The Animator's Wife

yellow

2011-05-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

blogged an engagement session, probably one of my favs EVA!

http://imagebearersphotography.com/2011/05/dave-liz-yellow-flowers-a-treehouse-and-the-cross/

my life for yours

2011-05-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

I found this today... looking for a short devotional to share at a baby shower I'm throwing on Saturday, I found my own words written for my SIL several years ago when she was having her first baby. It's a strange feeling to be convicted by my own words, but a reminder I needed. In light of mother's day, I will share it here.

New Mother's Tool Kit

Hershey's Kisses -- for you and the baby, you both deserve them

Marbles - to replace the ones you will loose.

Rubber band - to remind you that flexibility is the key

Lifesavers - to save you from “one of those days”

Toothpick - to pick out the good in all situations

Eraser - to remind you that every new Mom makes mistakes

Starburst - for energy.

Puzzle piece- so you remember that you are an important part of your child’s big picture

Penny - for your thoughts

Candle- for when you are burning one at both ends

Cotton ball- for the times you can't hear yourself think

Rope- in case you get to the end of yours

Asprin- for when all else fails--take two

Peppermint- because you are worth a mint as a new mom

When I first began to think through what I wanted to say to you this morning, my intention was to make a list of “tools” (fitting with the survival tools list I just shared!). It was going to be a bulleted list of helpful mothering tips and things that I have found valuable along the way. As I jotted them down, the list grew and grew and I realized that I would never have time to go through that lengthy list. And so instead, limited to a few minutes of your time today, I will give you only one tool, one suggestion, one tip—actually one phrase that completely encompasses what our priority is in this role of motherhood that you are walking into.

Are you ready? Here it is: MY LIFE FOR YOURS. MY LIFE FOR YOURS.

Remembering this phrase will be the most valuable tool that you possess as you venture into motherhood. How?, you ask, well, let me explain:

Christ, in the ultimate sacrifice demonstrated for us what this phrase means. When Christ died for us, willingly giving his life for ours, he personified a sacrificed life. In response to that as Christians we know that we are to present our lives and bodies as a living sacrifice to God-- my life for yours. This applies to every relationship we have: our marriages, our friendships, our family relationships-- self-sacrifice that models the gospel message honors God and brings about a harvest of kindness and mercy and blessing. But I think this phrase applies best to the relationship we have with our children. God has given us a helpless, unshaped little baby and charged us with raising a warrior to battle for His Kingdom. How does this child change from an unshaped piece of clay into this great spiritual warrior? --- it is a mother’s constant self-sacrifice that molds and shapes and builds and directs that child.

When you rock your baby for 3 hours straight in the night instead of relaxing in your comfortable bed, you are living my life for yours. When you make breakfast for everyone else before you have a chance to start the coffee pot, you are living my life for yours. When you read Mother Goose rhymes for the 12^th time rather than the newspaper, you are living, my life for yours. When you spend weeks on end potty training, when you pick up those toys AGAIN and when you hold a heavy two-year old with an ear infection all day long, you are living my life for yours. And when your days are spent cleaning bathrooms, making lunches and cooking meals and finally getting out of the house, only to attend library story time, you are living my life for yours.

It is the multiple, daily sacrifices that are the key to great mothering. So here is your last survival kit tool (A magnet that reads “my life for yours”). Keep in a prominent place in your home and remember that every sacrifice you make is showing your child the gospel and ultimately shaping them into the Christian men and women that God has called them to be!

(btw we have had some real tragedy in my husbands extended family, pray for them and forgive me if I am absent here on this blog!)

time to TELL IT again

2011-04-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

once a year, this is how I give back-- FREE wedding photography + FREE travel anywhere in America.

go check out the deets @ http://imagebearersphotography.com

so exciting...

the book

2011-04-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

Remember my DAY OF CATE where I followed Catie's day and shot 36 intentional frames of her life as I see it from sleeping to sleeping?

Well, she went on Tikatok.com and created a fictional story to go with her pictures. I am so dang proud of her creativity-- it is witty and rhymes and has a sweet ending.

