Photography Trends: January 2009

There is nothing hotter right now than textures!  I see everyone using them from high end wedding photographers, to mom’s snapping photos of their own children.  Textures can add depth and colors to your images….and clients love them!!  We have a ton of textures here at Pink ink Studios, and feature a free texture every Tuesday.

Meet Stacey Schmidt

Your Name: Stacey Schmidt

Where You Live: Saskatoon, SK, Canada

Your Site Address or Blog Address:
www.sublime-imaging.com
www.sublime-imaging.wordpress.com

Type of Pictures You Take… Wedding and Lifestyle Portrait Photographer

Describe your style: I like to capture the personality of my clients. Having fun in front of the camera, and keeping my style fresh and contemporary is my main objective for everyone I photograph.

Your Camera… Nikon D200

Your Favorite Camera Equipment…My favourite camera equipment would have to be my lenses, but more specifically my Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D. I use it more than any other lens.

If you could only use one lens what would it be? My 50mm f/1.8D of course!

Your detail shot lens? I don’t really use a detail shot lens per say…currently I use my 50mm , but lately I’ve been eyeing the Nikkor 105mm Micro f/2.8G and I just might take the next step in our relationship and buy it, lol. I’m sorry 50mm!

How do you stay motivated? Honestly, it’s the people I photograph.  They keep me thinking fresh and really allow me to have fun with my art. I’m also such a media junkie – I love looking at different blogs, magazines, you name it; visual media inspires me.

How long have you been a photographer? I have been a photographer for 7years.

If not a photographer, then…. Hmmm good question.  When I was younger I wasn’t sure what to do, so I took an aptitude test and it said I should be a vet.  I don’t think that’s an option though, because I don’t handle real blood all that well.  TV blood, now that’s another story … If I wasn’t a photographer I would still have to be in the arts.  I could see myself being a graphic designer or potentially teaching art history.  I’ve always loved art history.

Favorite photography add-on product? I love the albums from Forbeyon, but I really do love the Seldex portfolio boxes – they are beautiful.

Your go-to camera shop? Well here in Saskatoon I love going to Don’s Photo. The guys there always hook me up. Don’t forget to ask for Liam, lol.

Standby pose (the one everyone tends to want from you)? I really like to take tightly cropped shots, because I love to show the expression on people’s faces.  I usually get to photograph people during special events and at good times in their lives. So, I like to express and capture that for them to remember. I also like to use fun environments – they remind me of happy places that people can go to in times of stress.

What makes your job so much easier? Happy, fun, and couples in love.  I really draw my energy from the people in front of me.  And … good weather of course!

Which album company do you recommend? I really like to use Forbeyon Albums as well as Finao and Seldex products.  I love them and their great customer service!

If you could choose anyone to do a photoshoot of you/your family, who would your choose? Oh my goodness, how do I choose?  There are so many photographers out there that I admire. Well, I think I would have to choose Gene Higa, because apparently a session with him is like jumping out of an airplane.  Ha! I love it! But locally I would really love to have a session with the lovely ladies at Dream Photography, they seem like great women.

Magazine Must Have… As I said, I’m a media junkie – I have so many subscriptions.  I really enjoy receiving my Rangefinder magazine though. My fashion magazines are a constant inspiration or guilty pleasure … I’ll let you decide.  And my fitness magazines are always there for motivation, plus the recipes are great!

Guilty Pleasure… Oh it would have to be those Lindor chocolate balls, the white ones. They are divine! Ooh and I love the mini carrot cakes from Starbucks – I’m addicted to the cream cheese icing.

My weakness is… Is this not the same as my guilty pleasure? Lol. Hmm … maybe my weakness is not being able to say no. I think maybe, and my boyfriend will agree, that my biggest weakness is that I’m constantly busy, or least I make myself busy. I seem to have unrealistic expectations of what I can accomplish in a certain amount of time. But I’m learning.

My strength is… I think i’m very outgoing and a lot of fun. I try to make every session memorable for my clients. My passion in what I do is a huge strength; it’s what allowed me to obtain my Bachelors in Fine Arts and pursue my own photography business. Ooh, I know what everyone would agree with – I am obsessively organized.  Some people might even say that I have a problem. I think it’s just smart.

