Freezing Rain

Okay, landscapes aren't really my thing, but I had to capture this...

Yesterday, I had my first freezing rain experience. I was very confused as to what exactly was happening, because it seemed like it was just raining (weird for winter, but whatever), but then it turned to ice as soon as it touched any surface (the street, cars, snow, etc), a very strange phenomenon. I heard that some people had about 1/4 inch thick of ice covering their cars, and the freeway was a mess. Not a good day for going outside at all. Except if you wanted to skate around on the ice, which I saw (via video) some students at BYU were doing. It actually looked like a lot of fun!
Sliding Down the Ice
(I especially like the last guy's approach, haha)

Last night, I realized that my snow-covered lawn looked really cool with the sheet of ice on top of the snow. It was almost as if you could skate on top of the snow (but unfortunately, that wasn't the case...). It was also tricky photographing the ice because you can only see it at certain angles. In the first photo below, you can see the ice coating on the left side of the photo--it looks like a glaze. In the second photo, you can see the cool texture the ice adds to the snow. And in the last one, you can see how dangerous our driveway is. It's very deceptive: it looks like snow, but it's covered in sheet of ice, which you can only see at certain angles. I have *almost* fallen a few times.

And the last photo doesn't have anything to do with freezing rain, but I thought it looked cool, so I decided to add it on. Unfortunately, I only had my camera phone on me, so the quality isn't so great, but it's still cool. I love how the cool and warm lights are separated by the tree.

This has been a crazy winter for Utah (horrible air quality, freezing rain, followed by tons of fog... do I want to know what's next?)

Makes me miss this...

Tablet

I got a Bamboo Create tablet today. One of my old co-workers recommended it to me, and I can't WAIT to try it out! I've already played around with it a little bit and it's awesome! It'll take a little while to get used to, but it's a lot better than using the trackpad to design :)

(I did NOT take this picture, just fyi)

Shiseido

My latest product shot. This was sooo hard to photograph. It took nearly 4 hours, but the bottle looked so cool that I had to finish. It was a great learning experience, though!

Natural Stress Relievers

So, this is kind of a weird post because it's a photography blog, not a Dear Abby column, but I thought I'd share my thoughts about stress relief. This can be a particularly stressful time of year: holidays, finals (for those in school), sickness from weather change, etc. I've found myself getting super stressed just trying to find a full-time job, figuring out plans for holidays, and just living life in general.

But I've noticed something over the past year: I've been more stressed during the times I didn't exercise, didn't eat right, and just tried to deal with things on my own. I didn't really let off steam in a healthy way. So, here are some natural, healthy remedies that actually work! (There are a ton, but I just chose my tried-and-true favorites)

Yes, this one seems obvious, but you'd be surprise at how many people don't use this as a stress reliever. When I was in school, going for a quick run was the last thing I wanted to do because I had other things to get done. But, when I finally exercised the stress out, I was able to think more clearly and was more energized. Plus, the endorphins made me happier.

Whether you're just with a friend or watching YouTube videos remember to LAUGH! It's another simple, and somewhat silly, remedy. But it works!! It's easy to get caught up in the stresses of school, career, or just life, but if you laugh it helps to break up your internal tension.

Calling up a friend can really help decrease stress levels. It's easy to become a hermit when you have too much on your shoulders. I know I've been guilty of this, but the moment I pick up the phone (or meet up with a friend) and simply talk I immediately feel better. Whether I talk about my worries or call just to talk, it helps to release all the tension I have built up because I forget about it for the time being or resolve it.

Yes, another strange one. I know it's not my first instinct, but it really is effective. One of my college professors suggested this to his class during finals, saying that recording your thoughts keeps the dialogue from running over and over in your head. Just write what's on your mind: don't think about it, just let it out. This is for your eyes only, and you can throw it away or reflect on it later. It can be a few sentences, a couple of pages, or even a poem. Just get it on paper.

My personal favorite. Eating DARK chocolate is not only has health benefits (in moderation, of course), but it also doubles as a stress reducer. Studies show that eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate every day can reduce cortisol, a stress hormone. This is why I try to eat dark chocolate every day ;) I used to not like dark chocolate, then I discovered Dove dark.

Last, but definitely not least, listen to some music. Whether you're just listening to it or dancing to it, music is an effective stress reliever. If you're someone who can't listen to music while working/studying, take a small break (5 or 10 minutes) and listen to your favorite song to get your mind off things.

