Oops.. Catch up time..

It is so hard to keep up with social media, it is scary. I am going to try to do better and I am going to start with boot camp for blogging. Maybe it will put me back in shape. November and December has been very busy for me and I was loving every minute of it. Here are sneak peeks of the sessions I have done for the last two months. Stay tuned for a brief summary of each session.

Lets start from top to right to left.. 

Arian: An old patient of mines while I was working in Early Intervention. She has grown up so much. It was such a joy to see her family again.  She is a miracle.

Clay, Carter, and Currie (Mom): Clayton lives in his own world which is Autism. He is also a former patient of mines.  Lovely family and I am happy for Currie with opening a new chapter in her life.

Bottom: 

Michelle and the girls (Lexie and Sadie): Ok, I thought my dog was rotten .. LOL I was wrong. The girls got him beat. This session was meant for her holiday cards.Check out the fancy neck wear. Sassy Chic  (the one who is holding them) is the designer. She is up and coming and wait watch out.. She throws a mean party as well. 

Elijah: Sweet boy, loved every moment with him. He is the son of a mutual friend. His mother was a delight to be around and truly loves him. The connection with them was priceless. 

Paighton:  I was going to shoot this sweet girl at the Railroad Park, but realized the park was crowded so we made a change of plans to the gardens (which I do not like btw, but hey you do what you have to do).  That day I am so happy I had my running shoes. But all in all, this girl is a diva. Her mother works for the stop that I shop for my daughter ALL THE TIME. Sadly, they know me by name now.. LOL

I will end this blog with this note. Three of the children has special needs. My focus in 2012 is to photograph more children with special needs. I am allowing myself to have one or two pro bono spots to families who want high quality pictures. These individuals with special needs need us. 

Until Next Time

XOXOXO

Tosha

Great Family.. than a heck of a week!

I spend my day off with a wonderful family at Old Town Helena on Veteran's Day.. I was kinda hesitate to photograph this family because they are a AUBURN family ( I am so a Alabama fan #RTR!) Wonderful personality and a caring relationship was felt during this session. I even had an opportunity to have lunch with them... Ain't I special? Here are some peeks of their session.

Now.. that discuss the week from heck... After this wonderful session, I completed some last minute errands for my daughter's birthday party and then went home. I went to my computer to connect my hard drive and nothing was showing up.. I tried to my laptop and I even drove to Pelham to see if it would pick up on my computer at work.. Nothing. I went to Best Buy since I purchased the drive from there less than 3 months ago and they could not do nothing either, but tell me they need $250 upfront to ship it. Great.. I called around.. Quotes from $250-$1,000.  Still waiting to see what a friend's tech guy says.. We will see.. Next.. I had an over emotional conversation with someone I cared about... that went well.. Loser points for me... following that our Great Dane, Skylar died.. One day of a break of bad news. After getting my tickets for the midnight premier of Twilight, I went back to work to finish up with some patients, I had the some one come to the office to tell me that my car was broken into... Great... My co-worker's car was also broken into as well..  At least I can say .. they caught them.. So I guess karma is true.. Here is the article regarding that manner, click here  Karma.. Well that is my week in review.. I know things comes in 3s.  I sure hope so.. 

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

MIA but Engagement, Head shot, and A Cool Mother and Son

Well, it has been a while since my last blog post, I guess I have to give you the month in review.  So, sorry I am trying to get used to blogging. Last month was becoming a bit overwhelming, but I needed some time to breathe and take it nice and easy. Breathing, that is funny. Did I mention, I ended up with bronchitis and a severe sinus infection which made my life so so fun. Lets discuss the weeks in review...

 I had a wonderful session in Aldridge Gardens (w/o snakes) with very special person, Meagan. She needed some head shots since she is so popular (Jealous), just kidding. But Patty said that her head shots that she was giving to media looked more Facebook profile shots. That is funny, really.. Here are some sneak peeks from the session..

