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disclaimer: busy.

So anyone else notice that I haven’t blogged since Monday?

I certainly hope so….that means I have readers. Readers are awesome!

So this week has been the week leading up to this WEEKEND…and NEXT WEEK…which are ridiculously insane. In fact, we dont have a free night or day without work related things/photography meetings, shoots, weddings/etc…until like, March 9th? We’re for real.

Today we leave for Orlando. Tomorrow we shoot an engagement, a rehearsal dinner, a fabulous wedding all day saturday….then, get ready….we leave 630am for Vegas on Sunday morning for WPPI. (national photography convention and trade show)

I went last year, all by my lonesome…and well, it was lonesome. :) This year, Ben is coming with me (praise Jesus), and I’ll also be with 4 of my SoFly girls. We will be going to classes, learning, doing research and scouring the trade show floor, networking, meeting lots of people, and yes, schmoozing at a few parties put on by vendors at the convention. Its quite intimidating, quite a lot to take in at one time, and really really exciting.

So this is my disclaimer. This is my, “sorry I wont be blogging for a good week probably” announcement. If I were a good blogger, i’d have prepared ahead of time and lined up posts and exciting things for you ladies to come here and read. But i’m a mom and I run my business out of my house on like 2 hours of work a day…so I’m currently not a good blogger! So bear with me, forgive me, accept my dearest apologies…that you wont see or hear from me for a week! And wish me luck in Vegas! (not the gambling kind, but the ::im the smallest fish in the giant-est pond and im really nervous:: kind)

February 17, 2011 | Categories: admissions, cameras, hood life, kallima photography, photography, rad mom photos | 1 Comment »

Real Simple- No Time to Cook iPad app.

ahhhhhhh.

Real Simple. How I love thee.

When browsing through the latest issue my eyes fell upon a glorious little paragraph talking about the Real Simple iPad app for cooking. No time? only a few key ingredients? lacking a meat but have tons of pasta? whip out the app, select what you have to work with, and voila.

Tons of recipes. And simple ones.

I tried it out yesterday after church. a) the recipe was simple and 20 mins. And 2) it was really really yummy.

Simply open the app. You select what you’re starting with; poultry, beef or lamb, pork, seafood, pasta, or vegetarian. Then you select 20, 30, or 40 minutes.

I selected pasta, 20 minutes, and there was a list of over 50 meals!

Broccoli Alfredo! 8 ingredients, 6 steps, and done! And both the kids were awake when I made this! I felt super accomplished.

one of my very favorite ingredients.

I used frozen broccoli I found in my freezer, randomly. It worked fine:)

And the finished product.

The “No Time to Cook” Real Simple app is $4.99, and worth every penny. Theres a place to store your favorites that you come across, a link to realsimple.com, as well as a shopping list section where you can put your recipes for easy reference at the grocery store. It divides your listed ingredients into dairy, condiments, produce/etc, and you can even email the list to yourself!

So simple, refreshing, and yes technology is amazing. Do yourselves a favor if you need quick easy meals that are relatively healthy…download this app!

February 13, 2011 | Categories: DIY, cuisine, favorite things, food, hood life, how to, inspiration, photography, rad finds, rad mom photos, real simple recap, recipes | Tags: , , | Leave A Comment »

The Laundry List.

On Monday of this week I talked about having a hard mommy day, and wanting to know what all you ladies struggle with. Whether you’re a mom or not, you’re a WOMAN, which comes with a complete and somewhat predictable set of issues…doesn’t it?

Here are some words I saw in my email and in comments…

Loneliness

Inadequacy

Self-criticism

Being a good parent

Housekeeping

Success

Appearance and body image

Balance

I’ll add in there feelings of entrapment, discouragement, incredible waves of moodiness and emotion that seems to be in excess of whats normal, feeling overwhelmed almost all the time….

I am thankful that I am a woman. We are compassionate, we have a capacity to love and nurture that sets us apart from men, we are caring, we are giving, we are STRONG in situations where it seems most would fall apart, we love to do for other people. Here are some things the Bible says about women.

Genesis 2:18

“the Lord God said, ‘it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” The Message calls her a “companion”.

Did you read that? Helper? Companion? Someone suitable? Suitable means right or appropriate for a PARTICULAR person. God made us FOR them…because they need us, and God knew that.

