Wendy and Johnpaul: Down at The Creek

Early last week, I headed up to Boerne to shoot an engagement session for Wendy and Johnpaul, whose wedding I'll be shooting in June. It was a fun and relaxing session, especially since we ended up having a wonderful meal and wine half-way through the shoot!

I love couples who are up for anything, it makes it so easy to get great images!

So sweet and romantic:
Check out the gorgeous light:
I love bare feet:


The wedding next month will take place in Boerne at the beautiful St. Peter's Catholic Church, which has been Wendy's church since she was a little girl. I will have my second-shooter, Marie, along with me for this one. I really can't wait!

Cinderella

Steven Curtis Chapman is the singer of a song called Cinderella, which is one of the most perfect father/daughter wedding songs ever. He is the father of six, three of them are adopted girls.

Sadly, his youngest daughter, Maria, died on Wednesday in an accident at their home. My heart is just breaking for this family.



To read more about this amazing family, go to stevencurtischapman.com

I should be getting a package from UPS today!

I can't wait, I can't wait!!!! It's my new lens, and I wasn't expecting it until Wednesday, which was going to be a huge drag because I have an engagement session on Tuesday and I really wanted to use it. Now it looks like I'll have it. Yippee!

May 19, 2008 05:16:00 AM SAN ANTONIO TX US Out for delivery
May 19, 2008 01:36:00 AM SAN ANTONIO TX US Arrival Scan
May 18, 2008 10:00:00 PM HOUSTON TX US Departure Scan
May 16, 2008 11:39:00 AM HOUSTON TX US Arrival Scan
May 14, 2008 12:24:00 PM HODGKINS IL US Departure Scan
May 14, 2008 06:07:00 AM HODGKINS IL US Arrival Scan
May 14, 2008 02:57:00 AM INDIANAPOLIS IN US Departure Scan
May 14, 2008 01:44:00 AM INDIANAPOLIS IN US Arrival Scan
May 13, 2008 09:41:00 PM COLUMBUS OH US Departure Scan
May 13, 2008 07:38:00 PM COLUMBUS OH US Shipment received by carrier
May 13, 2008 05:08:36 PM US Shipment has left seller facility and is in transit

I was planning to do a little shopping, but now I'm going to stay home and wait for the big brown truck. Then I can do my "gotta package from UPS" dance in the drive way. Maybe I'll even take a picture of my UPS guy, if he'll let me. It's a wonderful day!!!!!

Business Update

I still haven't turned my flash on. I'm scared! I need to make sure it is completly dry, no H2O in there. A few more days, then I'll check it.

Ya know, I started this blog to chronicle the journey of my business, but I find myself writing more about my personal life than I planned. So I thought I'd do a little recap on where things are, and where they're going.

I've set up a four-year plan for getting things going, and this past Spring was the beginning of year two. Why four years? Well, that is the amount of time that I had until all of the kids were in school, and I can't work full-time until then. So it made sense to use these first years as a time to learn about the business, network with other photographers and vendors, build my client base, and add to the arsenal of necessary equipment. When all of my kids are in school, I should be working at 100%. The goal at the end of that year is for the business to profit enough that I am making the same amount that I would have made as a school nurse (that was my plan 5 years ago, my how things have changed!)

To further break it down, I've devoted this year to specifically learning shooting techniques. There is an overwhelming amount of information available, from seminars to webinars, photography forums, DVDs (I have a bunch), and finally hands on practice. My goal is to be able to capture the image in camera as close to perfect as possible, with little post-processing necessary. One of the biggest strides I've made in the last few months is that I'm able to "see" the final image before I click the shutter. I'm hoping to attend at least one major seminar that is focused on off-camera lighting techniques, but these are usually very expensive so I may have to continue to settle for DVD learning.

Next year, beginning in January, I'll shift my focus to business techniques-things like pricing for profit, marketing, finances and accounting, and finally branding. This stuff isn't the most exciting to learn and put into practice, but I enjoy it more than I ever imagined that I would. One thing that I've learned from being a member of a pro photography forum is that taking good pictures is the least important factor for a successful photography carreer.

