Playing Catch Up.... Again!

So its pretty common now for me to fall off the map in terms of my blog around the time of finals at SCAD. But I've been out of school for 3 weeks now, and I'm blessed to say I've been busy VERY busy. Not many paid gigs, but lots of photo shoots in terms of building my portfolios as the awesome photographer I try to be.

Since the last day of FALL Quarter at SCAD the following has occurred:

I got 2 A's and 1 B :) - The B was in Intro to Printmaking but it was very shy of an A so I'm not hating too much lol.

I've done 2 natural hair shoots to continue my little documentary. I'm also still working on reading this awesome book titled "Thank God I'm Natural!" By Chris-Tia E. Donaldson. A must read for naturals, and aspiring naturals. Really something everyone of color should read.

I traveled from Savannah to Gainesville, FL to surprise my boyfriend one day early at University of FL. I was in town to support him and witness and photograph his remarkable accomplishment of pledging the beautiful BROWN & GOLD of Iota Phi Theta. I had an insane weekend with him there and celebrating the long process he went through. I'm so proud of him and can't wait to share the pictures with you all VERY soon :)

From Gainesville, FL I traveled with my Iota Man down south to our lovely home of Palm Beach County where I had an extra pleasant Thanksgiving with my family. This was also the first Thanksgiving Perry was able to spend with my family so that was quite special in my eyes!

The following business day after Thanksgiving Perry and I returned to Gainesville and I soon after returned to my beautiful Savannah apartment. Now that I live off campus I'm able to enjoy Savannah during these holiday months and I'm loving it. Since returning I've done 2 portraits sessions, staying busy with my amazing employer Shannon Christopher and his weddings I assist on, and I've been trying to get into the Greek Life of Armstrong State University and Savannah State University. I loved Perry's Probate at Gainesville I've decided to take the challenge of photographing more probates for sororities and fraternities.  There are not many professional images out there for this particular genre in terms of the their probates so I'm hoping to fill this niche ;) So I've been shooting  for the Sigma Grad Chapter, Zeta Phi Beta, and tomorrow I'm shooting a community event put on by the Omegas and Deltas. I'm hoping people will find my images and love them so much they'll want to hire me to cover their probates and other events put on by their organizations. There is something about Greek life that has sparked an interest thanks to Perry's recent crossing and I've been reading books, articles, and learning more so that I can reflect my new found knowledge in my photography to make them even better.

Well I better stop now since this is suppose to be a catch up moment of my Winter Break So far lol.
Thank you for reading, for supporting my photography, and just being interested and curious enough to click your way to my little blog.

I appreciate ya,
whoever you are.

Much Love,

Stephanie B!


P.S. Links to hold you over till my next post :)
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Saje-Creations-Photography/189060964466716

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Saje-Creations-Photography/189060964466716#!/StephanieBrownPhotography

HELP! Tight Braids :(

So it is 7:20 am right now... And for someone who didn't go to bed till nearly 3am I NOT be awake!
This is the second night in a row I have not slept and I wasn't convinced till now but its because of my hair!!

I went through what my boyfriend humorously calls "Natural Hair Shock!" At the salon my stylist never gives me pain or discomfort. And when I left the salon my head didn't hurt and the braids were not tight. Plus I got a braid and 2 strand twist combo like the last time and those didn't hurt so i thought nothing of it.

But that night........   -_____- was rough! My bed is super comfortable yet I spent 7 hrs tossing and turning having a million dreams cause i kept waking up. And this morning I should say, I am having it even worse. So bad where I am up now instead of sleeping typing this blog post and researching remedies cause i rather not take an advil. I haven't had this much pressure on my head since having braces. I need a resolution quick so I can sleep! Later this morning I will actually be attending the Savannah Natural Hair Show which is at a hotel on Abercorn St. but as much as I love my new hair style. When I get there I'm gonna have them take this headache down if I don't resolve the pain!

Remedies I tried and also found online:

• I tried using Taliah Waajid's Bodifier that stops itch and moisturizes but it really just cools the area doesn't take away the pain. The Bodifier: Medicated might do a better job but i don't have that one.
• eHOW suggests: soaking the braids in the shower or asking your stylist to soak the braids
• eHOW also suggests: re-doing select braids or taking a pain reliever until the braids loosen on their own.

*Braids that are too tight can hurt your hair*

• About.com and other sites suggest the same remedies.
• Moist Heat to help loosen the braid without destroying the hair style.
• Or sleeping sitting up

I'm so sleepy but my head hurts too much to sleep. It hurts sitting up or laying down but its defiantly better when i'm sitting up. im going to try applying a hot rag to the area that has braids and hope for the best. and next time I'm gonna net get braids for a while. I've been wearing my hair loose so much this year and summer that braids and pins are quick discomforts. This severe discomfort has never happened to me before  but i'll avoid it by avoiding little cornrows.

