Earlier this week I was contacted by the lovely Bella Robles, a local photog who really loves my work 
She wanted to have a meeting to discuss hiring me for a future session, so we booked the meeting without me having any idea whatsoever what this could be about. I really don’t like to book meetings without knowing what for, because I could easily save my clients the trip if they just explain the gist of it so I can let them know if I am even available for such a thing. Needless to say I was pretty nervous making this exception…but I knew Bella was familiar with my work and some of my pricing, so I figured it was safe. And probably a secret? I didn’t wanna be pushy
Well, it turns out, the lady is PREGNANT! MASSIVE CONGRATS again, Bella!
The reason she was contacting me about a vague session in October was because that’s about when she’s due, and she wanted ME to shoot her baby’s newborn photos! Now, I don’t normally shoot newborns/babies. Especially now that I have changed my rates and narrowed down my target client-base. However, this is easily one of the greatest parts of my joblife! I love it when a client knows and loves MY own style of photography, and hires me to apply it to a category of photography I don’t normally shoot. I still won’t advertise as a newborn/maternity photographer, but if it pays the bills AND is an exciting new adventure…you bet your ass I’m there!
When she showed up, I knew it was her 23rd birthday, and I already had a (very vague) plan to grab my film camera for a couple of random ‘I know you’ve been dying to shoot with me and haven’t had the money yet’ birthday shots while we had our meeting on my beautifully lit porch. Of course, once she busted out the news, I knew I HAD to grab my digital and make this happen. Especially since my film might take as long as that fetus to develop, haha. Well, it turns out that she was gonna ask me to photograph her ‘announcement’ photo for Facebook anyway! Now, normally this would have made me uncomfortable. I wouldn’t want to do free work, but I wouldn’t want to charge her on the spot (even though it would have been fair, since it was an on-the-spot request). Luckily the universe is always on my side, so my instincts kicked in well before any awkward conversation about an un-official session, or payment. It just needed to happen, and I am so happy it did! And of course I can always sell her the high-res files if she wants to use them! So no regrets 
In the end, it was a lovely afternoon filled with photos, sunshine, and happiness!
Thank you again, Bella, for letting me be a part of your magic! I cannot WAIT for October!!!
I was waiting to hear back from a friend earlier, so I took advantage of the fact that I was dressed up and ready to go out! I wanted to get a photo involving this AWESOME afro I have goin’ on these days.
Of course, my attempt to make it bigger resulted in disaster, and by the time I actually started taking pictures, it was lookin’ pretty lopsided. No matter! I conquered the problem with a little bit o’ Photoshop!
It was also 4pm, and the sun was just staring me in the face, not going anywhere, anytime soon. It was really warm, at least! I made a whole production out of it, by bringing my two lights and stands along. It was just outside of my window, but enough cars passed by to make it interesting…
I think I managed my fill-flash pretty well, despite having to fix a few shadow lines that I found too harsh on the face. I also suck at keeping both eyes open, as you may remember from my last Photoshop before and after…
I went ahead and re-shaped the ‘fro and fixed my eye, as you can see. This is the sooc version, followed by the liquified version:
I don’t normally do this much Photoshop at all, but I’ll be shooting a lot more of this sort of thing with models now, so I wanted to brush-up on my skills. I’m really stoked on this photo!!! I did a lot more of this type of thing for my last 365, while this one has been a little more mellow and simple. It’s great to do this every now and again
We all knew SOMETHING was coming, but I don’t think most of us saw THIS coming!
I had a lovely last-minute shoot booked for Sunday. The weather channel gave us a forecast worth canceling over, coupled with a day hardly worth wearing a sweater during. I was pretty bummed. However, it’s always nice to not have to shoot last-minute sessions. I plan ahead of time so that my time can be fairly divided between myself and my booked clients. Adding things at the last minute totally upsets the balance. I can’t complain On top of that stress being removed from my week, the shoot is still on for Thursday! The one day it’s supposed to be nice. Let’s hope the weather gets all of itself in today and tomorrow, for clear skies during my shoot!
