2011 theme: Strength

As I have previously stated, I love to share a personal side with you on my photography blog.

I've never really been too keen on setting new years resolutions. I've always kind of thought that they tend to set you up for future disappointment or when setting them, you can be too hard on yourself. So instead of resolutions this year, I have decided to set a theme. This year's theme is "Strength".

Last year, I spread myself far far far too thin and committed myself to too many things. And they were all things that I had to give 100% of myself to. This left hardly any of myself for myself, and it wore me down. So this year, particularly in these early months, I want to build back up my strength in many ways.  And I'll tell you what, these past couple weeks off, have been just blissful!

* I vow to hopefully never spread myself that thin again.

* In case you didn't know, I have struggled with insomnia for years. It's the pits.  I would never wish it on anyone! I want to take care of myself physically by exercising more so I can sleep better.

* My yoga instructor said something that really struck me. She said that in your late teens and all through your 20s is when you build bone density and strength to draw from for your entire life, and that it's critical to build it up during that time. I was like, "goodness gracious! I need to exercise more!" I want to be a capable old lady who can lift her gallon of milk so I better start building up my bone density now!

* I of course want to become more spiritually strong this year so that I can hopefully better oveercome my weaknesses. More regularly attending church (Yay for the schedule change!) and by doing things on my own to help build up that strength. A church leader of mine also said something that really stuck with me. He said that often times the Lord won't take away your burdens or hardships, but instead when you rely on Him, He will make you STRONGER to better withstand them. I need to become stronger.

* As hard as it is for me (because I honestly love everyone and want to be everyone's friend), I need to put a little distance between myself and those that tend to bring me down. I had a couple people this past year who really brought me down. As much as I would love to be best friends with everyone, I need to remember what a wise older gentleman said in church yesterday, "A true friend is someone who makes you feel good about yourself when you are in their presence."  Dear friends who are so positive and great, I love you! And hope that I have expressed my gratitude to you.  If not, I resolute to show more appreciation this year. :)

...Thus, I will become stronger. :)

What is YOUR theme this year? What do YOU want to do to make 2011 the best year yet?

And because a post is no fun without a picture, here is me and Brant when we went whale watching in Maui last month. :)

Thursday's Thoughts: Katherine vs. Katie vs. Kate

Oh the many names I go by! Plus a billion more nicknames from my parents who can never even call people by their names.  They are notorious for giving nicknames for the nicknames. It's exhausting keeping up with it and having to explain the nicknames of the nicknames of the nicknames to everyone. :)

I was born Katherine.  My mom said that she had every intention of calling me Katherine.  But when my personality came out, everyone started to call me Katie.  So that is what I went by when I was growing up all through high school, some of college, and some after college.  It is what was chosen for me.  When I decided to get real serious about my photography, and opening a business, believe it or not, I had such a hard time coming up with a name.  Do I give my business a name? Do I make it an extension of my name? Do I come up with something unique?  I ultimately decided to use my name. I'll be frank here, Pease is a tough name! When I was pregnant with Claire, I had such a hard time finding names that go well with Pease. Growing up I loved the name Reese for a baby.  But Reese Pease...yeah doesn't work out so much. (Talk about giving your kid a complex!)  When I married Brant, I was so happy to take his name as any bride is (unless your groom's name is Puckfarker.  True story, we know of someone with that last name), but I didn't like the ring of Katie Pease.  (No offense to Brant's brother Tannin's wife who is also a Katie Pease).  But for me, it has to many E E E sounds. Katie Pease.  So, I took matters into my own hands and decided to go by Kate.  I've always loved it.  A lot of my family and extended family call me Kate all the time anyway.  And I feel it suits my photography too.  Katie Pease Photography sounds too "cutesy" and I don't really feel that my photography is cutesy.  Perhaps it sounds cutesy cause of all the E E sounds.

