Tag Archives: Wednesday Words

I want to know YOU

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Today I was snooping around one of the blogs I occasionally check in on (http://jamiedelaineblog.com/) and it struck me that I would like to be known by those I follow.  That being said, I have a new passion for getting to know my readership.  So, today’s blog will remain short because I want YOU to share a short story about yourself with me (comment below or shoot me an email with your story at asunshinemoment@gmail.com).  This is especially for all of you who follow me closely – although some of you I already know very well 🙂

I have a couple other questions for you wonderful friends of mine…

As a follower of my blog or other blogs or a potential follower of my blog or other blogs, what sort of correspondence with the blogger would put you over the moon?
I personally like it when a blogger responds to a comment I leave on their blog or likes or comments on my own posts.

This one is kind of random, but I have been intending to change my blog URL for quite some time now but can’t seem to settle on what I want.  Which URL do you think would be best and why?

  1. blog.asunshinemoment.com (or something like it… from what I understand this draws better and more attention to my business as well)
  2. kaiacalhounblog.com (or something like it)
  3. Do you have any better ideas?

Again, make yourself known by me today!  I would love to be friends 🙂

Church Quotes

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Willow Creek Community Church is my home church. I have only missed a handful of Sundays since I started attending in October of 2011 – and that was because I absolutely cannot make it, I have come home early from trips just to be at church on Sunday morning.

Often times when I am asked where I go to church I am met with immediate skepticism and subtle negativity – I have found that people too often judge Willow simply because it’s a mega church with a lot of wealthy attendees. People ask why I go to Willow and my reply grows with each passing Sunday. I love the teaching and how it not only “feeds me” and gives me strength and fire for the week but, more importantly, I am challenged to grow in my faith practically, emotionally, physically, and knowledgeably. Most importantly, I so often feel the Lord’s hands in the message and his voice speaking through the sermon. And I love the worship, but not as much for the skill presented on stage but for the hearts and commitment I see on that stage. Most importantly, I can see the love of God in their eyes and as I watch them lead us in worship I feel like God is loving me through them. These two reasons are what made me choose Willow.

Since regularly attending I have grown more committed and in love with my church. I love their passion for giving and giving in a way that not only alleviates poverty through aid but pursues permanent solutions through partnership. I love their passion for establishing the Biblical relationships modeled by Jesus: the many, the “Oikos” (or 72), the small group (or 12 disciples), and the close friends (or 3 confidants). I particularly love how they are establishing Oikos communities in the church by fostering relationships within the auditorium section you sit in. Because of this initiative this BIG church is becoming very small as I am now frequently stopped in the halls for a chat or a hug or even to grab a cup of coffee to catch up.

There is too much more that I love about my church but this blog post is supposed to be for the tidbits I’ve jotted down with my sermon notes over the past few weeks. So here they are, some quotes said from the stage that encouraged and impacted me.

Referring to pain and struggle and how it is an opportunity for growth: “I’m not asking you to like [the pain and struggle], but I’m asking you to not waste it.”
– Shane Farmer

“God doesn’t need good ideas, he wants good servants.”
– Shane Farmer

“God is like a navigation system. When you take a right instead of the required left, He doesn’t abandon you, he reroutes you. The trouble is, with too many wrong turns, you start to run out of time and the road gets rougher.”
– Michael Jr

“First of all, if God could be explained He wouldn’t be God.”
– Michael Jr

Happy Wednesday friends! Have a super day!

Kaia Calhoun

Home by the Train Tracks

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Wednesday Words

Last week I ventured out early in the morning to drop Josh off for their next travel gig excursion.  On my way home I decided to attempt a sunrise cityscape of downtown Elgin.  I hunted around the hillside for a spot that properly overlooked my area of interest.  I ventured through fields, unclaimed property, and woods seeking my ideal spot.  I thought I happened upon it when I saw an odd camp set up just feet from me.  With my perfect spot right in front of me and this strange camp next to me I was suddenly frozen.  I desperately wanted to venture over to my photo spot and run away at the same time.  Then I heard breathing.  I snapped a quick picture below and bolted out of the woods, through the unclaimed property and fields and back to my car.  I felt so sure that in my PJs with nothing but a camera strapped to my side I was to easy prey and that my husband would be mortified if I got mugged in the wee hours of the morning in what was practically our back yard.

