Stacey Bode Photography

Two things I love to do are learning, and scratching items off my list of goals.  I was able to do both last week when I finally attended the One Light Workshop taught by Zack Arias.  He’s based right here in Atlanta and is well-known beyond our southern borders for his lighting chops.  I had gotten to a place with my photography where I felt very comfortable with natural light and bouncing my hot-shoe flash when available light wasn’t so available.  Photography is probably the only part of my life where comfort makes me uncomfortable.  It’s so cool to me that I’ll never know everything about photography in my lifetime.  So, when I get too relaxed in my ability, I immediately want to know what’s next.

I’ve had an irrational aversion to what I’d call “studio lighting” for years.  I figured it was time to tackle that fear, and experience something new.  I wasn’t sure if off-camera flash techniques would fit my typical shooting style which involves a lot of moving around, but thought I’d be happy to learn about it even if I rarely use it.  I’ll try to condense my ramblings here by saying that I have already incorporated the workshop info into a wedding last weekend, and an all-day portrait shoot yesterday (which I can’t WAIT to post!).

I really wish I was flexible enough to kick my own butt, because I should not have waited this long to take the workshop.  Worth.  Every.  Penny.

We were lucky to have two wonderful models for the day.  Here is a musician named Garrett looking very cool (and not just because it was freakin’ COLD out).  I often like the look of a blown-out bright sky in photos, but Zack showed us how to light the subject and keep the sky details in tact.  Sweet.

This is the lovely Rosanna, who I’m hoping didn’t catch pneumonia after posing in the freezing wetness for us.

Next up was some indoor lighting…

Later in the evening (did I mention the workshop lasted 17 hours?!), we were split into groups and kicked out of the nest.  Here’s me attempting to fly while taking pics of fellow photographer Linda, who could totally have a back-up career as a supermodel!

Sadly, I had to abandon my group when I was lured away by the sounds of loud Justin Timberlake music blaring from the studio.  So I followed the beats to one of the other groups who was playing around with a red curtain and spotlight effect.  Yay!

Here I am welcoming guests to my show.  This pic was taken by a sweet photographer from Ohio named Dallas.

The next day, I wanted to make sure I grasped what we had gone over (since my brain was set to “zombie” by the time I got home).  I took this pic of Matty, which I think is swell.  Hooray!

Please stay tuned, since I have some posts coming up that could mean big things for the future of my biz.  I’m ridiculously excited to share them with you!

Once again it’s time to write down my goals and be held accountable for them by posting on the interweb. Of course, the only real way to motivate me is by threatening to remove pancakes from my life.

Some people make just the one resolution each year. I prefer goals over resolutions. Some folks will argue that making long, daunting lists of tasks leads to failure and frustration. I disagree. A small list simply won’t do. When I was in school, I’d get mad at myself if I got an A instead of an A+. If I got an A++ on something….well that would make up for the fact that I never had a date for the dance.

Calling me an overachiever is like calling the Sahara a sandbox. To any of you out there who have met my Dad, none of this will be shocking. I’m just a TAD like him in this area. His idea of retirement is taking a different full-time job while renovating his house and ours.

In 2008, I became obsessed with recycling. To continue in those efforts, you may notice that I’ve reused many of my goals from last year. I may write myself another version of the 2009 list that categorizes the goals according to how much time they require. That way, I won’t get to December 31st and realize that I only have a few hours to learn Spanish.

I had written 108 goals for this year and needed one more. I asked Matt what he thought would be a good goal for me. He probably knows better than I do what I need to work on. He came up with a brilliant one that I never would have written…”Learn to ask for help when I need it”. That may be the hardest one on the list.

There’s also a phantom goal #110. It’s “find better hiding places when I move Matt’s stuff around”. What I call “organizing” he calls “hiding”. I will now begin the “hiding” process until he begs me to go back to “organizing”.