 So I was out to dinner with friends a couple weeks ago.  A big group date combined with some old and some new friends. The new friends said "So Kate..." and the old friends said "It's Katie! It's Katie!" and were giving me a hard time about the switcherooney. What's the big deal? I just dropped one letter! :)  But I really don't mind.  Call me whatever you'd like! Just don't call me late for dinner! Trust me, if you were my parents and sister, you'd call me "KK, Kakey D, KKD, Baby Quakes, Shorty, Kate K..." the list goes on and on and on.  And if you were Brant, you'd call me a zillion other nicknames.
So there you have it on my many names. Katherine. Katie. Kate. You'll hear me go by all three (plus many many more), and feel free to call me what suits you best! :)

Photo by Hayley

Thursday's thoughts

Do you know what sets me apart from everyone else? Me. So here in Thursdays thoughts land, you get to learn a little more about me as a person and a little less about photography.

- I always keep my nails super duper short. I hate having longer nails and having stuff get under them.

- I got in the habit of having short nails because I am a licensed (non practicing right now) massage therapist. I went to utah college of massage therapy, and then went to their master program. I just love making people happy whether through photography, or helping them feel better with their aches and pains. :)

- I'm not gonna lie, I love watching the bachelor. My sweet husbands knows it's my guilty pleasure "me" time and will put Claire to bed while it's on. Don't judge. Haha

- One of my biggest pet peeves ever that I am totally 100% guilty of sometimes is when people go on and on about how busy they are. Thankfully, I haven't annoyed myself by doing it in a few weeks cause the summer is over and the summer was beyond insane! But seriously, there are some folks who just go on and on and on, I just want to say "WE GET IT! You're busy!" please stop me if I ever do it. Capeesh?

- I have claustrophobia issues. Brant always wants to go explore caves or hike the narrows and I'm like "puhscuze me? No way!"

- People are always shocked to hear that I have lived in ut for a long time, and I've never been to lake powell. (audible gasp)

- I remind myself a little bit of the dog Doug in the movie UP in that I care deeply for people right off the bat. "My name is Doug, and I love you!"

- Personal space bubbles beware! I'm a hugger too!

- I don't care what else is going on but mullets, kick ass mustaches, and bathroom humor make me laugh every time without fail.

There's me for this week. The holidays are coming up so stay tuned for a personal holiday catastrophe story!

I keep hearing stories...

I keep hearing these stories, and they're all very similar.  And because of the disappointment in the face of the person telling me, it makes me sad.  I don't want it to happen to you, so I'm going to tell you what everyone keeps telling me.  They hear that I am a photographer, and they tell me their regrets.  I have had so many girls tell me lately "I am so sad that I didn't get a better photographer for my wedding."  or "We decided to save money, so we let my cousin/uncle/friend who has a nice camera take our pictures.  They didn't really turn out."  or "I wish I could have a wedding re-do to get better photos." I even had one wonderful mother of a beautiful toddler tell me "Do you know what I regret more than anything?  I regret not getting newborn photos of my little one.  She grew so fast, and I can hardly remember that time in our lives."  Sad huh?
I'm not telling you all of this to be a Debbie Downer, or to sell you my photography.  I am telling you because as you can see, memories are absolutely priceless!  And the best way to capture them to remember them forever is through photos.  These moments in our life are so fleeting. Poof! They're gone.  People in the grocery store will stop me and say "Cherish that cute little one you have cause she'll be off to college before you know it!"  They're right.  I also have heard many stories where a family goes to get family photos, and something tragic happens to a member of that family.  I have heard so many people tell me when they hear that I do photography "It is an important work that you do.  You never know if that will be the last photo taken of that family/individual." Whether you choose me, or someone else talented that suits you, it is so worth it to preserve your memories.  It is an investment in your family history that you will not regret.  I don't mean to be morbid, or a downer, I just love ya so much, I don't want it to happen to you.

Kisses,

Kate

Post edit-
I read this on skip cohen's (skipsphotonetwork.com) blog today. I think it's somewhat relative to my post so I thought I'd share.  
Leslie Milk in her book, It’s Her Wedding But I’ll Cry If I Want To wrote…
“Here’s the most important thing you need to know about wedding pictures: Book the best photographer you can afford as soon as you set the date.  The wedding music will fade, the flowers will die, and you won’t even remember if you ate, let alone what you ate, at the reception.  But the wedding pictures last forever.”  
She went on to say…”Now that every Dick and Jane seems to have a digital camera, it is easy to underestimate the importance of having a professional photographer. Sure, anybody can take wedding pictures.  If they shoot enough of them, there are bound to be a few good ones. But only a pro can light pictures to make everyone look good.” 

