My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

It Started Yesterday

The whole problem started yesterday.

I had already driven back and forth from his school twice (once to drop him off at school and once to pick him up four hours later since it was a half-day) and was getting ready to head out the door for yet a third trip to his school so he could catch the bus with his basketball team for a game out in Shady Cove.

And right in line with every single day of my life when I try to leave the house on time with my children (and we get in the car, or worse yet, to our destination before I/they realize that one or more of them has forgotten their lunch box, a math book, a leotard, their brain, a coat, a backpack, etc.) Cole realized that he didn't know where his basketball shorts or shoes were, and after a heated inquisition, he decided that they were at school, laying in a bag in the hallway where he had mistakenly left them. (I might add that for 12 years now, Cole has misplaced, forgotten, or otherwise lost just about everything he owns.)

And within minutes of arriving at Annie's school to pick her up before heading to Cole's school (mind you, we're now running late as a result of the inquisition) Cole disappeared.

So I ran (hopping in my foot-boot and fuming with anger) out to the car to see if he was there.

He was not.

So I ran (hopping in my foot-boot and fuming with anger) back into the school.

He was there.

And then I put my finger in his face and raised my voice right in front of everyone.

And then we got in the car and headed to his school.

And then he sprinted (because I told him if he knew what was good for him - and I wasn't referring to his health - that he would sprint) to find his shorts and his shoes and to get changed so he wouldn't miss the bus.

But we couldn't find the bus or his coaches or any of his teammates.

So we went to the front office, where they informed us that the bus had left fifteen minutes prior (but they were nice enough to make a copy of the new basketball schedule, which included bus departure times for away games, since the schedule we had hanging on the fridge at home didn't include them.)

And as we headed back towards the car (me; fuming, Cole; fuming, Annie; being Annie) I asked him who told him that the bus was leaving at 3:00 (Before I dropped Cole off for school in the morning, I reminded him that he needed to check with the coach or the front office about the bus departure time and when I picked him back up from school later in the day, he informed me that the bus was scheduled to leave at 3:00.) That's when he told me that he decided to ask one of his classmates (who doesn't even play basketball) rather than asking his coach or someone at the front office.

And my response (may or may not have) included a swearword.

And then we got back in the car (me; fuming, Cole; fuming Annie; being Annie) 

And then I sat (fuming) in the car for a few minutes while my children sat (silently) in the backseat, before calling Josh Downs to ask him what I should do; drive Cole 45 minutes to his game so he didn't let his team down, or drive home and let him learn this lesson the hard way.

Josh told me to drive home.

And when we got home, I put Cole to work, cleaning the backyard, sweeping the back porch, doing the dishes, etc.

And by the time he came inside, I was done being mad and I was ready for him to be done too, so  I held him down on the ground and pinned his arms under my legs (while sternly reminding him to take it easy on me since I have a broken leg) and tickled him.

And then I made him write an apology letter to each of his coaches.

And then I made him do his homework.

And then I asked him what he was going to do to ensure that both of his coaches received the apology letters and he told me that he was going to fold them up right away and stick them in his gym back so he could give them to the coaches before basketball practice the next day.

And then I turned on Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (Actually, it was Bryan Keith's version from the third season of The Voice, which is way more upbeat.) and the three of us danced in the living room, and then we ate dinner and then we went to bed.

But then I got out of bed about 30 minutes late this morning (We normally get up early on Friday's so we can go to the coffee shop to study spelling words and Bible verses.) which means my kids got up late too, which means that we were getting off to a rocky start.

And right in line with every single day of my life when I try to leave the house on time with my children, it somehow takes them 45 minutes to get dressed and brush their teeth, so we didn't have time to drive to or hang out at the coffee shop we normally go to, so instead, we ended up in the drive-through at the coffee stand by our house where I ordered a poppyseed muffin for Cole, a blueberry muffin for Annie, two milks and a chai latte, while Cole gave Annie her spelling test.

And then we dropped Annie off at school (but I made Cole stay in the car, lest he decide to get lost at Annie's school like he had the day before) and then I gave him his spelling test on the way to his school.

And as we were pulling into the school, I asked him to confirm that he had the apology letters for his coaches in his gym bag, and after a heated inquisition, he told me that he thought they were still sitting at home on the kitchen table.

And my response (may or may not have) included a swearword.

