Take for example the meeting we had with potential clients last night… WE ARE STRICTLY BUSINESS.

Christy-Anne is such a beautiful person and I love her oh-so-very-much. Her birthday was a couple days ago and we hadn’t seen each other or spent time together in ages, so we made a date. Christy-Anne was one of my bridesmaids (and I, one of hers) and now she’s an expecting mom-to-be and I am just so proud of her! I’m not sure where the pride comes from exactly… She’s just so amazing and she’s going to be a fantastic mother. I’m actually kinda envious of the baby… Seriously, she’s going to be SUCH a great mother.

At the last minute, I decided to take my camera because I thought to myself, I haven’t taken any photos of my life in a while… Just regular photos of randomness… So here are a couple of photos from this morning’s tiny venture. I really must do this more often…

I have to say that as much as I look forward to going home to Seattle, there will be things, people mostly, that I’ll miss desperately here in Tennessee. Christy-Anne, you are most definitely one of them…

So by now, you must’ve thought I totally forgot about my little iTunes gift card give-away! And I don’t blame you! Sorry for the delay! After a random drawing, the winner is… Commenter 6! Congratulations, Nekey! Please email me at info@carlybish.com and we’ll send your iTunes gift card straight away!

Say “hello” to the Hakes’ family of seven! When Faith (the Mom) emailed me about scheduling a shoot, I knew right away we would get along. Her phrasing went something like, “I’d like to a book a family sitting… I mean, I don’t plan on you sitting on my family, but maybe taking some photos of me sitting on them?… Are you interested?”

And I’m like, “HECK YES!”

We met up in Chattanooga, ran around a park, and eventually found a small field where I tortured the kids and arranged them until they were a grassy mess. It was great!

So let’s get to know Faith, her husband Gary, and their kids Taylor, Tori, Big L, Little L, and Girly L.

Huge THANK YOU to Cyndi of Cyndi T. Photography (who you recently got to know here) for coming out to help and bringing along her brand new Canon 50D! It was a pure joy to photograph the Hakes family. These kids were just so happy and care-free, I couldn’t help being a bit envious for childhood again! And kudos to superhero mom, Faith! Not only is she mother to five kids but she’s also their teacher too! I honestly don’t think I could do it… Seriously blown away.

I’ve decided to open the books up a little more for any last-minute photoshoots only because George and I are really feeling the moving-across-the-country pressure and would like to create as much buffer room as possible before our big adventure. So if you’re still looking for some carlybish action before we leave, feel free to send in your inquiries. There’s still time to book a shoot!

Okay, and one last thing! This family just puts me in a good mood and I feel like spreading the love! So share some love to the Hakes family, pick your favorite photo or just say something nice in the comments and you’ll be entered for a chance to win an iTunes gift card! So feed the comment-monster and get some monster-lovin’ back! (Only comments received now through 12:00am EST today, 3/2/2010, will be eligible.)

A little more about Cyndi&Jesse… When the three of us first met for some coffee before their session, I asked how the two met. They looked at each other and shared a grin, like they weren’t sure how to start…

“You tell the story,” Cyndi said to Jesse.

Jesse turned to look me in the eye and said, “Match dot com.”

Now, did I act surprised? Well, yeah! But only because I thought it was cool! I think it’s becoming more and more “the norm” when it comes to the Internet being a viable place for people to meet and fall in love. I mean, do I have to remind you of my younger brother’s Twittermance? I personally believe that falling in love, whether if you met in person or via the web, it’s always important to be objective and smart. And for Cyndi&Jesse, that was exactly the case!

Near the end of their session, I pulled Cyndi aside for some portraits since she just launched her own photography biz, which you can check out here: Cyndi T. Photography. Cyndi has a passion for photography unlike any I’ve seen in a while. I mean, I know people who love photography and wish to have their own business, but Cyndi is chasing photography down! Like a cheetah! And I want nothing more than to see her succeed in her pursuit! (And I have no doubt she will…)

Photo time!!!

Lucky me! Cyndi actually took a picture of me (as you can see from the last photo above)!

I’ve had a haircut since this session. Looking a bit shaggy in the picture above… Oh, well! I love having pictures of me workin’! (LIKE A BOSS!) Thanks, Cyndi!

