What Made You Want to Go Into Photography?

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Kaia Calhoun

Yesterday one of my blog friends asked me this question and with my Wednesday Words post coming up the next day I new I had my topic.

What made you want to go into photography?

The short answer is that when I was in high school my mom called out my passion for it and told me I had an eye for it. But the long answer is way better…

When I was a Freshman in High School my family took a trip out west. They picked me up from summer youth camp in Laramie, WY and we trekked further west in our gargantuan RV. We called him Moby, like Moby Dick the great white whale.

We took two main stops: Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Teton Mountains. What I remember from that trip I mostly remember through the pictures I took with my little Canon point and shoot and journaling. I don’t remember specifics other than that it was a little silver camera. But that little camera and I captured a lot of beauty on that trip. After I got pictures printed I remember my mom looking at them and telling me I had an eye for photography and that she saw I really enjoyed it. Leave it to Mom to point out that I carried that camera everywhere and, unlike most kids, was more interested in photographing life from weird angles with intentional framing than photographing with my friends.

A couple of years later I took the best class I have ever taken, Yearbook, with Mr. McCallum. McCallum, I hope you are reading this because any time I talk about why I do what I do I always say something about how your class was the most influential class I have ever taken. It ignited a passion in me and taught me all of the most important tools and tips I use in my writing today. In this class I mostly learned about how to write a good journalistic story. He taught us all about “Be verbs” and storytelling. That year I won a state yearbook award for a piece I did about a local haunted house. That simple award pushed me to the realization that maybe writing wasn’t just something I loved doing but something I could be good at. I also shot the pictures for that story so when the end of the year rolled in McCallum asked me to be a part of the editing staff as either a section editor or a photo editor. I had a choice. At that point I knew I loved designing layouts, writing, and copy editing as a “job” but I didn’t know if I would like photography as a “job.” So, for adventure’s sake, I chose the position of photography editor.

The next year, my senior year, I hit the school scene with my camera always at my side. I attended events of all kinds and relished photographing every event I was assigned to. I specifically remember feeling so honored being on the sidelines at the football games, bantering with the guys and with my fellow ninja photographer, Eli. Only a few months into taking photography assignments I knew I was home. So I dumped out my pile of college information and selected only the schools with at least two or three photography classes. My mom and I took an extended weekend in the fall of 2006 and toured my midwest choices. Judson University was the last school of that tour and not only was I completely underwhelmed by the other schools, but Judson captivated me. I remember specifically loving the quaint campus, the prospect of being close to Chicago, the Ugandan study abroad option, our tour guide Jaimee Bartha, and something far less material. This school wasn’t my ultimate ideal, I did really want a rigorous photography program and Judson could only give me two photography classes, but I felt the Holy Spirit asking me to trust in Him and commit to this school. By October of 2006 only a few short weeks after my tour, I was fully enrolled for a double major in Visual Communications with an emphasis in photography and Media Studies with an emphasis in writing.

I continued through my senior year at Buffalo High School soaking up every minute behind my camera and was so engaged in my college credit courses. But the capstone of my whole year came at the end of the basketball season when our guys not only made it to state for the first time in 80 some years but they won it. Each of their games Eli and I sported special press passes like all the big shots with their expensive cameras and official jobs. We sat with them on the sidelines of the Metrodome courts like equals.

In the spring of 2007 I hit the books, or, rather, my sketchbook, hard. For the first time in my life I gave up sports for school as I quickly discovered the art program would demand all of my energy. And, just like in high school, I quickly became known as the girl with the camera.

At the end of my four years I graduated with a major in General Art and a minor in Writing. My senior show was a photographic examination of water (CLICK HERE to see that project). My plans of graduating with a photography major fell away when I fell in love with Joshua. I even visited other schools intending on transferring but when he asked me to stay I simply couldn’t deny him. But I’m glad I did, because I finished at Judson I also fell in love with engaging with photography as art. I learned I love marrying my passion for biology and art together in fine art photography.

My photography business wove itself neatly, but discreetly into my life. I started booking random sessions with families and seniors the summer after my freshman year of college as a way to make a few extra bucks. Again, this idea came from my mom. The last semester of my senior year at Judson I quit my part-time job at Starbucks and launched “a Sunshine Moment” full time. I shot my first wedding a few months later at Hotel Baker. And then the dreaminess of the job died. That wedding met me head on with every technical difficulty and misstep. And the rest of the summer on the job gave no respite. Building a business identity and client base is hard and I dreaded every wedding and session until I arrived on location; however, when I arrived at each shoot I bloomed with excitement and creativity.

