Mountains... "For a Change of Scenery"

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I never really liked the movie "Little Mermaid," but I LOVED one song from it - "Under the Sea."  Bear with me for a moment, and this statement will soon be relevant.

 

I love the mountains and the snow for photos, but when winter comes around in Utah, all I want to do is go somewhere warm and spend time at the beach (hence the cruise).  So when Nicole emailed me and said she's getting married in Miami etc... all I could think about was gorgeous beach engagements and just how picturesque that would be.  But it turns out she wanted to come up to Utah for engagements!  In the snow.  And dead trees.  Because, as she said "it's a background I can't get in Miami!"  I had to change my perspective a little bit and recognize just how beautiful my state gets.  I've always loved Fall and Summer, but sometimes I get grumpy during winter and forget to look around.  I appreciated the reminder.

 

 

 

We had the beautiful location of the Park City Historic Barn, snow on the fields.  It was very picturesque.  They were a pretty good-lookin' couple too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nicole had one picture she wanted and showed up with these cute scrabble tiles to say "forever and always."  Such a cute idea, we had fun playing with it!

 

 

 

 

And isn't her ring incredible???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Karaoke

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When Thomas and I met, we were swing dancing like it was a part time job - 15+ hours a week.  And it was awesome!  Somewhere along the road, though, we turned into boring... err... "responsible"... adults.  I had health problems, he got a full time job with an investment firm, then I got a business that grew much faster than my social life could handle.  We haven't exactly gone dancing much over the last few years...  But a couple months ago we vowed to be fun people again!  Yay!  Discovered a dueling piano bar in Salt Lake called Keys on Main.  As long as the crowd doesn't get too rowdy, it is an awesome venue.  And better yet, they have karaoke on Mondays and Tuesdays.

 

Some nights it's a lot of drunk people singing and they might have beautiful voices, but it's hard to tell because they're a little out of control.  Sometimes they get great talent on stage!  This night, one of the best songs was definitely Thomas's "Come Together" by the Beatles.  Every girl (and guy!  Might have picked up a few admirers) in the room had eyes on him.

 

 

 

Holli and David (remember them?  We did their wedding a while back, then family photos) also went with us.  Let me know if anyone else wants to go next time, the more the merrier!

 

And I look like a crazy person in this photo below, but my mouth is making the shape for the beginning of the word "Love."  When I was a little kid, we used to blast my mom's CD (or maybe it was a tape back then, I'm not sure!) to Linda Ronstadt's "It's so Easy to Fall in Love" and sing it at the top of our lungs.  What I didn't remember when I requested this song at karaoke is that the reason we knew that song so well as kids is because it was so darn repetitive.  I think I must've sang the phrase "It's so easy" 100 times in the song!  So they teased me a little bit when I sat back down - "How easy is it to fall in love?" but it's all in fun.  That's what karaoke is about, isn't it?

 

 

 

"Thank you very much, we'll be here all week"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jamaica

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When Jasmine and I started looking for locations for our cruise, the first requirement was warm.  She's moved out to New York City and I'm still in Utah, so we wanted to get away from the winter.  This vetoed the Antarctica cruise.  The second thing that sparked our interest was Jamaica.  To be honest, we chose this cruise specifically so that we could go to Jamaica.  We grew up with the movie "Cool Runnings", and we were just a little tinsey bit obsessed.  We loved quoting the movie- "Ya mon!"  "No problem, mon!"  "Hey Sanka, ya dead?!"  And everything you see if movies is true, right?  OK, maybe not.  But we were still excited.

 

Sooooo, we didn't see a bobsled team practicing going downhill, and there wasn't live music on every corner.  But Jamaica did have  vivid colors everywhere.  The blues in the water, the umbrellas and clothes, the lush greenery and even some flowers.  I was bummed we didn't really meet a "Sanka" character like in Cool Runnings, but we had a few funny experiences with  some locals.  "Can we get you girls anything?  A taxi?  ...Some grass?"   Yeaaah, definitely not in Utah anymore ;-)

 

 

Below is the patio where we tried jerk chicken and pork.  It was decent, but I imagine it's a lot like BBQ, the flavors, spiciness, and overall quality varies.  I'll definitely try it again some time in a less tourist-y area.  I love how the umbrellas match the flowers though.

 

 

 

This guy made me smile - singing "Don't worry about a thing, cuz every little thing is gonna be alright..."  Love music like that!  And the colors from the market behind him.

 

 

 

 

 

The top right photo above is my favorite from the whole trip - the yellow umbrella with the blue water and the gorgeous sand.  Looks like the perfect vacation to me.

 

And I thought the bottom left photo below was really cool, but Thomas said you can't really tell it's a wave coming up on the sand.  Maybe we'll call it abstract art?

 

 

 

 

Played a bit with the Canon G11 and the underwater casing, first time really using it and I say 2 thumbs up.  However, we also had the rest of our camera gear and didn't want to just leave it sitting on the beach, so we actually traded off - Jasmine would go swimming while I sat on the beach, then I would go swimming while she sat on the beach.  Definitely remembering to bring a larger group to the beach next time.  We met a cute little old lady who seemed trustworthy (and apparently was since she didn't steal our stuff!) set the cameras by her for the last 10 minutes so we could play in the water together.  Can you believe how blue that water is though?  Unreal!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labadee, Haiti

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When I travel, I love to see the culture.  The people in their daily lives.  How are their lives different than mine?  How are they the same?  It's interesting to see a new perspective.  So I was a little bit disappointed when I learned that the island in Haiti the cruise ship stops at was a private island and all tourism.  But when I opened my eyes, I saw a little taste of heaven. The first photo I took when I got off the boat is this one below.  It's interesting because I have so much experience photographing people that I wasn't sure what else to do for this scene.  I tried a few different angles, but I couldn't change it up by asking the palm tree to pose differently.  And ultimately, I was happiest with the very first photo.  It's a new challenge and I will be learning how to improve.

