Anyway!  It was a long day …. 6 am until almost 6 pm, not counting the half hour of driving time in each direction.  But I had fun, and learned some things about event photography, I think.  In the hopes that WS calls me again next year to be their photographer, I thought perhaps I should jot down a few of my thoughts while they are still fresh, for later review.  Perhaps none of these things are earth shattering, and a few don’t even pertain to photography, but I definitely noticed:

1. Only a real man could pull off dancing in a full-blown Grinch costume and still look cool.

2. Two hundred dollar train sets make amazing raffle prizes.  And if you think that is a lot of money, you will be even more surprised to find out there are people who pay over $2000 for espresso machines.  And don’t bat an eye.

3.  Why yes, inflatable cash blow money machines really are that fun.  (not that I would know this from personal experience, but it sure looked fun.)

4.  People who do not want their pictures taken will certainly let you know, so don’t feel embarrassed to ask them.  Thankfully, most will say yes.

5. Backing up to take cruise-style-type photos of luncheon tables, around the perimeter of the dining room, is not a good idea.  Too many waiters with trays for you to back in to.

6.  Some people, naturally, seem to smile while they are talking.  And it is very easy to get good pictures of them doing a demonstration, because they are smiling and laughing and enjoying themselves, and almost constantly have a pleasant look on their face.  Some people, perhaps those that are more nervous about public speaking ….. do not.

7.  The back of the room is not only the least intrusive place to stand and take photos, it is also the place where they store the food for some presentations.  So during the presentation given by the French chef Jean-Yves Charon, you just might be lucky enough to be sitting next to the bakers rack with hundreds of his croissants on it (no, not the chocolate ones, that would have been pretty much perfect, wouldn’t it?!) and you *might* just be able to sneak a few extra into your camera bag when no one is looking.  Not that you would, of course.

8.  Presentations given by vendors from Australia are a hoot to listen to.

9.  Before the annual awards ceremony, which is pretty much the most important ten minutes of the entire day, make sure you understand exactly how to work your Speedlite External Flash, and the proper camera settings for it.

10.  Remember to PUT THE FLASH IN YOUR BAG BEFORE YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE YOU MORON.**

**in my defense, I had to leave the house at 5am, and it was so early I’m probably lucky I remembered to put PANTS on, let alone grab the external flash.

But while I was always happy with the quality of the photos, I was NOT always happy with the price.  Ridiculous, no?  Since I want/need at least a 5 x 7 of each child for the school scrapbooks, and most years would prefer 8 x 10, I wind up buying a $30 or $40 package …. PER KID.  I was spending close to, if not more, than $100 every year, just so I could have a nice-sized print to scrapbook, and a few wallets to spread around. 

And I never blinked an eye because these are my precious little angle babies and of COURSE I want their pictures each year. 

But this year, I just balked at paying that price.  Maybe because I recently quit working …. so I’m more aware of the money I’m spending each month?  I don’t know.  All I know is those order forms came home and I went ….. “nope, not this time.”   They take the photos for the yearbook, regardless, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write the checks for my own prints.

So I did what any self-respecting psuedo-amatuer photographer does ….. puts up a sheet in the garage and takes my kids’ school pictures myself!   Overall I think they turned out ok.  I certainly think they’re good enough to put in the scrapbook.  Do I think anyone will be fooled into thinking the natural light in my garage is studio lighting?  Or that my little text-date in the bottom corner makes it legitimate?  Shoot, no.  But when I get my prints for less than $10 total, saving myself well over $90 this year ……….. then heck yeah, those are some damn good pictures!!!

And because you can never have too much entertainment ……

BAM!  BAM!  Two tickets to the gun show!!

The skinny, malnourished, white kid gun show.

Do you???

It’s soccer, by the way.  In case you couldn’t tell.  And no, our team is NOT the red team.  I have no idea what I was aiming at.

Try not to be jealous of my pure, natural talent for composition.  And emotion.  And design.  And color.  And blatant disregard for anything to do with focusing.

…the taking of our 2010 Christmas card photo.

Let me just tell you that the kids were already cranky because they had to walk (heaven forbid!) from the parking lot to the campus, then follow me for close to three and a half minutes while I looked for good lighting for the photos.  I know, how dare I impose on their time like that, during Thanksgiving break?  Truly I am a horrific excuse for a mother.

After awhile, they actually got their act together and we got some decent shots …. one of which will make the cut for this year’s card.  But I thought I would show you a few that …………. won’t.

“Oh. Em. Gee, Mom, this is like, SO, totally boring.”

“I mean, you expect us to just stand here, and WAIT on you, while you fiddle with your tripod, and that stupid remote control clicker thing?  Like we have nothing more pressing to do with our time????”

“Couldn’t you have just asked someone else to take the photos?  So that it would be OVER by now??? You’re never going to get that clicker to work.  This is stupid.”

“You kids just zip it right now.  I will get this (*&$(*#& clicker to work if its the last thing I #$*#(*&$  DO!!!   Now SMILE, damn it!!!”

Kellen did have two friends spend the night last night.  I threw Pringles, Oreos, and English Muffin Pizzas at them and called it a day.  Yet another notch in my Mother of the Year crown.

He also has his first basketball game of the season on Monday night.  After the debacle that was football season, I’ll admit I was a little more stressed out than he was about making the 7th grade school basketball team.  Forty-three boys tried out for 15 positions, plus 5 back-up boys.  So after two weeks of practices, over half the boys who had gone out for the team were cut, and told to find another class first hour.  It actually made me nauseous, because we’ve been on the other end of that cut and it hurts, to be honest.  So I felt bad for those boys and their parents.  And, a little perplexed.  This “small school” that I attended my entire life, to be frank, is not so small anymore.  In fact, its doubled in size since I went there.  Still “small” by public school standards, but big enough now that not every kid who goes out for a team or a club gets to participate. 