My final year before full-time will be devoted to fine-tuning the whole operation. I should have a decent idea by then of what it takes to be profitable, and I'll decide if I can make a reasonable living doing this. I think I have a decent shot, but the world of photography is changing every day due to the digital revolution, so there are no guarantees.

I know I have about two-dozen blog stalkers who have followed along the last couple of years, thanks so much for keeping up with me! It's been a fantastic journey so far and I'm planning to go MUCH further in the coming years.

Oh, its no fun to post without including some pictures, so here are a few images from the session I did of my kids:

Why Does Cheerleading Cost So Much?

Warning-this might turn into a bona fide RANT. I'm angry and trying very hard not to use too many CAPS while typing, but it's a struggle.

My daughter D is starting her first year as a Clemens cheerleader. We had a meeting before tryouts and learned that the total cost will be about $1500 for the year. There were some rumours among the parents that it is more, but some other parents whose daughters have already participated a year or two said that that number sounded about right.

OK. $1500 is a TON of money and I'm a bit incredulous that we have to spend so much, but I allowed her to tryout anyway. However,I don't think there is any other school activity where the parents have to pay for EVERYTHING. Football, soccer, choir, band, as far as I know the school provides uniforms for all of these activities. Why not cheerleading?

And here is the thing that I'm particularly fuming about. (I'm so mad, I think I'm going to cry again.) The cheerleaders are REQUIRED to purchase their own letter jackets as FRESHMEN!!!!! AND it costs $300! The team (or the team director, I should say) has dictated what should go on the jacket, and the upgrades come out to $230. The jacket is $70 and the added patches and crap will be an extra TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY DOLLARS. (Sorry, screaming again.)

What I want to know is, what happened to EARNING one first? And why do we have to pay for it? No one else does.

I seem to be the only parent that has a problem with this. I'm used to paying through the nose for private gym cheerleading, but this is a public school and we are paying MORE.

The saddest part of all is that I am now hesitating to put my youngest in Cheerleading because of the cost. I think she would love it, she already wants to do it, but this is insane.

Why has this been allowed, and what can I do about it?

Edited to add: I emailed the cheer coach today with my concerns, and found out that the jacket is not required. So now I am deciding whether to cancel the order or not-I have 48 more hours to decide. What to do, what to do...

Splash

Have you ever had one of THOSE days? Yesterday was a mess for me, and so now I'm just trying to chill and enjoy my Mother's Day. Since I had the enormous pleasure of eating lunch at my fav seafood place with my mom and I'm now sitting in a completly clean, quiet house doing my favorite thing (blogging), yesterday is quickly fading into a distant memory. But, I think that I need to tell the story to completly purge it from my brain.

I've been planning to photograph my kids for ages, in fact the last time was exactly 3 years ago. So I conspired with my sister-in-law to take pictures of my kids and hers as a gift for Mother's Day for both of our moms. We settled on a date, time, and location, and I even managed to go shopping for outfits for all six of the kids. So far, so good.

At the last minute, my sis-in-law couldn't come with her kids, so that left just me and my four. "OK, I can still do this," I thought. I have done dozens of portrait sessions and I've never (ok, only once) had a shoot turn out bad. Besides, it should be easier to photograph four kids than six, right? WRONG.

I absolutely can not pay attention to both my kids and my photography at the same time. So, my pictures look like I took them with a point and shoot camera-no cool lighting techniques or unusual angles, no cute expressions, just "say cheese" smiles. Uggh. I plan to HIRE someone next time. Not sure who yet, but this isn't a job that I can do myself.

But, that wasn't the bad part. No, the bad part of the day was later, at a photoshoot that I was REALLY enjoying. I'll just skip to the chase and get to the disaster-my SB800 flash, which is just about as important to me as my D200 camera, fell into a swimming pool.