Proverbs 31 is the infamous chapter about a Wife of Noble character. It says she is worth far more than RUBIES, that she gets up while it is still night to provide food for her family, she opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy, it says she is clothed with strength and dignity and can LAUGH at the days to come, that she speaks with wisdom and faithful instruction is on her tongue….

Doesn’t that seem like something we all want? Something we should strive for?

That word, striving…sometimes makes me angry. I feel, as a mom and wife and woman, that I’m constantly striving and never measuring up. I don’t believe God wants us to strive, never measure up, and become depressed and discouraged.

I believe he simply wants us to let go and live.

Our entire existence of striving, all of our issues and seemingly life altering things we deal with every day, can be summed up and SOLVED in this next verse.

“Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting….but a woman who fear the Lord shall be praised. “

Fear the Lord. That is all. It’s a simple and as complicated as that. Now what does that mean, fear the Lord? It doesn’t mean be scared of him, view him as a disciplinarian that we should cower underneath…

No, it means love him. Accept and respect that he has a bigger and better plan for you and your every day, (that every day you feel is filled with menial tasks and repetitive symphonies that you must do but that no one truly appreciates..). No that its obvious, and so FREEING, that we are not in control. Thank God, we are not in control. How many times a day, a week, a month, do you royally screw something up? Imagine…just imagine if it were ALL UP TO US. There was no all seeing, all powerful, gracious and merciful and LOVING God to take control and take on this world for us? I don’t want to imagine that.

So give it up. Let go of the control. Do your best, however little or however much that may be. Love your kids. Give them a cookie AND brussell sprouts. Blow bubbles and make them take a nap. Kiss your husband and make sure to take care of yourself.

Find value in yourself. You know what you’re good at…your strength…you KNOW them. Build upon those. Give yourself credit for what you know you CAN do and now for what you feel like you cant. And then, don’t settle for that cant. Try harder. Learn new things. Accept you for you. But know through all of this, that whether we actually clean the entire house, do all the laundry, answer all those emails, be a great mom, go to that meeting, get those groceries, AND finish that project ALL IN ONE DAY…there is someone who accepts and loves you despite you not being superwoman.

Practical ways to battle all those keywords I mentioned above??

Lonliness – hug your kids. Get together with girls on a regular basis. Sometimes watching tv makes me feel part of this great big world, so I do that. Get super involved in a book or story that you can identify with. DO NOT HERMIT. Get out, go for a walk, people watch.

Inadequacy – get it in your head that NO ONE has it together. No one is perfect or has the perfect life. I deal with this one big time. And what I always come back to is, “well I see them succeeding here, but I also never see them laugh…”. Its silly for us to feel inadequate, really, when God made us in His image. No blemish. He created us all unique, all specifically for particular reasons. You’ll fit this mold, and you wont fit that other one…so stop trying to be everyone else and just be you. If you don’t know who YOU is, go to the beach alone. Write down everything you love and hate. Pray, search, be quiet. You’ll figure it out.

Self-criticism/body image/appearance – also one of my biggest struggles. Do what makes you feel healthy. If that means drinking water and doing yoga instead of being a marathon runner with a sixpack and ridiculous diet, then do that. No two women are the same. Put on your makeup. Don’t go around the house in sweats if it makes you feel like you are a slug. Get dressed. Don’t turn on the tv or read people magazine if that causes you to feel bad about yourself. If you love sweets like me, go overboard when its necessary and hold back when its not…i.e., skip that oreo and get the cheesecake that week when you go out to dinner. All good things are worth the wait! BE active. Play with your kids or your dog. Give yourself a facial. Paint your nails after you put the kids to bed. Give yourself healthy limits and reasonable expectations, i.e., 10 lbs in a week is insane…2 is realistic.

Parenting – all I have to say for this one is read your bible, pray for your kids and yourself, be patient, and smile and laugh. Repay the terrible two with kindness and hugs and discipline in positive ways. GET YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE. It’ll make you both feel better and more normal, not to mention wear them out. Balance means yes, give them a cookie when you have one…and sit with them until they finish that broccoli. Make it a game. Make it fun. Like I said…smile..and laugh. Its incredible what they’ll do when we are constantly positive.

