24 November, 2010

The Royal Photographer

I have to say that since Prince William and Catherine Middleton announced their engagement, I haven't been able to stop thinking about their wedding photography.
I personally would love to be considered as their wedding photographer... the pressure would be intense. I would have one year to sweat, freak out, worry, practice until my fingers bleed, and purchase 351 backup items. hahaha! I know though, that the day after their wedding, i would probably weep with joy as i flipped through their photos and enjoyed every second.


How fantastic would that be though? Royal Wedding Photographer. That would be quite an experience. I certainly would never forget it. I am totally up for the challenge. Bring it on.

Now. How do i get my name into the "pool" so to speak?

must. research. this. option...

23 November, 2010

a week away!

Hello America!!

Well, i made it! I've been away, home in Ireland for 10 months now and i definitely almost cried when i saw New York under the plane.
My amazing husband and I shot a wedding together on the 13th. We were there in Dublin for a solid 16 hours, if not more. It was a great day, although the evening following was not very fun. We drove about an hour west of Dublin, toward Shannon Airport and stopped for the night in a hotel to sleep before getting up at the buttcrack of dawn to head out. We got to Shannon early, and i was able to enjoy a lovely breakfast with V before our tearful goodbyes in the airport. 
After a pretty intense 6.75 hour flight, i landed in JFK on the 14th and was greeted my my pal, Phil! We had fun discussing our language learning skills and testing out sentences in Polish and in Russian on each other. It was a gas!
When we got back to Brooklyn, i had the honor of meeting Phil's wife, Sonia! She is a doll. Gorgeous and smart and... i definitely can see why Phil is soooo smitten. They're perfect together! We went to dinner at a lovely little breakfast restaurant near their home, and afterward, we enjoyed the brisk walk home.
New York really is lovely in the fall.



We watched a terrible movie together, snacked, and joked a little before i almost fell asleep where i sat at only 6 or 7pm. Woohoo for jet lag!
I had to get a car service to transport me from Phil and Sonia's abode to the Newark airport to catch my flight to Seattle. It was good that i was able to go to bed so early, as i was definitely coming down with something and 5am is no fun for sickies. I kept blaming my cough on a dry throat, but yeaaaahh... more on that later.

I got up at 4 to ensure that i could be re-packed and ready to travel (including a few moments for the obligatory internet check-ins). Phil kindly woke up to see me off, and we took this photo, entitled "5am":
hahaha! We're so tired and loopy. His eyes make mine water just looking at them! That's true friendship right there, i tell you!

One of my other great friends was on the flight with me from Newark to Seattle.

See her? She's right there on the left. Dawn!!! hahaha
Unfortunately, my travels don't take me to Cincinnati so i can see my favorite ladies - but just so you know - you're always in my thoughts!!
Now that i'm done being sappy...

I arrived in Seattle safe and sound on the 15th. My dad FORGOT that i came in when i did - and he and Barbara got him up and out of bed in record time to zoom down the freeway to pick me up. That definitely made me laugh. For those that don't know, my dad is a quadriplegic who requires constant care and this trip is to care for him while Barbara (his wife) is in Utah to see her kids for Thanksgiving and meet her new grandbabies.

On Saturday, my brother and his girlfriend came up to visit dad and me. We kids are all going through a little bit of financial non-awesomeness, so instead of spending money on going out to eat or going to the movies i came up with the idea to go up to Bow, Washington to an apple orchard. We had a great time! My brother drove:


I thought it was sweet that they were chatting the whole time. My brother rarely gets the time to come see dad, and dad was just soaking in the time with his son. I loved it! Dad glowed the rest of the day.

I'm not supposed to have taken any photos inside, but i couldn't resist. Dad was having such a good time. We all were. This store is fantastic! If you're in the area, i highly suggest dropping by and paying them a visit. They are wonderful people!
Dad treated us to some apple-type desserts and bought a couple gallons of un-pasteurized apple cider. I have been having trouble resisting it... it's sSOOOOO good.
Fresh apple cider always is!

