New Logo

Hi team,

I'm having a rubber stamp made with my new logo. Do y'all like it?

Mary

Mark Your Calender

I'm going to be having a birthday party in just a few short months (December 3 pm - December 4 am) To get you in the mood heres a pic from my party a few years back. Doesn't it look like everyones having an AWSOME time.

Lost Photos

I'm putting together a new portfolio so I'm looking at ALL the files on my computer. Here are some winners I found ...

Quitting the Day Job

This post is long overdue. As many of you already know I quit my day job at the nursery a month ago. I was only working 3 or 4 days a week, but it gave my life much needed structure. My mom has been hinting that I need to start doing my photo thing more seriously, and the nursery only really needs me for bookkeeping(2 hours on Sundays). So I did it. I left the job I've loved for 8 years to try and do my own thing.

This month has not been what I expected. I've had some big sucesses - the shoots for Lakewood, Arthouse and The Fall guys all went well. I now have seperate accounts for the company and myself. I purchased some awsome photo business software that has made me much more organized and I got the lens I've been wanting for ages.

Overall I'm pleased but there are some disappointments - I still don't have new business cards, a website, or any firm structure to my company. I only have one shoot booked for next week. I'm waiting on so many checks that I won't be able to pay off my credit card in full for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE. Its not all that bad though cause it has 0% interest.

Before when I wanted something photo related I'd just buy it. Now I look at the nubmers and decide if it will help the company make money or if it is an unneeded expense. Very responsible.

I hope, with all that is in me, this company works. I've wanted to be a photographer since the 10th grade but was always too afraid to pursue it seriously because I thought failing would be worse than never trying. Mom convinced me that this is what i have to do! So hopefully it will work.

And if y'all know ANYONE who needs photo stuff in town PLEASE reccomend me. Its my main source of advertising and I really need to find more work if this is going to work.

On a side note - i've taken a two day job at a gaming convention photographing programmers with an inflatable gorilla. But it pays well so why not.

Thanks for listening to my rant.

Canon 5 d

Awsome. Pre-ordered my canon 5 d today. Can't wait to get it. Will be here in mid-October.

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=11933

The new Canon EOS 5D offers advanced photographers a lightweight, robust digital SLR that uses Canon's superlative EF lenses without a conversion factor. Its full-frame 12.8 Megapixel CMOS sensor combines with Canon's DIGIC II Image Processor, a high-precision 9-point AF system with 6 assist points, and "Picture Style" color control to deliver images of superior quality with enough resolution for any application. With its wide-angle capabilities, 2.5 inch LCD and magnesium-alloy body, the 5D is the perfect addition to the Digital EOS line.

Bangs

I now have the cutest hair cut ever with bangs!!! From now on I cut my own hair, but I'm still going to leave the color to the pros. Some things shouldn't be done at home.

Yea Macs

Another little portrait from a shoot last week. The ad director for this shoot, Evan, is awsome. I just love this rug that he picked out. He also had a really helpful view book with samples of exactly what he wanted. If only everyone I work for could be so helpful.

I was trying to get this young lady, sarah, to kick her foot fast enough so there would be a motion blur, but my shutter speed was too fast.

Gotta love the 85mm 1.2 lens. Nothing could be clearer!!! If only it weren't just sitting on my credit card waiting for checks to come in I'd be a lot happier.

Recent Portrait

I liked this one.

Fall Guys

Did some photos for an album cover today. It was pretty cool. One of the props was a beautiful 1954 Corvette! YUMMY. I really like this photo. I'm going to use this technique for the chronicle soon. Just have to wait for the right assignment.

assisting

i haven't assisted anyone in years!!! at least three but the other day cambria asked me if i'd help her with some light stuff so i did. shes only worked with ambient so i had to do all the heavy thinkign. she sent me some shots and i must say my lighting looks excellent .... and ok maybe she did a really good job too!