What Do You Do When You First Wake Up? This may sound weird, but I’m pretty sure I can crack every bone in my back.  So, the first thing I do in the morning is stretch and crack my spine. Second is to check all the blogs that I follow.  Then the usual hygienic routine follows.

When It Rains… I love the rain, and lighting storms. There have been many times when my boyfriend and I have sat in his front living room watching the rain and lighting – very cozy.But since it snows here more than rains, hmm … I haven’t really caught on to the whole winter sports thing, which I feel really embarrassed about. Every year I say “this is the year I am going to learn how to snowboard” and then I find a million other things to do. I have to say that I love watching movies with my boyfriend.

Who Do You Love? I love my boyfriend, Brennan, he’s my everything. He supports me and loves me in the best ways. I also love my best friends.  They are always there for me, and have been there for me through thick and thin.

Favorite Pink Ink Product… I love all the Photoshop actions available! There are so many to choose from, and I just recently purchased a few, like Andie’s Tilt/Shift action. It’s a great option for those of us that have not yet committed to the lens. And of course all the templates. Pink Ink Studios is such a wonderful resource for photographers. Spread the Word!

Do You Read Your Horoscope? Yes! I can’t help it. It’s the first thing I see when I reach my Google home page. And maybe it’s just me messing with my mind, but I think that most of the time it’s pretty acurate. I’m such a sucker for zodiac signs. Whatever, I think it’s fun!

Blog Addiction… Yes! It’s one of the first few things I do in the morning! There are so many, and it’s addictive coz Google Reader keeps on recommending new blogs to me.

Tattoos… Yes I have one, and planning the second. I have the word “Live” on my right wrist, just as a little reminder to live my life for me and to enjoy it, regardless of all the stresses in life.

MAC or PC… Please, there isn’t even an option here.  MAC all the way baby! Whoo Hoo!  Oops, maybe a little excited.

80′s Music… Ok, this is so exciting, I LOVE 80′s music.  Brennan always laughs at me, but I swear 80′s music is so much fun, you can’t help but sing along.

What’s on your iPod? I like a lot of different types of music except, and I’m sorry, Country. I just can’t seem to wrap my brain around it. I love Rap, Hip-Hop, and Pop, to name a few genres. Brennan really keeps me up to date with all the new songs that come out. He’s my personal DJ.

Morning or Night? I would love to say Morning, coz I think it’s healthier, but honestly I’m a night person. I’m trying to move myself towards the morning, but it’s just so darn hard!

My friends say… Hmmm good question, maybe you should ask them. I’m sure there are lots of things they could tell you, from my love of chocolate to shopping.

Travel Dreams… I love to travel. I think it’s so important for everyone to try to travel and broaden their horizons. I have been fortunate to have travelled a bit, but I would still love to venture over to Greece.  And … Europe is always a favourite, especially Italy!

On my day off… Umm … well I usually like to spend it with Brennan. We like to go on walks and get fresh air.

One of your top 100 to do before you die? Geez!  All the hard questions here … I’ve never really made a list like that. I think it’s just keep travelling and having fun. Don’t take moments for granted. Just be Happy.

Favorite homemade meal? I do love to eat! I love Italian food!  I think thats my comfort food. I love watching the cooking network to get new ideas. I also have this weird obsession with salad … I’ll go through phases when all i crave is a gigantic salad; I’ll make a large mixing bowl full and eat it all in one sitting. Now thats fiber! However, I never skimp on the dressing.  Greek all the way!

New year, new storyboard

I hope everyone had a great Holiday season.  It was nice to take some time off, but I am happy to be designing again! To tell you the truth I wanted to start designing new stuff a week ago.

Here is the new 12×24 storyboard.

Meet Jeff Cross

I’m excited for you to meet Jeff.  He has a really rad style of photography, and is a loyal Pink Ink Studios customer.

Your Name: Jeff Cross
Where You Live: Texarkana, Arkansas
Your Site Address or Blog Address: http://www.jeffcrossphoto.com

Type of Pictures You Take: I like to take portraits of people.  Be it Senior, Family, Fashion, Beauty, Promotional, whatever, I like shooting people… with a camera, not a gun!

