Tuning in....

There is an appalling epidemic sweeping through society and, surprisingly, many do not seem to want to treat it with the concern that it deserves: those who seem to be very interested in documenting what is happening, yet completely missing what is happening around them at the same time.  You see it all over the place, people in a group, and yet not connecting with the group, as they are too busy checking into their various social medias.



Heaven forbid we should spend time looking at a sunset when we can check out the tweet of someone we have never met in person who is sharing an obscure link to someone we have never even heard of who is retweeting it from some celebrity (don't even get me started on the worth of celebrity tweets and posts as it will turn into a rant of the further stupidity of society to place some sort of royal status on these people because their occupation broadcasts them onto our tv and movie screens).

I have been in these situations shown in the video above.... you are enjoying a moment when someone has to interrupt it because they are trying to capture just the right photo on their i-camera to put on their FB status.  I'm sorry, are the rest of us supposed to put our evening on hold so you can post about all the fun that you are having with us right now?

So not fun.

I have no idea when we became this loud, posturing society of people who have to proclaim to all around us that HEY, WE ARE COOL AND HAVING FUN RIGHT NOW.... funny, but the louder you yell the dumber you look to me, and I have no desire to spend a single moment wishing I was a part of your little group right now.... or ever.

Not that I think moments shouldn't be captured.... heck, I am usually the one behind the camera taking shots so that others don't have to think about it, but I also set the camera aside and join in the fun. I take time to actually talk with the people about me and not excuse myself every few minutes because my phone chimes to let me know that someone in my online social circle has just posted something.  Nothing says "you're just not that important to me" than another person constantly excusing themselves in order to see what was just posted instead of staying in the moment that they are in physically.

I take the time to be quiet... to disconnect... to experience what is around me.  Not, oops, I have a free moment, better sign into Facebook, or Twitter or whatever social media is hopping these days.

I don't even go online every day... and certainly can't find the time to spend hours on it.  On average if I sign in its to take a few moments to check my emails, hop over to Facebook to see if anyone has messaged me there (though its often just requests to join games) and to take a quick scroll down my news feed.... maybe I will read a news story or two and then I am done (unless, like this morning, I am blogging or if I need to research something).  I've stopped playing my online games (though I do allow myself an occasional jigsaw puzzle because if its online then the cats can't knock the pieces off the table) as they are just a way to suck away hours of my time... time that could be better spent doing other things.

Not that I don't have my distractions... I used to be an avid movie watcher, but now I really only do that when someone is over and they want to watch something.  I can easily get sucked into my crafts, but hey, at least that is productive.  I super easily get sucked into books, but that's exercising my mind.... so I can forgive myself that one, especially since said book does not come along when I am hanging out with others.  How rude would that be to say, "excuse me, but I need to take a moment to check in on what this character is doing" and tune out for a quick paragraph or two?

My brother used to have this thing he'd do yearly where he'd turn off everything that had an on switch (with the exception of music playing in the background of course... all adventures should come with a soundtrack don't you think?)... this would go for one week.  One week of turning off the distractions and tuning into life around you. He called it an exercise in getting your life back.

Internet.... off, unless you had to look up something for homework purposes (or since this post is geared towards adults and not elementary students, turn off the internet unless you need it for a work project or to help your kids with their homework).  TV... off.  Social media on your phone or your Angry Birds app.... off.  Regarding the music, it was for playing in the background on speakers when you are home... not piped through earbuds and blocking you off from the world around you.

Hmmmm... what to do with all of this time?

Really invest yourself in the moments around you... finding yourself bored?  Well, maybe its time to find a hobby that exists somewhere other than online.  Build models, for example.  If you have kids, break out the Legos and Lincoln Logs and build something with them... you'll be amazed at the fun you can still have playing with Matchbox cars and zooming them around on the carpet, and your kids might just think you're that much cooler (or not... sorry, but there are no promises on that one).

Play a board game (hey, this involves other people and you just might have fun at the same time!)  Try baking something and then share them with friends (cookies are fairly easy and always a big hit).  Try reading a book... go to your library if you don't have a physical one on hand.  With the prevalence of Nooks and Kindles these days, people should still take the time to remember the experience of an actual book in hand... one that doesn't come with a limited battery time!

Go outside.... breathe the air.  If the air around you is full of smog and exhaust fumes, go outside of the city and see what nature has in store for you.  Don't feel quite that adventurous then explore your local park.

