Photoshopping Fun

Kind of cool actions. I'm not the biggest fan of these, but it was fun to play. :-)

I am NOT a photographer

Saturday night, after my hands had been itching all night, I finally couldn't stand it anymore. I remember sitting beside my friend Mike one night when he kept talking about how his hands were itching for a camera, and I thought he was insane. I now understand what he was feeling. I reached under the table, grabbed the camera, and began to shoot.






Someone came up to me and was checking out the camera. They asked if I had been hired to shoot the party. I couldn't help but crack up. (Although, I will confess now that it took every bit of restraint to not rent a flash)


Some of my favorite people are photographers. Mike Comer, Audrey Mann, and David Johnson to name a few. Not to mention the fact that I am a professional blog stalker of one Cheyenne Schultz and Scarlett Lillian (be forewarned... these two ladies' sites are a window drug to photography).



But me? I am not a photographer. Just a poser.



A couple of years ago, I was the marketing director for River Hills Country Club in Lake Wylie. We were on a shoestring budget, so my love of great graphic design and photography got put on the back burner, and I had to figure out a way to get around it. So, I have a great eye, right? I'll be able to do it.

So, I downloaded Adobe Illustrator, sat down with my idea for a brochure, and started working.

The only thing was, I had never used Illustrator.

The guy that I was dating at the time was a graphic designer, so I called him up. "Ok, what are you trying to do?" he asked. I explained. "Ok, find the pen tool." "The WHAT?" Big heavy sigh from him. "Amy..."

Here I am again, some of my favorite people photographers. They've been wonderful. David stole my camera one night to show me low lighting techniques (which ended with "your lens is crap" and "just use the flash and deal with it"), Mike has put up with my endless shooting at parties, usually followed with, "Miiiike, how do I...???" Becky has given me shopping tips which led me to Biggs Camera (wonderful, nice people!)

So, here's my public "thank you" to all the professional and semi-professional photographers who have put up with me. And here's to a future filled with me being a poser...

Thrive Band 2008

A couple of nights ago, I decided to get some high-light practice in at the GSUMC Thrive concert in Rivergate. While I can see room for improvement (a little blurriness, some of the composition slightly off), I'm pretty pleased with the results.

Fireworks...

I realized I never posted about my first fireworks experience.

So, Thursday, I sat down and read up on shooting fireworks. I did everything it said. MV-Shutter speed-2, aperture-8, turn flash off, bring tripod, etc...

Well, then it came time for fireworks, and I happened to have a professional photographer sitting next to me. Funny how that happens in Amy world. So, after I had spent all day researching the "to do", he took the camera and made his own adjustments. And of course those came out a thousand times better. Here was our best one from that night:



The next night, I tried it again. I took out my camera and tripod, and realized that I had absolutely no idea how to work the tripod:



If you look closely, you can see Mike staring in the distance on my left hand side. I think he was a little sick of trying to help me. ;-)

Here was my best shot from that night:

Signs that you have become an adult

So, I was talking to someone at the pool today, and all of the sudden I felt old. Here are signs that you are now officially an adult:

• You realize that having a mortgage isn't scary, it's a way of life
• You feel the air conditioner and think, "I wonder how much this is costing me right now?"
• The new retail chain going up in your neighborhood isn't exciting because it's fun to shop there, but because you know it will make the value of your house go up
• You start calculating in your head the earliest it will be before you have kids, and save accordingly
• Your conversations with your best friend turn from "That guy is so cute" or "That party was so awesome" to "I did ____ at work" or "I saved this much money by..."
• "Parties" on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are now "Networking opportunities"
• An hour and a half drive is considered close by
• "Boys suck" cakes are replaced in number by wedding registries (only funny to the Delta Gamma girls of South Tower '03)

The Biggest Small Town

I have never had a city that I called "home." Technically, I have lived in Rock Hill the longest. After 2 years in my house, I have lived here for a grand total of 7 years. But I graduated high school from Clover, got my accent from Gainesville, GA, was born in Simpsonville, and opened my first bank account in Inman. On top of that, I have worked in Charlotte for a year and a half.

