Bummed you missed amazing classes with Zack, Jasmine Star, David duChemin, Jeremy Cowart, Bambi Cantrell and Tamara Lackey? No worries, you can buy the DVDs for around a hundred bucks…and they’re beyond worth it.

During the classes there’s tons of fun stuff like quote contests on Twitter and a flickr pool for shots of where viewers are currently watching the class.

Zack’s class this weekend is called Foundations of a Working Photographer and so far it’s been amazing. As I write this, Zack is about to start some outdoor portraits!

Yesterday was an overview of photography and lighting basics, but before you roll your eyes…this wasn’t the usual aperture-does-this type of explanation! Everything Zack talked about I technically *knew* but now I really feel like I GET. Zack was the first photographer to explain the inverse square law in a way I understood in his One Light DVD and his explanation on lens compression and distortion yesterday was equally clarifying.

Technically, I knew what a wide angle will do to a face and I knew that telephoto lenses compressed a background…but it wasn’t until I saw the staggering side-by-side photo examples that I really got how powerful something as simple as lens choice can be.

I also FINALLY feel like I can calculate reciprocal exposures on-demand whereas before it was still EEEP MATH. I suck at math.

I’d rave more, but Zack is getting going and I don’t want to miss anything! Catching this today or tomorrow? Tune in! http://creativelive.com/live

Since I started, having my camera next to me at all times is resulting in Aiden having his own personal paparazzi in the house. Not that he minds…

The color!

The clarity!

The ISO!! (Taken @ ISO1000, hand-held)

It’s amazing what a new toy will do to breathe life into you after a long, cold, gray winter indoors. To further my new gear glee, I took friend and fellow ‘tog Sara Patton up on purchasing her Canon 50mm 1.4 lens to upgrade from the cheaper (but excellent) 50mm 1.8. This lens is slow as a beast to focus but otherwise, LOVE LOVE LOVE!

I’m super excited to use them at our upcoming wedding with Julie & John, next weekend in Salem, MA at The Lyceum. Historic salem, new gear and retro/jazz themed wedding? My gig is pretty sweet.

While we grow impatient waiting for Spring, my family and I have been snatching any opportunity to get out and about. We took Zoe to the RI Spring Flower Show to start teaching her how to use my Canon 20D Mary-Margaret was kind enough to give us.

We took Aiden to Newport Creamery for lunch and ice cream…

I’ve taken a LOT of pictures of Aiden. He mostly tolerates it.

I’ve been tugging along the camera to try and get mentally prepared for my fourth? fifth? attempt at a 365 project. I plan to start on the Spring Equinox and Jameswill be starting along with me! We’ve vowed to keep each other on track!

One of my Spring Equinox Resolutions is to blog more on here. I get caught up in Altared Visions work and forget to blog for myself as well!

It’s time for attempt #3 at a 365! Third time’s the charm, right? I rang in the New Year doing what I love for a living and 2011 is all uphill from here.

December is always a hectic but fun month here. My brother’s birthday, our family Christmas party, my son Aiden’s birthday and then Christmas and the New year roll through one after another and I’ve barely cleaned the cake pan between use. (Alright, my dishwasher has barely cleaned the pan…)

Sometimes I forget to use my camera for me. One of my personal resolutions for the new year is to finally conquer a 365 project. I’ve gotten my hands on a Canon 20D body I will probably tow around in my purse to help keep me going. James wants to do one as well…we’ve got a lot of plans!

To practice, I’ve been using my camera for me all week. It was a good week to start with my family celebrating my daughter Zoe’s 11th birthday, the kids decorating the tree and my son in his brand new (gently used, rescued from storage by James) racecar big boy bed. I can hardly wait to wake up to a juice cup being thrust in my face and I will miss him calling “Goooooood Mooooorrrnnning!” from his crib at 7:30am sharp.

Somewhere along the line, my baby became a boy and my little girl became a tween. Woah. Happy Birthday Zoe, please have mercy on me over the next decade.

Well she did and she kind blew my mind experimenting with backgrounds by putting stuff between the light and tissue…genius!! Look!

Have you made a DIY Lightbox with my tute? Let me know and I’ll link your post! Which reminds me…I should post some more DIY photography stuff! Wedding season is winding down and there’ll be a lot more time for blogging, knitting, blogging about knitting (look, I closed my knitting blog so you non-knitting readers…all 3 of you…will just have to deal!) and best of all…photography for the hell of it.

I’ve recently become a real French press snob, it’s the only coffee maker I will use because the machines just taste like crap to me now. I recently busted my flimsy IKEA job so it’s time to test-run a new french press from CSN. I will report back with the review and of course copious photographs!

If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, you can find me located under a mountain of work for the Altared Visions business, and I couldn’t be happier!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY BOY! You and your sister are amazing. <3

(clicking images will bring you to the image page on my flickr!)