Personal Quote

Here is a personal quote that alot of people on Tumblr seemed to enjoy so I'm sharing it on my blogger.

"The worst part about being the tough girl is that you have no one to be weak in front of."

 

I said this last year when I was having a weak point and pretty much crying alone. I have a lot of friends who I give advice to and help guide them on good days and bad. But when I have a weak point I'm often left in solitude. Fragile individuals could loose hope seeing their strong hold breakdown. And other than God and one or two other distant adult women in my life, I'm the strongest one I know personally. I read about tons of stronger women and wish I could meet them so that I could go to them, but I don't dwell on that because Christ is my strong hold that will never leave me. So, I shed my tears, wipe my face, and get back to work. Sounds robotic but I'm so serious. I'm emotionally distraught so I can't help but cry, but when I'm done I grab a Kleenex and get back to homework, or editing photos like I'm all better. I don't do this to be fake because internally I'm still sad, but I'm also confident that God is going to take over and settle my troubled heart. Being patient is the only hard part.

 

 

Here is a link to my Tumblr Post with this quote.

 

And Here is another blog post where I wrote a poem about this type of situation earlier this year.

Nothing hurts worst

It hurts to see what you hide
It hurts to see all the potential I know you can bring
Your spirit lacks motivation
Your spirit lacks my God.

I wish I could give you my strength
My courage
My trust
My mentality
My dedication
My love
If I could package these things and send to you
What a difference the world would see.

You are not me
And I am not you
But what I have is trapped inside you.
I was once where you are but by the grace of God these gifts were released
I feel its my mission to bring these same gifts out of you
To better your life
To better your spirit
And enlighten your life.


If anything hurts me the most its seeing someone I love struggle with something I have once over come or learned to battle. Along with that hurt is the difficulty in teaching someone something that you feel. My faith and knowledge that God will and can take care of all my troubles and won't let me fail is felt in my spirit and encourages my daily life. But how do I take that and instill it in someone else? Especially in the ones I love. My over abundant optimism can be insulting to some and empty support to another. But I offer it to encourage what one could do themselves. I hear too many people say something is impossible and they can't do it, but the ability to complete a task is completely up to the individual. God won't give you anything you can't handle and fear is not something He put in you. YOU are your biggest obstacle in life. YOU determine if you can do something or not. Its up to YOU to say I will try, this is possible. You may not be able to complete something the way you envisioned or at this point in time. But your mentality should always be that you will try, problem solve, and let it be possible not impossible.

Frustration
Anger
Stress
Pressure
Fear

All these ugly things try to invade my life everyday and I'll be honest sometimes they win but never for long. I recognize these ugly words in my spirit and I cast them out with my strength, my faith, and my knowledge as what I can do through God. These ugly words are acts of a person I don't associate myself with. And crying out to God and my optimism squashes those ugly words and that person who comes with those words under the ground where they belong. My eyes are always looking up to heaven and toward a future I know God promised me in prosperity.

I just wish I could relate these ideas and emotions to the ones I love. Nothing hurts worst than someone you love battling something you can help but their spirit is resisting yours. Praying helps but the waiting hurts more. Only if they knew how hard I am praying for them and fighting for them day and night. I won't let the devil win.

Jerk chicken and macaroni casserole

Being able to cook is such a blessing. I just wanted to share my dinner i made last night. I was very proud of it.
So i made jerk chicken which was spicy but not too spicy. I love jerk chicken but when its super hot, like all Jamaicans require it to be, my eyes water and its a painful delicious situation going on and my only refuge is a glass of milk.
Side note: did you know that if you eat something very spicy you need to have a base to kill the burning? That's why blue cheese and ranch are often served with hot wings. If you chug down a soda which is really acidic all you'll end up doing is making your mouth hotter. And water is a neutral so out won't do nothing but wet ether interior of your mouth. What you need is milk or a similar base.
Back to the food! So i jerk my chicken with the Grace Jamaican Jerk (mild) that comes in a glass jar. Some thyme, chopped green onion (scallion), little lemon, and an assortment of dry seasonings i have on hand like pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. So i put that together in a bowl n let it marinate.

 



While that's marinating i cooked "Kraft macaroni and cheese homestyle" this package of Mac and cheese comes with the pasta, a seasoning packet, cheese pouch of creamy cheese, and a pack of bread crumbs for a topping. So i simply cooked the Mac and cheese according To the instructions. Then i dished out the Mac and cheese into a foil baking pan which i coated on the bottom with olive oil. I then sprinkled the bread crumbs on too and some shredded Parmesan cheese. This was now ready to ready to go in the oven that was preheated at 425 degrees for just 10 to 15 mins.
During that time i cleaned my space satisfying the chicken stuff and washing everything else. When that was finished i took the posts out the oven and covered it.
Now it was time for the chicken. The NuWave oven my mom gave me cooks everything from the inside out perfectly. But i had to adjust ether cooking time for this chicken cause the where big chicken quarters.
There were about 18 mins per side.
As it finished i dished out my plate and had my dinner. I invited some canned French style green beans to complete my healthy dinner! And that was it!