Housekeeping – do it. As much as you can, when you can. For me, its therapeutic. I love cleanliness and order. It makes me feel so much more human when things are in order. If you’re messy like me, (and im really messy), take 10 minutes before bed to pick up the living room. Clean as you go when you cook. (this has saved me so much annoyance). Put all the clothes in a pile in your room before bed, and fold them when the kids are napping the next day. Little things like keeping wipes on the stairs, grabbing one and dusting the railings as you walk up the stairs…these things will save your sanity. And make you feel like Mr. Clean. If you have 5 minutes, dust 2 rooms. If you have 10 mins, run a quick vacuum job over those carpets.

Success – I’ve learned….and yes, am continuing to learn, that with two little kids…not much gets done besides loving them and take care of them. I’m already sleep deprived, so sometimes staying up late isn’t an option if I want to love and take care of them the NEXT day too. Here is what I say to myself every day. Accomplish what you can, when you can, and do not stress about the rest. Give yourself 3 work related things to do a day, and concentrate on those during nap times or when you can sit the kids down in front of a movie. If you only accomplish two, don’t add that last one to the 3 youre goaling yourself for the next day. Stick with 3 on that list. Continually allow yourself to be inspired instead of discouraged. Surround your life with people who are encouraging and HELPFUL….people want to help. Let them.

And last, and totally on purpose, finding balance in all of this?

I truly believe that balance starts with letting go of the guilt. If you are not willing to let yourself feel guilty because you cannot do EVERYTHING,  youre more likely to feel like you have that balance you’re constantly searching for. Practically? For the last year, I have prayed this:

God help me to do right by You today.

God help me to do right by my husband today.

God help me to do right by my kids today.

God help me to do right by my clients today.

God, husband, kids, work. In that order. As I’ve been writing this, I’ve gotten up 6 times to tend to Darby. And I have to be ok with that. She needs and depends on me.

If I can do little things throughout the day to do RIGHT by these four things, I can feel ok about the little bit of balance I’ve created. I encourage you to do the same.

I have no mastered, or even come CLOSE to getting all of this down. I’m writing this for me as much as for you ladies. And I leave you with this verse:

“I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.” Phillipians 3:11-13

February 11, 2011 | Categories: admissions, hood life, how to, inspiration, life little pleasures, marriage, ramblings | 2 Comments »

hair loss.

I remember the day I got all my hair cut off. I went in to the Aveda Institute in Tallahassee, handed Mary a picture of the most recent short cut on Sienna Miller, and told her to do it.

I honestly wasnt scared. I think that my whole life I felt like the hair I had and the way I styled it just wasnt me. I think I wasnt nervous because I knew whatever would be the result of those scissors wacking away was literally going to be ME. I would feel liberated and myself and totally alive.

And I did.

Here is a before and after of that day….years and years ago.

This was literally days before I cut it off…this is with my BFF tracy moses.

And this is right after I got home from the salon…

and a few days after that…i just love this cut.

So today I went with my friend Laurie to get her haircut by Danny Best…our friend from church who is a RAD stylist and well, does a darn good job cutting hair. I’m VERY picky when it comes to my haircut so I knew Laurie would be in good hands.

She was nervous as all get out, reminiscing of the horrible experience she’d gone through three years ago with her last haircut…yes, you read right…she hasnt had a haircut in three years. It was time.

Now, she didnt go as drastic as I did back in the day, but theres a definite pep in her step and rockstar in this cut. When Danny was finished, she said, “aaaand my last name is gonna change REAL quick.”. Haha. Oh Laurie.

Before – iphone pic (we’re both photographers and we forgot out cameras…what a surprise.

And with Danny before the shampoo and cutting began….

And here, here is my beautiful friend Laurie after the cutting genius that is Danny Best got a hold of her hair.

I’ve said many times before, and I’ll say it tons more times….a haircut can change your life. Literally. Its amazing what a little TLC will do for the soul. I encourage you ladies, if theres something you’ve wanted to do/change/try…whatever that may be…hair color, a new shade on your toes, a fabulous hair cut….do it. Just schedule the appointment. It makes a world of difference when you take time to take care of yourself.

February 10, 2011 | Categories: design, fashion, hair & makeup, hood life, inspiration, life little pleasures, photography, rad mom photos, ramblings | Tags: , , | 5 Comments »

on my wall: family rules.

