Shelba

Beauty and The Bead

The only time we've had to take Zorba into urgent care was when she shoved a pea up her nose. Yes, we've been lucky. Knock on wood. Well, apparently she did not learn her lesson as today she shoved a red bead up her left nostril and couldn't get it out. The last time she did this, we had to restrain her so the doctor could pluck it out, but this time she kept still so I could retrieve it with a pair of tweezers. Phew. A red bead. I made her promise that this will be the last time she shoves anything other than her finger up there.

This photograph was taken a few hours before the bead entered her nose.

Perfect Is Not Me

I'm behind in my email. Way behind. I'm in Mississippi right now. Being reunited with my girl was wonderful. There is nothing as wonderful as being hugged dozens of times throughout the day and having that person say, "I love you" and "I missed you." And she has even been crawling into my lap during the day to have me hold her like a baby so she can take a nap. This will be a short visit for us. I am planning on us going home early next week.

I've been avoiding my camera for a couple of months. I even avoided looking at photographs that I took this summer until now. I don't know. I have the problem of wanting what I do to be perfect so badly that I end up avoiding doing anything. If it can't be perfect, then I don't do it. Well, I end up not doing anything which really sucks. Then all I do is think about how much I suck because I'm not doing what I want to do. And one does not get better at something by not doing it. Okay, I probably didn't say anything that makes any sense there, but if you have this same problem then you know of what I speak. Sigh.

Here is an image from this summer. It is from my first shoot with strangers.

I'm going to make up with my camera and see if we can work things out. I think I'm ready.

Building My Portfolio

I had my first photography session with "strangers" the other day. I've photographed people that I've barely known, but I had never met this family until the day I whipped my camera out on them. I was sooo nervous! Which looking back on it now it seems ridiculous since I was photographing children. Children! They were so fun and willing to act either silly or serious. And their mom was laid back and cool which was very nice. I really, really like these kids.

And thank you for all of the nice comments on the photo of Zorba! She is growing up so fast. Too fast.

Photography Class - Week 6 - The End

I did it!  I turned in work for the last assignment!  Yahoooey!  You would think that for the last assignment one woud turn in work that would change your life just by looking at it, right? Well, no, it didn't work out that way for me.  It is just another photo.  That is fine, because at least I turned it in. 

I got a fortune cookie today that held the same fortune that I got a couple of months ago:  It is better to do something imperfectly than nothing perfectly.  It felt like a nod from the fortune cookie gods that my decision to make this the year that I dare to fail was a good one. 

Anxious No More

Yes, the anticipation leading up to the dental appointment was far worse than the actual appointment.  It is over with and I feel much better.  The hygienist was very nice and didn't "tsk tsk" me at all, so I feel kind of bad for calling her the evil tooth fairy.  She was understanding, sweet, and encouraging. I explained to her how anxious I was about everything. (God, I was so nervous that I had to pee four times while I was there!  Once when I got there, once after xrays, again after the cleaning, and once more before I left.)  My teeth aren't as horrid as I thought, but not going to the dentist for a year a half did take a toll.  I have to floss and rinse with a special potion twice a day, and then return in a month for another cleaning.  I can handle that. 

Here is my work for week five of the photography class. 

Appropriate for today, don't you think? 

Lesson five was hard.  We had to make a photograph that tells a story.  And this is the best I got.  Once again, it was another exercise in letting go and turning in the assignment even when what I've done is not perfect.  One more assignment to turn go and that will be it. 

Photography Class Week Four

Here is my work for last week's photography lesson.  I turned in the first two photographs.  We had to turn in a before and after as this week was about making adjustments in photoshop.  Ususally, I fret over the assignments, but thi sweek, since I had extra limited time, I made it quick and with little fretting.  This is a good thing, because one of my goals for this class was to let go a bit and not worry and fret so much.  And to not feel like every photograph has to be perfect.  Based on last week's assigment, I've made progress!  I didn't obsess over what I was going to shoot and I didn't agonize over which shot to turn in.  I just did it.  Of course, I did it five days later than the due date...I guess I need to work on that too. 

Off to Lowes and then to mail some packages.