Natural Hair Spotlights

So due to recent experiences and relationships being built amoungst hair salons, natural hair representatives, products, and individuals I have been inspired to build a deeper portfolio in terms of natural hair. Not only do I want this to be photography but I want it to be an opportunity for me to begin a conversation about individuals and their natural hair journeys.

I've also learned its beneficial to me as a photographer to be able to shoot basic video in terms of audio and light. And when I photograph people my portraits are as great as they are because I've gotten a chance to get to know them. A slice of their life in a still image is all I attempt to provide. Also I decided over the summer that I want to get my masters in Journalism. So every blog counts even more now lol. I want to appeal to others while still talking about things that matter to me and especially things that can help someone else and touch their lives. I choose to use my God given talents to serve.

So every post on a natural hair individual is going to be titled "Spotlight on ___________" whoever is the model. I did my first one today and I can't wait to showcase it later in a fresh new post!
I hope that these posts get deeper in the minds of ladies on their journey's because that what it is. Your hair is an extension of you. And from what I recently learned at the Taliah Waajid World Natural Hair Show is that there are a lot of things emotionally that put a strain on your body as well as your hair. As I learn more I'm starting to really see hair as a reflection of the individual. Maybe one day I'll look and feel someone's hair to determine who they are like Ray Charles felt a pair of hands.
I even got some books about natural hair that are dated back in the late 1990s and early 2000s which I hope will teach me some things that were known well before this "era" of going natural. I know its been going on much longer than most know.

 

Tia Mowry SHORT HAIR!

So I NEVER NEVER NEVER do celebrity posts on my blog  but this one caught me way off guard!
Tia Hardrict, which everyone still says Tia Mowry (that's what you get for being famous since you were in diapers) CUT OFF all hair!!

For the very few in the world who may not know, Tia Mowry forms a duo with her twin sister Tamera Mowry and starred in Sister, Sister for years before I was born in 1992 lol. But growing up I watch the re-runs on TV all the time. They made that show and I've been obsessed with them since lol. Since the show they've made tv appearance and a few movies but other then that, that was it. THEN Tia got pregnant and I heard about a reality series coming to a STYLE network. I was so excited. So excited that I watch it faithfully and most the time I try and wait to watch it with my oldest sister Simone. There are things that Tia and Tamera do that I often compare to my sister and I. Every time we watch an episode we look at each other at certain funny moments. Even the emotional moments we're pointing fingers at whose who in our family lol. What I love the most about Tia and Tamera is their bond and love and dedication to their family and what they do. A fundamental I got from them actually is saying a simple Thank You to veterans or people in uniform. And I've done that everyday since I watched that special episode. I actually embrace those moments when they come cause the smile on their faces is so Worth it. Living in Savannah now I get to run into a lot of them since we have a pretty big military base here.


But let me go back to the hair cause I could probably write about these twins and every episode that has touched me. Speaking of books Tia wrote one which I hope to buy when I'm ready to have a baby. She keeps it real. According to US Magazine she cut it to save her time and spend more time with her son Cree Cree! That's very commendable. I can't wait to the new season to see what other factors led her to cut it all off. But long or short her hair is still soo soo beautiful.  Even though I know her hair is curlier than the picture shows (darn flat irons influencing beautiful curls). I tell ya they all got good genes! Have you seen her brother?! (Look Below!!) He's come a long way from Smart Guy and he's on a new show this year on ABC Family!! He's worth watching lol.

At any rate, whether its to save time or go NATURAL!! I defiantly encourage people to embrace their decisions and the moments like these. I meet too many girls who cover their natural hair cause its too short or chemically damaged it because its not the length they want. Embrace your curls, shrinkage, new growth, whatever you want to call it. And I'll have to have a post on its own about shrinkage cause its grown to be a word I don't like! Its misused!!

But to sum it up WATCH TIA AND TAMERA!!! If you loved Sister Sister or the twins in general you will love this! And Tamera is pregnant this season! So its time for the tables to turn! I just love this family so much. They just seem so genuine and you don't get that from a lot of people. Unfortunately I'm not a big tweeter so its hard to follow up with them on a day to day but one day we'll meet and do some great charity empowerment thing together or be their personal photographer lol. Either way I'll meet them one day.


New Season This Tuesday! I'll be watching ;)

Shooting Glass

So this was my latest assignment in my controlled lighting class.
We learned to shoot glass on black and white plexi and then we could do something creative.
The stock plexiglass in the studio is all nasty  and scratched up so I attempted to fix it in photoshop but my patience in photoshop is very poor. I am defiantly not one of those photo geeks that can sit around the computer n edit all day. it is not for me!