Well.. Well. Well... Ivan (Kay's dad) had a nasty 6+ feet fall from the stage when he was videotaping at WorkPlay in Birmingham. Believe me it was the worse site to see. I was so amazed that he got up and started to record again. Well, after maybe 30 minutes of footage, he could not bare the pain and he had to go to the hospital for a bruise lumbar. Loritab and muscle relaxers were his best friends and I was just the servant out of a hundred (you not believe me, if I told you what that comment means!) He needed assistance with an engagement session that weekend and his back was still a mess. Here is a sneak peak of the session that I was a second shooter with Joshua and Alicia..

Congratulations! I wish you the best...

Finally, this session means alot to me in more ways than one. Anne and me went to high school together back at JCA. I was a couple of grades of ahead of her and we really did not talk or have nothing in common. Me and Anne connected via Facebook (yes, that darn Facebook). Come to find out that we have so much in common that it is darn near scary especially the connection of our kiddos. Her son, Hunter will always have a special place in my heart even though I had to bribe him with bubbles and ice cream.  He is lucky to have a beautiful mother like Anne. If you are reading this.. Thank you for all the support and advice.. Hugs.. Here are the sneak peak from this heart warming session...

1

Love you, both.. 

BTW.. Stay tuned.. I have more on my exciting my life with Kaylen, Ann, and a new friend Jennifer.. 

Until we next time, Tosha  XOXO

Living Again..

Been a while since my last blog post.. Been pretty busy .... work and other extra activities. Either I am hormonal or just thinking too hard, but I needed to get these thoughts out of my mind.. So, here I go.. everyone who knows me are aware on how much I love holding a camera or how much I love to capture moments especially every moment of my beautiful little girl's life.. But most of you do not know .. there are times when I do not want to touch or look at a camera because it is a shameful reminder of a life I had before (getting teary eye as I type this).. Everyone says, you learn from the mistakes that you make in your 20's and you are just found identity in the 30's and those are your best years.. Well ..I just turned 32... and I am still waiting for those best years... Often, I look at my camera and I just want to post it on Ebay or Craiglist, just to sell the darn thing.. Why do I want to get rid of an very expensive camera.. I have my reasons, but it is also bittersweet as well. I love it and I hate it.. but the camera just reminds of a past that I once had and how content I was in that world. I miss the care-free moments, I miss just smiling for no apparent reason, miss doing art and using my creative mind and miss joking around. Those are the things I miss when I pick up that camera.. I miss having support without me thinking negative thoughts and wandering of intentions of that person or their peers. I miss being with someone who shared the dreams and inspirations. Just on those moments alone.. my camera sickens me. Just want to keep it in a bag and do not want to touch it again. Even, looking at Photoshop makes me sick to my stomach cause it just reminds me more and more.. Well, all those are alot of thoughts .. I hope I do not sound psychotic.. On the bright side, I want to capture everything of my little ones' life.. I do not want to miss a beat.. I love people looking at the world from my point of view. Everyone point of view is always different, but you having someone who loves the world from your eye.. It can bring a smile on your face.. one that no one can take away.. Have you ever read the book "The 5 Love Languages," if not it is a good read. I have learned that my love language is giving.. Boy!! Don't I know it. .. I think I have given so much in the 20s, but I use my eye to give to others in my 30s. Sounds weird, huh.. But that is the way I feel ..  Maybe I need to be patient or maybe I am just a little more mature .. or maybe I just need to move on and stop dreaming.. or maybe I just need to stop being giving and just forget every one but darn it.. Just want the same smile on my face as my 20s.. well.. nice way coming back to blogging. Just a Hopeless Dreamer trying to find her way in the world..

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

Artsy not Fatsy...