To better see these 36 frames, I have loaded them into an album here. To order a copy of Catie's book, email me and I will tell you how. Or just stop by and ask the author to read it to you. :-)

happy Easter

2011-04-25T08:15:00.000-07:00

THE WORK is done. I've been singing this all day...

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

I also got a lot done last week, stop by Image Bearers if you haven't been lately. A session with my friends Rosina and Ben is blogged AND a new wedding.

unplugged

2011-04-17T19:13:00.001-07:00

for Holy Week. see you after Easter.

all four X 24

2011-04-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

I think this is 10/24...

a day of cate

2011-04-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I did a little project today; followed my daughter and shot 36 frames of her life as I see it.

this is what I ended up with. I added them to a FB album, see it here.

new feet

2011-04-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

this is from an in-hospital session. I love this family and their willingness--excitement even!-- to have me capture the real, raw, less-than-perfectly perfect moments in the hospital after their son was born. so much love and sweetness! And the first session where I brought one of my kids... Paul tagged along. I think he only snuck into one image!

ah.

2011-04-11T21:45:00.000-07:00

recovering from a weekend of love and lovely images. I shot a beautiful country wedding on Saturday while my family enjoyed the beach! wading now through the images, bear with me. Much beauty to share eventually!

so exciting...

2011-04-07T21:55:00.000-07:00

I have not been shooing much lately and praying that this weird dry spell would just go away already... Crazy enough, though, in the middle of said dry spell I am getting ideas that make me want to do a handstand (yes, they are that good! and not really true about the handstand; I haven't been able to do that since Jr. High...) but anyway, exciting!

Creativity is a funny thing and you never know which end of he candle will LIGHT next.

wish me

2011-04-06T20:28:00.001-07:00

luck.

I'm tweeting and kinda likin' it!!! It's fun to have a spot to spill all my random, nonsense thoughts... come find me if you want @imagebearers

daniel's luck

2011-04-05T12:04:00.001-07:00

good catch.

holy

2011-04-02T09:33:00.000-07:00

I spend too much time sitting! Can you tell??? I have been on a mission to change that though and as I already told you all, recently changed up my editing pattern and cut my time in half. Part 1 = woot!

Part 2 = I am on a total blog-fast. YUP... my kinda dieting!

all four

2011-04-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

swimming in March? oh yeah.

pigs marker and adventure

2011-04-01T08:18:00.000-07:00

waiting for her ride to "Girls of Grace" at church, I suddenly felt like that hand/arm told a little tale... so I took a pic.

happy pancakes

2011-03-31T19:54:00.000-07:00

this right here is the type of image that used to go straight to the delete file just because it was not perfect on a technical level. But this year, I have a new criteria. I want to shoot happiness... and this was the best I got of this funny-pancakes-after-school-snack-laugh-fest. Partly because I was laughing too. :)

I REALLY struggle to get good images of my oldest son. He is so difficult to shoot for many reasons (I always think I could open a special needs photography business if the whole wedding thing fails, but it would actually be more difficult!). SO I take what I can and move on. Because happiness never deserves the delete file and perfect is sometimes just an illusion.

That's also something that Daniel has taught me.

2011-03-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

quick fixes

2011-03-29T10:10:00.000-07:00

I found a way to cut my editing time IN HALF!!! and produce images that are *nearly* SOOC (yes really!) but with a slight film-like look. I blogged a wedding today, entirely edited this "quick fix" way. I'd love your feedback... can you tell?

see it HERE.

dan's hands

2011-03-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely sad day today, missing and remembering my dad. how can it be five years since I have seen and talked and laughed with him? how is it possible that he has never met my youngest son and seen the birth of this photography thing that has consumed my life? how can it be that he hasn't met my niece or soon coming nephew? how have we all gone on without him? But we have. And life has been beautiful despite that gap he left!

And I know that even losing him has taught me so much more than I ever could have imagined.