Have pets?  Take the dog for a walk instead of letting him get exercise running around in the back yard.  Toss catnip mice for the cats to chase, or use one of those laser pointers to get them scurrying.  The pets will enjoy the interaction and you just might as well.

On a drive?  If its not too cold (or hot) where you are... turn down the music, roll down the window and experience your surroundings.  Can you feel a breeze (if you are moving fast enough for one) or can you hear the birds singing?  How about the sounds of the city around you... people talking on the streets, the sound of someone's radio as they drive by... the rat-tat-tat of construction... try to discover the rhythm of the world that you are in.

I used to spend more time online... I used to follow so many blogs that it would take, on average, an hour or two to read them all.  Miss a day or two and I would find myself stuck to the computer for hours... all because I had convinced myself that somehow I owed it to these people to read each and every word they posted.

I don't feel that way anymore... if I check in on a blog its usually because its someone I know.  I will occasionally check out other blogs, but my average blog check is about once a month.  Yup, you heard me... and I have no problem deleting posts from my reader without glancing at it twice.  In fact, my reader has been seriously winnowed down from what I used to follow and the last time I checked it I spent a good fifteen minutes trying to remember which reader I even used because I hadn't been on there in so long.

Life moves on whether I read blog posts or not... and I typically find my day to be filled enough without adding an hour of self-imposed "required reading" of adventures other people are having, when I should be busy having a life of my own.

Am I going to spend a week offline?  Probably not, because I don't find myself online that much as it is.  I have no problem disconnecting from the online world and having a life... but I wouldn't curl up in a ball and die if I did turn it off.  I didn't write this post in order to demand that people take up a challenge or anything...

So why have I written this?  Well, I suggest that we take a moment and look at our lives.

Really look.

How much time do we spend plugged in and tuned out from what is around us?

Yes, technology is a wonderful thing if used wisely... it enabled me to read a bedtime story to a nephew who lives across the country from me... but its the "used wisely" bit that I am speaking about.  So much emphasis is placed on stupid things... the latest video clip that has gone global for being nothing other than a momentary laugh (and at someone else's expense usually).  I do not watch them, I do not care for them... and I am fairly certain that the fate of the world will not rest upon my having seen these and correctly answering a pop quiz that will prevent us from facing total annihilation.

Are these these necessary to our lives?  No, not really.  Is having one more sunset in our lives going to make or break us if we choose to watch the Grammys instead?  No... but I am fairly certain that the sunset will give you a greater satisfaction in the long run... after all, I remember some truly glorious sunsets, but I still appreciate every new one that comes my way as well.  Not that I watch the Grammys, but I can hardly remember the last episode of a TV show I watched a week ago, let alone a single MOMENT from the Grammys, and I am pretty sure I caught quite a bit of it here and there over the course of my life.

There are so many moments in life that we miss when we spend them plugged in.  Moments that may not be earth-shattering, but that are definitely worth taking the time for.

Birds soaring overhead... listening to the laughter of children (I love that one)... truly spending time with a person that you love... taking the time to sit down and write or draw or create something with your own two hands (or one hand, or foot... use what you have people).

Reclaim a moment of your childhood and become an explorer again... even if its just taking a different street on your way to work and see what you find.

Connect with someone... really connect.  Invite them over for dinner, or go out if you can't cook.  Better yet, find someone who knows how to cook and ask them if they would mind coming over and teaching you how to fix something.

Make more real-life friends... ones whose shoulders you can physically cry on when needed, but be prepared as they may need your shoulders as well.

Trust me, as nice as online friendships can be, they will never replace someone who cares patting you on the back and telling you that things will work out.

If nothing else believe me when I tell you this: real life always wins... even when its sad and messy and not going the way you want, but it is something that you have to work at.  The rewards, however, make it all worth the while.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away. - Hilary Cooper

What a difference a word makes...

Its funny, but I never thought I needed a qualifier when I said I was a photographer. For me, photography encompasses a wide range of interpretation. There are the landscape photographers, like myself. There are portrait photographers, sports photographers, etc etc... I never thought that someone thinking I was a photographer meant that I did all forms of photography. After all, there are a range of teachers... special education, physical education, arts, music, drama, math, english.... not to mention those lucky individuals in elementary education that somehow manage to incorporate a wide range of these into their curriculum. But you wouldn't necessarily expect that your P.E. teacher (the one who lectures you on the finer points of dodgeball) would also pick up the reins of your music class and teach you the best way to warm up for your solo...