Describe your style: I would describe my style as “ever changing”. I started doing photography in late 2007 and have been toying with a number of different looks and styles.  I am currently playing with a lot of off-camera strobes and learning about light and heavy post processing, using these tools and techniques to drill down my style…  Where will I end up?!  Who knows, but I’m enjoying the learning experience and the creative freedom!

Your Camera: I currently shoot with a Canon EOS 40D.

Your Favorite Camera Equipment: Hmmm… My favorite piece of equipment at the moment would have to be my PocketWizard Plus IIs. They give me a lot of freedom in strobe placement and allow me a lot more freedom to move about during a shoot.

If you could only use one lens what would it be? That’s a tough question… Do I get strobes or not?!  If I get the lights, I want the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L.  If not, give me my Canon EF 28mm f/1.8.  I know that’s two pieces of glass, but those are my choice for lenses for the different lighting situations… But, if I must choose only one, I’ll take the 28mm… It does well with or without the strobes.

Your detail shot lens: I don’t guess I have a “detail shot” lens… I don’t do macro but during most of my shoots, I try to shoot at a higher aperture so I can retain a lot of detail in the photo for my post work… The lens that stays on my camera for 98.736% of my shoots is the Canon 17-40mm lens, so I guess that’s the one!

How do you stay motivated? I look at a lot of different people’s work everyday, all day.  I love to see the creative expression each and every photographer brings to the table.  Every time I look at a photo that is WAY better than what I am doing, it always motivates me to try harder and to learn more.  Seeing someone else’s work proves to me that it is achievable and not unrealistic… I mean, they shoot with a camera like I do, post process on a machine like I do… So, watching other photographers truly motivates me to push myself and try new things.

How long have you been a photographer? I have been shooting since around September of 2007, I think…

If not a photographer, then…. If I can’t starve doing photography, I’d like to starve as a teacher.  I thoroughly enjoy learning about anything and everything and would like to pour what little bit I have acquired in my 31 years into someone else and watch them surpass me in every way and be successful!

Favorite photography add-on product? I don’t really do story boards or albums.  my most asked for “specialty product” is a gallery wrapped canvas. Normally at 11″x14″.  I love gallery wrapped canvas prints and obviously a lot of my clients do, too!

Your go-to camera shop? B&H (www.bhphotovideo.com) is where I do 98% of my photography related shopping. They’re competitive, have almost everything I ever look for in stock, and haven’t let me down yet.

Standby pose (the one everyone tends to want from you)? The pose that I have had more often than not, is the whole “I’ve got my back to you and I’m looking off into the distance” pose.  I get that a lot on family shoots, children, and occasionally on couples.  It makes for a cool mood shot if it is executed well and the post makes it more dramatic.  If you just look at it through the lens though, people would wonder why you were shooting someone’s back side.

What makes your job so much easier? My job is a lot easier when I’m working with an individual who is not afraid of the camera, likes to have fun, and already has some ideas of their own to bring to the table.  I have been so impressed with some of the ideas my clients have brought up during a shoot.

Which album company do you recommend? I don’t really have a record player or buy CDs anymore… I like to buy my music from iTunes… And, I don’t print albums!

If you could choose anyone to do a photoshoot of you/your family, who would your choose? Man, this is a toughy… I admire so many photographers and retouchers that I would want them all on the scene for my big shoot! But, I’d probably want August Bradley to do a shoot of me… If anyone can make me look good, it would be him!  His work is truly inspiring!

Magazine Must Have. Digital Pro Photo.  I love getting this mag and seeing who they have interviewed in the issue.  I don’t check it out for the “buy this gear” or “take your photos like this” articles.  I read it to see what the featured photographers are doing, to see their work, and to see who’s out there that we never hear about on a daily basis.

Guilty Pleasure: Wine! I love wine… I am a true to the word wine-o.  I love trying new wines and trying to learn about all the things that goes into making wine A better than wine B.  It’s not just price, believe it or not.  There are some very good wines out there for $10-$15 a bottle! Good stuff!