I woke up for a drink of water. After getting up for that, I needed to use the bathroom. Once I got back, for some reason I decided to look through the window before going back to bed. It was raining all night, and I wanted to see what the scene was out there. I really was NOT expecting snowflakes! Normally I love to take photos of anything and everything exciting. Today, I am covered in photo opportunities, and just can’t be bothered. Perhaps because I went to bed late and got up extra-early. Perhaps because I just froze off my digits taking a couple of self-portraits. Perhaps because I’m so bummed my stupid rain-protector broke on this, the first time I ever used it 
REGARDLESS, I definitely got my portraits in! It took me just enough time to get ready and set up my shot. There was snow falling when I got up. By the time I’d picked out my afro, tossed on some makeup, and grabbed my rain-protector for the camera…there was snow sticking to the ground. This was exciting, even though I wasn’t planning on the ground being in the shot. I wanted the afro to catch flakes. Little did I know it would be THIS awesome! The ground, trees, and cars are now covered in snow I’m sure it will all melt away before anything else goes down today, but it’s really nice to sit here with my cup of hot tea and my snow photos. What a perfect morning <3
Don’t get me wrong…had I a model I’d be all OVER this weather (and I’m sure there’s still time! Hint, hint). However, self portraits in the snow, with a weather-shy camera body, are just not the same. I’m really glad I did it, but I’m done for the day.
Let’s see if anyone I’d love to work with calls me up for an adventure! Fingers SO crossed!
I am SO excited!
All night, and ever since I had the pleasure of attending that incredible business seminar last week, I have been thinking non-stop about my beloved, photographic life goal.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you may have heard about it…
I come from a pretty intense background. I was raised by a single mother in Compton, California, until I was about 10 years old. My sister was born into an emotionally abusive relationship, after which my mother and I fled, little sister in-tow. We lived in numerous homeless shelters, slept in military armories and camp-grounds, and here and there found housing programs that re-introduced some form of stability, if only for a year or two.
During that time, a California newspaper was running stories on disadvantaged children like myself, and the dreams they wished to achieve. My dream was to be a professional photographer someday, and with that tell my story and give back to the homeless and disadvantaged community in some way. I wasn’t sure how, but I knew I wanted that more than anything. Except, maybe a home. Haha.
Well, it’s amazing how much you can grow from talking things out with other like-minded people! I learned and realized so many brilliant things that I can start taking advantage of immediately, instead of hoping I win the lottery one day to be able to completely fund everything on my own. I don’t know why I was so stuck on that idea. I am SO happy I was un-stuck!
So now, I’m gathering ideas and trying to figure out which move to make first.
I really want to specifically tie my love and passion for fashion photography and model photography (even without a product being advertised) in to this project. My experience as a model really helped open my eyes to the different worlds photography could take me to. I got into photography because of the feeling of freedom and control I was in behind that lens, capturing what I wanted, how I wanted it. I stayed with photography later in life because of the amazing confidence that came with having a passion and being talented enough to get the reactions I love with it. When modeling came along, I was again swept up by that confidence, only this time it was from the other side. I knew it was up to me as a model to BE the photograph, no matter how talented the photographer was. It was my job to show off the clothes, or emote the essence of what we were trying to convey, to tell the story I was on-board to tell. And MAN did it feel great when other people loved it, too. I want to show more people like me, who understand where I come from and have similar backgrounds and experiences, how that feels.
Even typing this blog, the ideas are flowing more and more specifically!
I was not set on any particular age group at first. When I first thought of this, I wanted to stick to children and young teens, not necessarily involving fashion or modeling, and perhaps some homeless adults, too. I just wanted to give them photos that they would love. Once I started concentrating more on WHY I was interested in this project, I realized I would not only need to have a clear idea of exactly how to approach these sessions, but I would have to find a way to tailor it to my own needs and interests. That’s when it hit me: I wanted to shoot models. It really is the most exciting thing for me. And I know both sides of the game pretty well. And I really believe I can easily convey the confidence and motivation and zest for life I want to spread to my models by giving them something SO many young people crave and deserve. Modeling is a pretty big deal in our world today, and even people who don’t believe they are interested can appreciate a beautiful piece of art and the experience that comes with them making it. Imagine getting a day out of the youth shelter, free from chores and rules and reminders, to spend it getting pampered by a hair and makeup artist (in a salon, even!), and then be whisked away to a shoot location with a professional lighting setup and a photographer (and assistant!) who really understands a lot more than you were aware they would! Imagine getting to have lunch with the crew later and be asked about your experience, because you are not just a model, you are a guest and a respected member of the amazing project. Imagine the recognition this could potentially bring you, as a spokes model for disadvantaged people.
