Nicolesy Photography: Blog

Nicole — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

"Meet the Winners of ANPW #4 - Rhonda Holcomb Womack" Interview by Nicole Young Rhonda Hocomb Womack is a stay-at-home mom from Southeast Texas. She enjoys wildlife & nature photography and has been in pursuing her interest in photography for over 20 years. Her photograph "Let's Spend It Together" won her a seat to the workshop in Mt. Rainier this September. Please tell us the story behind your winning photograph. My husband and I love to camp so we went with friends to Martin Dies Jr. State Park in Jasper Texas. The sunsets and sunrises on the lake are spectacular, and it was our first camping trip with our canoe. We arose early in the morning to take pictures of the sunrise by canoe, however that morning it decided to mist and rain instead of shine (chuckle), so with his great paddling ability and the help of the steady tripod I was able to take the picture of the two trees on the bank from the canoe with my Panasonic Lumix. The rain actually was a good thing and I'm glad we didn't call it quits and go back to shore. What is it about photography that got you hooked? Was there something significant that happened in your life that makes you passionate about photography? Actually I became interested in photography the day I photographed my three year old at Niagara Falls. The expression and body language coupled with the scene that I captured with my camera told a story without having to express it with a written caption. What do you feel is one of the most important aspects of being a good photographer? A good photographer is one who explores, takes risks and goes with the flow. They are able to create a dream for someone else to dive into. What camera equipment will you be bringing with you to the workshop in Mt. Rainier? Canon EOS DSLR XSI 100-300 Zoom Lens Canon EOS DSLR 50d Canon 100-400 Zoom IS, 50mm prime, 85mm prime, 28-135 IS, 18-55 IS Tripod, flash, remote switch, diffuser and memory cards. You can view more of Rhonda's photography here.

Nicole — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Fix My Photo! By Nicole Young - Follow Nicole on Twitter Do you have a photograph that needs some post-processing help, but are not sure where to start or what to do? Let us help! We are starting a new series of videos called "Fix My Photo" - viewers (that's you!) submit images with a short explanation of the what the problem is, and we will select from those images and do a tutorial showing how to fix it. Here are the requirements for submitting images: - Your image can be any size, but the larger it is, the better! - Be as specific as possible with your question or problem area - Please be sure to mention your name and where you live in the email - Send your photos to photofocusfix@gmail.com (Note - submitting your images to photofocusfix@gmail.com authorizes use of the image in our video tutorials.)

Hello!

Nicole — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 01:46:00 +0000

Well, this is my first official entry in my brand-new blog ... I'm at a loss for words (yeah, right - like that will ever happen!) Okay, so there's not much going on in my life right now. Ace is, once again, gone for a little while. We saw each other for one whole week before he set sail on his second trip. We, or should I say I, am getting quite settled in our new house (Ace has only lived in it the week he was back). It's still a mess in some areas, and I have way too many plans for painting and decorating, but it feels like home :) My cute little kittens are still cute as ever. They keep me company, and drive me crazy at the same time. I love having cats again. (The photo above is of one of my kittens, Fuji.) In less than three weeks I get to go home and see my brother get married! I'm so excited to see my family again, and it will probably be a while until I go home after that. I'm expecting more people to want to come out here and visit, since it's free room-and-board in Hawaii for all my friends and family ;) I wish I could come home during Autumn ... I haven't had a real fall season since before I joined the Navy. Hawaii is extremely beautiful, but I like the changing of the seasons better than just one season all year round. Until next time ... Photo taken in Oahu, Hawaii and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

The weekend ...

Nicole — Fri, 01 Jul 2005 06:45:00 +0000

... is amost here! I have been working a strange schedule lately that doesn't give me regular "Monday thru Friday, nine-to-five" work-days, but it works out that I get a nice, long, 4th of July weekend. I don't have too many plans, aside from taking photos of the fireworks and going over to a friend's house. I'll probably just do the regular-stuff-that-normal-people-do-on-the-weekend thing .... mow the lawn, clean the house, feed the cats. Ah, the life.

I lately realized that as I move from place to place, I find myself missing all the places I've been to over the last 6 years. When I was in Japan I couldn't wait to leave. But now that I'm gone I can list off all of the reasons that it would have been nice to stay! The weather was great there (perfect running weather ... aside from the snow!), it was quiet and safe, the people were friendly, and even my job was great. I always seem to see these things too far after the fact, and I'm trying to learn how to appreciate what I have now, instead of waiting until after I move again. Okay, so I do live in Hawaii, and you might think it's easy to live in a place where the sun always shines, the days are always warm, and I can see both the mountains and the ocean on my drive to-and-from work everyday. But, I am a mid-western girl. Give me a few cloudy, cool, stormy days ... I'll be there with my camera trying to take pictures of lightening! I already miss things like cold weather, snow, and the bugs singing early in the evening telling everyone that summer is finally here. But what I need to do is look past all that and just enjoy all of this beautiful weather ... because one day I'll be back on the mainland in the middle of winter, wishing I was still here in Hawaii!

Well, only a week-and-a-half before I'm home on leave :) I'm so excited to see everyone! I'm almost broke now after paying for my plane ticket, but it's well worth it. (Plus, I was able to upgrade to First Class on my trip home ... thank you, frequent flyer miles!) I'm gonna be a picture taking fool ove the next few weeks. I'm taking my "real" camera, meaning my Nikon F4, plus my tripod, on the trip, and I plan on using all of my film up. I have my sights on a new camera, which is basically the digital equivilant to the one I have now ... now all I need is the $$$. After that, watch out world! I'll be looking at life through a lens for the rest of my existence once I have that beautiful camera ;)

I've written enough ... it's time for me to clean the kitchen and go for a walk. Life is full of excitement, don't you think! ;)

Photo taken in Misawa, Japan, and is copyright Nicole Young, 2004.

Fireworks

Nicole — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 03:22:00 +0000

The 4th of July has finally come, and I was, once again, out there with my Nikon, shooting away. The photos turned out okay, not my best, but this was my first attempt at fireworks in Hawaii. I've had a great weekend so far ... I've spent a lot of time with friends, and I also did some much-needed shopping today. (Now all I have left to do is some very-much-needed house-cleaning!)

Only eight more days until I go home! I really miss the little things about Lincoln ... the fireflies, thunderstorms in the middle of the night ... I always used to say I would never settle down in my home town, but after being so many other places, it doesn't sound so bad after all ;) The only problem would be convincing Andrew ...

Photo taken in Oahu, Hawaii and is copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Papaya Tree

Nicole — Fri, 08 Jul 2005 07:48:00 +0000

One thing that's great about Hawaii is that a lot of people have fruit trees in their backyards. Well, I wasn't one of these lucky people, so I decided to do something about it. Meet my beautiful, tiny (but growing) baby papaya tree. I got it about a month ago, and it's actually growing! I took these photos a few weeks apart and you can actually see that there are more leaves on the bottom pic. I definitely do not have a natural green thumb, since I've probably killed more plants than ... wait a minute, I think I usually kill all of them ;) But I'm going to change from my evil plant-killing ways and nurture my baby tree to be full-grown and fruit-bearing. Wish me luck!

(Only six more days until I get to go home and see my family ... yay! Hmmm ... I guess I'll need a papaya tree babysitter ...)

Photography

Nicole — Sun, 10 Jul 2005 06:11:00 +0000

One of my favorite past-times, if you can't already tell or don't already know, is photography. I was a huge shutterbug when I was a teenager ... and I've been trying to re-kindle that flame lately. Back then, almost all you could work with was film, which I still love, but the world of digital photography has made so many things possible! I'm in the process now of trying to digi-tize all of my old negatives, but since I have hundreds of rolls worth of negative, it will be a slow process ... mostly because of the cost for that many negatives. Looking back on all of my old photos really brings back good memories, and some of those is just remembering how much I enjoyed my hobby. (I took this photo 8 years ago; it was a huge cloud right before a beautiful lightening storm ... I'll post the photo from the storm later on.) Not too much is going on for me, right now. It's just me and my cats at home by myself right now until Ace gets back ... I do get to leave in four days for home, though :) It will be a very nice break for me, to get away from this monotony! My schedule has been changing over the last few months, but it's finally settled on a fixed time. I do shift-work, from 0330-1130. It's not too bad, cause I don't mind getting up in the morning ... it's just coming home and trying to stay awake until my normal bedtime that's tough. I'm really not sure why I can't do it. Maybe cause I don't have anyone (but my cats) to keep me company at home. Ah, well ... only a little longer and I will have my husband back! Photo taken in Lincoln, NE and is Copyright Nicole Young, 1997.

Favorite

Nicole — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 19:36:00 +0000

This photograph was one of my first attempts at lightening-photography, and it turned out being my all-time favorite photo that I've taken so far. This storm came right after the photo I took of the cloud in my previous post. I took the photo from my back porch in Lincoln, but if I were to take the same photo today, it would look completely different. They've built so many buildings back there, in what used to be only milo fields. There is a huge mall, some office buildings, restaurants ... you name it and they've probably put it in my parent's backyard. It's not too bad having it there, since it's convenient shopping and all, but you can't see the starts at night anymore. I miss places like that. Hawaii is a small island, so I can't just drive for miles out into the country like I used to back home, so I won't be getting many lightening photos anytime in the near future ... but plenty of shots of Hawaiian paradise, instead :) Photo taken in Lincoln, NE and is Copyright Nicole Young, 1997.

Home

Nicole — Mon, 25 Jul 2005 02:16:00 +0000

I'm back in Hawaii after my week-or-so in Nebraska. It was so refreshing, spending time with my family. My little nephew Christian was one delight of my trip! He is just so adorable ... this photo is of him at my parent's house in Lincoln. I also went to my Nate (my brother) and Jodi's wedding (they are Christian's parents) . It was all just such a blast! Seeing them with their baby boy has made me re-think our plans for when Andrew and I have kids. I'm not sure if I'm so keen on sending our kids to day-care right away ... well, we have plenty of time to think about that before we really need to worry :) Photo taken in Lincoln, NE and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Lazy

Nicole — Wed, 27 Jul 2005 04:11:00 +0000

I think that my "new" job is finally getting to me. It comes and goes ... some days it's good, but some days I just want to pull my hair out! I think part of my stress is because I have only seen my husband one whole week in the last three months. Comes with the territory, I guess. I've been doing rather well, considering the amount of time he's been gone. Ah well, we've got a vacation planned in late September that we both have to look forward to ... can't wait! Right now I am sitting at my desk, trying not to notice the huge stack of groceries sitting on my counter, waiting desperately to be put away. My usual routine for putting away groceries is to set them all on the floor when I come home from the store, then let the cats jump around the plastic bags until I put away all the cold and frozen stuff. Next, I take out all the non-perishable items and set them on the counter, throw the plastic bags away so the cats don't suffocate themselves to death, and then I tend to more important tasks in my house ... such as, re-watching DS9 episodes on DVD, reading my new HP book, and sitting down to play my new favorite number-logic game I discovered in the newspaper - sudoku. (For those of you who can decipher my acronyms, you will realize how much of a geek I truly am ... but don't forget the fact that you actually know what I'm talking about!) I really wish Ace would come home soon ... DS9 just isn't the same without him! (Not to mention that he has two seasons of STV to catch up on when he gets home so we can finish off the series! Ah, yes, I am a geek.) Photo taken in Lincoln, NE and is Copyright Nicole Young, 1997.

Time

Nicole — Mon, 01 Aug 2005 04:00:00 +0000

I went home a few weeks ago to see my brother, Nate, and his new bride, Jodi, get married. I had such a great time! The wedding was beautiful, and it was so nice to see so much of my family again. It seems like I waited my whole life to graduate and get out of Lincoln, only to wish I was still living there. I am so glad that I have been able to visit so many places, and I wouldn't change it if I could, but there's just something about home that draws me back. :) Life here in Hawaii is still going on as usual. I wish it wasn't so hot, though. I work such an odd schedule, and it's hard to find the right time to go for a run. I have to be at work by 3:00 am, and I get home around noon, but at that time of day it's too hot to do anything! I either have to get up at 1:00 am and go running before work (yeah, right!), or take a 4-hour nap after work, wake up to do my regular stuff, go running when the sun sets, and then go back to sleep for another 4 hours before morning. It's really inconvenient, and it will be even more so when Andrew gets back. With a schedule like this, who knows if we'll even see each other when he's actually here! Aah, one day I'll look back on these times and see them as the best days of my life ... I'll figure it out, why worry now? :) Photo taken in Lincoln, NE and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Ginger Cat with Yams

Nicole — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 23:43:00 +0000

This is one of my first photos taken with my new digital SLR camera, a beautiful Nikon D2H. I, of course, had to take it out for a test run within hours of receiving it in the mail, and to my delight it works beautifully! (We went downtown and walked through China Town a bit, and found this cat hanging out in the produce.) I'm still trying to figure out all the complexities of my camera. It has soooo many features to it ... a lot more complicated than my rugged F4. It's my new fun toy, and now I will be able to create so many more photos to post in the future! Photo taken in Oahu, HI and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Party

Nicole — Sun, 28 Aug 2005 17:53:00 +0000

Last night Ace and I had our official housewarming party. Lots of people showed up and we all had a great time. Today is Ace's birthday, too, so before the party we had some people over for dinner "Young"-style (if you've ever been over to dinner at our place, you know we aren't messing around!) Plus, we finally got to break in the new patio furniture and had dinner, and the party, mostly outside. Good food, good drinks, good company ... wish you all could have been here :) Photo taken in Oahu, HI and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Busy

Nicole — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 20:46:00 +0000

I'm back to my blog, after way too long of neglecting it. Life has been very busy, yet enjoyable! Andrew's brother, Jon, is visiting us right now, and it's been great having him here. We've been trying to spruce up our house and get it closer to what we want, and so since Jon is here we finally got the guest bedroom mostly done. It has all the necessities, and I'll add things like curtains and pictures after a while. This weekend we plan on taking on the grueling task of taking down the yellow-plaid wallpaper in the kitchen, and then adding some more color to the kitchen walls and the connecting room (I'll be sure to post before-and-after photos when it's all finished).

This photo is of my cat, Fuji. He loves sitting on that chair like that ... my cats are so odd. I actually got some funny footage of my other cat, Kashi, and I sent it to AFV just for the hell of it ... I've always wanted to do that! Ya never know ...

Photo taken in Oahu, HI and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Luau

Nicole — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 17:47:00 +0000

Andrew, Jon, Nicole and I all went to a Luau the other day ... it was my first one. It was good times -- probably more fun for tourists, though, since the "awe" of the island has already worn off by now for me and Ace :) I'm still trying to master my new Nikon ... my "old" flash and "new" camera don't seem to want to play well together, so I'm having difficulties trying to figure it all out. It seems to have a mind of its own sometimes. Oh well, Ace and I leave today for our 11-day cruise of the rest of the islands, plus an additional one called Fanning Island (I think it was where Gilligan's Island was filmed), so I should have plenty of time to learn to use it better :) I'm still trying to pack all of my stuff with only a few hours before we have to drive to the pier! But, of course, I had to get one last blog entry in (not like I'm consistent about them anyways, but I'm trying to make more of an effort). The photos of our kitchen/office room are still on the way. We haven't quite finished organizing the junk and file folders, so once that gets squared away (mostly it will just take a trip to Office Max) then I'll post the before/after pics.

Photo taken in Oahu, HI and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Vacation!

Nicole — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 23:11:00 +0000

Andrew and I got home just a few days ago from our 11-day cruise of the Hawaiian Islands. It was so relaxing! This photo was taken at an island called Fanning Island ... the MOST beautiful of all the islands we saw while we were on our cruise, in my opinion. All of the islands have their own unique beauty ... Fanning Island was more like the type of place I tend to think of when going to a tropical paradise in the middle of nowhere :) We went hiking past waterfalls on Kaua'i, drove along the coast in Maui, and visited a coffee plantation in Kona. It was so much fun! Cruising is definitely the way to have a nice, relaxing vacation (especially if you like to eat!). I am kinda sick of old people, though. There is hardly anyone my or Ace's age on those boats ... sometimes it feels like you're aboard a floating retirement community! Of course, that also has to do with the cruise line we sailed with.