Kate: personal, venerable, transparent and scared

I always appreciate it when people are real, and share their feelings, so this is me, being personal, venerable, transparent and scared.

 I am so afraid of all those unknown "What ifs".  I have spent so much time, energy, money, brain power, time away from family, sacrifices learning and building myself up to be a better photographer.  To become more business saavy.  To become more tech saavy.  To learn more about myself.  To hone my skills, etc.  I felt like I have grown leaps and bounds and still have oodles and oodles and eons to grow.  I have spent the last few months building up my portfolio and my experience.  What if?  What if after this wonderful beginning, building phase, everything just fizzles out?  What if I get lost in the crowd of the myriad of other photographers?  I am scared of all the mistakes I am going to make.  I am scared of my failures. Everyone wants to act like they've got it all together, myself included, but to be honest, I don't.

What if I spend all this time, effort, energy, money, brain cells, time away from family, and sacrifices and I go "Oh crap, this isn't what I expected. I think I need to bow out."

I have done everything that I possibly know how up until this point to be a better photographer.  I have read every book I can get my hands on.  I've spent (you don't even want to know how much) time and money attending workshops,  I've traveled by myself to Vegas to go to a convention, I have made so many new friends, I practice and practice, read and read, learn and learn some more.  I have to be honest, I am a little bit afraid of being lumped into the sterotype of "oh, just another Mom who owns a nice camera."  Yes I am a proud mama with a nice camera, but I didn't just pick up a camera and say "Here I am! I'm a photographer! Pay me oodles to take your photos." In the wise words of Cliff Mautner "Buying a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer, it makes you a Nikon owner."  I have loved giving my all to learning the craft, and I continually strive, and strive, and strive some more to get better and better.  Part of becoming better is...something else I'm afraid of....making mistakes.  What if I totally screw up someones precious family memories?  What if I say something stupid?  What if I'm currently saying something stupid?  What regrets am I going to have?

Here's what I am most terrified of...  My family means absolutely everything to me.  They are my number one priority.  What if I have to leave them behind?  What if I miss out on important things?

I am so excitedly about to launch a new website.  One that is much much much better than this blog. YAY!  But at the same time, I have trepidation!  What if maintaining the website turns out to be just a big ol' pain in the rear?  What if people can't navigate it very well?  What if it ends up looking like poop?

I have had a couple of local businesses contact me in wanting to collaborate and use me/refer their clients to me. How exciting right? What an opportunity!  But at the same time, I'm scared! I'm scared of putting myself out there.  I'm scared of the risk.

Kate, it's called risk for a reason. If it's worth it, it's worth all the risks. If you want to grow, you've got to take the leap(s)! (Now I just look like a crazy person talking to myself.)

There you have my fears, here are my hopes:
-I hope to get better at the craft.
-I hope to be a better photographer
-I hope that I can make a difference for someone.
-I hope to create images for people that they can love and appreciate in the decades to come.
-I hope to be more tech savvy.  (I didn't really realize how much of the computer/technical aspect goes into everything photography related!)
-I hope to beautifully capture my own, and others precious memories.
-I hope others will trust and want me to capture their precious memories.
-I hope to contribute to providing for my family.
-I hope that I won't get burned out.
-I hope that although I'll be working, I'll still be there for my family.
-I hope that what time I do spend away from my family, that it is for our benefit as a whole.
-I hope to successfully implement a business plan.
-I hope that what mistakes I do make, that I can be forgiven and learn from them.
-I hope to make new connections and friends as I continue on my journey.
-I hope that it all works out.
-I hope that not only will it work out, that it will ROCK!

Thanks for listening.  Thanks for letting me (in the words of J*) "K.I.R.! Keep It Real!"  Thanks for your support!

