Why Don't They Teach This In School? Pt.1

College and life are just as much about education as they are one huge, messy social experiment. As of late I have been working with a lot of Seniors getting ready to embark on their next chapter and almost always find myself sharing things that I wish I had known back then. Oh, the trouble I could have saved myself. Just for fun, I decided to create a list of a few things that I wish I had known 10 years ago. Which ones can you guys relate to?

1. Know how to walk in heels.
Practice in the privacy of your home WELL before you ever have to actually wear them. You will feel so much more confident and you lessen the chance of any embarrassing moments. It's crazy how many guys don't actually fall in love with you fall into their arms. Or off of curbs when they walk you home. Wait, what?

2. How to gracefully end a relationship.
Start learning early how to treat others in a relationship, even in the midst of ending it. I will never forget when I was in high school, my mom overheard me on the phone saying a few "choice words" to someone that I knew liked me very much but I wasn't interested in. The look of disappointment on my mom's face said it all. I immediately called the guy back and apologized for the nasty things that I said while still being very clear that it wasn't going to happen. Start showing respect and you will start earning it.

3. It's not that serious.
The argument you had with your best friend? It's not that serious. Someone talked about you behind  your back? It's not that serious. Boyfriend broke up with you? It's not that serious. Everything seems a huge deal in the moment, but you will be surprised by how little you care about these things a year later. Don't waste your time worrying about every little thing. Learn from it, move on because.....say it with me.... It's not that serious.

4. Register to vote.
Just do it. If you don't know where to start in the voting process, start with issues that you care about and affect you personally. Student loans anyone? You may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you. Educating yourself on issues will empower you to make more thoughtful decisions, and you will wow the room when you can join in intelligent conversation. Fancy.

5. Never send naked pics.
Self explanatory, though you would be surprised by how many young women still make this mistake. You might be "together" now, but it's going to you and you alone standing there naked on the internet if it gets out.

6. Have your own checking and savings account
There will be feast, and there will be famine. One week you will be eating steak and baked potatoes while enjoying red wine; next week it's Easy Mac and canned Spaghetti-Os and a struggle pint of Boone's Farm. Learn as much as you can about your money and it will be time well spent. Just a tip: save at least 10% of every paycheck in a "me" fund and you will not regret it.

7. Call your mom.
Anytime your parents don't hear from you, they assume that you are dead. This is a fact. Call and check in at least once a week. That way, if you are dead, you can let someone know.

9. Be on time
Showing up late is just plain disrespectful and sends a silent message that you don't really care. Whether it's a job interview, a friend's birthday dinner, or that 8 a.m. class that YOU signed up for, show up on time. You will be surprised at how much easier it is to get an extension on that ten-page essay that you put off until the last minute when you have made a good impression on your professors.

10. Know how to change a tire.
A damsel in distress will remain in distress if you don't learn how to change your own dang tire. Sure, someone may do it for you, but do you want to depend on that? Not only will you be able to save you own ass, guys also find it extremely sexy when a woman can take care of herself. Think less Marilyn Monroe and more Thelma and Louise. Those are some ladies that knew their way around a tire iron.

11. Study abroad.
Whenever you get the chance to travel, take it. You have not lived until you've eaten frijoles in a Mexican jail. Seriously, don't go to jail but DO take every opportunity to see new places. One day, you will be an elegantly, worldly creature or at the very least know the difference between a country and a continent.

A Love Story-Weddings

Yesterday in Old Town,Lewisville wedding bells were ringing. I was there to capture it all. I had the chance to work with an awesome couple and their two handsome boys capturing their special day. The wedding venue was quaint and candlelit, hidden in one of the most historic areas of town, which was the feeling that I wanted to translate into their wedding photos. Luckily the bride and were on the same page when it came to accepting the rain that tried to douse our parade that day as a blessing! No two weddings are the same. Each one brings different challenges, new learnings and an energy and personality that makes each shoot unique. My biggest accomplishment of the day: Got their sons to hold hands for about 1.2 seconds. If you have boys, you know what a huge feat this was! Hope you guys enjoy! 

         The beautiful bride before her walk down the aisle!
 

A private moment between a father and son.

 

One of my favorite shots. Only the ring finger in the chapel!

 

Balloons, and Bows, and Babes, Oh My!

 

When shooting with an 18 month old in a  crowded park, I have one word of advice. Run! Run fast, run hard, and when in doubt, run faster. One of my favorite things about photographing children is that you never know what might happen. For example, right after the above shot was captured, this little doll baby decided that it was time for a dip. With the effortless style of a modern day Grace Kelly, the courage of an Olympic diver, and the courage of a champion, she dove right into that fountain! Needless to say, this turned out to be an amazing shoot! You definitely have to do work to get good shots when your target is on the move, but I did my best to make it fun. I came armed with balloons and bubbles; anything that might catch her attention long enough so that I could snap away. The 18-200mm lens also came in handy since it allowed me a ton of range. I thought it important not to edit the photo to death, but to let the memory of that day remain intact in all the photos that we captured. Undoubtedly, one day in the future, this little superstar will hear all about the day she swan dived into the water fountain, and I want the pictures to be a part of that story. Isn't that what it's all about? Enjoy!