Life after vacation is going quite alright, unless you count all the computer problems we've been having. Our desktop has some weird virus or something that's not letting it work right, my laptop won't let me load a new version of Windows in it to clear the HD, and I'm typing on Ace's new laptop, since he had to get another one because his other laptop is fried. I love computers and technology, but it can be so finicky sometimes ... you never know when you're going to lose everything you had because of a small glitch. But I still love 'em ;)

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Away

Nicole — Sun, 30 Oct 2005 05:03:00 +0000

My computer is finally back up-and-running again. I re-formatted the entire thing, just to be sure to wipe away all of the nastiness. I didn't lose anything important ... and by important I mean all of the photos I have on my hard-drive that I haven't burned to a CD yet (which I am definitely going to do very soon...).

Halloween is just around the corner, and I don't have anything planned, aside from staying home and handing out candy to the neighbor kids - I still have a pumpkin sitting on my table that needs carving, too. Last year, when we were in Misawa, we forgot it was Halloween and didn't have any candy for the kids. Those poor children ... the looks on their faces when we had to turn them away! We finally just had to put a sign on our door :( This year, I'm hooking them up. Oh yes, I remember being a kid and going through the candy bag, separating out the "good" candy from the "bad". I think our parents actually did that for themselves, though, when they "checked" it for tampered candy. ;) This photo is another one from our vacation. We went to the Maui Ocean Center, and the lady was feeding the fish and the stingrays. There was even a tiger shark floating around ... it pretty much ignored all the action, though.

Photo taken in Maui, Hawaii and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Hike

Nicole — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 02:56:00 +0000

Yesterday I went on a hike with some of the people I work with. We hiked three to four miles, and saw some beautiful scenes! Since it was my first hike on Oahu, it was an eye-opener to see all the nature that this island still has. Most of what I see are roads, buildings, and pineapple fields, so it was good to see the more beautiful aspect of this island. Today I take my kitties to the vet for their check-up before they get neutered tomorrow. I feel so bad for the poor guys! I'm having them declawed as well, which I feel even worse for doing, yet I feel it is a necessary evil that must be done. They don't wreak too much havoc on the furniture yet (though the furniture we have isn't exactly nice), but I'm mostly concerned with the cats playing with and potentially scratching our future kids. I love my kitties so much (laugh all you want ... if you don't love animals you'll never understand!) and I'd hate to have to get rid of them after we have kids. But I feel so bad for them that they have to go through all the ickiness of the surgeries.

Photo taken in Oahu, Hawaii and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Kitties

Nicole — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 23:30:00 +0000

Kashi and Fuji came home today from the vet. They seem like they're doing just fine ... poor Kashi has to wear this lovely contraption to keep from licking his stitches, but, other than that little annoyance, they don't seem to be in any pain :) It is kinda funny watching Kashi try and walk around with this thing on! He keeps bumping it into things and tried to push himself into the kennel at one point, even though the guard wouldn't let him fit in it! I'll have to keep them locked up most of the time to keep them from jumping around and possibly opening the stiches. The poor little guys!

Hunters?

Nicole — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 05:54:00 +0000

So, I was putting my laundry in the dryer, and all of a sudden I hear the doorbell -- maybe. The washer/dryer is in the downstairs half bathroom, which is immediately to your left when you walk in our door, so it's possible I was just hearing things ... ironically it's harder to hear the doorbell from that room and it's right next to the door. So, anyways, I look in the peephole ... no one there. So I open the door just to be sure it wasn't a neighbor kid (they are constantly throwing balls and other odd objects in our backyard ... we're fenced-in so no one can access it but us) and all of a sudden someting jumps on my hand! I thought it was a gecko ... no big deal, see them all the time. So my cats start chasing around whatever it was, and it happened to be a huge cockroach! Yuck! I turn into girly-girl when I see huge gross bugs and usually I'm throwing out little girl screams while I'm trying to chase/kill/run away from the thing. So I was kind of relying on my cats to "clean up" the mess ... they wouldn't stop playing with the darn thing! I finally had to beat it down with a stick and get it into a cup to throw it outside. Those cats will eat a gecko faster than they will kill a bug ... they don't get outside much. At least it wasn't a giant centipede ... one time seeing one of those things in my house was enough to scare the poop out of me for a lifetime!

Anticipation

Nicole — Sat, 19 Nov 2005 04:25:00 +0000

So I got a phone call from my chief today, and he had the statistics for this promotion cycle. The actual results haven't been released yet, but probably will be in a few days, so I am HIGHLY anticipating the actual results, but so far I think they look good. 81% of the people who tested for E-6 made it this cycle, so I have a pretty good shot. Actually, I have an outstanding shot. Let's just hope I'm not one of the 19% who didn't ...

I was on my front porch, taking some fun photos, and I thought these two looked the coolest. The first one is neat beacuse it looks 3-D, and the second one kind of looks like a robot-dog to me. What do you think?

Photo taken in Oahu, Hawaii and is Copyright Nicole Young, 2005.

Selected!

Nicole — Tue, 22 Nov 2005 22:12:00 +0000

Well, it's official, both Ace and I are going to be advanced to E-6! I just found out yesterday, and poor Ace probably won't find out until he gets home :( A lot of people made it this cycle ... congrats to everyone! We'll probably get frocked sometimes next week, and I'm crossing my fingers for 1st increment for both of us! It was definitely good news for me yesterday, since I woke up with a touch of food poisoning ... at least, that's all I could figure it could have been. I'm still in recovery today from it, and lucky for me, I had today and yesterday off from work. Go figure.

( I just got a few more negatives put onto a CD, and this photo is one I took back in '98 when I was in France.)

Photo taken in Paris, France and is Copyright Nicole Young, 1998.

Holiday

Nicole — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 04:35:00 +0000

I'm slowly learning what it is I like about the holidays. I've always loved everything about them ... seeing family, all the lights and decoration, and all the yummy food. But, I guess in trying to re-create what it is I feel Christmas should feel like at home, I am noticing all the little things that I wish it could be. I've got the Christmas tree up already (I couldn't wait ... ), some decorations, and a few presents already under the tree. I still need the smell of apples and cinnamon ... I have some potpourri for that but I think it's lacking in aromatic strength. I don't have nearly as many decorations and knick-knacks around the house as I'm used to, but I have lots of lights, so I think that makes up for it (notice the tree lights above ... I think that's what they look like to someone after too much egg nog). But the one thing that I can't even come close to re-creating, aside from having my entire family over, is my favorite of all ... cold weather and snow. I've decided that on Christmas Eve I'm going to shut all the blinds, make sure that the a/c is down to (at most) 60 degrees, and then I'm not going to go outside all day on Christmas so maybe I'll forget I'm in Hawaii. This place wouldn't be so bad if it would only snow every once in a while ;)

Misery

Nicole — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 06:14:00 +0000

Sometimes things just don't go well. I am having one of those moments, a moment I hope will only last a month. I thought about it, cried, and had a wide mix of emotions ... sad, disappointed, frustrated, ashamed, humilitated, embarrased. I know I am being quite vague, and I don't really want to get into details, but I think that everyone has felt this way at some point, regardless of the situation. But as I was in the middle of these feelings I thought about the good points of my life; things could be worse. I have a wonderful husband (deployed, but still mine), a family back home whom I love to death, all of my limbs are still attached ... yes, things could definitely be much worse. But pain is in the gut of the beholder. Little kids cry when they accidentally let go of their balloon and it sails into the sky ... that balloon was everything to that little kid. They haven't graduated to the stressors that we pride ourselves in as we reach adulthood. I wish I didn't care about my problem. I wish it would just go away. But the reality is that it has to run its course ... a painful waiting game that I don't have much patience for. Also, sitting at home all alone, I felt like I was rotting away in my misery. I had to get out ... and so I did, with the company of a good friend over a bite to eat. I bitched, he listened. And I feel a lot better. I won't cry myself to sleep tonight ... I don't feel so alone anymore. Thank you :)

Photo taken in Paris, France and is Copyright Nicole Young, 1998.

Boogy

Nicole — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:48:00 +0000

This is for you, Currt-dawg :) ...

"I said a hip, a hop, a hip, a hippy to the hip hip hoppin' you don't stop the rockin' to the bang, bang, boogy said up jump the boogy to the rhythm of the boogy the beat."

Ah, the memories.

Famous

Nicole — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 03:10:00 +0000

That's right! Kashi, my amazing acrobatic cat, is going to have his first TV appearance this Sunday, December 4th. A few months back, I submitted a video of him to America's Funniest Home Videos (yes, it's still on the air!), and yesterday I heard the final word that my video is going to be aired this weekend! So, here's the info:

Sunday, December 4th
America's Funniest Home Videos on ABC
(Check your local listings for the time and channel ... it's different depending on where you live)

The video is of my cat (above) chasing after a laser pointer, and then jumping up the wall and falling behind a chair.

I hope all of you get the chance to see my kitty cat star!

Good Day

Nicole — Sun, 11 Dec 2005 01:09:00 +0000

Today has been a great day. Ace is home (he got back on Monday), we had a good night last night (we saw the new Narnia movie and had some excellent Indian cuisine afterwards with some friends), and today has been a great no-work be-lazy-around-the-house kinda day. We got up real early, Ace cooked a wonderful breakfast, and then sat on the back porch for awhile. After much sitting around and doing nothing, we made a delicious lunch (pan-seared rosemary-garlic lamb chops with garlic-herb fried potatoes and a side salad, and of course a glass of chardonnay), and then sat outside on the porch again. That's when I captured this photo of one of the many lizards that like to call our backyard its home. Ah, what a day. Christmas is just around the corner, my parents will be here soon to celebrate, and I only have three more days of work before I officially go on leave :) I can't wait!

Good Stuff

Nicole — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 05:49:00 +0000

Well, I think I've neglected my blog long enough. Things have been very busy ... I was on leave for a few weeks, and my parents came to visit over Christmas. It was "go, go, go!" every day for a week -- very fun but it's nice to be back to normal in a way! One nice thing about having guests is that I usually see things on the island I haven't seen yet, like the Pearl Harbor memorials (this photo is of the flag flying over the USS Arizona Memorial). I'm back at work now for the next few days, and next week I start six beautiful weeks of training, meaning I don't have to get up at 2 am for a while! As far as other good news goes, I recently found out that I made first increment on the advancement cycle ... this means I start getting paid for E-6 next month for instead of waiting until June :) So, lots of good things going on right now ... life's pretty good!

Patio

Nicole — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 21:44:00 +0000

Here are the final photos of our patio "before and after". Ace and his buddies cleared out all of the old cement and dirt, and I helped him lay the sand and bricks. It was our first project together! We both think it turned out quite nice, especially for never having done anything like it in the past :)

Tonight Ace and I are celebrating our anniversary ... a little late. Our actual anniversary was last month, but with all of the patio-building and hectic holiday time, we decided to put it off until this month. It will be a wonderful evening of good food and wine (Santa Margarita Pino Grigio, to be exact) and then we are staying at a hotel downtown, since the drive back is around 30-45 mins.

Ace just recently started a new blog, if you are interested. I have it posted on my links as well. Yay! He finally succumbed to our ways!

Coach

Nicole — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 03:05:00 +0000

I've never been one to buy things just for the name-brand and high-price tag, and this is no exception. I was out shopping, and this purse caught my eye. It is so beautiful that I had to share it with you, and, of course, buy it. It's my first designer bag. I feel so, I don't know, impuslive! I have to enjoy these things while I can ... dropping $$$ on something I want without thinking about it. One day we'll have kids, I'll be staying at home, and all these things will be but memories. Oh well, at least I'll still have my new purse :)

Book

Nicole — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 01:56:00 +0000

Just last night I finished reading (for the second time) my absolute favorite book: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. If you like to read, you have got to read this book. Anything I can say about it can't even come close to giving it the amount of praise it deserves, but here goes ... it's a love story and a suck-you-in drama, with a twist of sci-fi, that will make you laugh and cry (and any book that can get bawling-my-eyes-out emotion out of me is a keeper!). You get so involved in the characters, and the story is just so darn good and amazingly put together that it's unlike any book out there. I have seen online that it might be made into a movie, which would be a very good movie if it's done right (or, it could be really bad in comparison ... have you ever read the Michael Chrichton book Sphere ... and then seen the movie?) I am just putting this out there like you would a box of delicious cookies your mom made -- you know they taste soooo good and you just want to share them with all your friends! I hope you all get the chance one day to experience this novel.

Enchiladas!

Nicole — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 06:28:00 +0000

Once again, I've been neglecting my blog. I was in a class all last month and the first half of this month, but now it's over and I'm back to the regular grind of monotonous work, waking up at 2 am, not getting enough sleep, breathing recycled air that gives me a dry cough every night ... oh, and not to mention I've been studying for my language test I have to take in a week that will literally determine my work evaluation for entire next year. After that I will either be in a really good mood, or a really bad mood ... tune in at the end of next week to find out! :) Things aren't really that bad, it's just a quick update of the stress I've been putting myself through for about a month or so. But I've been doing a lot of studying, and I have a very good feeling about it so I'm praying and crossing my fingers that I will do well :)

On the lighter side of things, I just got my new Casio Exilim digital camera in the mail today. Yay! I was playing around with it and thought I'd take a photo of tonight's dinner ... turkey enchiladas. They were quite tasty, yet remarkably healthy, despite their appearance. I've been trying to lose weight over the last month or so. It sounds kind-of silly, but I'm actually using Weight Watchers Online to do it, too! I'm steady at 1 lb per week, which is perfect. I never feel too hungry or deprived, and I'm learning a lot about how to eat healthy. I was never really overweight, and I didn't eat bad at all, but I've been maintaining the same weight for the last 6 years and thought I'd try and trim down a bit. So far so good :) In three or four months, if I keep it up and I've reached my "goal", I'll post some photos so you all can see the difference.

Judgment Day

Nicole — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 01:12:00 +0000

Today I took my dreaded language test. I don't find out until tomorrow how I did, but I feel like I did alright. It's hard to tell, though, cause I usually feel okay after that test but it doesn't usually mean anything when I get the results. I even bought myself some pink roses to brighten my day and make me feel better, cause I'm real anxious about finding out my scores tomorrow. Oh well, I'm glad it's over with at least! Now I can just relax and give myself a well-needed break from language for a few days :)

I'm down another few pounds from my "diet". I feel so healthy and energetic ... I can't wait to see how I look in another few months! I can definitely keep this up. It's so easy, and the rewards from doing it are so much greater than just eating my heart away to lardness :) Hee, hee, hee.

Tomorrow is the start of getting my teeth fixed. When I was 15 I broke out my two front teeth on an ice pond, and I've had them re-capped since I've been in the military, but I need to have them redone again. I can post photos of the before, during, and after if you want ... maybe not the "during", though ... I look kind of scary with a metal rod instead of a front tooth when they have the caps off!

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

The Verdict is in ...

Nicole — Fri, 03 Mar 2006 05:35:00 +0000

The whole past year of studying and busting my butt in class really paid off. Not only did I pass my test (yay!) I got a 2+/2+!! (The actual numbers only really have meaning to my past- and present coworkers ... but trust me, it's an extra $150 in my pocket each month so it's definitely a good thing!) This is the first time I have ever gotten scores like that. I went from a 2/1+ (43/38 respectively) to a 2+/2+ (46/46). I think I'm in shock ... it hasn't quite sunk in yet. I'm so happy that I have a whole year of so much less stress, plus now I have even more motivation to keep on studying. Life has been so blessed this year for both me and Andrew, in many ways, and this was just the icing on the cake :)

(I took the above photo in Pusan, Korea back in 2003. I thought it was appropriate, given the topic of my blog.)

Good Times

Nicole — Fri, 10 Mar 2006 07:21:00 +0000

Last month Ace and I ran the Great Aloha Run for the second year in a row. It's an approximate 8-mile run starting off in downtown Honolulu at the Aloha Tower, and it finishes at the Aloha Stadium. We took our time and just ran at a steady pace ... both of us finished at 1:32:34. I love stuff like that. I'm seriously considering running in a half-marathon this summer, too. I better start training!

Things seem to be going well overall, almost. It seems like everything is going great, but then there's that one area that can just put a downer on everything ... but then again who is completely satisfied with their work environment and leadership? This place is so odd and complicated to me. I hate work politics. Hopefully things will take a positive turn for me in the near future -- I put in for the fitness-leader job at the command, and with a little luck I might actually get it. There are some forces working against my chances (mainly my division trying to keep a tight grip on all of their workers and not letting anyone leave), but ya never know. I should find out next week. That will improve my quality of life sooooo much if I land that position! I hope karma doesn't work against me on this one ... I've accomplished everything I've gone after this year so far, so I'm thinking that maybe I've reached my limit on fortune. I sure hope not ... wish me luck!