While stress is a natural and necessary part of everyday life, don't let it bring you down. Remember to work hard and play hard!

My New Store

I figured that since I have quite a few fine artsy photos, I might as well put some up for sale. Then I found this website after stalking my friend's blog (thanks, Lex!!) and it's the perfect place to sell artwork! Check out my store (either by the link or on the "shop my store" link in the right sidebar) -- there are prints, canvases, iPhone, iPod, and iPad covers. It's pretty cool and really easy to set up.

Oh yeah, and here's a $5 off coupon if you see something you like! 

NOTE: It only runs til November 11, and you have to use this link to get it.

New York

Wow. It's been forever since I last posted on this (well, except for yesterday). My life has been so crazy lately, but now that I have a moment, I'd like to share my adventures (or pictures of them, rather) :)

I spent 7 days in NYC. A beautiful and crazy city. There are all kinds of people there, it was great! I LOVE diversity--I miss it a lot! I don't think I could live there, though, because I don't really like subways and it's way too hectic for me to try to get around on foot. I like chill atmospheres. AND not to mention the weather...every time I walked outside, my hands instantly got damp from the humidity. Don't get me wrong, though. It's an awesome place :)

I love walking everywhere, I wish we could do that more on the west coast. There was SO much to see. NYC (just like a lot of places in New England) has a lot of history and cool buildings. It was amazing to see all of the architecture and culture.

I went with 2 other girls. It was kind of a girls week, I guess. We did a LOT of exploring! Here's part of our list, and we did about 98%, if not ALL (plus some) of these things... (One of the girls did an internship there a few summers ago, so she made this list up, not me, I'm not patient enough haha):

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Yeah, it was a looong week! I was so tired by the end of it, I think I slept for about a day.

People always ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, and I can honestly say that I don't have one. It was all really fun and I loved just taking a break from real life.

Anyway, enough talking! Here are some photos (they're sporadically placed):
P.S. None of these are composited; just color-correction. It was really a beautiful time of year to visit.

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On top of the Empire State Building

View from the Empire State Building

I LOVE the architecture!

Are we in China?

Central Park

Now I feel like I'm in England...I'm confused.

"Tangled" tower?

Yeah, that's not grass... gross.

For all you Beatles fans

John Lennon's Apartment

The piano from Big!!

St Patrick's Cathedral

St Patrick's Cathedral

Since there are a shortage of trees on the street, this is kinda cool

Thought this was funny :)

Yup, I'm a tourist, and I don't know how to use a magnifier thingy!! ;)

The skyline

Don't remember what this was for, but it looked rustic and cool on this cloudy day.

The pier

Gotta have a pic of Lady Liberty

One of the Freedom Towers (under construction, obviously)

9/11 monument, really cool and peaceful

Lone leaf

Seen enough? Good, cause that's all!! (for now)

Time for new skills...

I'm a college graduate. I can't even express how excited I was to finally graduate! No more homework and I would get paid, not the school.

Well, little did I know, it's not that simple. I couldn't find a job. Not because I'm not qualified--simply because there is a huge lack of a job market for photography. 

Yes, I have almost completed one semester's
worth of work in 1 1/2 weeks. I'm a little addicted...

But, almost all (5 ouf of 7) of the siblings (and most of their spouses) are programmers. They are all ridiculously smart and (yes) nerdy. I say that with all of the love in the world. They are really going places: they all have great-paying jobs and are successful.

So, I thought I'd give it a shot. Now, I'm kind of addicted. I'm re-learning HTML and CSS and now I'm digging deeper into JavaScript and I actually find it FUN!! Crazy, right? But it's true. Something about typing in a code and getting the computer to display what I want it to gives me a huge satisfaction. My biggest motivator, though, is that there is a job market for it.

I'm learning WEB DESIGN and it's awesome!!
Here's where I'm learning it. 

And here's what I'm also learning... if you mess one little thing up (i.e. forget one little semicolon or parenthesis) your code goes  BOOM  and everything gets screwed up. Talk about frustrating... so you could spend hours like this and not know what's going on:

(In fact, I have seen my little sister Christina do this many times, it's kinda funny to watch, but not fun from the other end)

I'm obviously not a pro at it yet, and frequently feel like the little cartoon shown above, but I feel like I'm actually getting somewhere in this dead economy. I'm still--and always will be-- a photographer who loves to Photoshop, but I also love designing and programming now.

I guess I'm a nerd. It's in my blood-- you can't escape genetics ;)