My weakness is…I guess I would have to say my weakness is organization.  I have a bad habit of overloading myself, which in turn, overwhelms myself.  If I could have a personal assistant keeping an eye on me and my duties at all time, I would probably be a lot more productive. I’m real bad about hitting all 1.7 million projects a little bit at a time and never seem to get one done as quickly as I would like… This is definitely a weakness that plagues me, frustrates me, and often causes me to pass up opportunities to avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety.

My strength is…My ability to learn and quickly move from one type of task to another.  I often take on projects without ever having done something similar because I am confident that I can learn to do what is being asked and execute.

What Do You Do When You First Wake Up? I hit the showers.  I have to be at my day job by 8:15am and I get up around 7:30-7:45am… When I get up I am hustling!

When It Rains… it pours?!  I love it when it rains.  I love the mood that is created when it is dark, dreary, and rainy…  It soothes me…

Who Do You Love? I love Candyce and her son Eli. They make me feel whole and I enjoy them being a part of my life and having the opportunity to be a part of theirs.

Favorite Pink Ink Product… I’m going to have to say… Andie’s Must Have Actions for Photoshop.  I use bits and pieces of these in my work quite frequently.

Do You Read Your Horoscope? Not anymore… I used to read it as I was glancing over the paper just for something to read.  I mean, the horoscopes are on the same page as the comics in our gazette… Why not?! Now I don’t read the paper so there’s no more horoscope reading.

Blog Addiction… Yes!  I do have a blog addiction.  I read a number of blogs about a number of different topics.  I guess one I keep an eye on more than others is the Strobist.com blog.  Good stuff there and always an opportunity to learn… Now, if I could only shoot and practice as much as I am able to read…

Tattoos… 14… Arms, legs, back, and ribs… More to come… Stay tuned! I love my tattoos… Would I do it all over again?!  Probably not.  My interests change way too often.  I love the pieces I do have, though.  I will be getting more.  I think when the mortician checks me out on the table he’ll be able to see what my feelings were, likes and dislikes were, and what not, just from the ink I have on my body… Some of my pieces have deep meaning to me, like my ribs for instance.  On the left side I have the Kanji symbol for love… On the right, the Kanji symbol for pain…

MAC or PC… Mac!!! Being a Unix/Linux/FreeBSD fan for quite sometime, I was excited to see that Mac was built on FreeBSD and the Mach kernel.  Once I learned that, I bought one and have never gone back.  I use my 13″ MacBook for everything!

80′s Music… Anything by Michael Jackson.  I may not agree with the man off the stage or outside the studio, but this guy is truly the “King of Pop”!

What’s on your iPod? It may be easier to tell you what is NOT on my iPod… That would be Country… Well, maybe a few songs here and there.  I have everything from Jazz, Ambient Electronica, Rap, Pop, Rock, Heavy Metal, Contemporary Christian, Praise & Worship… I even have an hour long song of white noise!  Whoo! Exciting!!! Honestly, I have no idea… I have 11,173 songs, or 32.1 days worth of music if played back to back to back, totaling 58.09GB. (Source: iTunes)

Morning or Night? Night, for sure!  If I could sleep all day and work all night, I would love it!

My friends say… “Why do you sit behind a desk all day?” “Why aren’t you out doing photography for a living?!” When I ask them who’s going to step up and inject some capital into my pockets, all I hear is crickets and the whisper of the wind.

Travel Dreams… I’d want to go all over this planet if everything wasn’t so tense abroad.  I’d love to visit Italy, Germany, Georgia, Brazil, Turkey, just about anywhere… I’d honestly be content with just traveling the US.  Our country is so beautiful and full of wonderful places to see and experience.

On my day off… What’s that?!  When I’m not doing the day job and don’t have any scheduled shoots, I’ll be kicking it around the house at the computer, shooting up to Hot Springs, Arkansas, just whatever… I am very easily entertained… Sometimes, I just look in the mirror and laugh at myself for hours! Wait a second…

One of your top 100 to do before you die? Man, that’s deep… I want to make a difference in as many people’s lives as I can. I want to impact people’s lives in some way that it can be a positive experience in their life.  I just want to make them laugh!  I want them to feel the love that all humans have been called to share between one another… I don’t care if they remember me or not. You have no idea how many times I have been referred to as “that bald guy” or, even simpler, “that guy”.  People may not remember me on a personal level, but I hope they can remember the experience of being around me and the freedom they were able to walk in if even for a brief moment. I’ve been called to love people and treat them as myself. I want to do that to the best of my ability until the day I die…

Favorite homemade meal? Yes… I’m pretty sure I have one! I like everything (and it shows)! I love to eat meals that are slaved over for hours, where days went into the preperation and planning, but honestly, I am so content with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of Baked Lays Sour Cream and Onion… I think that is my favorite meal of all time, for sure!

