by photochick~ Oh my Lord! I was a little bit panicked when I saw 21 comments! Good thing for me that I love to write. Quite possibly a bad thing for you, but I'll try to keep it as short as I can. Some of your questions were very thought provoking and might take more than a line or two. So here it goes . .
Socialchick- My sinuses would say the desert so they could have a break for crying out loud, but I think I would choose to live right here in northwest Florida. I love the warm weather and despise the freezing cold. And I've proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm incapable of learning Spanish, so I can't move any further south. And I can't move north because my accent is entirely too funny to folks who can speak English. Then again, if there is some magical place where it is springtime all year long, I'm there.
Molly- I edit every picture. No matter how perfect the SOOC shot is, with digital photography there is just always a little bit of a grey film on the photos. Plus, I really like the very saturated look, so Phtoshop is my friend. As for flowers . . . not so much. It's just not my thing and we stay on the go so much that there's not much time for yardwork. We're doing good to keep the grass mowed.
Lisa- Nope. I don't regret not "dating around" more at all. I remember one time in college when we broke up to "date around" just because I thought that was the thing to do. I never thought I would get married so young, so I wasn't sure. That stroke of genius ended in less than a week with me in a pile of tears on the floor. We were engaged within 6 months. We've been married for 12 years in October and "together" for 16 years. To copy Sassy, I remember when I was in the 9th grade and we had just started "liking" each other. Mr. Photo was in the 10th grade with one of my best friends, Amanda Varnum, as in the Mary Kay gal. I remember like yesterday walking down the sidewalk at school and she turned around all excited and said, "just think, next year you'll get to go to my prom!" I was like, yeah, right. Because we'll soooo still be together in a year. Yeah, right. I love him so much more today than I ever thought I could.
Sassy- ummmm . . . anyone with long hair?? Is that the correct answer???? :-P
Erin- I would quit my job and open a 5,000 square foot natural light studio complete with exposed brick and all the apple computers and plasma screens money can buy!
Kelly- For everyone else, I was previously a public relations director at a Christian college and an adjunct professor. I do miss it sometimes. I particularly loved teaching public speaking. I know that's crazy. Everyone else hates public speaking, but I LOVED watching my students go from nervous wrecks to confident, great speakers. So fulfilling. That, and I made some wonderful friends who "get me" in a little bit of a different way than anyone else does. Isn't that funny how God brings such different people into your life to fill all those little funny shaped spaces in your heart in the perfect way?
Tara- This one nearly stumped me. Because I'm really a "people" photographer so I don't dream of photographing the great pyramids or Myan ruins. However, I am a TOTAL political junkie for whom the thought of even visiting Washington D.C. makes my insides flip over doing the happy dance, so I think the ultimate would be to follow the president throughout the rest of his term, capturing the final days in a documentary style. Two weeks before the end of the term I would have a gallery opening and gala in the White House displaying my work. And then I woke up and I was in heaven.
Soon2BeMrsBeck- I use Photoshop for all of my post processing. Thanks for the compliment!
Sam- There are many reasons I don't do wedding photography, not the least of which is that I have never done a wedding and the first time is a HUGE responsibility for capturing a day that can NEVER be recreated. Did you catch the NEVER??? That's a lot of pressure. Probably more accurately though, I don't shoot weddings so I don't have the equipment at this time to do so. I also have another full time job, so it takes a concious effort on my part to keep my family first. This requires me to say no a lot.
Wonder Who- It's late, so if we discussed a specific show, for the life of me I can't remember which one, except for that one, what's the name . . . oh yeah, Wicked. I might take planner chick, but I'm not sure she'd like it. She's never mentioned if she likes broadway.
Julie Stewart- Thanks for the compliment! I started learning photography a little over a year ago with THIS book and THIS camera. Other than that, it's been a LOT of hours spent in trial and error, and a lot of pouring over hundreds of photography blogs trying to learn the ropes. I meant to take a class, but it just never happened. Eventually it just clicked and I'm sooooo loving it! I always wanted to be a photographer, but am not really the artsy fartsy type, so I never thought it would really happen. Just another reminder that God is bigger than we are, or think we are.
Amy- Punkin is doing better most days. He actually just went to his room and went to sleep without me putting him back in his room the first time. And get this, I even think he's in his bed instead of the floor. Praise the Lord!!!!!
