WOBL in Training

Its Tuesday.. wait.. it is Tuesday right?!?

raquita — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:24:28 +0000

Lindseys rearview..

Its been a long weekend, and since I started the whole photography business the weekend just means I get to work on love instead of on spreadsheets, which is good, but it also means I always need a weekend from my weekend. I have more detailed posts coming up soon, including some behind the scenes stuff, my growth as an artist, and as a person. I went to a seminar last friday that kinda helped kick me along on both fronts. I got to meet a few of the area photographers whose work I really, really admire. I got the chance to see them as people, get to know them beyond images. It was sort of like the first day of highschool and I got invited to sit at the seniors table. Only the seniors have kick arse cameras and like their guiness draft. (Hi Peter!) I got to meet some very nice vendors, who sold me on a new lab, and might have restored my faith in In the same breath I got home from my seminar and had all these ideas and things I want to implement and I got frustrated that I couldn’t do it all right now.

But I have the chance to step back and think, figure out how I want to work. I have the chance to learn from a lot of great people and not make the same mistakes, no matter how attractive some of those mistakes seem. I get to focus on what will allow me to have the relationship I want to have with my clients. How to produce the best images possible. How to become exactly who I want to be.. Me, only with Jazz hands…

Longer post tomorrow with real recap of stuff. and more pictures..

You only read what?!?

raquita — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:18:41 +0000

My blog buddy Dwight did this a while ago and I said I was gonna do it too, but I was in the middle of relaunch and all that good stuff. Then someone commented here and they had done it so I decided I can do it too, like I don’t have A zillion non-meme posts to write.. Anywho - this is what I’m doin..

1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read. (I’m including any books I’ve started but haven’t finished.)
3) Reprint this list in your blog so we can try and track down these people who’ve read 6 and force books upon them ;-)”

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien This is one of the books my husband has read and I haven’t so I’m trying to catch up before he has my kid reading them..
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling Again same as number 2.
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare I’ve read a few but not the complete works
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma- Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis same as #2
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini more books we have at the house and I started but didn’t finish
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility- Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas (en francais)
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom have it started it couldn’t get into it..
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery (en francais)
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I was a tad disapointed in the choices in this list - not that they aren’t wonderful works I just would have liked to have seen more stuff on it. No Toni Morrison? Not that I could have bolded a bunch of her titles.. I’ve been trying to read Beloved since the year it came out, but she is a powerful american writer. Would have liked to have seen The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran on that list, the complete collections of Pablo Neruda. Would have liked to have seen Sonja Sanchez on that list, but thats mostly the poet in me. I’m clearly not as well read as I would like to be although I would like to thank My english teachers Mrs. Baker-Bradford, Mrs. Edwards, and Mrs. Raglin who could put the hurtin on you with a critical analysis paper. THey are the reason I read most of these books I have in bold at all. Although after teh first book, if I like the author I would read their other works on my own. I was booky like that.

Thinking of my english teachers bring back wonderful memories. I would hate for any of them to break out a red pen on my blog.

just the idea gives me shudders.

life revisited

raquita — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:25:49 +0000

So, Things have been poppin onthe photography end. If you looked at my blog in the last few weeks you would think I STAY behind a camera, and I do, but I get alot of life lived around that part too. And while I love the big images, I think sometimes I need to post in my way. So when I’m talking about my life my posts will look more like - well, my posts. Rather than showcases for the images, I’ll showcase a few by putting them in the same format that I did before with the thumbnails at the end of the post. So hover and click to see a bigger picture. **Okay that little feature isn’t working and I can’t get to my home pc for uploading to fix til tomorrow.. be a dear and test it for me during Saturday morning cartoons please? Is that okay with everyone? yes? great. Kthanks!

Bri is standing on her own as of this past Sunday. She was sitting with my poet friend and she just let go and Bri stood there until we started clapping and she decided to clap too and that threw off her balance. I did go to a poetry reading last weekend. Good friend Sheba came through to grace my couch and brought a friend Georiga ME from Atlanta, who is such a personality.

We spent a fair amount of time with Miss Georgia as her plane was canceled and that resulted in an extra day and night with us. She didn’t seem to mind. I enjoyed her work, and as I work on making my way back into poetry as a hobby It was refreshing to talk to her, and I will probably mark our conversations in my reasons why I decided to come back.

I also got to meet one Mister Kevin Sandbloom. Can I just say, Oh my. That man has vocals that made me stop and turn around to find out if he was actually singing or if I was gonna find an angels or doves sitting in his stead. He was geninuely a nice guy as well which is refreshing for such a talented person. Its a flat out DAMN SHAME that man doesn’t have a record deal.