Imagine only being in middle or high school when this all happens. Imagine telling your friends and mentors ALL about it, and re-living the details each time. Imagine the confidence that you already achieved just by being noticed, and acknowledged, and praised, and appreciated, and respected, AND dolled-up and photographed! And you haven’t even seen the photos yet…
That’s it. That’s exactly what I want. Teens from youth shelters and rough situations, speaking out for others in those situations by telling a story through their eyes, and their body language. It doesn’t have to be a sad story. That’s my favorite part. When I was there, I didn’t realize how my life was perceived by anyone else, because I wasn’t anyone else. Homeless people have good times, too! And it’s a beautiful thing. Beyond that, I was young and the whole world was in front of me. Nothing was impossible. I want to work with youth who understand this, and can easily embrace it.
And who knows? I could help launch careers or inspire these kids with my project, much like I was inspired by the brilliant minds behind the newspaper’s wishlist I was published in.
Did I mention it would all be free? This means I will probably be depending on local merchants and artists to help out! I don’t think it will be hard to find people interested in being a part of this once word spreads. Donations will probably be easy to come by, too! I am thinking of having the wardrobe for each shoot provided by local merchants who would like their clothing showcased, even if only in the credits. I won’t be doing this to make money for the merchants, so I wouldn’t expect there would be a problem with making the person my main subject, as opposed to the clothes I would also need hair and makeup artists interested in TFP work, as I plan to deliver approximately 5-10 final photos. And hopefully I can eventually get some exposure in the media, maybe show the photos in a gallery or two, and make some money back for myself, my crew, and more importantly, the models!
I think I will contact the same youth shelter I stayed at during high school, as a starting point. I’ll have to get everything else in place first, of course, but I just can’t WAIT!!! I’ve raised my regular prices for my clients, so my hope is that I will have more money and more time to concentrate on this project and it’s photos, while still delivering top-notch photos and experiences to my paying clients <3
It feels AMAZING to know exactly what I’m doing. Now I just gotta figure out where to start!
I’m thinking of interviewing my little sister as soon as possible. Since she was homeless along with us, she is the PERFECT guinea pig for this experiment. I started photographing her as my very first subject, and now I still photograph her often, especially when I have new equipment I want to play with! Knowing how she feels about the idea of using modeling and photography as a confidence boost is important to me. Huzzah! I guess I know where to start!!!
Earlier this week, I shot the last of my roll of 35mm black and white film. I normally have my film processed by some place like Target, but this roll would have required more of a specialty place with a specialty price. I was willing to pay upwards of $12, but it was definitely a bummer since I really didn’t remember what was on that roll. I knew it wasn’t that important, so I was willing to wait.
I called up my buddy Aaron, who loves shooting film and is currently a photo student at UNM, to ask him if he had any future plans to take a trip to Picture Perfect. I still don’t have a car, so
tagging along on one of those trips would be perfect. He unfortunately wasn’t planning any trips in the near future, since he was sending his 4×5 film out for processing elsewhere, but he said he was happy to develop my film FOR me at UNM’s photo lab! I’m certainly not one to say no to that! A few drinks at the bar here and there are much cheaper than a few trips to the photo lab, after all!
I got to go with him and watch him process it, which was awesome. I brought my DSLR (thank god), so I was snappin’ away all over the lab. Chemical-covered floors and all. It was quite a thrill. I was also pretty fascinated with the scanners! I have always been intrigued by film scanners, and would probably be able to save quite a bit of cash if I had one of those myself. I was stoked to see them in action! They really were fantastic 
I’m a little bit bummed because I was clearly not aware that this was black and white film for every shot… Then again, whatever film I have in my camera is the film I’m gonna shoot with, regardless of how many colors are in front of my lens. I am excited to finally sit down and look through the photos anyway. I haven’t really had the chance just yet, but I’m sure I will upload them once I do!
