Things I See- Django Karth! (Warsaw IN Pet Photographer)

I'll admit- it's been a rough 7 months. Sam's Grandpa, an amazing and irreplaceable force in our lives, passed away. Then we lost our precious senior cat, Quarter, to cancer. Then just a month ago our beloved Duke, a pitbull you couldn't help adore, was also lost to cancer.

We had talked about getting another dog, and decided to wait. Quarter's vacant place was filled because a friend messaged me on Facebook, having a homeless senior cat who needed a place to go- and that was how we ended up with Jedi. But we thought we'd try to live with just the two dogs...

Until Saturday, when some friends called us because they couldn't keep a stray terrier they had found. When we arrived to pick him up, we discovered he was a puppy! (I'm not a big fan of house training, etc and had vowed no more puppies- there are plenty of adult dogs who need adopted!) Well, it did not take long for this little guy to worm his way into our hearts- like 10, 15 seconds, tops!

And so, we now have Lizy, Miles, and Django Karth, in our troop of fuzzy "kids".

The thing is... he needed us... But we needed him too.

Welcome, Django! Thanks for helping us laugh! ~Naomi

I *heart* shoes! (Warsaw, IN Wedding Photographer)

I love shoes. I adore them! Ask my husband- he'll roll his eyes and groan, but he'll definitely agree. A couple weeks ago I heard a brilliant woman call into the christian radio station I listen to on my way to work- she told the morning guys that God gave women a sense of style, and that when we buy shoes, we are just fulfilling the way God created us!! Made. My. Day.

So when you see a shoe shot (or six from me), you probably think my closet is filled with similar awesomeness...

And the answer is- Nope. :(

Sadly, I have ginormous feet (womens size 12, and mens size 10 1/2), and they don't really make pretty shoes for giants. Well, they do, but they are super expensive and not very comfortable... so I get to settle for the normal, boring ones that are affordable, look like what your grandma (and mine) wear, but usually are quite comfy too.

I love how brides personalize their wedding day by all having unique shoes. I always try to capture the shoes, even if they say they don't want that shot, because I see a little bit (or a lot!) of the bride in her shoes.

If you are currently planning a wedding, my advice to you is to go colorful, and to go comfy too! Even if no one is going to see your shoes, you will know what is under that train all day, and you should be able to take pride in that!

My husband likes to tease me about my "shoe fetish" as he calls it. I recently lectured him on how I'm just a little bit jealous every time I get to photograph some lucky gal's shoes. I don't have cute shoes... I only get to take photos of them. BUT, I think that's part of why I get such great shots of them. They are really important to me, and I cherish that little detail! And I hope you will too! ~Naomi
 

Things I See... Yellow! (Warsaw, IN Photography)

Sam & I were on a drive home from a wedding, when I saw this field of dandelions & requested he pull over. I found the truck in a neighboring parking lot. I kinda fell in love with yellow. ~N

To Pin or Not To Pin... (Warsaw IN Wedding Photographers)

This post could make me unpopular if I don't first state this- I LIKE Pinterest. Please don't get me wrong. It's a really great idea, and it is just plain fun to use. (I have a Pinterest account- Me! and you are welcomed to follow me or check me out)

However, if you are using Pinterest, you may not be aware of some of the details and etiquette involved.

A couple weeks ago the internet (as I see it) exploded with articles by & for photographers about the evils and dangers of using Pinterest. Of particular interest was an blog post by a photographer/lawyer- Why I tearfully deleted my Pinterest Inspiration Boards and her follow up post after meeting with the creator of Pinterest, My Date with Ben Silbermann.

I'm linking this because I feel they are of interest if you use Pin Boards, and I cannot go into the legal detail she does. If you don't want to read it all, the bottom line is this- Don't PIN things that don't have a Pin It button. You could, in theory, be sued for pinning content that you don't own or have permission to Pin.

And tying in with that- If you are Pinning be sure you are doing so directly from the source. If you are taking the easy route and re-Pinning something, please be sure the Pin goes back to the original content. Aside from being polite, it ensures that the Pin is actually for something, be it an image, a recipe, or a tutorial. Nothing is more frustrating than clicking on a Pin to make homemade croissants, and finding that there is no recipe attached.

It's great to Pin! It's addictive to Pin! It's fun to Pin! Just be sure you are doing it right, and you know what you've agreed to, via the Pinterest Terms of Use before you find yourself in some kind of trouble.