But at any rate enjoy my work. I'm LEARNING!!  :)
The before and after images are side by side and mighty obvious. Tips and Suggestions are encouraged!

 

 

RELIEF - PRINTMAKING

I just wanted to make a quick post about Printmaking because I really am loving it and when I make art work via printmaking I have some urge to make it ethnic and personal in some way.

For those who don't know printmaking is old old old before every one's time form of print and art. Everyone has done at least one print in their life time: Your foot print and hand print on your birth certificates. That was your first print!

 

My class this year started with Relief printmaking on linoleum or wood and I decided to be over ambitious and use wood cause I loved the texture of it and I thought it would be much more rewarding carving into a wood block. So I went to Lowes and got some wood and got at it! That easy! JUST KIDDING! not easy at all! I spent days planning what my image content would be and what it would mean slowly developed as I carved into a practice block. My practice block you can see here to the side. So the top right image is after I finished carving it. In relief you carve away the whites of your image. Then The image below that is after I rolled some ink on my block. The the bottom image is the press that my block and paper go through. And the larger image on the left is the final product on expensive behind paper!

The idea came from my relationship and a drawing my roommate from freshman year made me. Her name is Jessica Reed and I expressed to her how my boyfriend called me a giraffe and I called him a turtle due to obvious resemblances lol. She does awesome cutesy animation drawing and drew for me an animated turtle and giraffe in love! (Sorry blogger won't let me rotate it)

 So it started with two drawings  on a piece of paper. Scanned into the computer and put on top of one another. Then I used illustrator to put in the shapes on the shell. Then I printed it on 11x17 inch paper. Afterwards, I used a chemical I can't think of the name right now and the press and transferred my laser print onto the wood so it would be ready for me to carve.

In love with that piece I wanted to do something to that effect but in a more abstract way.So for my final wood block I designed the background to be giraffe skin and turtle to be in the foreground representing my boyfriend. The idea is that the turtle is the leader and head of the relationship, like how God dictates marriage to be. The giraffe skin is a gradient decreasing in size in the direction that the turtle is headed. That represents me the woman guiding the man (the turtle) in the right direction. Together they function and proceed with confidence knowing that they support each other with wisdom and love. People in my class commented that the piece looks tribal which is what I was going for. (I like tribal you'll see more of that in my copper piece as well.) I also refrained from making an outline around the turtle because I wanted the textures I carved to distinguish between the turtle and the giraffe skin but at the same time they act as one unit so I embraced the idea of them almost blending in together. The final product was printed on paper and you can see how it turned out below! And by the way P is for Perry :)

 

My Roarin' Twenties

Just last week I turned 20 and my world has already began to change. I have a feeling in my heart that this age is going to be my year of transition. My oldest sister and I have already deemed this year: My Roarin' Twenties.

I began my birthday(oct. 5th) on the road with my super assistant (Perry) to Atlanta, GA for my first contracted gig with Taliah Waajid's World Natural Hair, Health & Beauty Show. Based off the pictures I took at their Spring Show earlier this year, her people contacted my people (I'm my people lol) and asked if I would work their Fall show! So this gig was a big deal, contracts, deadlines, travel plans, BIG DEAL! And a footstep in the right direction and hopefully a lastly relationship with Taliah Waajid and her shows.



Amongst that shin-dig, I scoped out a new magazine coming out of New Jersey titled JOURNEY. Journey is going to be the FIRST and ONLY published Natural Hair Magazine. I've been in contact with the publishers and I'm hoping to make a lastly relationship with them as well. I rather not drop any more info on that because my excitement and fear like to walk hand in hand sometimes lol. But lets just say I'm contributing to the beauty and education of natural hair to women all over the world with my photography and words of wisdom.
More Info on the magazine can be found on their site HERE

My 20th year is also symbolic of a transitional year for me because I moved into an apartment, began a new decade of my life, began my 2nd year at SCAD(half way to graduation :), and I'm working on expanding my portfolios and polishing them up!


The apartment life is wonderful! I love my roommate and I love cooking. I have lots more cooking things I haven't posted in a while.

2nd Year at SCAD = Sophomore! woot woot lol. I'm taking Intro to Printmaking which is forming a new interest in my heart. I always said if I could afford to minor I would minor in printmaking. Which is why I took this class as my directive elective. I've carved into wood, scratched into copper, and so much more is to come with that! I'm also taking CMPA so I'm learning Illustrator, more photoshop, and next week we are doing InDesign. These computer applications I learn will be important on my resume so companies know I am proficient in a range of adobe applications. And lastly I am taking my Studio Lighting Course which has got me reading about light and loving it. lol. Just this morning I took out my little photo book on lighting - Light, Science, and Magic and read two chapters back to back. Reading it just gets me excited as to what I can learn today to apply tomorrow.

