For Flower Friday this week I have these lovely images of the Rose of Sharon bushes in my yard. I almost did cartwheels when they finally popped out they are so pretty! We have three small bushes in our front yard one of which has been blooming for a week or so the other two are just now starting to open up. These bushes will get nice and big in the next couple years …as long as I can keep the deer from eating them during the winters. Enjoy a this bit of pretty pink today!
This is where I found Worf this morning… now I would have thought this was Aden’s doing …since he is the one who sneaks Worf to new places. However, this shelf unit in my office is to high for him to reach easily AND get Worf atop the funky cat. …so my guess is that he had a bit of help from his brother Calum in order to pull this one off.
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Lake Michigan never lets me down. I have gotten the best weather for portrait session’s out in Holland this summer (knock on wood, not to jinx myself!). Here is another stunning family that has the {What to Wear} going on! Perfectly coordinated.
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Little Miss Phoebe charmed me through and through.
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A two years ago, we moved to our current house. One of our main reasons for choosing this house, was the property it sits on. The house is modest but the land around it clocks in at just over 2 acres of land! It is (crazy) rare in Grand Rapids to find a lot this big. Even more rare is that our property is a wooded lot with a stream. This gave me the opportunity to move my studio to our residence and utilize the space for my own private portrait park. (My husband thinks we chose the house so he could have a big garden and chickens … wink wink nudge nudge.). The icing on the cake was having our property but up to a lovely Grand Rapids Park with Nature Preserve walking trails. It has been lovely having outdoor space a few steps out my door.
Before we purchased our property, it stood vacant for several years and grew a bit wild! We are slowly taming back the wild parts but I must say it’s overwhelming at times. I’ve reclaimed some areas for use as my outdoor studio but when it comes to landscaping I’m totally out of my comfort zone! I know what I like but not the first clue where to begin. I guess I need to become one with the earth and learn to embrace “dirt therapy” as my avid gardening friend calls it. Honesty, I want the texture, the color and the beauty but I’m impatient sort….it’s going to be a journey to cultivate all the ideas I have in my head for our space.
Thankfully, the last owner put in all sorts of perennial plants that give me happy delights all through the growing season. I’ve been taking photographs of everything that pops up so I know what it looks like and and roughly when to expect it. Hopefully this will keep me from weeding the wrong plants!
So from here on out, Friday’s will be Flower Friday …well at least during the growing season. Come winter … I might need to change that up with my favorites since all we see is snow for a good long stretch! (yeah, I know again with those four letter words! …but to me beyond January uttering the word “snow” is swearing!)
Here is your first Friday Flower:
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This little fellow was waiting for me this morning. Isn’t he fierce looking? He was left for me by my youngest son who is always putting toys in odd places. I’ll bet he is here to guard my keyboard?
I’m a bit of a sci-fi geekette (new word there) and I have a Worf action figure complete with Bat’leth on my desk. If you don’t know who Worf is …shame on you… go google it. Anyway, my boys love to sneak Worf from his normal place of repose. They move him to odd places in my office and pose him for me to find. It’s a little game to see how long it takes before I find him. hmm….where did Worf go?
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I adore this family! It’s been awhile since we did their yearly session at the lake, so this year we opted for sand and surf and ventured out to Lake Michigan for their family portrait session. We couldn’t have asked for a better day! I totally do the snoopy happy dance when the weather goddess shines sun and breeze upon my sessions. (and those seagulls cooperated too!)
This post is also tagged in {What to Wear Wednesday} because Moira and her family have it going on! Semi dressy + beach marry very well! Nice example of blending striking prints in a DO way! No black bars over the eyes for this family … no how. This is a portrait session DO for sure.
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I follow various blogs and today I was reading through some older blog posts and hit one on Seth Godin’s blog … it totally struck a cord with me. Here it is if you want to check it out
The jist is this – the idea of attaining “perfection” can hold you back or even freeze you in your tracks. Although Seth’s post pertains to a business context, I’ve heard this same sentiment more than once before applied to just about everything in life. From the tiny task to the life changing big deal task/project/etc.
The idea of perfection in our heads keeps us from even trying to do whatever it is we desire to do … because we can’t possibly do it as well as the perfect vision in our mind.
So my “doah” moment was when I realized that yes, indeed – I’ve had this idea in my head of what a bloging photographer should be…yes, you are following me … a “perfect” version. I would have to be witty, insightful, and creative – all presented in a very polished professional way that wouldn’t offend anyone. Well, guess what … that isn’t exactly me.
I’m more quirky than polished. For example, my dirty secret is that I sort of have a potty mouth. Yes, I swear (yeah, I know I’m children’s photographer…how unprofessional!) …but before you all go comment crazy …don’t freak…I don’t do it in front of my client’s children, silly! I regularly use code …for the nasty words. And adopted some new ones for use in front of my kids (dren and frill… I’ll let you all work those out…). In recent years I’ve adopted the word bugger ….because well, here in the states people just don’t see it as that offensive. Lucky us
So what is my point? Yes, I do have one. I’m letting go of my “perfect” image of what and how to post on this blog. I’m letting go of the over thinking freeze up mode. I’m just going to, bugger it all, and be myself.
I want to challenge you all to identify one thing this week that has you trapped in the evil unrealistic “perfection” cycle. It can be anything….cleaning your house (if you are an easily distracted like me – try flylady.net It’s basic, but oh, so effective!), learning to paint, learning manual mode on your camera, or waiting for your whole family to be perfect (your daughter’s braces are off, you’ve lost that pesky 15 pounds, your husband finally has given up the idea that his mohawk is still cool and got a current haircut, and the dog has finished obedience school) BEFORE you have a family portrait done.
Giveway Time!!!
If you post a comment below you get in on the random giveaway! One winner will be randomly selected on Friday (and because I’m working at home with my boys and will certainly get distracted, you have until 12 noon EST 8/20 to post your comment and be eligible for the giveaway) . Photog winner gets a Storyboard template. Clients/follower winner…. a Simplicity Session give away!
-meg
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I’m a slacker. Megaslacker on the blog posting …that is me. Posting fell to the back burner and then totally off my radar. Dedicated readers – stick with me … I promise I’m back on the blogwagon. Expect to see more than just sneak peaks and what to wear content. I’m going to branch out a bit and not limit this blog to only my biz related things. Please feel free to comment! I love comments. Yes, clients that are reading …comment! Those that read and aren’t yet clients … you can comment too! No comment is bad. …well, unless it’s spam and I zap those right away.
I’ve just completed a major overhaul of my websites. Once upon a time in photographer land (yes, we have on-line places we all hang out in together) it became the rage to split out your website in to different portals for the specific areas of your photography business (i.e. weddings, portraits, high school seniors, pets, models…etc). I jumped on this bandwagon… thinking great this will be great! However, two years down the road and managing all those separate sites, blogs and whatnot was making me twitchy! It was to much. Did I update the wedding galleries? Or was that on the portrait site? What did I blog and “where?” did I blog it? This spring I decided it was time to work smarter and not harder! My portrait and weddings are now merged back into one portfolio style website.
I’ve kept the High School Senior facet of my business separate … they are too cool to lump in with everyone. I’ve updated their site to a hip blog style site for all their image and information needs!
simple work flow = a happier meg!
Come check out the new look of Goodman Photography (you can click on the images to go visit):
Goodman Photography - new website
GP Senior Style Blogsite
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