It was my fault. I lost the screw which holds it onto the stand a week ago, and hadn't bothered to replace it. When I arrived at the home where I was to do the shoot, I asked if they had a spare screw, even though I was pretty sure it was a long shot. Of course, none was to be found, so I went right ahead and stuck my flash on the flash stand with no way to secure it. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

The girl I was photographing was my neighbor. She was gorgeous in her prom gown, and here is the last shot we got before the big splash:

So what happened was, a gust of wind came from nowhere, blowing the umbrella forward. "D", in an effort to save the equipment grabbed it. I started to say "Awesome save" but right at that moment, the flash seemed to jump straight into the air and hurl itself 10 feet across the lawn and into the pool. So what came out of my mouth was "AWWWW." I ran to the pool, fished it out, and opened it up in a frantic attempt to dry it out as quickly as possible.

I finished up the shoot without using flash, but man I was so bummed. I almost cried. No, I think I did cry, but not out loud Thank You God.

Here are a couple more images from the rest of the session. I've known this girl since she was 10 years old, and I can't believe how grown up and beautiful and sophisticated she is!

I heard somewhere that if you get electronics wet, you should dry it out for at least a week before you attempt to turn it on. So that is what I'm doing. I put it in the sun, I've put it under the blow dryer, back into the sun and now I'm leaving it on the window sill until next weekend.

Wish me luck.

Divine Intervention

I met a fantastic mom a few weeks ago when I worked my portrait table set-up in Boerne. Cathi had been looking for a photographer to do her daughter's senior portraits, and she really felt like it was divine intervention that I happened to be there. We talked a little about what I do, and she quickly plopped down a check for the session fee. I'm still not sure what sold her on me, but I'm so incredibly happy that we found each other. Last night we were finally able to get together for the shoot. Holy cow, it was a great shoot. We started at 5:30, and at 8:30 we finally stopped because it was starting to rain. I think "S" could have posed for me all night, and I'm not kidding when I say she was a natural. I didn't have to tell her what to do, she just fell into great poses and expressions in every situation. Cathi, your daughter is amazing. Beautiful inside and out. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to get to know her a bit!

100 Things About Me

I just read one of my favorite blogs, My Romantic Home, and she did a post a long time ago where she made a list of 100 facts about herself. She didn't think she could come up with that many but she did, so now I'm going to attempt it. I kinda doubt that I can. Lets see.