Smile!

Nicole — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 23:28:00 +0000

These are some of our many attempts to get a "cute" photo of us while at the Cheesecake Factory last night. And, in the end, we succeeded :)

Rain!

Nicole — Thu, 23 Mar 2006 23:42:00 +0000

Just recently I have finally discovered something that I've had for a very long time, but never took advantage of -- podcasts. Wow, this is definitely one of the coolest things around. Not only are podcasts cool, but I can download TV shows onto iTunes, and then eventually onto an iPod. Hmm ... it seems it might be time for me to upgrade to the new iPod with video, since mine is just a little out-dated. ;)

I've had a lot of time over the last few days to find things out like this. I'm usually so busy working and trying to relax, that I never have time to do random things I wish I had time to do. Monday I had gum/tooth surgery ... I'm having my fake front teeth redone (I knocked them out on an ice pond when I was 15 and it's been a struggle ever since then to get them to look good) and on Monday they went in and had to move my gumline up and chisel out some bone so my new teeth will fit better. So, I've been SIQ the last few days so it will heal up, and I've had a lot of uninterrupted time to relax.

The weather here has been great ... it's been rainy everyday for the last few weeks! I am getting so sick of the constant sunny, hot, humid weather and welcome this change of pace. You all might think I'm crazy, cause I'm sure that for at least half of the people reading this it's freezing or snowy where you are and you all wish you could be in Hawaii. Trust me, you don't know how lucky you are!

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Milestone

Nicole — Wed, 12 Apr 2006 18:20:00 +0000

This last weekend Andrew and I went over to a friend's house ... we saw a lot of people we hadn't seen since we were in Japan. This is a photo of Bear and Patrick's little girl, Katie ... the last time I saw her she was just a tiny baby! We had a great time and even got to see a side of the island we rarely venture to :)

This week I hit a milestone in my weight-loss endeavor. I am halfway to my "goal" ... I've lost 14 pounds since January! My "goal" is to lose about 30 pounds, but I'm not really going to know if it's my goal or not until I get there. Who knows, maybe I won't want to lose that much, or maybe I'll still have some left to lose. I'll find out in a few more months!

Spring

Nicole — Tue, 02 May 2006 19:00:00 +0000

I made an amazing discovery today. My cats have been peering outside our back door at some birds that have been hanging around lately, and so I decided to check it out. Just to the right of our back door we have a hanging basket filled with silk flowers, and it seems that some birds decided to make it their home. I took this photo today after I found the nest and baby bird ... I'm probably going to peek in regulary to see the other babies hatch out of their eggs :)

Andrew and I bought a new car this weekend, a Honda CRV SE. Actually, it's "my" car, since he just got one this last December :). I needed a vehicle with 4-doors, since mine was a small two-door coupe, and eventually we'll have kids and need to stow them in the back easier. Plus, if we get the cars now, then they'll be paid off while we have two incomes coming in ... I'm not planning on working when we start having kids ... preferably after I get out of the Navy in about 4 or 5 years.

I started working a day job this week. It's going to be so nice to have "normal" hours, and I'll have the same time off that my husband does, which is definitely the best part. We're planning on starting to go to church regularly now, since I won't have to work on Sundays, and we'll probably make going to the beach a semi-regular weekend routine. We went to a beach lagoon in Ko'olina with Dave McLaughlin and Eric Schwarze last weekend (an extremely beautiful resort not too far from where we live) and had a really good time. It's probably one of the best locations to see a beautiful beach in Oahu, since it's not near Waikiki and so there aren't nearly as many people.

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Car

Nicole — Sun, 07 May 2006 19:57:00 +0000

Here's a photo of my new car. I've been having a lot of fun driving it around. I'm really happy with the purchase so far ... which is good since I'll be making payments on this for the next five years :)

Work is going great. Last week was the first week of my new job within my building, and I really like it so far. It is such a change from my last job, which includes switching to "regular" hours and days, and now Ace and I are on the same schedule. (This is good cause we can carpool to work, since gas prices are soaring ... it was $3.29 out in town yesterday, and only a little bit cheaper on base!) Hopefully I will be moving into a Navy leadership position soon as well, which I am looking forward to.

Andrew leaves for Las Vegas this week to attend our friends' wedding -- Jen Kidwell and Brian Schooley. I'm not going since I already have plans to take more than three weeks of leave in June. Well ... at least I'll get the house to myself for a few days to do some major cleaning :)

Babies

Nicole — Sun, 14 May 2006 00:40:00 +0000

So, it seems like everyone I know is either pregnant, has a pregnant wife, or has a cute little baby. Everyone at work is convinced that I'm next ... well, not if I can help it! Unless their definition of "next" is "three or four years from now", then they're right :) (Even the baby birds in my backyard are adorable!)

Andrew is in Las Vegas right now, while I sit at home and attempt to clean and de-clutter our house. So far this morning I ate breakfast, went running, and then had lunch. I've done a little bit of cleaning, but right after I got out of the shower the cats decided to knock over one of my framed photos, and they shattered the glass all over the floor. Then just a few minutes ago I started to hear one of our smoke detector beeps go off, which means I have to change the battery or I'll just go insane with all the beeping. Then, I called Office Max cause we were expecting a delivery, and it turns out that even though they tried to deliver yesterday, left a "Sorry we missed you an we'll try delivering again" note, it wasn't there when I checked but they have it in their system as having delivered it. Hmm.

Baby Nephew

Nicole — Fri, 26 May 2006 17:57:00 +0000

Meet my new baby nephew :) What a cutie!

Hunter Maurice Newcomer
Born: May 24, 2006
Birth Time: 7:31 pm
@ Saint Elizabeth Regional Medical Center
Weight: 5 lbs 14 oz
Length: 19.75 in.

Half-way

Nicole — Thu, 15 Jun 2006 01:41:00 +0000

This last weekend I ran in the Hawaiian Half Marathon. It was the first half-marathon I've ever done, and the longest race I've run so far. My feet are still healing (I had quarter-sized blisters on each foot, in the instep) and my throat is scratchy, I think from all the breathing! But other than that the run was great! I feel like I ran it really strong and steady ... I can't wait for the Honolulu Marathon in December :)

I leave tonight for Lincoln, Nebraska. I'm visiting my family for a good three weeks. I'm so excited! It always feels good to be home, and I'm brining my camera and tripod to document the whole thing :)

Colorado

Nicole — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 20:22:00 +0000

I've been on leave for the past week to the mainland, spending most of my time in Nebraska. Right now I'm in Colorado with my parents on a mini-vacation. My dad and I hiked up a steep canyon to a place called Hanging Lake. It was so beautiful and such a good workout! This morning I went running on a trail that runs right in the canyon next to a river. It was beautiful ... I wish I could run that every day ;)

It's been so nice spending time with my family. I've been able to spend a lot of time with my baby nephews, too. The next time I see them after I leave they will both probably be all grown up! Hopefully I'll get to make it out here before they grow up too much.

The top three photos are Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Baby

Nicole — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 17:37:00 +0000

This is my cute little nephew, Christian, and my brother Nate in the background :) I had the pleasure of babysitting both of my nephews today. I'm actually still at their house watching the boys so Jodi (my sister-in-law) can get some sleep :) Pretty much everyone is sleeping right now, except for me, which is quite all right. My sleep cycle is getting all messed up from staying up late, and today is a nice kick-in-the-butt to get me back on a normal schedule. I really hate sleeping in waayyyy late. A few hours is okay, but sleeping until noon is just icky. Well, most of the time it is ;)

Fireworks

Nicole — Wed, 05 Jul 2006 16:28:00 +0000

This is one of the many photos I took at Oak Lake in Lincoln, Nebraska on July 4th. It was a little bit windy out, so the fireworks tended to drift to the left a little right after they went off, but I still got a few good shots. This one above is one of the ones that the fireworks explode in the sky, and then little ones fly in all different directions.

Photo copyright 2006 Nicole Young.

Stock

Nicole — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 06:43:00 +0000

I've finally decided to delve into the world of stock photography. I was reading through my Popular Photography magazine and found an article about it, and though I'd heard of this in the past and even slightly considered it, I thought that now would be a good time to start. I searched around and found this great site on how to make my own cardboard box studio to shoot small objects, and it works like a gem! (The photos above are a few I've taken in the last couple of days.) I'm signed up at a great stock photo site called Shutterstock but I haven't quite gotten started. They review ten photos of all new photographers before they allow them to officially join, and I haven't submitted my photos for that quite yet. I'm kind of waiting on the new Nikon Coolscan V ED I just bought online the other day so I can put some of my earlier work on the site ... it will allow me to scan all of my negatives into digital form. Yay! I've been procrastinating way too long on getting it, and now it will be here within a few weeks :)

The above photos are Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

New Stuff

Nicole — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 05:56:00 +0000

I just got my film scanner in the mail a few days ago, and it is sooo nice! I'm very pleased with it so far. It's very odd scanning through old negatives ... I usually only remember the few "good" photos, and never remember the ones that got tossed aside, so looking through them all is going to be very nostalgic. It takes about five minutes to scan a strip of 4-5 negatives though, so I've got a lot of catching up to do. (The photo above was taken in 1997.)

This weekend I went out and bought another computer too, since the one I have is super old and slow. I'm still gonna use both, just the new one will only be used for photo/internet stuff, and the old one will be used for everything else. It even comes with a feature called "LightScribe", where I can "burn" a label on the CD/DVD. Very useful, especially for keeping my disks archive friendly :)

Lessons

Nicole — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:34:00 +0000

I learned something "new" the other day -- don't drop your bluetooth hands-free ear-piece device on the ground *twice in a row* or it will break. Yep, I'm definitely smarter now.

I'm still plugging away at the film scanning. I counted that I have over 350 rolls of film to scan, and if I go at the same pace I've been going at (which is basically scanning film whenever I'm home) then it will take me about 4-5 months to get through all of them. It sounds like a long time, but it's not so bad considering it would have cost me about $5 per roll to take my film to a lab to have them scan it for me, equalling about $1750, almost three times the amount my film scanner was. Plus, they don't scan them at the same quality I can get from my scanner. Sooo ... I think I made a good purchase :)

(The above photo is copyright Nicole Young, 2006. I'm still having fun with my "ghetto"-studio!)

Reunion

Nicole — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 17:39:00 +0000

Today I'm going to the Aloha Stadium flea market, and I'm meeting my cousin there. He's on island helping out some friends and watching their kid while they do work to their house. It think the last time I saw Ben was at my wedding in Dec '03! I'm looking forward to it. The flea market was his idea, but it's perfect cause I've never been to it either, so it will be fun for all of us.

Last night I went through all of my negatives and organized and labeled them all with numbers. I have this number system I'm using to file them all away on my computer. I'm also in the process of creating a website to show all of my work ... it's just with a free site with Bravenet, but I figured I needed to start somewhere. One day when I'm actually making money doing this stuff I'll get my own domain name on a new site. But for now I think the next thing I'm going to do is start designing a business card ...

(The above photo was taken in Lincoln, NE and is copyright Nicole Young, 1996)

Star

Nicole — Sun, 06 Aug 2006 03:35:00 +0000

Ben, my cousin, brought along his friends he is staying with here in Hawaii to the swap meet today. It turns out that their son, Bobby Coleman, is famous! He's been in a few movies, including one I just saw called "Must Love Dogs". I just thought it was kinda neat, especially since I'd seen that movie just a few weeks ago. He's going to be in another movie with John Cusack coming out soon, initally titled "The Martian Child", but I think that name's supposed to change.

Money

Nicole — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 03:13:00 +0000

I'm having all sorts of money issues this month, with both good and bad results so far. The good news is that I made my first profit on BigStockPhoto with the above photograph (not too much though ... it is microstock after all!). The bad news is that for some reason the Navy wanted to pay me exactly $0.00 on the 15th of this month. Thankfully I will get paid and got it temporarily fixed, but they still think I owe them money for something that the Navy actually owes me money for. Typical, eh. Well, it will get resolved in my favor in the end (hopefully), I'm just hoping it doesn't take too long for them to figure out what I already know ;)

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Nicole — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 02:52:00 +0000

Ah, memories. That was ten years ago, in 1996.

I've still been a busy-bee getting as many negatives scanned as possible. Tomorrow I'm shooting a friend's wedding ... beautiful beach with leis and sand and water. I'm excited and hope the photos turn out wonderful :)

Relaxin'

Nicole — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 23:04:00 +0000

This is a photo of Amy's daughter on the beach after their wedding ceremony ... what a doll!

I've been super busy at work ... 12-hour shifts with no days off until labor day. It's not so bad, and I should get some comp time after it's done. Thankfully I'll have a 4-day weekend to relax after it's all over (oh, except for that 20k I'm running that Sunday ... but I guess that I'll enjoy that!)

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Weekend

Nicole — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 05:24:00 +0000

It's been a slow weekend for me. Andrew's out again, so I have some time to myself. I was working 12-hour-mids the last two weeks, and so now I'm finally getting back to a day schedule. I don't mind working those hours, but it sucks having a day off and being awake at those hours. Well, I'm back on schedule now.

I'm running in a 20k tomorrow (12.4 miles). It's not too far from where I live so that's nice ... most of them are downtown or on the other side of the island. That's probably the only productive thing I'll do this weekend! Well, not if I can help it, I guess. I sit at my computer so much nowadays, getting photo stuff scanned and stock photos uploaded ... I enjoy it but it takes up so much time. Too bad I can't get paid for doing it yet ;)

(The above photo is Copyright Nicole Young, 1997.)

Studio

Nicole — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 04:56:00 +0000

I've been slowly working on reorganizing my house. It's a slow process. But, I was very relieved to find my Nikon F4 in my closet. It wasn't downstairs with the rest of my photo equipment, and so I was really worried that it "disappeared" somehow. I'm so glad I found it!

Speaking of photo stuff, I think I'm addicted to my computer. Now that Andrew is gone for a while I find myself sitting here all the time! I'm either scanning photos (like the one above I scanned in yesterday), uploading them to stock sites, editing them on Photoshop, or all of the above at the same time! I definitely need to make this my job, since I love to do it so much!

I've recently been pondering the idea of actually putting a small portrait studio in my house. It will be on the main floor and I'll have to move some things around (which I've already started to do!) but I think it will fit. I might need to take the ceiling fan down though ... I'm going to have to consult with Andrew on this when he gets back! I can't really start building it anyways, since it will cost me at least $800 for the basic materials and I kind of don't have that much money right now. If I actually make enough money selling stock then I think it will go towards my new photo gear, but I've got a long way to go before I make a significant amount of $$ (plus the ironic thing is that I need a studio to shoot the kind of photos that sell, but I need to sell photos to get the $$ for the studio!)

(The above photo is Copyright Nicole Young, 1998)

Burnin' the midnight oil

Nicole — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 12:53:00 +0000

I started taking an online psychology class this week. So far it's going well ... I'm not looking forward to writing the two papers I have to do later on in the class. I've never had to write a paper for any college class I've taken (all four of them!) and so I'll probably screw up the format and reference stuff. It's an upper-level class, too, so I probably won't get much slack from the teacher!

Ever since I've finished working the 12-hour mid shift, my sleep has been all messed up. I go to bed at 6 pm, wake up around midnight, and then stay up until I have to go to work. I'm hoping that this weekend I'll be able to nap in the afternoon and maybe get back on track. (It's Saturday morning at 3 am right now ... I've been up for two hours already!)

I'm still busy with photos ... I'm almost 1/3rd of the way done scanning all of my film. I guess it's going a little bit faster than I expected. It's fun going through all of these photos ... I haven't looked at some of these in almost ten years so it's brining back a lot of good memories :)

(The above photo is Copyright Nicole Young, 1998)

In the works

Nicole — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 13:50:00 +0000

I've decided that I am going to build a small portrait studio in my house, after I talk to my hubby about it when he gets back, of course. I guess there's not going to be much building, but more buying of lots of equipment. I'm already starting to save up to get what I need ... I even have "clients" already willing to let me take some photos of them and/or their kids! I'm doing it for free, or in exchange for their signature on a model release so I can post the photos to iStock and try and sell them. I'm still new to portrait/studio photography so I'm going to use a lot of guinea pigs until I feel I'm well established. Right now it's all I can think about ... my brain is so obsessed with photo stuff right now I can hardly sleep without dreaming of taking photos! Ahhh! Well, it's what I love to do so it's not so bad :) Hopefully one day I can make it my "career" and do it full-time :)

(The above photo is Copyright Nicole Young, 1997.)