So I parked the car (fuming) and told him that he'd have to re-write them quickly and neatly.

And when he asked me how he was supposed to be both quick and neat, I told him that he would have to figure that one out on his own.

And then I proofed and approved the apology letters, asked him to spell a few words he had missed on his spelling test and had him recite his Bible verse. (Ironically, Psalm 119:11, "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.")

And then he hopped out of the car (still fuming,) closed the door without saying a word and started walking across the parking lot towards school.

And I just sat there (fuming) and watched him walk away, knowing that about 20 minutes later, he was going to be sitting in class (sad) and I was going to be sitting in front of my computer (sad) because neither one of us can stand stand to hold a grudge for very long.

So I half-heartedly rolled down my window and reluctantly called his name and he reluctantly walked back to the car and half-heartedly listened to me while I told him that we were both going to regret ending our morning like this.

But he just looked at me and responded by saying, "So."

And 'SO' I just looked at him and responded by pressing the button to roll back up the window.

And then I watched him walk back across the parking lot and towards the school, start to open the hall door, pause, look across the parking lot towards my car, and then disappear through the door.

And then I sighed for a second with the back of my head up against the car seat, thinking about how disappointed I was in both of us before putting the car in 'drive' and started to pull out of my parking spot.

But then (almost like in a movie) I looked up and spotted him running back across the parking lot and towards the car and before he had even completely opened the car door, he started apologizing. And then I threw my arms around him (ok, now its sounding like a cheesy movie) and started kissing his forhead while apologizing.

And I didn't even care that he was going to be tardy.

And now he's at school (happy) and I'm sitting in front of my computer (happy) just like it should be.

Crazy

Kind of a crazy week around here, so I don't have much to share other than this photo (taken back in August while my Aunt Kelly and her crew were visiting) that put a smile on my face today...

Hope your week is going great. (Miss you Roscoe-T.)

The 5D Mark III

I've had several people inquire in the last few months whether or not I was going to switch back to Canon after the introduction of the Canon 5D Mark III.

The short answer to that question is no.

But as you may have already figured out, I'm a long answer kind of a girl...

Several of my students came to The Hometown Workshops I taught back in September toting brand-spanking-new Canon 5D Mark IIIs.

For the first few days, I held my ground, refusing to hold, shoot with or even look at their cameras, despite their peer pressure, in much the same way a former crack-addict might refuse to hold, shoot with or even look at crack, because they know that holding the crack will inevitably make them want the crack.

And the Canon 5D Mark III is to photographers, what I'm assuming crack is to a crack-addict.

I shot Canon for 10 years prior to switching to Nikon. In fact, it was the Canon 5D Mark II that I owned which made me decide to jump-ship for the Nikon D700 (and I must say, I was quite surprised by the uproar it caused - as if I choosen communism over democracy or something.)

It wasn't that I thought Nikon was better than Canon straight across the board (because they're not.) It was just that at the time, in the category of full frame cameras in the $3000 range, Nikon simply offered a camera with a better focusing system. (The Canon 5D Mark II has nine autofocus points with only one of them being a more efficent cross-sensor autofocus point, while the Nikon D700 offers 51 autofocus points, 15 of which were cross-sensors) and since 99% of the shooting I do involves candid and/or moving subjects, there really is no feature more important to me in a camera than its focusing system and therefore, switching to Nikon seemed like a no-brainer.

It was a cake issue though (as in "You can't have your cake and eat it too.") because Canon manufacters a few lenses (like the Canon 50mm f1.2) that Nikon doesn't make and because traditionally, Canons produce better skin tones than Nikons straight out of the camera.

But I switched anyhow, just for the focusing system and have been pretty happy with that decision, though I've said before that I "felt like I gave up a beautiful camera for a workhorse of a camera."

Truth be told though, had the Canon 5D Mark III (with 61 autofocus points, up to 41 being cross-sensors, depending upon what kind of lens you're using) been available prior to my switching to Nikon, I wouldn't have switched.

And that's precisly why I resisted shooting with Aurora's 5D MarkIII until the third day of the workshop, when finally, I caved (as shown in the photo above.)

And since then, its taken all of my will-power to resist becoming a Canon-girl all over again. (Actually, its just the fear of my frugal husband leaving me that is holding me back.)

