Going forward

Thursday, I watched (and documented) my oldest niece graduate junior high.

Friday, I shot the second annual "Unity in the Community" softball game for the Wood Dale Baseball Association.

Saturday, I edited, shopped and babysat.

Yesterday, I launched an H|Photography fan site on Facebook. I will be adding to is as often as I can. The Java based uploader on Facebook isn't very friendly with me, but I make it work when I can.

Today, I woke up earlier than normal to babysit and for some odd reason I was in a really good, take charge, productive mood(which never happens at 8:30am). I decided that I needed to get some things done. I started out checking Facebook, as usual, and got excited to see that I was gaining fans on my "page", ok, yeah, I admit, I got a little hyper about it(I love 'likes' and comments on my pics). Then I was vacuuming(love the dyson) and making beef stew that would cook all day. (Mmm, yeah, mom made me a "Susie Homemaker" type.) But to be honest, I didn't want to make dinner, or clean. I wanted to continue editing. I wanted to crank out another album or two for my fan page. I can't remember being more motivated to get editing done and I SO am. So anyway, continuing with my day... I decided that I need to set up a website, with the help of Ben(my brother the IT man of the house), and figure out pricing for the sale of photos, as well as services. Technically, this would become the foundation for my business and I'm getting really excited about it.

I've realized that this is my time to move forward. To pursue everything possible and gain experience. I am looking for an assisting job and hoping for some shadowing opportunities next month, or so. I am also lining up a few clients for later in the summer! As I said, moving forward and SO excited!!

Rewind: School's Out.

I've been out of school now for almost 4 weeks. Every day has been a different experience and every tomorrow is basically unplanned. This is what Summer should be right? Relaxation. Rejuvenation. Spontaneity. Boredom.

Yep, you read right, boredom. It is mixed into a healthy portion of aimless web surfing and sleep. But yeah, needless to say, I have plenty of time to think and waste time. I've been wondering today: maybe if I really go all out on the laziness, it'll just go away when it's time to go back to school. I wonder if it'll be the solution to procrastination. Probably not, but hey, it was worth the thought.

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of Facebooking. Some picture editing(I'm determined to catch up, tho it's likely impossible with over 10,000 pics). Oh, that reminds me. I never filled you in on school.

Well, ok, so school was great. I didn't really have as hard of a time with it as I had thought I would. All of my teachers were pretty cool, or at least reasonable. My favorite class ended up being Darkroom I, go figure. My teacher, Mary Rachel Fanning, had to be the most personable and relatable teachers of the semester. of course, while both she and Doug McGoldrick, my Foundations of Photo I teacher, were really fun teachers, there was just an air about Mary Rachel's class that I couldn't get over and I know I made at least one life long friendship in that class.

Moving along, English and French were my "push Hadassah's buttons" classes. Good teachers, but they were classes I really stressed about and dreaded, but ended up really liking in the end.

New Millennium Studies. Now that was a class about life, I guess. It was hard, somewhat pointless at times, and frustrating, but one thing I really liked about it was it's ability to really get me thinking about my ethics in the scope of my career.

As the last week of school approached, I did all I could to be prepared. Other than my photo final, James Nachtwey paper, and my final New Millennium studies presentation, I was pretty much set. Somehow, I pulled off those last few things and I was immediately off to Nashville to celebrate Diamond's graduation.


Wow, long post, but I think you're caught up now.

Here's another shoot from Nashville. I call it- Freedom: Diamond Tucker.

Testing testing 1,2,3... Just verified my blog for mobile posting. Yay! Now maybe i'll actually blog. We'll see. Anyway, just a test, more to come.

Congratulations, Diamond - Freedom Vertigo

Man, it's been a while and a half! Instead of filling you all in on what's been up, just yet, I'll just give you a taste of the last event I documented


and a link to more : http://public.fotki.com/hadassahintisar/spring-and-summer-09/diamondsgraduation/

I'll have to come back later and explain why I've been MIA. I kinda wish Facebook could update my blog, but oh well.

P.S. I'm out of school on summer holiday!! Yay!

Trio Together Again!!