 But I digress.... again... yes, I know, its a terminal condition with me.

My online "portfolio" shows landscape after landscape... broad vistas, close up shots of wildflowers and interspersed with a healthy sprinkling of farm animals.

Like these handsome beauties

As a gal who is still learning (and has masses more yet to learn!) I can often be found hauling out my camera and trying my hand at new things... a dance competition (hopelessly blurred... see the post on that mishap here) I've hauled my camera out on road trips, trying to capture some of the local "wildlife", but I always seem to click the shutter a split second too late.... catching little moments just after they happen. Oh well, I figured, I'm a nature and wildlife girl so what does it matter?

Turns out it matters a lot.

I was at my friend's house where one of her daughters was excitedly showing off the photos taken from her latest dance... photos of herself and her date that she had paid good money for.   Photos that were, in my untrained opinion, a total rip off. I then did something not entirely uncommon to me: I opened my mouth and inserted my foot so deep I was licking my kneecaps (and, if truth be told, noting that I needed a shave).

"Honestly Kitten" I heard myself say.  "I could do much better than these and I wouldn't even charge you. Let me know when your next dance is and I'll come out and take your pictures."

Wait... did I just offer to do a real photo session of sorts?

Even if it is for a girl I totally adore, what in the world was I thinking? I don't do portraits. I have no idea about proper lighting and composition. That's the great thing about flowers and fields, mountains and trees... you don't have to direct them. With nature you just keep snapping away until something comes out decent. Heck, horses are so naturally graceful that its pretty hard to not get a good shot of them and here I am offering to photograph teenagers? At least it was a darling girl I knew and loved and I told myself how hard can it be, after all, this kid is a bit of a ham in front of the camera anyway.

A few weeks went by and then here it came... the last dance of the school year. Would I please take pictures of not only my adopted teen, but of her friends and their dates as well? Now I had done it. I had to look like I knew what I was doing?

 Oh the things I am willing to do for this kid!

The big day came... I took time to change into a nice shirt and clean jeans (might as well look a bit professional). I was kicking myself for not having gotten around to sewing my new camera strap, but, since there was nothing I could do about it, I headed over with a cloud of anxiety forming around me.

7 couples.

Thankfully they all arrived in dribs and drabs and not all at once. I'd snagged Kitten's younger sister early for a couple preliminary shots in the yard and established 3 good backdrops so I took the first couple out around the yard, keeping up a patter of conversation all the while and trying to act like I knew what I was doing. 

Couples 1 and 2 were unknown to me, and, thankfully, since I was photographing each group separately, I was able to use a lot of the same jokes over.  I loosened a bit when I realized that the kids were more scared of the camera than I was and began to enjoy myself.  I was easier with my jokes and directions and found the courage to start getting the kids to smile more and to look like they were enjoying themselves instead of (at least in the guys' cases) looking like lambs being led to the slaughter.  

Couple 3 was my Kitten and her date, so that was fun, except I had to rein my girl in a time or two as she has a habit of breaking into goofy looks and gestures when she's nervous.  The next two couples were also easy, since I knew the girls (they both not only attended, but also helped out at my wedding). The last two couples were running pretty late and the light was failing fast, but we managed to get some shots before the bunch of them wandered off to a bbq before the dance.  I headed back into my friend's house tired, but very happy it was over. I would say I felt relieved, but that wouldn't happen until I had a chance to review my shots.

The next morning I downloaded my memory card and started going through the pictures. Sure enough, there were lousy shots... especially with the last two couples where we were fighting the light, but I was happy to see that each couple also had shots that looked pretty good. Good enough that I was able to edit an average of 6 pictures per couple.  Some shots were only good in black and white, and for a bunch of free photos done as a favor, they weren't bad, but I still found myself stressing and getting more and more nervous that these didn't look more pro.

When I dropped by my friend's house later that week to give them the photos they were surprised to find I had edited the images.  I thought I had mentioned that to them beforehand, but now it makes sense as to why they were confused that it took me 3 days to get through the files.  But as I explained that it takes time to go through 7 batches of photos and whiten teeth, clean up blemishes, erase random hairs floating in the breeze and, in one case, fix a great shot barely missed by doing a head swap with the image before it, I was greeted with stunned surprise.  My friend reached out and whacked me lightly, "Silly girl," she said.  "No one expected you to do any of that. You do too much."

