The break-up.

Today will mark the end of this blog.

I'm no good with farewells, so we'll just keep it simple.

Dear blog,

You and I have had a fantastic relationship. Though there were minor moments of html frustration, and one day in particular when I called you that not-very-nice name because you "accidentally" deleted my massive post, we've experienced some good times together. I appreciate your loyalty, and your ability to showcase my ramblings to the internet world.

But blog-sy, sometimes, you have to let a good thing go. And that's where I am in my life. It's not you, it's me....well, and this other blog that I've been seeing recently. I don't want to hurt you, but it's best that you hear it from me - I'm posting elsewhere. I feel terrible, but what can I do? I have to be honest with myself, and my feelings. I hope we can still be pals.

Hugs,

Amy

***

That's right, friends! Starks Photography is stoked to announce the launch of our brand-spanking-new blog! 

I'm getting all antsy (and a little uncomfortable since I'm hanging around my ex-blog right now), so let's head over there and continue our excitement!

(*This blog will stick around for a little while for the purpose of referencing old posts, and because he's kind of clingy.)

Freshen Up!

Today was a grey sweatpants day for me.

Do you ever have days when, as soon as you get up, you know exactly what item of clothing you're reaching for in your closet? In college, I had a pair of blue sweatpants that I referred to as my "paper-writing pants." Whenever I came out of my room wearing the blue pants, Ben knew I was going to be hunched over my laptop, chewing my nails, trying to figure out how to stretch my margins in a way that would look inconspicuous to my professor, but lengthen my assignment by half a page.

My grey sweatpants are saved for days when I know I'm going to be in over my head with photography-related tasks.

Ironically, my grey sweatpants and my blue sweatpants are both accompanied by my no-makeup face, glasses-covered eyes, and messy-bun hair. Interesting.

So, in hopes of fulfilling their purpose, my grey sweatpants instilled some motivation in me to be business-focused.

You may have noticed my absence around here recently (or maybe not. Meanie.), and there's good reason for that. Other than having a life outside blogging-world (Gasp! Whaaaaat??!), Ben and I have been busy configuring new plans for our photog biz. There's going to be a whole lotta freshness around these parts pretty soon, so make sure you stay tuned for all the fabulousness to ensue! 

  And since we're super thrilled about the future announcements, we may just have to throw in a cool prize, deal or contest to emphasize our excitement! So if my intriguing, elusive info above didn't hook you, the chance to score free stuff should! 

Here's a little peek at one of the recently developed changes....

Brand-spanking-new logo!

One may ask, what was wrong with your old logo? Well, in short, nothing. We loved our logo. It served us well over the last year. However, since we're heading in a new direction (there's that word again!), we wanted something funky-fresh. We think it's really important to define our style in all aspects of our business, and we feel that this new logo screams "us." It's modern, a little edgy, chic, and brings an element of contrast - and we'd like to believe that our photography style embodies all of these things!

Happy Birthday Putter!

Since I'm an honest person, I'm going to admit something that may make me susceptible to judgment. Today is not actually Putter's birthday. His birthday was on February 15. Well, sort of. Seven months ago we brought Putter home from the Orange County Animal Shelter, and they told us that he was about 5 months old. We chose a random date for his birthday based on that assumption. So basically, today could be Putter's birthday, but that just sounds like my lame attempt at justification for my neglecting to announce his big day a couple of weeks ago. I hope this isn't a glimpse into motherhood - I'll be blogging about my kid's 2nd birthday when he or she is like, 14.

Annnnyway, we did celebrate on Putter's actual birthday. He did get a monstrous bone (which he promptly destroyed), extra food in his bowl, and a whole lot of hugs and kisses. Putter makes our little family complete, and we couldn't imagine life without him in it. Check out his awesome b-day photo below:

(Any real birthday hat wouldn't have stood a chance on his head.)