I first met Diamond when I was 15. She was 14. We met under very unfortunate circumstances, being that she had come up with her father and mother for my mother's memorial service. Our parents had been friends for like 15yrs so naturally they'd come up from Tulsa to be with us for that.

I was totally caught off guard having a black family in my house, not that I have ANY issues with black people, don't get me wrong. It wasn't even her parents that I was thrown by, just her, this black girl who was my age and I was expected to be friends with her. I just wasn't used to it. I hadn't had any black friends before, so I was really puzzled. I didn't know how to handle it. I know now that skin color shouldn't play a part in the friend making process, I knew then too but, likely BECAUSE of this friendship, I've grown more used to diversity.

Anyway, I wasn't sure if we'd have anything in common, so like any teenaged girl I called in back-up. I called my friend Chrissy and was like, "I need you to come over and help me, our parents are leaving us here alone together, this is really awkward," or something to that effect... (my goodness! was I a baby..)

Chrissy came over and we all went into my room and talked, somehow we started talking about Everwood(a tv show that was on the CW when it was the WB) and that was it! We automatically clicked after that and got along perfectly. Someone mentioned, very likely Diamond, herself, that we should dress similarly and do our make up and have a photoshoot. Thus we began our annual/semi-annual photoshoot tradition.

Diamond became one of my Closest friends and we've pulled each other through a LOT of crap. About twice a year since then, she comes to visit me, we meet up with Chrissy, we HAVE to do at least one photoshoot of some sort.

This is the product* of one of our photoshoots this year:



Lesson of the day: Don't judge on the outward appearance, but on the heart.

** Fotki seems to be having issues with pixelation on their wigets - If the pics above are not clear, please visit FOTKI.COM to view our shoot.

Spring Break

This week I'm home for most of the week. So I decided it would be a good time to post lots of pics.

I'll post here, mostly, I think, but probably wont include many words. I have already posted on facebook. Feel free to add me.

But yeah, I'm just kinda chillin. Don't want to do too much, but there are things I need to do(ie. clean my room, scan in my prints, edit, some homework..) so really it's just a slow paced week.

I will be going to Galena tomorrow, tho. I'm excited about that. Hoping to use a few rolls of film and tons of space on my CF. Anyway, that's my update, so far.

True to form..

I've not been blogging very often, so I have a lot to fill y'all in on.

Firstly, I turned 20!! Feb 21st :)
My family is pretty darn amazing. They threw me a surprise party. They invited people I had not seen in years and people who I'd never had expected to see.. My best friend from like grade school to junior high, Krista, was there. People I made my first actually memorable trip to China with, as well as those who came on my most recent trip. Hope's work friends. Archie. Not to mention, ALL of my siblings (Holy Crap) - all that AND they broadcast it to Morocco for my boyfriend, Yassine, it was pretty sweet. I don't know if those of you who were there read my blog, but if so, thank you so very much(!) for coming. It was pretty much the most special birthday I've had so far.



The party was photography themed, of course, being that it was my Gradbirthuation(?) If you didn't get that, it was my birthday and high school graduation combined. So my pictures were printed and hanging everywhere. They were even atop my cupcakes.
As I mentioned, Archie, who is one of my photo inspirations, was there, which was pretty cool and totally unexpected. He actually provided these pics - no one else took any that I know of - if you have some you'd like to share, feel free to email me @ lambofgod777@gmail.com.



As my dad proceeded to give me every camera he has ever owned, I noticed a trend. I was getting very impatient to open the final gift, the NIKON D700!! Heck yeah! and let me tell you, this is one awesome camera. I've been carrying it everywhere and have taken over 400 pics so far. I will totally be taking more, but I still have to use the N2020 for school. They are definitely fighting for my undivided attention, and as yet, the D700 is winning which is not helping for school.. I'm bad, I know..

Other than pushing myself to take film shots, school is going really well.. I have yet to scan the latest prints. I will soon, tho.

Well, there's the Update for now.. Hope you all are doing well!

Ps. If you haven't seen me on your blog lately, I'm just really busy. I'll get to them soon, and probably comment lots all at once ;)

All provided Photos were taken by Archie FlorCruz.