1. Incorporate video clips into my blog and/or website
2. Grow my own herbs
3. Spend less time on Facebook
4. Submit my images to lots of wedding publicatioins
5. Start monthly and seasonal task lists in addition to my daily ones
6. Get some new piano music and learn to play it
7. Improve my financial tracking methods
8. Begin writing down the recipes of dishes I’ve created
9. Start a journal of positivity (write phrases like “I’m proud of…”, “I can’t
wait to…”, “I won’t worry about…”)
10. Enter any free contests I come across (like the ones in magazines for
spa vacations)
11. Start cooking and freezing multiple healthy meals to pull out as
needed
12. Lead a photography workshop
13. Blog every day for a month
14. Start a 365 (photo a day) project
15. Give time to a volunteer/charitable organization
16. Attend a bridal expo to check it out
17. Learn Spanish and take a trip to Mexico
18. Only spend money on things that are truly important or wonderful
19. Make more connections with other wedding vendors
20. Pick a friend to call once a week just to say hi and see how they are
21. Read the news every morning
22. Clean up my email, computer desktop, and hard drives
23. Organize/clean all my closets
24. Take a new class at the gym
25. Get our panoramic wedding photo framed and hung
26. Attend a big photo convention
27. Invent something
28. Second shoot an event for a photographer I admire
29. Take a road trip to Graceland
30. Get in good enough shape to fit into my “I have a dream” clothes
31. Throw a surprise party for someone
32. Take more random photos with a point-and-shoot camera
33. Cook using a new recipe once a week for a month
34. Do something nice for someone anonymously
35. Spend an entire day watching movies
36. Initiate my photo/story project
37. Learn how to plant and not kill a garden
38. Research and practice styles/techniques of photography that I dont
typically do (landscapes, etc)
39. Attend another photo class or workshop
40. Read a book a month for six months
41. Brush up on the geography I’ve forgotten since school
42. Read three books that are business-related
43. Take good photos of my parents and momy-in-law
44. Fix the huge pile of my clothing that needs mending
45. Organize the kitchen cabinets and throw out what we don’t need
46. Design a new coupon to give to clients
47. Take a ballroom dance class
48. Start swimming at the gym and learn to do a good flip turn
49. Invite a few friends over for brunch, tea, and conversation
50. Initiate more eco-friendly practices
51. Visit a local photography gallery
52. Write a song
53. Write a letter to a friend to tell them why they’re important to me
54. Visit a relative I don’t see often
55. Take better care of my raggedy fingernails
56. Scope out more cool locations for photo shoots
57. Learn to drive a stick shift
58. Organize my recipe drawer
59. Experiment with techniques that are outside the realm of technically
perfect to see what kind of unique effects I can achieve
60. Follow a more regulated schedule (sleeping, exercise, work, etc)
61. Paint a mural or something interesting on the walls of our home
62. Spend a month taking family portraits for people at the beach
63. Make a new vegan dish once a month
64. Come up with something new for my clients that other photographers
don’t offer
65. Teach a photography workshop for kids
66. Get back to practicing the guitar and piano regularly
67. Figure out creative ways to cut back on spending
68. Teach my Dad how to use Photoshop, Lightroom, etc
69. Help Dad archive old family slides digitally
70. Find a way to advertise to people who want cool portraits for dating
sites
71. Take beautiful shots of someone to help them overcome a specific
body issue
72. Experiment with light painting photos
73. Attend a class on html
74. Learn one new Photoshop technique a month
75. Drink more tea instead of coffee
76. Take vitamins every day
77. Rent a piece of equipment that I want to try out
78. Visit Melanie and have some photo playtime
79. Turn my computer room into a spiffy meeting room for my clients
80. Don’t watch TV for a month
81. Get a funky haircut
82. Improve my vocabulary
83. Take a trip to Canada
84. Add gift certificate offers to my website and/or blog
85. Start a journal (on actual paper) for thoughts, scribbles and such
86. Ride my bike more
87. Create a yummy and healthy smoothie recipe
88. Write blog entries that give shout-outs to people who are working on
cool stuff
89. Meditate for a few minutes each day
90. Do all the planning for a fun date with Matt
91. Re-learn to play chess
92. Go through my magazine clip files and throw out old pages
93. Learn how to knit from mom
94. Completely re-design my blog
95. Have someone take shots of me to use on my site
96. Attend more PUG meetings (my Pictage user group)
97. Start an album of the pics Matt and I take on our anniversaries
98. Post some pics and info on the photo forums I subscribe to
99. Sell my hand-made cards (Etsy, local shops, etc)
100.Go on more photo road trips with Matt
101.Take a series of abstract shots to make into small canvas prints
102.Design a cool symbol to add to my logo
103.Have a photography meeting with Dave
104.Save my layout templates in Pshop
105.Update my recommended vendors list
106.Print labels with more favorite quotes
107.Convert multiple shots into a panoramic image
108.Learn to ask for help when I need it
109.Live life so that the phrase “what if” isn’t necessary

