Focus and Concentration

For those that know me, they know that these are the bane of my existence...only because these qualities elude me most days. I know I have it in me...they came in very useful when delivering my babies (one of which was 9 lbs. 4 oz.) at a birth home with no drugs...and it was a conscious decision to do that way. So, of course, I'm even more frustrated because I know the qualities exist within me, I just can't seem to access them at will...very frustrating for a control-freak! And there are so many distractions...facebook, email, iphone, the internet in general, messy house that I know I need to clean up...

So I Google-d (imagine that verb didn't exist 10 or so years ago) Focus and Concentration How To. There is actually an App available to me via the iPhone. Ironic considering the iPhone is a HUGE resource for distraction (new name...iDistract). Anyways, the App is called "Total Focus & Concentration". It is comprised of a series of exercises to do to increase your focus and concentration. I haven't bought yet, but boy I'm desperate! My daily task list isn't getting any shorter!

I Left My Heart...

It never fails. When I go back to the City, I fall in love all over again. It inspires me...refreshes me. I love the curved windows.

...the attention to detail

...the mix of organic and structured.
I guess there will always be a part of me that belongs to San Francisco.

Keep On Looking

It's amazing. My aunt and uncle live on the side of Mt. Diablo. Beautiful.

Fish Stories

We made a new friend. His Name is Dr. No No. If you stand in front of him and shake your head as if to say, "No" he'll tell you, "No." You can check him out in the Kneisel's Auto Body lobby in Citrus Heights.

Happy Easter

May your easter basket overflow with wonderful surprises!

P.S.: I shamelessly stole this idea from another photo from a pro photographer...hey, imitation is the highest form of flattery!

Playing with Light

Eric and I went to a photo club gathering last night and was able to play with some of the strobes and reflectors...but the best was catching the last bit of natural light that streamed into the studio.

Photo Inspiration

I am really loving looking through my lens. I got this email from Design M.ag full of beautiful photos for inspiration. Check it out!

Talent. It's all in the family.

I guess it not only runs in the family by blood, but by marriage, too. As you may know, I'm a designer, my aunt (by blood) is a designer, my cousin (by blood) is a designer and, now I'd like to link to my cousin (by marriage), Mara, who is an artist. She lives in the Philippines, but has a great eye and a great hand. Please check out her work at http://www.spraygraphic.com/maranepomuceno

Also, I'm lovin the tips and articles at http://designm.ag/ Always looking to learn something new! Check them out.

Daylight Fill Photos

I'm practicing what I learned at my photography lighting workshop. I had the girls stand outside with the sun sort of backlighting them (more like top-lighting). Anyways, I used my speedlight as fill-light. This first one worked out well, but I kind of blew out the background on the following one. I really like the way this first one turned out.

Yummy, Marshmallows

I went to lunch recently with my parents at their golf club. It was a nice visit, and the food was delicious. My son asked for dessert, and when we asked what he would like, he said, “Marshmallows.” That wasn't on the menu, but they were kind enough to accommodate him. I love watching my kids enjoy simple things like MARSHMALLOWS.

I've been away...but not far.

Finally, I'm posting to my blog. It's Saturday morning, and my family is still sleeping, so this is a good time to catch up on things. First, I finished my first amigurumi doll...cute, ain't he? My son has since captured it. And now my other kids want one each. Maybe on the next one I won't overstuff his head so he'll actually stand on his legs without tipping forward :-) Enjoying working with my hands and being away from the computer screen.

Also been taking photography classes and workshops...loving that as well. I took one on basic lighting a couple of weeks ago. That was great. Took another one on depth of field a couple of nights ago...learned a few things from that one as well. And, to top it all off, I'm meeting some nice people who share my enjoyment of photography.