American Analog Set

This is a rough draft.

factory people

oh geepers. i keep forgetting to send people invoices. now that i have money in the bank i'm not so good at sending people statements the day after i do the work. factory people owes me at least $500 at this point and i've got a bunch of other people with similar and smaller jobs that I haven't billed yet. its just hard to want to work as hard when you have money in the bank.

getting ready

I'm going to photograph American Analog Set. A possible cover for the Austin Chrnoicle and a very likely candidate for Rollingstone sometime down the road. I'm nurvous. I'm having flashbacks to the DISASTEROUS shoot of Okkervil River done a few months ago with a similar theme.

Looks like it might rain. Not sure what I"m going to do if it does. This shot can't very well be done inside. Guess we could go to the nursery or something. Yikes.

The idea for the shoot is to surround the guys with equipment and then bound there hands with reel to reel tape. If we don't get rained on and not too much of the surrounding yard is visible it could look VERY cool. My new friend Cambria is going to help me with the lights. I should really pick up some sand bags on my way to the shoot. Wonder if I will have time.

the killers

i have poison ivy on my stomach, knee, leg, and neck.

photographed the killers tonight.

got another new lens. this one is for doing portraits in the dark. i'm amazed by how fast it is and by how acurate the color temperature is.

decided i'm going to put together and send a portfolio to rollingstone and spin. i've been looking at them and the photos are no better than mine. figure i have nothing to loose.

Cat Photos

Y'all will be happy to know i'm putting my photographic genius to work. I spent the evening photographing a couple of cats. They are lovely cats and no doubt the apple of thier owners eye, but my they were a pain to photograph!!! they didn't want to be still. i got this shot which is decent of one of the cats, although i don't think the owner will like it because she just loves the cats tail, which isn't in this photo. rrrg. but anywas. here it is. one cat portrait. that will be $200.

Abi's photo of Mary

Abi took this photo last week and I keep forgeting to put it online. it makes me look a bit naked, but i can think of worse things. my silly blog thing won't let me use the return key so i'm going to have another runnon entry with one long confusing paragraph. Got hired today to do another shoot for arthouse. i'm amazed how the jobs are just rolling in. I feel like I'm learning as I go.

Faking It Con't

So I sent the letter from Lisa at RDF onto the folks at Discovery and got this reply

Thank you for contacting TLC. We appreciate your interest in our
programming.

Typically, once a program is filmed, it takes six months to a year to
finish the post-production process. Therefore, programs are not
immediately scheduled to be televised. Our databases do not contain any
program information until programs are actually scheduled. If you are
interested, please contact us again in a few months and we will be happy to
search for the program again. Until the program is aired you may not be
able to receive a copy of it. We apologize for any inconvenience this may
cause.

For more information about Discovery Networks' schedules and programming,
check our website at www.discovery.com.

A reply to this message is not necessary. If you have any further
inquiries or comments, please contact us via our webform at
http://extweb.discovery.com/ViewerRelations. Thank you again for
expressing your interest in our programming.

Sincerely,
Trenai
Viewer Relations
Discovery Networks

rrrggggg!!!! This makes it sound like the show isn't finished. I know its finished because Lisa said it is. I'm going to give them another few months before i start sending notes everyday.

Faking It

Such a shame. I took down this content. If you have any questions about what was here please send me an email ... I'll give you the 10 second version.

This was a post about how long it took for me to get the tape.

Martini??

I'm in a bit of a bad mood. My photo shoot today didn't go as well as I had hoped.

The location was changed at the last minute from a very cool old bar to a music store. The music store recently expanded and has an ambiance that resembles a school cafateria at best. If that wasn't enough to deal with the piano (the subject of the photo) was supposed to be photographed with one person (I was thinking of doing something like corgliano's photo) but instead I had to photograph 7 people with the piano. And not good looking people mind you - geezers.

If all of this wasn't enough to deal with there were two other photographers shooting the same scene - one of whom had lights that were in the way at the very very least. I realise now I went about the photo all wrong. What I should have done was showcased the ugliness of the store and how the other photographers lights were in the way. A photo with him trying to get his photo could have been cool. oh well.