Now that my bhag's written, gotta write some more

I've started my "practice" shoots this week. I decided that for the month of April I was going to schedule a variety of shoots to build my portfolio so that I could officially start in May. I am so glad I did it that way. The two shoots I've had this week were both very different.

On Monday, Benna Lani came in for her 1 year portraits. She was a doll. I was asking her to give Joshua some tips - but in his defense, he's been my only subject for a very long time. He's due a vacation. Anyway, she came complete with three wardrobe changes and a smile to light up the room. Her mom was very interactive with her the entire shoot, and had very specific requests. I like that. I'm pretty much a veteran of baby shoots by now (lol not really), but I did learn some new things with this one:

1. Even if the mom has specific requests, still suggest poses and props that you think might be suitable. I think because she was so in control, I just kinda let it happen. The pictures came out well, but in retrospect I would've liked to have taken some of her on her belly.
2. Be prepared. Taking Joshua's pics is one thing, inviting someone else into my home to do their children's pics is totally different. I praise Yah that I followed his leading and all went well. By the time they got here, my studio was fully set up, water was boiled for herbal tea, and all necessary forms were printed. Mom felt very relaxed and well served. When moms come here with their little ones, I want to offer them as much comfort as I can. I aced that with this shoot, and got rave reviews.
3. Christine (the momma) suggested that I have a wardrobe for babies available of little suits, party dressed and dressy shoes. I like that idea. Most people will undoubtedly bring their own, but it's good to have it available.



The second shoot I did this week was for my girl, Tarsha. This was the first time I had a subject who was posable (you should see the twists, bends and acrobatics I made this girl get into!). LOL. She was a great sport. We did a "high fashion" photo shoot. To this day I'm still not fully sure what that means, I just knew the look I was going for in my head. I believe we achieved it to some degree...but Tarsha's diva personality came through in all her pictures. She's too fly for grunge. I learned A TON on this shoot:

1. Dress the part. I shoulda known...afterall, it's Tarsha. I wore my pink jogging suit and thought I was perfect. Tarsha said I gave off an unprofessional aura and that if we weren't friends, she would think I was a girl playing with a camera. She said my image needs to be funky and artistic at all times so that the models feel like I know what I'm doing. Hmmm...I guess I didn't realize rolling around on the floor with babies requires slightly different attire than taking professional headshots. Point taken! lol
2. Editing adult photos takes WAY longer than editing children's photos. Babies are perfect already. Adults have pores that show up on camera.
3. Adult photo shoots yield a lot more usable prints than baby photos. I take an average of 200 baby pictures to get 20 pictures I can use. I took about 100 photos of Tarsha and I like about 80 of them. It could be because she wasn't sucking her thumb or running at me in any of the pictures.
4. I do not want to book shoots in the evening. I thought it would be kosher to book people after Joshua's in bed. Not kosher. By that time I'm exhausted and my client would be getting my left overs instead of my best. Daytime and weekend shoots all the way!
5. Study poses. I looked over a sheet of poses a few nights before the shoot and thought it was enough. It wasn't. I need to study them more. Taking long pauses in the middle of the shoot to "think of" what else I want her to do is not acceptable. Just like Tarsha needs to be able to see a person and know what clothing works best on them (she's an image consultant), I need to see a person and know what poses they would look best in. It was a lot of trial and error. Some things looked fierce, others looked awkward. Those will most likely end up on the chopping block. lol.
6. I really do need that new lens. I didn't buy it (the one I spoke about in a previous blog) because I spoke to some professionals who said I needed a mounted flash more. I need the lens. I had a lot of lighting issues with Tarsha's shoot that could've been avoided with a lens that lets in more light. Taking pictures of babies where the light is concentrated on a small area is way different than adults where the light must fill the entire room. I'm getting the lens tomorrow. Case closed.
7. Just like Benna Lani, Tarsha also came complete with wardrobe change and accessory changes. Including the time it took her to change (not long), her shoot took about 2 hours - compared to the baby shoot with three wardrobe changes that took about 40 minutes. A baby shoot is non-stop clicking. An adult shoot is more precise.

I think that's it for now. I'm still editing Tarsha's photos and I have a few more shoots coming up next week. I'll keep you posted on how they go.

My bhag

Wow, I didn't realize so much time had passed since my last entry. Where have I been? Well, I do have a lot to say, but I want to make sure that my bhag gets posted before I forget to do it again. For those that don't know, bhag stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal (or as my girl Rachael puts it, Big Holy Anointed Goal). Mine is pretty big. The wonderful thing is that I have 5 other women who are in on it with me...and more are coming from the north, south, east and west. I'm excited as I move from imagination stage to this being a reality. I encourage you to write your own bhag. Look into the depths of your heart and find the gifts Yah has placed within you for His purposes. You were not created for anything insignificant. One time a lady was googling "vision board" and my blog came up so she read it. If you're here because you've googled "bhag", read on. Here's mine:

I want an accredited Christian school that runs from K-12. It is an entire campus that contains the following:

1. Four private schools for the performing arts (like the TV show “Fame”). The first one is Nursery school and Pre-K. The second one is grades K-5. The third one is grades 6-9. The fourth one is grades 10-12.

2. Dormitories on the campus for High School students (grades 10-12) from out of town (or out of state) and their families who come to visit.

3. A very large, state of the art Performing Arts Center where the students perform and have lessons.

4. A student-run television studio, radio station, science lab, and photography studio.

5. A very large, up to date library with a separate meditation room where worship is playing softly 24-7 and people can go to soak in the presence of Yahweh.

