Day 354 Countdown- Wholesome.

I had not a ton of good ideas for this. Then I got hungry.



Today was spent mostly sitting around and trying to feel better. Woke up coughing my lungs out, and it hasn't gotten too much worse...but not much better either.

I blame allergies+ a cold. I think I'll be good tomorrow, had more energy today than recently..it's incredibly stupid, being sick.

Tonight R is with his family doin' the babysitting thing. He got an interview thursday, I hope he gets it and everything works out, he needs benefits. I'm filling out paperwork for all sorts of stuff...being "out" of school at this age without a job (that is 40 hrs a week) really messes with you. I'm lucky enough to have found a good seasonal position for now, but I have to figure it out by October. I do like my job now, wish it was year round. Lots of good people with good energy and patience, etc.

Tomorrow should be the last day we visit findlay. I am excited about that..they actually wont let us move out unless we get the place professionally cleaned...and most places do that themselves..it's kind of ridonculous.

Anyway, my life seems to revolve around driving..I'm so glad that will be done. Things are looking up, slowly but surely.

Jobs are beginning to work out..if we can get through this month without exploding, we should be good to go. I wish I had enough advertising to do my portrait photo work- $35.00 an hour for photos is fair, in my opinion, when most senior photographers are charging 100+ an hour. I typically do, but I thought I'd sell my soul for rent. Only...no one wants to get a deal? 35 an hour and a free CD with images amd releases to the first 5 scheduled sessions...that is like..giving it away..Typically my shoots run about 200+ for two to three hours and then a CD is 60 to 80 on top of that.. so..these people are bonkers.

Truth.



For the next few days this is what I have : Man, Woman, Child, Hard, Soft, Innocent, Dirty. All provided by my loverly blog peoples.
I need more, I may start mixing them up when I get them- sometimes I'm not in a location to get certain ideas well. I guess that is half the battle.




Leave me one. ;)

Day 357- It's 40 degrees out. Naturally.

Day 357- It's 40 degrees out. Naturally.

Friday, April 09, 2010

It's 40 degrees out. It was 85 the other day. Probably why I am sick again. I just got over the flu ad now I'm with a head cold. lol. R has been very sick with it, I assumed it was only time until he passed the demon on to me. The cold weather and rain at work probably did me in.

Tomorrow we have to go across state and pack/clean. We will have to drive back then depending if anyone is helping us, and so on.
We have a lot to do there. Ants have come back out too, which they did not take care of well..

By the way, we have spiders coming out of the tub drain..ideas on remedies for that please...I work at a marina in a park district so I am pretty accustomed to gross things with 8 legs and fins and so on, but I really dont like them being in my house.

Have I mentioned I dislike this weather...a lot? Winter/Fall is the worst time of year..death, rot, and freezing cold. I have to be careful at work- if people tip boats and so on I have to call emergency services and all that...frostbite and hypothermia...yippee.

So I'm a little under the weather, I didn't do my photo theme the way I had planned. Maybe some other day. But I did take 3 pics, all natural and no retouch.

I'm growing my hair out. It is at that awkward stage right now. I want to put some something in it, but I have to wait until we are financially stable again. I posted on craigslist to do portrait work at a phenominally cheap rate, but I really have NOT have ANYONE reply. I think it is SOOOO sooo weird. Even offering a CD with packages, with releases, with cheap rates...it's a rough crowd. My photography is up to par, too, and substancially more awesome than friggin' walmart, sears, jcpennys, or other poopy studio.

I am probably doing photos for a friend of mine soon of her family, don't know when yet. Also a fashion shoot for a trade I did, and then probably will grab some photos for another friend of her and her kid and whatever else she'd like. I like to do hers, we're good friends so I don't even think about charging that kind of stuff. It's what I would be expecting if my friends were photographers or something, so I try to be how I'd like others to be to me.

Life shouldn't be complicated when it comes to some things.