CAREER!!! Its getting a little scary as I approach the big graduation date I gotta look at my work, where I want it to go, and the type of professional audience I want to reach. Not to mention I want to enjoy what I'm doing of course! I still have my body stuff, but I'm beginning some personal projects on natural hair which is going along with my portraiture and lighting i suppose. And whenever I find a willing model it will go hand in hand with my nude body of work. Today I'm actually suppose to start what I call are portfolio planning books where I will put my plans and ideas and contacts in writing in something tangible I can build upon.

Speaking of careers I've separated business from pleasure if you will lol. I now have TWO facebook LIKE pages: one for my personal work - Stephanie Brown Photography and one for my event photography which is Saje Creations (link is in the tool bar of this blog.) I am still working on the website for my personal work and it should be up by Spring for the big career fair.

The ROARIN' TWENTIES!!! Its only beginning but I'm excited to grow as a photographer and adult and business professional. I've been ready all my life and now its time for me to start applying all that I've prepared .

Allow me to RE-introduce myself...

My name is Stephanie Brown
On this day in history I was born TWO decades ago.

I am an artist
Photography is my medium
Nikon is my weapon
Together we make magic,
Put smiles on faces,
And Create memories on which the WORLD will one day reflect.

I am determined.
Overcome by faith.
Destined to achieve all that I believe
And I believe I can achieve all that I see.

I see the "impossible"
What you can't do is what you choose not to.
I choose to do it all.
Optimism will can and has gotten me far.

I got goals.
Things to do.
People to meet.
Business to procreate.
I work on that every day.

In the studio,
On the job,
Hearing vows,
Making people proud

I do this for me.
For Christ's sake.
I'm only in this world to praise His name.

Only two decades in
Ready to graduate
Moving fast
Destined to win.

Spiritual Journey: Phase Bridging gaps

Since coming to SCAD I have been on a spiritual exploration in search of the right church that would help guide me coming to the Lord. Since joining Living Hope, I've learned alot and cant wait to learn more...

As my summer comes to a close I recently began thinking about the relationships I've had in the past with both males and females and what those relationships have done for me. Alot of them were one sided and left me in solitude. Many others brought me happiness and joy. I learned from them both. Growing up I was social in school but as we got older social activities happened outside of school and I was never allowed to do those things. I lost some friends but kept others. The ones that stuck around I would never forget and value their friendship. I told myself I'd never drop someone from my life because I know how it feels to be unacknowledged. And if God loves everyone I can too no matter how bad they hurt me.

John 15:12 This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

We are commanded in the Scriptures to show love to all believers, but we are not commanded to make all believers our friends.

In high school I was hurt and on a rare occasion I got so upset I shunned people out of my life. Re-evaluating myself I want to correct that and I feel that I have for the most part. Its one thing to forgive someone, but I think it means something more to forgive the person directly. Later in life they could be really hard on themselves for what they did or didn't do and me forgiving them could relieve them of a burden. On the other hand I could do the same thing and be rejected and have my apology not accepted. Either way I feel that my spirit is at ease because I did what I needed to do, the rest is up to God.

Prov.17: 17 says, “A friend loves at all times.”

My good friend D'Metrius and I always agreed when it came to morals and spiritual things. Something I learned from my friendship with him is that a TRUE friend will remain your friend no matter how many years go by with no communication. D and I went from talking every day to a random hello on facebook every once in a while. But today I called him and could do nothing but smile. Cause nothing had changed but time. Yeah there was a lot that we had missed but the heart of our friendship stayed the same.

1 Corinthians 15:33
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”

 I called him in particular today to discuss my ex-boyfriend from a while back. Originally I ended the relationship because he did something that disrespected my morals and beliefs, and as much as I cared for him at the time I knew I could no longer be with him. It was like the ultimate straw and sign from God. Since then we tried to be friends but it was interfering with me moving on, especially when I found someone else. I feel the best way to get over someone is to have a period of separation so the heart and mind can heal properly. I told him we could no longer talk to eachother for that reason...and that was back in 2010. Even after ending conversation I had to delete him from facebook cause even that was a distraction, I kept going back for the wrong reasons wanting to compare our lives hoping I was the one on top because he hurt me so bad. Eventually I banned myself from even searching his name on facebook, until now.

Two years later and here I am now. In a committed relationship of 2 years and 4months. And in that time I did fully get over him obviously and he became a name that I often forgot. But what can't be forgotten is the fact that before he was my boyfriend, and before he was my ex-boyfriend, he was my best friend. And for that  sole reason I feel that I have to close a door that was only taped shut. We were together at a growing time, just kids, and I know that I can't return to that. I don't want to go back to that. I just want to say that I forgive him. I don't regret anything that happened, and I'm sorry things ended the way it did. The time apart was necessary for proper healing. But we're so much bigger than that now and I just want to make peace. I want to hear his name without feeling remorse or hurt. I want to satisfy my spirit and maybe relieve a burden I put on him. Of all the people I've made peace with, (there were only like 3), I felt this one was the must unraveled.

