Archive for June, 2009

I was watching the news this morning because I wanted to get caught up on some world events and a woman was being interviewed about how in today’s world, and especially with the younger generation of twenty-somethings (represent!) the world is bigger and smaller than it has ever been before. What she meant was that people, young people especially, are viewing themselves more as citizens of the world than of their particular nation. That we are all very concerned with the well being of our fellow world citizens and feel a strong sense of justice for all of mankind. I love it. I have been to a few other countries and I always come back feeling like I’ve grown as a person just for having been there and learning more about the people I meet and places I visit.

It all just reminds me how small the world is. We are really all just people. We are not Americans, Europeans, Iranians, Floridans, or even Orlando people. We are all people, all sharing this beautiful world and sharing responsibility. We all wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night. The immense worth of each individual adds up to a planet rich in stories and love and although we are separated by many factors, in more ways that one we are all interconnected. I always appreciate the way those connections work. One of my favorite things about my job is that I get to meet people I would have never gotten to meet otherwise. Photography brings people into my life that are amazing, with beautiful stories and beautiful quirks. I love feeling my world expand with each interaction. Meeting Katie and Jon was one of those connections. They are a fantastically cute duo and we are so excited to share these images of them as we count down to their wedding this August.

Oh sweet symmetry!

I haven’t done puddle shots in over a year but this one was too good to pass up…

Hello gorgeous eyes!

Time for some Studio222 Rocktography…

This one may be my favorite…

I’ve always had a rebellious spirit. I’m proud of it now but I’m sure it brought a lot of grief to my mom during conversations that went like this: “You need to clean your room now!” “Well I was planning on it but now that you told me to, I don’t want to!”

Just the sheer act of someone telling me that I had to do something a certain way or that I couldn’t do something ignited a fire of ambition inside of me to prove them wrong. Seriously people, it’s bad. So when I was told that I could never be successful I thought, “Just wait.” When they said, “It will take years before you can do it full time.” I thought, “Uh uh, I’m doing it right now.” When they told me, “You’re doing it wrong” I thought, “Nope, we’re giving them something new.” And then when they told me, “You’re both too young.” I thought, “Watch us.”

I’ve been hearing a lot of people talking about following their dreams lately and it makes me so excited. Go for it! Do it. Let me be the first to tell you that you truly can. Find something that inspires you and hold on to it. Repeat it. Watch it over and over. Write it on sticky notes and put them all over your house. Your dreams are too important to let them fall away because of fear. Do not let the world, or your family, or your friends, or the economy scare you into settling. Find that rebellious part of you that wants to prove everyone wrong and let it run free for a little while! Recently, I’ve been extremely drawn in by Wicked. And the song “Defying Gravity” has pretty much become my mantra. I will play it on repeat for hours while I work and sing it over and over again. This song is what inspires me. Find whatever it is that inspires you, play it on repeat, and go!

A few months ago I put together an inspiration board. For those of you who don’t know what an inspiration board is, it’s basically just a collage of things that inspire you. But even more than that, it’s positive images of goals you have for yourself and your life. You display them somewhere that you’ll look everyday, usually in a workspace. Mine is positioned on the wall right behind our desktop computer so whenever I sit down to work, it’s the first thing I see. It’s 20×30 and has cutouts from magazines, a few things I printed out myself, and some extras just because. If you subscribe to the views in the book The Secret then you would believe that by focusing brain power on these positive images, you will actually manifest them into being in your life by the law of attraction. I’ll be honest, that philosophy sounds pretty cool to me even though I’m not too sure of it’s validity. But, I do think there is something to be gained from positive thinking and focusing on your goals. Recently I asked my friends on facebook if they had inspiration boards and if they’ve seen anything come true in their lives from them. I was really excited to see that many people have seen things go from pictures on their boards to events in real life.

Becka, this all well and good by why are you babbling on and on about it?

I thought you may ask that. I’m talking about it because recently we’ve watched some things go from inspiration board to real life without even realizing it completely. They weren’t even exact, established goals. They were more like ideas too bold to actually vocalize and yet, here they are as real life things.

We were published in Professional Photographer Magazine this month with a little blurb about our trash the prom dress sessions. Professional Photographer Magazine? WHHHHAAATTT? I know, right? Oh wait, it gets better. We’re going to be in there again this fall! With a full feature.

Hold the phone, Becka… WHAT?

Yeah, I know. Crazy cool. Mind-blowing. Nate and I were literally sitting in awe for an hour while we were interviewed by the talented writer who will be turning all of our babbling into a story worth reading. I still can’t really wrap my mind around it. And that’s all I’m going to say about it until it comes out because I don’t want to ginx anything… Here is our stuff from this month’s issue. They used one of our photos for the contents page and then the little story with another photo is on page 22.