Name Dropping

1st Call - 9:44 am. I don't pick up. Why? Ruby's peed out, I'm barely able to crack my eyes open, and I couldn't care less about getting off the couch. I shouldn't have stayed up till almost three revising my first three chapters for the eleventy billionth time.

2nd Call - 9:54 am. I look from the blinking light on my home phone to my cell. Peggy called both phones? Oh crap, the realization hits me that I forgot to pick up the lovely gift she's had waiting for me since Friday. This time I call her back and apologize for my unfriendly friendship.

We talk. She asks what I am doing today? Revising yet again--Of course my book won't be ready until every dag gum word is different. Today, Peggy's taking a break from writing. Instead, she's going out to lunch with her daughter. Fun for her. If I took Ruby out to lunch it would be on me. (snort. I'm laughing at my own joke...Ruby is still nursing.)


3rd Call - 12:55 pm. I don't pick up. I'm Writing.


4th Call - 12:55 1/2 pm. Still Writing.


5th Call - 12:56. Ok Peggy, I get the point. I pick up.

"You're not going to believe who I ran into at P.F. Changs!" Peggy's voice is light, near giddy.

"Who?" (I'm a sucker for a hook, and Peggy knows how to hook me)

"Laura Hickman!"

"SHUT UP!"
(Yes, I know you're not supposed to ever write in all caps, but I did yell. Peggy just ran into one of the greatest Fantasy writers of all time--A woman I so sneakily stalked at the BYU-Writers for Young Reader's Conference just over a month before.)
Peggy recognized Laura and called out her name. Laura turned, and Peggy talked to her. Peggy reminded Laura that she'd met her at the Writer's Conference.

And then Laura Hickman said, "That's right, you were with . . . ERIN!"

(Ok, so she probably didn't yell my name like I just wrote in all caps, but that is how excited I was to hear she said it. Stop being such a critic).

I squeal into the phone. I dance a little jig in my computer seat. I lightly caress the Hickman's book, Mystic Warrior, Book One of The Bronze Canticles that sits on my desk.

Sigh.

Peggy says, "Next time you'll pick up the phone the first time I call."

I laugh. Hopefully she's right.


Above are Tracy and Laura Hickman, the married, fantasy writing duo. I just wanted to do a little name dropping today and let you know They Rock!

And the Results . . .

The Lighting Workshop was a blast. Thank you so much to Rob and Karly for your perfect modeling. Here are some of the workshop shots!

Starburst:

Perfect Silhouette

Hazy Back lightingNear SilhouetteRomantic Back lightingAnother lovely silhouetteStarburstSidelighting And these last ones were mostly for fun, but a little teaser for next month's workshop. (Urban Rock)

Monday's Fit Tip Mania

1. Roll out of bed when you're supposed to and go for that run. Don't sleep in until the kids are reaping havoc on your home.

2. Steer clear of the Lucky Charms and be content with your fiber one cereal.

3. Never open the freezer at 11:00 am just to 'look'. The ice cream your hubby bought the night before will still be there and it will somehow talk you into scooping a bowl full and sneaking off to your room so your kids don't see.

4. Get off the computer. Don't let the computer suck away hours of your day, where you are tempted to read, look, and EAT!

5. If you're reading this blog post, remember not to judge the author.

*sigh*

WORK IT...Photography Workshop.

This next week I am holding a Outdoor Portrait Lighting Workshop. As a wedding and portrait photographer, early evening lighting is my best friend.

What: I will be teaching a 2 1/2 hour course on outdoor lighting that will encompass: back lighting, artistic haze, sun starring, silhouettes, and beauty of blown out. The class will meet at an outdoor location and will be hands on shooting. In addition, for those of you who may have missed a class, the first 45 minutes of the class will be a mini-review, extensive camera overall, HDR, and exposure necessities. I will have an extensive handout and a mini review at the start of the class to refresh your portrait skills.

When: Thursday, July16th

Where: An outdoor location in Pleasant Grove . . . TBA.

More: You will need to have a portrait lens. If you are shooting with a full frame camera then you will need at least a 70 mm range. If not, you can use a 50 mm. Preferably, you will need a lens that has the f-stop range of 2.8. If not, we will work around that.

Cost: $25 or, if you have missed a class in the last two months, then the make-up portion of the class (the first 45 min.) is free. If you would like to stay for the additional shooting demo then it is only $5.

Please RSVP right away so I can calculate how much space we will need, and I will cap the class at 8 students.

If you have questions:

Call: Erin at 801-404-4208

bobbi. my friend.

Truth be told, I'm not a very good friend. I get preoccupied. I fail to answer the phone. I triple schedule every hour of my life. I live in complete chaos.

Needless to say, I'm sure I've always had those flaws. One instance in particular stands out in my mind of how 'not' of a good friend I was with my dear bff, Bobbi.
We were walking home from the Junior High school on a warm spring day when out of nowhere a huge black dog came bounding down the street toward us. Of course, because I 'm such a dog lover I reached out to pet the massive thing. He apparently loved our attention so much that he attacked my dearest friend Bobbi.