Success!

Nicole — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 02:34:00 +0000

I managed to complete everything I wanted to this weekend. I finished my online psych quiz for class, ran 4 miles this morning, and mowed the lawn (that's usually Andrew's job ... I hate yardwork!). I guess that the psych class I'm taking is helping me out -- it's a class on motivation ;) So, I'm feeling pretty good right now. I still want to clean the house up a bit, but that's not too pressing. It's only 4:30 pm so I have all evening ... but the new season of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition starts tonight. I'm doomed ... I got into way too many t.v. shows last year and now I can't take myself away from them! This summer has been a nice break from t.v., even though I am looking forward to the new season ;)

The above photo is Copyright Nicole Young, 2000. (Sunset in Monterey, California)

Minty Fresh

Nicole — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:47:00 +0000

This is a photo of some of the herbs that Andrew has grown so far in his garden. He has mint and basil growing beautifully, and there are some small peppers starting to emerge from one of the other plants. I think he'll be happy to see how they've done when he gets back ... they are full to the point that I can probably start cooking with them. Yay!

I'm still dreaming of a beautiful portrait studio ... I can't wait to start getting the equipement! In about three weeks (hopefully) I should be able to start getting the stuff I need and get it up and running. I'm hoping that it won't be too frustrating setting it all up. I just recently bought a new accessory for my camera that (theoretically) allows me to transmit the images directly to my computer via a wireless network and FTP. I am having the most difficult time trying to set it up ... I think I have the wireless connection down ??? but I don't know a thing about how FTP works. So, this has been totally frustrating me and taking up a lot of time with trying to figure it out by trial-and-error ... and lots and lots of error!

I got my first set of business cards in the mail today :) Once I get my studio set up then I'll feel like a "real" photographer. It's only a matter of time :)

Photo Copyright Nicole Young, 2006.

Run!

Nicole — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 05:03:00 +0000

I just went on the best run I've had in a while. It felt so good, the sun was a beautiful deep red, setting behind the clouds and just absolutely gorgeous. Ah, I feel great.

Also, here's what my new business cards look like ... not too flashy, but I didn't want to start out too crazy ;)

Miracle Grow

Nicole — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 03:33:00 +0000

Back in May, my mother-in-law was visiting and happen to spread some tomato seeds in our "yard", or should I say the rocky area next to the garage (see the photo above). Somehow those little seeds sprouted into a full-grown plant, and they even managed to grow a full-fledged tomato! I was so surprised to see it there, amazed that it grew on its own and also that the birds hadn't eaten the it yet. There were plenty of tiny bugs flying around it, but the tomato seemed to be in one piece. Wow. God is really amazing ... I guess it's really true about building on a rock :) The tomatoes seem to like it!

Nicole — Wed, 18 Oct 2006 07:47:00 +0000

I've posted this image here before, but I learned a new trick on Photoshop from a magazine and just tried it out. Kinda cool, huh! I really need to update my Photoshop skills, and so I'm using a magazine called Photoshop User to try and get better.

If you've seen the news lately you all know that there was recently an earthquake here in Hawaii! I didn't feel it, cause I was in the middle of a 30k race (that's 18.6 miles). I noticed all the power going out but figured it was just the pouring rain I was running in that knocked it out ;) I actually was a little bit nervous about that run, since I've been a little bit sick (okay, and a little lazy) and didn't train at all for it. But I finished it in a decent time and didn't hurt myself in the process :) Now I just have a 5k this weekend, another half-marathon in a few more weeks, and then the Honolulu Marathon on December 10! I'm just hoping to cross the finish line, and not worried about time at all, which means it will probably take me more than five hours to do :)

Lights!

Nicole — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:40:00 +0000

Here is my first official photo taken with my Alien Bees lights. I'm still waiting on the rest of my studio gear to arrive in the mail ... after that I should be able to start taking people photos. :)

Last night was the Navy Ball, celebrating the Navy's 231st birthday. It was okay ... it seemed to be lacking in a lot of the typical traditional ceremonies that you usually see at those events, which was disappointing. I got all dressed up in my dinner dress uniform, and Andrew wore his tux. I even got to meet the MCPON, who is the most senior ranking enlisted member in the Navy -- that was pretty cool, he even gave me a coin! I have a bunch of photos of last night and I'll be posting those a little bit later in the week.

Image Copyright Nicole Young, 2006.

Dilemma ...

Nicole — Fri, 03 Nov 2006 04:23:00 +0000

Well, here's proof that I can run 18. 6 miles :) I look pretty good, considering I ran that far in pouring rain and an earthquake ;) I'm not so sure that I'll make it to the marathon, though. I'm trying to find a hotel to stay in the night before and the night of the race, and silly me I waited all this time before making my reservation. It turns out that every single hotel room in Waikiki is booked -- seriously. I live about 30-45 mins from the race, which means that on race day I'll have to:

1) Get up around 2 am, drive downtown to the finish area ...
2) ... find parking (much more difficult than it sounds) ...
3) ... hope that I find parking and make it to the finish area before 4 am so I can make the shuttle bus to the start area ...
4) ... start the race at 5 am ...
5) ... run 26.2 miles ...
6) ... hopefully finish in under 6 hours ... and then finally ...
7) ... drive myself home, exhausted.

I'm not sure if I'm willing to do that. This year I have once again neglected to train myself properly, so I might just have to wait until next year ... again :( If I find a hotel room then it cuts out a lot of the process, and it's just a matter of making to the start line in time for the race. I haven't given up hope yet ... the worst that could happen is I try and don't finish. I guess it's just getting to the starting line that is the toughest part of all ;)

Almost there ...

Nicole — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 03:31:00 +0000

I'm alone, once again. I dropped Ace off at the airport this morning for another journey out to sea. He's supposed to be home by Christmas ... I'll be crossing my fingers and toes until I hear from him ;) Angie, my sister, will be here too! I'm excited ... only a month and a half until the holidays :)

I should be getting the rest of my studio gear in the next week. I'm just waiting on the background stuff, and then I can take people pics! I took the above photo today; it's my version of a "Christmas" martini ... it's really just water with food coloring ;)

I've been rethinking the marathon thing, and I think that I'm going to go ahead and do it. I just want to finish, that's my only goal (oh, and not being the very last person to finish too!). So, wish me luck :)

Someone commented on my last post that my blog was hard to read ... if you were that person (or have any insight on the matter) could you please be a bit more specific? Is it the font size? Colors? Maybe it's just your computer/browser's settings that don't mesh with mine. Hmm.

Hunter!

Nicole — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 05:34:00 +0000

Check out Hunter (above), my very my cute nephew here, playing in his bouncy chair.

I'm home now and for another week to spend time with family. My grandma recently passed away so I was able to fly home to see everyone and attend the funeral. It's been bittersweet ... home for a sad occasion, but good to see everyone and stay for the holidays. It is nice to see my baby nephews ... I miss out on them growing up and so it's good to see them as much as possible :)

Busy week

Nicole — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 06:28:00 +0000

This is now my best selling image on iStock, even though it's been on the site the least amount of time (compared to my other photos). I guess it's just that time of year! I actually took this photo a few years ago while sitting in the back of a limo on a tour of Christmas lights in Richmond, VA with Andrew and a bunch of friends. :)

I'm back in Hawaii now. It was nice to be home and visit with family again. It was especially nice to see my nephews, since they grow up so fast and I miss it all! Andrew is still gone, but hopefully will be home before Christmas. I expect work to be kinda crazy the next week or so, too ... I "applied" for a new position at work and really hope to get it. I'm not sure what my chances are, so I'm really anxious about finding out, which might be sometime soon. I'm also attempting the marathon this upcoming Sunday, so I have a lot to be nervous about this week!

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Yay!

Nicole — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 23:32:00 +0000

Such a good week :) First, I ran the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday -- my first one! I finished in 5:11:38, which is a lot better than I was expecting. My goal was just to cross the finish line, and I'm really happy with how I did. It was so much fun! I can't wait until next year :)

Just yesterday I found out that I'm getting a new job at work! I'm going to be one of the people in charge of physical fitness for the command. It seems to be mostly an admin job, but I like that kind of work. I start on Monday ... I'm so excited!

Just today I finally got the last thing I've been waiting for to finish off my mini-photo studio. These photos are my first attempts at taking photos with all of my equipment. I still could use another light to balance the shadows on the right side of my face, but for now it works great :)

Done!

Nicole — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 06:16:00 +0000

Aaaahhh ... finally done with my college class. I'm having a nice relaxing weekend, my house is (mostly) clean, and aside from finishing my college today, I did a whole lot of nothing. I've been playing around with my photo equipment, and I'm realizing that I really do need at least another AB-1600, stand, and soft box. My "wish-list" doesn't stop there, but that's my first priority! In time, Niki ;) Gotta save up some $$, cause this stuff isn't cheap!

I took a quick video of my cat Kashi, if you're interested. He likes to jump in our sink and drink water from the faucet, but the water fills up all around him at the same time. You can check it out here.

Pay it Forward

Nicole — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:09:00 +0000

So, I decided that today would be a good day to mow my front lawn. So I get the lawn mower, weed-wacker, rake, broom, and blowy-thing and head on out. I get about half-way done, just after raking the leaves and doing the initial mowing, when my neighbors come by (who happened to be doing their lawn too) and was like "can I trim the edges for you?" I was like "do they look that bad! Okay, if you want to!" So he proceeded to trim the edges. Then, after he was finished, I started sweeping up the grass and leaves, but then they finished with theirs and started picking up mine too! I was like "no, it's okay, I'll do it!" But they just kept it up ... they were so helpful ... it was so sweet! So, I raked my other neighbor's leaves from her yard to pay it forward ;)

Marathon!

Nicole — Sun, 24 Dec 2006 00:21:00 +0000

Here's one of the photos of me running the Honolulu Marathon a few weeks ago. I bought a whole CD of all the photos they took of me, which ended up being about 15 images. This is my favorite one, cause I look like I'm really running. The other ones I'm smiling and waving at the camera, which is nice, but this shows the real deal ;)

Beach

Nicole — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 20:43:00 +0000

Angie made it to iStock :) This is a photo taken at the beach near where we live. What sexy legs!! ;)

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

New Year's Breakfast

Nicole — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 23:08:00 +0000

My favorite breakfast is what you see in the above photo - Eggs Benedict. They are usually just a treat when we go out to eat for breakfast since it's not simple to make, but I recently decided to try making them at home and now I think I've doomed myself to fatness cause not only can I make them at home, they tasted so good! Well, maybe it will still only be on special occasions that I whip them up, like every New Year's day morning ;)

Studio Fun

Nicole — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 04:42:00 +0000

Angie was willing to be my model for a day while she was here, and we got some great shots. Here's one that's awaiting approval right now (all photos go through an inspection process before being accepted to the iStockphoto website). Hopefully it will get approved and be on the website in a week or so :)

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Oh no!

Nicole — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:33:00 +0000

More fun with photos ... this is my friend's kid, Araya. I babysat her and her brother, Val, and my "payment" was that they got to be my models for the day :) Such cute kids! Once again, this is in the "queue" waiting inspection and approval at iStock. I'm crossing my fingers!

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Gerbera

Nicole — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 06:25:00 +0000

I bought some flowers last weekend and had fun in my studio. My portfolio on iStock is really soaring, too! I'm also in the process of changing my user name on the site, but it isn't official yet. I'll post the new link to the site when it changes for those of you that are interested ;)

In other news, I'm going to be submitting an application to be cast on the tv show Lost. They basically will just collect my photo and some info about me, and if I happen to fit in with a character they want to use as an extra then I'll get a phone call. Cool, huh! Wish me luck, everyone :)

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for purchase information.

Busy!

Nicole — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 19:27:00 +0000

This photo is starting to be a really good seller. Val and Araya are so cute! I plan on doing some Easter-themed shots with them, as soon as I get some Easter eggs :)

Work is keeping me extremely busy. I have today and tomorrow off and I plan on relaxing as much as possible. I need to run to Office Max sometime this afternoon, and I'm going over to the Bell's house tonight to watch American Idol, and tomorrow I have no plans. Ahhh ... just how I like it!

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Monitor

Nicole — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 18:46:00 +0000

I finally decided to get a new monitor for my computer. The 15" I have now is really all I've known, but I'm realizing that I could use some more work-space since I sit at my computer so much doing photography stuff. Sooooo, I did some online research, read some reviews, and bought an Acer AL2223Wd 22" Widescreen LCD Monitor. I'm so excited! I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas :) This will be an enormous upgrade to what I have now; I'll probably even post "before" and "after" photos of my desk when I get the thing!

The photo above is from Val's tee-ball game on Saturday; I thought it would be fun to take some photos. There wasn't a whole lot of action, plus it was windy and cold, but it was fun :) It's so cute seeing little kids learn how to play ... like the kid in the photo to Val's left -- I don't think there's any kick-boxing in baseball ;)

Famous Fuji

Nicole — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 05:50:00 +0000

A photo of my cat, Fuji, was purchased for the first time today. What a cutie ... I'm so proud of him ;) I also got my 22" computer monitor in the mail. It's huge! It will save me some eye-strain, for sure, and I'm not arching forward at my desk anymore.

Work is going really well. I'm always busy, but I'm finally organized and things are running smoothly. It's a lot more work than I had before, but I enjoy the job more so it's a nice balance. :)

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Before and After

Nicole — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 20:48:00 +0000

Here's the before and after image of my desk with my old and new monitors. Okay, so I'm a geek ... but it's so great! I can have two near-full-sized browsers open one my monitor side-by-side! :)

Certificate

Nicole — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 02:51:00 +0000

It's official! I finally got my finisher's certificate in the mail for running in the Honolulu marathon. :)

Jump!

Nicole — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 08:13:00 +0000

Did another photo shoot today with Amy's kids. What dolls! We had so much fun. She gets free babysitting all day, and we both get a bunch of great photos in the end. :)

The above photo is Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Drip, drop

Nicole — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 05:59:00 +0000

I attempted to photograph water-droplets today, trying to capture them as they hit the surface. I got some cool shots to start out with, and I'm going to keep trying throughout the week to see what else I can get.

The above photos are Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Sold!

Nicole — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 02:51:00 +0000

Angie sold for the first time today. Yay!

The above photos are Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Work and fun

Nicole — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:26:00 +0000

This week was busy. Regular work was busy as usual, and then I had mid-watch last night so my whole weekend is shot (I woke up at 2pm today ... I'm just hoping I can fall asleep at a normal time so I'm not dead all day tomorrow!)

To balance out the busy-ness I have had some new "toys" to play with. I just got a new camera, a Nikon D200 with an MB-D200 battery pack to give it some more power and the bulk of a pro SLR I'm very much used to. To top it all off I also got a new video iPod. I'm a bit overwhelmed with stuff to do right now :) I also have a whole bunch of photos that need processing (I had around 100 ... about 1/4 of the way through them so far). The photo above is one of them I took last weekend withe my new black background.

The above photos are Copyright 2007 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

TWS

Nicole — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 05:51:00 +0000

I was checking my "Together We Serve" profile (it's kind of like a "military" MySpace) and noticed that the former MCPON had viewed my profile! I thought it was kinda cool so I copied a snapshot of the screen. :) (I'm such a geek!)

Photo in use

Nicole — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 20:41:00 +0000

Just yesterday I found out that one of my photos (see above) has been used in a catalog! Here's the link to the site on iStock, and the link to the catalog it was used in (scroll down to page 6 of the pdf after it loads).

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Another photo in use!

Nicole — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 04:12:00 +0000

I just was emailed about another photo of mine (above) that was used ... click here to see it "in action". ;)

I also hit an important milestone on iStock today as well: I have sold a total of 500 photos and made it to the Bronze level, meaning I can contribute more photos per week, and I also make a little bit more money per photo sold, too!