#23 – Put together a book of my experimental portrait photos

I have lots of studio sample books of wedding and family photos, but thought it was time to design a book of my more wild, artsy portraits. Now that I have a real gosh darn book of my avant-garde shots, I’m convinced that for my next session, I can demand five African elephants, a rocket ship, and a gold-plated Hummer…and not only will they be brought to me without question, they will be at no charge. In reality, I don’t have anything and everything prop-wise at my beck-and-call. My next wild portrait will probably be someone covered in honey and fire ants…looking glamorous, of course. Any volunteers?

#49 – “Take better care of my raggedy fingernails”

Fingernails have always been a source of stress for me. When I was growing up, I bit them constantly. Apparently, I was already trying to carry the weight of the world on my shoulders in kindergarten, and the only way to deal with the burden was by gnawing on the closest chewable objects. I also was a fan of munching on pens, erasers, candle wax, and even my own hair.

Once, when I was a teenager, I let my nails grow for a month…only because my Dad bribed me with 50 bucks. When you’re too young to have a job, money is a powerful bargaining tool. Since Dad didn’t want to continue to pay for nail upkeep, they went right back to looking horrible and being hidden in my pockets most of the time.

They haven’t been as bad in my adult life. I went from “stress chewing” to just not taking time do anything other than rip them off when they break. However, over the last month or so, they’ve become miraculously normal.

I now realize that a “before” photo might have been helpful here. I also realize that it’s not easy taking a photo of your own hand with a 50-pound camera. To give you a sense of the previous condition of my nails, I can tell you that my nail file was used only as a letter opener, clear polish was strictly for hosiery repair, and my chosen method of trimming may as well have been sticking my hands into a tank of rabid piranha.

I was going through my “108 in 2008” list of goals, and realized that I’ve completed a few more tasks, and I also need to light a giant bonfire under my backside to get a move on some of the others. Is it really August already??

I love making lists and accomplishing things I’ve set out to do, but it’s hard to ignore that goal is a four-letter word. It feels great to check something off my list after completing it, but then I look at the unfinished tasks and feel a sense of guilt more powerful than when I didn’t clean my plate at Grandma Bode’s house.

Well, at least Goal #84 – done! I’ve now shot three weddings where I worked with my second shooter to take photo booth pics. Granted, it’s not technically a “booth”, but it’s still people having a good time taking quick, fun portraits. Couples seem to dig the idea as much as I do, and I have a few more weddings coming up that will have the photo booth. Woo hoo!

Now it’s time to stop blogging and get back to that list! Help!

It IS easy being green. I’m proud to say that I’ve been working on #44 on my list of 108 goals for 2008, which is “start new practices to be more “green”.

Tomorrow is Earth Day 2008!!! We should all take a few simple steps to give the Earth a little breather from all the abuse. A few websites that I think are helpful to folks wanting to learn how to become more eco-tastic are treehugger and
10 Ways to Go Green.

