Day 29, January's photo shoot winner

I am so darn proud of this photo... as well as the rest of the set from today's shoot. Lana and I worked hard to make fun and dynamic photos. You did a great job! I'm so happy we met and look forward to doing business with you again soon.

Day 10

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. A quote made famous by author and philosopher Dr. Wayne Dyer. Perspective is a powerful tool we sometimes overlook.

I'm nearsighted. So much, that sometimes I find it hard to find my glasses when they're resting on the night stand next to my bed.

I went to the optometrist today to check on my new contacts and order a 6-month supply. While I waited in the exam room I saw what everyone sees while waiting for an eye exam... a refractor, letters on a wall and a poster about eye health sponsored by some pharmaceutical company.

I love the refractor, its the key to happiness... Am I more blind than last year? Can my eyes compete and read those letters on line 7?

We usually view this machine face on, so I shot this photo from above. Something so routinely identifiable, is now a mechanical enigma. Perspective makes a difference.

Day 9

Can you imagine how hard it is for a child to sit still while their favorite character is painted on their cheek? :D

For this photo I wanted to include the surrounding environment and didn't like the way it looked while shooting from above, so I crouched down to eye level to catch a glimpse of 6-year-old patience.

I love the composition of this photo.

Day 8

Today I was reminded about how life can throw positive moments your way. My daughter attended her first birthday party for a classmate.

She was so excited, she reminded me all week, and helped pick out her gift while out shopping this past weekend.

This morning I had a dream I was taking the most beautiful sunrise photos in the African Serengeti, when I click the shutter, instead of hearing the mirror flip, I hear, "Wake up mom! Today is Sunday and we have to get ready for Sukari's birthday party!"

Sigh. I love my kids, and seeing her dedication to a friend reminded me of my childhood and the fun I had hanging out with the neighborhood kids.

We get to the party, and I instantly recognize Sukari's mom. We went to middle school together, more than 20 miles from my daughter's elementary school, 15 years ago.

It's amazing to see the next generation of kids; playing together, enjoying life and building friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.

Day 7

F 8 1/8 of a second ISO 100

So, I'm currently working on seeing shadows differently and I saw this concept online. I wanted to try it and decided to use my favorite romance novel, "The Notebook" as the text for the wedding bands. ♥ ♥

I'm such a hopeless romantic. I'm going to try this technique again tonight to see if I can get more contrast from the light, it was a very close specular light.

Trying new things is a lot of fun, and I love the way this photo turned out. I hope you do too. enjoy.

Day 6

F 9 at 1/250th of a second, ISO 100

I took this photo while waiting for the school bus. I've been reading a lot of journals and blogs from various photographers and as a photojournalist I want to develop my skills, so I hunted for a photo of an intriguing found situation, not staged.

When I look at this photo I think of Harry Potter's scar, lol.

I'm trying to work on composition and shadows, and think beyond what is available to the naked eye. So for the next few weeks I'll be working on found situations, reflections, shadows, silhouettes and double meanings.

Oh, and this is the reflection of a handrail on stairs.

Day 5

f 11 at 1/ 128th sec  ISO 125

It's rare to see three buses in a line behind the other... unless it's shift change. The bus is an inevitable part of my day. I use it to run errands, go shopping, visit family and meet clients.

Riding the bus taught me time management. It doesn't wait for anyone, nor does it ever run late when you need it to.

I've owned a car and used to be the frustrated person stuck in traffic, but now I leave that up to my bus driver. Instead of rushing, I read, do homework, write story ideas, work on business projects or enjoy the view.

Plus, I recently realized not owning a car has saved me a lot of money, which in turn goes toward tuition and upgrading my photography equipment.

Car note + insurance + maintenance +gas

Also, not having a car has saved me a lot of money on little purchases; A $5 cup of coffee, a $7 meal at a local fast food chain, buying big ticket items on impulse, etc. It makes me have to really want something in order to take a bus to go buy it... then carry it home on said bus or ask a friend to lug it home.

I've learned to appreciate the days I do get to drive but don't ache for it like I used to when I first became car-less.

Day 4

f 1.8  1/49th sec  ISO 1600

Today was filled with rummage sales and thrift stores. I'm always on the look out for cute new props and a huge sucker for bargain basement deals.

I love to shop at Goodwill, thrift shops, consignment shops, etc. I've found many great outfits with price tags still attached.

Well, today I hit the mother load. I received a tip from my friend about a thrift store that sports a 25 cents per item sale every Wednesday.

I joined in the frenzy and created complete outfits, sporting tags from Lane Bryant, Neiman Marcus, Chico's, and Stein Mart. I fell in love. 

The concept is pretty cool, new inventory comes in every Thursday at $1.75 per item, then goes down by a quarter each day. By Wednesday it's 25 cents and many of the racks are empty.

I'm headed back there soon, they had a great selection of kids clothes, and when kids have growth spurts it almost doesn't warrant paying the $15-25 for a pair of jeans.


I posted a link on my FB fan page to their website, if you also want to check them out. There are stores located in San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Corpus, Dallas/ Ft. Worth, Brownsville and also one in St. Louis, MO.