The above photo is Copyright 2006 Nicole Young. Please visit iStockPhoto.com for more information.

Eric Francis

Nicole — Sat, 21 Apr 2007 16:49:00 +0000

My wedding photographer, Eric Francis, was the 2003 Photographer of the Year for the Wedding Photojournalist Association. I came across this article and realized that one of the images used in the article was from my wedding! The image above is the image used, and here's the link to the article. Eric also just recently contacted me for a testimonial, and so I think some more of our wedding photos will be featured on his website.

New blog website

Nicole — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 06:45:00 +0000

I'm trying out a new blog on Vox. It has a lot of the same community that I work with on iStockPhoto, so I'm going to try it out for a bit and see if I like it. If you'd like to check it out please go to the following link:

http://nicolesy.vox.com

Cheers!

... test ...

Nicole — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:44:25 +0000

New blog ...

Nicole — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:51:19 +0000

I thought I'd give this a go. I've been on Vox for a while, but there's too much "fluff" on that site. Kinda been wanting a more "clean" style to blog with ... stay tuned!

Punctum Day!

Nicole — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:13:02 +0000

iStockphoto just announced this year's "Punctum Day"! The community can vote on any image that was uploaded within the last year, and they even give out several large cash prizes and a new camera to one lucky contributor. So, if you're not a member yet then be sure to sign-up so you can vote (voting runs from July 2-25). Join the discussion on iStock here! :)

Website Re-vamp

Nicole — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:25:07 +0000

I have been meaning to give my photography website a fresh look, and so today that's what I did! It used to have a much more dark, all-black look to it, but I wanted it to be a bit more refreshing, and light. Click here to see for yourself!

Yay!

Nicole — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:16:22 +0000

My friend Amy and her kids showed up yesterday. They are staying with us for about a month until their house is ready to move in to. It's really good to see them ... she's such a good friend, and her kids are a joy to be around. Plus, they are so much fun to photograph! Even Amy is going to be modeling for me ... I have sooo many ideas for shoots running through my head now!

Strength

Nicole — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:53:36 +0000

My friend Amy had a Frisbee thrown in her face on Friday, and I though it would be a great opportunity to get some powerful images with her black eye! She's never modeled for me before, but we had a lot of fun and the images turned out great! (You know how sometimes you can just see the perfect image in your head before you shoot? It feels soooo good to actually capture it!) I decided to use this image for the recent TWiP challenge. The funny thing is that the theme they used for this challenge (strength) was suggested by me, but I had no idea what image I would actually take to accomplish the theme. When I thought up this shoot just a few days ago, I realized that it would also fit in well with the challenge!

Cigars

Nicole — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:09:44 +0000

My husband LOVES his cigars. He smokes one just about every day, so I use the opportunity to take photos! I've just started doing this, really, ever since embarking on Project 365 on Flickr and I needed my photo-of-the-day. He doesn't really like a camera pointing at him though, so I try not to be too pushy when I take photos. I was really happy that he was willing to sit down and smoke in the garage while I snapped some photos with my light set-up ... I think they turned out okay (I need to get some barn-doors to really get the perfect look I was looking for).

Vote for me!!!

Nicole — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:10:38 +0000

I entered a photo contest on iStock ... they want football (soccer) images and the community gets to vote and decide the winner. Please help me out and check out my entry! (Vote for me if you like ... ;))

Home

Nicole — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:18:20 +0000

I'm home for a few weeks visiting family. This photo is of my baby niece, Lily (I got her on a good moment ... lucky capture since I was using a P&S with really long shutter-lag!). She is so adorable, and just loves the camera! I'll be spending a lot of time with them ... should be a fun few weeks!

Self Portrait

Nicole — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:19:24 +0000

I had some fun yesterday doing a self-portrait! I was playing around with my ring-flash and gels, and got a neat look. I got my nose pierced last week, too, and wanted to get an updated photo for all of my social networks. :)

I take photos to remember

Nicole — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:31:10 +0000

I have been doing "Project 365" for more than 100 days now. I take one photo every day for one full year. So far, I've been doing well (only missed one day so far ... doh!). It's refreshing to look back and look at the images and read the little blurb I write with it ... my own daily public diary. I think that I'm a photographer because I have a horrible memory of life-events. If I have a photo of it, I remember; if not, it's like some things never happened. Maybe, when the year is over, I'll continue it on so I can have years of memories to look back on.

Cornfield

Nicole — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 18:37:48 +0000

While I was home, one thing that we were able to do was pick some fresh sweet corn at my uncle's farm. (That's my husband and Dad in the photo.) I took the image and had some fun processing it in Photoshop, using some new tricks I'd been meaning to try out.

3,000 Uploads on iStock!

Nicole — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:47:18 +0000

Today I reached upload #3,000 in my iStockphoto portfolio! I've been with iStock for two full years now, and have really come a long way. My photography skills have improved immensely and I couldn't have asked for a better blessing than to find iStock and be part of a great community. :)

Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk

Nicole — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:33:39 +0000

On Saturday I participated in Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk in San Jose ... and it was a blast! I met some really cool people, among them included TWiP's Frederick Johnson and Girls Gone Geek's Liana Lehua. Overall we had a good turnout (probably around 30+ people) and we walked, talked, and took plenty of photos along the way. It sounds like we might be doing regular San Jose photo walks, so I really look forward to more opportunities to hang out with other photographers and learn a thing or two. I always find it so comforting to know that, even though we don't always know the people we are walking with, we are all connected by something we are all passionate about ... photography! View Scott's blog here to read more about this amazing event that transpired around the world. You can also click here to view the images taken by all the walkers in San Jose.

What a week!

Nicole — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:18:21 +0000

This has been an amazingly crazy week! Saturday was Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk, which I participated in up in San Jose. That alone was a wonderful, full day of meeting new photographers and running around with a camera, asking several random people if I could photograph them! (One of my photos was even selected as the winner in San Jose.) Just this morning Scott Kelby himself announced the grand-prize and runner-ups ... click here to view ALL of the amazing photos selected as winners from around the world! I also started school this week. I had the wonderful privilege of serving in the US Navy for more than eight years, and so now I am happily using my educational benefits and taking classes, just for fun! This semester I chose to take several photography classes. I have never had any formal photography training (outside of high school) and so I thought it would be good to polish my skills. Aside from my one digital class, the others are very much film-oriented, and many of the students (and one teacher in particular) are very adamant about using film. I love film, always will, but right now it's just too expensive (and not to mention time consuming!). Thankfully the teachers allow those of us who want to use digital, but they seem somewhat reluctant. Being in this new environment really does seem like a "bizzaro-type" world. I have been involved in the computer-age high-tech social-networking world of digital photography for a few years now, and to be surrounded by people who dislike the digital age is very odd to me. I know they are out there, the "purists", and I have nothing against them (although it does get old listening to the "film vs. digital" debate over and over). One day I'll collect all my old darkroom materials and have my own lab in a basement ... and even now it's very tempting to do all of my classwork in film and print in the darkroom (if I could afford it) but I guess that, for now, I'm just more comfortable sitting in front of a computer. (But at least in the darkroom I don't get sidetracked with Twitter, RSS feeds, etc.). ;)

A refreshing Saturday

Nicole — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 06:39:10 +0000

I went on a solo photo walk to Moss Landing today, and had an amazing time! Today, when I was thinking about going on this walk, there was no sun, it kind of felt like it was going to rain, yet I embraced the day and went anyways. I am soooo glad that I did! Nothing fancy happened on the walk, it was just very relaxing and I felt like I was back to doing what I truly enjoyed ... just shooting for fun. Because I'm taking a film B&W photography class, I decided to bring both my Nikon D200 and my Pentax K1000 along (I love that little old camera!) loaded with Ilford 100 B&W film. I have yet to develop the film (should get to it in a few weeks after PSW), but I fell in love with all of the digital shots I got! (Click here to see them all up-close.) I really felt very happy and peaceful while I was shooting, and was very aware of my surroundings. I have always loved taking photos, but some of the time it feels like work, even though I am enjoying the process. Today was purely for me, just enjoying myself and really capturing the moment. I don't think I would have done this if it weren't for the recent world-wide photo walk that Scott Kelby organized last weekend ... it has gotten me so inspired to shoot because I love photography, not to make the "perfect" shot or try to make any money in the process. I'll have to thank him next week in Vegas if I am fortunate enough to meet him. :)

Photoshop World

Nicole — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:11:45 +0000

I attended my very first Photoshop World this past weekend and had an amazing time! Here's a quick rundown of my experience: Keynote It started out as being a hilarious spoof on Star Trek: TNG ... I couldn't stop laughing! These guys have a great sense of humor and wonderful attitude. John Loiacono also gave us a sneak-peek at Adobe Photoshop CS-"next". There will also be an official Adobe announcement (hmm, wonder what that might be?) on September 23rd ... all I can say is "I can't wait!!!" Classes Holy guacamole, do you learn a ton at this event. I did my best to follow Matt Kloskowski's advice on avoiding classes on topics you probably already know a lot about, and even snuck out of one of his classes on Lightroom for beginners! Ultimately, my absolute favorite Photoshop class was "Earth, Wind and Fire" with Corey Barker (the image above was made from techniques learned in that class). I really appreciate his style of teaching, and also love the fact that I learn something new every time he does a tutorial or lesson, since it's so far from what I do every day within Photoshop. My favorite photography classes were two classes led by Joe McNally -- wow, is that guy amazing or what! Such a great sense of humor, and, of course, a stellar photographer. I came out of his "Shooting for Major Magazines" class feeling extremely inspired (even teary-eyed inspired ... ok, I know, corny but true!). Next time I attend PSW I am definitely going to a pre-con photography workshop with him! Expo This was a creative professional's dream expo! I did my best to just browse so I didn't actually buy anything, but I did get to see some of the top-of-the-line equipment and software. If you are in the area of Photoshop World, you need to check this out! (Especially if you are planning on buying anything ... they usually have some good discounts to NAPP members and everyone in general on the last day of the expo.)

Party! I was lucky enough to snag a pro-pass, and along with it I got to go to the coveted After-Hours party held at the House of Blues in the Mandalay Bay. The band "Big Electric Cat" was great! I brought my D200 and Ray Flash with me and got some really cool shots. I even had the chance to meet and shake hands with Scott Kelby. :)

People This is definitely one of the best reasons to attend Photoshop World, ranked right up there with the classes. I met so many people and learned a lot by just doing some one-on-one chatting. I also had a chance to meet and hang out with a bunch of the iStock crew, most of them coming all the way from Calgary. Thanks again to Rob, Kelly, Adam, Megan, Dave and Kevin for being such awesome peeps and spending time with me! Advice So, for those of you who are thinking that Photoshop World looks like it might be a fun time, believe me when I tell you that it is! Here are a few things that I discovered personally that are some tips to keep in mind: - Go to classes that teach things you know very little or nothing about. (Well, at least stick to the software you know, like don't go to an Illustrator class if you've never used it before.) - Wear comfortable shoes! (People told me this over and over, and I did follow their advice. They weren't kidding ... you really get to do a lot of walking!) - And most important of all - have fun! These guys really do make it easy to have a good time, and the uplifting positive attitude of all the instructors and NAPP staff is probably what makes this event so wonderful. It's really a great thing to see so many people together at one time (participants included) who obviously just love their jobs! It makes me feel like I've picked the right path for a career ( ... now I just need a job!) ;) To read more about Photoshop World and some upcoming Photoshop news, visit Scott Kelby's blog (link).

Everything in Black & White ...

Nicole — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:20:58 +0000

I developed my passion for photography 12 years ago (in high school). Back then film was really the only way to do photography (for an amateur, at least). Digital was very new, very expensive, and I can even remember thinking at one point "I'll never switch to digital!". I was in love with the darkroom ... I even had one set-up in my parent's basement! Then, about three years ago, I decided to try out digital. I'm not sure why, I guess it just looked like fun. Then I found iStockphoto, and my knowledge about photography and Photoshop skyrocketed! Aside from my high-school classes and some OJT at a photo lab, I'm an entirely self-taught photographer and Photoshop user. This semester I decided to use my GI Bill to take some photography classes, just for fun. I'm in a B&W (darkroom) class, portrait, documentary, and digital class. The first day I walked back into the lab was so nostalgic! The strong smell of the chemicals ... so many wonderful memories. After using my trusty Pentax K1000 for the first time in about ten years, processing film, and making a few prints I am starting to remember and relive that passion, the same passion I started with. I love film photography and always will. It's really unfortunate that there are many people who have never experienced the basics of B&W darkroom photography. It's also very unfortunate that some people don't want to have anything to do with digital photography! In my opinion film and digital are very different, but both are still photography and both have their place. It's kind of the difference between oil paintings and watercolor paintings ... both are still paintings, and both are still art. I will always have a true love for both film and digital, and I'm very glad that I am able to have the opportunity to rediscover photography, again. :)

Back on Track

Nicole — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:31:42 +0000

I've really been out of the loop this past month! I found a new hobby (knitting) and that (along with school and life) seemed to take me away from my computer a lot. It was actually quite nice to have some reflection time away from my computer screen, but I decided it's time to get back on track.

School ends in about a month, and after that I'm going to dedicate myself to iStock full-time. I'm really excited to be able to put all of my effort into building my portfolio, but on the flip-side I'm nervous, too. I make a small amount each month from iStock, but not nearly enough to pay for lots of good photo gear. It's tempting to get a job to pay for gear, but if I do that then I'm pulling myself away from photography ... I feel like I'm in a catch-22. I guess I'll just have to struggle through it and hope that my iStock earnings start increasing!

I decided that if I'm going to get any new gear, I'm going to do it soon ... like today. I still have some extra cash this month and next, and I have a few things I would like to purchase. My favorite lens, a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 macro, just broke on me randomly last week so I think I'm going to upgrade to the Nikon 24-70 f/2.8. The Nikon version is full-frame, whereas the Sigma is not, and while I only have an APS sensor right now, I'm sure I will upgrade to FF in the future. The only downside to this upgrade is the cost ... a whopping $1,500. Yikes. I'm also going to invest in some PocketWizards ... I figure that it's about time I get some. (Plus I was just at an iStock mini'lypse this weekend and going to those always seems to make my photo-gear wish-list grow exponentially!) ;)

Change of Pace

Nicole — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:23:18 +0000

So, I'm seriously considering starting a "real" photography business. I've been photographing stock for a few years now, and always told myself that I would never get into boring portrait work, but I think I've found a balance. I've basically decided to apply my "style" of photography (lifestyle, people being themselves) and focus my portrait services towards children and babies. I'll definitely photograph adults too ... just not the cheesy-unnatural-pose-and-smile-way that I dread oh-so much. ;) I'm currently in the process of switching my website to PhotoBiz, which is a very user-friendly, simple and easy to use flash-based portfolio website. I have used Foliolink for the last year, and while the site looks great, it's not so easy to customize. (Plus it's more expensive!) I also wanted to be able to allow my customers to place orders and send them to me through my website, and PhotoBiz has a great setup for that as well. So, wish me luck! I'll be building my portfolio over the next few months, scouting locations (see my photo above), and hope to have my website and business up-and-running by Spring-time. I definitely have my work cut-out for me! :)

About

Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 06:05:16 +0000

[caption id="attachment_353" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="© Nicci Klenczar"][/caption] About Nicole: Nicole Young is a full-time photographer living in Salt Lake City, Utah. She specializes in stock photography and is an exclusive photographer for iStockphoto.com. To view more of Nicole's photography, please visit her portfolio. To view Nicole's video tutorials, please visit PhotoFocus. Follow Nicole on Twitter: twitter.com/nicolesy Email Nicole: nicole@nicolesyphoto.com

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Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:45:00 +0000

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Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:54:44 +0000

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Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:46:41 +0000

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Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:48:41 +0000

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Nicole — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:51:35 +0000

