66/365

62/365

60/365

59/365

I convinced Jeff to try Indian food tonight and guess what … he loves it!!! Nawab is my favorite restaurant in downtown Roanoke but I could never get him to go with me because the thought of Indian food was a little too far of a stretch for a boy who eats peanut butter and jelly or turkey sandwiches every single day and doesn’t get bored with it. It used to be a running joke that every time we went to dinner with the family, people would check the menu and say “hey Jeff, they have chicken fingers” because that’s all he’d ever order. But I’m happy to report that my husboo has broadened his horizons and ventured out into the world of delicious cuisine.

53/365

28/365

15/365

Channeling my inner Michael Jackson. Pre-crazy of course.

4/365

Today we went ice-skating. It was the first time since I went as a child and I’m pretty sure it’ll also be the last. My feet were KILLING me and I think it’s because they are flat and the skates have humps for arches which were digging into my soles. So that sucked. But I was laughing so hard (not to her face) at our friend’s daughter out on the ice as I’m not sure she had steady legs at any single point. I kept hearing cartoon noises in my mind of her almost wiping out 1,432,549 times. And then there were us adults all hugging the wall in a single-file line, inching our way around the rink. Half an hour later we finally made one lap and then we had to get out because they busted out the Zamboni. I traded for a different pair of skates, tried one more time just to make sure I really couldn’t stand it then sat out the rest of the time. At least I now know that it’s not for me :) But my day got better when we got home and I opened our mailbox to find two packs of Hipstamatic prints that I ordered earlier this week. They are soooo much fun! These colorful, bite-sized memory boosters have me taking my iPhone camera app more seriously since I can now do so much more with them. If you use this app, I highly recommend getting some prints!

A funny tweet I read the other day: “One of these days digital photography is going to make a comeback.”

So I know this is a few weeks overdue, but here is my recap of the few Escalate Live sessions that I tuned into:

From Jerry Ghionis:

• Look for the light and slow down. If that’s all you change you’ll be a better photographer next week.
• You don’t have to be the best, all you have to do is be better than last week.
• Value what you do, don’t just sell the JPGs on a piece of plastic, and tell your clients “here ya go, do it yourself.”
• Compose the photo in your head.
• Giving the JPGs away is like loving a meal then going in the kitchen and demanding the recipe from the chef. (Don’t do it…also I think he mentioned that he charges $2000 for JPGS for a wedding).
• Don’t spend energy focusing on your fears. Spend it chasing your dreams! (yes, might be a bit corny but we all need to hear it sometimes)
• My most powerful tool is my voice, my energy, what I believe in. Not my camera.
• If you want to be like the greats, be yourself.

And I didn’t take any notes when watching Jasmine Star (who I admire as much as anyone can admire from afar) but both she and Jerry Ghionis gave SUCH great presentations. Seriously. I was actually moved and my enthusiasm cup was totally refilled. It’d be an honor to be a part of any of either of their workshops and I really do hope to be able to one day. Anyway, the one thing that Jasmine said that did prompt me to make some scribbles on paper was “get out and get uncomfortable because when you’re uncomfortable, you grow.”

A few months ago when I was going through the process of hyping myself up before making cold calls, I realized that every great accomplishment I’ve made so far usually started with me feeling terrified. Figuring out what to do after high school. Moving six hours away from home without knowing a single person there. Repeating that scenario, only moving even further, yada, yada, yada. All of these great things happened because I stepped out of my comfort zone which got another ball rolling. So I guess that’s why what Jasmine said really sparked a little something in me…’cause I know I’ve definitely grown after taking all of those leaps.

Workshops and events such as these are very reminiscent of photo church if a photo church actually existed. Lots of uh-huhs and amens and epiphanies and hope. Looking forward to attending some of these sessions in person next year.

If any of my dear internet friends have attended a workshop that you’d recommend, please let me know! From the myriad of options, it’s tough to choose which ones to invest in.

***

I’d like to end this post with a few shout outs. I’ve recently started shooting more interiors and architecture which leads me to mention Ty Cole who is the most talented architecture/interiors photographer I know and have had the privilege of assisting. He just finished a shoot for Absolut Vodka’s latest flavor, Absolut Brooklyn, which completely blows my mind because I used to love this campaign when I was young and would plaster my walls with every cool magazine advertisement (including theirs) that I came across. I even owned a book full of the Absolut Vodka ads up until whenever that book was published. I worked with Ty on some amazing residential and commercial places in NYC and one of them was the Christian Louboutin store on 5th Ave. (as a shoe fiend, I was in LOVE). Each time I worked with Ty, I always learned something new, and for that and all the experiences, I am forever grateful. Even though call time was usually at the butt crack of dawn.