I approached the next wedding season, last year, full of apprehension. I was nervous I would dread every shoot again, especially since I was booked for around 25 weddings and ongoing portrait sessions. There was no turning back at this point. But, lo and behold, I hit the photo scene full stride and brimming with confidence.

And now, here I am, working from home and supporting my family with my photography. I thank God so often for providing me with the means to do the work I am so passionate about, especially right out of school. a Sunshine Moment certainly was a leap of faith; self-employment and owning a business is not for the faint of faith. Yet I cherish every moment of it because it is so much easier to see God’s provision and faithfulness without the guarantee of a steady paycheck. I am also so thankful for His gift of some key people. If it weren’t for my mom calling out a gift in me and encouraging me to run with it, McCallum giving me a chance to grow and test my passion, and Josh’s continued support and encouragement there is no way I would be here. Parents and teachers play such a vital role; by encouraging your kids and students into their gifts and passions you grant them the greatest treasure, work they love!

Created to be Creative

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Kaia Calhoun

I am an artist. As an artist I show my work at various galleries on occasion and when I do I always encounter a person or two who approaches me in a sort of state of awe. Not necessarily about my work, but about the work of having created something. There is a group of people, perhaps even the majority, that think they are not creative. I’ve also come to understand that this group of people thinks there are two groups of people: creative and not creative. I don’t believe that. The simple truth is that we were created by the Master of Creativity and if we are made in His image, which we are, then we are not only all capable of creativity, but I would assert that we are all called to be creative.

I am not suggesting that everyone go out and buy a camera or pick up a paint brush. I am suggesting, however, that each of us uses our innate creativity to bring beauty into our every day, ordinary lives. Such ordinary circumstances like parenting, marriage, your home, your routine, work, dating, and eating are all areas that can, and should, be subjected to your art of creativity.

Creative Parenting

Parenting is often the root of a mommy and daddy’s existence for approximately 18 years. I am not an ordinary parent, but I do parent two dogs and it is similar in a lot of ways. I have found each dog to be so different in personality and demeanor, so much so that they require completely different methods of “parenting.” I go into depth about the differences in discipline and love languages from dog to dog, or Haley to Sam, HERE.

In my case of parenting my dogs I have transformed a simple walk into a field trip to the park buried in the back of the neighborhood. Here I can let them off the leash to romp about and play fetch. I have also transformed the art of a “walk” itself on the occasion I strap on my roller blades and let the dogs pull me all around the neighborhood.

In the case of parenting children the same can be done. It’s all about transforming the daily, normal activities and making them not only more exciting and tailored to your children but perhaps even more exciting and tailored to you so you can better enjoy that time with them. You could transform making meals into family collaboration. In my experience kids love to be a part of the food making process. Especially if it involves making something sweet 😉 Or maybe you could transform the bedtime routine into a game – make it a timed race, see who can pick out the craziest pajamas, cleanest teeth contest, etc.

Creating a Creative Marriage

I am married. Josh and I have discovered that we do best when we customize the way we love to make our counterpart feel it to the full. I’ve found that the days I’m feeling entitled to being loved a certain way by him are actually the days it is best to focus that attention outward and go out of my way to love on him. A great way to get started in creatively and intentionally loving your spouse is by picking up Love Dare at your library or buy it (so you can mark it all up). A less creative although very important way to create a creative marriage is by building each other up in some basic needs like prayer, going to church, dreaming together, budgeting together and MORE. Once those basic needs are taken care of and you not only have your heart set in the right place but by going to God with your problems you will often find suddenly a creative solution is placed before you and by doing these simple things together you will find you are suddenly inspired to love more and to love better.

Creativity in your Home Space

A home is your habitat. It is the place that is perhaps the only place you can call your own.

In nature I see so many intentional home builders. Some male birds build nests to impress the lady they have their eye on, bees build a crazy awesome infrastructure of cubbies, beavers build dams with paramount precision, ants build ridiculously ornate infrastructures of pathways and niches, male clown fish have the job of picking out the prettiest available anemone for their mate and babies to live safely, and that’s just the cherry on the giant, seemingly infinite, sundae of creative home spaces within nature!