So I don't have a hometown.

But everything that I imagine about hometowns is this. Smiling faces, running into a neighbor wherever you go, and feeling as if you know the entire city (whether you do or not). And, to me, this is Charlotte.

The writers of Sex and the City refer to New York City as the 5th lady. They had a love affair so deep with the city that SJP calls it her "boyfriend" in one of the episodes. And yet, Charlotte beat out New York as the best city to live in. And it's easy to see why.

In a city that is expected to exceed one million within 3 years, it is easy to find your home. There are meetups, running clubs, social clubs, churches, and other interest organizations, all dedicated to helping you find your way in the biggest small town ever. Not to mention, a quick search on facebook can find you at least 3 groups where you can scream, "I'm new to the city. Be my friend!"

But I seem to forget, and take for granted, the extrovert nature that consumes me. While it is easy to make that connection, it is also easy to have a hard time finding it. You want to go to a meetup, but they already know each other. I recently found a photography meetup... a cool way for me to get to try out the camera with a wide range of expertise before heading out to Africa... but I even found that I was sitting there going, "What if they're mean to me???"

But, here's what makes us better than New York. As transient as this city is, with as much to do as there is, with as many people as there are... it is still friendly. Striking up a conversation in the grocery store isn't unheard of. Going to church and asking for help isn't weird. And, although nothing comes CLOSE to the real Broadway, our city does a pretty kick-A job of forming great symphonies, getting in great musicals and plays, and even has a pretty great skyline... for a small town.


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Things to do in Charlotte to meet people:

• Join a meetup
• Go to CharlotteONE: (Christian)
• Join the Jewish Community Center (Jewish)
• Get involved with Sports Connection

Why I am the Way I am...

Yes, I too wish I could explain here all of the intricacies of "the Hutch". But, unfortunately, I can only scratch the surface.

Still, there are a few things you should know.

To start off, I get really, really really frustrated with my job sometimes. We have a new intern in the office today who is exploring the world of nonprofit. Well, as fun as it is, we have to do cold calling for the next couple of weeks. I hate cold calling. I'm pretty sure she hates cold calling. it is not a fun job.

But this is why it's not fun, and why I get frustrated with my job.

I go to work and I see this:

This is Leah. Leah is one of the kids in our summer camp. She is just about the most adorable child I have ever seen (other than my nephew, of course). And what you don't see in this picture are the 6 other children at the table, all of which held up their arms to hug me right before I took this picture.

But, see, I walk into this room and see all of these children and I want to cry they are so adorable. They are singing camp songs and dancing around. Showing pride for their "animal" (the kids are separated into teams and each team has an animal name). And then I walk back to my office for cold calling, where I hear this:

-Our money is already allocated

-Sorry, we only have a select few charities we help

-Fill out X, Y, and Z form, and maybe, possibly, we will consider helping you

-What can you do for us?

And, of course...

-No

Now, don't get me wrong, I love elements of my job. I love the relationship building. I love the feeling of accepting a check from someone who truly, really wants their excess money to go to help.

But that rejection, when you have to look at the child's face is really really tough. Knowing that there are charities out there with million dollar marketing budgets when we can't even get $10,000 for a bus to take our kids on field trips is tough, particularly when those charities are the ones "selected" by these companies as the only ones they'll help.

And here's the kicker. We are in the second largest financial city in the US, next to New York. We are the ONLY market in the US to see an increase in our real estate market. and yet we are ranked 27th out of 30 metro markets for charitable giving. We have less nonprofits than other cities, and yet our nonprofits (at least those that I have relationships with) are all reporting the same type of rejection.

So, I ask, beg, and plead with you... The next time you're quick to say "no" to a nonprofit, take a second to think about whether or not you can really help.