how the day of a wedding in salt lake goes:

yesterday i shot my first wedding of '11. i was only needed at the temple so it was a short day. obviously the salt lake city temple is quite popular and i have shot a lot of weddings there. i really love shooting there and i have a little routine now.

i always park up at the top of the hill across the street from temple square, where it's free. it doesn't look so steep or long in this photo, but trust me, it is:

i walk to the temple's waiting room, find my party, talk to extended relatives of my couple, and then wait for the photo madness to begin.

this happens for an hour or an hour and a half:


i then climb the hill back to my car, and spend most of the time staring at my feet as i climb. for some reason i usually look at my feet before i get in my car, and sometimes i take pictures:


if i am not needed for a reception afterwards, i treat myself to this:

the drive through window is exceptionally high:

and then a delicious, celebratory sushi feast ensues:


yesterday i did something a little bit different, i drove up capitol hill to get a look at the view of the valley in which i live. it's breathtaking. i love it here.


i'm behind on blogging. there are a bunch of pictures i want to post. maybe i'll just have a random post soon with all the stuff that's been missed.

3 things..

1. marshmallows and saltine crackers are a surprisingly nice combination. i have consumed them all day.

2. yesterday i realized why my dancing skills have diminished so significantly since 2008- most of the dancing i do is in the car, which makes sense that i end up looking like a bobble head when i actually dance for real. car dancing is fun but you just end up looking stupid because nobody can hear your music.

3. i've started a secret photo collection featuring evan, reading. here are a couple of images from recent days:

he makes me smile:)

studio

this morning i've been working on getting a dvd of images ready for some of my clients. i have this nice little set up in my room, and as i was looking at it i suddenly had a feeling of fondness for it. i decided that it's worthy of note on my blog because it is my first official office space, although it's more like a work station in a bedroom than an office:) maybe someday i'll be situated in a nice loft with large windows in some big city, huge gallery canvas wraps on the wall, a gorgeous mac computer to work on, and beautiful rugs and couches. maybe i'll have a huge flat screen TV on which to show clients their images while they are making print purchases.

for now, i'm happy when i look at this humble beginning:

do you enjoy the way my cords are wrapped around the desk legs? apparently i don't pay attention to detail when i'm constantly plugging and unplugging cords:)

fate

“Sometimes our fate resembles a fruit tree in winter. Who would think that those branches would turn green again and blossom, but we hope it, we know it.”-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

i'm hoping.. i'm waiting....

marian the photographer..

took these photos of me (my edits). it makes me SO happy that she loves photography!! she already has a good eye, don't you think? by the way, she is only 7 years old. when she's older and knows how to manually set a camera maybe i'll hire her;) she's been asking me to teach her how to use photoshop for several months and i think it's about time. so look for a post in the near future, i'm going to help her through an entire shoot from planning, shooting, and post processing. click here, here, here, and here to see a few posts on my photog blog from photo walks we've gone on in the past:)

Alis Volat Propriis

"she flies with her own wings."

^the motto of the state of oregon, and my personal motto for 2011.

word for the year: cautious

“Every man dies - Not every man really lives.” - William Ross Wallace
i want to live this year.

i take back some of what i said in my last post. i do have a few tentative desires for 2011:
PHOTOGRAPHY:
spend a day with artist sean flanigan

(image by sean flanigan)

HEALTH:
move my body every day; dance, run, play with kids, yoga classes at the gym.
SPIRITUALITY:
find a few more answers. connect.
SERVICE:
perhaps go on a humanitarian project this summer. haiti?

(image by amelia lyon)

i need to learn how to live, and how to love again.

2011

i'm tired from 2010.
this year i'm not really setting goals. i have a few things that would be nice to accomplish but my attitude is pretty cautious. new year's  day came and went without the lists and renewed motivation to succeed at unrealistic pursuits. i had no desire to start the year with the traditional vigor that quickly ends in laziness or disappointment. i think a lot of people are happy to see 2010 end. since october i've itched to write 2011 every time i signed a date. i've been over 2010 for a while now.

the weather lately, photo taken with my iphone:

and on a happier note, i've decided to start going to church with kids my age rather than families- i'm finally ready to stop hibernating. yesterday was my first day back to church with all the other single people. it wasn't annoying, surprisingly. i met a couple of cool girls who from what little conversation we shared seem to be my music soul mates.