Turkey Texture for Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving!!  One of the many things I am thankful for is you, our friends at Pink Ink Studios!  I have so much fun creating things for the store and I have been lucky to meet a few of you.  As my way of saying thanks, I created a texture for you!

Download the Turkey Texture HERE

Friday Tutorial: Customizing Storyboards

Making your storyboards yours from andie smith on Vimeo.

Meet Ivette (Ivy) Rosinski

Your Name: Ivette (Ivy) Rosinski
Where You Live: Coppell, TX (suburb of Dallas)
Your Site Address or Blog Address: www.poizzonivy-photography.net

Type of Pictures You Take… Portraits – I adore shooting teens, children, baby & bellys, families.

Describe your style: Casual, fun

Your Camera… Nikon D1x – I just adore this camera although the D3 is on my horizon- I do believe I’m reaching the shutter actuation limits on my D1x.

Your Favorite Camera Equipment…my glass. With just a switch of a lens, the outcome changes so dramatically. Right now my fave is my 12-24 mm Tokina and my 50 mm Nikon.

If you could only use one lens what would it be? 50 mm 1.8

Your detail shot lens? 50 mm

How do you stay motivated? I shoot mostly teens and kids and with all that energy I get pumped up about shooting – they are sheer enthusiasm and craziness!

How long have you been a photographer? I’ve been taking pictures since I was 9 – my first camera was a Polaroid Swinger (hey, it was 1969). Got my first SLR when I was 14 and learned dark room in college. A “real” photographer? I’m in year 3 of my 5 year plan to be able to quit my day job.

If not a photographer, then….a seamstress/designer. I have been sewing since I was 12.

Favorite photography add-on product? Storyboards are such amazing add-ons for my clients – they usually haven’t thought about displaying their photos that way. I can put together a few for clients very quickly and I usually sell them!

Your go-to camera shop? Adorama or BH Photo/Video – they just always make my life easier no matter what I’m calling about or how small or large my purchase is.

Standby pose (the one everyone tends to want from you)? I use empty frames that people hold in front of them – at first to help loosen folks up and relax – and it’s becoming a trademark.

What makes your job so much easier? 1st: My husband and daughter really help me in every way. I think he’s kind of surprised that I’ve gotten as far as I have. And my daughter, well, she’s become a really good assistant and has gotten into photography in a big way! 2nd: Having a really good sense of humor. Someone told me on my wedding day to not worry about everything that was going to go wrong, because it was all going to go wrong! And he was right – and that’s pretty much how it goes with sessions. But you know – I always come away with something that I love!

Which album company do you recommend? I’ve only done a few albums but have been really happy with the ones from Asuka – the albums are gorgeous.

If you could choose anyone to do a photoshoot of you/your family, who would your choose? Annie Liebowitz – I remember receiving her first coffee table book back in the early 80s and just so clearly seeing the icon she was to become.

Magazine Must Have...New Yorker, InStyle & Vogue.

My weakness is…I’m very emotional and passionate about everything I do

My strength is…I’m very emotional and passionate about everything I do.

What Do You Do When You First Wake Up? Wake up my 16 year old daughter, wake up my spouse, take a shower. I think he lets the dog out (lol)

When It Rains…I love to watch old B&W movies from the 30s and 40s.

Who Do You Love? My family. AND this amazingly eclectic, brilliant, funny, intelligent and talented group of women I call my friends. I am very blessed.

Favorite Pink Ink Product…Cards, storyboards, the presets. They allow me to be creative in ways I would never think of.

Do You Read Your Horoscope? I try not to – foreshadows my day…..

Blog Addiction… I LOVE List of the Day! I really love all the photographer blogs – Holly’s, Andie’s, Chriselda, Jasmine Star etc etc etc. These photographers are so incredibly giving with their skills, sharing information.