Here are some of the ways that I’m moving toward a more earth-friendly existence…

• I began recycling all our plastic, glass, aluminum, papers, and magazines
  
• I switched to using only rechargeable batteries
• I changed to low-energy light bulbs
• We keep the thermostat off or only between 68 and 70 if necessary
• I buy only recycled paper for use with my printer/copier/fax
• We purchase as many used items as possible. Most of the decorations around our house are used items or things made by us or our artistic friends.
• I started drinking water out of a reusable container instead of buying plastic bottles
• I purchase products that are housed in recyclable containers
• If possible, Matt and I walk to places instead of taking the car. He’s even better about this since he rides his bike everywhere. Mine needs to be fixed, then hopefully I’ll join him.
• I eat very little meat. You may wonder how this helps the Earth. Well, meat production facilities use a huge amount of energy.

There are many more steps I can take, and I’m going to keep working on it. Today, I was reading about how to grow a vegetable garden. What I really need is an article about how to NOT KILL a vegetable garden. Wish me luck on that one.

I’m also going to call our local recycling center to purchase a special blue tote (only $15) which will let me put our paper and magazines out for curbside pickup! Ooh, the lazy girl in me LOVES that. No more hauling boxes in the car.

My latest green effort is switching my info folders for clients from poly-coated or vinyl to a natural paper fiber. They’re not only easier on the environment and recyclable, but they cost less and I can add special touches to give them a cool hand-crafted look.

For the folder below, I just stamped a design on it and added a paper label with my logo. Easy cheesy. But hopefully not too cheesy.

Here’s a version in black…

Then I affix these labels to the back of each folder. In case you’re wondering…yes, I DO save energy when I use only uncapitalized lettering.

If anyone has additional advice/suggestions on how to more efficiently hug those trees, let us know!!! Happy huggin’!

Here they are. These will be for general purposes, and I may still design some more that are specific to weddings, child/family, etc. Blog, website, and phone will be on the back.

I decided to go with these layouts instead of my first choice, which was to print the text “If you would like to pay me to take some swell photos of important stuff in your life, that would be so completely cool”. Sadly, all the fancy fonts and complete lack of images just seemed, um, disturbing. I think these will do just fine.

Well, here it is for everyone to see (I feel a bit nekkid). I respond really well to peer pressure, so the best way for me to accomplish my goals is to make them known to others. With that said, here’s a list of 108 awesome goals for 2008. I tried to make them things that are actually do-able (with the possible exception of #52). I also respond strongly to people telling me there’s something I can’t do, so let me know if you think there’s one of these that I’ll never do, and I’ll be sure to do that first.

As I was putting this together, I realized that many of these objectives began with “try to” or “attempt”. Wondering why I would be so indefinite and lame with my aspirations, I immediately changed them all to be more inescapable. Like Yoda said, “there is no try, only do”.

Those of you who know me may notice at least one very big goal missing from this list. What you’re thinking of is less of a goal and more of a life-awesomating choice. There will be entire blog entries dedicated to that when it happens! Oh, the anticipation! I also may want to get a dog in 2008, but didn’t want to put that on the list. I’d hate for some wonderful pooch to feel slighted because that was the thing I didn’t get around to.

I’ll update my blog as I cross these off the list. Feel free to throw random numbers between 1 and 108 at me with a loving push to “get on it, already!”.