I am so excited to shoot more film, this time color! Of course, I am also extremely excited for my upcoming digital shoots! I have quite a few sessions lined up this April, and so many more bookings in the works! There’s an Easter wedding, a sunset engagement, and more fantastic shots with Cher! I can’t wait 
I have SO many photos to edit, and I am especially stoked about the mother-daughter session I posted about last time. That’s the next batch of photos I will be editing today, and they are gonna be beauuuutiful!!
Stay tuned!!!!
Aaaaah, spring A perfect time to take advantage of the beautiful blooms in Old Town! I got to do just that earlier today when I had a beautiful session with Lauren and her daughter Alexis. It was fantastic!
We had a half-session, which is only 30-minutes as opposed to my normal hour or more, and boy did we pack a ton of great shots into our short session! We didn’t have to go very far to get a whole array of different settings, since just turning around changes everything down there. I LOVE shoots like that! Especially not having a car I am really looking forward to shooting around my neighborhood soon, for the same reasons.
The two of these gals said they go to Starbucks multiple times a week for coffee and hot chocolate, which made including coffee a no-brainer. It was really awesome to play with my depth of field, especially on that 11-16mm 2.8! I love that thing
I used flash a few times, but I also played around with my 50mm and natural (mid-day) light. It was great! I really love the relaxed setting a camera body and 50mm lens contribute to, as opposed to having to set up lighting and make a scene. I’m thankful my editing techniques can support my vision, no matter what gear I incorporate!
In the end, it was a complete success! I was so excited about the photos, I immediately edited the first batch this same day! I’ll have to wait before I edit more, since I have plenty of other lovely clients to edit photos for next, but that’s a good thing. I love coming back a week or two later with fresh eyes and new inspiration
I LOVE my job!
This week has been fantastic!
I got paid, got laundry done, set up an art showing for May, played a solo set at a local venue, FINALLY both went to Java Joe’s for the first time ever AND met Aaron’s lovely girlfriend Tori, and to top it all off, I got to star in my first cinemagraph!
First things first. Java Joe’s was amazing! I had their Nutty Irish, and it was to die for. I don’t drink very much coffee at all, but it was well worth it. I made the mistake of having even more coffee later that night at my show, so I really got sick later, but the Nutty Irish was still delicious
I was stoked to meet Tori and take some random photos on our coffee adventure, too! The weather has been SO beautiful these days, so it was a perfect opportunity to hang out during the day. The slight breeze kept carrying her hair in front of her face in the most lovely way, so I’m really glad I brought my camera! We had a blast reading horoscopes and punching each other (well, Aaron) every time we saw a VW Beetle. Good times. 
The show went well, despite my breaking a string! I was happy to belt out my music where people were happy to hear me, what with my new home being so quiet. I really can’t wait to have my perfect band
Tonight I got to remember what it is like to prepare myself and my equipment for a shoot! I have one tomorrow, and I am SO excited! It’s been a few weeks since my last paid shoot, and boy am I happy it’s finally here!
I also got to hang out with Aaron tonight, and watch him create his first cinemagraph, starring me!!! I am a MASSIVE Harry Potter nerd, so when I first found out that cinemagraphs were becoming popular, I was STOKED. However, after I watched my first tutorial, I was out. No chance I was going to have that much time and energy for one small video clip.
Then Aaron came over and showed me the most simplified version, and I am back on-board! I am SO pleased to bring you what we created, and SO excited to see and create more soon!
Voilà!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aaronwar/
Today the culinary adventures of Minie and friends took me to a land of mayo, cream cheese, and delicious, delicious seafood
Today, I attempted my first crab dip!
I started out with a can of crab meat, some spinach, and some celery. I figured that would be a great base for something like this, since spinach-artichoke dip is so deliciously similar. I took tips from a few recipes and reviews online, and asked my fellow foodies on Facebook for advice. In the end, I decided to add onion, a pinch of garlic powder, salt and pepper, parsley (which I’ve never used before!), and lemon. To that, I added cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, Sriracha, and Worcestershire sauce.
I had the oven set at 350 degrees, and even though I was a bit doubtful that warm dip was a good idea, I went for it. Unlike my other first-time dishes, I was well aware of what good crab dip was supposed to taste like, which was even more intimidating than usual. Once I screw up a meal that I’ve lent this much effort to, I can pretty much kiss my appetite goodbye, Id hate to waste a whole can of crab and half a package of cream cheese, but it would have been worth it even to say I know what not to do next time.