Be Prepared

Nicole — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 03:38:30 +0000

Today I was doing my usual routine. Go to class, come home, and sit at my computer for most of the rest of the day. Nothing was out-of-the-ordinary, and I still thought that business was as usual even when I heard the sirens close by (there's a police and fire station a few blocks from my house). But when I heard a really loud BOOM! I knew that something was going on. My suspicion was confirmed the moment I looked out my window and saw dark black smoke billowing up to the sky from only a block away. So, what would any good photographer do in a situation like this? That's right ... I ejected my CF card from my computer, quickly changed my lens (a Lensbaby just won't cut for this type of scene), ran (literally) out my door (with camera in tow) and scrambled up the 50-foot (or so, I'm not good with judging heights) hill behind my house. I was wearing horrible shoes for climbing a hill, but I didn't care! I made it up the hill with enough time to get photos of flames and black smoke screaming out of a garbage truck that had somehow caught fire. The firefighters were there, and only moments away from putting it out. But I beat them to it. Now, not everything went perfectly well during this (rare for me) attempt at photojournalism. I had my Lensbaby on prior to this, so what do you think my camera was set to? Yep, that's right. Manual. I noticed this after I had taken several photos and climbed all the way down the hill ... I was so mortified that the photos would all be ruined! However, thanks to some careful (and quick) decisions before taking those photos, I had decided that auto-bracketing was best, and bracketed for seven-frames of exposure. Adobe Lightroom did the rest ... there was plenty of detail in the "brightest" image to get the exposure correct. Now, I'm not the type of person to carry my DSLR with me everywhere. But I do make sure that 90% of the time I have a P&S nearby, in my purse or in my car, just in case crazy situations like this happen. I'm also not a photojournalist and don't really need to be ready at any given moment. Ultimately, the images that resulted from this entire situation is mostly due to luck - I was home, the incident happened a block away, and I also live at the base of a really tall hill that allowed me to get at a good angle to take the photos. But the biggest part of the luck was that I was sitting right next to my camera gear. When things like this happen, you don't really think. You just grab and go ... I was fortunate that I realized the memory card was still in the CF card reader, or I would have climbed the hill and cursed at myself. This has taught me that I need to be ready to take photos at any given moment, and have my batteries charged and a (not completely full) card in my camera, because you never know when something crazy and photo-worthy will happen. And, btw, one of my photos made the news. ;)

Photo of the Year

Nicole — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 18:09:03 +0000

A recent article on TWIP inspired me to blog about my own "Photo of the Year". This was a photo I took of my husband, who doesn't really like to be photographed, so I guess in a sense I was lucky to get it! (He doesn't really mind when I use long lenses, though ... this was taken with my Sigma 70-200 f/2.8, so I was pretty far away.) I actually took it because I was attempting to do the "Project 365" on Flickr, where you take a photo every day for a year. I got close, but so many things were going on in my life, and even though I was taking the photos I never had time to process them. So, I stopped ... but it was definitely an experience that was worthwhile! Not only did I get several amazing photos that I wouldn't have taken (here's another example, a photo of my cat) I was really inspired to get out and take more pictures! I still try to take photos every chance I get, even if it's just with a Point-and-Shoot. I live by the philosophy of "practice-makes-perfect", and even though I will never be a perfect photograher (I don't think that exists!) I do belive that you can only get better at something by doing it over and over.

2008

Nicole — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:30:27 +0000

This year has been a huge change for me. Almost exactly one year ago I separated from the Navy to focus on photography, but also to have the ability to be a stay-at-home mom when the time comes (no little ones yet, though!). My husband is still in the Navy, so I will be following him around for the next several years until he retires. We moved to California at the beginning of 2008 after being in Hawaii for three years, and it's unbelievable that we've already been here for a full year! Time really flies. I've even taken some classes for fun at a local college (thanks to the GI Bill) and learned a thing or two, and also made some really great friends along the way.

Now, looking back, I know I've had a great year. It's been bumpy on some stretches of the road, but also really fun and eventful. I've traveled to Utah and Arizona to meet up with iStock friends and get some great photos, and went to Photoshop World in Vegas in the summer. Even these last few weeks have been amazing! I was recently a guest on This Week In Photography, a podcast and blog that I've been a fan of since they started in January. I was also interviewed by Frederick Johnson on his website (as seen in the video above), where I talk mostly about iStockphoto & photography.

I'm really excited to see how the next few years will go. I'm getting more and more motivated about photography, and am so blessed to have a wonderful husband who is supporting me through it all. Overall, the community of photographers online are so amazing and really make this venture so worthwhile! I am really happy with the path I have chosen and hope I am able to motivate and inspire others in the process. I know I would not be anywhere without the knowledge and inspiration of other photographers and Photoshop experts online ... my hats go off to you all and I hope I can bring something to the masses as well. :)

Happy New Year, everybody!!!

2009

Nicole — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 20:22:14 +0000

I can't believe that it's already New Year's eve! I always have goals in mind for the months and years ahead, but in the spirit of the cliché "New Year's Resolution" trend I guess I will actually write a few of them down. I expect this year to be very interesting, and probably very stressful. My husband and I own a house in Hawaii, and are currently renting it out. We might have difficulty finding new tenants late next year so that is weighing heavily on our minds (and our finances). Ideally we would be living in it today, but the military doesn't exactly let you decide where you live when you want to live there. My husband and I would like to start a family this year, too ... I realize that we will probably be broke as hell towards the end of the year, but if we keep waiting until the "right time" then we will never have kids! So, most of my goals (or hopes) for this year revolve around either making, saving, or not spending any money. First of all, I need to photograph more and upload more to iStock (that's my #1 priority). I also am considering building a portrait business ... fortunately there is no significant cost to getting this started, since I already have all my gear. I will just need to do the paperwork and pay a few small fees. Hopefully these efforts will bring in some extra income to help reduce our bills. I have thought about getting an actual "job", but I really want to be able to work from home with photography and on the computer so I can stay home with our future kids. That is really important to me, and if it means that we have to pinch pennies then that's what we'll have to do. Aside from (hopefully) making more money this year, I really need to make sure that I don't spend too much! I already have a lot of great photo and computer equipment, and even though there are some things that I will need to upgrade one day (including my computer) I need to be happy with what I have right now. In the past, when I had money, I bought a lot of equipment that I just don't use that much so I need to fight the urge to spend my money on the "bestest-newest-greatest" gear and just use what I have. It's going to be tough, especially if Nikon comes out with a new camera that fits my needs (yes, I follow the Nikon Rumors!) but I'll just have to hold off and make sure I stick to my priorities. (One place that I now look for a lot of great props is thrift-stores and garage-sales; I got the scarf in the above photo at a thrift store for $5 ... and I've even started knitting my own.) My last (but not least) goal is to save my money. If I do end up getting anything expensive this year, it will be because I saved every penny for it. Delayed gratification is a very powerful thing, and something I need to enforce on myself more often. Plus, it will be good to have the money saved up just in case it needs to go towards something else (like a house payment ... blech!). I'm really looking forward to next year ... a lot has changed in our lives for the better, and I'm excited to see where it will take us. :)

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Nicole — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:51:12 +0000

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Nicole — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:02:25 +0000

MacWorld

Nicole — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:42:18 +0000

Last week I had the opportunity to drive up to San Francisco and spend some quality time amidst Apple fanatics and gadget geeks. Ah, it was so wonderful. Yet, for some reason I now have a strange desire to buy an iPhone (I think I was one of five other people without one at the Moscone Center ... seriously). This could possibly be due to what I like to call "Apple Osmosis" ... the more I am around the wonderful iPhone the more I want one. Patience, young grasshopper ... Anyhoo, I did have a wonderful time. Overall it wasn't the stuff on the floor, or even the cool stuff that was announced, that made it worthwhile. I went to MacWorld to re-connect with friends and meet others for the first time. That's really what it is all about! I was lucky enough to snag a killer seat at the live MacBreak Weekly show (I'm the one wearing green), and finally met Scott Bourne and Alex Lindsay from TWIP. :) Overall I had some really great experiences which I definitely won't forget. The first one was dinner with the iStockphoto crew at "Slanted Door" ... and OMG that was the best meal I have ever had! Wow. But the delicious food wasn't the only thing great about it ... meeting up with the iStock staff is always such a pleasure! They must take naps and get fresh oven-baked cookies everyday in iStock HQ cause those guys are always so laid back, relaxed, and just seem to love their job! Next was a brief, yet enjoyable photo walk with Frederick Johnson, Liana Lehua, & Lisa Bettany. We walked around and took photos (duh), talked, and even made a quick video of everyone wearing bunny ears with Liana's (borrowed) Nikon D90 & my Lensbaby Composer. Here are some of my photos from the walk, most which were taken with my Lensbaby (and a few other images from the expo floor) ... oh so fun! The last, but certainly not least, adventure I had was when I met and had lunch with Scott Bourne and Liana Lehua. We talked mostly about photography, but what I soaked up from that afternoon (other than the margarita) was a heartfelt conversation with two people who really have a lot of passion about what they do, and have a great desire to help others along the way. I came home feeling inspired and motivated; Scott is such a nice guy and I have a lot of respect for him and what he is doing. It's really great to have someone like that out there to mentor and help me in my life-long pursuit of becoming a better photographer. :)

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Nicole — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:58:41 +0000

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Nicole — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:23:10 +0000

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Nicole — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:41:46 +0000

Video

Nicole — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:32:40 +0000

Video

Nicole — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:40:27 +0000

Photography is a journey ...

Nicole — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:53:53 +0000

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjQtQ-etRSk]

I have always considered myself a "self-taught" photographer (well, minus those few B&W darkroom classes I took in high-school). ;) It's been a long journey for me, and my transfer from film to digital has definitely had its challenges. For example, I vividly remember trying to figure out how to work my first digital SLR (a Nikon D2H) ... I was on vacation and really using it for the first time, and was so frustrated that the exposure kept going all wacky on me. It turns out that it was on bracketing mode and I didn't realize it! Hehe ... it was only uphill from there. When I started contributing to iStock, one of the first things I wanted to master the white-background effect. I did some research, and thanks to Strobist I was able to create my own little soft-box out of a cardboard box, see-through white paper and poster board (oh, and sunlight, of course). This is one of my photos I took with that cute little box. Eventually I wanted to photograph people, so I invested in some background equipment, and also some AlienBees strobes. I honestly had no idea what I was doing! My setup was one light on the backdrop, located directly behind the subject, and two lights (each with soft-boxes) lighting the subject. (This was in a small room ... about the size of a small bedroom.) I had some good luck and got some great shots (here's one of them) but had very limited space in my little house in Hawaii. It's been well over a year and a half since I last did any white-background images, so I thought I would do some updated ones with my usual models. Now that I have an entire garage at my disposal, I was able to bring the subject further from the backdrop and light the background with two lights, blocking any spill with a few bi-fold closet doors I got at Home Depot for $34 each. I also used one of my Nikon speedlights as an additional light on the kids ... here's the photo of my complete setup. The above is a time-lapse of setting-up and a few finished images of my "studio" and photographing the kids. Here's a list of the equipment used in that shoot:

Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
Lights: AlienBees 1600 (x3) - one w/ octagon softbox, two with field reflectors; one Nikon SB-800 w/ shoot-through umbrella
Trigger: PocketWizards (x3) - one on SB-800, one on AB-1600 (the other two strobes were triggered optically), one on-camera
Misc: Bi-fold closet doors (x2)
Backdrop: 2-Sided Flex-out (black/white)

I believe that there is never an end to learning about photography, and so that's why I put this little video together. It's because of other wonderful artists out there who share their tidbits of information about photography with the world that has brought me to where I am today, so I want to do what I can to spread the love, too. So, with that said ... please enjoy the video!

Nicole Young

Nicole — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 22:52:47 +0000

Fear, Passion & Balance

Nicole — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:52:11 +0000

Long before I started my photography career I was worried that, over time, I would start to see photography as a job and would lose my passion and love for what I do. The nature of my job as a contributor to iStockPhoto & TWIP is, in a nutshell, to photograph & teach what I want with no boss & no deadlines, so I guess that keeps most of the boring stuff out. But there is that part of me that realizes (well, hopes) that one day I do have those things and that I am still able to keep my passion for photography alive. The fear is there ... it's tiny and in the back of my head, but I won't ignore it. I want to be scared of it because if I am still scared then it means I still care. Even though I can photograph & teach what I want to, it's still work. Sometimes I take pictures of things I know will have a good chance of selling. I get a sort of "high" when I look at my images on the back of my camera and see a great image that has potential, but sitting behind my computer and processing the photos is still going to be, for the most part, dreary and monotonous. I can sit at my computer for half a day creating a tutorial that will reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people ... and, well, I actually can't think of anything boring or uninteresting about that part of my job (other than the fact that I do it for free, hehe!). ;) In five/ten/twenty years will I still feel the same way? Will I get excited to go on a photoshoot? I think so. I honestly can't imagine not wanting to create in pixels the images that are burned into my brain. I want other people to see those images too ... I want other people to be able to create their own images, their own memories. I don't want to stop! So ... what do I do? One of my recent hobbies has been to create TimeLapse movies. I do these because I want to; I get enjoyment from the process of creating them and sharing them with others. I do them because they are FUN! That's the key. Keep the fun in photography ... don't make it only about gear, megapixels, money, contests, critiques, or skills. If you suck at photography but you love taking photos, don't stop. If you don't have a lot of money and can't afford a "better" camera, use what you have and don't let it get you down. If you work all day and the sun is down when you get home, grab a tripod and try taking photos of the stars. In my opinion, everyone is a photographer ... you don't have to be a pro or even know what you are doing, but everyone enjoys taking photos because they are preserving a memory. If photography is your full-time job, try to integrate a part of photography that makes you happy and doesn't just result in a paycheck. I sometimes have to force myself to step out of my "iStock box" and take photos that I don't plan on uploading or making any money on ... it keeps my brain charged and my creative juices flowing. Sometimes I even (unintentionally) come up with great-selling images in the process! So just as we do in our day-to-day life, we are happiest when we have a balance of work and play. That, in my humble opinion, is the key to staying passionate about photography.

Photo Critique

Nicole — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 04:51:49 +0000

This is a critique for the website ScottsCritiques.com. Scott invited his readers to take part and do our own critique of a photo, so this is what I came up with: [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Photo by S. Mamdani"][/caption]

My original thought when I saw this photo was that I really like it. It has a great "eerie" feel to it with the fog, and nice leading lines with the road curving off to the left. But I decided to have some fun with it and see what I could come up with.

Because of the way the trees are leaning it makes the image look crooked. So I rotated it a bit and also did some cropping because I didn't like that big patch of white at the top center/left. I also cropped off the tree on the right that is leaning out of the image - we want the viewers to follow the curve in the road and not be distracted by anything going "off the page". I also did some adjustments in Photoshop. First I cloned out the white poles on the left side of the road, and then did a basic tonal adjustment-layer using Levels. Next I added a "Black & White" adjustment-layer, changed the blend-mode to "soft light", and reduced the opacity of the layer. (That gave the image a little bit more "pop".) The last thing I did was to add a slight vignette using the "Lens Correction" filter in Photoshop. It sounds like a lot of work for one photo, but all of this took less than four minutes.

SLC Mini'lypse

Nicole — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:18:26 +0000

A week ago I had the pleasure of meeting up with some wonderful people and taking part in a contributor-organized iStockphoto event in Salt Lake City, Utah. The event was fun, energetic, and a crazy weekend of non-stop photography. I decided to bite-the-bullet and rent some gear (a Nikon D700 and 14-4 f/2.8) and I am sooo glad that I did. I have a few photos posted on my Flickr page, and there is also an official iStockphoto lightbox that will slowly be filled with images from the event ... check it out here. For those of you not familiar with this type of event, a "Mini"-lypse is a scaled-down "unofficial" version of an iStockalypse (which is an official iStockphoto event held a few times each year throughout the world). With that being said, I don't think that this event could be called "mini" ... it was more of a "Macro'lypse", IMO. ;) Todd and Renee did a very impressive job of setting this up from start-to-finish and went way beyond what was expected! Also, keep on the look-out next month for a few videos of the event. Because I rented a different camera, it left my D200 free to sit on a tripod and do some timelapse shots. I'm still in the process of piecing it together (and still need to get some more footage while I'm in SLC again next week) but I'll be posting it here as soon as it's ready. There were also some videographers who volunteered their time to interview and document the event from start-to-finish. More on that when it's available. I want to give a huge thanks to Todd & Renee for putting this event together, and it was also great to see again and meet up with all the other awesomely talented photographers, models, makeup-artists, designers, and everyone else who took part in the event. All of this would not have been possible if not for everyone involved ... I feel very blessed to be a part of such an enthusastic, open and caring community of people. :)

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Nicole — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:33:12 +0000

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Nicole — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 16:52:13 +0000

This is who I am

Nicole — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:24:01 +0000

I have always been a photographer, even before I knew it. (Well, maybe I was always an artist and the camera was the pair of glasses that helped me see the world the way I pictured it in my mind.) Whether I am taking photos, singing, writing poetry, or attempting to play the guitar, all of that is who I am as a person. I don't try to be someone else, I only know how to be me and I will always find a way to express myself. Over the past several months I have finally started to realize how important photography is to me in my life. I love it so much that I want to share what I know with others so that they can create beautiful memories to show their friends, families, children, grand-children, etc. I love it so much that I am incredibly broke because I am trying to make it a full-time job (and I cringe when I realize that it is probably not a realistic endeavor at the moment). I want to be inspired, creative, and hopeful all at the same time. Will I be able to do all of this? I think so, but I know that I'm not at my best quite yet. Tell a little kid to draw a picture and they basically are opening up a door to their little world. Sometimes I feel like I'm that little kid, and my photos are telling a story about my life ... and right now my life is like a Lensbaby at f/2.8. But that won't stop me ... I won't slow down now & I'm only picking up speed. Come along for the ride if you like, but hold on tight! And don't even think about getting in my way.