This entire shoot was directed by Cyndi&Jesse! I barely had to ask them to do anything at all! All the cuddling, snuggling, laughing, carrying, dancing, and dipping! That was aaaaaaaaall them! And I couldn’t love them MORE for it! Stay tuned for Part 2 coming tomorrow—I swear not to be late! Promise!

To kick things off, I thought I’d answer one of the questions I get most often…

What gear do you use?

I think I should begin my answer with what I started when I first began venturing into photography, which acts as the foundation for the future gear choices I made.

In the beginning, I would take my parents’ digital camera (a Sony Mavica which used floppy disks!), go outside and take pictures of anything and everything. Finally, when the itch for my own camera was just too much to ignore, my Dad helped me purchase my first camera. The Nikon Coolpix 5700.

This little camera was my “baby” and I loved it until the day the shutter button popped off from using it like a crazy person. Obviously, it wasn’t a DSLR, but it was mine and I loved the pictures I got with it. This camera taught me the most about shutter speed and the ability to take pictures at night! I had many an adventure with this camera! Eventually, after four years of crazy use, the shutter spring wore out, the button detached from the camera itself, and it would’ve cost more to fix it than to simply buy another one. (Below is a picture I took of my best friend, Leah, with my Coolpix.)

I went a little over a year without having a camera to shoot pictures with. Once I was enrolled at Lee University, I somehow managed to communicate to enough teachers and classmates that I loved taking pictures and was asked on multiple occasions to photograph different projects. Always, I would tell them, “I don’t have a camera,” but they would have a camera for me to use, and that’s how I’d continue to work. Eventually, my Dad thought it was a good idea to let me borrow one of his cameras (as he was also getting more and more into photography as well), so he sent me his Nikon D1, with two kit lenses, the 18-55mm/f3.5-5.6 and the 55-200mm/f4-5.6.

This camera is a beast! While I had it, I felt so legit! I thought photojournalism was what I wanted to do and this camera suited me perfectly during that time. I worked for the school newspaper for a semester, met deadlines, wrote articles, took pictures, but eventually, I felt myself more and more drawn to portrait photography. I managed to do one wedding with this setup and several portrait sessions but the lower resolution size (only 2.7MP) just wasn’t enough for what I wanted to do. If you’re wondering how such a massive DSLR could have such a small resolution size, it’s because it was made for photojournalists, where pictures are printed relatively small in newspapers and other news media. Also, the kit lenses, while great beginner’s lenses, simply didn’t have the wider aperture capabilities I was trying to achieve. Again, this camera taught me a lot about photography, especially at how to use ISO, shutter speed, and aperture together as one cohesive mechanism to make the best use of what available light I had. Eventually, this camera also started giving me a bit of trouble. I think after the number of shutters taken, first by my Dad, and then by me, I noticed after a few months that the shutter release would randomly stop working. I’d change batteries, change compact cards, and even switch lenses, but the shutter just wouldn’t fire. This camera got tons of use, so after a few years, it was no real surprise when it wasn’t working consistently. Cameras give out, just like any other type of technology.

During my last year at Lee University, one of my teachers approached me about doing a photo essay for a special research project. I’d earn credit for a required course and a stipend, so of course, I agreed to do it! Now, I was without a working camera again and started stressing about what to do! Once again, my Dad swooped in to save the day and matched half the cost for a Nikon D80 camera body. I continued using the kit lenses from the D1 until my birthday last year, when I bought the 50mm/f1.4 with birthday money. With the D80/50mm combo, I took pictures for the photo essay that I was proud of and had the shallow depth-of-field I’d always wanted in my photos.

When I graduated last May, my parents gave me the 17-55mm/2.8 lens as a graduation gift and thus, completed my gear arsenal!

This is my current gear lineup. Along with my flash (SB800) and several 8G Sandisk cards, I’m good to go! A few months after I started my business, I thought I needed a better camera than the D80. I kept reading about full-frame cameras like the D700 and D3 and even checked out Canon’s 5D Mark II. I definitely had my share of gear-envy and felt limited by my camera’s abilities. But once that subsided, I realized that a great camera is not required for making fantastic photos. But a good camera, along with a unique eye and a steady hand, will take you so much further than a $XXXX camera with a mediocre eye and a shaky hand. Do what you can and learn as much as possible from the gear you currently own. And before you make any giant purchases, consider renting them first! Believe me, if you test the gear ahead of time, you’ll feel that much more confident about dropping several hundred (or thousand!) on a new piece of glass than if you didn’t.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed when people ask me what gear I use, but quite frankly, the gear I have is doing a great job for me at the moment. Buying a new setup just doesn’t make sense for me right now and I simply don’t need to, so why fret about it?