Remember a few weeks back when we had ETSY week? I had featured a few shops that I loved, and ended up placing orders with both of them. First up, Alexander Creative Family Rules poster.

Its absolutely perfect for my family. It speaks to kindness and patience, all under the umbrella of loving Jesus first. And its only $25 ladies.

Today, I hung it on our living room wall in place of the Christmas Star card holder. (yea, finally took that down!)

I bought a super cheap poster frame from Target.

I unraveled my poster, took off the sides of the frame I bought, and taped the very edges of the poster to the backing. Then I put the plastic protective screen back on and fit the sides of the frame back on. (little side note: make sure that you pay attention to which end is the TOP, i.e. the end that has the hook. I totally had to take the this apart because i had the whole thing upside down. awesome.)

Pretty rad huh? I’m a fan. This will go with me where we go.

And lastly, another favorite shop of mine was OneCanoeTwo. Its two friends from Missouri who do letterpress in a barn. Seriously. I found their state letterpress prints and stumbled upon one for Tennessee. Needless to say, I had to spend the $15.00 and get it for Ben. Picked up a rugged looking frame at Target and put it together for my hubby.

February 9, 2011 | Categories: DIY, design, etsy, favorite things, hood life, how to, inspiration, rad finds, rad mom photos | Tags: , , , , | 3 Comments »

nap time.

for my whole mommy life, nap time has been work time. oh people tell me, “listen, sleep when they sleep. youve got to get your rest.”

and to that I say rest schmest. I can actually do some WORK…something VALUABLE during this time.

today, I’m breaking my own rule.

I just put the kids down, and I’m going to take my happy little tail upstairs to the guest bedroom and get in that bed. If I cant actually sleep, I’m going to watch some netflix on my iPad.

this is a post to tell you I’m not posting…..(see, even when I get away I wont get away…)

Hoping to post something tonight….and the two comments received on yesterdays hard mommy post have been weighing heavily on me so I want to address those.

This week will also document my adventures in putting together darbys crib, showing you the latest thing I’ve hung on my wall, maybe even give you a recipe…and yes….its time for a Real Simple Recap.

So, if you need me…I’ll be in bed.

February 8, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Leave A Comment »

conviction!

right and left, I’m getting it, feeling, and I love it. bring.it.on.

as I said in my post earlier today, I have really great people in my life who are telling me to shape up and step up….no, not that I cant be real…but that in everything I am a leader and I need to be thankful and give God the glory for the good, the bad, and the ugly.

after I posted this morning, I got a really great/encouraging/somewhat calling me out message from an amazing girl who I dont even know very well. She is one of my dear friends dear friend. I wont bore you all with the whole message, but here is a tidbit.

“I just was thinking about you and I feel like jesus wants to remind you that He has anointed you and your gift for expressing yourself. He wants to remind you that your words are powerful and carry a weight of influence for the Kingdom. This may just be weird but i am going to say it… I feel like He wants to challenge you to pray before you write/take pics and then pray before you post your blogs; no matter how trivial they may be. He wants you to continue to depend on Him through this influence He has anointed you with and to not lose sight of that.”

BAM.

its priceless to have people in your life who will be honest with you.

so ladies, know that I mess up. CONSTANTLY. and I’m normal, really…people ask me all the time how I am superwoman and I answer a)i am not even though I may pretend to be for appearance sake and b)everything I do is simply God allowing me to skate by and get through it…and I have mornings/days/nights that are just awful….just like any selfish and sinning human being out there.

this verse just came to me…

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

thanks for allowing me to screw up and be real ladies, and also for keeping me honest and telling me how it is!

February 7, 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

influence in struggle.

ive been made aware by a few people lately that my blogs….rad mom, photography…even my facebook and twitter…are no strangers to lots of people. ive been told lately that my influence is far reaching..its wide and kind of intimidating.

this makes me humble, and also scared…i dont want to say wrong things, lead people in wrong directions, influence someone to do something or act some way that is not them or is out of character…i dont want to lead people astray.

today is just rough…no two ways around it. today is a rough mommy day. up all night practically with darby. josiah is just in a bad mood and is whining about nothing in particular. bens gone at work where he is around friends all day, and im honestly feeling a bit discouraged. that “mommy” feeling where you just feel trapped..like, “why am i supposed to stay here all day and take on the drama with a smile on my face at all times? wheres my freedom?”.