1Monday

I didn’t want to give up though so I traveled along hunting for a new best spot and the shot below was the result of my next best location.

3Wednesday

Maybe next time I can find a bomb diggety and soundly safe location.

6 Tips to People Photographers

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Advice to Photographers
Some quick words on photography business.

  1. Ask Lots of Questions
    The best sources to start gathering info for your photography career are other photographers. Some photographers may let you down, they may even be rude, but most photographers will kindly chat.
  2. Get Shot
    In order to best understand your clients you need to get in front of the camera at least once a year. And not just any camera, you need to hire a fellow professional. Why is this important? If you don’t put yourself in your client’s shoes you might not realize that some of your requests are confusing, or that their questions actually aren’t stupid, and that maybe you need to change your direction during a shoot. This is crucial research for your business. Besides, you’ve gotta have some good pictures of yourself anyway right?  My husband and I do an anniversary photo shoot every year and I often have portraits done every now and then as well.
  3. Research
    Not only is getting in front of a camera important but reading some books, blogs, and essays is also of the utmost importance. You need to know how to fairly price yourself for your skill level, how to put together effective and balanced packages, how to invoice, how to build a fail safe contract, how to properly correspond to clients, how to build an effective and beautiful website, how to prepare for taxes… and that just scratches the surface.
  4. Invest in the Good Stuff
    Almost every photographer starts out with a starter DSLR and a kit lens. But when you are thinking of launching a photography business plan to upgrade as quickly as possible. And, until you do, price yourself accordingly. Better equipment gets you a higher price. More importantly though, better equipment delivers better work. But lets be clear, a better camera doesn’t make you a better photographer. The framing, posing, and editing is all up to you but the equipment makes the difference in image quality.
  5. Professional Branding
    Hire a professional. I got my branding wrong the first time and had to do it all over the next year. The second time around I actually hired a pro to help me put the pieces together. Branding is a lot of work, don’t do it twice! So, in order to do it right the first time, hire the professional who knows how to brand and have them help you, even if it’s just with the concept.
  6. Do Work for Free
    This is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your photography business. Getting paid for doing what you love stifles creativity. Going from session to session like routine produces stagnant material. You want each of your clients to have fresh, creative material that they will cherish for a lifetime, not the same shot you’ve done a hundred times over. It is so important to fuel your creativity. I just recently started doing this again and the change I’ve seen in myself and my work is insane! However, it’s important to note though that the free sessions to be doing are those that you request the models for, rather than gifting an originally paying client their session. Why? If you ask for the models you have all the artistic freedom. And artist mind needs room to wander and experiment so that artistic freedom unleashes creativity.  One of the other ways I encourage my creativity is by doing “A Photo A Day,” makes me pull my camera out every day 🙂

Fun Facts

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Wednesday Words

I held a 200th Blog Post Giveaway just recently and got some remarkable fun facts as a result. Thanks friends for all the fun reading! These are five of my favorites 🙂

“Ants stretch when they wake up I the morning.” (from Christie)

“Termites will eat wood two times faster when listening to heavy metal.” (from Micayla)

“If you only need to use half an onion, use the top half. The half with the roots will stay fresher longer.” (from Micayla)

“It’s illegal to carry ice cream in your back pocket in Kentucky, because they have a law that states, “If it follows you home, it’s yours.” People used to put ice cream in their back pockets to lure certain animals out of other peoples’ yards and cause them to follow them home instead.” (from Micayla)

“Music is the fourth most wanted material item in the world!” (from Aaron)

Happy Wednesday Folks!