 So what do I do? I can't call, can't visit, so i used some technology and requested him as a friend on facebook. Sounds silly but when he accepted it I had a sigh of relief.
Relieved and happy he is healthy and alive and doing something he loves and with someone! I have a motherly heart and in the end I just want everyone to be happy. I was expecting a message from him like ... "wtf?" lol but I didn't get that and that's okay. One day we'll talk and it'll be fine. Casual acquaintances, civil: everyone in your life deserves that at the very least.

I can't put it in words and its hard to explain, but my spirit is my supernatural connection to God. I have accepted the supernatural as God says I should and I listen to him and wait for him to guide me. This is something I new I would have to do sooner or later. My spirit at ease is a segway to many more blessings God has in store for me. Unfortunately its difficult for my loved ones to understand but I trust God always has the best in store for me.


I want to close with a recent facebook status I had because I feel that i worded it the best there:

I've met a lot of people in the short years I've been alive and everyone I meet and talk to more than likely have become valuable people in my memory. I think of each and everyone quite often no matter where I am. I can see something and instantly be reminded of the night we hung out, the phone call we had, or the laugh that was shared. Big or little every one of you have impacted in someway. And ...with my busy self and over protective parents (lol) I haven't always been able to there the way I wish I could. And thanks to FaceBook I can "friend" you as an acknowledgement of the time we once had. So...
To all the people in my life that I haven't spoken to or seen I wanna say HEY!!!! and Thanks for spending your time with me :)

♥ steph

1Corinthians 13:4-7 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy, love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all thing, endures all things.

My camera went to the Hospital :(

After the last shoot I did, about 2 weeks ago now, my memory card got stuck in the chamber and I couldn't get it back out. My friend Andrea used her tiny fingers to gently slide it out. After that moment I was concerned...

I went home and tried it but the card wouldn't click into place. I push it in and it would slightly bounce but still nothing. After the initial push it normally clicks and then you know its in place. I took it to the Delray Camera shop and the guy looked into the chamber with a light and then took my memory card and pushed it in easily with no problem! I was confused. What did he do differently? I then opened it up to take it out and couldn't get it out, but he pushed on it once and it popped back out. He explained that his fingers were big and clunky and that i needed to put more force behind my pushes...I agreed and did what he said and I was able to put it back in and out. But I was not fully convinced because I didn't remember it ever being that hard to insert my card and take it out. Now I had to use 2 fingers sometimes and make sure I was engaging both springs. But I fingered it was due to old age (my D5000 is 2yrs+ now) and I let it go.

Next shoot scheduled was a maternity shoot I was doing for a friend Pro-bono and morning of the shoot I clear my cards and when I insert them my camera wasn't reading it. Hoping it was the card I tried 3 other cards and they all had the same result but one. Confused and upset I kept the one that worked as to not worsen the situation but that shoot ended up being rescheduled! I took it as a sign but now  as I continued to test out all my cards now none of them worked, then one may work for a moment and the next moment it wouldn't would. I even tried the cards in another camera and they worked just fine so it wasn't the cards it was definitely my camera.

Distraught I finally went to SP-TS camera repair out of Miami and left them my baby girl for a free testing evaluation. I called Monday and learned that she needed some serious surgery...
-Card mechanism needs to be repaired
-Autofocus needs to be repaired
-i think they are gonna change the whole card part..
-and regular cleaning plus 6mo warranty

A whopping $240! and She would be away for 2-3 weeeks!

Forget the money! My baby would be gone for soo long and I am going to Chicago in a week.
I've been an emotional wreck since, I'm getting teary just typing about it now.
My camera has been through a lot with me and she has taught me and helped me get where I am now. Being without her hurts soo much. Together we make money, we capture dreams, life, and put smiles on peoples faces. I miss her so much and now she's in some camera hospital bed in New Jersey, alone... I miss my camera so much, as pathetic as it sounds she means the world to me and my heart won't be the same until she returns.

With my camera being away 3 shoots I had planned have been put on hold, thank God they were not serious paying customers but it did put my business into check. I always new I needed a backup camera but I never actually got one, plus at SCAD I could always rent one. But I need my own equipment.

