As I have mentioned in my previous post I have been self taught photographer. I did not go for school for photography but was handed a camera and asked to learn! I have spent hours reading blogs and websites to learn all that I could. My learning has been by the generosity of other professional photographers in the industry. I am thankful for all those who are willing to teach and share their knowledge to make the industry a better place. Jasmine Star is an example of this. On Friday, Jasmine Star is again teaming up with creativeLIVE for another workshop sharing her knowledge of how to get published. My calendar has been marked for this three day event. I’m hoping to watch as much live, however I did go ahead and pre-order the videos yesterday! This will ensure I will be able to watch it all without fearing if I leave my computer chair I might miss something! I’m so thankful for creativeLIVE and their investment in the photography industry. Make sure you sign up and catch what you can!
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Ok…1st – I don’t know what you’ll think about this – but like you – I am self taught (with so much left to learn…speaking of myself) – and I view you as someone that has been so helpful to me in my learning process! SO thank you!! And 2nd – I’m enrolled! 
We returned minutes before the clock struck mid-night last night from our trip to NC to visit good friends! The traffic and rain added hours to the trip but it was worth the time to have spent with our friends! I came back refreshed and wanting to grow and be diligent to apply myself in the life God has given me. One of the areas that I would like to grow in and become more diligent is book reading! I know there are so many great books out there to read and if I gave myself 10-15 minutes a day, some books could get crossed off my book list! I want to read for fun and for learning. I confess, reading was never categorized as fun to me growing up! Just now, I am learning to find books that I enjoy. And not all of them are children’s books!
Months ago, when sitting on the floor in the photography aisle in Barnes and Nobel I flipped through Jose Villa new photography book. I skimmed some pages, and put it on the shelf as I knew I did not have time to read it! I then received this book at Christmas and was so excited to read it during the house bound cold winter months! Well, I would like to blame it on the lack of winter as the reason why it has been sitting on my shelf above my desk. It is time to start giving 10 minutes a day to reading it! What books are on your list to read? What do you find fun to read? What are you reading? I would love to hear!
. . .. . .. . .I still have David McCullough’s “John Adams” sitting on my shelf (half read), Jane Austen’s “Emma” (half read) and Ann Voscamp’s “1000 Gifts” (1 chapter read). I can’t seem to read unless I’m on vacation and that only happens once a year! I do want to discipline myself to make time!! I’ve got American revolutionaries and an English matchmaker waiting patiently for me to pick them back up!
Remember seeing the sneak peek of bright pink, touches of purple, and shades of yellow? This is a guest room that Amanda Austin designed for one of her clients in Baltimore Maryland. Amanda transformed this room with the understanding that the room needed to reflect who her client was as a woman. The bright pink color covered the walls and added as a dramatic background for the white chandelier hanging from the ceiling! Yellow accents are throughout the room with the custom silk drapery, custom headboard for the bed, and the existing chair her client owned. Amanda works closely with each of her clients transforming spaces that truly reflects and honors them. This guest room was no different. This is an amazing gift that Amanda gives each of her clients! Enjoy!!! Happy Friday!!!
. . .. . .. . .[…] Guest Bedroom by Amanda Austin Interiors […]
love the images! the color on the ceiling is awesome too – I don’t know if I would be brave enough to do it but I think I would try it!
beautifully photographed, jamie.
It’s Wednesday. For the last several months for me it has been storytime with Myla at the library. It ended last week; however I hope to still take her on Wednesdays. I am discovering how much I actually enjoy reading a good book. Well that is children’s books. This past week’s favorite has been Too Many Frogs! by Ann and John Hassett. As a parent I look for “teachable moments” or “life lessons” to share with Myla from the books. There will be a day when I will listen more, but for now it is teaching. The lessons serve me as good reminders too.
Nana Quimby has a problem. There too much water in her basement. Each neighborhood child attempts to come up with a solution with Nana Quimby’s water problem. In the end Nana Quimby ends up with the same problem she started with: a basement filled water again. Silly-right! Best ending for a children’s book, but the farthest solution in my books!
Now to relate this to photography and business…Each photography experience and business is different, and yet each has it own set of joys and struggles. After each shoot I take time to reflect on each experience. I want to learn and grow from my experiences, interactions, expectations, struggles, and challenges. This idea was reiterated when we went to theFIX with Jasmine Star in March. What does it look like practically to identify struggles? For me it is best if I write down what went well, what I could do differently for next time, what were struggles, what I learned about myself, and what would help with my client’s experience with me. This has been the way that I have learned since high school and through college. Write it out and rewrite it if I have too. Writing helps me remember. For this year, I got a new little notebook to keep my thoughts in. It is practical and it provides a tool for me to look back and remember the areas I want to grow in. Struggles are avenues for growth and growth is essential. I do not want to be a Nana Quimby and end up with the same problem that I experienced several pages before.
. . .. . .. . .Very nice new journal. I love journals. Writing for me is how I process my whole life, not just photography. I have a quote I love, “Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers” by Isaac Asimov. Photography and art really stem from my love of writing/books actually, which is cool. I should write a blog post about that.
[…] I had it planned on my blog calendar (yes, I even have a plan for blogging); but posted someone cuter! I was going to skip posting April instagram’s simply because well it’s not April […]
Mirjam… Caleb makes me smile! Has his mom’s countenance … the smile is a dead givaway! ! !
What a looker! That smile!!
So great! Yet again, you and your assistant Myla made my Spring “baby” laugh away. It was so fun playing with the two of you!