But that's just who I am... if I am going to offer someone my photographic skills (such as they may be) you'd better be darn sure I am going to put them in their best light, so to speak.  Besides, its what you do when you care about the gal you are doing all of this for.  And anyway, I told them it was also done so I could get more experience in for when I do Kitten's senior pictures this coming fall and spring (another offer, but this one I am now looking forward to as Kitten is incredibly fun to work with).  Seeing their reactions (Kitten, her mom and my "Cowgirl" from the photoshoot all went through the files) was a nice reward as they loved the pictures and were beyond happy with how they turned out.  Guess that will teach me to waste time on worrying....

Nah, worry is a default mode with me.

So do I now consider myself a portrait photographer?  Not in the least.  In fact, this has convinced me that this is not a direction I want to go in.  Figuring out compositions, making adjustments to where you are standing, the look on your face (you'd think teens on a date would want to smile more), and all of the continual banter that goes on during the session is absolutely exhausting.  The bundle of nerves that goes on until you can actually confirm you've taken decent shots and not wasted an afternoon would drive me nuts if I was to do it on a regular basis. 

But then, I did get some really cute shots (by the way, it was a themed "matching hats" dance)...

Kitten and friends in a cute candid moment

Kitten and her date

One of the couples I met that night..love the fedoras

 Love this shot....for not being a "Country Girl" she pulls it off well.

Another couple I met that night.... and I love the candid shots from their photoshoot

These two were cute, but then they were also pretty relaxed around each other which helped a lot

Gratitude.....

Thanks to Leah, who asked if I was going to be posting more of these gratitude posts... with all that has been going on lately I had put these on hold, but it was nice to know that she enjoys reading them as much as I like posting them.

So, for today, my gratitude is for friends and family. I have an amazing support system in my life that I probably take for granted more often than I should. Knowing that if I just need a hug, all I have to do is show up at my friend's house and she'll have one waiting for me. If I need advice or information, I have siblings and parents that are only a phone call or instant message away. If I need a positive lift, all I have to do is turn to my future spouse and he is there with love and words of comfort and acceptance.

What a wonderful group I belong to....and I am eternally grateful to have each and every one of them in my life.

Letting go....

I think its a good thing when you can forgive enough to request friend status with someone you once considered your mortal enemy in high school.

Even better when that person friends you back.

Feels good to let go......

Blue Sky Series Concert

My first Blue Sky Series concert...and what a concert it was. I honestly hadn't even heard of this thing, but its apparently been going on for awhile. For those as clueless as I, its a series of free concerts performed in Provo's Pioneer Park on Mondays through the summer. My friend Cynthia sent me an email about it while she was still on vacation and pretty much mentioned she expected me to be there. I admit that I really only went because I hadn't seen her for nearly two months since she's been up at their cabin in Alaska...NOT because of Tingstad and Rumbel. I knew my brother liked their stuff and I am fairly certain that Jason left a bunch of their music on his computer when I bought it from him, but I didn't take the time to listen to any of it before I headed off to the park.



What a performance. I knew that Cynthia made the ocaranas that Nancy Rumbel played in concert but I didn't know just how much I liked the ocarana until Nancy whipped hers out and started to play. Wow. I was swaying to the music and tapping my feet all the way through the concert.

Cynthia was surprised to hear Nancy announce her as the ocarana artist and she asked Cynthia to stand up. Eric Tingstad ended up breaking a guitar string during a really hot spanish number and, as he strung a new one after the song was over, Nancy started talking about their history together and how she got into playing the ocarana and her other instruments. She then took a couple of questions from the audience. A couple of people asked where they could get ocaranas or ocarana lessons and Nancy promptly referred them back to Cynthia. I think she did get some honest approaches after the concert from people about purchasing instruments and getting lessons! Apparently she and Nancy had spent the morning and part of the afternoon just playing with the various ocaranas that Cynthia had and tuning them up.



After the concert I got to meet Nancy and Eric and got this picture of them with Cynthia (she's on the left)...bummer but I caught Eric with his eyes closed. They were both very nice people and signed the Christmas CD I had purchased and we all stood around for awhile just talking as the dusk settled and the moon soared overhead. Yes, it was that picturesque.

All-in-all I am very glad that I went. I had fun, I spent time with my friend and her family enjoying a perfect summer evening in the park...and took some good crowd shots to boot.

Oh, and Jase? Even though you didn't know I did it....thanks for the loan of the folding lawn chair!