Kisses,

Kate

Skip's Summer School Re-Cap

Like I've previously mentioned, I was so lucky to attend Skip's Summer School in Las Vegas last week.  It was two and a half days of intensive learning.  I got to learn from and meet such industry greats like: Skip Cohen, Scott Bourne, Bambi Cantrell, Yervant, Joe Buissink, Stacey Pearsall, Sarah Petty, Clay Blackmore, Tony Corbell, my Utah buddy Jon Canlas, Dane Sanders, Jasmine Star, Kevin Kubota, Cliff Mautner, etc etc I'm just dong a whole lot of name dropping here. I took (no lie) 37 pages of notes. It was intense!
Here are some snippets of information I gathered in totally random order:
* I learned tips on becoming a better story teller from Dane Sanders
* I learned about pre visualization from Scott Bourne
* Joe Buissink had the entire room in tears. His photos are not just photos. They are once in a lifetime, fleeting moments captured with a camera with an intense story behind the image to last forever.  This is something we create for all our clients. From Joe Buissink: Shoot from the heart, shoot with passion.  Don't fix the images, enhance them.  There is no such thing as a perfect image, only a perfect moment.
*From Jasmine Star: Fail at something you love than succeed in something you hate.  In your photography business, leverage your assets. "Shake what your mama gave you" and make it work.  The only thing that sets you apart from everyone else is you.  Use it to your advantage.  Don't let other photographers define your style and K.I.R.! (Keep it real!)  Just because you can use photoshop doesn't mean you should.  Use photoshop like you would salt on a meal, to enhance the flavor.
*From Kevin Kubota: Ideas on a lot of photography projects/assignments to broaden your horizon and make you a better photographer.
*From Yervant: What we put on the photo paper is the value, not the paper itself.
*From Skip Cohen: The best thing about the photo industry isn't the photography, it's the friendships.
*From Cliff Mautner: "Buying a Nikon doesn't make you a photographer, it makes you a Nikon owner." haha. How to photograph in any light (yes, even mid-day harsh overhead light.)  "If it makes you laugh, if it makes you cry, if it rips your heart out, it's a good picture. -Eddie Adams
*Every single person has their own unique and individual style.  No two photographers are alike (unless their copying each other).
* Collaborate and make friends with other photographers.  They are more of a help than you know.  Don't compete, collaborate. I was so fortunate to make so many amazing friends.
*One thing I found interesting is that there were attendees who have been in business for a short time, and people who have been in business for 20+ years. Every single person had questions and challenges.  Everyone was so humble and supportive of one another.
*People came from as far as South Africa, the Philippines, and Australia to attend.
*For my Utah peeps: Where were you? I missed you! Utah has a reputation for being an over-saturated market of photographers.  Guess how many photographers were in attendance from Utah....THREE! Myself included (out of 150-200 people). I would have loved to make more Utah photographer friends to swap ideas with.

As you can see, I had/still have a ton to learn.  Skip mentioned that someone asked Monte Zucker what the best image was that he ever took, to that he said "I haven't taken it yet".  He said that shortly before he passed away.  Nearly every photographer that spoke said that if you think you're at 100% in your craft, you're done and overwith.  There is soooooooooo (with a zillion o's) much to learn.

Please disregard the poor photo quality of the following images! It was very low light in the room and I had to crank the ISO, plus overhead tungsten light...ick!  But I'll tell you what, I sure love these people!

Skip Cohen

Joe Buissink

I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am for Scott Bourne.  The man is amazing. He has done SO much for me and I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with him.  Plus he's just a big teddy bear so I've gotta love him!

Jasmine Star!!! She is SO inspiring! Her story is amazing.  She started 4 years ago knowing absolutely nothing about photography, jumped in with both feet, and is now one of the top 10 most influential photographers in the country, among other incredible awards she's received. She has been a huge inspiration for me. The girl is a rockstar.

I'm so glad I went! Not only did I come away with a wealth of knowledge and a ton of amazing new friends, I won a bunch of awesome photo stuff!

Thursday's Thoughts

The Saturday Edition! This past week has been so insanely busy for me, I couldn't find a moment to share some thoughts. :)

Today, more snippets into my life, and embarrassing story number two.

* I battle insomnia therefore I am such a picky sleeper. Conditions have to be just so in order for me to fall asleep. I'm a side sleeper and I literally have to have 4 pillows (two under my head, one to snuggle, and one between my knees), an earplug in my ear that's not against the pillow, covers up over my shoulder, and a song sung to myself in my head over and over again in order to fall asleep.

* The only eggs I'll eat is a Spanish Omelet from the Blue Plate Diner smothered in guacamole, cheese, sour cream, and salsa. I've never been an egg eater.

* I am a quarter Swedish and proud of it!  My maternal Grandmother is a first generation American citizen and came through Ellis island on a boat a very long time ago.