I’m not sure how I feel about that, although Blaine tells me I need to get a grip.

Speaking of participating, Brayden is still cheering and will be “suiting up” for the same game Monday night.  Again, things are done differently now.  When I was in middle school (or excuse me, Junior High, as we called it) girls tried out for cheerleader.  It was an extra-curricular activity, and practices were after school or evenings, and parents paid for everything.  Now, in our middle school, it is a class.  Any girl (or boy, I suppose, as well) can sign up and take the class.  Then, because there are only 15 cheer-leading uniforms, the teacher selects who gets to cheer each game based on a number of factors …. participation in class, if there is a uniform your size, etc.   The school provides all the uniforms and as a parent, I am required to put ZERO into this activity.  No time, money, nada.  We’re not even allowed to drive the girls and let them cheer at away games …… they just don’t.  Home games only, and only if the sponsor selects you.  Again, different.   I don’t know that one way is better than the other ….. just different.

I hate change.

I also hate drama.  Its so difficult as a parent to see one of your children surrounded by drama, and want to help them, when they don’t want your help.  To want to point out ways it could be avoided, and ways to end it  ….. and it pains me to have to admit, deep down, that it is very likely something your own child (meaning MY own child) isn’t an innocent bystander in.   Its a hard, hard balance to figure out how much of it might be your child’s own fault, and how much of it isn’t.  To wonder why your child seems to attract it, time and again.  To worry that they’re the kind of personality that actually seeks it out.   To wonder how much of it is your kid’s fault …. or not, because of course they constantly swear that it isn’t.  And tell you every rotten thing that is said or done to them, making sure you understand that THEY are the injured party, yet no, do NOT try to give any advise whatsoever.   Or to wonder if all middle-school kids go through a “drama” kind of phase and it will end eventually.  I despise drama and conflict, and avoid it at all costs.  So my child should too, right?  Except I’m an adult and its much easier for me to see the big picture.  Difficult parenting moments, for sure.

I am still working.  In fact, last week was my final week of covering for the receptionist’s six weeks of maternity leave.  My boss and I had our sit-down, what-do-you-want-to-do-and-how-do-you-see-this-continuing talk.  She said I was welcome to stay, and I said I would like to stay, but maybe not three days a week.  So we compromised on a two, or two and one half days a week position, taking over their medical records department.  The current girl doing medical records has been doing that in addition to her regular job, so its pretty much a win-win for everyone involved, and she’ll start training me this Monday.  After working for six weeks, I totally understand how those moms who work enjoy it.  Its nice to get up, get dressed in something besides yoga pants, and go spend several hours with people who aren’t constantly yammering at you to pack “good stuff” in their lunch, or did you wash their basketball jersey, or mom, I forgot, I’m supposed to take a life-size replica of the Taj Mahal made out of popsicle sticks and silver glitter to school tomorrow morning. 

This office is awesome.  My co-workers are nice (except one, but of course there is always ONE, isn’t there?)  I have a great relationship with my boss and with the doctor.  Drug reps bring us lunch and dinner almost every day, and it’s what I went to college for …. medical secretarial studies.  I enjoy it.

But I also enjoy, REALLY enjoy, being a stay at home mom.  A super-involved, activities-and-errands-and-volunteer-and-hobby kind of stay at home mom, and I wasn’t willing to give any part of that up.  Which meant three days a week was just a little too much for me to squeeze in.  I think two days a week will be an ideal balance, allowing me some “grown up” time, and time for what is most important to me, parenting.

Speaking of parenting, nothing ruins a playdate like forced family photos.  I dragged Kendrie and her best friend Katrina out for pictures the other night, to celebrate Kendrie turning 11.  Even though that happened two and a half months ago ………. whatever.  So me and my cherry-red exploding lips will leave you with a few photos ….. have a great weekend.

I was hired by a commercial landscaping company recently to take some photos of a few local customers of theirs, to use on their website.  One of the places they wanted me to shoot was a nearby Catholic school/church that they maintain.  It wasn’t until I was burning the photos onto a cd for the landscape company that I noticed this ….. not earth shattering, but I did think it was sort of neat, considering it was completely random and not planned.  I mean, really, what are the odds the puddle would be in the exact right spot, at the exact right time of day, while I was standing in the exact right location, at the exact right height?

PHOTOGRAPHY FAIL.

But really, must they remind me of my place on the BOTTOM of the totem pole ….

Every …..

stinking ….

time ???

Things I am grateful for today:  equal parts digital film, and the delete button.   And the occasional shot where no-one steps right in front of me, the exact same instant I press the shutter button.

And I thought to myself, “I am the world’s best photographer.”

Then I bought some new Photoshop actions and started playing around, and the pictures got even better.

And I thought to myself, “I totally ROCK as the world’s best photographer.”

Then I joined a local ladies photography group.

And I thought to myself, “I am improving my skills all the time.   I will remain the world’s best photographer.”

Then my new local ladies photography group had a walk-around downtown tonight, to learn new locations for shooting portraits, and I went.

And I thought to myself, “There is no stopping me now.  I am, will remain, and will always be, the world’s best photographer.”

Then at the beginning of our photo walk tonight I looked down and realized ………. I forgot to put a memory card in my camera.  Which is the digital equivalent of showing up somewhere without film.

Geez, I suck as the world’s best photographer.