My friend Marci (who always has the perfect words for me and cries with me when needed!) gave me these words yesterday:

Nothing can make up for the absence of someone we love and it would be wrong to try to find a a substitute. We must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first but at the same time it is a great consolation for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bond between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap. God does not fill it but on the contrary keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other even at the cost of pain. --Bonhoeffer

the cost of pain. a cost I know and now appreciate so much!

10:45

2011-03-25T14:16:00.000-07:00

"after" with a "before" shot on flickr

all 4 X 24 {rainy afternoons}

2011-03-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

rain rain go away!

Daniel (and Spencer, his 2X a week behaviorist) spend most of their therapy time outside, normally. They are bored. And the other three? well they have cooped up, stir-craziness big time!

I know this shot is not an original concept, but it was the first time in 5 days that I felt like picking up a camera, so there you go. I shot a very long wedding on Saturday and my creative juices have gone dry. Being stuck behind a mountain of sorting and flagging and editing probably isn't helping anything! I hate the PP!!! Maybe we are all a little bored and stir-crazy!

Oh well, this image just seems to say it all. And if you read all that, THANK YOU. means you care. :)

and I posted an extra pic here.

2011-03-21T13:04:00.000-07:00

From Saturday's wedding in a Moroccan renovated mansion on a hilltop over-looking Los Angeles.

oh but this is me.

boating

2011-03-18T13:37:00.001-07:00

yeah I don't know...

2011-03-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

10:45

2011-03-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

full on boredom begins and his brother isn't home for an hour and a half yet. he's looking into the neighbor's yard (from our second story) to see if he can beg someone to play.

...and yes he IS still in pjs.

also and I'm experimenting with some different processing for a more film-like look. this was my first attempt.

loved every bit

2011-03-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

I watched a mother and daughter bake cinnamon rolls today and took a few pictures. This mother, though was in her 90s and the daughter in her 60s.

they were some GOOD rolls.

oh. her.

2011-03-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

distilling moments

2011-03-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

"a single click, planned or unplanned, distills a moment in history, a fragment of time memorialized forever." Tracey Clark wrote that. genius. I love memorializing time! that's why I do this.

thanks you for bearing with me. thank you for your many many kind emails. thank you for encouraging me to memorialize time and keep it somewhere that exists only for that purpose. TAW is that secret place of distilled moments.

bedhead buds

2011-03-11T19:06:00.000-08:00

10:15

2011-03-10T13:14:00.000-08:00

second breakfast.

I should never bake. These look WAY better than they taste. This time of morning is always when actual food is required of my system though (somehow coffee in copious amounts is enough first thing...) and scones seemed like a good idea.

Oh and this is also the only picture I've taken since my session on Saturday. Hopefully I find ways to charge my batteries and shoot this week... but that scone is NOT going to help!

red shoes

2011-03-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

from a session and you can see more:

website / facebook

ballgame buddies

2011-03-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

beginings

2011-03-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

Are you on Facebook? Because if you were you would have seen this image on Saturday. I'm debating about whether there are enough people reading this blog that don't ALSO see these same pictures somewhere else. It may be time for a change.

email me your thoughts, come be my FB friend if you are not and help me simplify my life! (oh ok, maybe just a tiny little bit.)

Oh and Sam won his first little league game ever! woot.

it was never mine to hold

2011-03-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

"when all the world is under fire, when skies are threatening to thunder and to rain-- and I am overcome by the fears that I can't see. if everything is Yours... I'm letting it go-- it was never mine to hold" --Audrey Assad

my business has been an emotional roller coaster this week (thankfully not my personal life-- simultaneous roller coasters might be more than I can handle!). This morning though, my computer turned on to this image sitting in LR and all I felt was peace.

I don't do this often but those lyrics above have become my new LIFELINE. Her name is Audrey Assad (she is new to the music biz and incredibly talented-- and I babysat for her when she was a little girl!). See her low-budget video of this song here. And then go order her album on itunes.

And the thing about roller coasters is that even with the ups and downs, sometimes you have to put your hands in the air and just let go (and maybe scream your head off and stare your fears in the face...!)