Day 3

f 8, 16th of a second, ISO 1600

I found this beautiful camera behind glass while antiquing in Austin. I instantly stopped what I was doing. It was partial awe, and a moment of silence.

It's an Eastman Kodak Co. Model B folding camera, used during the early 20th century. It's hard to believe how much technology has changed over 100 years.

I attended a presentation from a local photojournalist and he talked about being the first staff "all digital" photographer back in the '90s.

My very first camera used 120 film and had a small watch battery that powered the sensors, but everything else was manual. I memorized fstop and shutter speed combos and knew by heart ISO/f-stop and shutter speed relations. It was the only way to get great --correctly exposed-- photos without knowing what the end result looked like until you were in the darkroom cursing up a storm.

I "graduated" to a Pentax 35 mm SLR. It was beautiful. I loved and babied it. I bought black and white film and knew what silver halides where and why the stop bath must be at room temperature... In all honesty, I miss it.

Back then, I remember making those 32 frames count. I didn't want to waste time in the darkroom with fuzzy or over exposed prints... and I knew I couldn't slide fuzzy portrait eye lashes past my professor. 

It took a year of intense photojournalism training before I became familiar and comfortable with my current digital camera.

Nowadays, I am learning the art of patience, waiting for the right moment and composition to tell the story.

As a photographer for The Ranger, I don't take hundreds of photos per one hour lecture, like I used to. Instead I work the room, move around, scope out great framing, analyze lighting, judge whether or not the speaker uses big gestures, find the right spot and then wait. I prep my focus points and framing, then wait for the moment that tells. Which goes back to my film roots, 32 frames to tell a story... make it count.

Day 2

f 1.8 at 1/128 ISO 100

My love, I've watched you grow from a frustrated, child who couldn't speak, wouldn't listen and didn't love; to an inquisitive young girl who has watched the world evolve and wants to be a part of it. I love your spirit and fearlessness.

A photo of Taylor is necessary for Day 2, these two girls are a part of who I am and remind me daily of who I strive to be: a great role model.


Today the girls, and I went on our first train ride with my best friend Susan. It was an adventure. I was nervous and a bit stressed because to enclose an autistic child in a new setting, that's in motion --with no escape-- for 2 1/2 hours is asking for several melt downs.

It went smoothly, the girls loved the scenery and we spent the day antiquing and window shopping in Austin.  Taylor loved the colors and textures at the yarn shop and she happily walked through countless curio shops, squealing about a new discovery.

By the end of the day, our feet hurt, we were happy and made it through the entire day, from 7 a.m. departure to 6 p.m. boarding with only only 2 time outs. It was a success. We ate on board and Taylor spent most of the ride home snuggled in my lap, sleeping.

Day 1

I thought it was fitting to photograph my first entry during the downtown stroll last night. Steven and I hitched up the car seat and trailer, I packed some food and the four of us headed downtown on our bicycles.

F 1.8 at 1/99th second, ISO 1600

I knew where I wanted to photograph the fireworks from, but in the chaos of the evening, and my cell phone not working, we got separated. I was cycling along with Mickey in the trailer, trying to find him, then the countdown began, so we rushed to Presa and Market streets. McKayla loved the view, and we shot some great frames. She even helped me push the shutter a couple times.

So with this great bonding moment, I figured the best way to show my appreciation for my almost-seven-year-old, is to make her photo my Day 1.

Mickey has been my little helper for years. As a photo enthusiast, I posed her, used her to test lighting before clients get to a location, she was the official equipment holder and also helps hold reflectors. She is my assistant, a very patient little girl. Then when everyone is gone, she is the center of attention and loves posing for the camera.

This photo was taken after I took a few photos of the new LED Christmas lights downtown. They do not reflect on the water the same way last years bulbs did, so I was having a hard time illustrating their reflection. Mickey was tiptoeing to look over the railing to see the lights on the water.

This photo was taken with my new 50 mm 1.8 lens which I LOVE! Mickey is facing a light post and looking toward the light, which highlights her face and is nicely diffused. I like that this picture used natural light, instead of flash.

She looks beautiful and I look forward to tackling new territory in the year to come.

New Year, revived blog

F 4.5 1/2 second, ISO 100

Welcome 2012! With that, we must say adieu to the trials and achievements of 2011.


I've been contemplating for some time, and have decided to challenge myself to create a daily photo journal, my own 365... well 366, it's leap year.

I'm going to post the photos on my facebook fan page, but will blog about them here.  I will show bloopers, behind the scenes photos, and completed concepts.

I'm teaching myself advanced lighting techniques and will also be taking a course on lighting this next semester. I'm excited and have been reading books like crazy.

So, it's time to get my nose out of the books and put what I'm learning into use.

I want to thank the clients I had this year, and the supportive "super fans" who help promote my work and send me referrals. I appreciate all you do and am thankful.

Business has picked up these past couple months, and I want to keep it going. It is so easy to let it go dormant while focusing on school and The Ranger, but I am going to force myself to multitask and organize my time better to include weekend photo shoots, etc. I want this business to succeed, owning my own photography business is like living a dream.

So, happy New Year all, and I look forward to seeing you throughout 2012.


-Jen