Tiled Photograph Coasters

This past weekend, I was wondering what can I add to my holiday special. Trying to figure out the next big thing in my world. I decided to make photography tiles and this was my end result. I am very please with it and Ivan thought they were excellent. We discussed over dinner on how much should I charge, but in my head I was thinking this year to do DIY gifts to family and friends and just buy gifts for just certain people.  Hey, I know the grandparents will like it!!!!

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

Girls' Day Out

Saturday was very interesting, but fun. I had the opportunity to listen to tweens talk about school. Like who they like, who they do not want to be around and etc. Kinda reminds me of my time in elementary.. oh what memories. Any who, I had the opportunity to photograph to wonderful and beautifully made girls: Kaylen and Lucia..... Lets get to know these two tweens..

Kaylen is actually my daughter and pretty much my mini me. She has the most beautiful caught light eyes and a wonderful personality. She is a gifted athlete and compassionate towards her friends. This is actually the first time, she wanted to take pictures and allowed me to pick the outfit and the hair accessory. Isn't she lovely?  Lastly and not at all least, Lucia. Kaylen and Lucia are classmates.  Lucia's fashion inspiration is the 80's (yes, I said it, the 80s). She is a gifted singer and will practicing for her world premiere on CNN (her mom knows what I am talking about.) She was pretty tight in front of the camera, but when I started to be a goof ball, she started to open up. Did I mention that her mom is also a photographer, so I had some big shoes to fill.  Lucia became a natural in front of the camera after a couple of shots.  After the trip to Sloss Furnace and Bluff Park, we ended the session with Snow Biz in Pelham. yummmy.. That day ended on good note with a Strawberry Margarita snow cone..  

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

3 Artists Equals Creativity

I had the opportunity to photograph two wonderful people, Kathy and Allison (Alli). Lets start with Kathy.

Kathy attended Jefferson Christian Academy with me. Wow! That has been a long time.  This G.R.I.T.S (girls raised in the south) has turned into a California girl ( the song is ringing in my head).  Kathy was such a trooper during this session. This shoot was done the day after my house was flooded and it was still raining and somewhat cool. The atmosphere ended up making this session fun. Might I add, she is a wonderful painter and trying to convince me to go back doing shows
 (thinking about it, we will see!).

MMM.. who is next .. oh yeah.. Alli..

This shot was very special to me because it was my FIRST maternity shot.. Which I really think I rocked it, if I say so myself. Alli is an art therapist and a darn good one.  Her 8-5 job is merging community artists with individuals with special needs. Which I applause since I am a pediatric occupational therapy by education and  trade.  This shoot was fun and colorful as you can tell. I knew Alli is about contemporary and  I just added a little urban to it. We do appreciated good graffiti especially when "You are Beautiful." Congrats Alli on the newest arrival to your family. 

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

Oopps! Catch Up Time!!

.... Looks Around.... and ponders if anyone notice that I have no blogged. I do apologize for not blogging for the last couple of weeks. It has been hectic for me, more than you will understand. Maybe one day, I will tell you more.. but it will determine how much I really want to tell you. Well, I have a shooting crazy for the last couple of weeks. Let me share two sessions that I have done recently.

VSA Alabama ArtPartners

As you all know, I love this organization and I really consider them as a family. They have been so helpful during my transition with my daughter, Kaylen. How can I say no to them when they have been so compassionate towards me and others in the Birmingham Metro Community. Just to see all kind of art genre creativity comes from scratch has been a blessing for the artists and individuals with special needs.  There is no limits on what you can achieve when you have the support of others. I am looking toward to the new ArtPartners session in October to see what will they come up with next.. 

Check them out at VSA Alabama

First Senior Portrait Session

(might I add during Tropical Storm Lee)

Recently, I did a casting call for high school senior so I can take practice shots for the price of the CD.  This is how I met Bre through Facebook (social networking can be effective). This session was done on Labor Day. Yes, it was raining all day, but this photographer knows how to adapt and willing to try anything once.

 So here is Miss. Bre... one of  Huffman's finest!