The sky was beautiful on our drive home.

And i'm glad i got to see my big brother even for a little while. Here's us:

It's been predicted to snow for the past several days, and it snowed a little bit on Sunday... Today, however...
...insanity. Obviously, we're not going anywhere!

You can see a video of the early stages, here.

17 November, 2010

beating myself up...

wow. they say that we're our own worst critic, but yeah... i'm having one of "those" days.

Photographers - you know the one. It's the day hat you look back at your photography over the past couple years with a long groooaaaannnn.
I looked through my portfolio today of weddings - and all i could do was groan. I am not having a good time with photography at the moment! I mean, my skills have improved, and my photos are usually improving... but yikes. I'm in one of those funks.

I'm confident in the product that i give to my brides. I have to be! I'm happy to give them the photos. Don't get me wrong - it's just as a photographer and as an ARTIST, i'm really struggling with everything i see that i wish i could do better. On one hand, i suppose it's a good thing that i see the things i do wrong, but on the other hand - it's hard to figure out "okay. now how do i fix this for the future?"

what i would LOVE to do is find some sort of photography workshop to brush up on my skillz. :)

12 November, 2010

This weekend is about to be crazy. I'm like a jello mold. I do not travel well.

I am a finicky traveler. In many ways, i'm sure that lots of people experience travel the way i do but don't require a day to recoup. This weekend, i will find myself in a car for more than 8 hours (not consecutively, thank goodness) and on planes and in airports for more than 15. So many people travel like this on a weekly (and in some cases, DAILY) basis and it's astounding to me.

Being in an airplane is a small slice of my own personal hell. The recycled air, the cramped spaces, the impossibility for me to get comfortable enough to even try to fathom sleeping... even with pills... not to mention my ears hurt like crazy for up to 48 hours after a flight (yes, i have tried everything to "pop" them). People usually expect me to "hit the ground running" after traveling, but truthfully i usually need a day to recover. A day for silence, comfort, good sleep, before i am able to face the world again as my normal self.

I am however, extremely excited to see some friends during my travels! I'll see my friend Phil and his new wife in New York during my layover, I'll see my friend Jina for a photoshoot and maybe even her sister Mary, my dear friend and also my dad's neighbor Debbie and her beautiful family, my friends and ex-neighbors the Burchards and their new addition... not to mention my wonderful and amazing friend Megan - who i'll actually get to meet for the FIRST TIME in person! Last but not least, for the first time in two years, i'll be able to share Thanksgiving with my very own family. We are a small and broken little family, but we love each other. I'm very excited to see all my loved ones in Washington and only wish i could visit everyone i love back in the States all at once. But i'm certainly grateful for the time i will be spending there.

Things in Washington wont be all cupcakes and sunshine though. The main purpose for my visit is going to be to take care of my father while his wife goes to Utah to see HER family and her new grandbaby. I blogged a long time ago about the difficulties of taking care of my dying mother... and sometimes it's hard to think about going to take care of my dad. He's not dying - but... caring for a paraplegic (partial quadriplegic, as he does not have full functionality of his arms and hands) is no piece of cake. Every 4 hours, i will need to catheterize him and at other intervals throughout the day, give him medicines, help him go to the bathroom, clean and bathe him, help him dress, make his meals, and myriad other things. I'm sure i'll be one busy woman.
I'm worried that i will not do an adequate job and that i will cause some sort of calamity and never be able to forgive myself. I'm worried that i won't measure up as a caretaker because my feelings will get in the way.

It is my personal opinion that children should look after their parents as they age... but i'm scared that i won't do a good job. I'm not a parent.

At any rate my prayer is that i'll be able to stay positive and help my dad drag himself out of the depression funk he's let himself slide into. When i used to visit my mom while she was sick, it used to make her better for several weeks afterward. I hope that i'll be able to filter out the difficulties and keep a smile on my face and uplift my dad while i visit.

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