Online Ordering

Today is a good day. I'm still unshowered in sweatpants and a t-shirt at 2:45 p.m. which would suggest that today is actually a gross day, but really - it's a good day. Clothes are being washed, floors are being vacuumed, bathrooms are being scrubbed. Don't get me wrong - I despise cleaning days more than most things in life (with the exception of hot dogs, heelies, and clowns) - but I know that after it's all done, life will feel more put together, and that makes me happy. So, again - it's a good day.

I'm breaking from tub-scouring for a few minutes to write this post. This particular blog entry was prompted by a conversation I had with my sister yesterday (the lovely brunette featured in the previous entry). She wants to order photos from her Spotlight session with her husband, Adam, so I started explaining the process to making an online order. There are a couple of things you should know about my sister before I proceed: One, if she isn't interested in understanding something (like math, directions, or how to make a print order), she goes into a momentary lapse of concentration. Two, while she loves many, many things in life, one of those things is not technology; she is the worst Facebooker I've ever met. So as soon as I started into this explanation, both of those facts collided and she stopped me from wasting my breath by interjecting, "I'm just going to call you when I want to order prints." 

Therefore, I am writing this post to counteract that need for a phone call (which would most likely end in me making the order for her), and for any other client who encounters similar issues. So, all thanks can go to Callie for the motivation to put this info out there. Gracias, sis. Your contempt for technology has been put to good use. :)

I've made screen grabs of our online gallery, and posted notes on each with step-by-step instructions on how to make an order. I love my sister, and I love our clients, so I hope this provides some useful info to anyone who needs it:

Step one:

Step two:

Step three:

Step four:

Step 5:

Step 6:

Step 7:

Step 8:

Step 9:

Step 10:

Step 11:

Step 12:

Step 13:

Step 14:

In all seriousness - though our ordering system is efficient, it can be a bit confusing at times, 

so if you have any questions (or a strong disdain for tech-y tasks), feel free to shoot us 

an e-mail. We'd be more than happy to help! :)

A Proposal.

Here at Starks Photography, we strive to stay in touch with what's going on in our world. I'd consider myself to be politically informed (well, if you count People magazine as a reputable news source), so I felt a strong urgency to write a blog post detailing my thoughts on the current state of our fiscal lows and woes.

Ok, not really.

But I do have a proposition (and a super cute, colorful chart!) that coincides with the ever popular dinner table conversation topic - the economic crisis. 

First, let me make one thing perfectly clear - I am well aware that the recession is no laughing matter. We are in the middle of extremely trying times, and lots of lives are being affected along the way. That being said, I refuse to sulk underneath a gloomy rain cloud while we're in a rut. There's a little sunlight that wants to peek her head out, and I'm going to allow it to happen. There's not much worse than sporting a pouty lip in an already somber circumstance, so I'm plastering a smile on my face for the sake of optimism. I'm not naive, nor running for the Suzie Sunshine award, but I am making a choice to remain hopeful. 

Did I promise not to detail my thoughts? I got a little carried away for a minute. Back to the point, here. 

Since President Obama has implemented a new stimulus package for the economy, we felt like it would only be appropriate if we offered a little "boost" of our own. Regardless of your opinions on President Obama's plan (*re-read above paragraph if you're feeling pessimistic :)), we're hoping that there won't be much opposition to ours:

Please try to stay neutral when reading over our plan - no matter what side of the fence you stand on. The proposal has already passed in the House(hold), and Putter's Kennel - unanimously. We're hoping that this plan will provide some relief to the hardworking, photogenic people living in our country. Thanks for tuning in. 

Feel free to e-mail us with questions regarding the above info! We look forward to hearing from you! :)

(Um, p.s. Happy Valentine's Day! I keep forgetting it's today.)

Neglectful.

Lately, the blog has been reminiscent of a child waiting to be picked up from school; Sitting on the curb, Power Ranger backpack in tow, frantically glancing up and down the street in search of the familiar family minivan. Dread overcomes him as he slowly realizes that he is experiencing a kindergartner's worst nightmare - being forgotten.

I'm a neglectful parent.

So here I am - driving 90 and rounding corners on two wheels to make up for lost time. I'm hoping that my blog child doesn't hate me too much, and that, perhaps, a McDonald's ice cream cone will make up for my carelessness.