Anyway. I'm letting go-- it was never mine to hold.

all four X 24

2011-03-04T04:17:00.000-08:00

8/24

go yankees

2011-03-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

My Little League-r got his new uniform at practice last night. He is juiced! My husband texted me to tell me they were a block away and I sat in our entryway and waited for this... (probably not the reason for the text but I appreciated it). The light is lousy but even at 1600 ISO, Kellie Hatcher's presets do. the. job. This one is DEEP.

I know this is not the best picture ever-- but it is a moment I wanted to remember forever. And sometimes that's enough.

welcome to my day...

2011-03-01T20:09:00.001-08:00

10:00

2011-02-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

@library storytime.

swing

2011-02-25T23:27:00.001-08:00

lady

2011-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

the lifestyle photography group on flickr that I help admin with Rosian is doing a weekly theme every week. This week's theme has been STORY... shooting to tell a visual story that requires NO words is really a challenge. I've had a few contributions but I like this one from today.

But i wouldn't call Paul a TRAMP.

9:45 {by iPhone}

2011-02-23T22:34:00.001-08:00

he sat through Chapel at my children's school this morning-- and for behaving like an angel through a (NON-SUNDAY!) service, we stopped for a treat afterwards.

and because I'm having a hard time finding time to shoot this week, I thought I'd use my iPhone to meet one of my weekly deadlines. {shot and edited with Camera+ app. watermarked in PS}

for a life in moments

one finger

2011-02-22T20:28:00.000-08:00

L O V E

2011-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

and singing. they go together!

2011-02-19T22:43:00.001-08:00

ha!

2011-02-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

guess what? Kellie Hatcher Photography launched her uh-mazing B&W presets for Lightroom collection today AND I'm giving away a set. ON FACEBOOK.

yes really! you will love them!!!

go LIKE the image of examples and I'll draw a name Saturday at noon. This is SIMPLE (the preset on this image!) but entering is pretty simple too.

GO GET YOURS!

life's a stage

2011-02-17T14:00:00.001-08:00

2011-02-16T21:35:00.000-08:00

grandma sent him a $5 dollar bill for Valentine's Day {THANK YOU!}. He spent it on a pop-rocket that landed (on it's first launch)-- on our roof. We tried to retrieve it from an upstairs window.

I went to fetch a rake (and when I saw this, my camera) and saved the day! again.

sharing valentines

2011-02-16T08:34:00.001-08:00

Valentines Day

2011-02-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

we have a family Valentines Day tradition where we DATE each of our kids, one at a time. They choose the activity and we try to fit in four dates through the course of the day.

Paul's @9:30.

Sam @ 1:00

Cate @ 4:00

Daniel @7:00

Because LOVE=time well spent. happy valentine's day!

one reader

2011-02-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

at the library in downtown Los Angeles, I saw this quote inscribed in stone outside the library:

"Books alone are liberal and free. They give to all who ask. They emancipate all who serve them faithfully."

new light

2011-02-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

you would think after shooting non-stop in my house for 365+ days I would know every pocket of great light. But I found a new one today, and Catie happened to be standing in it, telling me a funny story from school.

thump

2011-02-09T20:28:00.000-08:00

there is a nearly constant THUMP, THUMP, THUMP in my house these days... from a bouncing ball. Sam started Little League 2 weeks ago, and evidently I am not the only one in this family who is extremely passionate about their hobby.

When my head is thumping along with that ball, I just remind myself that practice is the only way to get better. And then I remind myself of a quote I read today: when asked what the key was to being successful, Steve Martin said, "Be undeniably GOOD."

How's that for a goal? Be undeniably good.

LAUGH!

2011-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:00

curly catch

2011-02-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

with Morgan and some uh-mazing light.

915 AM

2011-02-07T06:55:00.000-08:00

I {seriously!!!} love the fact that all of my kids now dress themselves. I just wish I could convince this one to wear normal clothes. His wardrobe choices seem to only consists of Star Wars shirts and "comfy pants". every. single. day. OY!

all four X 24 {hiking}

2011-02-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

I love how they are just naturally walking in birth order... makes me smile!

