New installment of my Current Favorites! FINALLY! 

-Vogue: The Editors Eye:
I'm always looking out for new places for inspiration. Recently one of my favorite photographers, Lara Jade, listed some of her favorite sources. One of them was The Vogue: The Editor's Eye. I love Vogue. I go through every issue and study every advertisement and image for posing and lighting cues. When I saw Lara mention the book, I HAD TO HAVE IT! Then, Santa decided to be super awesome and give it to me for Christmas! After the first look through, I was absolutely amazed! Gorgeous photos and phenomenal fashion! Another great source of inspiration from Vogue? Vogue Weddings: Brides, Dresses, Designers. 

-WeddingWire:
This was one of those things that initially I was not a fan of. I honestly did not like how the site used to function. Since then, the lovely people at WeddingWire have completely redone their system. They have made it much more friendly for brides and vendors alike. It is a great place to find and review your wedding and event vendors.

You can check out our storefront here.

-Kindle Paperwhite:
I LOVE snuggling up and reading a good book. Unfortunately, I am constantly on the move and cannot fit my entire bookcase with all of the books I love in my bag. Then the Kindle came into my life. I absolutely LOVE it. It is the one thing (other than my phone) that I take EVERYWHERE. 

-Becca

Happy New Year!!!  

I don't typically post my goals or objectives online. They're usually scribbled in a sketch pad or notebook. 
What makes this year different? I'm hoping to make 2014 my biatch! I say that every year, but actually posting these online makes it so... official.

So here we go:

Photography/Shooting:

• Shoot more personal work- I honestly do not do enough of this. Probably my top shooting priority for 2014.
• Shoot more film and shoot it more often- I want/need to feel more comfortable using the medium.
• Do a 365 photography challenge- This is part of my solution for my lack of personal work problem, and it will also help accomplish my goal for shooting more film. I am going to be shooting 3 frames of film every day for 365 days. If all goes well, I will have shot 1,095 frames of film by January 2015.
• Utilize negative and positive space better.
• Buckle down and shoot with a purpose- I have gotten better with overshooting, but I can still improve.
• Compose more interesting photographs with layers and framing.
• Get better at shaping light- Another thing that I have already gotten much better at, but there is always room to improve.
• Work on posing- focus on the details, details, details!

Business:

• Deliver wedding images in less time.
• Deliver albums in less time- Goes hand-in-hand with above.
• Rework packaging and welcome packets/info- Have already started to do this, but I just need to complete it.
• Get better at emailing people back- There are times when I'm on top of emails, and then there are times when I really slack. I need to be on top of them 100% of the time. No excuses.
• Design and order 2 more sample albums- I only have one of my Signature Albums. Need another one of those and one more of the Basic or Heritage Albums. (Ordered 3!)
• Finish album designs for 2013 clients- I actually should be done with all of these by the end of February. (Predesigns done!)
• Go to more networking events- I seemed to lose time in 2013. I just need to put it on my calendar and get out there.
• Blog more regularly- When there is a shoot or wedding, I'm usually on top of the blog with no problem. I need to just fill in the gaps with personal work or personal posts. Goal is 2 posts a week (Tues/Thurs). 
• Send work to wedding blogs- I am BACKLOGGED! There are 3 weddings I need to send out to get published. I also just need to stay on top of it after each wedding. (1 submitted, 4 more to go.)
• Booking goals- Book/Shoot a wedding on the West Coast. Book/Shoot an international wedding.

Personal:

• EAT BETTER/Cut out the fast food- Good by Chick-fil-a, my love. Less carbs and more protein and veggies/fruit. 
• Take the Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) exam and pass- I could technically put this under the business goals, but honestly it is more of a personal challenge than something that will actually benefit my shooting or business. 
• Travel: Iceland, Quebec/Montreal, or Paris- I have the travel bug, and I need to do this PRONTO!
• Try yoga.
• Work on my Japanese- I haven't worked on it in so long, so it is definitely time to refresh my memory.
• Keep on learning to code- I'm already in the process of starting this, but I just need to make sure I keep at it. 
• MAKE time to run and workout on my own more.
• Print some of my favorite images.
• Get caught up on all of the tutorials/reading I have on my computer: I am the worst at reading/watching workshops and tutorials I download. I'm going to start sending what I can to the Kindle.
• Patience- If my dad ever reads this, he will laugh. He had me doing a mantra the other night.

I'll be doing a check-in with these goals in mid-June. So keep an eye out for the progress report!