When I think of summer vacation it usually involves beaches, ice cream, and an excess of television. This season however, try moving, internships, and ramen noodles.

In other words, yes I am still alive. My apologies for the sporadic appearances.

However, during my absence I've had the opportunity to finally figure out my goals for the future. I intend to become, drum roll please............... a photographer. *crickets chirping* Okay, so you probably already knew that, but guess what? I didn't. For years I've looked at the possibility of making a career out of something I love to be nigh impossible. I lacked the business sense, and sadly managing a photography business is not something they teach in great detail at my school. My savior has been Kim Francois, the owner of Francois Photography who has been doing an excellent job mentoring me these past few months. Every passing day the possibility of surviving in the photography industry becomes more and more likely.

I can not stress enough the benefits of interning with an established photographer. If you worry about your technical skills with a camera or being able to effectively run a business, this will help immensely.

My mentor's website: [link]
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For those new to my gallery, welcome! I ask visitors to enjoy the work they see here, but to please not reproduce nor make changes to it. This is not a stock gallery. For those looking for stock, please visit and check out the link in that journal for some of the brightest stock stars on DA

Greetings!

Working an internship at Francois Photography has so far been an eye-opening experience. I've been dazzled by thousands of pictures of blushing brides on their special day. You'd think I'd get tired of this particular genre but for now I am fascinated. But then again y'all know my love for fancy dresses and romantic poses. I've even been hired to photograph my first wedding in Colorado, which should be an adventure.

I am eager to post some new pictures, but before I can there is some housecleaning to do. For now I've gone through my gallery with a critical eye and cleared out many of the older/less popular pieces. You wouldn't believe how embarrassed I was looking back at some old descriptions: I have no idea where my mind was when I wrote them! I tried to be as thorough cleaning up as possible with the exception of a few deeply sentimental pieces I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of. The gallery still has much of it's old flavor, but you can expect a slight change in technique/style as I begin to submit newer work. As always, I love to hear your reactions to the pieces and tips on what could make them more appealing to you.

I cross my fingers and hope you will enjoy what is to come.

Ramblings
Reminders
Thanks

Ramblings
Firstly, I hope y'all are doing well and having fun planning for spring (or fall if that applies.) I've been keeping busy with my digital imaging class and working on my resume for a summer internship in photography. Life right now is looking good; the digital rebel XT is proving to be a fantastic camera, and I'm lucky enough to be dating someone who lets me photograph him to my heart's content.

But here's a different topic: deviation descriptions. How important do you think they are? I for one am terrible at thinking up things to put in them, yet the "..." that I sometimes resort to seems so souless and boring. On one hand I believe people viewing a piece shouldn't have their thoughts on it interfered with by the artist's words, especially if he/she is just pulling something out of the air to put in that space. Yet on the other hand a good description sometimes makes all the difference. What do you think? What is your process for filling in that daunting section?

Reminders
Yes, you've heard it before, but for all the new folks to the page: This is not a stock gallery. Please do not copy or edit these photos without my permission. If you are in search of good people stock, feel free to check out this list I compiled earlier: [link]

Thanks
I am exceptionally grateful to those who have watched, faved, commented, purchased prints/subscriptions, and given me helpful advice. Thank you very much for your support

Good news, I finally managed to get a new lens for my baby! Thank you all so much for the great advice, I learned a lot from looking up your top choices. Something I found extremely helpful was a link given to me by the one and only =auralis to FM camera reviews: [link]

In the end I decided to stay with my budget and purchased a 28-75 Tamron, which is doing great so far in the little test shoots I've done (none of the pictures taken with this camera are up yet, just so you know) I've still got to learn the ins and outs of the SLR, seeing as most of the previous camera's I've abused were point-and-shoots. Wish me luck!