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  • *Photography is one of the most important ways you will remember the milestones in your life. If life is but a vapor, photos help bottle that for just a brief moment in time.

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We can stop Joseph Kony

I had no idea how my life could change by simply watching video. I had never heard of Joseph Kony until today. If you haven’t either, take 30 minutes and watch this. I promise you won’t regret it. If your son was kidnapped and forced to kill do you realize how that would make our US news?

I’ve been feeling a real call to action in my life, and I think this has sparked that change. I’m so sick of being so self consumed. I hope you are too. There were quite a few things that he said in this video that resonated with me. The first was because I’m in the military, it made me sick to hear about the movement’s first encounter with our government. That the United States stated, they would never get involved in a conflict where our national security or financial interests weren’t at stake.

I was so thankful to hear Republicans and Democrats actually came together. Small forces were deployed to central Africa to help remove Kony from office. They were sent to provide assistance, not aid in combat. It’s the first time our government got involved, not because they had to  but because it was right.

When you hear about human injustice you care, but you don’t know what to do. Too often, we do nothing. Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you live.

But we can do something. The Ugandan military must find him. They need technology and training. The American advisors need to be there. But if the government doesn’t believe that the people care, then they won’t deploy our people. People have to know. They will only know if Kony’s name is everywhere. MAKE HIM FAMOUS. Not to celebrate him but to bring his crimes to light.

Fighting and name calling, this is something we can all agree on. If citizens start demanding something the US government will have to pay attention to us.

Write them. Call them. Decisions are made by the few with the money and the power, it’s just the way it is.  They dictate the priorities. They determine the things you watch and the lives and the opportunities of our citizens. We can protect each other and turn the system upside down. This is a Facebook World. What will you do?

kony2012.com

Your favorite winter clothing accessory?

I have to be honest. Well, it’s just my nature but even if it wasn’t I’d still let you guys in on a little secret. I was a little sad about moving to Wilmington. I’ve never really been a “shorts” person. My wardrobe consists of lots of scarves, jeans and cute cardigans. So having relatively mild winters and blazing hots summers made me a tiny sad. Whew, there I said it :D Now we can move on. The temps have actually been pretty low here these last few weeks. What are you guys wearing that helps you stay stylish in the winter, I must know!!

Forever for you





Untitled




Simplicity is what she is all about.




I’m a sucker for boots, what’s your favorite winter must have item?

6 months later + I wrote an email

Technically, it’s been almost 7 months. 6-7 months doesn’t really sound like a long time, but it feels like a lifetime to me looking back, and looking forward. I feel like this is a really delicate, albeit happy, time in my life. Which is why I’m writing this blog, I want to remember how this feels. Before Seth proposed, I knew that separating from the military and moving out here was going to be the best thing for me, and for us. However, over the last few months I’ve cried more than I expected. Fear of the unknown causes a lot of nasty things (which is why the Lord tells us to give it all to him!).

I’ve been questioning myself a lot, which I guess in some ways is healthy. Did I pick the right major at UNCW, should I really be pursuing a photography business at all, am I really ready to be a mom? Trying to plan long term goals is tough. I feel like I can’t make any decisions right now without thinking 40 steps ahead into the future. Attempting to buy a house this month was proof of that. And if we’re being honest I’m really terrified of making mistakes. But after a lot of tears I’ve been doing some soul searching. I’ve stopped trying to control every little detail, and let God have the reigns. I usually fight Him over driving, but things are feeling easier this semester.

I’ve been reading a lot of Justin and Mary Marantz’s blog. No literally, like I went all the way back to the beginning. It’s rocked me this month. So much so that I wrote Mary an email. There are quite a few photographers that are high up there in the industry I get weak in the knees over. These guys are at the tippy top. So when I wrote Mary to thank her for just being her – real, honest, sweet, faithful, an awesome photographer willing to share with others in our industry, I nearly cried when she wrote me back. It was only a few lines but I’m printing it and keeping it as a reminder. That is the person I always want to be. Even if WHEN I become a mega superstar photographer, I don’t ever want to forget what it feels like right now. Scared, uncertain, always questioning, always testing. I want to change that fear into motivation, the uncertainty into drive, the questioning into curiosity and testing into faith. I have to remember that even though the market is flooded with photographers I *do* have something special. I want to dream big, go big or go home! Right? So, yeah. There ;)

PS, I’ll tell you the story of “the why” sometime, but here’s a tiny little video after my first ukulele lesson. Don’t mind the crazy hair I have going on there.

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Christina - January 20, 2012 - 9:52 am

Tash, you inspire me, and your humility, soul searching, and willingness to dare to do something that scares you is what makes you such a great person. I’m still learning to give it all up and know that I can’t control everything, which is far from easy :-). <3 ya hun!

Casie {@TheNameIsCasie} - January 20, 2012 - 8:50 am

You seriously inspire me. Is there such a thing as “soul sister” in this photography world of ours? Because, if so? You are totally mine. Keep living your dream, lady!!

Smart and beautiful, senior session with Ariel class of 2012

Ariel has this infections personality. I knew we’d hit it off great from our very first conversation. She was bubbly and excited about her senior portraits-exactly my kind of girl! We strolled the campus of UNCW as she told me about her dreams, her goals and her life. It was such a wonderful afternoon, even if we did almost get eaten by bugs at one point.

We kept Ariel’s makeup pretty natural, but still very pretty. I absolutely loved the curl in her hair, I was so glad she embraces it!

Hair and makeup by the always amazing Jamie Warzel.

Lightroom before and after – Alysha

I always really enjoy before and afters. I’ll be the first to admit my shooting isn’t perfect, I’m still trying to learn to nail things right in the camera to decrease my editing time. I love a clean photo that just requires a little bump and not a drastic overhaul because I wasn’t watching my settings. And it happens to the best of us, especially during a wedding when we’re quickly moving from scene to scene. I was checking out the before and after features in Lightroom when I was editing Alysha’s session (soon to come on the blog btw ;)), and thought I would share.

Alysha was a fantastic model as you will soon see and is going to be a stellar Senior Rep. One thing I really love about her look is her adorable pixie cut. In all honesty, not everyone can pull off this look but she rocks it. And I’m not just saying that.

Everything in moderation, that little saturation slider CAN be adjusted too much. Alysha has such beautiful red tones in her hair but can easily be overwhelmed and looking fake. You want to accent the good, not unrealistic. The red in her hair compliment the brick wall really well!!

Personally, my editing style is on the brighter/lighter side. One thing I wanted to point out here is her eyes really didn’t shine before and this is where getting your exposure right in camera can really make a big difference. While we used a reflector, I should have probably dropped my shutter speed down just a tad more and I wouldn’t have needed to make so much of an adjustment later.

Love her look and can’t wait to share the full session with you guys :D Hope you had an awesome weekend. Hugs and stuff!!

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