i write this because i know it to be true not just of me, but ALL mothers. and i also write it to say yea…its a horrible feeling…but as with most things, its worth it. no doubt about it. today is just one of those….well, days.

i want to know whats hardest for YOU. as a mom….as a caretaker…as a sister or best friend….we women have constant struggles and agendas that we inadvertently take up and take on ourselves. some completely unrealistic expectations, sprinkle in some guilt and “i have to do it all myself”…and a recipe for worn out and bitter comes together. and the taste is yucky…just yucky.

what are your biggest struggles? as a woman? as a mom? open forum ladies….id love to try and address some of them, speak against or for some of them with scripture this week.

transparency is good and bad….and my reach is far, and i’m beginning to take that very seriously. i want to use it for good. so lets get through this monday together….

comment below:) in the meantime, carry this with you today.

Phillipians 2:14-16

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

February 7, 2011 | Categories: admissions, hood life, inspiration, ramblings | 4 Comments »

photo love week: friday!

Friday photo love questions:

Hey ladies!

Its been a great week and I’m so thankful for all of you sending in your questions and comments. I hope that I’ve helped you all out and answered everything you asked! Today we are just finishing up specific qeuestions from everyone!

First up, Some of you emailed about some Photoshop and Lightroom tips. Well, it totally depends on what you want these programs for. Photoshop is an expensive software, (a bit cheaper if you’re a student), and Lightroom is about half the price; but, they do very different things. I’ll tell you what I use them for and hopefully that will shed some light on their strengths.

Lightroom is a wonderful, wonderful lifesaver of a program. I use lightroom for all of my final edits of shoots and weddings. Why? Because its fast…lightning fast. I can shift and highlight hundreds of images, run ONE preset (action) on them, and they edit in seconds. Its also great for adjusting exposures, temperatures, and clarity super quick-like. I also use it a lot for batch resizing/renaming images. I can make my own presets (which I have done) to run over my images, making them my own and keeping them consistent with all the editing I do in Photoshop. Having Lightroom has cut my editing and “in front of the computer” time in HALF…literally. If you’re a professional photographer, this is not even an option. GET LIGHTROOMJ

Photoshop is also amazing, and I use it to edit and size/logo all the images you’ll see on my website and blog. Lightroom is great, but there is simply no replacing Photoshop and what it can do to an image. Now, I don’t do a lot of retouching. Sure there are awesome things like the “liquify” tool in PS, and yes it is capable of taking in your waist and sizing down that double chin…but honestly, I try NOT to do that stuff. I want to have real people on my blog…not retouched people.

Like I said in my post a few days ago, I have come up with my own recipe of actions (taken from a few different actions I purchased) and created a unique blend of colors that give my pictures the coloring you see. (very contrasty, very warm.) Adobe Camera Raw (which opens when you take pictures from Adobe Bridge into Photoshop) gives me the ability to fix exposures and white balance and bring up the blacks on all my photos. Then I simply batch edit my actions onto my images, and batch resize my images for the blog. Although Photoshop can do millions of things, like I said I like to keep things simple and real and honest…so I don’t use half of what the program offers. If you’re a professional photographer and you’re dealing with hundreds of images at a time…you MUST google and learn how to batch edit in Photoshop. You’ll get your life back. I let my actions batch, and hang out with my kids while its running. Win-win.

Next question! Many of you emailed me asking about my confidence in what I do, and how you can build up/keep your confidence in what YOU do. Such a tough question! I’ve always struggled with feelings of inadequacy. Not just in my career and field, but in life in general. Its an issue I’ve always had to battle, and I’m nowhere near mastering. But let me tell you one thing that has helped me!

When I first started out in this industry, I was your typical blog stalker. No….listen. I was insane. I would check and keep up with HUNDREDS of photography blogs a day. Now, I am not going to sit here and say I didn’t learn anything. In fact, I learned MOST of what I know about photography from some great photographers in this industry who were gracious enough to share what they knew. (David Jay, Jasmine Star, Amelia Lyon to name a few). But it went past that…I was learning things yes, but I was also inadvertently comparing myself to EVERYONE else I followed. “oh man, look at her composition…geez I suck.” “how did she get THAT shot? I’ve tried that and it just never works for me” “wow. I thought I was decent…but compared to her? Im horrible”.