Wants to attend UAB (University of Alabama, Birmingham) or UAH (University of Alabama, Huntsville)

I would say UAB, since I am alumni (hehe!)

Wants to be a pediatrician

She loves to dance, rap, & and sing

Considers her self very different from her peers

Her friends does not know that she can dance, but she can get down! 

Congratulations to you, Bre. Have a good senior year.

Until Next Time, Tosha XOXO

-

●● Big and Lil' Man ●●

My morning started around 7:30 on a Saturday... going to Pepper Place for my weekly fruits and veggies.. off to  Brookwood Mall to hang out with my lil' group at the store Journey's and Earthbound.... Cell phones rings.... Lord, it is my brother, Will... wondering to myself what does he want.... 

Will: "I am in Leeds and do you have your camera?" 

Me: Yes, why?

Will: "Me and Caidon are dressed alike and I wanted to see if you wanted to take pictures since you have a new location here. Where are you?"

Me: "Brookwood Mall, will be there in 30 minutes.. 

I need to finish up with Trey and Terrence"

How can I turn down a photograph opportunity. This impromptu session was hilarious. I had to chase a very energetic 3 year old in a small gated area. I just decided to forget it. I will caught him in the moment.  The funniest part of the story is.....

Me: Caidon can you sit down here, please. Auntie want to take a picture of you here!!

Caidon: NO!! It is too high and I will fall

Me: You will not fall

Caidon: You will fall too, no picture!!

I love that boy.. But check out the end result of our impromptu session. The elements of the environments.

Until next time, Tosha XOXOXO

The Effectiveness of Using Social Media for Business

I am sitting in the office at my daughter's appointment. Just browsing the net, I found this cool article that shows the effective of using social media.


Credit goes to http://www.lightroompresets.com/2011/08/15/how-social-networking-sites-can-increase-your-business/

Whether you are a full-time photographer, or doing photography on the side, your mind is constantly trying to come up with ways to increase your business. Next to word-of-mouth, the internet can be one of your most powerful resources for marketing. With so many social-networking sites available to you, creating an internet presence for your business can be a lot easier than you might think.

Here are a few websites that will help you get your name out there. Whether you utilize them all, or just one or two, is completely up to you, so consider each of them based on your brand, and the clientele you would like to attract. Also, keep in mind that not everyone is on each social media site, so while it may be good to start out with just one of these sites to test the waters, the more of them you are on, the more people you will reach.

1. Facebook

One of the great features of Facebook is that you can create a page that is strictly for your business, while keeping your personal Facebook page separate. Your business page on Facebook lets you give a brief description of your services, upload photos, and post status updates to let people know about upcoming specials or new work. Another great feature is that people have the ability to comment on and “Like” the things that you post. The reason that this works in your best interest is that when people interact on your business page, it will most likely show up in their Recent Activity, so that all of their friends will see the activity occurring on your business page, regardless of whether or not they are following you. That way, people who may not have otherwise seen your page will be introduced to your work.

2. Flickr

Flickr gives you a place to meet other photographers, and networking with photographers can be vital to your business. There are many local Flickr groups that meet once or twice a year and showcase their work in galleries. If you sell fine art prints, this is a great way of showcasing your work. If you are more into portrait photography, getting to know other portrait photographers can be extremely beneficial because not only will you learn from them, but if, for example, they live in another state, they may have a friend who lives in your state and wants a photo shoot, so they can recommend you to their friend! Also, Flickr has SEO (Search Engine Optimization) that feeds into search engines like Google and Yahoo. If you post a photo to Flickr and tag it with keywords that are relevant to the photo and your business, those photos will show in the image results on search engines. For me, tagging my photos appropriately has lead to everything from client shoots, to book covers, simply because someone was doing an image search and came across my photo. SEO is definitely a highlight of Flickr!