1. I was born in Knoxville, TN, but moved away as an infant.
2. I've lived in San Antonio since I was 9.
3. I have four kids.
4. I was positive when I was a teenager that I'd never have any children.
5. I intensly disliked children until I had my own.
6. After I had my first child, I didn't think I'd have any more.
7. I love birds, especially cockatoos and parrots.
8. I haven't had a bird in over 20 years.
9. I bought my first bird after my best friend gave her bird away to someone else without asking me if I wanted it.
10. I love singing, especially in a choir.
11. I haven't been in a choir in over 10 years.
12.The choir I enjoyed the most was The San Anotnio Symphony Mastersingers, which I was in for 3 years, but I no longer have the time to participate. Maybe in 10 more years.
13. Photography has filled the artisic gap that being unable to sing has made in my life.
14. I think about photography almost 100% of the time.
15. I fall asleep very easily and usually sleep through the night.
16. The only time I wake up and can't sleep is if I am having a disagreement with someone.
17. I'm not a morning or a night person.
18. I don't have much patience.
19. Most of the bad choices I've made in my life have been because of #18.
20. I am a procrastinator.
21. I spend too much time on the computer.
22. I was very shy as a child.
23. I'm still shy but I've learned to push it aside.
24. I am most comfortable around perky people.
25. I can't decide on a decorating style for my house. I've been trying to figure this out since 2001.
26. I talk to my sister on the phone an average of four times per day.
27. If I were single without any kids, I'd live downtown in the apartments which are over the Majestic.
28. I'm beginning to look for a new house for our family, which will hopefully be on a large lot in the country.
29. I think I'm less concerned with appearances than I should be, so I have to make huge efforts to be presentable most of the time.
30. If it were up to me, makeup would never have been invented.
31. I love watching my husband race cars.
32. I hate to watch anyone else. BORING!
33. I feel the same way about watching my kids play sports. I love watching them, hate watching anyone else.
34. I can watch Cheerleaders or dancers all day, no matter who they are.
35. I change the sheets on my bed every Saturday.
36. I wish someone would iron my sheets for me.
37. I don't iron. Anything. Ever.
38. I have had the same two best friends since 1983.
39. I love to dance, but haven't gone out dancing since my high school reunion almost two years ago.
40. I very seldom drink alohol.
41. I hate wine.
42. I prefer hard liquor. Not really-I prefer mixed drinks such as Margaritas.
43. For our honeymoon, my husband and I went on a cruise.
44. We took along 22 friends and family, including my parents and daughter.
45. We still think this was the best way to do it.
46. I have not traveled as much as I thought I would when I was young.
47. People used to say that I'm a very laid-back person, but I don't hear that as much anymore.
48. I cry more easily than anyone else I know.
49. My kids always look at me to see if I'm crying while we watch TV.
50. I hate that I cry when I'm angry.
51. I love the feeling of crying when I'm happy.
52. I love to read.
53. I love country music.
54. The only music that I really don't enjoy is jazz.
55. I love seafood.
56. I wish Maggie's Restaurant was still open.
57. I once worked as a waitress, and hated it.
58. I was a nurse before I quit to stay home with the kids.
59. I prefer staying home over working.
60. I don't think there is a right-or-wrong choice when it comes to staying home. Each woman should do what she thinks will work best for her family.
61. Every year on my birthday, I think I'm getting a surprise party.
62. The only year I was ever surprised with one, I wasn't expecting it.
63. I believe in karma.
64. I'm going to win the Publisher's Clearing House Sweepstakes one day.
65. When I win, I'll act like it was a complete surprise.
66. I should have finished getting my music degree.
67. The reason I didn't is because at the time I didn't like kids, and so I wasn't interested in being a music teacher.
68. I think I would have been a great music teacher.
69. I don't cook very often because only one person in my family eats my cooking, and she isn't home most of the time.
70. I rarely watch TV.
71. I'm not much of an outdoor person.
72. I love going to the beach with my kids.
73. I can't wait to take my kids to Disney World next year.
74. I buy a new hat every time I go to Disney. I have three of them now.
75. I don't see what the big deal is about getting massages. I'd rather get a pedicure that lasts a while.
76. I graduated at the top of my class from nursing school.
77. In high school, I thought I was dumb.
78. I need a new purse.
79. If I suddenly won $10,000, I'd probably spend all of it on photography equipment.
80. I feel a tiny bit guilty that I get to stay home all day while my husband has to work.
81. I love to get blog comments.
82. I love everything about weddings.
83. I think everything about my wedding was perfect.
84. One of the best things about being a wedding photographer is that I get to see everything from the front row.
85. I don't like red roses.
86. I dream about the Dixie Chicks, and that I'm one of them, about once a month.
87. I also often dream that I'm in collage again, and I've missed a class for an entire semester.
88. I had a new dream that I think will be a recurring one- I photographed a wedding and forgot to stay for the reception.
89. I stay organized by having routines. If there is a deviation from one of my routines, I am likely to forget something.
90. I went on some TERRIBLE dates before I finally met my husband.
91. I hated being single, and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
92. I'm more afraid of bugs than snakes.
93. I don't like to fly in airplanes.
94. I love to watch kids laugh.
95. I haven't thought about myself this much in 14 years.
96. I am picky about movies, and I don't like most of them.
97. I hate to be tickled. Really hate it.
98. When I laugh really hard, I sometimes start crying really hard right in the middle of my laugh.
99. I am worried about the environment, and have been thinking a lot about what I can do.
100. I can remember most of the dance routines that I did in high school on the dance team. There are a few songs that I also danced to in choir, and I can remember those, as well. I wish I could remember some things that were a little more helpful in my daily life.

