Most of the items on my 101 in 1001 list take work on my part. Whether that be traveling some place exciting, or trying something new … I’m the one that had to do it. Number forty five was a little different … It was the one on the list that took other people to accomplish it! “Win a Photography Contest”. I was so excited when I found out that one of my images had been entered into a photography contest on A Nerd Like Me‘s blog. Evan is one of the coolest internet friends I know … I would consider her a real life friend too, even though we’ve never met in person … just here on this schnazzy little thing known as the internet.
So yeah, thanks to all of you, I won the contest. I have never even one a game of BINGO in my life, so this was a complete surprise … but it definitely made me a happy camper.
“What was the prize of this contest?”, you might ask. Well, it was a beautiful little camera necklace from China Cheries Etsy shop. I received it in the mail today and it’s just as fabulous as I imagined it to be. *Side note: Right before I opened the little package, J informed me that several people have received samples of Tide laundry detergent in the mail, which really turned out to be Anthrax … then they died. Really?? I was so excited about my necklace, but then I hesitated to open the package for .2 seconds … just in case. The hubs knows I freak out easily … guess who won’t be opening anymore mail from now on!*
Back to the title of this post … something new. Today starts 12 months of taking self portraits of … myself. I first saw this idea last year when I was looking at Sarah Rhoads blog. I thought it was fabulous, and I put it on my 101 in 1001 list. It was one of those goals that’s been staring at me. Kind of like when the pups want to go outside. They just sit there … stare at you … and you don’t make eye contact! Once I saw how creative fellow Indiana photographer, Gail Werner, got with her self-portrait project, I decided that I can do it! Thanks Gail … I’d say you officially helped me get my butt in gear!
If you take a visit to an art museum, chances are you’ll see self portraits of many artists (even those old school folks). The way I see it, life is not slowing down any. I want to remember what I was like … what I loved … where I traveled. This self portrait project is going to be challenging. I’m going to try to be creative and tell a story with each image. I also think it’s important to note that it’s so weird putting my own image on my blog. When J is in the image with me … it’s easier. So yeah, I just think it’s cool. I think it will be fun, and I hope you enjoy seeing me, the way I see me, for the next 12 months!
That may or may not be my new necklace. I told you it was super cute!
Jim + Ravyn Photographers
By Ravyn StadickAs most of you know, my husband, Jim, is a huge part of my business. Not only does he carry all of my heavy bags, but he also makes about 1/2 of the beautiful images on my blog. He’s been my permanent 2nd shooter since the very first wedding we shot together, and we’ve had such a great time working together. As most businesses, we look at our business as an evolution. Things are changing as we go … which is a really good thing.
Here’s a sneak peek of a wedding that I second shot a few weeks ago. You can see the full post on the new blog!