 

 

I then walked closer to the water and a rock took off the top of my toe.  The blood would have ruined the shot, so I took a little break until we got to a new location :)

 

 

I think these two should be on motivational posters or something.  On the left:  It's not about where the journey ends, it's the path you take to get there.  And on the right, well, I don't know if a quote goes along with it, just a sigh.  Doesn't that look amazing right now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you look carefully at the photo below, you can see several wires running across the water.  These are not telephone lines, they are actually zip lines that Jasmine and I went down (daredevils, I tell ya!).  I wish I had a video to show you of us, but to get an idea anyway, here's a link to some other guy going down the zip line: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixynfjhA5zk

 

 

 

 

 

This guy below did three things:  1. Danced (somewhat similar to a hulu?  Lots of hip movements.  It was... interesting).  2. Smiled and laughed.  3. And he ate fire.  Over and over again.  Can you say "Awesome"?

 

 

 

And this is one of my favorite photos - this guy was playing in a little trio as we waited in line to get back on the ship (anyone who hasn't been on a cruise should be warned that the lines you wait in to get on the ship, off the ship, to get food, photos, or into the theatres - they are as bad as an amusement park).  We were very grateful for the entertainment  as we waited this time.  And isn't this little old guy adorable?

 

 

So there it was.  Not tons of culture, but a view that took my breath away.  Tomorrow - Jamaica!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cruisin' in the Caribbean

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Finding balance in life has always been a challenge.  I have a wonderful husband and a fantastic photography business, but also have to fin time for a social life, down time, creative outlets, emotional and physical health, etc.  Everyone has to juggle these things.  So it comes down to priorities.  Some of you might know that I've increased my prices again for 2012 to have just a little bit less photography in my life and a little bit more rock climbing and other exercise/activities, social life, and me time.  Balance.  I'm hoping my 60-80 hour weeks are over for good and I can improve some of the other areas of my life now.

 

Anyway, this is a good start.  Last week, for the first time since I've started my photography career, I took a vacation where I was completely off the grid.  No phone or internet because I was cruisin' in the Caribbean.  Just my sister and me.  ...And 6000 other people on the boat.  And it was fantastic!  Still a lot of photography, but I got to focus on a different side of photography than usual - the kind that doesn't include people.  Definitely new for me!  I used to see a sunset and say "I wish I could put a bride in front of this".  Last week I succeeded in seeing the beauty of the sunset by itself.

 

 

I am such a social person.  But there is something absolutely wonderful about simple sitting.  Being alone with nature, thinking, breathing, feeling.  I feel like this first photo captured how I feel about that experience.  Life seems simple.  It's just nice.

 

 

 

Below, the name of our boat - we sailed Royal Caribbean.

 

 

 

Jasmine and I on formal night with the huge Christmas tree behind.  We were practicing one flash techniques to overpower the ugly tungsten lights that caused shadows on our eyes.  Jasmine was just given a camera for her birthday, so it was awesome to practice and teach a little bit.  We're coming up on 4 years that I got a camera for my birthday (thanks, Dad!) so I was a little sentimental.

 

 

 

 

The view from the boat, playing with white balances.

 

 

 

 

And I think this structure below looks a little bit like a space ship, though it was just a cool glass covering over the hot tub.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Again, palm trees make everything better.

 

 

 

And we played a little bit.  Yay surfing.  (I obviously didn't take the photo of myself, thanks Nate.)

 

 

 

 

Now I'm back and working like crazy again, but I going to try a little harder to stop and feel the sun, look at the sky, make some new friends.  I don't think I need to go to the Caribbean to do that!

 

 

 

 

Photos from our stop in Haiti on the blog tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My baby's first international vacation

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I had the chance to take a holiday in the Carribean with my older sister last week and I took my little Nikon along.  Cruising, seeing the sights, and soaking the sun.  I think she may have gotten a little tan too... I know I did!

 

 

I'll post photos from the cruise ship and our stops in Haiti and Jamaica this week, definitely something new!

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we're looking forward to the New Year!

 

 

 

 

McDougal Family

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  I was so happy to get to shoot the McDougals and their extended family the Eichers.  Since shooting Holli and David's wedding earlier this year, we've become really good friends.  We've even got a regular pinochle game going.  What is pinochle you say?  Only the greatest old-person card game ever! Seriously, Thomas and I are completely addicted, and we were happy when we found another couple to share our nerdiness with.

 

I'm getting distracted though- back to the photos!

 

 

This fall was so awesome!  The colors on the trees just kept sticking around, even after we started to get some snow...

 

 

  

 

 

Whipped cream + tiny cookies + hot chocolate on a cold day=  yum.

 

    

 

Snowball fight!

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eichers Family

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  We shot the Eichers and the McDougals together for some extended family potraits.  You may remember seeing them when I shared the photos from Holli and David's wedding earlier this year.

 

 

I love shooting in the capital building... lots of natural light, it's a gorgeous building, and best of all? It's warm in the wintertime.  :D

 

 

This family is so expressive!  It's awesome when family portraits include a healthy dose of silliness.

 

 

  

 

The red glasses made it around to most of the family members.  They add a certain amount of panache to the wearer, don't they?

 

  

  

 

And what better to finish pictures than with hot chocolate and humungous marshmallows?