* My favorite classical musician is Chopin.

* I also have always loved Claude Debussy, hence why our daughter's name is Claire (named after his tug-at-your-heart song Clair de Lune)

* Embarrassing Story Time!  When I was in high school, I took dance classes.  Someone suggested to me, "Try out for Cheer!" Knowing me and my fearlessness, I said "Why not?" so I gave it a whirl.  Try-outs were going great until the very last cheer/dance in front of the panel of judges who made the final decision.  There I was, dancing my little heart out, when all the sudden something didn't feel right... I had one of those bras that clasped in the front, and to my dismay, the clasp came undone!  I've never been a small girl in that department so you can imagine my confusion when things felt particularly...bouncy.  It completely threw me off guard, but I ended up laughing about it the entire way home from try-outs!  Needless to say, I didn't make the squad.
 Moral of the story number 1: Things happen for a reason! Had I made the cheer squad, I would have never made our high school's elite choir, which would have never led me to getting a vocal scholarship in college, which would have never led me to singing in college, which would have never led me to meeting my husband, which would have never led me to the life I have now. :)
Moral of the story number 2: Make sure the girls are held securely before you do any sort of dance in front of anyone.

Thursday's Thoughts

Lady Behind the Lens: Unusual facts about me intermingled with a super embarrassing story.

* My favorite sushi roll is the Spicy Tuna roll

* I rarely wear jewelry except for my wedding rings.  I am allergic to most earrings.

* My aunt Robbie introduced me to one of my most favorite snacks.  Popcorn with Jr mints (together in your mouth at the same time).  It's amazing!!!  Pair it with an iced coke, a romantic comedy, and a comfy couch, and I am in sheer heaven!

* I have had lipo-suction.  I wish it was in the way you're thinking! Nah, I had reconstructive surgery on my lower left side after I was a passenger in a major roll over car accident.

* I do not like the word "flesh" EW!  But I do like the word "tumultuous".  I just like the way it sounds.

* I can never spell the words exercize or definately (exercise, definitely thank you spell check)

* I have a 3.9 GPA in college. (Darn that A-!)

*Yet I still cannot spell the words exercize or definately....hmmm.....

* I wear all my emotions on my sleeve.  I am a very exuberant and passionate person.  I am driven and determined.  I have been told I have a strong personality. (Hopefully not in too bad of a way).  I am also very decisive. Because of this combination of personality traits, my shy somewhat timid sister calls me "Steamroller". hahaha

* Embarrassing story time!  When I was in 11th grade in High school, I ripped my best friend's black pleather (yeah, you heard me right, pleather) pants right up the butt at a dance.  I was doing this sweet dance move and all the sudden RRRIIIPPPP! I looked down and my white undies were glowing florescent in the black lights.  Probably one of the most embarassing moments of my life.

Stay tuned for next week's Thursday's Thoughts as I recount embarrassing story number 2.  It involves wardrobe malfunctions, sweat, and cheer tryouts.

Thursday's Thoughts

Lady Behind the Lens:
*I rarely say no to chocolate, especially if it's dark.
*I love documentaries
*My favorite flavor of gum is blue trident
*I loved Muse way before Twilight even came out. :)
*Sleeping in fresh clean bedding is the best
*Even though my bedding may be clean, my bedroom is usually the messiest room in the house
*Sometimes what I think in my head, and what comes out of my mouth are two completely separate things.
*Sometimes the above point gets me in trouble
*I'll still laugh out loud at any "Napoleon Dynamite"quote
*Every once in a while I'll say to Brant "We're married. You're my husband! That's weird."
*I am queen multi-tasker and I always have to be doing something.  Claire gets her busy body-ness from me.
*I was the lead in my high school play. I played Maria in West Side Story
*The most famous person I've ever met is Gary Coleman at a bank in Santaquin Utah. Rest in Peace.
*I love gardening and want to raise my own chickens someday.
*Me + cell phones = Don't go together.  I've replaced like 3 this year so far. I frequently loose it.  Reaching me by facebook, twitter, or email generally gets a quicker response.

Thursday's Thoughts...

Thursday's Thoughts are my personal ramblings inside my brain.  If you want to see photos, feel free to skip.  If you'd like to get to know me and my random thoughts that so happen to fall on Thursday, keep reading. :)


Do you guys remember "The Secret"? The book/movie that took the country by storm? Featured on Oprah, Ellen, Larry King, a few years ago?