So, then, why is it that people often completely neglect the aesthetics of their home? Now, wives, please to do not bring my article to you hubby and declare, “see, we do need that China hutch I’ve been eyeing!” No, but I do advocate setting a budget to fix up the place and make any necessary purchases to bring your home to life. And, more than that, I recommend getting creative with what you already have and see if you can’t repurpose or refurbish things you already own. I just recently finished my own Remaking Home project to infuse creativity within my home space so if you want some inspiration or motivation CLICK HERE to read more about that 🙂

Creativity in your Routine

I once read somewhere that to inspire creativity one of the best places to start is your daily routine. I am a creature of habit in so many ways so I understand those of you who feel hesitant to give this a try. However, I have found that with an appropriate ratio of structure and flux my needs to keep a sense of balance and inspire creativity are both met thoroughly. For example, I set aside Mondays and Thursdays aside for a Sunshine Moment business matters and photo editing; on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I attend to business and blogging in the morning and then I devote the rest of my day to writing, homesteading, researching, or any number of other creative adventures I want to commit to (my areas of flux); Saturdays are reserved for booking shoots and more a Sunshine Moment; and Sundays I maintain as my Sabbath (another area of wonderful flux) and I never miss church unless I absolutely can’t help it. So there, now you are all too well-informed about my daily work life 🙂

Creative Dating

Josh and I have found that our best memories are of times when we did something a little outside the box or used our money in a creative way. Maybe there’s a free concert in the park, or maybe you want to go get ice cream, or maybe you can go on a picnic. Get out and have some fun or stay in and invent a new activity. The standard dinner and a movie date is particularly rockin’ when you don’t do it all the time 🙂

Creative Eating

This one is simple. We eat every day. Those of us that have a passion for food this is your area to get creative! Spice up your salad, soup, sandwich, or otherwise sumptuous meal with a pop of color, a prop, placement, or presentation 🙂

These, of course, are just a few ways to spice up your life with a little creativity. There are so many other areas of life that you can concentrate on and make them special. I know you will find some amazing fruits out of the extra “labor” you put in!

Battling Ill Will

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Kaia Calhoun

Sometimes there are moments in life when someone wrongs you or takes advantage of you. And then at the next turn God clearly requests you not only forgive them but move forward by afflicting them with abundant kindness. I am in the middle of one of those moments today.

I was in the middle of fuming about a scenario when I was wronged as a professional when I broke away from my computer to do my lunch time routine of food and devos. When I grabbed my Bible I was longing for the comfort I knew it would provide and how it would set my heart straight. I got that and more. Here’s what I read…

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32).

And now I am thanking God for setting my heart straight, giving me the answer to the thoughts running through my mind, and praying that He will give me the strength to battle my own ill will and unleash kindness, mercy, and love when I am face to face with the object of my bitterness later today. Then my reading from last night pops into my head…

“Remember – the Lord doesn’t give you strength, Hezekiah. He is your strength” (Song of Redemption, 33).

I’ve prayed for strength a lot. But I suppose I should be praying I simply drop my pride and lean on His strength that’s already there waiting for me to claim it.

Happy Wednesday! Thanks for reading my words.

Movie Review | Oz the Great and Powerful

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Kaia Calhoun

I got to see Oz after a decadent meal at The Lucky Monk with Mom and Dad. Quick plug, for those of you who live in the area and haven’t been it is well worth a visit, or two, or five 😉 Anyway, afterwards we all headed over to the theater to take in the seemingly Oz the Great and Powerful. Not a total let down, but it definitely was not what I hoped it would be.

SUMMARY

Oz the Great and Powerful is the bridge between the story of Wicked and The Wizard of Oz. Wicked is the story of how The Wicked Witch of the West came to be. Though Oz the Great and Powerful disregards the Wicked story as it paints a different back story for The Wicked Witch of the West it offers a new perspective on how The Wizard of Oz came to be. And finally, in the classic The Wizard of Oz we are given the story of how true balance is restored in the land of Oz by the heroics of a young woman and her band of unlikely friends.

The story of Oz the Great and Powerful starts in Kansas with Oscar Diggs (James Franco) wooing a young maiden. He is a traveling magician for the Baum Bros Circus. Just as in The Wizard of Oz we are taken through the beginning of the story with black and white film in a square format and are thoroughly introduced to key characters and moments immediately. In the short time we are in Kansas with Oscar we are introduced to his major character flaws of womanizing, dishonesty, and selfishness; his blatant abuse and under-appreciation of his assistant Frank; and a key exchange with a crippled girl.

Right after Oscar’s magical performance he is sucked into the heart of a tornado by air balloon. Soon enough the film slowly transitions from black and white to very colorful and from a square format to the traditional wide-screen of today. He immediately meets Theodora (Mila Kunis) and hears of a prophecy foretelling a wizard would fall out of the sky to save the land of Oz. Remaining true to his deceitful character Oscar claims to be this foretold wizard upon hearing he would inherit a throne and a room full of gold. The remainder of the story unfolds from here.

