Holiday PUG Party @ Life on Wilshire

Wednesday night Heather picked me up and we headed over to Life on Wilshire for the Pictage User Group holiday party. I signed up for Pictage only a year ago and have thoroughly enjoyed not only their services but the support group that it comes with! It's great to have the chance to mingle and meet other photographers in your area. Most of us work for ourselves so there are no company parties or conversations at the water cooler so it's nice to know that there is still the option for that work network! Thanks to Jules for taking and posting these photos! :)

Jill Cate Design and my love of simplicity.

I am constantly reevaluating myself, my business, my work, my everything which some days feels like a total blessing and others a complete nuisance. I make a decision then change it a minute later, I ask everyone I know for every single piece of advice they can possibly give me, and have a very hard time deciding what to order when eating at a restaurant. (What are you getting??? Hm... maybe I'll get that- if I don't, can I try yours???) However many times I ask for opinions or perspectives a decision comes down to one person- me. In art school my professors continually got on my back about introducing a third color to any design project I was working on. I was famous for my "blue and white" or "green and white" or "<insert color here> and white" motifs- so famous in fact that I often got marked down because I just couldn't bring myself to introduce chaos into my seemingly organized palette. That said, here are my new business cards designed by me (with the help of many.. Ana... Tim...) and printed by the wonderful Jill of Jill Cate Designs. I really wanted an organic, handmade, traditional, no frills feel to my cards and Jill executed that perfectly! There have been some changes to my website recently too and hopefully these both now reflect my aesthetic. Last year I tried to sum up what I wanted my images to reflect in three words and I came up with these: Simple, classy, timeless..... So I hope I hit the nail on the head- or at least came close to it. You like? I was serious when I said no frills....... ;)

VOTE FOR CHANGE!

It's no secret who I am voting for, I have been a passionate Barack Obama supporter since this election started getting hot and heavy. I am voting for a better America, for an America that can stand proud in front of other nations and support our leaders choices regarding our future. I am voting for someone who inspires hope inside of millions and sees the United States as the promise land it once was, who looks at our country the way our founding fathers did and who yearns to bring it back to it's glory of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am voting for the man who will admit our faults and try to right them, who will lead our country into a new generation of promise. There is so much more to this election than politics- our country is in a place it's only been a few times and we need someone with a fresh, younger, outlook. I need it- I need to love our country once again and Obama can show me how. And Sarah Palin as President is just about the most frightening thing my young political mind has ever imagined. So, I urge you to look past your traditional political views and into the next four years. Change, we can.

Also, Prop 8 is such a fundamental Human Rights issue that I can't even believe it's on the ballot. It's driven by hatred and there is so much flawed with that way of thinking in this day and age that I can't even put into words how it makes me feel to know that some people will vote Yes. It does not protect marriage it just promotes hatred. VOTE NO ON PROP 8!

Regardless of your political views- I urge you to get out and vote one way or another! No matter what they say, every vote counts! (even in California!)

 Here's Heather and I in the photo booth at Sarah and Brian's wedding last weekend!

Pictage User Group - October

Last night I had the pleasure of being the studio spotlight at this months Pictage User Group meeting. It was a new experience for me to show my work that way in front of my peers not just in front of clients. I think I was well received but I also know that I'll always be a little unsure of myself, which I think is a good thing! Thanks for having me Jules and being so kind! (and for the image below)

See you next month!

Tim and his love, Stella

Testing some lighting for my new "anti-wedding photo photobooth" (haven't yet come up with a good name for it.... ) for tomorrows awesome wedding and captured this little gem of Tim and his #1 girl Stella... that's right, I'm number two, a fact I guess I'm just going to have to live with. But she's so damn cute, how can I blame him????