Camera shopping has been tough because my mom is on me about getting something brand new and with her even helping with that. But that is just a no mommy land! She doesn't fully understand my passion and she is the last person I'd want to owe for a camera. Every camera I buy and every lens I buy is from my earnings doing what I love. I just can't have her or anyone else really disturb that selfsatisfaction I get when it has to do with what I love.
My back up camera should be identical if not a little older than my primary camera. My camera has been discontinued and replaced by the D5100 but after all I learned i decided i was not going to get a brand new camera until i could afford a full frame camera from Nikon's professional grade cameras.
Anyway, in my shopping for used/refurbished items I just wanted a camera body with warranty and the difference between a refurbished D5000 and D5100 was about $75.
Researching the difference I learned the following:

Summary:

1.The D5100 has an increased sensor resolution over the D5000
2.The D5100 has a wider ISO range than the D5000
3.The D5100 can shoot at 1080p while the D5000 can only shoot at 720p
4.The D5100 is smaller and lighter than the D5000
5.The D5000 is hinged at the bottom while the D5100 is hinged on the side
6.The D5100 has a slightly larger LCD screen than the D5000

Read more: Difference Between Nikon D5000 and Nikon D5100 | Difference Between | Nikon D5000 vs Nikon D5100 http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-nikon-d5000-and-nikon-d5100/#ixzz22zChUgiD

Therefore about an hour ago I ordered a D5100. after reading the differences the $75 difference was worth the sensor and extra megapixels.
The only sad feeling is that it would make my camera the back up but I guess not all the time. I just have to figure out how I want to go about this. I'd probably use each camera primarily for different purposes. I'm just happy to finally have a backup and I'm happy I won't have to go to Chicago next week without a camera.
My brother was like, "I didn't know you were taking pictures in Chicago" ........ SERIOUSLY BRO! I'm a photographer! A future Documentary photographer everywhere is a new opportunity to shoot the next best image, catch the greatest moments, and experiment.

I'm not as happy as I should for getting this D5100 but I hope this new camera doesn't take it personally lol. But my D5000 will always be my baby, she's my first, my companion, she's me.

Pray for my camera and for me!
<3


Everything happens for a reason and only time will reveal the truth.

The Morning After...

Last night I spent my time back in the Cheeky Fitness Studio for Pole Conditioning, the new Kangoo Jumps, and then Pole Dance.
Back to Back from 7PM to 9:30PM.

Conditioning was fun and tough. I always enjoy myself and we did a lot of arms and abs yesterday. We did alligator races and crunches. We tossed weights with a partner. We need crunches on the pole, pull ups. and  then we switched over to Kangoo Jumps. Guess I didn't quite eat enough cause the jumping on the Kangoo jumps got to me for a bit toward the end but I pulled through.

Sweating like pigs, conditioning class ended and I got to take a breather! Excited for pole reality soon hit me after we stretched and began working on the pole. I had to go back to basics in order to progress, so much time has gone by I even forgot my favorite spin :(
But I got my climbing technique down...even though I only got 1/2way up the pole. My hands feel sweaty but its all in my mind and I don't want to depend on grip. My arms are just not used to holding my weight up and thats what I gotta do.... My arms pull me up the pole and my knees crunching inward lock me into the new position up the pole. I've gotten up there once before so I know I can do it again. My goal for the summer was to be able to do a basic inversion but.... I think I'll save that for an end of the year goal so that I don't disappoint myself. Either way I'm going to fight to get there. Before I can do inversions (which is being upside down on the pole) I gotta master my climb and sitting. And I got my sitting down last night so I was very excited about that and BOY am I feeling it this morning!
Everytime I sit, walk I feel the skin at the top of my inner thighs aching, but it'll get better. Last time I did pole it hurt when I was finally sitting properly lol. And after that it never hurt anymore. My thighs just gotta toughen up to make it happen.
Another thing is my darn split! That is NON-existent! My sister used to give me hope since she was so tall and built legs and she could split but not I. That's something I put in the long term goal pile lol. One day.... I need to constantly stretch that everyday in order to see a difference. The closest I got to a split was in 9th grade when I took Ballet class and we did split stretches everyday. sigh.... Split we shall see, it'll be a While till we meet again!

As for the rest of my body my abs feel tight, which helps me not over eat. People see my body and think I'm super fit and skinny, but I'm just blessed that my metabolism is so fast and that it takes a lot for my tummy to look flabby. Trust me I've had something to pinch before and unfortunately it has been discovered before lol. But I'm coming back to SCAD ripped! And I'm going to the new pole studio in Savannah with experience! For now its the morning and after... and I'm feeling super sleepy as ever, got class in 3hrs, and a math test tomorrow -___- PRAYER!



<3

My Nifty Fifty: Nikon 50mm

The Unboxing of my NEW 50mm Lens!!

 The following are pictures of the unboxing step by step lol. Silly... I know but this moment was very precious for me. Welcome to the family 50!

 I have had my Nikon D5000 since I became a Senior in high school. It was an investment I was going to put my savings to, but my brother Solomon stepped in and invested in me. He invested in my dream and my life as a photographer and bought the camera for me. I knew in my heart he believed in what I was going to encounter and I made the money back by the end of the year with weddings and smaller gigs.

