A Year Without Blogging...and Life Lately

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Its been almost a year since I posted anything on here, I've been writing and rewriting this post for the last week trying to come up with the words for my first post back. What keeps coming to me is that I miss writing. I REALLY miss writing. Despite the fact that I know not a lot of people read this website I need this space for myself. If others read it and find what I write entertaining or helpful for them then that's great but I find writing therapeutic and so for now I need this for me.

So whats happened in the last year away? A lot and yet nothing at all really.

Something I'm proud of is I started a small photography business with my friend Hillary. Last year I was trying to build up a portfolio and it took off for a while and I was encouraged by friends and family to try and make something out of it. So Hillary and I created Little Red Arrow. It's taking a lot of time to get going and get off the ground. More time then I want it to. Unfortunately I find my motivation for the business lacking. It's my own fault really. I love photography. I love taking photos and exploring new places. I want to make this business into a full time job. And I know if I put the time into it, I can do it. A part of me knows I have the talent for it. What I lack is the confidence to hammer down and really make it into something.

Unfortunately I get inside my head too much and talk myself down, but I know if I don't try I'll only regret it. I think what really scares me, is trying to make it work and not succeeding and then the voice inside my head will win. Yep I'm that person...the person who seems positive but really is just scared.

Which leads me to the next big thing that happened to me within the last year. I don't want to get into it to much in this post because I plan on talking about it in another post later. But here is the down low. Earlier this year after fighting it for a long time, I admitted to myself that I suffer from what I thought was seasonal depression. I went to my doctor and after talking to him about my problems I was told that it wasn't seasonal depression I was suffering from but depression in general, and what he thinks is PTSD. None of this surprises me at all. I've always kind of known something was up. Most people shouldn't feel about themselves what I feel and think in my head.

I feel like I'm on the right track now. I'm on some meds and I'm seeing some therapists and working through everything. It's not easy and some days really suck. I feel a little stronger by seeking help and realizing something was wrong and needed to be fixed. I know this is going to take a while to get back to being truly happy, but its better then what I felt before.

The biggest thing to happen to me this year was selling our condo. This for us took a lot of tears and years of money struggling to come to terms with. Richard and I loved this condo from the moment we saw it. When we bought it over three years ago it was at the top price range of what we wanted to spend but because it had everything we wanted in a condo, and had room to change and design the way we wanted, we decided this was going to be our forever home.

Unfortunately being first time buyers, we didn't know the questions to ask when looking at condos. We didn't know that any extra money we had at the time would go into keeping a crappy car on the road. Or that the condo fees, after being told were capped off, actually weren't and continued to rise. Eventually it got to the point were it took its toll on us. And after a good cry we seeked help and decided that selling the condo now instead of in a few years was the best option for us.

So in just over a month we move into my brothers home for a year while we get out of debt and start saving for a new place. I'm really looking forward to moving in with him and his wife and daughter. They are all so positive and while I'm not so naive to think everything is going to be sunshine and rainbows all the time, I do think this is the best move we've made for us in a long time.

I'm looking forward to this year and what it will bring. I'm looking forward to saving money and enjoying life a little more. This weekend I'm off to Algonquin Park with my uncle and niece for a photo adventure. Then I have to start packing up the condo and getting ready for the move. Its gonna be a busy month for me but I'm hoping to get more posts written and make this more of a common thing. I'm also looking to revamping the blog and coming up with a new design and feel. Really start to hammer down on my side business and get it to the level I want it to be at.

So if you're reading this I hope you stick around and see what else I have to offer. Let me know if there's anything you want to hear about or if you have any questions or thoughts, and I will do my best to write back or do a post on it. For now I'm going to enjoy the calm before the storm that is moving.

Do the Monster Mash.

I should have posted these photos yesterday but ended up sick so I never got around to it. I had this idea that I wanted to take photos of Richard and I for our third anniversary. At first I wanted just casual photos of us but then I saw a bunch of stuff online of couples with Sugar Skull makeup and thought Richard and I could do something a bit more fun. I brought the idea up to him and he was a tad hesitant but agreed and so on Monday with Hillary and Valerie in tow we found a tiny cemetery and took the photos. Here are just a few of my favourites.

Yep we are a pretty weird couple, but I love it. Richard, I am so glad I responded to your Facebook message almost eight years ago, and its hard to believe we've already been married for three years. You've taught me so much about myself and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. Love you.

Little Red Arrow: Thanksgiving Family Session

Richard and I hosted my side of the families Thanksgiving Dinner on the 12th. We usually try to get as many of us to someones house for a pot luck and this year was extra special as my brother who lives in Halifax came down with his wife and their daughter. This was the first time we got to meet Callie and I took the opportunity to take some family photos and work on some portrait poses. With the help of my uncle and niece on reflector duty we got some beautiful photos. See below for some of my favourites. 

Maybe someday we can get a HUGE group photo done, but until then these will do nicely. Hope everyone's October is going well. Hillary and I have a couple more photo shoots this month and then we are done with our Fall Photo Sessions.

Don't forget to follow mine and Hillary's Instagrams and new business Little Red Arrow on IG here:

@littleredarrow

@hilly.bee  @pvaughan86

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

I'm sure if you follow this blog or my IG you can see that I've been dabbling a lot more into portrait photography. I've become a lot more confident with my photography over the last year or so and I can finally admit to myself and others that I would love to do this as a side thing. I follow a lot of photographers and more and more lately have realized this is something that makes me happy and is a way for me to bring my creativity into something I love. Not only is photography a hobby of mine but its also a passion. I would love to try and build up my portfolio and see where this might take me.

So whats the BIG announcement you ask? Well...I'm looking for people who want their photos taken and are willing to model for me. Here are some examples of what I am capable of.

What am I looking for? 

Everything. Individuals, Couples, Families, Children. Like I said I'm trying to build my portfolio so I need a variety of different things.

What kind of photos am I looking to take?
Absolutely everything. If you have an idea run it by me.
You want to do a fun family session? Awesome!
You want to do an at home couple session! Lets try it.
You want to do a cool steam punk session with a bad ass outfit? What week are you available?

What am I offering?
Well this is the catch. I'm not a professional. I'm no where close to that. So if you're expecting Vogue cover shoots...well I can't offer you that, that's for sure. What I am offering is a photo shoot where we can talk through what you're looking for and I will give you all the photos I can take on that day. I am going to be giving you the photos but I will be using them here on the blog and in my portfolio for the future. So I will still retain all rights to the photos. Basically this means you can't sell the photos I've taken for your profit.

Whats the cost?
I will only charge $10 a head, per session, and I will give you a USB (which you can keep) with all the photos on it so you can go and print them out yourself.

If you are interested and willing to help me out please let me know by leaving a comment, facebook message, or you can email me at hp_crazed86@hotmail.com