1. Lead a photo workshop project
2. Blog every day for a month
3. Re-start my 365 (photo a day) project
4. Give time to a volunteer / charitable organization
5. Get info on having a booth at a bridal expo and attend one to check it out
6. Learn Spanish and take a trip to Mexico
7. Have Dad teach me how to change the oil in my car
8. Make more connections with other wedding vendors (links for blog)
9. Call one of my friends once a week just to say “hi” and chat
10. Read the news every morning
11. Clean up my email inbox and external hard drive
12. Organize/clean all my closets
13. Go to yoga at least once a week for two months
14. Take a new class at the gym
15. Donate old clothes, shoes, stuff
16. Get our panoramic wedding photo framed and hung
17. Attend a big photo convention (WPPI, DWF, etc)
18. Invent something
19. Second shoot for a photographer I admire
20. Take a road trip to Graceland
21. Get in good enough shape to fit into my “i have a dream” clothes
22. Throw a surprise party for someone
23. Put together a book of my experimental photos
24. Take more “just for fun” photos with a point-and-shoot
25. Cook using a new recipe once a week for a month
26. Do something nice for someone anonymously
27. Spend an entire day watching movies
28. Initiate my photo/story project
29. Learn how to plant and not kill a garden (flowers, herbs, veggies)
30. Research and practice styles/techniques of photography I don’t
typically do (landscapes, studio set-ups)
31. Take another photo class/workshop
32. Read a book a month for 6 months
33. Brush up on the geography I’ve forgotten since school
34. Read three books that are business-related
35. Take good photos of my parents and mom-in-law
36. Fix the big pile of clothes that need re-hemming or buttons sewn
37. Design new business and comp cards
38. Go through all the kitchen cabinets, organize, and donate or
discard stuff we don’t need
39. Design a coupon to mail to clients
40. Order custom labels with my logo and “thank you”
41. Take a ballroom dance class
42. Start swimming at the Y and learn to do a good flip turn
43. Invite a couple friends over for brunch, tea and conversation
44. Start new practices to be more “green”
45. Visit a local photography gallery
46. Write a song
47. Write a letter to a friend to tell them why they’re important to me
48. Visit a relative I don’t see often
49. Take better care of my raggedy fingernails
50. Scope out more cool locations for photo shoots
51. Learn to drive a stick shift
52. Use the word “awesome” less often
53. Organize my recipe drawer
54. Clean out my car
55. Experiment with techniques that are outside the realm of
“technically correct” to see what kind of unique effects I can get
55. Have more face-to-face meetings with other vendors in the biz
56. Paint a mural or something interesting on one of the walls in our
house
57. Spend a month taking family portraits at the beach
58. Create color address labels with logo
59. Make a new vegan dish once a month
60. Come up with something new for my clients that other photographers don’t offer
61. Teach a photography workshop for kids (w/ exhibit at end)
62. Get back to practicing the guitar (before doing #49)
63. Figure out creative ways to cut back on spending
64. Teach my Dad how to use Photoshop, Lightroom, etc
65. Help Dad archive old family slides digitally
66. Find a way to advertise to people who want cool portraits for dating websites
67. Take classy/edgy nude shots of someone
68. Take “light painting” photos
69. Attend a class on html
70. Learn one new Photoshop trick a month
71. Give up all refined sugars for a week
72. Drink more tea instead of coffee
73. Start taking vitamins every day
74. Rent a piece of photo equipment I haven’t used yet and try it out
75. Visit Melanie in Athens and take some photos of Owen
76. Turn my computer room into a spiffy meeting room for my clients
77. Don’t watch TV for a month
78. Get a funky haircut
79. Read books to improve my vocabulary
80. Take a trip to Canada
81. Design/offer gift certificates for clients
82. Start a journal (on actual paper) for thoughts, scribbles, anything
83. Instead of driving, walk or ride my bike more often to get around
84. At a wedding, have my second shooter do a “photo booth” set-up
85. Create a yummy/healthy smoothie recipe to have in the mornings
86. Once a month, write a blog entry about someone I know and the cool things they do
(Mary’s films, Matt’s improv workshops, etc)
87. Meditate for a few minutes each day
88. Do all the planning for a fun date with Matt
89. Re-learn to play chess
90. Go through my magazine clip file and throw out ones I don’t want
91. Find a local place that recycles magazines and drop off “the pile”
92. Learn how to knit from mom
93. Completely re-design my website
94. Have someone take decent pics of me for my website
95. Attend more PUG meetings
96. Start an album of the pics Matt & I take on our anniversary
97. Post some pics and info on some of the buhzillion forums I’m on
98. Take some more portraits of pets and add section to website
99. Sell my hand-made cards (on etsy, in local shops, etc)
100. Go on more photo road trips with Matt
101. Take a series of abstract shots (for small canvas prints to hang)
102. Design a cool symbol to add to my logo
103. Have a photography meeting with Dave
104. Save my layout templates in P-shop
105. Update my recommended vendors list
106. Print labels with favorite quotes
107. Convert multiple shots into a panoramic image
108. Live my life so that the phrase “what if” isn’t necessary