Here’s something else I’d like to address: Why Nikon over Canon?

Because I know Nikon. The Nikon body feels good in my hands and the computer navigation system has always come naturally to me. For a while, I thought I’d eventually make a complete gear switch to Canon. The ISO capabilities on a Canon are redonkulous and their prime lenses are considered better, sharper, and faster than Nikon’s. Alternatively, Nikon’s zoom lenses are generally thought of as way better than Canon’s zoom lineup and the ISO capabilities aren’t too far behind. But what it ultimately comes down to is that they’re both great cameras! What really matters is you! And what you do with it! Whenever people ask me this question, I always look for a way out of the conversation because I honestly do not care. I don’t understand people who get into these Nikon-Canon wars. Let me put to you this way… Take a look at the following two husband-and-wife photographer teams: The Image is Found and Bobbi&Mike. Unless you know them already, can you tell which team uses Nikon exclusively and which one uses Canon? Both teams produce beautiful, BEAUTIFUL work! So why all the fuss? Just find what works for you and be proud of the choices you make. Your work will speak for itself!

I hope this was educational and informative! If you have a question regarding gear or anything I’ve written here, feel free to ask in the comments of this post. Any other photography-related questions can be sent to info@carlybish.com. Just make sure to put “Photography Question” in the subject line of your email.

In the meantime, I’ve got a really fun couple coming your way tomorrow! Stay tuned for them!

Thought you might like to see what the young carlybish looked like… This was 1997. I was in seventh grade. I had braces. And bangs that could not be controlled. And I had absolutely no idea how to smile for the camera (obviously).

I was talking with my friend Ian (and Internet-computer-HTML-everything-web-related guru) who hasn’t seen me since I’ve lost weight and cut my hair and gone platinum and he was all, “Yeah, I haven’t had a chance to see the new hair!” and I was all, “Dude, I feel better about myself than I ever have in my life!”

And it’s the truth! I cannot tell you how or why, but being 153 pounds (as of today! Whoo!) and with the short platinum hair, I feel more like myself than I ever have before! And I wish I had figured it out what myself felt like back in grade school (heck, by college age would’ve been nice) but it wasn’t until I started my business and started thinking about how I wanted to see myself in this industry that I actually discovered who that is! And man, it is awesome!

So, as you may know (if you follow me on Twitter or on Facebook), I’ve been doing some pre-packing for our move in 10 weeks—holy cow! It’s coming so fast!—and as I was gathering books to box up, I came across my old yearbooks. Thus, I thought I’d share…

So what’s YOUR awkward phase photo??

Okay, so the obvious question is why do I have a soapy dish scrubbing brush on my blog, on Valentine’s Day, or even, at all? To be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely sure. I was washing dishes just a few minutes ago and I realized that I’ve owned this scrubby brush since before I moved here five years ago. When my parents knew that I was moving to the south and there was nothing that would change my mind, my mom bought me some household appliances to take with me, including this brush. I still have the the dustpan and hand-sweeper, too. I started thinking about this silly household item and realized it was in remarkably good shape. The white handle is still white and the blue bristles are still a vibrant blue. Despite the number of dirty pots and pans I’ve shoved it into, it’s really maintained it’s integrity! I mean, five years for one dish scrubbing brush is a long time, if you ask me! And there’s no way I’m getting rid of it any time soon. I plan on packing it up and taking it back with me to Seattle in May, along with brother dustpan and sister hand-sweeper, too.

I’m not trying to be all deep and metaphorical. If you read back in the years before I moved here, I would have definitely taken it to that level. But I won’t do that this time. Basically, I’m only bringing it up because I’m home alone on Valentine’s Day while my hard-working husband is pulling a double-shift at Starbucks to bring in a little extra income, something I never asked him to do but he did because he takes care of me and us and I can’t love him enough for it.

