so many ideas....

so little time. i want to find a way to turn my ideas into reality. since i know i am super visual, i'm thinking maybe writing down my ideas and then doing something every day toward making them happen, might work for me. having the ideas just floating around in my head, isn't really cutting it. i start every day with high expectations and then all i seem to get done are the daily must-do things. i want to move past the routine and start accomplishing more. 

my thinking reminds me of stephen covey's books, "the 7 habits of highly effective people" and "first things first". i recently pulled "first things first" back out and looked through my highlighted passages. i remember reading both of these books years ago, when j was still a pretty little guy. i read "7 habits* while we were driving to a 3-on-3 soccer tournament in vail. that's a lifetime ago! this quote from "first things first" describes what i'm feeling right now perfectly-"all the wishing and even all the work in the world, if it's not based on valid principles, will not produce quality-of-life results. it's not enough to dream. it's not enough to try. it's not enough to set goals or climb ladders. it's not enough to value. the effort has to be based on practical realities that produce the result. only then can we dream, set goals and work to achieve them with confidence". stephen covey.

i love his philosophy. it's not just about achieving success. he maintains that a person has to maintain personal integrity to have any level of success. what you do when no one is watching. making and keeping promises to yourself and others, principle centered living(living with a conscience), leaving no room for even the smallest of untruths, being loyal to those not present, really listening to others before insisting on saying what our point of view is, letting go of things that aren't important, being humble and teachable, quick to forgive....the list goes on. i need to reread these books! and put them into practice more than ever before.

yesterday, i finalized a tutorial that has been in my head for a long time. thoughts and ideas i have scratched out on bits of paper here and there....finally compiled in one place. the tutorial is called "finding the light" and it's a super simple overview on how to photograph projects. most of the basic principles work equally well for portraits. i put it together with myself (a few years ago) in mind. i was looking for really basic information for a beginner. everywhere i looked and read, it was over my head. so this is simple, easy to put into practice stuff. you can see it here. sidenote: i went back and looked over some of the challenges and tuts, and there's some great info and really inspiring stuff! check it out!

i recently booked a wedding as a result of the wedding essentials magazine. i met with ashley(the bride), alyssa (her sister) and their mom karen, and we all just clicked! i can't wait to do ashley and john's wedding! alyssa called the next day,

and asked if i would shoot her senior photos. heck yeah! she's adorable. i couldn't wait. she brought a couple of friends who are in a few of the shots-

 

alyssa brought along so many great outfits....i realized when the sun was almost completely down, that we hadn't done any shots with this great giraffe dress. i was so bummed. so we thought, why not at least give it a shot. so we did. even though it's grainy...i love the effect-

isn't that a great dress? and she pulls if off so well!

i love that each shoot is unique. i try to have a fresh approach every day. it makes things so much more fun and challenging!  i hope you like your shots alyssa! i had a great time with you, your friends and your awesome mom!

i'm heading out on a walk-i hope you have a great day....it's already almost the weekend! and a holiday weekend at that. God bless!

Comments

[Leslie]

i think it would be fun to shoot sr girls. you did a great job becky. that giraffe dress is killer. i can see why you squeezed it in as the sun was fading.

congrats on booking through the magazine. that is cool!

[becca]

Ooooooooooooohhh--my favorite is the one with the chair. And the other one with the chair. ; ) And I really love the yellow in the field with the hay bales--AWESOME! : )

xoxo.