To very briefly summarize, it's a book/movie based on optimistic thinking. "Thoughts become things".  If you emit positive vibes, and positive thoughts, the things you think of will manifest themselves into reality.  For example, Ellen Degeneres said that she kept telling herself that one day she would host the Academy Awards, and envisioned herself doing so.  Years later-she did.  And she attributes positive thinking and visualization to her success and fortune. I completely agree that being a nay-sayer won't get you too far in life, but there were a few concepts and ideas in it that were a little far-fetched for me.  Like: "I started imagining checks coming in the mail, and soon enough checks started coming in the mail!" Hmmm....maybe I'm too much of a skeptic.


The point I'm getting at is: One thing that really stood out to me from The Secret- I wanted to share:  There is enough. There is enough good in the world.  There is plenty to go around.  There isn't a cap or quota of goodness we're allowed, and somehow we all have to share.  Those that are greedy, (negatively) competitive, or selfish seem to think that there isn't enough, and they need it all to themselves.  "The truth is there is more than enough love, creative ideas, power, joy, happiness to go around."  And in turn, there is enough business and clients to go around too.  No one is hogging it all.  This way of thinking is so inspiring to me, and I am finding it in so many successful people that I am meeting recently.  I hope that I can be like them and choose to collaborate, instead of compete.  Uplift, instead of depress.  Support, instead of oppose.  Because they all share their good with me, and I in turn hope to share it with someone else (instead of hogging it all to myself, like I do with brownies).  What are your thoughts on the matter this Thursday?

Thursday's Thoughts...

I have t-minus 45 minutes until it's not Thursday anymore! Here are some very scattered and random thoughts.  I thought I'd do a mini series on here called "Lady Behind the Lens" (Lady makes me sound old). For those of you who don't know me very well, I can share a few snippets about me.  My brain feels like scrambled eggs that were run over with a car right now, so bear with me. :)

Anyway, Part 1 of Lady Behind the Lens: Random Randomness

*I hate touching raw meat
*I don't like touching cold things like ice
*I love Dr Pepper lip balm. It is moisturizing, but with a nice tint.
*Pebble ice is one of the best things ever invented.
*I was born in TX
*The best return on any investment you'll ever make is to travel. The "return of investment" of the memories you make is one that pays off so much.  I am a gigantic advocate of traveling.  It is such a learning experience.  I take the opportunity to travel as much as I can. (You like how I make it sound like it's a good financial decision by using financial mumbo jumbo terms? hehe)
*I have a pink bathroom. Pink tub, pink sink, pink walls. The place was built in the 50s. It makes me feel retro chic.

That's all for now.  Nothing philosophical tonight.  I'm afraid my brain would explode if I tried.

Photo of me, taken by Brant.  I swear I don't wear this outfit all the time, but all these pics were taken on the same day. 

Thursday's Thoughts...

Thursday's Thoughts are my personal ramblings inside my brain.  If you want to see photos, feel free to skip.  If you'd like to get to know me better and my random thoughts that so happen to fall on Thursday, keep reading. :)

It's technically not Thursday anymore.  It's an hour past. I have been so busy all day and can't quite shut my head off to drift into dreamland yet. (Unlike my husband, so peacefully snoring beside me. Lucky dog!)

Just a few thoughts about this blog: Kate Pease Photography. Some photographers do such a fantastic job at separating their personal work from their professional work.  They have two blogs or websites  One doting the cute/quirky/ordinary/everyday personal work, and the other is strictly professional, and so beautiful.  Both are inspiring, and great.  I had pondered this idea thinking: Is this something I should do for this particular blog? Would people take me more seriously if I didn't goof around about my personal side and went strictly professional on my blog?

These thoughts graced my mind for a few moments, and I came to a swift and firm NO.  The reason being, photography is just an integral part of who I am. I have always known it, it's just recently that the flicker inside has turned into a flame that I and others continue to fan. I cannot separate it from myself, and me personally. This is why I have a lot of personal work intermixed with my professional work on here. (Including Wednesday's Words, and Thursday's Thoughts which are an insight to what I find inspiring or feel like rambling about that day.)  This is not to say that someday I won't ever have a strictly professional website.  I plan to have a strictly professional website/portfolio (stay tuned!).