Hannah- The wierdest thing I find myself doing is digging dirt out from underneath my two year old's fingernails so "omaoes" (tomatoes) don't grow. Don't ask.
Alison Wolfe- I have always absolutely LOVED photos. I have albums and albums of photographs since high school. Even after I started playing around with a camera I never thought I could be a "real" photographer, because I didn't want to do the whole studio thing. I loved more candid shots that showed real emotion and personality. Then I came across photog Tara Whitney's blog and I was smitten. Just smitten. And I knew that I had to do it.
Jessica W.- Ipod. I got a nano for Christmas and that little thing is a tiny piece of technology magic! Podcasts are my favorite. Focus on the Family, Photography podcasts, Sesame Street, Crown Financial. Where else could you get that lineup?
La La Lacie- We are great friends. Sometimes friends who only have time to pass each other in the halls at church and wave with a knowing smile while dragging kids out the door. But sometimes friends who celebrate birthdays, and births, and just going to Friday lunches and hanging out at the pool talking about how we're going to have to move up the age limit on our church's "college & career" age group. Not because we're getting old, but the young ones are getting younger. That's our story.
Ketura- Good question! I'll just have to go through them one at a time. This could spiral out of control! Singerchick I've known the longest. Her mom and my mom were high school friends. Then her mom married my dad's first cousin. Confusing enough? So I've known her since she was born a "month minus a day" (that's what we always said growing up) after I was born. Socialchick is Singer's sister, so I remember her since she was in her mother's womb. Sassychick moved just down the road from Social and Singer at some point while we were growing up. So I met her through them, but didn't really know her until her family moved back home about five years ago after living in another town. Plannerchick and Babychick came along in the last few years when they married my twin first cousins. Cubanchick went to college with Socialchick and we adopted her right after my Punkin was born. Within the year we were driving to DC together with a nine month old in the backseat and she survived, so I decided I'd keep her. Now we all go to church together (except Cubanchick who lives out of town) at Courts of Praise and it is amazing to watch God grow and mature each of them. We are all so much like we've always been (a bit crazy and a bit loud), yet so different. Only God.
Ayshia Hatcher- The very fact that we LOVE basketball (did I say LOVE???) makes it so much easier. The fact that my dad coaches over an hour away, so even a "home" game is far away, does not. During the off season I always think back and am so thankful it is over, but as soon as the season starts up again I'm dying if we have to miss a game. Punkin absolutely loves it too. He's the little coach and gets to go in the locker room before and after every game and wink at the girls. It's a ritual and the girls ask where he's at if we're not there. You can't buy memories like that, so we drag our rear ends out the door three times a week and hold our breath until it's over! I have to give mad props to my husband who actually does most of the two year old caretaking during games. I'm usually taking photos or stressing out because I get wayyyy too involved. He's a champ!
Beverlydru- I'm currently employed as the Director of Corporate Communications for an engineering consulting firm. It was a huge change from my former job in that it is more analytical and less creative. Without a doubt, the best thing about the job is that I'm working for a small, private company. My parents are both school teachers and my husband works for the state, so the clocking in and out is all I had ever known. It is so nice to be able to run pick up Punkin if I need to, or bring him to work with me for a few hours. It makes being a mom who works outside the home so much easier. And I live about 4 blocks from my office. Can you say lunch break nap?
And the winner of the sevenchicks keychain is . . . Tara! Email [email protected] with "Photochick Q&A Winner" in the subject to claim your prize!
good questions, good answers! Yay Tara!
Posted by: singerchick | May 08, 2008 at 10:34 AM
I didn't ask a question because I am lame to but can I just say that I think you are my life twin (in a slightly more southern version)? Reading your answers was a little freaky because I relate to so much of it. Insane! Good questions and answers!
Posted by: uncommonblonde | May 08, 2008 at 01:06 PM
I would just like to say that thanks to the mother of two of the chicks I have been privileged to check in on all your interesting goings on! I don't have any questions, but I just felt led to let you all know that you are all such beautiful, talented, blessed girls! You are so fortunate to have such wonderful family and FRIENDS! Thanks so much for the blessing you are to so many people!! Judy Tison
Posted by: Judy Tison | May 08, 2008 at 01:52 PM