Honestly though, I can tell you with great certainty that if I switched back to Canon, it would just be a matter of time before Nikon released a new camera that would make me want to switch back to Nikon. And then Canon would release yet another camera that would make me want to switch back to Canon again.

And that viscious-cycle could go on forever.

But I'm always telling my students that while its important not to be limited by your camera gear, that it is equally important not to feel limited by your camera gear.

For example, if you do a ton of shooting inside your home at night, and you're shooting with a good, prime lens (like a 50mm f1.4) but your camera is an older camera that doesn't have an ISO any higher than 1600, then you ARE being limited by your camera.

However, if you've got a Nikon D700 (like I do) and you think that the Canon 5D Mark III (like I want) is the answer to all of your photography-related problems, then you're just FEELING limited by your gear, because there is unfortunately, NO CAMERA and NO LENS that is going to solve all of your photography-related problems.

In fact, I had a student in my last class that turned in a photo for one of her assignments that made my jaw drop...and it was shot with a kit lens (a low-end zoom lens) and an older, outdated Canon Rebel, which is just proof that a photographer should never feel limited by their gear.

And photography-aside, I'm at a place in life where I'm desprately trying to be more content with what I have, instead of always wanting for something more.

My car is almost ten years old, but it runs good and its paid off, and despite the fact that I want a new one (so alas, I won't have to smell the aroma of dog pee every time my car gets hot) I'm not getting one. And I want an iPad, but truth-be-told, I'm so technologically challenged that I can't do anything but make phone calls and chicken-peck a few text messages with my iPhone, so there's really no point in me getting an iPad either.

And yes, the tech specs for the Canon 5D Mark III make my photography-loving, consumer-driven, want-it-all heart feel a little downtrodden, but I really need to practice what I preach because my current photography gear is not limiting me. 

In fact, its probably my unending desire for something more/better/new that is limiting me more than anything else.

So there it is...the long answer on why I'm (sadly) not getting a Canon 5D Mark III. (And might I add that after seeing that photo, all of the premature wrinkles around my eyes are no longer a mystery.)

Equally Possible

Either I never got around to posting these images yet, or I already posted them and I'm just losing my mind.

Both of which are equally possible.

Hope your weekend was great.

You Too...

Some of my past students were in town last week and we decided to get together for dinner.

We talked and ate and laughed for about 2 1/2 hours and when I realized it was 9:00 pm (on a school night) and that I needed to get my kids home and in bed, I felt sad because I didn't want to leave them.

But we said our good-byes anyhow, and on the drive home, my kids and I started talking about what our favorite things were about Nancy and Debbie and Jules. And at one point during the conversation, Courtney Lee said, "Nancy and Debbie and Jules don't seem like regular women - they seem like really special women that want to take really good care of other women."

And from there, our converstations took a different turn. From there, we started talking about the kind of women that my girls wanted to be when they grew up, because really, there are only two kinds:

1. The kind of women that discourage, shut-out, gossip about, and tear-down other women.

2. The kind of women that encourage, embrace, build-up and love on other women.

And if I'm just being honest, I spent a lot of years feeling like being a woman was a weakness. Feeling like our emotions and our vulnerabilities and our complexities were all flaws, but then one night awhile back, I was laying on the couch reading Captivating by John Eldredge and at the time, I was really struggling to 'get' the message the author was trying to impart, but then I came to a single sentence in the book where the author was describing Eve, and his description literally made me gasp and sit upright:

"She was the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God."

And then I read it again, only this time with that prickling feeling I always get under my eyes right before I cry.

"She was the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God."

And then I read it again, only this time I couldn't see the words very well through the tears.

"She was the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God."

And then I read it again slowly, trying to commit it to heart.

"She was the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God."

And as cheesy as it sounds, that one sentence started to heal so many things in me.

Us women are amazing. No, astonishing. We're the crescendo. And its our emotions and our vulnerabilities and our complexities that make us so astonishing.

So as we talked in the car about Nancy and Debbie and Jules and about what kind of women my girls wanted to grow up to be, Coley said, "Hey, what about me?" to which I replied, "Sorry Charlie, God finished creating EVERYTHING and then He decided that all of his creation wasn't complete without us women - because WE are the final, astonishing work of God."

And then we went home, brushed our teeth and put on our pj's and when both of my girls said their prayers that night, they prayed about becoming the kind of women that encourage, embrace, build-up and love on other women.