And what did I do?

Nothing.
Really, I can remember it clear as day. I stood. I gaped. And after watching poor Bobbi wrestle with a crazy hulk of a dog, I actually think I laughed.

Bobbi, I'm sorry.

And any other friend I've not been very nice to, I am sorry too.

p.s. YOu look fabulous, despite our junior high days, and your kids look great too!

It's not about me, it's HER.

I really did have a witty post in mind for today, that is until I looked at my own slacking blog and saw quite a few of my friends had updated. I jumped over to

Kristina Pulsipher's Blog

And

Peed My Pants!

For Real. I was laughing so hard, and still am, so have a Fun Friday and Laugh it off by checking out her Post. Promise me you'll read to the end. The end is my favorite!

I may just really be drawn to dirty jokes, but her post was too funny. (Oh, and for those about as computer savvy as me, click on her name above and it will take you to the link.)

UP.

I love how, particularly on the Fourth of July, you can spend all day with your nose in the air and no one thinks your snooty. We drove down to Provo for the annual balloon launch. If you haven't gone, and you live in the Utah County area, I suggest you do at least once. It is beautiful. For nearly thirty minutes, my kids stood and stared and ceased to whine, fight, or poop on me . . . that's a freakin' miracle!

It's funny how many times people comment that my family must have millions of shots of them because I'm a photographer. NO, in fact, it's the opposite. I'm busy shooting other people all the time that I neglect my own family. So in light of that, this post in inundated with picture after picture. Go with me on this folks, it might not happen for a while.
These first three shots are my favorites. I loved seeing the balloon crest above the mountains and the morning sun rays illuminate the flag. Patriotic. Stunning. I actually thought I'd try a silhouette and see how I it turned out. I'm on the fence about this one. Do I like it? Hmmm...I can't say yet. There you go --looking up, up, up. Balloons in the sky.Life Flight taking off.George looking UP.Fireworks blazing across the sky.Grandpa and Teddy looking up.The whole family...plus cute cousin Jarom.Another crazy Photographer getting in my way. I'll have to post a picture later to show you how I treat pregnant photographers that get in my shot. (ha ha snort)And of course, how could I post any family pictures with out a lovely shot of my sweet Ruby!

. . . and that infamous shot of Teddy and his pirate wink (all you have to do is say "smile.")

It's all about the dress.

The bigger the better. That's what I always say. In my full wedding glory, I chose the biggest, fattest Phattest (is that even a cool word any more?...was it ever?) dress on the market. What can I say? I love poof. So, to be honest, I'm still drawn to these types of dresses. It amazes me how much a dress can make all the difference in wedding pictures. Yes, I like to think I can shoot a good shot now and then, but come on...IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DRESS!

I shot this wedding about a month ago and fell in love with her dress . . . check out the first picture! That's right, all DRESS!

Ask the Audience: What type of Dress Gal are you?

Dating: When there's 'fireworks'

Dating. Looking back, it seems as though I had more fun than I thought I had. I mean, while in the tug and war of dating life, it seems as though I was often looking at its drawbacks. There was this one particular wrestler guy that I dated off and on who only ever wanted to Wrestle . . . go figure. I quickly grew tired of that.

So after breaking off our next 'wrestling' meet, I found myself alone, on a 4th of July, left to enjoy fireworks without anyone to share them with. Not Fun. I considered giving wrestler a call, and then realized that desperation was not a pretty option and I certainly could not let it consume my life. Not anymore. I'd had it, so clearly my only option was to avoid guys all together. Shoulders squared and attitude in check, from that moment on, I began my "I'm having a blast on my own" life.

That lasted . . . like . . . Two Days! Mark came knocking on my door, and literally, made up for all the crappy, and craptastic others I'd ran the dating gamut with. Dating Mark sparked something in me. He was fun and exciting and sweet . . . and everything I couldn't ignore.

The other day, I shot this couple, and absolutely fell in love with them. Their chemistry was so vibrant and alive. It reminded me of everything I loved about dating Mark. So, thanks Alex and Mckenzie for the great times and good shots. Here's a few of my favs.

Just Wondering . . .

So, lets say you have a particular friend who has been working night and day on writing a novel. Perhaps this well fashioned, and clever friend finishes her novel and asks you to read through it in hopes that you'll offer helpful advice.

If it's a terrible read, a full-on piece of crap, and a complete waste of your time do you:

A. Return it without any edits and say, "just perfect."
B. Never answer the phone again, and avoid your writer friend like the plague.
C. Suggest small changes but never really attack the heart of the problem.
D. Call up and say, "Yo, your book fully sucketh, it'll never get publsihed as is, and you need to re-write 90% of it. Plus, you use the word "gaze" way to much for the protagonist not to be an ALIEN!"

Please answer as honestly as possible.