This was also processed with Kellie Hatcher's B&W preset set (to be for sale soon!). And if you want to see more examples of her presets that I used on images from our canyon hike, I added 9 to my FB page. go check it.

6/24

she love him

2011-02-05T00:00:00.000-08:00

We spent this gorgeous 80 degree, CA afternoon, exploring a nearby canyon. it was good in every sense of the word!

Also today, the amazingly talented Kellie Hacher sent me a batch of her very own soon-to-be released LR presets. I am in LOVE. They are GREAT in every sense of the world.

KH does B&W right!

real life still life

2011-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

I struggled a little with whether to post this-- I suddenly felt ridiculous calling this "still life". Art may be subjective but that was just looney...

But I think I have decided that I just. don't. care. Maybe cereal dregs and one-armed-Linus would not be considered "still life" a the MET but they are part of my life and that makes them "still life" to me.

It also makes them beautiful.

"enjoy life. this is not a dress rehearsal."

2011-02-03T10:43:00.001-08:00

gaming {all 4 X 24}

2011-02-02T10:33:00.000-08:00

5/24

9:00

2011-02-01T13:34:00.001-08:00

@ 9 am this week-- a shower made possible by "that racing game" on my phone.

play

2011-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

at the door

2011-01-30T07:25:00.000-08:00

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7

oven baked buttery

2011-01-29T14:13:00.000-08:00

a new sort of personal project; still life in real life. I want to find it more often and train myself to "see" the beauty.

this was breakfast; just like my dad used to make.

m e

2011-01-28T23:11:00.000-08:00

An old friend is the best mirror of all! I am so grateful for the one that called to talk for hours tonight.

no color

2011-01-27T20:23:00.000-08:00

it's black and white week in a group I participate in on flickr. The funny thing about shooting with the intention of converting to bw is that the eye looks for different things. More importantly though, I expose my image differently to get the effect I want. But the soulful-- piece of their essence-- images that result are the only reason to EVER put Catie's red hair in monotone. yup.

Go see my flickr stream for more of my no color contributions this week,

pieces of the puzzle

2011-01-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

Aside from building tent forts and putting together seven gazillion puzzles with my four year old, I found an inspiring body of work today that I must share-- go and be prepared to drop your jaw, cry and be transformed as an artist-- and a human being. I kid you not!

www.darcypadilla.com/thejulieproject/intro.html

one

2011-01-25T18:24:00.000-08:00

I don't do sill life-- unless it's staring me down, waiting to be made into chili.

8:45 am

2011-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

On weekdays she is already wearing her school uniform and sitting in class at 8:45, but Sundays are for pretty dresses and spinning before church.

I'm loving this life in moments group and catching my life in 15 minute intervals. :-)

And speaking of things I do in the morning, I also blogged my SNOWY winter wedding from a few weeks ago today. Go CHECK IT OUT.

tgif

2011-01-21T17:08:00.001-08:00

lazy weekend, I welcome you.

busy

2011-01-21T16:43:00.000-08:00

working like crazy to get my last wedding edited and blogged. But got a sweet reward in the mail. That last bride gave me a gift certificate to Adorama and I bought myself a new 35mm f/2.

So I played with my new lens and he played wii.

bedtime Bible {all four X 24}

2011-01-18T20:24:00.000-08:00

My hollywood-workin' hubby works long late hours. We used to rarely see him in the evenings before 10 but in the last few months he has pushed his schedule around in order to get home for this. He walks in right before bedtime and reads to my kids from God's Word. It is the high-light of my children's day (I kid you NOT) and they are so disappointed when the traffic or the deadlines or anything else prevents him from getting there in time.

I can't really blame them, it's a good way to end the day.

4/24

courage

2011-01-18T20:14:00.001-08:00

8:30 am

2011-01-17T05:39:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning bath time.

I love slow mornings and taking a bath in the morning (because we had guests over last night) was obviously too much fun!