Do you see how this can happen? I was in a constant cycle of liking what id done, UNTIL I saw someone elses photo shoot and realized that what I’d done is crud compared to this one. I was a self-defeatist and I was letting everyone else, who were all different than me…NOT me, I was letting them control how I felt about my work.

Now I know this is difficult, to not compare your work to others…and like I said, I’ve definitely yet to master this struggle…but one thing I did was stop looking at peoples blogs.

For a while, I quit cold turkey. I didn’t look at ANYONES work for like, a year. I’ve slowly gotten back into following a few key people, but I’ve been choosy and I’m choosing only those that I feel INSPIRED by, not INADEQUATE compared to.

So that’s your first step. Next, you simply have to realize that you are you, and they are they. (great grammar huh??). There is no other you, and their work is unique to them. If you don’t feel like your work is unique and don’t feel like it screams you, then its probably because you’re copying somebody elses. You have to find out what you LOVE, and focus on shooting that way. For example, I love to focus on getting images that rip your heart out…emotion is OOZING from them, you feel it tug on your chest and it makes you say…”AHHHH.” I look for emotion, touch, facial expressions, encounters, tears, smiles….Ive found that I love the result when I put my focus here.

One last set of questions! These are for you Emily!

1)      do I use flash? Yes. Its necessary at receptions because they’re typically at night. Ben is my lighting guru, and he’s great at setting up our canon 580EX ii speedlights on tripods with pocket wizards. (remote triggers). This is our typical reception setup at every wedding. If it’s a smaller space, I’ll simply keep the speedlight on my camera and bounce the light off of whatever is available. (walls, partitions, even people) Do I think an external flash is necessary? If you’re shooting weddings, you better believe it. Cant do a good job without it. If you’re simply a natural light on location outdoor portrait photographer, you’re fine without one. Why ANYONE uses flash in outdoor natural light is BEYOND me. Its my largest pet peeve.

2)      Do I use photoshop editing on all my pictures? YES. And no I don’t think its ever ok to let your work leave you unedited.

3)      Return that 50mm 1.8…..there is a HUGE difference between that and the 50mm 1.4. Basically, the 1.8 is useless when you want things in focus (which should be all the time…). Its so hard to focus and get things clear and crisp with that lens. Spend the extra $300 and go with the 1.4.

4)      And no, unfortunately, I cannot edit other photographers images. Its just unethical and wrong, I’m sorry!

Well girls, there are few of you I’ll respond to personally through email…but other than that, I think I got to everyone! I hope you all learned something and I hope that I was able to communicate effectively. I’m so blessed to do what I do, I thank God every day.

TGIF, and have a great weekend!

February 4, 2011 | Categories: cameras, how to, inspiration, kallima photography, photography, rad mom photos | Leave A Comment »

photo love: question day!

hey everyone! its thursday and I’ve got to get a move on to answer all these remaining questions between today and tomorrows post!

I’m using a true question/answer format for this post, so sit tight! here we go.

question: would you ever consider doing a workshop?

the answer for this is a yes, for sure. ben and I have talked about this for quite some time. If we did start to hold rad workshops, they would start out very basic in nature; camera function, business talk, lighting, photoshop, etc. Our main thing holding us back is making sure there is interest! if you’d be interested in getting more information and coming to a kallima workshop, drop us an email to let us know!  (details@kallimaphotography.com)

question: how did you get started in photography, and more specifically, weddings?

I get asked this sooooo much, and my honest answer is….nothing specific happened. I didnt have a dream from childhood on to become a photographer…I didnt have a dream one day and wake up knowing how I wanted to spend my life. Heres how I remember it..

My mom always had a camera in her hand. We have 6 kiddos in our family, so there was never a shortage of baseball, volleyball, or basketball games to photograph. My dad is a pastor, so there was also never a dull moment…never a time when there wasnt a church function or picnic where a camera was ofcourse…completely necessary. We took vacations every year, usually traveling to north carolina, and I remember just dying to get back home and take those rolls of film to winn dixie to get developed. I always like looking through pictures and remembering moments passed.