SLC Minilypse Video

Nicole — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:09:10 +0000

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLHgDEAc9pE&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1] This is a fun video I put together from footage and photos taken during the SLC Minilypse event in Salt Lake City, Utah last month (I also have an earlier blog post about it). It includes my own timelapse footage, and also several still images by some wonderful photographers that participated in the event. (To view more of the photographs from the event please go here.) Click here to view the video on YouTube (also in HD). Video is © Nicole S. Young (All Rights Reserved). Cannot be used or displayed without permission. Music licensed from iStockphoto: "Enjoy The Ride", PumpArtist_39290/iStockphoto.com

Lensbaby Tip

Nicole — Wed, 20 May 2009 14:22:41 +0000

I was recently on vacation in Canada and had the chance to visit the Butchart & Butterfly Gardens while I was there (thanks to the recommendations from my Tweeple!). Before I went out to take photos I decided that I was going to only use my Lensbaby on my D200 the entire time that I was on vacation. I am a huge fan of the Lensbaby; it's a great way to take something very simple, like a flower, and make the photo into something unique. When I was in the gardens with the flowers it was really easy to set up the shot ... the flowers were still, the light was perfect (nice and cloudy), so I had plenty of time to focus and adjust my exposure manually (my Nikon camera doesn't work in aperture-priority with the Lensbaby, unfortunately). However, when I was in the butterfly garden it was a whole different story. There was enough light, but the butterflies were moving so fast; sometimes they would only be sitting still for a matter of seconds. It was challenging enough to try and focus on the little buggers, let alone adjust the exposure every time I chased one down! So ... here's the tip : If you are in a situation where you need to quickly adjust your exposure with your Lensbaby, try using "Auto-ISO": - First, start off by getting a good idea of the lowest shutter-speed you are comfortable with (and one that works well with your situation) and lock it using Manual mode. Note: if your camera works well in "Aperture Priority" then you can use that too ... or you might not even need this tip at all! My Nikon only works in "Manual" mode with the Lensbaby so that's mostly what this tip is for. - Next go to the Menu on your camera and find the "Auto ISO" feature (with my Nikon D200 it's under the "Metering/Exposure" section in the Custom Settings menu). Set the maximum sensitivity to whatever you like, then turn it on and start shooting! Your shutter speed will remain the same while the camera adjusts the ISO, resulting in proper exposures on the fly.

My Favorite Things

Nicole — Thu, 28 May 2009 15:57:50 +0000

Some of my Favorite Things

Nicole — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:06:08 +0000

I was recently asked on Twitter what blogs I read, and so instead of limiting myself to 140 characters I thought I would type of a nice list of some of my daily travels (on the internet, that is). So, without further ado ... here they are:

PhotoFocus: Ok, maybe I'm biased, but before I started submitting to this site (when it was called "TWIP") this was still my favorite photography blog out there. It's a very nice, basic blog with lots and lots of relevant info relating to photography. I never go a day without reading from this website. :)

Joe McNally: Joe is one of my favorite current photographers. I'm slowly diving into the world of creative off-camera speedlights, and he is one of my main inspirations behind it. His blog is a fun, and usually humorous, look at some of his recent projects. Strobist: Ok, this site is almost a no-brainer so if you've never been there before, go now! The blog is all about photographic lighting, with an emphasis on small flashes. If that's your thing then read this blog. Planet Photoshop: I love using Photoshop, and I can't stop wanting learning new things. This site is authored by Corey Barker, my favorite Photoshop-guru who works for NAPP. He doesn't just show you the "normal" stuff ... he has all sorts of cool tricks up his sleeve to show you how to do things in Photoshop you never thought possible. Lots of great video tutorials here as well. Photoshop Insider: This is Scott Kelby's blog, and always has good info relating to Photoshop and photography. What I like best about it is that it's always updated with the latest-and-greatest info & news on what's happening out there in the photography world. And, last but not least, here's some more sites I read daily that definitely deserve a mention: Leggnet's Digital Capture - Photography by Rich Legg What the Duck - Photography-related comic strip by Aaron Johnson Photo Attorney - Copyright & legal information by Carolyn E. Wright, an attorney who works for photographers

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Nicole — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:52:19 +0000

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Nicole — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:06:10 +0000

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Nicole — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:06:13 +0000

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Nicole — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:06:15 +0000

Before & After - Flower Baby

Nicole — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:08:30 +0000

When I process photos I go through two main image processing software programs: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 & Adobe Photoshop CS4. Lightroom is where I organize the images, pick the ones I want to use and do global RAW adjustments like white-balance and subtle tonal adjustments. After I export the image (as a .psd) I do a LOT of my processing in Photoshop. I thought it would be fun to show some before/after of my images along with a brief description of each of the steps I took to get to the final product. So, to begin, here is the straight-out-of-camera RAW file I started with: As you can see, the white balance is way off and it's slightly underexposed. I also wanted to do some cropping to push the focus onto the baby. Here's what I ended up with after doing some adjustments in Lightroom:

To get to the final image I used several layers in Photoshop. (The image at the top of this post shows each step, or you can click here to see the image on Flickr with notes added to describe each layer.) Here are the steps I took in Photoshop to process this image, starting with the bottom (background) layer moving upwards:

1) I started with a DUPLICATE layer of the background to clone out the logo on the pants (necessary for stock images). 2) Next is a BLANK layer to do some additional non-destructive cloning. 3) There are two LEVELS adjustment layers. The first one is for RGB tonal adjustmens (brightness/contrast), and I did some masking of the shirt area so it wasn't too bright in the final image. 4) The second LEVELS adjustment layer is to tweak the color balance in the image. 5) After that was a BLACK & WHITE adjustment layer that I blended using the SOFT LIGHT blending-mode to add some drama to the image. I masked out some of the areas of the flower to balance out the look of the image. 6) For the top and final layer I merged of all the layers below it while still keeping them intact (Mac keyboard shortcut: CMD+OPT+SHIFT+E) and added a HIGH-PASS filter to give it some sharpening. I then changed the blend-mode to OVERLAY and used the mask to selectively sharpen certain areas of the image.

Here is the fully-processed photo:

Camera: Nikon D200; Lens: Sigma 70-200 f/2.8; Exposure: ISO 100, 1/320 @ f/2.8

Image in Use: NPR

Nicole — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:34:33 +0000

Yesterday I received an email from someone telling me she found one of my images used on the NPR.org website! (Thanks, Kathryn Ware!) I have sold close to 30,000 images through iStockphoto but it still doesn't get old seeing my photos in use. The great thing about this image is that it was one of my favorites from that particular photoshoot, and I also would have never seen it "in action" if not for someone who was kind enough to send a quick email my way. Click here to see the original image.

new4

Nicole — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:05:16 +0000

new5

Nicole — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:08:22 +0000

Rodeo - Part I

Nicole — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:29:51 +0000

Nikon D200; Lens: Nikon 24-70 f/2.8; Exposure: ISO 1600, 1/60 @ f/2.8

About a week ago I attended my first rodeo in Morgan, Utah. It definitely was a new cultural experience ... and a huge learning experience as a photographer. When I was a kid I loved to photograph sports (yes, I was the photo-geek standing on the sidelines of the football games, dreaming of a career with Sports Illustrated) and this was a fun way to revisit that style of photography. Some things I learned were mostly about how insufficient my Nikon D200 is for shooting fast-action low-light events. Both lenses I used were pretty fast (Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 & Sigma 70-200 f/2.8) but as the sun went down I found that even at my highest ISO (1600) I was getting speeds that were way too low for the lenses I was using (along with tons of noise). Now, don't get me wrong, the D200 is a really good camera but it has its limits, especially after the sun had set and all that I had left to shoot with was the lights in the rodeo arena.

Nikon D200; Lens: Sigma 70-200 f/2.8; Exposure: ISO 1600, 1/90 @ f/2.8

The good thing is that while the sun was still up I could get decent shutter speeds, but the bad thing is that the light was best as it started sinking over the horizon. My counterparts, Ann Torrence and Rich Legg, were both shooting with some nice equipment (a Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mark II) so when the sun went down they were able to get into those higher ISO values and shoot away. So ... what did I do? Well, as you can see in the photo at the top of this post, I started to get creative. I couldn't get fast enough to freeze the action after the sun went down (note the movement in the above image) so I tried to find other things within my surrounding that told a story. I also attempted some panning (as in the photo below) throughout the evening. I ended up having a really great time in spite of my camera limitations, and got some good shots. It forced me to try new things and not just to get the regular shots that I was expecting to take. Not everyone can own or can afford the top-of-the-line pro equipment ... and I am no exception. :)

Nikon D200; Lens: Sigma 70-200 f/2.8; Exposure: ISO 100, 1/30 @ f/22

BTW, if you are interested in learning more about "Rodeo Photography" Rich Legg has a post on his site with some good tips to get you started. Also, if you live in Utah there is a free "Rodeo Photography" clinic led by Rich Legg & Ann Torrence at the Sanpitch Cowboy Expo in Sanpete County, Utah on July 24th.

Rodeo_RAW-1

Nicole — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:45:22 +0000

Lightroom2

Nicole — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:47:13 +0000

Photoshop

Nicole — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:48:56 +0000

Fireworks

Nicole — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:17:56 +0000

Nikon P5100 (hand-held), ISO 64, 4 seconds @ ƒ/7.6

I decided to go "low-key" this year for fireworks and not take any "serious" photos. This is the first time in over 10 years that I have attended a fireworks event and not lugged my SLR, tripod, and whatever else I need to get good fireworks photos. So what did I do? Well, let's just say I didn't follow any of my own advice from a recent blog post I wrote about photographing fireworks. I went old-school and used a hand-held point-and-shoot camera, and even used one of the fancy preset "fireworks scene" modes. I'm sure that I would have taken some nicer photos with my SLR & tripod (note the mini-squigglies in the trails), but this year I just wanted to sit back and enjoy the show ... or just sit around and be a goof-ball most of the night (as Rich Legg managed to do quite well as seen in this photo). ;)

Before & After - Rodeo

Nicole — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:39:32 +0000

This "Before & After" is a simple cross-processed image with a little bit of Photoshop layer styles added to give it a white border. Above is the finished version ... here's the straight-out-of-camera RAW image:

I did some white-balance and tonal adjustments in Adobe Lightroom, and also added a cross-processed effect using the "Split Toning" panel. The adjustments are visible in the image below:

I then brought the photo into Photoshop and added a Black & White adjustment layer with the blend-mode set to "overlay" (I clipped it to the main image so it wouldn't affect the layer style). The layer style is a stroke using a pattern (one of the white paper patterns), then I added a simple drop shadow to give it some depth.

2009 Worldwide Photowalk Wrap-up Video by Jeremy Hall

Nicole — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:11:01 +0000

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkZMKaZbLeA] Video and post by Jeremy Hall; reprinted with permission from PhotowalkingUtah.com. A large group of us enjoyed the Photowalking Utah participation in the 2009 Worldwide Photowalk. Thanks to Rich Legg and Nicole Young for heading up the two events. I was able to be a part of the morning edition in downtown Salt Lake City and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with friends, meeting new people, and even snapping a photo or two. It had been some time since we did any video wrap up from a Photowalking Utah event, so I volunteered to take some video with my 5D Mark II and put together a short wrap-up. Though the 5D worked great, it reminds me why it is better suited for set shots, preferably on a tripod. Despite the shaky footage as I walked around, hopefully you'll enjoy revisiting the fun event.

Sanpitch Cowboy Expo

Nicole — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:34:43 +0000

Last weekend I went with a few friends out to Sanpete County, Utah to attend a free rodeo photography clinic that Rich Legg and Ann Torrence organized. There was a pretty good turnout and we had unlimited access to an arena with several cowgirls doing barrel racing, sliding stops, and tons of other events that are not always easy to photograph during a rodeo. Both Rich and Ann posted a good wrap-up of the event on their blogs ... check them out on the following links: Rich: http://www.leggnet.com/2009/07/sanpitch-cowboy-expo-photography-clinic.html Ann: http://www.anntorrence.com/blog/2009/07/cowboy-expo-photo-clinic-wrapu.html

City/County Building

Nicole — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 07:09:16 +0000

Worldwide Photo Walk - Salt Lake City Winner!

Nicole — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 14:47:57 +0000

Congratulations to Alex Gallivan for his winning image from the Salt Lake City "Worldwide Photo Walk". The angles and colors in this image really caught my attention ... well done! There were lots of great images to choose from which picking the winning entry a difficult decision ... you can see the other entries here. Alex has won himself a copy of "The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3" by Scott Kelby. His image will also go on to compete against other city winners for the grand prize. Thanks so much to everyone who participated & I hope to see you on next year's "Worldwide Photo Walk".

"Say I Do"

Nicole — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:06:52 +0000

My friend Rich Legg and I were asked to photograph our friend's wedding in November, and they also asked if we could photograph and design their wedding invitation. They wanted the invite to look like the front and back DVD cover of the movie "Say Anything" ... Rich did the photography and I did the Photoshop work. We had lots of fun, and I think we got it pretty close to the original. :)

Oh, Lensbaby

Nicole — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:10:57 +0000

Canon 5D, Lensbaby Composer, Double-Glass Optic, f/2.8

I have been lovin' my Lensbaby Composer lately. I'm in the middle of a personal project with it right now, and trying to get better, and quicker, at using it. I plan on fully integrating it into my photography on a regular basis and so my goal is to master it. For those of you not familiar with the Lensbaby, it's a manual-focus lens that can "wobble" around to find a "sweet spot" of focus within your frame. (Check out their site here to learn more.) It takes some getting used to, but creates a really amazing effect once you get it down. Also, here's a quick tip on using your Lensbaby - once you have the basics down, if you want to get fast with it, try to photograph pets and children! They move really quickly and it's very challenging to get them in focus ... and trust me, it really does help! :)

On The Road

Nicole — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:39:49 +0000

Nikon D200, Lensbaby Composer, Double-Glass Optic, f/4

I'm heading out to Las Vegas this week for Photoshop World, and I brought my Lensbaby along (of course!). This is one of my favorites from the road-trip. I can't wait to try it out on the lights in Vegas ... a prime location for some awesome Lensbaby shots, IMO. :)

safecss

Nicole — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:40:22 +0000

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Storm's a Brewin'

Nicole — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:03:51 +0000

Nikon D200, Lensbaby Composer, Double-Glass Optic, f/4

I photographed this weathervane yesterday afternoon ... kinda "Wizard of Oz"-ish, huh? I was sweeping up a driveway when I noticed the sky and stopped to take some photos. It never did rain, just gave me the perfect sky for a cool photo.

(The photo was edited using Adobe Lightroom 2 and Silver Efex Pro)

Vegas Munnies

Nicole — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 17:42:39 +0000

Caon 7D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens, 1/20th at f/4, ISO 3200

I attended the iStockphoto "Dollhouse Party" last night, and WOW! It was great. We each decorated a Munny Doll as our ticket to the party and were bussed out to a secret location (a mansion) somewhere in Las Vegas. They even gave out over $2k worth of money and prizes to the people who had the best Munny dolls. Rich's and I definitely didin't win any awards with our dolls ... but we did run into them roaming the streets of Vegas. ;)

Photoshop World

Nicole — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:14:29 +0000

Last week I had the pleasure of attending "Photoshop World" in Las Vegas, NV. I was only there for the Expo, but somehow those fellers over at Kelby Media Group were still able to exceed my expectations (I can only imagine what it would have been like if I was able to attend the conference as well!).