(fifteen minute increments)

out

2011-01-16T17:37:00.000-08:00

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I wait for the LORD, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the LORD,
for with the LORD is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

everyday stuff {all 4 X 24}

2011-01-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

(Look at me, two in a row...) I love this and I can't even explain why... I think, though, it's because it is such a REAL part of my everyday life.

3/24

quiet {all 4 X 24}

2011-01-14T09:06:00.000-08:00

With four kids I spend a ridiculous amount of time in the car-- and they (especially the younger ones) spend a ridiculous amount of time being shuttled around. There is generally a lot of fighting back there but I have found a solution that keeps the peace.

We listen to books.

Right now we are LOVING a radio-series dramatization done by Focus on the Family of The Chronicles of Narnia. We have finished all seven books-- and started over.

2/24

moments

2011-01-11T20:50:00.000-08:00

I really don't need another project, but I LOVE the idea of this one. It's a Flickr group that shoots an image every week, of a moment of your day; in 15 minutes increments. The real things that are really happening in that moment. I'm not sure I can commit to this every week, but here is 8:00 am today.

More blogged at IBP.

dunkin'

2011-01-10T20:06:00.000-08:00

We don't have this in Los Angeles.

Years ago, when I went to Romania to complete the adoption of our oldest son, I asked some missionary friends what they would like me to bring them from America. All they wanted was Dunkin'Donuts coffee and I couldn't get them ANY.

A travesty. Brought these home from Philadelphia for my munchkins.

+1 here

2011-01-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Oh, the things we do when we are 10 minutes early for a flight...

I saw those words (on the sign) and had to take a picture. Rosina and I did a lot of re-structuring of the how/ when/ why we will travel to shoot weddings in the future during this trip. It was good! We only travel on our own terms and when it matters-- because we don't want to forget the important things we leave behind!

and if you want to see me shooting this, go here. :-)

2011-01-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

what a day! this was just the first shot (of so many!!!) I saw, pulled and posted for a quick sneak peek of this fairy-tale wedding in the snow! It was so beautiful and I have hundreds more that I can't wait to attack. :-)

2011-01-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

woke up in snowy PA with a fresh 2 inches on the ground. this VERY busy day before the wedding included a mini-engagement session with our bride and groom.

good words

2011-01-06T15:51:00.000-08:00

Flying to Philadelphia today to shoot a wedding.

in my rear view

2011-01-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

in the school pick-up line.

snack sneaker

2011-01-04T20:33:00.000-08:00

BUSTED!

I must have a problem. I can't stop myself. I have actually had a usable shot everyday since I quite this thing; it's a sickness.

{so I might carry on}

I really like this format of posting one shot at a time. I like that it forces me to tell a story in a single image (not a strong suit for me) and-- gosh darn it, I just really like shooting. Evidently it's a habit I can't break.

SO! I will not call it a 365, because I will give myself a chance to take a day off whenever I want to, but I will keep shooting and posting until one of us (you or me?) gets sick of it.

Ok. that is all. let the NON-365 begin.

surviving and 365ing

2011-01-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd be able to easily write a post about all I have learned and the things that helped me survive 365ing, but now that I actually sit down to it, the words don't come. I have let my images speak for me for 365 days, and I think I'm having a hard time letting words do the job...

Instead I will share a few tips:

wait for the shot-- I started this project shooting sometimes 200+ images a day, I ended it by shooting usually just a couple (for like the last 6 months). I have learned to WAIT for the image I wanted.
don't try to post everyday when you are feeling overwhelmed. I went a good 2 weeks without a post during the height of my wedding season. I was shooting, but not editing, not uploading. Later I found a nice pattern in posting 2-3 times a week. It meant less work overall.
post even imperfect pictures. This was a challenge for me, but I got over it. Life is not perfect... attempting to create an amazing image everyday is impossible.
post to a blog. I began posting to this blog, in part because I wanted to create a Blurb book of my year at it's conclusion (and Blurb makes this ridiculously easy when you have a blog). Later I found this blog to be a safe, quiet place to post even when I was less than impressed with my work. It kept me going when I was ready to quit. I love this TAW spot and the quiet encouragement it gave me.
shoot everyday life-- real moments. those are the images I appreciate most, now that I am done.
always have your camera handy. ALWAYS.
learn the light in your home. Probably 80% of my 365 images were taken in my house. IN MY HOUSE! I know exactly when (time of the day) and where (which rooms) my light will work for me. Then I wait for something interesting to happen in that light.
don't force your subjects. A year is a very long time to be shooting everyday. My children and my husband are all still supportive and cooperative in my picture-taking now-- because I never did anything to frustrate them.
learn your subjects! having said that last point, I must add that you need to know these people well and anticipate their actions. I could eventually SEE a good shot coming. Yesterday on the escalator I knew it was going to be worth the mad run down the escalator ahead of my kids-- to get the shot.
find encouragers. usually people, occasionally chocolate.