Today, I find myself particularly grateful, even while times are tight and  holidays like today aren’t always experienced in the way they are originally intended. I’m thankful and appreciative and supremely blessed because I’ve lived five years in a place that never felt like home, but like my soapy dish scrubbing brush, I’m still in remarkably great shape. Most would say I’m in even better shape, actually, both physically and mentally. Yeah, okay, so I went there…

Anyway. I hope everyone is feeling as happy and blessed on a day like today. Even if you’re single and don’t have a date, don’t really think about the fact that there’s no one to cuddle with at the end of today. Think about all the little things that the people in your life, the ones who already love you dearly, do for you all the time. You’ll like Singles Appreciation Day much better then.

♥

carly.

Leah&Steve came ready, armed with jackets, prepared to snuggle, and toting their “Honey” pup! Driving around with this tiny family was lots of fun and I loved getting to know Leah&Steve, although I may have been quite a chatterbox. We got to explore parts of town I’ve never gone to before and found some pretty cool locations! I love it when couples just go with the flow. Makes for really fun photoshoots! Eventually, we made our way into downtown Cleveland and took some photos there, too. Overall, a very good day!

Thanks, Leah&Steve, for coming up from Chattanooga, enduring the cold, and putting up with my stories! Let’s hangout again sometime, k?

Real quick, I just wanna give a shout out to all the great clients I’ve had so far this year! 2010 has really taken off and I’m thrilled with the work that’s been produced so far! I mean, I have to give credit where credit is due and that’s to you, the client! Your enthusiasm and trust in me is what really makes great moments and great photography. So thanks again for being awesome and totally cool and cute and fun and… Well… I’ll stop there.

Oh! You wanna know some random facts about me that I picked up on this week? Okay, I’ll tell you!

1. I take two childrens Flintstones Gummies every morning but I have to have two different colors.
2. I’m pretty sure this week marks the twelfth time I’ve watched the first season of “Glee” on DVD start to finish.
3. I take more baths than I take showers. Weird? Probably…

Have a great weekend!

10.

I have enough room to book 10 more shoots here in Tennessee. The reason there’s not many is because 1) I’ll be in Seattle for two weeks in March for my best friend’s wedding and 2) the last two weeks of April will be spent working on packing boxes, changing addresses on important accounts, and won’t leave much time for shooting, editing, et cetera. So if you want pictures and you’re in the area, contact me soon and reserve your spot now before they’re all gone! I booked 3 dates just yesterday, that’s how quickly they’re going! So hurry, hurry!

PS. I still have 4 dates available in February, which would receive the New Year’s discount of 30% and a lot of other perks. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about, but in case you need a reminder, you can read about the sale here. Starting March 1st, the discount is no longer valid, so take advantage of this price while there’s still time to do so!

So now, it’s time for Aleighsa! She is my friend as well as my hair stylist. She is fun, hilarious, and beautiful. I always love hanging out with her because I laugh so hard, my sides hurt! She’s about to graduate beauty school and preparing to move to Atlanta, which obviously called for some fun headshots. Aleighsa has also started making tutus and has several people interested in purchasing them, so she wanted photos with one of her favorite tutus that she made. It was freezing the day we went out and when it came time to shoot the tutu shots, Aleighsa was a trooper! We found a cow field nearby and asked the owner for permission to use it. The property had this incredible hilltop that I fell in love with instantly. They had no qualms about us venturing into their cow field, so we hiked our way up to the top. The cows, on the other hand, might’ve been less enthusiastic about us being there, but fortunately for us, they kept their distance and let Aleighsa do her thing. What I didn’t expect was Aleighsa to suddenly do these incredible ballet moves that were just jaw-dropping! I didn’t even know she took ballet! Needless to say, I was in heaven. Cold heaven, but heaven nonetheless!

There are quite a few pictures in this post because I had so many favorites! Aleighsa is a natural born model and gave me so much to work with, it was really tough narrowing it all down! Plus, she brought “Rupert”, her adorable dog who is almost as hilarious as herself! So enjoy this large post! It’s rare you get this much of the goods!

This next series is from when I asked Aleighsa to make her “poopin’” face. LOVED her reaction.