Life is once, forever.

Bi-Monthly update? + Halloween

2011-11-26T16:29:00.001-08:00

I really need to get used to updating this more often, I imagine once it becomes a habit that it's easier but I've never been an avid blogger or blog reader, but it's something I've been thinking more about lately. I'm still looking at other blogs and reading them to figure out what I like and what I don't.

But, time for a real update. I've been editing a lot lately, at least once or twice a week and I should be doing more now that the end of the semester is coming up in school. I'll be laid off from Lifetouch in the next two or three weeks and I'm already down to part time.

I was a second shooter at my first wedding a week ago! It was fun and I was excited. I have a lot to work on, but that makes me happy because learning new things and pushing myself is one of the best parts of photography...it's nice to have something to give me a push to get started, that's always the hard part for me.

I really need to get a new camera. I have my heart set on a 5dMkII(who doesn't?), but I've had some major financial setbacks! I have really bad car luck. Our Saturn threw a rod and the engine was totaled on my way to work about a month ago. Then last week someone rear ended me while I was at a stoplight in my other car. Still drivable but none the less frustrating. I'll get my camera eventually...and when I do, watch out!

Other than that things have been going well. I love living in Austin. I've started up a girls night with some friends, and we've decided we were going to make costumes for Halloween and for a post apocalyptic tea & croquette party at the beginning of November.

We worked our butts off for some alternative takes on classic Disney villains!

Unfortunately, I put the wrong battery in my camera it died after about two pictures! But I got the one below of my friends' awesome costumes!

While the other stuff was all thrifted, I did make the skirt below. My first sewing project. It wasn't quite finished at the time, and the wind wanted to blow it everywhere, but over all it was a hit.

Give me a break...

2011-09-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

So, I'm back to work taking yearbook photos. And...third week in I already got another cold. I don't want to say I have a weak immune system...I'd rather say that's what happens when 2000 or so kids hand you things all week long.

Anyway, I'm more excited about working with Lindsey...hopefully I can find more time soon. I'm really trying to get down to 4 days a week on the day job. I haven't really taken many pictures lately, but I am going to start up a photo project I believe...try to take one at least once a week. Here's the first, as I recover from working a 13 hour day and having a cold. Couldn't gather up the energy to get out of the house, but that shouldn't excuse me from taking pictures.

It's been awhile, so time for an update!

2011-08-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

My life has been a little crazy these past few months (well, okay I'll be honest this past year).

For a brief update, I have moved up to Austin. I've quit my job, and going back to Lifetouch for a season while Ryan and I get settled in. I've also started an internship doing wedding photography! It's going well and I am very excited about it. As things progress I'll write some more.

Our new place has a window box, so I've started buying plants. My favorites so far at my airplants...they have started flowering, but just barely. I am hoping in this next week their flowers will open up. Today was the day for their weekly soak, so I took some pictures:

Not so productive...but trying!

2011-05-22T16:18:00.000-07:00

So, this past week has been a struggle. The past couple weeks, really and the current one will be as well. If you include drive time, I've worked about 65 hours each week. It's left me rather tired, and not a lot of energy for going out to shoot. On the other hand, I have been at least thinking about my future.

I met a woman on Thursday at the copy shop. I designed her business card for her and we talked back and forth some in the store and on the phone as well. We hit it off alright. She's a Ph.D. student for journalism, with a photo undergrad. I think I may try to e-mail her more about how the program is at UT, what she likes about being in the communication department and what she doesn't, ECT. I also need to talk to my friend Jason C. He's a Communications major, and loves it. He's teaching at a college now, may be up this week.

I have really been thinking about my future lately, and I really feel like I want to get back into school very badly, but I don't exactly know which direction to take. My problem is that I love school. I love learning. There are many many things I would love to study and do and I think I'd be happy with them....I just think I'd be most happy being a professional student...and that's not really viable for not being POOR for ever, so I really need to figure out what I want to do. If I want to go back for Communication Design, like I started in. If I want to go for a communications and media major...possibly a Ph.D. and teach at college level which I think I would enjoy...or whatever really. One of the curses of being kind of smart and curious and enjoying learning...you wish you could stay in school forever.