(This is an extra from Brittney and Austin's wedding - recently, I've been getting into using textures while editing).

***

I'm setting a realistic goal for myself - 2 to 3 blog posts per week. However, it would be nice to have something to hold me accountable - like gold stars, or twenty dollar bills.

Writer's Block.

Lately, I've had the itch to write. I think it was prompted by me finishing the Twilight saga today - Stephanie Meyer definitely sucked me into her world of vampires and romance (*pun intended ;)). 

Writing has always been a means of expression for me. I tend to believe that my words on paper are actually much more eloquent than my spoken words. However, over the course of the last few years, writing became more of an obligation than a pleasure; school assignments numbed the enjoyment. It's kind of ironic that a degree in Creative Writing would actually dull my love for writing rather than enhance it. Don't get me wrong - while in college, I learned a lot from my professors and sharpened my craft immensely. For that, I am grateful. But there's something about writing without being prompted by deadlines or grades - I suppose I would call it raw writing (maybe freestyle is the more accurate terminology, but raw seems appropriate :)). It unleashes my imagination and allows my fingertips to lead the way into expressive freedom. 

I miss it.

I've decided that I need to get back on the saddle; get the proverbial ball rolling once again. Loosen up the screws, and get the writing juices flowing. And apparently, utilize a lot of cliches in the process. ;)

I'm not planning on becoming a billionaire overnight by creating a wildly successful series about gorgeous vampires or wizards and muggles - my writing will merely be another means of creative expression - but hey, I guess a girl can dream, right? :)

Since some people read this blog for the photos and not for my random babbling, here's a couple of Ben and I. We took these while waiting to do a shoot for the Lake Wales High School Cheerleaders (which I will probably blog about later this week):

I know I'm a little partial, but isn't my husband such a stud? ;)

A little nostalgia.

This will not be a whine session, but I do need to note: I have been cooped up (or quarantined, if you will) at home for the past couple of days. My enemy goes by "Sinus Infection" and his methods are ruthless. From snatching away my vocal cords, to pressurizing my nasal cavities, stomping around behind my eyes, to instigating a constant need for Kleenex. He shows no concern for my plunging physical state. 

A bit dramatic, maybe, but the I needed to make a point.

I'm sure part of my ailment has been brought on by my unwillingness to allow myself to breathe. I suppose this was God's way of saying "Helllllo....what the crap are you doing? S.L.O.W. D.O.W.N." But I'm sure God is a bit more eloquent and tactful. I never realized how hard it would be to just take it easy; I guess when you've grown accustomed to life whipping down the highway at 105mph, it's hard to hit the brakes. 

Anyway, I have slowed down (even if by force), and it's been nice. I've watched countless hours of House on DVD, slathered myself with Vick's, finished Twilight (!!!), and spent time (trying to chat without a chatter) with Ben. I've also taken some time to be productive. 

Ahh, here we go - you knew I'd get to the point of this post eventually. :)

We've been meaning to clean-up our iMac for awhile now, to free up some space on the hard drive. So I decided to knock it out, and 90 bajillion photos later, we have a much tidier computer. While I was sorting through the events in iPhoto, I couldn't help but linger on some. There were photos from our first shoots about a year ago, when we had just started our business. 

When we were first starting out, we photographed anyone who would step in front of our cameras. We needed material for our website, so if you were around us for even 10 minutes, chances were, you were getting your photo taken. I loved glancing through old images, and the whole ordeal brought forth a twinge of nostalgia. It's really cool to look back and see how far we've come in under a year. It gives me a sense of motivation for the future - I truly can't wait to see what's in store.

I pulled some of my favorites into a folder, and gave them a "fresh" editing look. Some of these photos are still up there on my omg-I-love-that-shot list. Starks Photography, kickin' it old school:

Elisha. A photographer's dream subject.

Shirl. This photo rocks my world.

Callie and Adam. They will grace this post a few times, as they were our "guinea pig" subjects quite often. :) The one on the left still holds down a spot on our website.

 

Ben. We had to practice on each other a lot too.

