Typical

It seems to me that I've become a once-per-month blogger. It's so funny that pretty much every blog I write starts out with how bad I am at keeping up, yet I still try.. Ha! You'd think that maybe one of these days I'd just get over it already, but I guess today wasn't that day. How typical of me.

So anyway, since my last post I've been introduced to the studio, reintroduced to Photoshop, and officially became an adult. Yes, I turned 21 and I don't feel much different, for the record. Also, typical.

I remember long ago, in my teens when I could NOT wait to turn 21. It was this HUGE deal. Now that I am I feel like, while there are a few things I can do now that I couldn't (ie. have a horizontal drivers license, like everyone else...), nothing has really changed. I feel like being a Sophomore has changed me more than becoming an adult. Is that weird? I mean, having been through two semesters of photo, I feel like I can tell the Freshmen how to check the temp of the water in the development sinks and final fix prints with confidence. It's so silly, but I realize that I am helping those kids more and more every time I am in the darkroom. Even through my own struggles getting reintroduced to b&w development, I feel like there is something that I can offer to my peers in terms of experience. And even though, sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be intruding into their learning experience, it's a really nice feeling knowing that I have the ability. Is that cocky? Maybe, but it's also humbling because it just reminds me of how I felt walking up to the fix and wash the first time and it is SO typical of my maternal instincts to kick right in, telling them what to do.

I am learning SO much this semester, it's great! I've been really busy, keeping up with everything, so glad that I'm only taking 4 classes! I cannot even imagine what it would be like to have 5 with the two shooting classes! Omgoodness! that's not a pretty thought. Studio is proving to be really interesting and hard, but rewarding. I know I will be able to do SO much with it once I am out of it, I have the best teacher too!! Bill First. He's tough, but awesome, and so nice. I can def say I'll be taking him for view camera and for studio 2! the hardest part about Studio right now is probably the printing. Traditional black and white printing is such a hassle, esp in the winter! But, oh well. I think I'm going to get back in there the next few weeks and try split filtering again. I know I do MUCH better with that than regular.

My other classes, aren't really all that exciting. Well, digital is cool, but very basic. I love that I can shoot digital in there tho, instead of film and scanning. At this point, it's a HUGE relief for homework and financial purposes. They teach a lot of really useful stuff tho, saving and printing formats, as well as photoshop techniques. I do find myself saying, "I can do this so much easier/better in Lightroom" a LOT, tho haha! Needless to say, I hate Adobe Bridge.

I'm going to try to get up some albums of homework photos soon. Scanning negatives and prints can be so time consuming, but there is a lot of film work that needs to be digital. There are also a few digital files that I can share, but we haven't really done anything too interesting photo wise in that class yet.

Horrible blogger

Well, everyone, I guess you can say that I am a horrible blogger and I apologize to my followers for not keeping up.

I really have no other excuse than being incredibly busy and when I'm not incredibly busy, I'm incredibly tired...

Ah, the life of a college student...

Well, I'm back for an update! Can't say that I'll be back often, but we all can hope, can't we?

So many things have been going on in my life lately! Between school and shooting, last semester was a crazy four months, but I'm happy to say I came out on top, with straight A's to show for it! As I continue on in my study of photography I am upholding my Dean's List status, and hoping it will pay off in the long run. I have a feeling it will, but even if it didn't for some reason, it sure does feel good NOW!!

Yassine, is also keeping up with a 4.0 GPA in his MBA: Marketing Management program! I am so proud of him.

We, together, are doing very well and while we have faced a few hurdles we are pushing through and pressing on.

As I said, last semester went well, even though I didn't love it. I really only liked one of my teachers and he was a writing professor. It was not my favorite class; but, he was definitely a very good instructor. So Columbia students, take Steven Teref if you get the chance! :) My final in his class was a 15pg paper about photographic integrity. I learned a lot while researching it, but I'm glad I got through it alive!! (Steven, and my sister, helped a lot with that.)

My photo classes were on foundations of color. There was a lot of shooting and a LOT of printing, but I'm glad I now can see color casts and know how to fix them! :) My final for that class was on Fashion and Architecture. That was a hard one, but I rocked it out! Ultimately, I felt fulfilled and accomplished at the end of that whole shooting, printing, editing, and bookmaking process! See photos from my final - Here with password- hphotoblog.

As soon as the semester ended I got a call to shoot a wedding. Since last summer, I have been really busy, both shooting and editing weddings, as well as other shoots. I am gaining confidence in myself as a photographer and in my skills. I just think I need a faster long range lens - say a Nikkor 70-200mm F/2.8, hehe.... I wish! But really, I'm thankful, to God and my amazing family, for not only helping me succeed in business, but for believing in me to do so! God is SO good.

Anyway, as you can tell, I'm keeping uber busy! I have also just begun working on my official "H|Photography" website! So, hopefully, in the near future I will be posting a link for a site, complete with photo gallery!

Well, that is all for now. Thanks to all of you who have patience enough to follow my blog!!