Anyway, I've at least been thinking about my options, and who I can talk to and trying to figure out what it is I really want to do (I'm still sort of lost there). I talked to on of the people I work with at Flash, and possibly have an opportunity to shadow him for a wedding, so that part is nice. One of these days I'll make enough money to support myself....instead of freaking out like I am now about student loans coming due.

I at least thought to bring my camera along yesterday for the end of the world party at John and Karen's apartment...but sadly I think I took 2 or 3 pictures before I was just far too tired and fell asleep on the 3rd round of Arkham Horror. Damn.

For now, instead of worrying about student loans....I'm going to have another margarita. You should too.

Once things go numb, you're halfway there.

2011-05-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

So, I took the pictures at the San Antonio College graduation yesterday. Turns out there were about 800 students. I took the stage shot, standing up on a ladder for an hour and a half while they called names and the graduates crossed the stage shaking the deans hand and taking their diploma. There were only the two of us photographers there and two assistants...usually I think we'd have more people for that many.

Half way through the assistants kept checking on me, offering a small break for about 50 or so people, but I realized that when I moved I could actually feel how stiff my body had gotten from standing in the same position for so long and making the same motion...so I just kept going, for an hour and a half. By that point I knew if I got down off the ladder for a few minutes that I wasn't going to feel any better when I got back up there, that I'd just feel how much my legs hurt.

The name calling ended after an hour and a half and my assistant helped me down off the ladder. I promptly hobbled around for awhile to get the blood flowing again and after about 20 or 30 minutes I was, for the most part, over it. It's really not a bad job, honestly I wish it went year round...it would give me the ability to have more free time and more money, but oh well.

I had to leave the house at 7, and I was tired and busy getting my clothes ironed, showering, etc...that I forgot my camera. I was so tired I don't know if I would've taken any pictures anyway. I came home, had lunch with my husband and since I did not get a chance to shoot I spent a few hours reading about photography things before I took a nap.

Two current photo goals are to start an "A to Z" photo project, start using twitter to find photographers that inspire me and possibly to start sharing my own photos. My twitter name is 'Just1L', though I am more in the looking around phase than the sharing phase. I don't have an 'A' picture yet...but I was thinking about some things while I was laying in bed this morning, enjoying the one day I get to sleep in.

Hopefully the next post will have some photos.

Work Work

2011-05-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

I am so tired from work. Yesterday I was gone from 9 am til a little after 11pm. Bleh, working pretty much the whole time so I haven't had time for much photography. I think I will try to get out Sunday and take some pictures. Or I will take my camera with me tomorrow. I have to go to San Antonio for a graduation. It starts at 10 am...which means I'll probably be done by 12:30 or so...perhaps I can ride around and look for somewhere to shoot. I'd consider going to the Riverwalk and the Alamo...but it'll be Saturday and I don't want to deal with traffic and parking. Perhaps I can find somewhere else interesting.

Also, I finished Dresden Files book 3, Grave Peril, and I am onto book 4. I've been listening to the Audio books while I commute and when I am collating books at work.

All your ducks in a row.

2011-05-03T21:35:00.000-07:00

Busy couple of days at work. They have left me tired. When I got home Ryan and I decided to go to Gil's for "Two fer Tuesdays." Cheap burgers and fries for two. On the way I asked to stop by the theater building at the college. It's an odd shaped building, circular and surrounded by a moat. Cool looking, but inconvenient.

Anyway, I know they have these odd looking ducks that hang around outside. Or maybe they're geese, who knows? It's always cute early in the spring when all the ducklings hatch. I decided I wanted some pictures of them. They are fairly used to people getting close, so they didn't seem to mind me at all. I had to make extra noise to get them to even look up. I believe the mama duck is closest to me in this picture, and the rest at her almost grown babies.

