185/365 - Painting with Light

July 4, 2011

Had a lot of fun shooting the fireworks tonight. :) I really liked the way they came out. 

148/365 - white (and blue & pink) wedding

may 28, 2011

 we shot a wedding today. it was a lot of fun. :)

144/365 - getting ready...

may 24, 2011

Getting stuff ready for this weekend's wedding.

141/365 - no regrets!

May 21, 2011

Aw, aren't we cute? ;)

97/365 - art appreciation.

April 7, 2011

I love Todd's photography all around our little home. :) He's so talented. I adore him.

50/365 - so, i'm in love with this.

February 19, 2011

Finally.

Kind of can't wait to get more.

PS - Don't tell Sylvia.

banging out a happy little note

I just wanted to say... that everything is going to be just fine.

Everything will work itself out. Life will get easier... better. We will get what we deserve, eventually.

I say this because I (want to) feel optimistic. The house is clean. I'm becoming a more organized adult. I'm learning little tips, hints, and shortcuts from the wonderful people in my life.

Work is getting better. Got a great evaluation today and I'm feeling good about it. I really needed an upper when it came to the work situation.... so yay.

I feel like I'm coming into my own. I feel like I'm learning about who this Becky person really is... or could be... or could become. Or even who she has been all along.

Well, I'm going to stop getting all existential on you and get some sleep. Tomorrow's Friday and it's been a long, busy, up-early-every-morning kind of week. And I went to the dentist. But that's okay. I love getting my teeth cleaned.

The point is... nothing is really wrong. That's something to celebrate and be thankful for. We're healthy and happy.

Ben turns three next month! 3! That's 21 in dog years!

34-38/365(whew, i've fallen behind.)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

I made these Turtle cookies. They were underdone. Meh.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Sat around the house and did a bunch of nothing Friday night. I think. I went to the grocery store after work in the cold, horrible rain.

Saturday. February 5, 2011

Adrienne and I went over to the tattoo place again (to see if he finally had my stencil ready and he did not) and they now have a PARROT! I'd love to work with him... 

Also, I made a big old pot of chili and invited some friends over, but only Adrienne made it. It was yummy. 

Sunday, February 6, 2011

I went to bed early because I was feeling a bit off. Weird feelings in my stomach, just... off. My feelings were spot on, because I woke up Monday morning throwing up and have been sick all day.

Monday, February 7, 2011

and.... I'm sick again. Ugh. Cuss word.

30/365 - My Date with Diana

January 31, 2011

I love these. That is all.

don't get jealous. get better.

I like to stalk other photographers. Well, their work. And when I come across a photographer who's work is clearly better than my own... I can't help but get a little jealous, but I try to backtrack, and instead I tell myself: "Don't get jealous. Get better."

And then I look forward to the day when I will be that good. But it's hard, because I'm perfectionist to the core and I want to wake up tomorrow and be the best. I want our photography business to be the best ever. I have no patience, and this is probably why I abandon so many of my passions because... if I'm not the best, then why bother?

I guess in the words of Heather Armstrong, I want to be the valedictorian of everything. However, I was like, 9th in the my graduating class, so I guess I'll just have to settle for being 9th in life. Because no one's perfect.

I do wish we had updated camera equipment and some new lenses, though. But that takes money, and to get money, we need more clients. :) So I guess we'll start small and slowly work our way towards big and envious. Because I'm not giving up on this.

bangers & freaking mash.

Not in the 365 Project, but here are some photos from tonight's (and Tuesday) meal. It was so delicious, I was actually craving it hardcore on my way home from work and stopped to get another package (or two) of sausage and gravy mix so I could make it again.......and again. I present you, my new favorite meal:

BANGERS & MASH

Of course I never have a picture of the finished product... haha. But here's the recipe I use. There are others out there that are much  more complicated, but this one is just so quick and easy, even though it calls for making real mashed potatoes... which I had NEVER done before last Tuesday, believe it or not. I mean, REAL potatoes are my favorite, but I had never taught myself to make them. I just used the boxed kind. Well, the entire meal came out absolutely divine. I mean, it's not exactly classy, but it is beyond delicious. Thus cooking it 2 nights in one week. I also had the leftovers for dinner Wednesday, and I'll probably eat the leftovers from tonight's tomorrow! Ohh yeah. Bangers & Mash FTW.