3. Personal Blogs

A blog focusing on all of the different aspects of your photography is a wonderful way of posting information that is relevant to your business. Whether your blog is part of your website, or a completely separate page, it will give you the chance to have a voice, talk about your process, and showcase what is unique about your services. Just like Flickr, blogs tend to be powered by SEO, so discussing the appropriate topics and using relevant keywords will help boost you to the first page of Google! And, we all know that being on the first page of search results tremendously boosts your chances of increasing your business.

4. Twitter

 Much like Flickr, Twitter gives you the opportunity to follow people who share your interest in photography. Since there is a character limit for each of your Tweets, you have the opportunity to keep your updates to-the-point. Whether you are advertising photo specials, or discounted prints, Twitter is a great way to get your message out to people who are in a hurry and not inclined to read a blog post.

5. Google +

There is a new social-networking site, powered by Google, that is still in its development stages. For now, Google has set a limited number of users, but it is a perfect social-networking site for photographers because of their invention of “Circles” – an application that allows you to create circles of certain people, and select what information you share with them. This helps prevent a lot of the clutter that is sometimes prevalent on Facebook or Flickr, and you can share information with specific groups of people. Images look wonderful on Google+, thanks to the black lightbox.

As you delve into the realm of utilizing social media to increase your business, keep in mind that, for it to work in your favor, you have to be diligent, and you also need to interact with people. If you only post every two months, chances are that you will not get a lot of attention through these sites. People have a short attention span, and if you do not engage them regularly, there is a chance they will lose interest. You may want to take note of photographers who use social media – examine how they word their posts, what sort of content they are displaying, and how they interact with people who comment on their posts. You can learn a lot just by observing, and then find a way to put your own unique spin on how you utilize social media.

The True Meaning of Stress

Found this in the Barnes & Noble in Hoover, Ala
This always brings a smile on my face!

Oh wow, I have not written on this blog for two days. I am sorry about that. It just been a hectic time especially since Kay is going back to school at the end of the month. So please excuse my absent mind and I really hope that this is a phase. Today, I totally had to hit the point  that I needed to cry. It is so hard to be a mom who works in pediatrics when you feel unsure about my own  parenting skills. I have not announced just yet what we are dealing with, but it will be soon. I will be launching a new marketing special regarding our situation and I hope you all are able to participate in this endeavor. 

On the positive note, it is good to be appreciated especially as being an occupational therapist. I receive so much praise how good I am as a clinician but why do I feel like I am not a good one especially when my little one is going through alot. I guess it is hard to accept the positive when things keep going in a spiral. Believe me, I love being a therapist and I love doing photography.I believe these activities are keep me sane.. Is there any wrong with I think to myself. Pondering .. wondering.. and hopeful for all opportunities that are there for me. I remember standing in a conference one day listening to this story.. I wanted to share it with you all especially when I feel like this is a very appropriate time to do so... 

Until next time, 

Tosha xoxoxox

A young lady confidently walked around the room while leading and explaining stress management to an audience; with a raised glass of water, and everyone knew she was going to ask the ultimate question, 'half empty or half full?'..... She fooled them all... "How heavy is this glass of water?", she inquired with a smile.

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. To 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." She continued, "and that's the way it is with stress. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasing ly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden - holding stress longer and better each time practiced. So, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don't carry them through the evening and into the night... Pick them up tomorrow.

Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment. Relax, pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it and the now 'supposed' stress that you've conquered!"

                                              

There is always.....

 A special place in my heart for VSA Alabama. I received a message from Patti, the executive director, of this wonderful organization which had me almost in tears. In the past, I used to attend the Art Partners program each Saturday to photograph the magic of a the collaboration of individual with special needs paired with a community artist. Might I add, I was amazed to see a child's creativity at work. 