At after burgers and beer Ryan and I got a manske roll. They're not that great, but I haven't had one in a couple of years so I figured why the hell not? Essentially a manske roll is a cinnamon roll that doesn't have frosting. Instead it just has a hell of a lot of butter mixed with sugar slathered all over it. Like So:

You heat it up and put ice cream on top and get this monstrosity. I would never try eating one on my own.

After trying to play a round of pool on a table that was far too small we decided to go see "Your Highness" at the dollar theater. Tuesdays is 50 cent night...I suppose the movie was worth that, but it stretched on a bit too long and the trailer used up all the best lines. It was far too crowed as well, that's probably because it's Dead Day at the college. People are for the most part finished with classes except for finals.

On the way back to the car I took this picture through the window of a tattoo shop. I love koi fishies.

That's all for today really. I am hoping to keep up the picture taking and posting, but I'm being asked to come into work for over time and I'm already working the weekends on the graduation job...I'll figure it out.

Jump Around!

2011-05-02T20:46:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was a crazy day. My only one off of the week, but it turned out fairly productive. Bathed the pets, worked on this blog, went tubing, took some pictures and finished another chunk of Portal 2.

Tubing was odd. It was really hot in the afternoon, up in the mid to high 80's, but by the time it hit about 3 and I was half way down the river, it started to get cold. No point in walking to the car so Joe and I carried on. When we got out at the end of the river I grabbed my camera and walked to the waterfall where people like to leap off into the water about 30 feet below. There are various points to jump, but I haven't done it myself. Perhaps I watched rescue 911 too much as a kid, but I can all too well imagine scraping down the rocks and chicken wire along the cliff face surrounding the water below and then hitting a rock.

I've jumped off of rocks into water before. Not sure what the difference is now. Maybe it is that I am poor and have no insurance. Maybe I have better sense. Who knows? But, even if I am not jumping, the others gave me something interesting to shoot for a few minutes. Eventually it started getting colder and I left before I finished taking all the pictures I would've liked to...but by that point everyone had really slowed down. I only had my 50' with me as well. Perhaps I'll go back next time it gets warm.

Bath Time Revisited.

2011-05-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

A couple more from yesterday that I didn't have time to edit.

Bath Time!

2011-05-01T17:28:00.000-07:00

Bowie and Chimera had fleas, so we bathed them both. Unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures of the cat because washing her was a two person job. Fortunately I didn't get scratched. Ryan was not so lucky.

Here we go again.

2011-05-01T10:33:00.000-07:00

Alright, so...I'm going to give this blog thing a try again. I haven't really been shooting much since I graduated...which honestly is far far too long. Just breaking out my camera again has made me feel better. Even though all I really took pictures of was Ryan bathing the pets.

Anyway, in order to keep myself shooting and myself posting on here, I'm going to try to set some goals for my blog. I met a girl yesterday while working for Flash Photography and she had a photoblog. She said much the same thing as everyone else...that you just have to keep shooting. If you stop, then it's hard as hell to get going again. Dewey's told me that, Joel has, my teachers...everyone I guess. And it's true. But I want to start again.

With her blog, Jillian does a 'picture of the week' every week, and then the last week of the month is 'picture of the day' week. I think that's a goal I am going to try and adopt. Here is her blog.

Additionally, I want to do some other projects and themes to keep myself motivated. This blog is for fun, but it's also to help dig me out of a rut and build an online portfolio. I'm a good photographer, I have my degree. There is no reason I should not be producing art...and additionally there's no reason I should trap myself in a day job doing nothing related to photography for low pay. My goal is to develop a website for myself and find ways to support myself with my art. To motivate myself to work towards that goal I'll try to keep my progress posted here as well.

Anyway, that's enough for now. And at least it is a start. I'm going to go tubing at the river!

Not a pony, but it'll do.

2009-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

I love fake animals. What I like even more than fake animals is sitting on fake animals. This doesn't include mannequins. Mannequins freak me out, I think they are evil.

Anyway, for my 26th birthday (the 12th) I decided I wanted to ride the fake cows out on I35 along the highway in front of the car dealership. It was great! Here are a few pictures, I haven't gone through them all yet.