i do! its about an hour from my house... ive been there a thousand times! i do like it - i mean, if you need to get something specific, moa is the place to go because they have everything! i dont really shop in real stores (im a thrifter) too often at all, but any time i go to a mall its usually going to be moa! and i still remember the very first time i went as a kid... i was so so so excited and completely in awe when going to the park, and underwater world, and legoland, and getting candy etc... even the drive there was filled with anticipation, and i never wanted to go home. its easy to get used to and think nothing special of, but it really is a magical place if you dont lose your childish wonder. ;) plus its cool that they have special events there, like celebrities coming in and things like that... though ive never gone for anything of the sort. anytime im in though they are always setting up for something new!

let them be themselves. :) i usually go for more serious photos first - the ones where the couple is straight faced etc... since they are likely shy in the beginning and those are easiest to get! then i go for more silly shots... them running around after one another, piggy back rides, jumping, climbing a tree, just goofing around etc! and in the end i go for the more intimate, close up romantic shots because usually couples are then comfortable enough with me around to really show their love for each other - some couples still get too laughy despite my conditioning, haha, but most of the time this system works for me! also i usually throw in anything i want more posed in the end as well, again since people are more comfortable!

any rule youve ever been told, forget it. your expectations... dont expect them. take your passions and your loves and put them into every single day. never settle. dont take a job for the money. dont chase possessions - only dreams. remember that every day is an adventure, and you can live each day HOWEVER YOU WANT. no one is forcing you to do anything, ever. ever ever ever. forget fear - if something scares you, you should probably do it anyway. if something feels right, it probably is - at least for you. and when it comes to your life, your opinion is the only one that matters. experiences matter, so take them all. go outside right now, close your eyes and hold your head up high, take the deepest breath and feel whatever there is to feel... because your feelings matter. listen to the wind, sway with the waves, and look to the stars - because those are things you will always have. appreciate the accomplishment of a skyscraper, but remember that a mountain is grand. and of course, separate love from attachment - love will all your heart, but never be attached.

eeep! this makes me happy to hear. i love the idea of really getting into workshops. its a big step, though. however i know for sure im planning to have one in minneapolis in august - nothing more about that will be planned though til july!

june 28th! ahhh, im almost 22. such an oldie. :P

nah, not really. well, i can recall maybe a question in here once and a comment that someone left saying they didnt like the noise, but to each their own of course. i think a lot of people actually really do appreciate noise in a photo - it just seems so much more sincere to me, and really aids in capturing the whole environment of a moment. to me, if its relatively dark, i dont get why you would want your memory to have a bright light shining on it. im in the same boat as you - totally dont mind bumping my iso one bit - all youve got to worry about it making sure the clients hiring you dont expect you to use flash. :)

a few times ive done the persons house, if it is close by, but generally i pick a coffee shop somewhere halfway between myself and them. :)

hmm, not right after i post - i mean if i post something, especially to flickr, its because im proud of how it came out, even if i feel i could have done better... if that makes any sense, haha. before ive uploaded ive also sat contemplating teensy details for hours! sometimes i look at my older stuff and feel bad about it, but that is part of the motivation that makes me want to keep trying to get better! i wouldnt really think "why did i show this to the world" because even the stuff that isnt that good is all a part of my journey, and i like to think that seeing progression is inspiring for others! stands to the point that you can really do whatever you set your mind to. so, ive got two suggestions for you - before you post something, really think about all the little details for a while - i do a few hours, but maybe you need a few days - make sure youve done all that you can with what you had - and, look at your mistakes as an investment in your future! dont be embarrassed by them. :)

ah no, i just snap and use the filters on instagram. earlybird is my favorite! looks good on pretty much everything. ;)

eeep sorry! i know ive been away for a long time. lots going on! but its nice to hear you like me answering qs, hehehe. :)

i am definitely a night owl! i thrive in the darkness, haha. which is kind of counter productive occasionally considering im a natural light photographer. :P when left to my own devices, and not in need of waking early for a job or meeting, i usually would go to bed as the sun rises and wake sometime in the afternoon. i generally feel most energized around 4 in the morning. lately though my calendar has been super full and ive been needing to conform to society haha - im on a pretty average schedule right now - dozing off between 1 to 3am and waking between 7 and 8.