To my mentor, Monte Isom, I’d like to give some props to one of his latest campaigns which was for the EA Sports FIFA World Cup. Check out the behind the scenes video here. And yes, it’s always that fun when you work with Monte. As a side note, today he tweeted that he just booked his flight to South Africa to catch three games of the world cup. JEALOUS. And to brag on him a little more, he also photographed the US Olympic Snowboarding team before the games. And the Adidas campaign for the Olympics in China. And…and…

Last but not least, my lady, Shannon. She is my home girl to the core and I wouldn’t have met her if I didn’t go through what I thought were unnecessary or unfortunate events. Pit stops, if you will :) We worked on the 9/11 project together and she has taught me so much about life, love, and of course, the photo industry. Shannon launched her own blog not too long ago with some new portraits that you should definitely check out. She loooooves to geek out in technical camera speak and she is as quirky as they come. Never a dull moment :)

…Are you still reading? I feel like I’ve been going a thousand miles an hour lately so I apologize for my lack of response to emails and comments. Do know that I appreciate all of them though and I hope to get back into the groove of writing asap. Much love and big virtual hugs, H.

]]> http://www.huongfralin.com/blog/2010/06/10/escalate-live-and-link-love/feed/ 5 http://www.huongfralin.com/blog/2010/05/27/office-space/ http://www.huongfralin.com/blog/2010/05/27/office-space/#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 05:22:12 +0000 Huong http://www.huongfralin.com/blog/?p=5189

Let me just start by saying that it’s awesome when you have that moment where you can apply what you’ve learned in school to the real world. And I don’t mean your A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3′s. I mean specialized skill sets. What you majored in. What you pulled all-nighters for. What you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on learning.

I’ve been struggling with trying to accept that which I do not understand, especially in regards to my professional work life. More specifically, where I’ve ended up at this time. The past few months have been spent scouring job sites, searching through mast heads and info pages, making cold calls, speaking to editors and art directors at super amazing companies and publications I’ve only dreamed about working for (FYI they’re human too), writing to try to sell myself, and saying lots of “please, please, please” prayers. And ironically, the one job that I did not apply to on my accord, or try to get, or thought I wanted, was the one I got. And if I can be honest about it, I was reluctant to accept at first because I had plans on going another direction. Plans to move back to the big city. Plans to work for major companies that are recognized world-wide and come with prestige. Plans to become some sort of big shot by association. (I was raised to aim high and dream big). And as you can tell by now, the point that I am trying to make is that plans are just that. Nothing solid.

I think we all wonder about our purpose in life, and that is the reason I felt compelled to write tonight. I am here to report that unlikely situations can be great situations. And that sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and not fight the paths that open up for you. And trust. Trust is such a huge…thing. And who knows…maybe these paths will lead you to what you wanted after all and that this job you currently have, town you currently live in, friends you’ve recently made, are just neccessary pit stops you need to make along the way. I read and tweeted the other day that “writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Just replace “writing a novel” with whatever you are feeling challenged with and you can pretty much apply that advice to anything.

Through this recent experience, I’ve learned that a simple life is a good life. And oddly, the desire to go anywhere “big” or do something on a world-wide scale is no longer important. It doesn’t make you (me) more important. In fact, it could potentially turn you (me) into a pretentious jerk. And like any other artist, I’m sure I will tire of the routine eventually, but I know that the experiences will lead me towards the next pit stop along the way in fulfilling my purpose in not only my life, but in others as well. There’s no such thing as coincidence, remember? And “big” (as in “dream big”) is a subjective word. I have faith, good health, a loving husband, roof over my head, amazing family, et cetera, et cetera. If life could get any better than this, the rest are just accessories.

P.S. I absolutely LOVE my new job. And I am happy to report that photography is part of it though not the main task. I’m still working on excelling at my personal photo work and will of course keep sharing all the goodies that I come across. Just wanted to give an explanation for any hiatuses that I’ve had or will have. And as a side note to this side note, I did a shoot not too long ago for a story for the Wall Street Journal that will be published in June. If any of you get the paper, I’d love it if you could let me know if you see my cutline (I’m not subscribed). kthanksbye!

Second day at my new job and I spent the last couple hours of work on a boat ride at the lake. Not working. With my awesome coworkers. I think I could get used to this :)  More iphone snapshots on flickr.

BOWLING GREEN, OH

Alla Prima Painting from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

Music: Amber, Ember, Glow by Saxon Shore

Jeff was able to leave work early today as did a lot of other people and I sat outside to wait for him (and to watch the snow fall). Leave it to me to only use the deck in the winter. It was very peaceful and lots of cars actually drove through the grassy part of our apartment community to cut through our parking lot from the main road because there was an accident and lanes were backed up. I saw one truck go up the hill sideways and it took Jeff and hour to drive what would normally take 20 minutes. I don’t think SW Virginians are used to these driving conditions. And of course I had to do a little time-lapse with my iPhone of the snow fall. It automatically stopped shooting at 1000 frames so here it is to the tunes of Matt Pond PA’s Snow Day:

Snow Day from Huong Fralin on Vimeo.

ROANOKE, VA