Hello, Mr. Snail.

Who says you’re not perfect
Who says you’re not worth it
Who says you’re the only one that’s hurting.

Trust me
That’s the price of beauty.

Who says you’re not pretty
Who says you’re not beautiful
Who says

It’s such a funny thing
How nothing’s funny when it’s you
You tell ‘em what you mean
But they keep whiting out the truth
It’s like a work of art
That never gets to see the light
Keep you beneath the stars
Won’t let you touch the sky

I’m no beauty queen
I’m just beautiful me

Who Says - Selena Gomez



This guy.... pretty much sweeps my heart away.
Even after 7 years of knowing him.
Thank you Paul, for making me such a wonderfully lucky Wife.

Down On Me???

I actually love this picture of me and my dad. Especially since it was caught with my little puppy in there with me :) He has always been the person I looked up to most and found myself wanting to be like as I grew up. He's the one totally responsible for making me as adventurous as I am because he has always treated me the same way ever since I can remember. He wasn't the dad that talked to me like I was a cute little puppy. He talked to me like an adult even when I was 5. He took me everywhere he went. Shared everything in his life with me (everything...). And taught me all that he knows. And he still does! I was his Jedi apprentice if you will. Now that I'm older, it's hard for us to sit and actually have conversations that last hours on end... but today was a rare opportunity and even though it wasn't anything particularly deep, it was just what I needed.

In other news.....

..Atlas Shrugged is in the process of changing my life right now. Every page I read the deeper I sink for this book like it's pulling me into this train of thought that's making my brain tick louder than it has in a long time, if not more than ever before. If you are someone that is looking for answers to life, you feel different, full of questions with no answers that anyone can tell you, this my friends could be exactly what you're looking for. It's actually a fictional story but the way Ayn Rand has written the beauty, it's captivating in so many ways.

..I watched the movie Black Swan tonight with my family. What I pulled from it was the girl in the movie was skizofrinic and ended up trying to become her character so deeply, she lost herself entirely and it ended up destroying her. The lesson to take from it is basically keep control of your mind! So many people let emotions run wild and dictate everything they ever do. This is what causes so many issues in your life. I think the key to life for everyone is finding that balance between controlling, and letting loose. Know where your boundaries are so you don't go insane! And do something that ultimately destroys you entirely.

..Looks like May is coming around so quickly! I have an engagement photoshoot booked for the end of May and I may also be doing a portrait session too with one of the models I shot with last year, Ms. Shantell.

..I took some pictures in the garden at my grandma's house today. Some of them turned out pretty well! :)




The blog post title came from this song. Normally I hate ghetto music. Especially dirty music. But for some reason, this song makes an exception. And I'm not gonna lie, it makes me want to dance....

Well I better get some sleep because I'm waking up early to jump on the GOW3 beta that starts in just 4 hours! :)

-Brooke-

Shoot the Hills 2011

I just got back from a weekend long trip to Hocking Hills, Ohio. It was the 4th time I've been to the region and it seems each time I go back there I fall in love with it a little deeper and discover new things to photograph. My reason for going this year was for the Shoot the Hills photography competition, which was a contest that ran for 24 hours and photographers from all over were able to participate, compete, and hopefully gain recognition for the photos they took in a days time. To say the least, competition was TOUGH this year! I was one of the youngest DSLR participants and went up against photographers that have been doing this stuff the entire time I've been alive.... and then some. I didn't win anything this year. Except for deeper knowledge and a huge drive to better myself when it comes to nature photography - all types.

And also, I built a mini shopping list of things that I neeeeeeeed:

*An umbrella (I actually don't own one at all! I like the rain and never saw a purpose for it... until now. Would have saved me from cradeling my camera like a baby underneath my coat while I got soaked from the pouring rain trying to get last shots before the contest ended)
*Rain boots!
*Bigger memory card
*new laptop


So - Let's dive into the trip a little more. I was the captain steering the ship with the mindset of a passenger simply wanting to enjoy a short boat ride to sea kinda thing. It felt as though we crash landed a few times but got back up and steered right into the storm. The flooded tents, pouring rain, just above freezing temperatures, technical difficulties with equipment, almost running out of gas on the side of the road (thank you random gas station!!!)..... it was a mixed range of emotions all weekend long for me. Frustrating, exciting, adventurous, overwhelming, stressful, releiving, and heart-warming all at the same time. I'm still not sure if I can call the trip a complete success for me because I walked away from the contest feeling like a complete failure due to simple mistakes that could have been corrected if I just slowed down. Oh well though. There is always next year!

So I'm going to upload the pictures I took in the 24 hour period based off the times of these photos around they were taken. Thought of no way easier than just breaking it down all in one blog by time :)

SKADOOSH


....

12:00pm

1:00pm

2:00pm

3:00pm

4:00pm

5:00pm

6:00pm

8:00pm

While I was trying to upload the photos from the day to edit and such, that's when it started POURING rain! Even our tents all got flooded :( So there was nothing taken until morning. Which was still raining -_-

8:00am
9:00am

10:00am

11:00am


12:00pm

It was a nice change of pace this year to start off with a trip doing something I've done a few times before but with new people this year. These people have become really good friends of mine in the past year :) I'm happy to know them. So, even though I didn't walk away with epic awesomeness, the trip I have to say was still very memorable and totally worth it.

-Brooke

Dream

I was a little girl
alone in my little world
who dreamed of a little home for me.
I played pretend between the trees,
and fed my houseguests bark and leaves,
and laughed in my pretty bed of green.

I had a dream
That I could fly from the highest swing.
I had a dream.

[Priscilla Ahn - Dream]

I posted this as my latest 365 picture [#220] and wrote a detailed story in the caption about this above photo for those that are interested : ) I have to admit, this is one that I'm most proud of to date. At least in the nightly, long exposures category. This is the first one that has ever turned out half way decent (thank you Yoda for your wonderful teachings on patience..)

Well, this weekend is something I've been looking forward to for a couple months now. Shoot the Hills is this weekend which is a photography contest in the southeastern area of Ohio called Hocking Hills. One of the most beautiful places you could set your feet on in the world, in my opinion. It'll be me, the hubby, and a few friends that are all going together on a mini adventure that will hopefully be unforgettable in all good ways : ) To say the least, it will be the first time I've been camping in over a year which pains my heart to admit.

To add to the awesome funness of this 24 hour running contest is the fact that [my friend Dom] is going to be participating in his own project starting at exactly the same time as me. But get this... he lives thousands of miles away in Germany so when I start the competition at noon my time, he's going to take pictures at 6pm his time! I'm so excited to see how our pictures will compare with a 6 hour time difference, vastly different countries/areas we're in, and weathers we are experiencing. I'm sure we'll both be posting on our blogs. (Dom I'm super stoked for this just to even see a couple of these how they turn out :)!!!)

I would love to make a new CD before the trip. Still have ALL packing to do tomorrow morning, work, and then we leave early Friday morning!

So it's time to say Good Night

Brooke
z-z-z-z-z-z

I just came to say Hello.

So it's been a while since my last blog post... I think it's time I did another one.

I've been spending a lot of time lately looking up things that inspire me to no end. Ways I want to make my living space feel more homey, different, and more of my own style. I've always been interested in interior design and things like this completely rock my world:





^I would have so much fun in a space like this!!! it would feel like a grown up's dreamy tree house filled with lots of random stuff and bright, bold colors





There are a few things I've actually collected for myself in the past couple weeks. I did get the chance to take a few pictures of them :)







And one more thing before I head out here.... this song has been my weekly favorite!


But I guess that is all for now :) Time to start heading to work.