Tattoos…nope

MAC or PC…both – but my preference is the Mac

80′s Music…Heck yeah!! Squeeze, GoGos, Talking Heads, B52s, etc etc

What’s on your iPod? All the above, Abba (sorry), Toby Keith, Foo Fighters, Los Lobos, Carlos Vives – please see my iPod for a complete list.

Morning or Night?I used to be a night owl, but motherhood has made me a morning girl.

My guilty pleasure is…Law & Order and House reruns. Good & Plenty. Driving fast with the music blasting.

My friends say… that I’m funny, sensitive, strong-willed, and a good friend

Travel Dreams…go back to Italy & Spain, this time with my husband.

On my day off...I like to do absolutely nothing – which makes my ADD husband crazy.

One of your top 100 to do before you die? Is it hokey to say I’d like to see Mt Rushmore & the Taj Mahal – ok that was 2.

Favorite homemade meal? I love pretty much anything my husband cooks – minus the hot chili’s he so loves. And he’s mastered my Puerto Rican cooking amazingly well for a guy from Buffalo – so asopao (rice with chicken), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and fried plantains – yummy!

wild things!

I have created some new cards for pink ink…they can be used year round and they are wild!

Meet Chriselda!!!

Holly and I were lucky enough to have dinner with Chriselda, her son, and her assistant/sitter/friend. She is a hoot and her personality does come through in this interview! Also she got Holly hooked on tortillas/butter/honey.

Your Name: Chriselda
Where You Live: good ol’ Amarillo, TX
Your Site Address or Blog Address: www.chriseldaphotography.com and the blog addy is www.outsidetheframe.squarespace.com

Type of Pictures You Take… Mostly Wedding, Engagement, Portrait and event photography. Wow. That means I do it all right?  Although I will admit that the thought of taking photos without people in them kinda frightens me a bit.

Describe your style: depends on what I’m shooting. I am going to use the word “natural” because I don’t really do a whole lot post production. 90% of what you see as my end result is done in camera. (composition, exposure, etc)  Maybe I am simply taking “glorified snapshots” If anything makes my photos good… it’s not me, or my camera, it’s the people in them.

Your Camera… Canon 40D

Your Favorite Camera Equipment… I love love LOVE my 50mm f/1.4 that thing is smooth!

If you could only use one lens what would it be? It’s the 50mm. It stays on my camera all the time. (unless I’m photographing weddings and then I switch it up.)

Your detail shot lens? 100mm macro. Hands down. All the way. That thing… is genius.

How do you stay motivated? Lots and lots of coffee. Seriously, I have the most AMAZING clients and I’m always very excited to work on their images and products! Did I mention sticky notes?!

How long have you been a photographer? Is this where people say “since I was a kid” ??  I don’t know when it was “official” but I did photography for the high school yearbook, a lot of concert photography when I worked in radio, took college Photography courses, worked at a local portrait studio and then finally branched out on my own. I am going into my second year of 100% full time self-employment and I couldn’t feel more blessed, happy, lucky, or passionate!

If not a photographer, then…. apparently I was going to be a doctor of psychiatry. Wow!

Favorite photography add-on product? Albums! I love offering them to my clients.

Your go-to camera shop? Well, B&H Photo online, has always been my go-to. And I regret that now because our local camera store just closed it’s doors after 70 years!!! It’s a sad truth that local businesses suffer because people rarely do “local business.” So take care of your camera store and local businesses if you have one because one day, they just might not be there.

Standby pose (the one everyone tends to want from you)? Ooooh. I don’t really have “poses” I find that I do some of the same things a lot but it’s different from couple to couple. most of my clients will ask for my “style” as opposed to a pose. Clients rarely, but sometimes, ask for a traditional pose and I try to nicely say “no.” They can tell you that I tell them no too! But they end up loving the alternative.

What makes your job so much easier? Besides Pink Ink?!  Coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. My clients! Some of them are very thoughtful and send me cookie bouquets, take me to get massages and facials, send me random emails that just make me smile because I know I’m more than just their photographer. A past bride of mine sent me a text a few weeks ago that said “I love you to the moon and back” and that right there makes my job EASY! And keeps it loveable.