 

Write Drunk. Edit Sober.

 

Surprisingly enough, some of my best work has happened on a Monday morning over 6 a.m. margaritas. I say this so that I don't feel guilty sitting at a bar in the middle of the afternoon three drinks down under the pretense that they offer free Wi-Fi and my monitor looks better in the dim lighting as I edit a batch of wedding photos. I consider myself something of a visual storyteller, though not a very accomplished one yet. The ability to arrange a series of images in a way that creates an emotional experience is something that has always fascinated me. You see it in fashion, movies, art, advertising, sports. Absolutely everywhere. I'll never forget the first time I watched Pulp Fiction and had my mind blown by the genius that is Quentin Tarantino. Or the moment that I realized that The Shining was about genocide, particularly the genocide of the Native American people. Or when I had a private debate with myself about whether or not it was strange that I found Hannibal Lecter somewhat endearing. The man had morals! Anyhow, I will sign off and put myself in an adult time-out, enjoy my whiskey and get back to work. Cheers to the possibility of a moment of genius. 

Eat. Dessert. First.

 

 

 

Happiness, you sneaky thing. You've been right here all along! At many points in my journey, I've felt as if happiness is as elusive as a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It's one of those things that I can find in hindsight, though I may have missed it in the moment. The past few days have been such a time of reflection for me. The seasons are changing right before my very eyes, yet I don't want to miss a thing. This blog has marked a change of seasons for me on a very real level, both professionally and spiritually. It's my way of ensuring myself that I will take time and reflect, enjoy every step of this journey and chronicle the beauty of change that is taking place in my life. Change can be a little scary, or a lot scary, especially to someone like myself who is very much a planner. I had a five year plan, a ten year plan. Heck, I probably could come up with a thirty year plan if you gave me five more minutes, but that's not what life is all about. For me it's about reconciling my passions and talents in a way that allows me to live life freely and extravagantly. I will wear my most ridiculous shoes just because they make me smile. I will eat my dessert first. Why yes, I will have another glass of wine! I will dance to the music in my head even if it brings strange looks because we only have one chance. There is no tomorrow, there is only today. Today I am choosing to dance in the rain, even if I am dancing alone. We all have a choice to make my friends. What is yours? 

White Picket Fences

Model: Viry  Rendon

"Little boxes an a hillside, little boxes made of ticky-tacky." That was a Weeds reference if you didn't catch that. Moving on. Today was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Literally. I've driven past this fence so many times and thought this was a great spot to capture, so today was the day! There's something very American Dream-esque about a white picket fence. It reminds me of summertime and cook-outs, lemonade and pixie sticks, front porches and cold beer...Well, we had none of that today but what we did have was 75 degree weather, a camera and a fabulous chiffon skirt (wink, wink). Somewhere in the universe, someone looked upon my poor, cold, Texan soul and knew that I could not take one more cloudy day. For that I am grateful. Happy Valentine's day guys!

Where the magic happens...

I save everything. Cards, notes, tickets from concerts and shows long forgotten about, but mostly pictures. Over the years, I've taken thousands of photos. I was going through a box of things while moving recently and came across a bunch of photos from my childhood and fell into a nostalgic trance as I flipped through those aged pictures. Something in the air changed around me as I explored those memories from so long ago, times that seem so much simpler now, but surely had their fair share of ups and downs. One particular picture stood out. An old polaroid, aged into a muted sepia over time. It was a picture of me and my grandmother, she in her flowing summer dress, and me on her hip probably at 3 or 4 years old trying to block the sun with my hand turning what I'm sure was a smile into a slight grimace. We were standing in front of a house, whose house, I don't know. As hard as I tried, I could not remember that day, but there it was. There we were. What I did remember was the smell of her perfume, thick and floral warmed in the summer heat. I remembered the cool feel of the rocks that I would always gather as we walked in the park near her home to put on the dresser only to find them thrown out the next day. I remember sitting on her porch reading the Sunday comics that she saved for me all year until I came to visit. See, I'm an Army brat. My dad was a career military man which led to us moving around my entire life. Parts of my life are a huge blur of school after school, home after home, friendships that grew apart with time and age. There are so many vivid memories that I have of my childhood, but it's the moments that I don't remember that take me to that special place trying to piece together my memories. Those moments buried deep inside our mind that come pouring back as vividly as when we experienced them. Maybe that's why I've saved these mementos all these years, lugging them from place to place, holding onto a piece of something. Some memory, some feeling. That's the magic of photography. Capturing a moment. A moment that will never come again. A moment that may have been forgotten, but are nonetheless a part of our journey. This is where the magic happens. Welcome to The Smokeshow.