Miss Sheba did her damn thing as well. I only see her when she comes to town for poetry shows. Her visits are so few and far between. Sometimes I am disapointed that we don’t see each other outside of her gigs. But shes got a house too so I am planning to go visit her in ATL later this summer. And I’ll sleep on her SUPERSTAR FUTON, Sheba do you even HAVE a suserstar futon? Cammy, Sheba and Georgia had the most interesting visit. Cammy is a girls girl. So while they were getting ready, Cammy was hovering, totally enchanted by Sheba’s bangles and Georgia’s makeup bag, as they are DIVA’s they have all the tools to enchant a budding four year old girl.

It was refreshing to TALK to adults whose ideals I didn’t already know, who I don’t necessarily agree with, who I respect and who can take an actual discussion. (Thank you Georgia.) ANd the level of local poetry at the event was suprisingly strong. And I am looking forward to going back outside more often. Wish I could go this Friday, alas I have a photography event I must attend, so next week for sure.

Jerry’s picked up a new weekday hobby that he really enjoys, I am not going to elaborate as I am trying to force him to blog about it. He sucks worse than I do at blogging. Although he is certianly holding up his end of our e-lationship he sent me this, and I think I am totally geeking on it. I have always loved NPH, and this just makes me remember WHY I love him, and now my husband loves him, and I’m okay with that.

I will blog more in the very near future. I have alot more sessions to put up, and lots of life to catch up on.

Life is a verb -its not meant to be something that happens to you, its something you do. “Why not?” is a perfectly good life Strategy!

Golden

raquita — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:56:56 +0000

The thing I love about family portraits is the way families tend to frame each other. Photography is like life for me, and life is like dancing. In dancing, the man is in most cases a frame to showcase the beauty of his partner. In turn the womans beauty showcases the strength and intricateness of the frame. It is that combination of strength and sesitivity that most men cannot help but portray. Dancing, and I’m talking ballroom and the like, requires complete trust in the partners, especially from the woman, and men always seem to take that trust so seriously. Which I bet while flying thru the air their partners are thankful for.

In photography, for mr at least when a woman says to her partner I want to take a photo with you, she is telling him in so many words, I trust you. I want to show off what we are to me, and she does when she is comfortable and secure in that moment. For him he wants to portray that trust. For him he wants to be solid, wants to portray the stability that he offers and that she gives him. He wants to stand and allow his pride and affection to be seen, and the childeren become the decoration, like the perfect gown or the exact right music. And then we can begin the dance.

WIth this family, it was very easy, to begin the dance. I often got caught up in just watching them together. Dad was the perfect frame, Mom with her easy beauty and son the perfect decoration. That day we met at the Boat House At Forest Park, we talked about light sabers and Yoda, their son and my girls, and marriage and life in general. We got rained on, and I think the best images came after the storm cleared. Which I think is a testiment to life and dancing, and hopefully photography.

All Heart

raquita — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 15:56:54 +0000

The thing I love most about this family is easily, the mom. She is the kind of person you root for. She moved into my neighborhood temporarily, only staying for a year. My kid, and every other kid int eh neighborhood it seems figured out what we adults were a bit slower to see. This lady was six kinds of awesome with fanny-tastic sauce on top. We had met, in that my “kid keeps disapearing and is at your house so I think I should know who you are..” kinda way, we spoke often when we would see each other outside, we were both our natural bubbly selves and I remember thinking I should go over there and hang out she seems cool, a number of times. But it wasn’t til just before she left that I got to find out how cool she was. So when she asked if I was free for a session, I immediately moved things around to make that happen.

The boys were boys, one so engrossed in his book that I don’t think he put it down to climb into the sky, the other young and quick, and the daughter the kind of girl who makes me think of pixies and fairies, sweet and slightly mischevious. It was an honor to occupy some of this lifetime with them, and I hope to do it again.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a new post I’ve been trying to get all the sessions I have taken up and avaible to clients. I am making progress people! Thanks for all the emails of support and the referrals, it means more than you guys would ever know.

Moochass Grassyass*

raquita — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:26:29 +0000

* don’t know where I read that the first time but it amused me. If you knew how badly I want to fluently speak other languages (particularly spanish and french) you would giggle immediately- as my spanish actually sounds like this.

Anywho many many thanks to all who have dropped by to tell me what they think of the new digs. I am still constructing my arse off, but it is so worth it. I am glad I didn’t hire anybody to do this for me, although I so started to.
I’ve got tons on the stove right now, burners full blast - but while I am working I thought I’d Post an additional image from my session with Adam and Angela. I love doors, nad I try and find as many of them as I can to shoot in from of.

