Samantha

My sister Samantha, Tokay High School Class of 2008. We had way too much fun.

Disneyland

If you've never been to the Happiest Place On Earth, put it on your list of things to do...

San Diego Wild Animal Park

My sisters and I visited the San Diego Wild Animal Park earlier today and took a Photo Caravan Tour into the African exhibit. We entered the exhibit in a large truck and got to feed a giraffe! It was such an amazing experience, and it's certainly something I'd love to do again. One of the other trucks on our tour... they're surrounded! These giraffes are well trained and they know exactly what's going on. It's called snack time. For the first few minutes the other giraffes didn't seem to notice that we were there, but one of the adult females saw us and made her way over. She had us, and our entire bucket of leaves, all to herself. That's one smart giraffe.

# 41

I have had my black Reef sandals for nearly four years. I've worn them constantly, and they are quite possibly the most comfortable pair of shoes I own. They've seen foreign soil and traipsed through Spain, Italy, France, and England. They were on my feet when I first arrived in New York during a rainstorm.

But they're terribly worn out, and as much as I enjoy wearing them, I'm sure they're about to break in two. I've been searching for a suitable replacement, and I finally succeeded. #41 is done!

Coronado

I've lived in San Diego for nearly 5 years, but I've never made it to Coronado. My sisters came to visit and Coronado was the first place we went. We took the ferry to the island and spent the afternoon exploring.

101 in 1001

The Mission:

Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:

Tasks must be specific with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching.

Why 1001 Days?

Many people have created lists in the past, frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days, about 2.75 years, is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some Common Goal Setting Tips:

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Assuming I've calculated correctly...

MY START DATE: 3/31/2008
MY END DATE: 12/26/2010

KEY:
BOLD: Completed.
ITALIC: In Progress.

These are in no specific order, I've simply typed them in the order in which they popped into my head. I've attempted to avoid major traveling, like Europe or Australia... because although I would love to see these places , I don't know about the financial end of that goal. Traveling cross country is the most I think I can realistically manage at this point.