6. A café where students and staff can get a variety of fresh squeezed juices, vegan and vegetarian snacks, fresh local produce and salads.

7. A state of the art gym with an Olympic sized swimming pool, weight room, and aerobics rooms.

8. A nursing station staffed wtih people who are well versed in homeopathic remedies.

The first 3 schools have a cafeteria within them where lunch is provided for the students. All the provided meals are made with fresh, organic ingredients. There are plenty of scholarships available for lower income families to send their children to this school. It is completely privately run, therefore we teach the unadulterated word of Yahweh, including the working of miracles, praying in tongues, discovering your divine calling, paying tithes and giving offering. The students are required to serve the community and go on at least one mission’s trip abroad before graduating. We have the best teachers in every subject and our staff is paid really well (with full benefits). There is plenty of parking. Preferably the school is in northern NJ - but will most likely end up in NY. The campus is extremely well manicured, all the buildings have plenty of large windows, there is a 3 story shooting water fountain in the center of campus and plenty of beautiful trees, flowers and benches (hey, I went to SUNY Albany - I'm stealing Fountain Day). Everything is wheel chair accessible. Through the different projects the school puts out to the public, the campus is self-sustaining.

Now here's what I need...

1. Qualified teachers in every academic and artistic subject
2. Contractors and Land Developers
3. Professionals in running various studios (media, photography)
4. Live-In staff for the dormitories
5. Gardeners and Landscapers
6. Chefs and restaurant management
7. Personal trainers and life guards
8. Accountants, Lawyers, Homeopathic nurses
9. Investors (actually, more like givers)
10. Space and location – the square footage of this campus is large. It has to be easily accessible and close enough to civilization where it doesn’t feel like it’s in the middle of nowhere.

Yep. Stay tuned. You read it here first.

Camera Toys

I'm so excited - today I'm going to purchase my first piece of camera equipment. It's a lens that is perfect for indoors and portraits (what I love to photograph the most). The lenses I currently own are best used with lots of light (studios, outdoors in daylight) and for landscapes or macro (think magnifying glass pictures). I plan to take more indoor shots (away from my studio)where the lighting is dimmer and my current lenses won't cut it. I'm so excited about this new little toy I'm getting today. I will be able to get better shots at church and events, without using flash (which casts harsh shadows everywhere and is distracting). I won't have to do as much post-editing (although I still will because I love that slightly more than the photography itself).

My calendar is booking fast with photo shoots this month. My portfolio is growing and so is my experience. When I'm a world renowned graphic designer and photographer, I want to remember these days when I charged $35 for my services as a seed. I want to remember the days when I worked out of a studio in a spare room of my home. I want to remember how it all began - on faith and answered prayer, generous gifts from my father-in-law, a husband who was willing to invest in my gift and push me out there before "I was ready". I want to remember chasing Joshua around the room with my camera around my neck, the look on his face every time he sees me coming with that thing ("here we go again - first that little silver shiny thing and now that big black thing"). I love photography. I love art. I'm so blessed.

www.myspace.com/YLDesigns

I am NOT old

I find myself having to repeat this mantra over and over in my head. I am NOT old. I am NOT old. It's bizarre because I didn't think I would ever feel embarrased or uncomfortable about my age. I have a good understanding that we're all eternal beings, some of us have just been wearing our earth suits a few moments longer than others. I get that. Yet seeing my picture, my bio, or anything else online with the #30 next to it just makes me feel old. Knowing that I can't stay up all hours of the night and not feel it the next day makes me feel old.

Oh good - PIerre just got home! I feel better.

Gasp

Joshua and I went on a walk down the street today. I was looking into all the windows of the little "Mom and Pop" stores in my quaint little town. The ice cream place that just opened up about a year ago went out of business. Man, that was good gelato. Then I see another empty store with a huge sign: COMING SOON! Studio 6 Photography.

My first reaction was a gasp. I'm not sure why. I was thinking, "Is this my competition? Why here - right down the street from my little home studio??" I didn't know how to feel about it. Then in my typical "We Win, Let's Play" attitude, I got really happy. These are my mentors. This could potentially be REALLY fun.

In other news, I did a painting today. It's been quite a long time. The easel came out from the back of the closet last week. Today the new brushes, acrylics and canvas were unwrapped. My art teacher in 9th grade told me not to be afraid to mess up white pages - it'll work out. With her in mind as I stared at the crisp white canvas, and having no idea what I was going to paint, I just started. A third grader could've done better, but I believe the point was to conquer the intimidating blank canvas that caused me to delay every time I looked at it. Mission accomplished.

No computer for me

Yeah, so I noticed that once I stopped watching television my biggest problem is the computer. I decided to turn off my computer when I went to sleep yesterday and not turn it on today until after Joshua went to bed. Mind you, I went to sleep "yesterday" at 3:20am and it is now 2:10am so I have no idea what day it actually is. Anyway, I truly enjoyed my computerless day. I put up curtains in my studio, cleaned up around the house, played outside with Joshua, took lots of pictures of everything. Joshua went down for his hour nap without a fuss and went to sleep at 7:15pm because he was so tired and content from spending the day hanging out with mommy (instead of whining for mommy to get off the computer). Yep. No more computer for me during the day. Now if I can get myself to bed at a decent hour I'll be cooking with gas.

Virtual Vision Board

I got this idea from someone on Cafemom. My actual vision board is almost complete, but is now in my husband's office (which is no longer in my line of vision on a regular basis) sooooo...I made this one in photoshop and have posted it as my desktop background. SWEET!

You can view it HERE.