REVIEW

Oz the Great and Powerful is one of those movies that doesn’t really know what it is. Overall, it generally felt like it was thrown together with cheesy humor attempting to be the glue. Everything about this movie screamed of underdone to me: the acting was poor, the plot shallow, a character arc was mostly nonexistent, the cinematography was generic, and the dialogue juvenile.

I hate to criticize acting because it’s almost impossible to tell if poor acting is a result of the actor or if it is because of the directing or screenwriting. Regardless, the performances put on by all the leads, James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, and Michelle Williams, felt more like poor debuts of Hollywood wanna-bes. In this case I think it was a combination of choosing the wrong actors to fill these cheesy comedic roles and poor screenwriting. The only actress who pulls it off convincingly is Michelle Williams, everyone else felt very forced and awkward.

Other than the plot described above the story doesn’t go much farther. All throughout the movie the plot casually and uneventfully walks through Oz collecting characters. There are mild encounters with the other main character shortly after but the only major event in the movie happens at the very end and that even feels lack luster.

Based on the introduction of the self-seeking and lying Oscar I assumed I was in for some character development. Instead, I am left with an itty bitty character arc – in the end, Oscar saves the day but I felt no real victory for his character because it was all without humility and honesty.

Though the film work was impressive, especially in the tornado scene, I found there to be little artistry in it. Unlike my recent experience with Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters the use of cinematography in Oz the Great and Powerful stuck to all the basics.

And my final disappointment was with the dialogue – it all fell into cheesy, chatty talk that was of no interest, nor real importance. Because of this none of the characters held any real substance nor could they pull at my heartstrings. However, the exception to this statement is a little China doll. Her character is the only one with a strong personality and her back story combined with her cute wit make her undoubtedly endearing.

CONCLUSION

When I watched the trailer for Oz the Great and Powerful I knew the movie could go one of two ways: one, the whole movie would be as exciting and solid as the trailer or, two, the trailer gave away all the best parts of the movie. My opinion is that this movie did the latter, much to my dismay.

Theater-worthy movies to me are movies oozing with big action and overwhelming cinematography; Oz the Great and Powerful possessed neither. Props to the trailer creator though because they had me fooled enough to get me into the theater. It’s an entertaining movie, but I recommend waiting for it to come out on video before putting in the time to watch it.

My Grandma Went Home to Jesus

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Kaia Calhoun

Wednesday Words

A couple of weeks ago I made a last-minute trip up to Minnesota to see my Grandma. After I was informed she was stopping her dialysis treatment and moving into hospice I was desperate to connect with her one last time. With a little extra push from my hubby I made the 7 hour trip, or 8 hours in this case since I drove through snow on the way up, and got to visit with her a couple of times before I had to head back home to shoot a wedding. (CLICK HERE for the full story about that trip.)

On Friday Grandma took a turn for the worse. My mom called asking me to pray hard because she had gotten the call that Grandma was at her end and, if she wanted to be there to say goodbye, she had to get there right away. With a 45 minute drive ahead of her my mom was desperate for some divine intervention so she could make it in time.

After calling Josh and praying with him and sending a quick text to my small group pleading for prayer, I got on my knees and prayed as hard as I’ve ever prayed. I prayed for my mom to get to Grandma on time but I mostly prayed that God would claim my Grandma as one of His own before she breathed her last. This was a common prayer for me in the last couple of years but never so desperately and fervently

As I prayed God kept talking over me. When I finally was quite for a moment all I heard him say was “Kaia, stop praying for this, I already have her in the palm of my hand. She is one of my own.” My heart soared and I was filled with such peace and hope.

My mom did make it in time that day and my Grandma decided she wasn’t done with life yet.

On Monday, February 25 at around 6:30 am my strong-willed and spunky grandma breathed her last. I awoke at 7:30 am to a voicemail from my dad with that news and my heart was so glad that she was finally safely home and no longer in pain. As I listened through the voicemail I was given this beautiful vision of my white-haired, though obviously healthy, smiling Grandma. It was a smile free of pain and struggle and a face so full of life and peace and love and joy. She truly was so beautiful! I really loved my grandma and my heart grieves that I can’t share and laugh with her anymore but I am so excited to see her again when I get to travel to paradise.

Today I am home in Minnesota again to spend time with my now orphaned mom and help her in any way I can. We have planned the funeral for Tuesday, March 5, 2013 and, by the grace of God, my hubby is able to make it (he is currently on tour with Big Daddy Weave and Chris August so the fact that he can break away is amazing) AND do the music AND my father-in-law so graciously agreed to make the long trek up to the service. God is so good!

Thank you all so much for your prayers, support, and encouragement. We can feel the strength and peace that we are being given from your prayers! You are a blessing!