To finish off, Pinterest's ToU declares that they own the copyright to any image that is pinned to a pin board. As a photographer, someone who creates images, that is frustrating, as I like to hang on to my rights, thank you. (It's fairly common for this to happen these days- Facebook takes the rights, as does Twitter) We decided to try adding a Pin It button to our blog posts for a while, to see if it was worth the advertising potential. So for now, you have my blessing to Pin from the Double K Blog! If we decide to stop, you'll see the Pin It button disappear, and from that point we'd appreciate you respect our decision to not Pin our work.
Pin It

Things I See- Little Miss B (Warsaw, IN Photographers)

There is just something about film... a quality, a yumminess, something that draws you in. I've been practicing film lately, but only on inanimate objects, which after a while is a little boring. So on my day off this week I met Grace (of the awesome Whalen Creative Group) and her itty bitty daughter, Miss B, to shoot some film with real live people! Here are the results:

Grace & B, Thanks so much for playing with me! ~Naomi

Review us! (Warsaw, IN Photographers)

First of all, I have to send out a little plug for Koscer. It's quite simple to use, and if you are in search of something it really is a great way to find anything in Kosciusko County. If you or someone you know runs a local business, be sure to send them to the website. It's free to sign up & easy! If you work with a volunteer group Koscer also has event listings you can use for free.

If you've used Double K for photography services I'd love for you to recommend us or review us on Koscer! Just click on the link HERE to go to our listing! And be sure to browse through the other listings. Who knows, you may find something you didn't know about!

Holiday Gift from Double K! (Warsaw, IN Photographers)

Samuel & I truly appreciate all our fans, and so we wanted to offer a little free thing for everyone to enjoy all year long. I made a set of calendars for your computer desktop, using mostly nature photos we've taken through out this year. We hope you enjoy them & they give you a little something beautiful to look at each day! ~Double K

Love Is...

... letting your 11 year old Lab mix go swimming...

... in October!

Love Is...

...Being silly...

... even when you know it might land you on your sis-in-love's photography blog! (Thanks, guys!)

Love Is...

taking the path less traveled...

... and trusting you will find your way back together...

Love is...

Sharing your chocolate...

Even when you don't want to...

Getting Lost... (Indiana Photographer)

Some days, you must get lost to find yourself...

Hot Dogs Contest Winners! (Indiana Pet Photographer)

Drumroll please, for the winners of our dog photography contest!!!

First Place- Duke!

 

2nd place- Remy!

 

The Cutest Award goes to Cash!

Thanks to everyone who voted & especially those who entered! Winners will be contacted shortly!

Dog Days of Summer Contest! (Warsaw, IN Pet Photographer)

Running a little contest to keep the summer momentum going! Rules are simple- prizes are awesome!

How to enter: Either email your dog's photo to me or post it on our Facebook wall. Include dog's name, age, breed, and why he/she is the coolest dog ever! (Please note, if you post to our FB page I will remove the photo & be putting it in our Contest album. So be sure everyone "likes" the one in the album!)

How to win: Get your friends, parents, relatives, enemies, coworkers to "like" your photo! We'll be counting up all the likes on Sun Aug 21 at noon, then announcing the winners! Two prizes will be awarded to the photos with the most "likes", then we will also be having a prize for the "Cutest Dog Award" which will be selected by two judges (not me)!

What you could win:

Grand Prize:

Doggie & Me Photography Session from Double K!

1 hour session, just you & your canine friend, 

All photos released to you on disc!

Valued at $75, must be scheduled within 2011, and take place in Kosc Co.

2nd Prize:

 Puppy Prize Package from Pooch Panache Mobile Grooming!

Contains 1 dog collar cover, 3 treat samples, 

3 poop bag capsules, a pair of "petal" bows, and a dog "sucker" treat!

Valued at $10, donated by Pooch Panache!

Cutest Dog Award:

Customized Organic Bloom Photo Frame,

Olive in color, 5x7 sized!

Valued at $25!

Winner will be selected by two judges!

So upload that photo & get going on those "LIKES"!!

Daphne The Spider

This blog post is about a spider. Yep. So you've been warned. I understand that there are many people who don't like spiders, and won't even be the least bit interested in this. There are people wondering what the heck a spider has to do with a wedding photographer anyway! Well, read on, and you will find out.

Few things to know about me- when I say I love all animals, I mean ALL animals! Also, I like rooting for the underdog, be it the Cubs or a misunderstood creature of God. And I also take photos of everything.