Ingredients

• 8 large baking potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 teaspoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup milk, or as needed
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds beef sausage
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1 (.75 ounce) packet dry brown gravy mix
• 1 cup water, or as needed

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place potatoes in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, and mash with 1 teaspoon of butter, and enough milk to reach your desired creaminess. Continue mashing, or beat with an electric mixer, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until heated through. Remove from pan, and set aside. Add remaining teaspoon of butter to the skillet, and fry the onions over medium heat until tender. Mix gravy mix and water as directed on the package, and add to the skillet with the onions. Simmer, stirring constantly, to form a thick gravy.
3. Pour half of the gravy into a square casserole dish so that is coats the bottom. Place sausages in a layer over the gravy (you can butterfly the sausages if you wish). Pour remaining gravy over them, then top with mashed potatoes.
4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until potatoes are evenly brown.

16/365 - counting blue cars

January 16, 2011

I just finished rigging this up for my necklaces. I have a small jewelry box with only 6 hooks for necklaces, and they would all get tangled up, and even worse, the doors close magnetically, causing the necklaces to be drawn to the magnets and tangled more. Ugh. So I started looking up DIY necklace organizers, and came up with this. It's 3 pieces of colored string, braided together for some strength and then simply tacked on the wall. It looks pretty sweet.

I also hung up one of Todd's pictures that had been sitting on the floor for months, meaning to go in this very spot. It's just so hard to put a nail in a wall sometimes...

15/365 - Vanilla & Cranberry

January 15, 2011

If it looks like I'm struggling with photo material..... well, then, I probably am. ;) I'm sure by time this year is up, you will have seen everything in my home. I don't go out much. ;)

14/365 - Fire & Dragons

I'm having trouble picking my photo of the day for yesterday! Soo, I'm going to post two. I make the rules.

Musashi's - January 14, 2011 

Plato - January 14, 2011 

Went out last night with some friends for Adrienne's birthday and it was a ton of fun. :) I'd never been to Musashi's or played Mad Gab, so it was a night of firsts for me. I got to meet a bunch of Sheresse and Tim's furless pets, which was also interesting. Can't wait for more fun times! :)

10/365 - lil' jerry

January 10, 2011

Aw. Found this picture in my suitcase while cleaning the house today. Finally put the suitcases under the bed from Christmas. That's how crazy things have been around here since Christmas. I'm only just now opening and putting away some of our gifts. The dinosaur came with our presents from Photojojo; we got 2 of them. Todd got me a Diana lens and I got him a camera bag. We're so hip.
Todd's only tried out my lens once - I haven't had the time - and it is amazing. It works best outside in bright natural light. I'd like to post of some the pics he took, but he might want to go through them first. They are amazing. I love the effect and can't wait to take some pictures myself.

Next on my photo wish list is a new camera strap. We both need one. I'm fond of these.

9/365 - My Melancholy Model

Today's "photo of the day" is going to consist of a small photo-shoot with a melancholy model. And perhaps a few photo tips, as well.

How about this? 4 photos, 4 tips! Makes sense, right?

• I almost never upload a photo directly from the camera. To me, it's a bit lazy and you're selling yourself short. Every photo I post for public consumption has been pulled into Photoshop and color corrected, at the very least.

• If your photos look a bit dull, up the saturation just a little bit. I usually don't go over 9 pts, because anymore than that kind of over does the color a bit. Also, if you aren't happy with the color tone of your photos, you can mess with the color balance. Adding some red with warm up your photos, whereas adding a touch of blue will cool them down. Pretty simple! :)

• Take photos of the same subject from different angles and points of view. That one is kind of self explanatory, but it's just so easy to stand and look straight on at your subject. Make yourself uncomfortable. Get on the floor or climb on top of something if you have to. Also, it is not illegal to tilt your camera at an angle and take a shot diagonally.

• When shooting with animals, don't set a time limit. Don't get frustrated, and don't keep calling out their names to get them to look at the camera. They pick up on your frustration and it will show on their faces. If the camera becomes normal to them, they will act normal in front of it. (This is also purely my opinion and not solid facts. Haha.)

Hope you enjoyed that. ;)

PS - Ben looked sad because he wanted to go outside and we were too busy playing with his emotions in the bedroom. Poor guy. ;)

4/365 - punky little tree

January 4, 2011

It's a little late, but I never posted a picture of our Christmas tree. Kind of unfortunate considering now it's all limp, no longer has its tree skirt, and no more presents underneath! But trust me... my very first REAL Christmas tree in my entire life? It was Glorious, to say the least.

The First Day

January 1, 2011

I shot my first wedding today! I'm going to take my time going through the photos, but I'm pretty happy with what I've seen so far. I was super nervous and was convinced every photo looked awful, so I'm relieved. Plus, Todd was with me and his photos are going to be amazing. He's my trainer. I think we make an excellent team, to be honest. This year we are going to focus on getting our photography business off the ground. (This is going to be so great.)


This post is also the beginning of another Project 365, which I attempted a while back for several months and it was extremely difficult... this time I am starting on New Year's Day and am going to make it the entire year. Enjoy!