ReVamp!

raquita — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:50:09 +0000

Ah darling internets. In my mind I am chanting
“I fought the CSS sheets and the Sheets they did not win!” to the Tune of John Mellencamp’s Authority song. The blog she is a done now.. She now accepts big cool images like this one of Tambora and Lindsey who I got to do a session with.

I am feelin pretty good but I still got a ways to go! To my clients who are waiting for the client portal to go live - that should be completed tonight, fingers crossed. In the mean time I wanted to say thank you to those who have been so helpful and gracious (ahem HOLLY!) And show a few images in our new giant picture glory!
Expect full posts on Tambora and Lindseys session

A full post from my session with Lisa from Midwestern Mommy and her beautiful family. Her son is such a sweetie..

and a post about my weekend we went to the magic house!

Thank you again to all those who have helped and sent well wishes my way. I so appreciate it so much so that I do beleive we will have our first giveaway this week - STAY TUNED!

***I have a small hicup with a plug in so to leave a comment you have to select the actual post title then scroll down to leave a comment - it will be fixed this afternoon/evening

the soundtrack

raquita — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:23:38 +0000

If my life had a soundtrack this would play everytime Jerry walked into a room…

That is all.. STill workin on websites and new blogs and client portals and all kinds of fun stuff new posts coming soon I swear!

Girls like their toys

raquita — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:57:27 +0000

hey - this post is not dirty unless you are a Techno-whore like me, I am . I admit it. Shoes and Techno. Although I can never afford the shoes I covet, and I have to save up for the techno - none the less - There is grand news in the world of photography for me anyway.
Nikon is coming out with a D700. Its the new D300 (which is what I shoot with) and now relieves me of the need to covet the D3 (which was way out side of my price point- hey even I have a limit on how much tech I’m willing to actually PURCHASE) But the D700 is right on the edge of my comfort zone so hopefully in Early to mid 2009 I’ll be pickin one up, so if you plan to get married in the dark I can shoot it! As it stands I can shoot in candle light with out a flash and still get a decent image. aLthough I prefer you get married soemwhere with some light.. if I have any say in it.. I’m just sayin..
Now they (Nikon) have also released the SB900 flash - which hopefully will make SB800’s more affordable for a girl like me.
GAWD, Nikon, its sweet.. Thanks for the opportuinity to geek out. Jerry - its only a momentary thing, I am only sort of a photo geek (I can’t admit to my husband I am just a geeky as he is.. That is NOT AN ADMISSION DARLING! )

That it all..

© 2008 - all rights reserved - i.e. I’m not okay with sharing or rebroadcasting.. no you CANNOT REPRODUCE it or post it elsewhere, Any duplication, yada, yada, yada, is prohibited by Federal law you know the spiel you read it everytime you watch a movie. In layman’s terms, it means if you steal it I will hunt you down and do really violent things to you if I can find my bat, if not I’ll just sue you.
If you happen to see this outside of your personal feedreader let me know, I’ll buy you a drink.

my neck.. my back..

raquita — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:14:49 +0000

Long weekends are supposed to be relaxing. Lately my weekends have been long and not cause there is an extra day in them.
Cammys Birthday passed this month and I have been so busy I didn’t get to blog about it.
My baby isn’t a baby anymore and shes the popular kid in class to boot. roughly 27 kids showed up to wish her a happy birthday, we still have presents on the table in the dining room she still hasn’t had a chance to play with, which means we should always have something to do. I’m bored should not be something I hear for a least the next twelve to eighteen months.
I look back at my life before Cammy, and see how totally she changed my life, and my outlook. She changed my goals and my drive. I could never imagine becoming who I am with out her and I can hardlybeleive she is four years old. It seems like such a short amount of time, but somedays I feel like she should still be Gabrielles size. She looks at me with the big brown eyes and she may as well be my baby girl.
alas prior to the party I threw my back out..
so I was extremely DRUGGED for the actual party, and alot of my friends and parents of kids who I didn’t quite know were more than willing to help a mom out, becuase it has become apparent to me that the world stops spinning if mom can’t spin it.
So I am working on finding balance between who I have to be - who I want to be and who I am. I have decided that I want to start running so I’m gonna try the couch potato program gonna pull up my trailer this week nad get the jogging wheel so I can take Miss Bri with me I think.
The photography is actually going well, hte blog redesign is - um - not, I got all the images ready to go and I know exactly HOW I want it to look, I just suck at the execution of code and the like.. CSS is not easy people.
You ever talk to someone about soembody else and know they were really talking about you?
Had that happen to me recently and it was a great compliment.
must go - and get ready to edit more sessions.