A Nifty Project in 2015

On December 18, 2014December 18, 2014 By AngeliaIn Posessed by Nikon15 Comments

For a few years now I have participated in a yearly photo project. Participate being the key word.

In the first year, I tried to tackle the monstrous 365 Project. In this one you take a photograph and post it…

Every! Single! Day!

I think I made it to Day 56. And believe me, that was a stretch.

The next year, I joined a Project 52 group. Because, surly, one photo a week is a heck of lot easier than three-hundred and sixty-five.

And it was.

But still…

As great as I started out.

Crafting and posting my shots.

I just couldn’t seem to make it to the end.

Year after year.

This year was best run yet! I’d like to believe the only reason it failed was due to the moderator of the group up and disappearing.

Poof.

It kinda takes the wind out of your sails when the project (and most of the participants) come to a screeching halt on Week 47 (or so).

And yes, I could have kept going. I could have made myself journey on.

But I didn’t.

I quit too.

And I failed, yet again.

Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure… it just means you haven’t succeeded yet. ~Robert Schuller

Or maybe?

I just didn’t succeed (yet!).

But here comes a NEW YEAR. A year of great promise. A year of new! Hello 2015! I have NO PLANS to quit you. And this year, I will FINISH a Project 52. I joined a new group where I will post a photo on Flickr every week (based on the theme created by administrators). I happen to know these gals. I know their creativity. I KNOW their dedication. There is no doubt in mind about this project and the completion thereof.

SO!

Care to join me?

Shall we travel this path together?

Who knows what we will find?

I promise it will be worth the adventure.

Here is all you need to know (and links!) The what, the where,and the when.

The what.

Flickr.

The where. Join the Nifty Fifty Project 52 Group 2015 and introduce yourself.

The when.

blog.

I would love to see you there. And if you don’t want to take part, you can follow me as I post my weekly images here.

All the images I have used in this post are from earlier photography projects.

I promise a lot of fun, a lot of great images, and a little push in stretching your photographic creativity.

Charlie Sheen had it wrong…..it’s not Winning…..it’s Pinning!

On January 4, 2012January 5, 2012 By AngeliaIn Random, WINNING!22 Comments

It’s a Pinterest post.

Don’t know what Pinterest is? Well, it’s a place where you can like or repin photos (and links) of things you think are cool or want to know how to do. It’s a place of ideas coming together with idealists.

A lot of people use it for the DIY projects and fashion stuff, but I am proof you don’t have to be into all that and still enjoy Pinterest. You can like the ideas without making them, but be careful, it is addicting. And some of the tutorials are so easy, it makes you think you can CRAFT when you can’t. It’s that good.

I thought I would share some of my favorite pins. See, I like inspiration, and I like quotes. Cute animals, and anything photography related.

My pin boards are not the best for ideas or crafts, but they might make you go “Awwwh!” Or be a place that you can let go of some stress. I think my Quotes board help do that (at least for me they do).

http://pinterest.com/angeliasims/# — Click the photo to go the Pinterest Board for the link to the story. It is about Jasmine the Greyhound who fostered a baby doe. Say it with me, Awwh!

Here are some of my favorite quotes about being yourself, and loving yourself. I can’t get enough of these.

A quote about good friends, and I am so thankful for the ones in my life. You know who you are.

This pin reminded me of my blog friend Thoughtsy. It would be spot-on if it said yogurt instead of ice cream, right?

And here is my favorite tattoo of all-time. I have NEVER wanted a tattoo until I saw this one (sorry mom). It just resonates with the theme of my life. To love and be loved.

Isn’t that beautiful? Somehow, Jason has agreed that I can have this tattoo (I believe he was distracted, but it still counts). Surely, some of my readers are tattoo artists, yes? Anyone?

Send me a Facebook message. I’m so serious!

And look at this one. Is this not the cutest thing for your fence?

Now, do you see why Pinterest is so addicting. Sooo many cute ideas, sayings, and other adorable things.

My last pin is of my BOYFRIEND. Yes, my boyfriend that I have a not-so-secret affair with. Of course, my husband knows all about my love for him on Monday nights (he pretends not to be jealous). Our paths crossed when the new Hawaii-Five-O aired. He has been on other TV shows, but this was the first one I saw him in. This photo does not do him justice, because he is wearing his shirt. Believe me, he looks better with it off. This…is Alex O’Loughlin. Swoon all you want….he’s mine! HA.

I hope you learned a thing or two about Pinterest. I’d love to see what you like if you are a Pinner.

Remember, it’s not about winning, but pinning!

Mid-Summer Life Crisis

On July 12, 2011 By AngeliaIn Life is what you make it., Mon Dieu! and all that stuff.25 Comments

At the beginning of this year, I chose the word flourish. I was going to FLOURISH (and rule the world!)….err….something like that.

My goals:

(postaday2011)

* Take a picture every day (365 project).

* Start Photography classes (for certification).

* Begin a side photography business (angelia’s photography).

And do all this while working 40 + hours a week as a corporate travel agent, plus a newlywed wife to my husband, mom to one teenager, and step-mom of two younger daughters.

I. Can. Do. It. All.

NOT.

One by, by one, these goals have slipped from my grasp. One by one, I have given up (yet) another thing I pledged to do, just to keep up with my normal life, much less the hyped up flourished version.

Swimming, swimming, and swimming……you know what, ya’ll?

I’m tired.