1. Complete my European travels blog.
2. Start and finish my New York and Washington, D.C. travel blog.
3. Start and finish my New York and Cooperstown travel blog.
4. Print pictures from my European travels and make my ultimate scrapbook. Some pictures have been printed. By some I mean 50 of about 5,000.
5. Print pictures from my New York and Washington D.C. travels and make a scrapbook. Pages in process.
6. Finish Andy's birthday story with prints from our New York and Cooperstown trip. Done! June 7, 2008.
7. Establish a digital image work flow. Working through Adobe Bridge for the first time...
8. Properly archive all the images I've ever taken.
9. Build my own dark room.
10. Buy a fisheye lens .
11. Buy and learn how to use graduated neutral density filters.
12. Actually learn how to play guitar.
13. Brush up on my Spanish and learn to speak it fluently.
14. Complete a home inventory.
15. Sell a print to someone I didn't already know or have a connection to. Done! March 10, 2009.
16. Get paid for a shoot by someone I didn't already know or have a connection to. Done! April 26, 2009.
17. Get in shape! This counts for nearly five...
18. Be able to make it all the way through the Gymnastics Level 7 Compulsory floor routine that I love so much.
19. Go to the beach in a bathing suit and feel good about it.
20. Knit a scarf.
21. Learn off camera lighting including umbrellas, softboxes, and strobes. Enrolled in a portraiture class, Fall Semester 2008. Enrolled in a lighting class, Winter Semester 2009.
22. Learn on camera flash. Canon Speedlite 430EX purchased July 25, 2008. Enrolled in a portraiture class, Fall Semester 2008. Enrolled in a lighting class, Winter Semester 2009.
23. Overhaul my wardrobe, including clearing out the "I'll wear that someday" pile. "I'll wear that someday" pile donated to charity October 4, 2008. Clothing purchased December 26, 2008. Additional clothing donated January 1, 2009.
24. Sew and complete the unfinished totes sitting in my closet.
25. Take a family portrait. Done! December 27, 2008.
26. Take a real self portrait.
27. Take a portrait of Andy's family.
28. Take a real portrait of Andy. Done! March 24, 2009.
29. Visit Grace in Washington D.C.
30. Visit Nicole in Texas.
31. Volunteer for charity.
32. Become a donating member of the Third Wave Foundation
33. Donate to the Campaign for the Palace of Fine Arts
34. Donate to the Australian Bush Heritage Foundation
35. Host a dinner party.
36. Host a Super Bowl Party.
37. Enter a photo contest. Done! April 16, 2009.
38. Take salsa lessons and go dancing.
39. Get a facial.
40. Get a professional massage.
41. Replace my very well worn, very well loved Reefs. Done! March 22, 2008.
42. Go skydiving.
43. Ride in a hot air balloon.
44. Find and buy a perfume I like. Done! June 25, 2008.
45. Buy a Shootsac . Done! Ordered July 23, 2008.
46. Finish my personal website , with a blog and a logo that I actually love. Done! October 6, 2008.
47. Read a book a month for an entire year. (0/12)
48. Keep a reading journal. Reading journal started September 2008.
49. Buy something from Etsy . This place is amazing. Done! Cute tote purchased as a gift on August 19, 2008.
50. Become a digital editing photoshop whiz. Not digital manipulation... just editing. Using Adobe Bridge, Lightroom 2, and layer masks.
51. Be on time to work every day for a week. Done! Week of July 28 to August 1, 2008.
52. Don't drink soda for a week. This will not be the same week as #51. I'd never make it...
53. Dress up as a Ring Master for Halloween and attend a Halloween party.
54. See and photograph the Getty Museum and Villa . Getty Museum photographed February 28, 2009.
55. Photograph the Walt Disney Concert Hall .
56. See and photograph my namesake's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
57. "Swim" with dolphins.
58. Visit Sequoia National Park .
59. Visit the Anza-Borrego Desert . Done! March 14, 2009.
60. Visit Joshua Tree .
61. See the Grand Canyon.
62. Frame the Van Gogh print I bought for Andy at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
63. Fly in a helicopter. The Unforgettable Tour sounds pretty good.
64. Get a Business Tax Certificate and Seller's Permit. Done! May 15, 2008.
65. See a Packers game.
66. Cook dinner every day for a month. (0/30)
67. Go on a picnic.
68. Schedule a shoot with a model to work on my portfolio. Done! April 11, 2009.
69. Go dancing at a Las Vegas Club. No headaches this time!
70. Take and post a picture every day for a month.
71. Complete two rolls of film for the Double Exposure project.
72. Fundraise at least $3,000 in the fight against breast cancer. If you would like to help my fundraising efforts you can do so here. Done! November 19, 2008.
73. Win some money on the ponies with a Box Trifecta.
74. Show my work at the County Fair.
75. Donate to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.
76. Pay off one of my four loans.
77. Visit Muir Woods National Monument.
78. Photograph the Japanese Tea Garden and Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park.
79. Regain my flexibility, including my left split.
80. Keep fresh sunflowers on my kitchen table for a month.
81. Send cards to my friends just because.
82. Participate in the San Diego ArtWalk.
83. Photograph a wedding.
84. Learn to bake Angel Food Cake.
85. Try a new food recipe a month for a year. (0/12)
86. Reread the Great Gatsby.
87. Reread Catcher in the Rye and see if I hate it less.
88. Read the Old Man and the Sea and tell my Grandma what I thought about it.
89. See an Angels game in Anaheim. Done! July 5, 2008.
90. Join Uber and RedBubble to increase my exposure. Done! Joined RedBubble April 5, 2009. Joined Flickr April 14, 2009.
91. Grow my own herb garden. I don't know why, but I've always wanted one.
92. Volunteer at an animal shelter.
93. Buy a pair of brown Rainbows.
94. Maintain and use my list of shooting ideas or locations.
95. Read at least one book about Che Guevara. Started January 11, 2009.
96. Make my own pair of earrings.
97. Come up with a signature I like.
98. Paint something, even if it's abstract.
99. Take singing lessons.
100. Play Blackjack at a casino.
101. See an original Georgia O'Keeffe . Done! September 24, 2008.

Completed: 19 goals
In Progress: 14 goals

Oh my... I have a long way to go.

Kaitlyn

This morning I had the opportunity to work with Kaitlyn, a beautiful aspiring actress who needed headshots for her portfolio. We fought a shy sun and some brisk weather, but still managed to create the classic images Kaitlyn was hoping for. Isn't she stunning?!