena, welcome to the club! I struggle coming up with fresh content quite often, but I come to believe the blog is an integral part of who I am, and my business. My best piece of advice is not to think too much about what to write, think more about how to write it. Writing a story about a recent trip to the grocery market sounds mundane, but if you care about what you're writing, readers will care too. I also have bi-weekly topics (like Kisses&Disses and FAQs) that make blogging a little more manageable. Furthermore, use your blog to share with others who you are. Do you like the QVC channel? Love cleaning your bathroom tiles with a toothbrush? Have a pet rock collection? Use your blog to showcase different components of your life to further define your character. Trust me...if you write, people will read.
Sarah asked:
Last weekend I shot a wedding and it went well except for family pictures. There was no where to shoot the groups and I felt stuck. Do you ever struggle with this and how did you handle it?
Yes and yes. I can think of two weddings rather recently when I had to make the tough choice of moving large groups of people because of harsh light/mediocre background. In both situations, the light was way too strong (once sidelit, the other backlit), and I struggled with what to do. It's often difficult to make a decision and move a large group of people, but I definitely think it's in everyone's best interest. Most brides think it's of utmost importance to have formal photos at the ceremony site (under an archway, or at the end of the aisle) and while I don't mind this, I will kindly offer another option and explain the light would be better elsewhere. Yes, this is tough to do...but my brides hire me because I'm a professional and they trust my opinion.
In both aforementioned instances, I wanted to melt when I explained to the bride that the traditional photo location wouldn't work, but both brides were so supportive and I'm happy with the final results. And if I'm happy, I've come to believe my brides will be too! :)
Faraz asked:
When framing, how much space should I leave along the borders of my frame so that I can crop the photo for different print sizes and still be safe?
You know, I have to admit your question make me think long and hard about how I shoot. Then I got a little worried because I don't think in aspect ratios, I think in moments. I love shooting on the fly, so if a client orders a print later and a portion of the photo is cropped, I've learned to live with it because the aura/essence/moment can still be felt. Freeing yourself from thinking of how the photo will be ordered will allow you creative freedom and I think your clients will love the photo any way they order it.
Mike asked:
How much time do u spend on your images?
This is an interesting question because I don't spend too much time on my images in Photoshop. I definitely stay away from over-processed, action influenced images, so I use Photoshop as a tool to refine my style, not define my style...if that makes sense. Every picture is different, but I don't usually spend more than a couple minutes on an image. I know there are some photographers who roll their eyes and despise my approach, but every artist is different and I prefer to shoot images really close to how I want them straight out of camera. If you're working with a picture you already like, Photoshop should be used to make it better. There's commonly held beliefs that photographers can 'fix' an image later in Photoshop, but I'd kindly disagree with that approach and encourage newbies to hone their skills as photographers, not Photoshop artists.
Having said that, if you'd like to read more about what Photoshop actions I use, you can click HERE and HERE for detailed posts relating to this.
Happy Friday! |
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