Which album company do you recommend? KISS. The books are so beautiful! They are so yummy! They smell great. Feel great. And… wow. I can’t say enough about these books. They are the only album company that I use. For coffee table albums I use the hinge books from WHCC and they are super too!!! So pretty. Great quality.

If you could choose anyone to do a photoshoot of you/your family, who would your choose? Ouch. There are just too many. I’ve always been a HUGE fan of Gabe of Perspective Eye but he’s in Canada. (I will only name him because it’s almost impossible – and that keeps me out of trouble with my photographer friends) There really are a lot of ‘togs that I would love to stand in front of  – which says a lot because I run from cameras. I respect many of them for different reasons.

Magazine Must Have… I have about 20 magazines stacked on my table a month. They vary from PPA, Rangefinder, Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray, Cosmo, Nylon, Maxim, Parenting, Cookie… wedding magazines… you name it… it’s in there!

Guilty Pleasure… none of my pleasures are guilt ridden. I enjoy them to the fullest. Guilt is a nasty nasty thing! If it feels good… why not just let it be good?

My weakness is… Inability to say “no.” Time Management. Cake.

My strength is… I have a passion for everything I do in my life. (except for laundry) I can’t live without this.

What Do You Do When You First Wake Up? 90% of the time I look at my phone to see what time it is, check for emails, texts, calendar, etc. Sometimes I still lie in bed and check all of that from my phone – most of the time I get out of bed. This morning… I stayed in bed.

When It Rains… I stand outside with my mouth open wide… I love rain. And if you know me in person, from my blog, myspace, flickr… you know that I’m really “only happy when it rains.”

Who Do You Love? First and foremost, I have a 3yr old running around in his boxer briefs right now saying, “You’ll shoot your eye out kid!” He makes me all gooey inside. You understand if you have kids! I love my family and my friends and my huge “Friemily” at the Amarillo Little Theatre. But, if you’re trying to ask me if I’m in love… well… that’s very sneaky of you.

Favorite Pink Ink Product… so rude of you to make me choose just one! Until I start outsourcing my album designs next year – it’s the album templates. These are such time savers! Otherwise, I have a slew of their actions and presets that I can’t live without.

Do You Read Your Horoscope? No. but I might start.

Blog Addiction… wow. There are too many. And I’m somewhat ashamed. But one of my favorites is the Post Secret Blog. My friend Kristina Contes has a hilarious blog. I love reading it but rarely understand what the crap she’s talking about. Haha.

Tattoos… none. I’m just… not able to find something that I can put on my body right now that would still pertain to me 50 years from now.

MAC or PC… PC. I just… can’t make that switch. Although,I want to. But I can’t. but I want to.

80′s Music… oooh! YES PLEASE! Sunglasses at night! Sweet dreams are made of these! I love 80s music.

What’s on your iPod? I have just about everything on my iPod(s). I listen to it all. And I mean ALL. I used to work in Spanish radio so I have a lot of Spanish music, Country, Pop, Dance, Lounge… I can’t stop listening to Landon Pigg, Matt Nathanson, Sarah Bareilles, Priscilla Ahn.  I started listening to Pandora.com and it’s brilliant! It’s such a great way to keep up with new music!

Morning or Night? I function regardless of what time it is. I am usually still awake at 3am and up again by 10am or so…

My friends say… I have no idea what they say. I should ask them.

Travel Dreams… I desperately want to go to Italy. Brazil. Egypt. Germany.

On my day off… I’m sorry… my what?

One of your top 100 to do before you die? Live to hear the day when my son says that he understands, appreciates, and respects the way I raised him, the way I fell short of his expectations for one reason or another or was unfair. I hope that one day he can look at me and say, “while I didn’t agree with it at the time, I understand now. I get it.And I thank you.” Because that’s how I feel about my parents…

Favorite homemade meal? Anything that my Welita (grandmother) makes is ridiculously tasty. My mom makes a KILLER cornflake chicken, and my aunt’s brisket is to die for! And I can make some pretty RAD Poptarts!!!

Friday tutorial: How to use presets

Lightroom presets from andie smith on Vimeo.

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