A change of pace!

Hey everyone!

I want to give y'all a heads-up on something really exciting that's going to happen here on my blog next week!

As I'm sure you've noticed, I've been slacking and haven't been blogging as often as I'd like. I have been out photographing, but I just haven't taken the time to post all the juicy images I've gotten. So, next week, I'm dropping the pictures and will be posting about something else that is near and dear to my heart: diabetes.

You may or may not know that I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes when I was 4. Usually, people find out that I'm diabetic when they notice the little grey box attached to my hip: "No, it's not a beeper. No, it's not an mp3 player. No, it's not a cell phone. See this little tubing here? It's attached to me, and it gives me insulin. Yep, that's right, I'm diabetic."

I sometimes avoid conversations like that because, most often than not, people start assuming things, such as:
- I have a miserable life. (How could a diabetic enjoy life?)
- I eat too much candy.
- I "did this" to myself; I could "avoid this" if I only ate right and exercised more.
- I have a strict diet.
- I have diabetic parents and siblings and grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles....

These types of reactions (especially the first one!) sometimes make me squirm. But, the truth is, I love answering questions about diabetes. Most people don't know what diabetes actually is, or they think it's that weird disease that old, fat people get. In my opinion, the more I tell people about diabetes, the less they'll be confused when they meet the next person with a "beeper" on their pants. (Does anyone still use a beeper anyway??)

So, starting on Monday, May 10, you'll get a blog post a day as I participate in Diabetes Blog Week!


Karen of Bitter-Sweet Diabetes Blog came up with this brilliant idea to have diabetics around the world post a blog a day for a week, with topics provided. We'll be posting with the following topic suggestions:
Monday 5/10 - A day in the life... with diabetes
Tuesday 5/11 - Making the low go
Wednesday 5/12 - Your Biggest Supporter
Thursday 5/13 - To carb or not to carb
Friday 5/14 - Let's get moving
Saturday 5/15 - Diabetes snapshots
Sunday 5/16 - Dream a little dream

To read more about this project, click here.
For a list of participating diabetics, click here.

So, sit back, relax, and don't forget to check back next Monday for my first diabetes-related post! (I will continue to post images too! I promise!)

:)
Lauren

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Ann & Kevin

Hello everyone!

Meet Ann and Kevin.

Ann, Kevin, and I all went to grad school together. I remember when Ann and Kevin first started dating, so it was super exciting to hear of their recent engagement! Of course I jumped at the chance to photograph these two lovebirds in Balboa Park one Saturday. The place was packed that afternoon, but that didn't stop us from getting some really great shots! Here are some of my favorites.







Congratulations again to Ann and Kevin! I look forward to working with you on your wedding day later this year. :)

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Ultimate Shootout!

Hey everyone!

Well, February came and went and I didn't post a single thing! This blog has definitely slowed down through the winter months, but, with spring here and summer coming soon, I'm planning to pump this back up as I get out to shoot more often!

Last weekend, I met up with another photography group I found on Facebook. This one is the SoCal Photography Group. We met up at a private ranch in Bonsall, CA, to shoot all afternoon. I met several models and many photographers, and I definitely look forward to meeting up with them again at the next shoot!

Here are a handful of my favorites.






For the rest of my images, check out my Flickr or my Facebook! And don't forget to check out the SoCal Photography Group! We're always looking for new talent to join our meet ups!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy weekend!

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Last Weekend

Hello all! Here's just an update on what I've been up to recently!

Last weekend, I participated in a workshop lead by Corina Shauntele of Steadfast Photography, and then went out to the San Diego Photog ShootOut--both on the same day! It was a long day of shooting, but I had a blast, and learned a lot from all the fabulous photographers in attendance! Here are a handful of the images I got.








For the rest of my picks, check out my Flickr or look for me on Facebook!

Tomorrow, I'm heading out to yet another workshop. (I can't get enough of them!) This time, I'll be learning all about natural light from Matthew Saville. Look for an update about the shots I get later this week!

And, on a totally unrelated note, check out this link! I love it!

Have a great Sunday! :)

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Hello 2010!

Can you believe it's 2010 already? 2009 went by way too fast! This time last year, I was getting all the last-minute details taken care of for my wedding. (Our anniversary is coming up soon! Yay!) So much happened last year! Here's my attempt at summing it up:

I got married.
We spent three months together.
We took a trip to Hawaii (our belated honeymoon).
Clay was sent to Oklahoma; I stayed in the DC area.
I started taking more photos while I had free time on my hands, and attended a lunch-n-learn workshop by the wonderful Natalie Franke, where I met some great photographers in the area (including the fabulous Vida Carson), from whom I've learned a lot! :)
I started a blog.
I quit my first "real" job.
I found my second "real" job.
We moved to California.
And I lost my appendix on the way.