I have learned to be in the moment and shoot with my heart.
I have learned to edit (I am not an expert) but I can more easily translate the image in my head into the image on my screen.
I have learned to shoot even on days when I do not feel like it.

I have learned that I am not really as good at this photography thing as I thought I was; I still have MUCH to learn, ways to grow, and more to accomplish.
But most importantly, I have learned to appreciate {even more!!!} this ordinary life of mine.

my 365 slideshow; a year in the life:

all four X 24

2011-01-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

new year, new project: all four X 24

I want to find 24 images of all four of my children in the next year. 2 per month; I can do that!

They will be unposed, images of natural interaction, scenes I see, everyday. This is not a perfect image, but I love it for the story I see. All 4 of my kids are doing the ELF escalator split on their way down the escalator. (Have you seen ELF? Remember how he rides the escalator?) HA!

Cracks me up. This won't be a perfect series from a photography point of view- but it will capture the things all four of my kids find fun! that's what I am after... real life images of all four.

Feel free to join me if you want! All your kids, you set the goal, post them to this flickr group.

1/24

SNOW!!!

2011-01-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

in Los Angeles!

It hasn't snowed at all in the 11 years that I have lived here and a neighbor told me the last time we had accumulation was 1988!

I was a little snap-happy! :)

But it feels good to take pictures because I WANT to and not because I have to! :)

DON'T

2010-12-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

365/365

(and the comments are open today...) Happy New Year Friends!

train lovin'

2010-12-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

I will be formulating a post about the many things that I have learned in the last year, as I have shot this 365 project-- but the one tip I will share today is this: find something you love and delight in it. Trains, photography, whatever. Life is too short. find your JOY and do it to the glory of God.

364/365

it's been a blur

2010-12-29T20:01:00.000-08:00

363/365

rock climbing

2010-12-28T20:54:00.000-08:00

lots more from today on flickr-- my husband says I shoot more when I am excited. I think he's right, I was excited today. :)

362/365

spaghetti dinner

2010-12-27T20:33:00.000-08:00

I promised you when I began this project to post my favorite, best or only image of the day. I think that has been a promise I have kept. Today-- this is not my best image and it is not my only image-- but it is my favorite image-- of some of my favorite people on this planet. Family. They are not always the people that you would choose to love, but they are the people that you love until your heart aches-- no matter what.

No matter what. I love them.

361/365

found on my nightstand this morning when I woke up

2010-12-26T19:22:00.000-08:00

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34

360/365

Happy Holy Day

2010-12-25T23:26:00.000-08:00

12:08 A.M.

359/365

advent no longer

2010-12-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

He has come. JOY to the world!

358/365

picture perfect

2010-12-23T22:57:00.000-08:00

357/365

merry christmas tree

2010-12-22T21:13:00.000-08:00

it has rained for six days straight. this evening we had a temporary lull and I ran out to try some free-lensing on the tree. It's poorly done, but the downpour returned, so I ran for cover and decided it would have to be good enough.

356/365

visions of sugarplums?

2010-12-21T23:58:00.000-08:00

24mm, f/2.8, 1/25, ISO 8000!

translation for those who don't speak "camera nonsense": I shot in the dark, no flash, over exposed just a little, to produce this low grain, sweeter than pie-pic of my boys nestled all snug in {Sam's} bed.

355/365