Hopefully, I'll talk to you all soon!

Moroccan Hearts

So, I've come to the realization that it may not be clear to many people why I went to Morocco in December.

Well, starting from the very beginning, my sister dated a Moroccan who introduced me to the idea of Morocco, it's beauty, the idea of going there, marrying a Moroccan(his brother) and living there. He often told me that I'd be treated like a princess there, and I was young and I am a complete romantic, so though he and my sister didn't stay together, this exotic idea really stuck with me. I liked it. I researched and fell in love with Morocco, Moroccans, Moroccan music, and even stuff that was close to it. I began browsing myspace for Moroccan friends, and came up with quite a few.Somehow my name even started coming up when people browsed Moroccans on myspace. It became what I called "the country of my heart", I was considered by my Moroccan friends as Moroccan, and it became my dream to journey to Morocco.

I also realized that many of you have likely seen pictures of me there with a native, looking, well umm, a bit friendly and I haven't explained why or who he is. Well, that Moroccan boy's name is Yassine.

Yassine and I met on myspace. We met in June of 2007 and became really fast friends. We had a lot in common and talked just about everyday. I really couldn't plan my days without having time to talk to him. I guess you could say I was addicted. He made me laugh. He made me smile. He made me happy. He was So sweet and respectful and I was pretty much in awe.

At the time we met I was in a relationship that had lasted about a year(long distance relationship). The guy and I had tried to meet, but nothing seemed to be working. He was very defeatist about the whole thing and needless to say, it wasn't going to work out. Meanwhile, during all of my relationship drama, I was determined not to let the wonderfulness of the boy, named Yassine, go to waste. So I thought of girls I could set him up with, but not just any girl, I had to know she was as great. So of course, a best friend was my first choice, but somehow they never really clicked, which was a bit disappointing.

Having just gotten out of a long distance relationship, that was the LAST thing I wanted to get myself back into. It was crushing to feel like I has wasted a year, but everything happens for a reason, right? So, Yassine and I, were best friends by now. Still talking everyday, telling eachother EVERYTHING, and of course, as I'm sure all of you can forsee at this point, we started "dating." The online way, of course, so basically just saying we were boyfriend/girlfriend (not the term I prefer, but oh well)..

To make a long, sappy, love story short... I was happy, genuinely happy. I was at peace and everyone who knew of Yassine was still cautious, but peaceful too. And best of all he was patient and often reminded me, "I'm ready to wait for the rest of my life just to hug you." Now, if you ask me, THAT is a man to keep and I did precisely that.

About a year and a half of patient/impatient at times/ chatting and waiting past before I was able to go to Morocco and meet him in person. I took my sister, Hope, with me as my body/emotionguard, just in case (LOL, and all around travel companion. We arrived in Morocco and everything was as I imagined. Hope approved not long after she met him. His family treated us as their own and we had an awesome 10 day trip. Actually, "awesome" is a bit of an understatement, I didn't want to leave(of course..)..

It has been 8 months since we said goodbye at the Casablanca Airport and TODAY our wait for "together again" comes to an end! Yassine will be here @ 12:40pm Chi time, 6:40pm Casa time and he will be here and staying for 2 years! I'm so excited. This has been a dream of his since forever and I'm so glad that I'm here living it with him. I can't wait to see him!

Wedding: Grimwood

A long awaited post, thank you for your patience, Don and Kittie. Here are a few favorite people shots from the Grimwood wedding.

Today: July 31,2009

Today, I will embark on an entirely new excursion. A journey not unplanned, not spontaneous, but uncharted. A trail not yet blazed will be today.

I will be shooting my first, ever....(wait for it)..... WEDDING!! OMGoodness! Excited and a bit frightened, but not a scared frightened, just an unfamiliar kind of frightened. Anyway, I have been assured over and over that I will be fine, and I'm choosing to believe that. I pray that the Lord open my eyes to every detail, large and small, which needs to be captured and that He will guide my hand and my mind to every correct setting. The bride as requested the most "stress free" day possible, so I will be doing my best to keep it that way, and I am sure He will too :)

I've studied many wedblog posts, sought much advice, and am feeling really good. So, alongside my D700, I've stocked my shootsac with Sb-800, 17-210mm f/3.5, 50mm f/1.8, an old school 28mm f/2.8, three 4G CFs, extra batteries, chargers, granola bars and water bottle. I will now embark on my journey. Won't you wait for my return?

Why, of course, my friends, I always return! Even if I am usually a bit late... ;)

Taylor - 3 months

I'm still alive and kickin'!

This is my newest niece Taylor Elizabeth at 3 months :)

Joey!

Say "Hello" to Joey! This little guy's mom and dad are friends of me and my family.They're really great people to be around, super fun and loving. It seems like yesterday that I was singing at Joe and Jennie's wedding and now I'm taking pictures of their little boy! Oh my, how time flies! I'm so glad I was able to do this session for them. Thank you Joe, Jennie, and little Joey, for a great shoot! I can't wait to do it again with the newest Cirafici boy!