In the end, I had a delicious crab dip that I served with chips, crackers, and bread! I’m not gonna lie. I just lost the other half of this post, and have absolutely zero motivation to remember all of it. I’m pretty pissed. But it was delicious, so there’s that. MAN I hate when that happens. Ruins everything.
Hello friends and fans!!!
I’m excited to report that I have finally moved out of my first apartment, six years later, and am now happily residing in my second!
There was definitely a bit of stress involved in the entire situation, seeing as I was forced to move out with a 30-day notice due to foreclosure, and was paying less than just about anyone else I know. In the end, I found a place within a week of having to vacate the old place, and everything went smoothly : )
I still have tons of things to unpack, once I find the right furniture to fill this place with. However, the bulk of the move has passed, and I am anxious to get back on track with my client edits in time for a housewarming party! I had no internet for the last few days, which gave me plenty of time and motivation to get everything taken care of with the house. Now I can edit ’till the cows come home!
I have so many exciting things going on in this house! For one, I have a GARDEN NOW! Not that small patch of dirt below my window, but a REAL garden! It’s gonna take some serious work to get everything looking the way I’d like, but it’s THERE! I couldn’t be happier! I started my seeds a couple of nights ago, so it won’t be long now! Soon I’ll be the proud plant-mommy of two types of bells, basil, serrano, habanero, and red fresno peppers, 4 different varieties of tomatoes, my very first strawberries, catnip (:3), two types of sunflowers, california poppies (FINALLY!!!!), AND snapdragons!!!! Holy COW I’m excited!!!
Another amazing thing I have now is a separate kitchen! Before, my kitchen and living room were one and the same room. My bedroom was separate, but really I never used my living room for much other than storing books. Now that I have a studio, I can continue my tradition of living in one room, haha. And the kitchen is it’s own little place, with THREE lovely windows! I also have a door in the kitchen which I am using as the main door, since it has a private entrance as opposed to the main entrance up in front.
I also have hardwood floors. I mean….really. Really? Really. Get the fuck outta town. I’m so happy!
The newest addition to my exciting home-job-life is my dual-monitor setup! I half-heartedly tried to sell my old 19” monitor back when I upgraded to a bigger screen, but I had a feeling I would be much happier using it as a second monitor. One $13 HDMI cable later, here I am with so much screen-space, it’s outrageous.
I ended up tossing a LOT of things that I just never used/needed/had space for. It’s awesome to go through EVERYTHING you own once every 6 years, haha. I don’t have all that much, which is fabulous! I’ll have even more to get rid of once I can purchase new furniture, but I’m really happy with everything as it is so far.
I couldn’t have done any of this without the amazing help from ALL of my friends. People looking out for ‘For Rent’ signs, calling me with numbers to try, giving me rides around town for hours, just to search, helping me pack and move, supporting me and encouraging me throughout the entire thing… You guys are the greatest people around <3
Thank you ALL for your patience, support, and love I cannot WAIT to see what other amazing things are in store for me!
I have the worst memory…or the most selective… BUT! I think this is the first real snow of 2012!!!
I went to bed early last night, so I missed a text from my friend telling me that there was snow!! When I woke up this morning at 6am to blow my nose (with every intention of going right back to bed), I saw the text on my phone and immediately ran to the window for a look. The last few times anyone mentioned snow, I never saw a flake in my part of town. Today was different : )
Once I saw that much snow, I knew there would be at least one photo. The moon was still out at this point (as you can see in one of the shots), and everything was so blue and gorgeous! I grabbed my phone and ran back to the window, only to change my mind at the last minute and grab my camera instead. I started shooting through the window, finding the spots in between the bars that looked best… and that’s when I knew I would have to go outside for a better shot, despite being in my PJs.
By the time I got back inside, I was pretty awake and not sure about going back to bed… and then I got the idea for my 365 portrait! After that, I busted out my hat, scarf, tripod and reflector. The MINUTE I got setup to go outside, the sin EXPLODED through the trees and above the buildings. It was perfect!!!
I love that I can capture things like this with my 365 project. And I love shooting around my home. And there’s SNOW for cryin’ out loud!!!
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