Yea! I did it. I actually got stuck two or three times, and didn't think I could go any further. Whew, I guess I can go get dressed now, it's time to pick up my kids from school.

R at The Japanese Gardens

It's been a long while since I've posted any client images, but I have a good excuse. The last three sessions have all been secrets for one reason or another. One was a quincanera portrait session, and the gorgeous girl naturally wants to keep her pictures under wraps until her big day. Another was a bridal portrait, of course she doesn't want anyone to see her dress, especially her fiance!

The last session was for an adorable tyke that I've photographed twice before, and it was to be a surprise for his grandma and grandpa, but I think the secret is out so now it's time to post the pictures.

We met for a fun, low-key session at the Japanese Tea Gardens, which recently opened once again after many years of neglect. The garden is stunning, with flowers, greenery, a waterfall, paths that meander, and lots of benches to sit and enjoy the scenery. The only drawback was that we were not the only ones there trying to do pictures! The place was crawling with photographers, and we had a really hard time getting good spots. I think we did pretty well in the end though.

The little guy was WONDERFUL during the whole thing. I think we were there over two hours, and he started out happy and ended happy. I couln't ask for more!

Thanks Johanna for a fantastic afternoon with you and your little boy. I hope you had as much fun as I did!

Sharp & Co.

My first car was a refrigerated flower-shop delivery truck. I didn't drive it to school, but I could be seen going to the mall or my friend's houses in it, and for some reason, I wasn't too embarrased about it. I didn't LOVE it, but it was better than walking.

Now the reason I had access to a flower shop truck is because my mom owned a flower shop called Bloomers. I worked there after school and on weekends doing deliveries and occasional counter help until I graduated to REAL jobs selling shoes at Joske's and developing film at Fox Photo.

My mom sold the shop five years ago to go into Real Estate, and I have really missed it since then. But it seemed like the right decision at the time for my mom.

Well, imagine my surprise when she announced two months ago that she was buying it back! It was being sold once again and she wanted it. The Real Estate market is not going very well so she has some free time, and this time around she plans to have a manager to run it for her instead of doing it herself.

There was quite a bit of debate in my family about what the name should be. I loved the old name of "Bloomers" but my mom and dad wanted to start fresh. The name BJ's (which is the initials of my mom and dad, Brenda and Jim) left a funny taste in my mouth (pun intended). They finally settled for Sharp & Co.

The purchase was made very quickly, and the next thing to do before opening day was spruce the place up a bit. Now this part is where my mom really shines.

As you can see, the walls were a very fresh green. I helped pick that color 20 years ago, but it isn't working anymore so that will be the first to go.


Note the clutter. That will go, too.


Everything you see including the tables and shelves will be used, but they will look completly different with just a can of paint.


Here is the first round of updates! This is taken from the same vantage point as the one above, just 3 days later. Huge improvement, huh?


This is my mom, showing me a sample of fabric for the next round of changes and getting my opinion. I REALLY enjoy giving my opinion about decorating stuff. I once made the decorating choices at the bank where I worked, and the last time I checked everything was still the same.



Ta da! This is how it looks now, after being open for one month. The view here is almost the same view as the first image above.


This is how it looks from the front door, if you turn your head to the right.


And if you take three steps forward and then look left, this is what you'll see. Snazzy.


So here's the 411. The shop is located in Converse, at the same location as always but under a new name. The manager's name is Paul, and he is a fab designer.

This is Paul:


This is one of his fab designs:


My mom's name is Brenda, and she'll be working there almost daily until things are rolling along. She'd love it if you stopped by and took a look around.

Ya know, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't know if they have a delivery truck or not. My daughter D is almost old enough to drive, maybe she'd be interested? On second thought, maybe not.