It’s not even that this – the list – the promises – the goals – are all I have tried to keep up with. I have, also, had to dog paddle through a husband diagnosed with Lupus this year (to add to his type 1 diabetes, and hypothyroidism). A pretty horrific car crash my family survived. Plus, the new dynamics of co-parenting, me being on the “other” side of custody, than I previously was (this side is MUCH harder).

Everyone said I couldn’t do it all. And???

They were right. :clap clap clap:

I have, officially, burnt out.

Late last week, I wanted to pull the plug. No more Twitter, Facebook, or the Blog. Just shut down. My iphone makes that near impossible to do. But, alas! I would do it. Lights out (except for Words With Friends. I must have my WWF!).

In the end, I decided, going dark was not the answer, but putting the photography business on hold would be. No more sessions for now. I will have “fun”. It will be my hobby (again)(when I have time). It won’t be work and it won’t feel like work. Yay!

I started photography classes in January to boost my confidence. I learned about the technical side of the camera. I, also, learned some of the business side. But it’s pretty hefty in marketing, networking – not to mention – time.

I still lack LOADS of knowledge in everything.

Ultimately, I just don’t think I have the talent, or the vision. Maybe that will change, I just don’t know.

My confidence hasn’t boosted like I hoped, and it’s draining me. I just need to study longer and wait for that elusive confidence factor.

The battle of wills and hopes has been bloody.

The drive to succeed, to learn, to know, to do – while applaudable – is not doable (for me), and it’s making me crazy.

I don’t like crazy. My thyroid makes me crazy because of my Grave’s Disease. I take a hormone pill and it gets better.

So today, I take a chill pill. I acknowledge, I can’t do it all. I won’t do it all. And I’ll do what I can when I can.

Technology is a such a curse, and a blessing.

A friend told me she heard, due to technology overload, the world was on the brink of nervous breakdown. Our brains are not equipped to handle all the information accessible today.

So true.

I think I have overachiever overload.

So this month, I am putting another thing to the side.

And I’m having fun too.

MY GIRLS are back!

The little girls are with us FULL-TIME (squeee!!) for the month of July.

There is nothing like morning hugs around my legs.

And yes, they get loud.

And yes, they fight.

And noise constantly streams from their mouths.

But I wouldn’t trade this month for anything!

Best of all…..Sydney is back from her vacay at Dad’s in Mississippi.

Sydney!!

I have missed her sooooo much!

Mid-summer life crisis? I think I got a handle on you.

I am not a crook!

On January 30, 2011January 31, 2011 By AngeliaIn Mon Dieu! and all that stuff., Posessed by Nikon17 Comments

At least………..I didn’t mean to be.

Let me e’splain.

I set-up a pseudo studio and proceeded to shoot the only model I had available. She’s a little fuzzy, but does well in a pinch. Plus, she is the easiest to get to stay put.

Shih-tzupuppywithball — Pet's next top model - Brownie.

We have homework due on a flash drive and I needed the practice. I was trying out metering and tone, but I was having trouble with the white. I had something set wrong, lighting wrong, ISO wrong, or shutter speed wrong. So, I was trying to change that, keep two other dogs from grabbing the ball, and get Brownie to look at me.

It was WORK.

Then, my shutter stuck. It just stopped and I got an error on the screen. No matter what I did, I could not get the error to go off. I could not get the shutter to unstick. This had never happened before. I turned the camera off then on. I took the lens off, then put back on. Nothing worked. Nothing.

My built-in flash lock broke a few weeks ago. It won’t pop up. It hasn’t been a big deal because I have the SB-600 flash. I don’t use, or need the little one. This error, to me, just told me something else broke on the camera. Period.

It’s actually not a huge ordeal (oh, ok NOW it’s not). I have coverage on the camera. No matter what happens…if I drop it, get it wet, or if it stops working…no biggie. It’s covered. But, I have to send it off. It’s not really a good time. For one, I’m in the middle of class. Dang!

Jason, and I had talked about getting me a new camera for my birthday in August. It’s the big 4-0. I found out from my instructor in class that after Digital Photography II, I would most likely want to upgrade my camera. The one I have now doesn’t do off-sync flash, and a few other things that helps a professional (which is what I hope to be).

So, my camera just up and breaks in the middle of these “talks”. I totally see it as a sign. Plus, I booked a wedding February 12th – it’s kinda important I have a camera. A working one. Ahem.

All I can say is that Jason is the kindest, most understanding, patient man on this planet (and I married him – score!).

We shopped, compared, considered, thought ahead, waffled – okay, maybe it was mostly me. He smiled. He agreed. He supported. He paid.

OhhhhhMmmmmmGeeeeee.

She is a beauty. And guess what? I have no clue how to work her. I do know changing the settings is waaaay easier. But every button is different. In the last week, I had made leaps and bounds in learning how to change all my settings and use manual on my Nikon D3000. Now, I am starting all over because it broke (sorta).

See, it didn’t actually break…….yah.

A friend on Facebook commented on my status and asked if I possibly locked up the mirror? Huh?

So when I got home with my new camera, I reset the mirror on my old one (found the mirror lock on the menu).

The camera works just fine.

Jason thinks I pulled a camera shark trick.

Jason says, “You got me good.”

He wishes he would have checked to see if the camera was in fact broken.

It was.

I swear.

Now, I have two cameras. A main one, and a back-up – in case one breaks – like mine tend to do (amazingly, right when I hope for a new one).

In retrospect, I probably should have googled it, but I promise……I am not a crook!

🙂