When I went away to college I remember always having to bring my camera with me everywhere. And then we got married and moved far away…from friends, family…anyone we knew, and I fell into a depression. It was during that time that I poured over photo albums, boxes of pictures, and wedding albums day in and day out…trying to create a sense of home in a lonely place. When we moved in with Bens family before returning to Florida and school, I bought a “nice” camera (spent like $500 and it was a biiiig deal to me!) and began taking pictures of people and moments. Not professionally, just for fun and to see what I could come up with.

Then I got into my major and realized that event planning took me away from ben for like..90 hours a week. And if I ever wanted to have a family, I couldnt be an event planner and be happy. I wanted to be home.

I started asking people to let me shoot them, with a camera..of course. Friends, family…strangers..didnt matter. I did my first few photo shoots with a Sony Cybershot. YES…how anyone ever trusted me with that thing…I’ll never know..but thank you. Then my friend Tracy told her friend Courtney that I shot weddings and that I’d for sure shoot hers. Trouble was I’d never shot a wedding. I freaked out, yelled at Tray, called the bride and booked her. The rest is history. I shot that first wedding with a Canon Rebel, a $200 piece of crap zoom lens, and a 50mm 1.4. And one battery. And 2 CF cards. Unbelievable that I survived, and that my bride loved her pictures.

Now, I’ve always been an artsy type person. As well as being a total basketball jock in high school, I loved to draw and paint..I entered pieces into art shows and sang at church and with a traveling choir and wherever anyone would listen to me. I loved fashion and spent every dime I made in high school shopping….shopping…shopping…

All of that to say, God blessed something he apparently saw in me..the ability to see memories and feel peoples love and emotions…

This flows very well into our next question.

question: do you have any formal education? Did you go to photography school or take any classes?

The answer to all of the above is no, no, and no. I’m not saying that I’m above any of that or that an education in photography isnt useful. I just know that its not for me. I dont shoot technically..I dont have rules. I dont shoot based on a set of do’s and don’ts  that determine my exposure or composition or location or angle. I shoot what I see…through eyes that see what it could be. When most people see a girl a girl just slipping on her wedding dress, I tend to see the silent and anticipatory shrug her shoulders fall into as she contemplates the ending of an era and the beginning of an adventure with her best friend. Thats how my brain works.

Honestly, at this point in my career I think that formal training (at a photography or art school) would hurt rather than help me. I love the way I feel about what I do, and I dont want that tainted by realizing things that I may not “know” or may not have “mastered”. I shoot by emotion, not by rules.

Now, I love going to workshops and definitely keep up with continuing education in my field. This is super important and something I love to do. My SoFly girls also keep me on my toes learning all sorts of things. There is a difference between learning “right and wrong” with photography and learning NEW things. This industry is constantly changing, equipment and technology leading the way, so its important for me to keep up with the times to keep my photography fresh.

question: what are some tips at taking great pictures of my kiddos, especially when they’re fast and always running around…

first, its very helpful to have a good camera and a good lens that will alllow you to get on a setting that is specifically for fast moving subjects/objects. and second, you want to know how I take pictures of my kids? I play with them. I dont tell them to “look here” or sit them down and try to keep them still. the best way I’ve found, at least with my own kiddos, is to get down on there level and just play. they will giggle and laugh and smile and coo and clap hands, all because they’re happy you’re with them. and all the while you’re stealthily snapping pictures.

There are a few last questions that are for some specific girlies!

Kelly: the next lens I would purchase would be a great portrait lens. The ones you listed dont consistently produce sharp, crisp, and clean images. I would honestly save up, and purchase a killer L lens from the canon line. I love the 135 2.0 and its smooth smooth smooth. And also under $1,000. For an L lens, thats awesome! Also, I dont use Mac…therefore I dont Aperture. But I can tell you that I dont think any photographer will be a successful photographer without consistently using Photoshop and Lightroom!

Jess: for all you want to know on Av and Tv mode, check out my hubbys blog….a few posts back he went into great detail about the dial on the Canon 5d Mark ii. Its technical (which I am not!), and super helpful! Find the post here!

Alright girls! Last post is tomorrow and it’ll simply be answering the specific questions i’m getting through emails and comments. Its your last shot to get your questions in, so do it tonight in anticipation of tomorrow being the last day to pick my brain! (whatevers left of it after the kiddos and mommyhood wipe it clean!)

February 3, 2011 | Categories: cameras, how to, inspiration, kallima photography, photography | 3 Comments »

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