I love my Nikon for all that it has brought to me and taught me. I chose Nikon as my first DSLR because it had the best beginner user-interface to comfort my transition from my Canon powershot to the real deal. I was scared and I needed a DSLR that was going to help me through my fear and excitement. The D5000 did that for me and still is doing that for me. With everything I learned about cameras now I have no bias as to Nikon or Cannon. Photography is an investment and what you start with is more than likely what you will end up with. The kit lens was a mid range lens, 18 to 55mm. Fifty is my first prime(fixed) lens and is also my first additional lens since getting my DSLR. The choice of a 50mm was inspired by Shannon, the wedding photographer I intern for. I am in LOVE with this lens. I slowly took everything out the box taking pictures along the way and then finally put it on my camera. The first thing I did was look through the lens. The vantage point was awesome. It really is like seeing through your own eyes. I'm so close, and having to move my feet and not the zoom is great practice for me I think. Trains me to be mobile like I am with my film cameras. I shot a few things around my house and my room. It was sundown and the light coming in was very blue and dim. Shooting I had minimal changes to make and that wide open aperture is awesome! Its a f/1.8 I could only image a f/1.4 lol. Speaking of a 1.4 I couldn't find one its not on Nikon's website... Anyway, I'm loving everything about this 50! And as my high school photo teacher says, its the perfect lens for my type of shooting. And after 3 days of owning it I couldn't agree anymore!

 

 my new self portrait machine :)

One of my sexy permanent models before we went out for the night!

This is the link that I watched to help me decide and learn more about the Nikon 50mm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZiwizm4TuA&feature=g-like

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwmCrGVS3ZQ&feature=g-like

Expect to see alot more work now that I have my new lens!!!

Stephanie's Dry Rub Chicken



 

My oldest sister's husband, Andrew, makes the best jerk pork and grilled chicken and he mostly uses dry rubs that he puts together himself. And on all the food network shows the best grilled items are from a dry rub that's been marinating for hours! So I started looking up various dry rub mixtures and was constantly short an ingredient or two. So Simone, my sista, encouraged me to make my own and be sure to taste it before I apply it to my chicken. lol.

So that's what I did! Brown Sugar was my main ingredient since I love my chicken to have a sweet taste to it and then get cut off my a pinch of salt or some other flavor. Ironically I used no salt because the other ingredients had enough sodium in them.

After the preparing the rub I tasted it, smelt it and was satisfied. I cleaned the chicken with lime and little cooking wine. Then I seasoned up the meat.

I cooked the chicken WHOLE in the Nuwave oven and then I cut them AFTER they were done to seal in the natural juices. I brought some to my sister and her husband to taste and His opinion was like money to me since I see him like a meat master on the grill.

He sliced a piece, ate it....and said TASTY!!

I was stoked lol. Seems odd but you just don't understand this guy does some gourmet stuff on the grill!

CRAB CAKES

So I'm behind a few recipes so I'm getting caught up. Surprise surprise I'm late with my blog posts :P Thats the one consistent thing with me and this blog hehe :)



Anywho! Perry and I tasted these KUNG-PAO Crab Cakes at a green Publix in Boca and they were delicious! So I got the receipe and made them once I got all the ingrediants.
The receipe looks easy enough, and the last thing I got was the crab. On the recipe list it says to buy "Crab stuffing" from the seafood department in publix. I went there and found no "crab stuffing just crab. I even asked the Aprons Publix sample chef and instead of helping me he tried to tell me that the receipe is old and they haven't served that in years and he's been doing this chef thing for 15 years now -__- I was highly fustrated. How are you going to tell me what I ate a week ago?!
In my fustration he finally came and tried to assist me.

What the recipe failed to tell me was that the "crab stuffing" was a combination of the crab and crushed crispy onions. So I got flaky crab which was Buy 1 Get 1 at the moment and went along my way.
________________________________________________________________________

In the kitchen hell went down lol. I had Perry in my living room and this quick dinner went sour for a moment but my sister( on the phone) and my dad came to my aide. I mixed the crab stuffing together but it was not sticking together it just looked like a pasta dish!

We tried an egg to be a stronger sticking agent and it was no use!

Then Simone suggested I use all the moist ingredients. They were meant for the sauce and were not listed under the crab portion of the recipe but I added them anyway, that's what you see in the small bowl above. And that helped, things for sticky especially with the sweet chilli sauce. But it was not enough to ball up on its own! I even added panko brad crumbs to give it weight but still nothing.

Then DADDY came to the rescue and he said get the flour! The flour sucked up the excess moisture and allowed me to shape my crab! Simple but genius! These are the things you learn by experience not the books.

Now the my little crab cakes were finally taking shape They were ready to FRY!

My dad took the first bite and it was yummy! All that hard work paid off.

As they fried, I worked on my scallion noodles which had the multigrain pasta noodles, lots of scallion, carrots, and low fat low sodium garlic herb spreadable cheese. These noodles were delicious and were used later in the week with my DRY RUB CHICKEN ;)

With the noodles complete, I made more sauce to top the crab cakes and OMG that was very spicy! So spicy I couldn't

FINALLY DINNER TIME!