One of my favorite images from these sessions has always has been this:

This image is powerful within it itself. On a side note, I am a pediatric occupational therapist  and I had the  opportunity to see this child grow for 2 years when I was working in early intervention. Back to my phone call (Sorry!!), I was asked to take part in The 9th Annual ArtPartners Live Auction and Showcase on August 21th @ B&A Warehouse starting at 5:30pm . What am I doing.. Taking pictures, of course!!  This is kinda interesting because my daughter, Kay (if you do not know her, I guarantee you will very soon) kept asking me when we are going back because she missed the employees and wanted to paint again. In my mind, I was thinking I miss them too, but been trying to deal with my rocky roads of life especially with her. I thought taking the things away I like would make life better, but it didn't. Taking away the things that I enjoyed left me with a hole in my heart and I felt so incomplete especially when I was sacrificing the things I love to do. Patti provided great comfort knowing what I am going through at the moment and being the kind-hearted person that she is.. I had to close my door at work and teared up.  It is so good to know that people really appreciate you and provides you the powerful words that helps you see life in a positive manner.I will end this entry with a quote I posted on my Facebook personal and Fan page :

‎"Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly.Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably And never regret anything that made you smile, Enjoy Life! 

Until Next Time, Tosha {Love, Peace, & *Art*}

   VSA Alabama - Check them out! Good to see my pictures being used for a great organization.

Easie Peasie: Single Mamma Book Club♥

Easie Peasie: Single Mamma Book Club♥

I thought this was a very interesting find, especially for single mothers.

Until next time,

Tosha XOXOXO

Hot, Humid, a Chic, and a Dog..... :)

I always thought shooting later in the day would be better since it is so freaking hot here in Alabama. Well guess what! It isn't!!! I had an opportunity to shoot a sassy chic, Michelle. Let me give you some history about us. She was one of the kindergarten teachers at Kay's former school. She helped me during the years with her and we remained good friends even when we lost touch with each other. We would always pick up where we left off like nothing had happened. This curly chic here and me had a blast at Ross Bridge. Believe me, I really did not know what I am doing, but I totally winged it. Shh.. Do not tell her. Obviously, Supe (Kay's Peek-a-Poo) decided to mark his territory on her leg. I guess, Supe smelled the scent of her two pretty dogs, so he wanted to his scent as well. For my laughing, I had a nice little mud stain on my yoga pants. ( Karma is a .....) Did I mention that we lost about 15lbs of water as well. Michelle will be venturing out  the arts and crafts world with her cool vintage headbands and clips. Let me know tell ya, she is someone you need to watch for soon. Stay tuned for information about her blog and what .. when.. where .. Sassy Chic will be featured.  BTW. the logo.. MY IDEA!!! LOL !!!

Until Next time, Tosha xoxo

The photograph itself doesn't interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.

Well, everyone please welcome me to the world of blogging. This is my first post, Geez. I do not know why it  has taken me so long to start blogging. As they say, "better late than never." I wanted to start this blog a long time ago, but I was very nervous about it and did not know what to write or what to say. I do know I wanted   to link my photography work with my personal life. So you can get to know the person behind the camera as a mom, pediatric occupational therapist, advocate, and as a friend. Most of you know that I am a pediatric occupational therapist by education. For the last three months, I had my first occupational therapist intern name Erin from the University of Alabama @ Birmingham, the school where I received my degree. With sad regrets, yesterday was her last day and she wanted to have Mexican. She did not know what she had coming to her during lunch, she received alot of goodies such as cards, a nice chocolate cake (that I could not eat, really), and her favorite thing in the whole wide world, BUBBLES!! She also received a nice little slide show from what she learned from her fieldwork with pictures of the kids and the staff.  I love bringing my camera with me everywhere I go, because I do not want to miss a moment especially on this day.  To Erin, you were a great student. You came here not knowing what to expect and you left here with a family and long life friends. I am going to miss you and you truly do not how much someone touch your life until they are gone. Kay is going to miss you as well (she written a letter and wanted to mail it to you.) I cannot wait to see you walk across the stage in December. 

Until next time,

Tosha xoxoxo