Day 18 ~ 30 Day Challenge ... resumed

Day18
A picture of your biggest insecurity 

As you may ... or may not know (depends on how much of my blog you have read) I am a "school photographer". Meaning ... I work for a company which takes pictures of school age children for yearbooks and ID's. You learn how to set up the equipment, everything plugs into a power source and is already calibrated through a computer for you. For posing, you have guide lines to follow. Everything is pretty much  cut and dry.

I would love to have a side business. Nothing big, just enough to pay my bills and do a little traveling.

BUT ... what if people don't like what I do? The hard part for me is posing and lighting and of course ... I want the WOW factor ...that's the perfectionist  side of me speaking.

I have had several people tell me that I just need to get out there and do it.

Easy for them to say!

I'M SOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!

A few weeks ago I posted some "candid" photos at Written Inc. Carmi Levy hosts a non-competitive
photo meme. For that week I posted twice. Carmi was very encouraging about my sports shots. It's always
a confidence builder when someone who is "out there" (the professional world) makes great comments about something you do. I know I have already said this ... Thanks Carmi!

On to this week ...
As you may know, I am a school photographer. I love taking picture! As a school photographer, things are pretty cut and dry. Everything hooks up together, everything is done by a computer program, it's pretty much fool proof. Yes, there is a measurement of skill and quality that the photographer must have (remember your school pictures ... maybe you don't want to). For many, there are the only "professional" pictures that are taken of their children.

Anyway ... On to this week ...
For awhile now, I have been "following"  iheartfaces. If you are a photographer or just enjoy taking pictures this is a great site. There are posts to help you in your photo taking. There are "Guest" photographer s every week  that offer helpful info about all aspects of photography ... AND ... YES ... There is a photo contest.

This week was the first week that I have ever entered a photo. The biggest apprehension for me was -
1. There are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many people who enter this contest!
2. Many of them have their own photography business. They are PROFESSIONALS!

Not that I expected to see my picture in the TOP 10 or "Favorites." But , thanks to Carmi, I had the confidence to post a picture AND it made the top 10!!!!

I encourage all my photographer friends to take a look at iheartfaces. I'm sure you will enjoy it!

In less than 2 weeks ...

I will be on vacation--- SPRING BREAK! NORMALLY . . . I would be hyper excited by now, however, excitement is slowly building. On Spring Break we normally go to Florida, lower Gulf side. My FAVORITE, #1 place to go.



This year we are going to Arizona. Arizona ranks as # 3 on my favorite places to go. Arizona is fine... but I'd much rather be at the beach. I LOVE THE BEACH!! I love the sand! I love the sound of the waves! I love walking the beach! I love finding shells! I love seeing tiny crabs and starfish. This is all amusing, seeing as I don't swim and I don't go in the water if the waves are big (I hate water splashed in my face), well . . . let's face it . . . I really don't go in the water at all. BUT---- I positively LOVE going to the beach in Florida!!



(Now that that's out of my system, let's move on.)



"THE GIRLS" got to pick Arizona. The reason for this choice . . . NO LONG WALK to the beach.

OK . . . first off . . . one of "THE GIRLS" is no longer going because of certain events that have happened in the last few months. The other "GIRL" told me this morning that if we were to do things that were far away from where we are staying . . . there had better be a "LOT of WALKING" involved so that she could sleep on the way home and not be bored. Go figure.



As it is, this is usually our "relaxing " vacation. Translated= lying around a pool, most days. But, because of a comment made about a new camera that I just purchased, I have looked into doing a little more than relaxing. The camera, a Pentax Optio W60, 10.1 Megapixel, 5x Optical/4x Digital Zoom, Waterproof Digital Camera, point and shoot. The comment, Arizona is a desert, no water. My response-POOL!



In thinking, of course, if you have never been to Arizona you might think it is all desert. But--- it is not. There are the huge, huge mountains in the north. ( The first time my husband went camping there his comment was, " If you had flown me in blindfolded, I would think we were in Michigan.") Up in the mountains there are lakes and streams, and there are even lakes at lower levels . . . MAN Made . . . but none the less lakes. I even found a "BEACH" at a lake near where we are staying.



Looking at sites online and thinking of all the great pictures that could be taken I would love to go to San Xavier del Bac Mission. (When my Grandparents lived in Tucson, you could see the Mission from their house, but I don't think I have ever been there.) I would also like to go to Colossal Cave, Tombstone or Bisbee, (visit some ghost towns in the area) and take a day trip through Sedona. As many times as I have been to Arizona ( I was born there), the only places that I know I have been are Sedona, the White Mountains, and the Grand Canyon. (Tiff, if you can come over and join us you are more than welcome.) So, in a few short weeks, come back to see the pictures and find out what adventures "THE GIRLS" took. SHHHH . . . don't tell my husband, this is "A GIRL'S" trip, the mention of "ghost towns" may make him want to tag along.