Julieanne Kost gives a demonstration at the B&H Theater in the Photoshop World Expo

I watched a few of the training sessions at the B&H booth during the expo; Corey Barker and Julianne Kost are really amazing teachers! Overall the Expo was insane. The iStockphoto booth had people decorating Munny dolls ... some of them took several hours at the booth perfecting their designs. I visited several other booths, but one that really sticks out in my mind is MetalMural.com. You have GOT to check these out ... I now know what I'm going to use for my printing service when I'm ready to start decorating my walls. :)

The crowd of iStock party attendees show off their Munny Dolls to the camera

Friday night was the big iStockphoto "Dollhouse Party". This was the party to be at if you were at Photoshop World this year. We were required to decorate a Munny doll as our ticket to the exclusive party, and bussed out to a "secret location" (which was a crazy beautiful mansion). There were fire-dancers, a contortionist, DJ, open bar (for real!), and iStock even gave out more than $2k worth of cash and prizes to the best decorated Munny dolls. I can't wait to see what they have in store for next year. (Check out this video of the party put together by RC and his awesome video crew from NAPP!)

Canon 7D, Lensbaby Composer, Double Glass Optic, 1/20 sec at f/2.0

I will definitely be going to Photoshop next year. Even if it's just to catch up with some old friends and new acquaintances, it's totally worth the trip. Plus it gives me an excuse to photograph the awesome lights of Vegas with my Lensbaby. ;)

Can You See It?

Nicole — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:23:47 +0000

Canon 7D, Lensbaby Composer, ISO 1600, 1/80th at f/4, +10 and +4 Macro accessories. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Can you guess what this is? I photographed it in my home with my Lensbaby Composer, stacking up the +4 and +10 macro adapters. Let me know what you think it is in the comments ... I'll post the answer tomorrow!

Can You See It ... Now?

Nicole — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:55:55 +0000

Canon 7D, Lensbaby Composer, ISO 1600, 1/80th at f/4, +10 and +4 Macro accessories. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and Nik Color Efex Pro.

A few of you got it spot-on ... it's the top of a tomato! Good guesses, btw. :)

My New Camera

Nicole — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:14:33 +0000

Canon 7D, Lensbaby Composer, 1/60th at f/4, ISO 100, +4 Macro accessory

I recently bought a new camera ... a Canon 7D. No big deal, right? Well, maybe not, unless you consider the fact that for the last 13 years I have been using all Nikon gear. Why did I make this choice? I have been in need of an upgrade to my Nikon D200 for quite some time, but I haven't been able to find a camera that fits all of my needs. The majority of my photography is commercial stock imagery for iStockphoto. While I personally could care less how many megapixels I shoot, with microstock it's a good thing to have a lot of them. Nikon does not currently have a high-megapixel camera (other than the über-expensive D3x) ... so that was one thing pushing me towards Canon. To make it simple, here is a list from my own personal experience, comparing some of the aspects that are important to me between Nikon & Canon:

Nikon D700/D3	Canon 7D/5DMkII
Only 12.1 mp	Higher Megapixels (18 and 21)
Low noise at high-ISO w/ D700 and D3	Still has low noise with some models, but not as good as the D700/D3
Clunkier controls - zooming, scrolling through images, etc.	Controls are much more intuitive; I especially like the "wheel" on the back of the body.
Menu goes on and on ... it's easy to get lost.	Menu shows only as much as will fit on the screen (I just like how it looks)
Great focusing system for fast performance	Focusing not as good as the Nikon, but I don't typically shoot fast-moving subjects
In-camera interval modes	Needs a separate cable-release for intervals
No HD video in the D700 or D3 (yet)	HD video capability in the 7D and 5DMkII

Please note that this is a very small list compared to all of the differences between the two systems; I mentioned only the few that are important to me. So ... am I switching to Canon? The answer is ... maybe, probably ... I don't know. Economically it seems like the right thing to do, since I have perfectly good re-sell-able lenses sitting in a camera bag (including the "hard-to-find" 24-70 f/2.8) and a Nikon camera body that probably won't see the light of day again for quite some time. If I could do both systems, I probably would. It's not easy to get rid of my Nikon gear, since I feel strangely connected to it. At first I was very much intent on sticking with both systems, possibly upgrading to a Nikon D700 (or whatever comes out next) and maybe I still will. If I had all the money in the world then this would be an easy decision ... but glass aint cheap. I'm making no promises to myself ... I'd like to give it some time, live with my Canon for a while, and then decide if I want to take the full plunge.

Sad Grooves

Nicole — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:54:41 +0000

Canon 7D, Canon 24-105 f/4L lens, 1/160th second at f/8

This is a close-up of a tree I found while roaming around Utah taking photos yesterday. The tree had lost all its bark, and actually looked kinda sad, considering it was surrounded by dozens of beautiful aspen trees that were slowly fading their leaves from green to orange. I guess it's just that time of year ... when things change, hibernate and fade to let the cold season take over and push the color out of the world. But the coming spring wouldn't be so beautiful if it didn't have an ugly snow to melt so it can show its colors again.

Old Greek Town SLC Photowalk Recap

Nicole — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 22:31:56 +0000

This article is cross-posted at PhotowalkingUtah.com. This past weekend we had a really great turnout at the Photowalking Utah "Old Greek Town" photowalk. More than 50 photographers showed up and, after a risky group photo (video here, thanks to Jeremy Hall!), we made our way through the streets of downtown Salt Lake during the beautiful "golden hour" of the evening. I'm always surprised at how many new faces we see at each event! It really solidifies the fact that Utah has an amazing photographic community, and I'm very proud to be a part of it. For me the "photography" aspect of the get-together is just an excuse to hang out with a great group of people. ;) It's also really neat to talk to the passers-by asking about the group and what we are doing ... I guess that's what happens when several dozen photographers go walking down a sidewalk together! To see photos from the walk and view upcoming events go to the "Photowalking Utah" Flickr group. More information can also be found at http://www.photowalkingutah.com.

Bruised

Nicole — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:14:00 +0000

Nikon D200, Lensbaby Composer, Double-Glass Optic, 1/1600th sec @ f/2.8, ISO 400

A friend of mine was in a scooter accident recently, so Rich and I got a few photos of her beautifully colored black eye (I even got an über close-up with the macro attachement here). Thanks, Kati, for modeling for us. :)

First Stock Shoot with my 7D

Nicole — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:58:44 +0000

Canon 7D, Canon 70-200 f/4L lens, 1/125th second at f/4.5, ISO 100

This past weekend I used my Canon 7D in a stock photo-shoot for the first time. I'm extremely happy with the results ... the focusing and overall quality was excellent, and it's also nice to have larger file-sizes to offer to customers on iStockphoto. I am also lucky to have a good friend with some pro Canon glass to use for the shoot, since I don't have any Canon lenses of my own quite yet (thanks, Rich!). The two models in the shoot were wonderful to work with, and it's really inspiring to see elderly people with such energy and a sense of humor. Days like this make me so grateful that I get to do this for my job. :) (Click here to view my portfolio on iStockphoto.com)

Book Cover

Nicole — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:10:25 +0000

A friend of mine recently pointed me to an image of mine in use ... on a book! (Here's the link to the book on Amazon.) I see my photos used all the time and most of them are found in use on the web some where (like in a blog or a news article) but it's always a much bigger deal to see them in print. So, I went to the local bookstore to buy a copy that I can add to my collection of "images in-use" (doubt that I will read it ... lol). They did do some Photoshop work to the image on the shirt - here's the original so you can take a look.

Snow Drops

Nicole — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:49:42 +0000

Canon 7D, Canon 28-105 f/3.5-4.5 lens, 1/40th second at f/4.5, ISO 100

It's been snowing all day long ... my friend Rich pointed out some cool looking drops on his sunroof so we both took some photos. This is the first time in five years I've lived someplace where it snows, and I felt like a little kid that saw snow for the first time. Yay, snow! :)

Fuji vs. Grasshopper

Nicole — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:36:38 +0000

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/7385702 w=601&h=338]

Yesterday afternoon my cat, Fuji, found a grasshopper in the house and pointed it out to me (yes, he seriously stood next to it and meowed until I came over to check it out). So I grabbed my Canon 7D and shot some quick video clips for fun. The quality isn't stellar, since most of it was hand (or floor) held and I didn't pay much mind to the ISO settings, but it shows how easy it was to use my new DSLR as a video-camera "on the fly".

The video was shot at 720p/60fps, and the first two clips are slowed down by 50%. And don't worry ... as far as I could tell the grasshopper escaped. I tried to free him after I was done shooting but he hopped away. (I think at the last part of the video he was in "stealth" mode, lol.) :)

Nicole — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:59:08 +0000

(Photo is Copyright Nicole S. Young - All Rights Reserved) Post by Nicole Young - Follow Nicole on Twitter The addition of video to many of the newer DSLRs being released these days is turning some of us into amateur videographers. And, as we all know from watching movies and television, a good soundtrack can really add a lot of depth and emotion, and sometimes even make-or-break the video. There are some things to keep in mind when adding sound and music to your videos, and one of the biggest considerations (in my opinion) is making sure you are using the music legally and not violating anyone's copyright. As photographers we usually don't want people using our images without licensing or permission, and the same goes for audio artists and musicians. Here are some guidelines and tips to keep in mind when working with audio: - "Buying a song" doesn't equal "owning a license". Just because you paid $0.99 on iTunes to download the newest song from U2 doesn't mean that you have the right to re-distribute and play the song in public. You are only allowed to use purchased songs for personal, noncommercial use, which means you cannot publicly play it online. - Royalty-free audio. There are several websites that offer inexpensive royalty-free licenses on all types of audio, from sound-effects to full-length songs. This is a good option for those of you looking for more advanced songs and soundtrack and aren't able to re-create them on your own, but are willing to pay a small price for using the audio and have a lot of flexibility on how to use and distribute it. - Creative Commons. There are hundreds of websites online that offer audio tracks licensable through "Creative Commons" (here is a good list to get you started). Some of these licenses are free or inexpensive, but it's important to read the fine print and be sure you are following the guidelines for each specific download (for example, you are usually required to give the original author credit for their music in your video). - Make your own. Software programs such as Apple's "Garage Band" make it very easy to create your own music, and you are able to use your audio creations in your videos under a royalty-free license. There are also other programs and loops you can download and piece together to form songs or background music.

My Favorite Food Styling Book

Nicole — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:55:06 +0000

I recently did a "Food Photography" clinic with Rich Legg and mentioned one of my favorite books on food styling. The book, Food Styling for Photographers by Linda Bellingham and Jean Ann Bybee, is exactly what you would expect. It explains food styling for someone who is a photographer but doesn't have much (or any) experience styling the food. The reason I really like this book is, because it is primarily written from the perspective of a food stylist, it focuses more on the actual styling of the food, so it has very little information on technique and lighting for photography. (If you need a book about photographing food then I would recommend a book such as Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna.) It's also written very well and has a lot of photos to illustrate the methods described in the book, and while it does describe ways to style specific meals most of the methods you learn can be applied to many other food items. Ideally it's best to have a professional food stylist at the photo-shoot, especially if you are hired to photograph food for commercial purposes for an organization that has the budget for it, but when you do what I do (micro-stock) or just want to photograph food for your blog or for fun then there really isn't the budget to spend $500+ on a professional stylist. I find that this book is more than helpful and I highly recommend it for photographers who want to give food photography a try.

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Nicole — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:21:54 +0000

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Nicole — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:24:03 +0000

Moo MiniCards

Nicole — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:20:01 +0000

The good folks over at Moo.com were kind enough to give me a free pack of their brand-new MiniCards. I have ordered from them in the past and really like the quality. My current iStock business cards are made by Moo, with a photo on one side and text on the other side, and now they are offering the same service (text on one side, image or text on the other) for the MiniCards. I decided to go with the "text" cards in rainbow colors. These little cards are so cute ... they're very portable and come with a sturdy little box to carry them around in. The paper quality is one of my favorite things about the cards - very thick with a matte finish. The website also makes it easy to create your cards, they have a lot of pre-made designs, and you can even import your own photos from sites like Flickr and Facebook. If you are shopping around for business cards, mini or regular sized, I would encourage you to check out Moo.com. Note: I didn't get paid to say nice things about Moo ... it's all from the bottom of my heart. ;) My friend Rich Legg also blogged about the cards recently ... check out his post on LeggNet.com.

Headache Tutorial

Nicole — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:54:23 +0000

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/7353731 w=601&h=338] Earlier this year I made a cool photo of my face with a crack on my head, and was asked by a few people how I did it. Well, I finally got around to making a video tutorial on it, and used it for NAPP's "So You Think You Can Teach Photoshop?" contest (details here). I also created two other videos for the contest, and you can view them by going to my profile on Vimeo. I'm not sure what my chances are for winning the contest, since there were over 100 video entries by a lot of really talented artists. We should find out mid-November who the winners are ... wish me luck!

Lensbaby Photowalk Recap

Nicole — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:58:16 +0000

The first-ever (that I am aware of, at least) Lensbaby photowalk was a success! Over 60 photographers met up at Pictureline in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, each with a Lensbaby to use for the photowalk (courtesy of both Lensbaby and Pictureline) and roamed around the block snapping photos. From what I could tell everyone was having a great time. I'm a big fan of the Lensbaby product and was really happy that others had a good chance to try one out for themselves. A huge thanks go to both Jens and Nick at Pictureline for making all of the arrangements, and also to Lensbaby for supplying the demo lenses for all of the participants who needed to borrow one. You can view photos from the event on the Photowalking Utah Flickr group (click here). For more information about Photowalking Utah please visit http://PhotowalkingUtah.com.

Veteran's Day

Nicole — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:59:23 +0000

Today is Veteran's Day, and, for those of you who don't know I served in the US Navy for over eight years before I was a full-time photographer (from 1999-2007). I was looking through some of my old photos from my time in the service and found this one of me while I was stationed in Misawa, Japan in 2002. My primary job while in the Navy was a linguist (CTI), but I also did some security forces training and had the opportunity to become weapons qualified (that's me shooting an M16). Being in the military taught me several things and I am a much stronger, more confident person because of it. I love my job right now because I'm doing what I have always wanted to do, but I would never change anything about my past, especially the opportunity to enlist in the Navy. Thanks to those of you who have served or who are currently serving in the US Military ... you are wholeheartedly appreciated.

Woman's World

Nicole — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:48:57 +0000

If you are at the grocery store and see a copy of Woman's World at the check-out, pick it up, turn to page 12 and you might see a familiar face. :) In August when I was at the iStockphoto "HQ'lypse" event in Calgary I was asked if I would do an interview for the magazine, and of course I said yes. The article was nice (maybe just a little bit corny, lol) and it is definitely strange to see my face in a magazine instead of just one of my photographs.

Image in Use - "School Tool Box" Website

Nicole — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:40:01 +0000

Wow, it's been a busy week, but I thought I'd sneak in at least one blog post before the weekend. :) I was notified by iStockphoto about an image of mine in use (the designer submitted it to the "Design Community" section on iStock). They used several photos but it was cool to see that they used one of mine at the very top of the website. Click here to view the original design, and here to see the design on iStockphoto.com.

Catching Up

Nicole — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 23:46:15 +0000

Nikon D200, Nikon 24-70 f/2.8 lens, 1/250 sec @ f/11, ISO 100

This weekend I've been pushing to edit a bunch of images I have sitting on my computer, most of them back-logged from earlier in the year and I'm finally taking the time to finish them and get caught up with my work. I still have quite a ways to go (more than 300 images still to edit and upload) but hope to have them all done in the next few months. My goal is to have over 5,000 images in my iStockphoto portfolio by the end of December. This is one set of three images I thought was so cute ... I really miss this little girl and her brother! They are the children of my good friend who I knew while I was in the Navy, and they just loved being photographed. (I have a whole collection of their images here in my iStock portfolio.)

Stock

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Relaxin'

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Rain!

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Judgment Day

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Vacation!

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Spring

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Colorado

Nicole — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:39:19 +0000

Colorado