 I enjoy sharing a part of who I am on this blog. I watch my blog feed, and where my visitors come from; and some places are places I have never been, or know anyone from.  I have readers sprinkled all over the country: California, New York, AZ,places back east, lots from the south, and even a few in Canada. (Hey y'all! Thanks for reading, whoever you are!)  I feel that I share a sense of transparency with myself in this blog.  Since photography is so personal to me, you will probably see some faults, slips, bumps, and (hopefully) triumphs.  I plan to fail, get embarrassed, succeed, learn, grow, wonder, and share with all of you.

I don't like the word "client" because it sounds so impersonal, so I am going to say: I hope that my future (and current) friends will want to incorporate me in their lives by taking photos and capturing their memories not just because of my skill behind the camera, but also because they want to work with me, as a person....personally. :) I find it a huge honor to be asked to capture on camera one's precious memories.  Because to me, your memories are the most important thing to an individual.

Creating and capturing those memories are just as important. If your'e going to run out of your burning house, you are going to grab your photo albums, not your plasma TV.  Photos are your heirlooms. They are passed down. For example: I hope that Erika's little one (inside belly posted below) looks back on these photos years from now and finds joy in seeing his/her mother pregnant with him/her, and the love Erika felt towards this little one before they even met.  I asked Erika to think about this beautiful life she was growing inside while I took her photos. At one point, she got a little choked up. Photos and the emotions that are captured are a part of who you are.  They carry so much emotion and can take you back to that exact moment in your life.  They are priceless. They are deeply personal to each individual.  So that's why I can't separate it, at least not on this particular blog.  So here I am, Kate Pease, personally sharing many things with you.  Thank you fellow readers for taking part with me in my journey.  *Loves*

Thursday's Thoughts...

My thoughts are like fireflies flying in circles in the dark vastness of my brain.  They go round and around and around . A new one may appear and another one leaves. Here are a few of those fireflies today:

* My mantra that I remind myself is: "Always Improving".  That's my goal in all aspects of my life.

* Some...well actually most times, I feel like this passion I have for photography is like a big fireball in my chest ready to explode into billions of rays outside of me, but coming from within.

* The more knowledge that I drink, the more thirsty I am for additional knowledge. It is an unquenchable thirst. Sometimes I feel like my brain is like a sponge. It's soaking up as much information as can possibly handle.  And the more information I acquire, the more my brain is swimming in thoughts and ideas.

*Two of the most thrillingly wonderful things happened today. 1. I received a letter in the mail that I was given a full scholarship for the next school year.  2. The lovely man in brown rang and delivered me two new lenses.  Oh happy day!!!

*I read a quote today by Julia Cameron that said: "Leap, and the net will appear." How scary is that? Dear Julia- Don't worry, my toes are getting closer and closer to the edge. I'll make the leap soon.

*I am happy and flattered to see so many friends use photos that I took as their profile pictures on facebook. That tells me that maybe I'm doing something right! 

That's all for now. Tootles!

I. am. me.

I heard an awesome piece of sound advice yesterday. "Pay no mind to what everyone else is doing, or saying, and JUST BE YOURSELF." Regardless of what everyone else is doing, I. am. me. And that's what makes me different, and what sets me apart. There just isn't another me out there. I'll continue to do what I love, and hope that I make a difference along the way.

Image credit: My rockin' sister in law Amory

I should have known...

...when I was 7 years old directing Drake Busath on where I should sit, and what shots would look good for my photo-shoot.

...when I would wander mall photography studios marveling at the photos

...when I would look at photography websites to admire their work whenever I was bored

...when Brant got me my first kodak camera for Christmas

...when wherever we have traveled, I am lagging behind capturing everything I possibly can with my camera

...when back in the day at friend's weddings, I would try to capture the best photos possible for them with those disposable cameras they'd leave on the tables.

...when the first thing I would grab if my house was burning down is my photos

...when Brant got me my Canon SLR, my heart skipped a beat as I heard the shutter click

...when I would spend hours and hours studying photography

...when the more photos I took, the more and more excited inside I became, and the more right it felt...

THAT I HAVE A LOVE AFFAIR WITH PHOTOGRAPHY