We spent the Christmas weekend at my sister's in Albuquerque, and she and my brother-in-law cooked up a delicious Christmas dinner for us! Here's a look at the beautiful table (before all the food)!

Then Clay and I spent New Years at home. Since he was on duty for both Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve (which is when my family typically celebrates Christmas), we decided to have our holiday feast on New Years Eve. We cooked up an entire turkey and I used my grandmother's recipe for cornbread dressing. Yum! Of course we toasted at midnight. (after I took a nap--I can't stay up that late anymore!) Unfortunately, one of these glasses didn't make it through the weekend: I tipped it over while cleaning up and it shattered! I hope that's not a sign! ;)

It's now January and we're still not 100% moved in. Recently, I've been shooting with friends, I attended PhotogShootout event in November, and I shot at a San Diego Help-Portrait event in December. So I'm getting back into my photography habit! ;) I look forward to moving on with that in the coming months.

Here’s to 2010!

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Merry Christmas from sunny San Diego!

Hello Everyone!

Please excuse my lack of posts recently! I'm still kickin' and I hope to get back into blogging soon. :)

For now, here's a shot of the back (ocean) side of the Hotel Del Coronado that I took yesterday, on Christmas Eve. On the right side of the shot, you can see an ice skating rink that they set up. (When I took this shot, they were resurfacing the ice, which is why no one is skating--it was really busy when it was open!) It was a beautiful, clear day, so you can see Point Loma in the background. It was a gorgeous view!


I hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season!
Lauren

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An update! and some nastiness... ;)

Wow! I can't believe it's been over two months since I posted any images on here! Sheesh!

Well, I got a little story for ya, Ags! ;) My hubby and I were set to move from the Washington, DC, area to Southern California, so I was busy trying to get things ready for the move when I got sick. I had just finished my last day of work at the architecture firm in DC, which was good timing since I didn't have any sick days to use (plus I had a number of things I needed to finish up before I left). I felt horrible for a few days and decided to go see a doctor. They ran numerous tests on me (which took about a week--not fun) but didn't find much. They thought I might have had a urinary tract infection, so they put me on Cipro, and told me to go home and take it easy. (Did I mention we were trying to move?) Fortunately, I started feeling better, so we packed up and headed for my parents' house in San Antonio.

Not even three hours after we arrived, I started feeling sick again. I had a horrible night, and wasn't feeling better by morning, so Mom and hubby decided I should go to the ER. Long story short, I had appendicitis. I got wheeled into the OR and wheeled back out again about an hour later. Turns out I had had pretty bad infection that caused a some nasty problems I won't mention here and basically just created a lot of mess on my insides. The doctor thinks I had gotten appendicitis while I was still in VA, but it probably calmed down with the Cipro then flared up again two weeks later. It apparently wasn't acting like "normal" appendicitis (whatever that means) which is why the doctors out in VA didn't see it at first (plus I wasn't having the same pain typically associated with it).

And, I have pictures to prove it! If you scroll down to the bottom of this post, you'll see a picture I took of a picture of my appendix after it was removed. Consider yourself warned! It is pretty nasty looking!

So now you know why I haven't posted anything lately! Because I was sick, I had to cancel a few events I had set up to photograph (including a baby shower I was really excited about--boo!) and some portrait sessions too.

But, we've made it out to California, and I have some images I took in DC and Virginia before we left that I'm going to post here. These first two are from Dumbarton Oaks, a huge garden and museum in the Georgetown area of DC. My friend Carmen had told me about it when I first moved to DC last fall, but I hadn't taken the time to visit. When she found out I was moving, she asked if I wanted to go with her to see it before I left, and of course I said yes! It is a gorgeous place that I'd recommend to anyone in the DC area.

I liked the little yellow ladybug hanging out on these flowers.

And I thought it was really cool to see this vine sprouting from a brick wall!

And now for the appendix pic! Don't scroll any further if you don't want to see something a little nasty! :)


(I'm giving you time to decide whether you want to see it or not.)


(Did you decide?)


(Three....)


(Two...)


(One!)


Here it is! Mine was apparently about twice the size as a normal one. Shrug.

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