I want that so badly for them.

I want them to know that their emotions and their vulnerabilities and their complexities (when used correctly) are exactly what makes them so beautiful.

And I want you to know it too Debbie (My kids took all of these pictures with Nancy's Canon 5D Mark III and I held my breath the whole time, hoping none of them would drop it.)...

And you too Nancy...

And you too Jules...

And you too Marilou. And you too Nikki and Aurora and Julie and Jacki and Mary and LaVonne and Beth and Joni and Lisa and Nicole and Tammy and Michelle and Kate and Janette and Jennifer and Helena.

And you too...

Making the Shot 2

That time of year is upon us...Daylight Savings, Winter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and all the indoor, low light shooting that comes along with it.

So this is just a nudge to past and current students of The Photographers' Workshop who are wanting to nail their low light shooting this year to pick up Making the Shot 2, which is 60+ pages of text and images that take you through all of my thoughts and processes of shooting in low light without a flash. (And for those of you past students who have already purchased this issue, this is a nudge for you to pick it up, dust it off and re-read it.)

For past and current students who wish to purchase Making the Shot 2, just log in here using your email address and password and then select 'go shopping' where you can add the issue to your cart. (There's an option to purchase the PDF + Audio version of the issue for $35 OR an option to purchase the PDF + Audio + the original class forum that was offered for Making the Shot 2 for $55. This forum is no longer active, but its full of questions and answers and low light images, so its a great adjunctive learning tool.)

And if you're not a past or current student, but you want to be one, I've still got some auditing seats available in the upcoming January 2013 workshop and once you're registered, that makes you a 'student' who is eligible to purchase Making the Shot 2; Low light shooting. (Note that the ONLY difference between an auditing student and a regular student is that I do not provide evaluations for auditing students. However, auditing students can still ask questions, post images, upload their assignments for peer evaluation and can purchase a telephone/skype consult where I can review images and tackle photography-related topics.)

Here's a few sample pages from Making the Shot 2; Low Light Shooting:

 

And here's a few of my favorite low light images...

And maybe a few of my students who have purchased the issue will chime in with their thoughts on Making the Shot 2 in the comments section....

The Match

Josh was coming home late from work the other night and texted the kids, telling them to prepare for a wrestling match when he got home...

And from past experience, the kids know that means they need to get dressed in-character for the match.

Inevitably, anytime there's a wrestling match, Annie eventually gets upset about the beating her dad is taking and ends up going bat-sh%# crazy on Cole and Courtney.

And inevitably, that almost always ends in tears (so Yans spent the rest of the match on her mama's lap.)

Hope your weekend was great.

Halloween 2012

It rained (hard) all day long yesterday and the forecast predicted a 75% chance of rain all evening, yet somehow, just as we started to walk out the door to go trick-or-treating, the clouds broke and the sun peeked out and there wasn't a drop of rain the rest of the night...

Yans was a 50's girl.

In fact, she wore the same costume that Courtney Lee wore on Halloween when she was six. (And some of you may remember that Annie wore those cat-eye glasses of Courtney's non-stop for about six months until sadly, she lost them. A few shots of those here, here, here, here, here and here. Thankfully, I found a replacement on Ebay a few weeks ago.)

Courtney Lee was a rock-star.

And Coley was some Link from Zelda (but much to his dismay, everyone thought he was an elf, or a leprechaun, or Robin Hood.)

Within minutes of getting out of the truck, Josh Downs had began chucking acorns at all of us. (This continued throughout the evening and resulted in tears on two occasions and brown stains on the backs of everyone's clothing.)

We went to the same neighborhood we always go to. (Josh found it a few years back and we've been going there ever since because I'm in love with the tall trees and the old houses and because usually, we're some of the only trick-or-treaters in the neighborhood.)

I totally staged that last shot. (And I made them walk up and down the alley twice to make sure I nailed it.)

They kids knock on the door of that house every single year and not once has anyone answered.

Still throwing acorns.

That was an acorn to the back of Courtney Lee's head (and instead of consoling her, he stole her candy.)

That was Courtney Lee going to reclaim her candy.

That's her dad running away with her candy.

And that's Cole giving Josh Downs a taste of his own acorns.

Next, he resorted to apples.

Hope yours was great. (And here's a few links to our Halloween pasts; 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.)