unfortunately i dont do anything exactly the same to every photo. i use the same tools - curves, hue/saturation, exposure, and color balance are all i ever use (i dont use them all on every photo) but never in an identical way. each photo is far too unique!

i would suggest thinking about what you really like to take photos of (i mean, get specific about it - not just "people") and plan how you can incorporate that into your shoots. then you can look at how much time and money you think you will be putting in and go from there! your first few shoots i would just be concerned about breaking even and getting the practice - figuring out how to work with people and what you would like a session from you to be like. both the cool and confusing part is that you have total control to run your business however you would like! which is awesome, because you can make it so you really really enjoy every aspect of your job, however its a pain in the butt to figure out what will work for you and only way to find that out is practice! what i do wont work for you, and what the next person does wouldnt work for me, etc. all just about finding yourself as an artist and putting that forward as a business model - totally still a work in progress for me as well but it gets better all the time!

unfortunately, the polaroid back that i bought kinda sucks, haha. for some reason nothing will come out in focus - not that i expect it to be crisp, its just a polaroid afterall, but they are so blurry you cant even tell whats happening. :/ no matter where i stand or what i put the little focus ring at... and its so confusing because when i shoot the normal 120 film on that cam ive never had that problem at all! some of them come out decent, but i also dont have a nice scanner so im sure they would come out pretty unrecognizable haha.

no i do not! well, i mean, i have at times in the past, but its not a common practice by any means!

hundred dollars for your advice and tutorials from what people have asked you. Anyways, I couldn't help but to feel like I somehow know you after reading everything on here. You seem like a sweetheart. Your photos are amazing. You have a (continued...)sense of humor. What's not to like? Congratulations on your success, good luck with your ventures and most importantly thank you for answering everyone's questions. (continued...) (last one, I swear)Now for the "ask me anything" part... If you could say one thing to everyone in the world, what would you tell them?



******

oh my, first of all, thumbs up for investigating and reading to figure out what you wanted to know! i hope i wanst too boring. :P however i think with that attitude - determination and perseverance which i can sense just from your decision to scour my formspring - that honestly you will go far with whatever path you are taking yourself down!! that is SO admirable - i feel like so many people these days are only interested in easy answers and never want to put time or effort into learning and finding things out! i taught myself photography with the exact same attitude. :) its also silly but i feel so so honored, and also a bit proud, when people want to remember things i have to say! like when people ask to take notes at workshops, it makes me so happy. ;) so thank you for that!! im also of course happy to answer questions when i know they are helping people, hopefully to follow their dreams, gain confidence, simply learn a new photo technique, whatever. and i cant thank you enough for saying such sweet things, its honestly a touch mindblowing sometimes - i mean, ive always been the type of person who gets along with anyone who talks to me but im so flattered that you would say "whats not to like" however of course i have plenty of flaws - i DO try to work on them everyday.

hmm if i could say one thing - i would definitely be cheesy and tell everyone to just get along - to be kind and always think about how your own actions are going to effect someone else - to not be entirely selfish (just selfish enough to know you deserve happiness and to always value that, hehe) and to never be out to get someone - i guess this would actually turn into a very long speech lol so to stick to the point of your question, ill just go with peace and love baby, peace and love. learn to TRULY... truly... love. and you will have everything.

i just have no emotional attachment to it, really. i mean... i came up with the idea and all, and the themes are really similar to the types of concepts i usually like to do, and i like the coloring, it just never really "hit home" for me if that makes sense. :)

i am SO SO SOOOOOOOO excited!! its going to be a blast!! i cant wait to meet everyone and hang out doing what we love all day! getting the opportunity to teach is also so rewarding, so im very thankful both to daniel and pamela for wanting to include me and also to those of you coming who are looking forward to learning from me!

i havent unfortunately! however i dont like shooting with zoom lenses at all, never have, so im about 99.9% sure i would say i dont like it. :P

oooh good idea! ill consider putting one up this summer if i find some free time!