alison bickel photography

Passing this along from Deb Schwedhelm’s blog…a few q&a about me.  If you answer the questions on your blog send me a link in the comments.  I’d love to read them!

1. Where is your cell phone?  Just to my left playing a little Jason Reeves…”Someone, Somewhere”

2.  Your hair?  Red, long and a little messy today.

3. Your mother?  A teacher and a nana. Can’t wait to see her on Saturday!

4.  Your father?  Someone I admire greatly.

5.  Your favorite food?  Hmmm…this is hard.  I like a lot of different things…mexican is up there.

6.  Your dream last night?  Don’t think I dreamed, little boys woke me up 3 times to help them get a glass of water.  :(

7.  Your favorite drink?  Chai Tea

8.  Your dream/goal?  I’m pretty close.  I always wanted to be a momma to three boys, be able to stay home with them and have a creative outlet for my energies.  A house in the mountains would be good though.

9.  The room you are in?  My office corner in the basement.

10.  Hobbies?  Running, reading, cooking, photography

11.  What is your fear?  Losing one of my children is the big one.  I’m also afraid of heights.

12.  Where were you last night?  At home, doing sight words with my kindergardener.

13.  Something you are not?  Lazy

14.  Muffins?  No, thanks.

15.  Wish list items?  Hmmm…not really sure.  Maybe a vacation and of course that house in the mountains.  ;)

16.  Where did you grow up?  Kearney, Ne

17.  Last thing you did?  Put Henry down for a nap.

18.  What are you wearing?  Jeans, sweater and sneakers.

19.  Your TV?  Food Network

20.  Your pets?  Anna, my 1 yr old yellow lab

21.  Your friends?  Are blessings!

22.  My life?  Loud and busy, but a blessing I wouldn’t trade.

23.  Your mood?  Quiet.  I hate grey, cold days.

24.  Missing someone?  yes

25.  Vehicle?  Minivan…ugh.  I love my volkswagon beetle with the sunroof open!

26.  Something your not wearing?  My wedding ring, never wear it at home.

27.  Your favorite store?  Pottery barn

28.  Your favorite color? 2-yellow and orange

29.  The last time you laughed?  This morning with my husband, he can always make me laugh.

30.  The last time you cried?  This morning.

31.  One place you go over and over?  The grocery store…seriously, I have 3 boys, they never stop eating.

32.  Your best friend?  My husband.

33.  Guilty pleasure?  Whole Foods, I could walk around there for hours!

34.  Favorite place to eat?  Upstream.

35.  Where do you want to be in 6 years?  This is something I have thought of more often lately with my birthday looming on the horizon.  I want to by happy and enjoying time with my family, remembering how blessed I am for all I’ve been given.

Alright friends, let’s see your answers!

To finish up,  a photo of my 3 favorite boys in my favorite place…

Colorado, July 2009

alison

‘What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know’ was written by Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai, a photographer from Colorado.  It is not new, but everytime I read it I learn or feel something new about myself and my passion for photography.  I thought I would share it here again today…

What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.

- CJ

Of course a post feels naked without pictures attached so I am adding a few recent ones of my own daily inspiration…

alison

Here is it Thursday already!  I have been hit with a cold this week, but am working my way through with lots of tea and a couple good naps.  ;)

Just two to share for today.  This is the third year I have photographed these brothers.  It is always fun to see how they change from year to year.  They told me all about how the love to play ‘Robin Hood’ and the wonderful adventures they have in their backyard!

It was a little too windy to be outside for pictures the day of our session.  So we headed inside…

alison

Whew!  Last week came and went so fast that before I knew it the weekend was here–and what a beautiful one it was!  So here I am now back on the blogging wagon with a session to share.

I have photographed this boy (and his siblings) several times.  I adore each one and always look forward to seeing them.  I also love that mom trusts me enough to let me take the kids off on our own to take pictures.  That is trust–and the blessing of repeat clients!  ;)

Since I’ve been on a run of 5 year olds that think my jokes stink I decided a different approach.  This time I asked the 5 year old if he had any jokes–JACKPOT!!  This little guy had tons of jokes, mostly of his own creation that were very funny.

I love it when kids laugh at their own jokes–it always makes for great smiles and contagious laughter!

As we headed over to some of the walking trails we moved from telling jokes to slaying dragons with the sword (aka stick) that we found on the path.  What a wonderful imagination this boy has!  I enjoyed every minute of it!

alison