I also have several chronic pain conditions that from time to time flare up and make my life a lot harder to live! One is a disease called Interstitial Cystitis (also know as Painful Bladder Syndrome). Some doctors will tell you it isn't even a real disease, but I will tell you that as a patient, it can make your life not worth living. I also have several other medical conditions related to the IC, such as Endometriosis, and another disease so painful & private most people won't even talk about it. I've come a very long way as a patient- exercise, diet, physical therapy, drugs, supplements, short of voo-doo, I've been through the ringer. Many days it works, and I count my blessings and pray for all my fellow patients who are having bad days (months, years, etc).

This past month I kinda hit a dark spot. And along came a spider...

I first noticed the web late one evening as we were coming home. It stood out in my mind because it isn't every day that you find a spider web on the top of your car! I just assumed the spider had made the web, then decided a moving home really wasn't her thing.

Next morning, I almost get into my car when I see this-

She's there, alive & kicking! And enjoying all the bugs we caught the night before from driving through the country!

I told my husband, Sam, her name is "Daphne" and she is allowed to stay as long as she likes!

Not only was I inspired by her ingenuity, but every time I drove somewhere her web was eventually destroyed, and every morning I would go out to my car to find she had spun another one overnight.

In addition to making a web, she came up with this neat little "cave" at the base of the antenna, where she would go while I drove! It was even waterproof!

Sadly, this past week she disappeared. There is still a wisp of her web atop my car, and I've left it there as a reminder that you can still create beauty, even in unlikely circumstances.

Thanks, God, for the reminder!

Mother's Day Giveaway!

Not sure what to get your Mom for Mother's Day this year? How bout a totally awesome Organic Bloom photo frame? I've got a really cute one, and it doesn't have a home yet, so Samuel & I decided to do a little giveaway!

Here's what the frame looks like- the size is for an 8x10 photo, the color is called Lilypad:

How to win:

• Email me a photo of your mother (or if you are a mom, yourself) along with one reason your mom (or you) should win! You may want to check with your mom first- I'm not liable if she doesn't want her photo of FB! Deadline for entries is Friday April 29th 2011, 11:59pm.

• Once the photo is uploaded to our Facebook page, suggest our page to your friends & have them "like" our page, then "like" your photo! You have until Friday May 6th 2011 1pm to get votes. The winner will be announced Friday evening!

• The photo with the most "likes" wins!

Rules:

Because you gotta have some rules! Only one entry per household please. Ok, so that's only one rule... I think that's enough!

31 Blessings

I turned 31 on Wednesday. I've never been one to hide my age. If there is a slight pause when someone asks me how old I am, it is simply because I am trying to recall my age, not because I have anything to hide! Last year, as I approached 30, I told Samuel I didn't want to see the day in with dread, and we proposed the project of coming up with 30 things to be grateful for. It worked so well, I eagerly made my list this week. Not just blessings, but wisdom I'm glad I have, and little mottos I live by. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed coming up with them. ~Naomi

31 blessings...

1. I'm conscious of my health.

2. I understand love on a level my 18 or even 27 year old self couldn't.

3. I don't take that love for granted.

4. Food is no longer my friend.

5. I've learned to actually like exercise.

6. I can finally use massage as a medical necessity.

7. Josh Groban and Michael Buble have got it wrong- real love is way better than a song!

8. I appreciate chocolate on a whole new level.

9. I wake up in the middle of the night, and my best friend is holding me.

10. I don't know a ton about marriage, but I do know enough about Sam to know we're always going to be one of those couples!

11. Never take oranges for granted either.

12. If you don't like something, change it!

13. You're never too old to change!

14. Sexy is totally in your mind.

15. Remission is a wonderful, beautiful word.

16. Going to the theatre is overrated. 

17. My in-laws are wonderful, supportive family, and I'm glad they are in my life.

18. The soundtrack of my life is more beautiful than that of any movie.

19. I know the difference between good friends and great friends.

20. Fear of a task is usually much greater than the actual task.

21. Worry gets you nowhere.

22. Real heroes, like my brothers, are way better than intangible ones.

23. Dreams are necessary to grow.

24. I love what I do.

25. You can never read Jane Eyre too many times.

26. There are many reasons for a good cup of tea.

27. I see the world differently than any one else, and it's a very good thing.

28. The outtakes are sometimes the best moments in life.

29. Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it sure can be fun!

30. My husband is my soul mate, and we have something that is precious and rare.

31. God is real, and He is good.

PS- If you'd like to read about my actual birthday, I wrote about it here.