I am sort of stressing out still. Things are working out slowly...it's just the interim that is frustrating. I reenrolled in classes today since the school wrenched the diploma back out of my hands. I'm doing a portfolio class, a exhibition art course, and philosophy in technology and ethics or something like that. It's all online, which is a perk, at least.

I can't wait to get all moved in. I dont work too often until next month, so I want to take the time to get really organized and neat here, get everything straight and all that. Moving is a big pain in the butt. We did get a dishwasher, though.

Until tomorrow..must sleep now.

Countdown Day 360, Anonymity (pic)

Day 360- Anonymity, (pic)

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Today started well and ended poorly. I worked my first shift down at the marina. It was about 83 and windy today, not too bad. I am very sunburned, though. I have to give myself credit though, I remembered more than I thought I would. I had my first gatorade in about 3 years today. It wasn't that bad.

Today I was supposed to do a photo on anonymity. I had a few ideas but since I'm not toally moved yet, I dont have all of the pieces that I need to put it together. Either way, I took a different variety of it. Hopefully you will like this one. I do, in a very retro thing kind of way. I guess it may not be totally Anon looking, but the idea is that you don't have a face, people dont recognize you etc, so I think it works. I tossed a retro action in photoshop on here, wrenched up the sharpening, and added some blue.

Have to figure out what to do about some issues now.

Taking the Photograph- A Challenge for Everyone

Taking the Photograph- A Challenge for Everyone

Thursday, April 01, 2010

(I had been writing on opendiary, but it really isnt a blog...)

After watching Julie and Julia I started to think about the things I do and what I can do to help myself.

500-some recipes in a year would never happen for me, I loathe cooking.

So what can I do?

It should be substancial, not too easy- something that can help me in my future. I graduated doing Illustration and just can't seem to muster enough enjoyment out of it to try and make that happen. Probably because when I finally came to the revelation that I just didn't want to work with Children's books, it was a little late. Then I found photography, and I realized that I just enjoy drawing as a hobby- not as a profession.

So Photography it is.

But what makes it a challenge? Anyone can take a photograph. (be it good or bad..)

I started to watch If I Can Dream on Hulu,too. Those are some lucky people. They are really being handfed their futures. Very talented, though they are, the real world just isn't going to let you into the in crowd that easily. I don't hold it against them or anything, If I were in that boat I'd be jumping for joy right now. I really do think a few of them at least will be huge. But, persistance it is for me. One thing on there that caught my attention is that for some reason, they think this can happen in a year. Just like the movie I watched, just like I've been told by freelancers- a year at minimum, at least from the freelancers-will get you in the right direction.

So here it is. 365 Days. What's fair for that? A photograph can be snapped off a lot faster than cooking a meal, that's for sure. But..then again, there isn't too much to following a recipe- and there is no recipe for a perfect photo, really.

Here is a list of themes I grabbed off of about.com.

• Birth
• Death
• Heroism
• Escape
• Love
• Journey
• Coming of age
• Patriotism
• Peace and war
• Hope
• Hopelessness
• Generation gap
• Home
• Betrayal
• Lust for power
• Isolation
• Judgment
• Fortune
• Family
• Sense of self
• God and spirituality
• Good and evil
• Duty
• Survival
• Conformity
• Individualism
• Deception
• Race relations
• Suffering
• Alienation
• Loss
• Discovery
• Cats
• City

• Feathers
• Fire
• Plants
• Snakes
• Trees
• Water

I dont really think this is the way to go about it. I look at that and just see text book photography jumping all over it.
I want to do something that will let me maybe work towards a Masters program, but help me be myself too. So..

It's hardest to get started.

Maybe someone can send me an idea. If not, I think I'll just do 1 photo a day for 365 days. Is that too easy? I guess if I have to ask, then it is. But I will be working 40 hours..and doing shoots for paying customers..and..having a life too lol.

I have it.

Let's make this a game. I will do one, and you can tell me what my next one should be. For 365 days, I will take requests and publish a photo from the shoot each time I finish one.

That way, you can try and trip me up, and I'll never know what's coming.

So, ready to give it a go?

The first one I'll pick since no one is here: A self portrait