Shirl, again. I left this photo as it was originally edited - it was my first time messing with texture and a more "artsy" effect on an image (*tear!*).

Callie and Adam, again. This photo will be hard to knock out of my top 5.

Me. Yikes. I hesitated posting this because, well, it's me, but this was from an impromptu shoot Ben and I did at our apartment. It was kind of silly (I mean, check out that make-up), but really fun at the same time.

Shirl. Alright, alright - it looks like we really liked the images from her shoot a lot.

Callie and Adam. There's something about this one that feels like comfort to me; it invites you in.

Callie and Adam (last one). The only shoot we've ever done at sunrise. And that light was well worth the hours of sleep I missed out on.

So I wanted to post some others, but a) a few of the shoots were previously moved off of our computer and burned to discs or our external hard drive, and b) I think I may have surpassed the point of "overwhelming" on here.

I want to do this every year - sort of like a "check point" for our business. Hopefully by next year I will have learned how to keep it short and sweet. Right. :)

And that's that.

Though it's quite obvious who came out victorious in this internet battle, I'm not going to brag....

(I WON!!!!!!)

So there you have it - a second puppy is in our future, and I have all of you to thank (well, not all of you - 38% of you are still on my "super lame" list.... ;)). So thank you for voting! Ben has been a decent loser - he's not sulking around the house or demanding a recount. In fact, we reached a decision that makes us both happy (because, let's face it - I like winning, but I also like being in agreement with my hubby :)): We will visit the animal shelter after March, and come home with a friend for Putter! As much as I'd like to go grab a furry little ball of cuteness tomorrow, we have a very busy schedule for the next couple of months, and we're going to need some time to ease the new addition into our family. After March, our calendar clears up a bit, so we will be able to truly invest some time.

Now, maybe I should take a poll on ideas for puppy names...

The Ultimate Poll.

Ok. So let me break this down.

A couple of days ago, I  mentioned to Ben how cool it would be to adopt a second puppy from the shelter. I have a totally logical argument for this seemingly crazy thought, and I have mapped it out below:

Putter needs a friend to play with. A furry, energetic friend.

Animals from the shelter need lots of love.

Puppy eyes are just irresistable.

A second dog is easier than a first kid at this point.

Pretty please.

I think my points are quite reasonable, and fully comprehensible. From what I understand, this is Ben's counter-argument:

No.

B.o.r.i.n.g. What kind of rationalization is that?!

Since we are completely sensible individuals, we are doing what two completely sensible individuals would do in a situation like this: we're leaving it up to all of you. That's right. A life decision - all in your hands. Take 5 seconds to fill out our poll below, and help us end this ridiculous disagreement once and for all.

(**Edit: The poll will end on Tuesday, December 6, at 10:30PM.)

Don't let anything sway your decision - vote with your heart...

(Oh, don't judge me - it's called strategy.)

View Poll |View Results

Website Polls PoweredBy MicroPoll

Happy New Year and Flashbacks.

I have a good feeling about 2009. 2008 is going to be a hard year to top, but I have a feeling that 2009 will be giving it a run for it's money. 

We'd like to wish all of you a super happy new year - here's to actually accomplishing resolutions...right? :)

While we were visiting Ben's parents over the holidays (*which I am still planning on blogging about), we took a little trip down nostalgic photography lane. After flipping out a little over how adorable little Ben was, I was ecstatic to see that Ben had dug up some examples of "old school" Starks Photography. Ben's dad, Jerry, (I know, I know - "Ben and Jerry") has dabbled in a little snapping and shooting himself over the years! We scanned a few to throw onto this post, so check out the flashback below:

A couple of glamorous model poses from Ben's mom, Kathe. How sweet are those shades?

And because I know all of you are dying to see "little Ben," here's a glimpse into his past:

How adorable is that face? From what I understand, he was quite the handful as a kid, so I guess it was a good thing he was so cute.

I can't get over the cuteness. Even if he does look like he doesn't want to have anything to do with this picture. :) (and can we take a second to commemorate the "walkman" that Ben's brother, Andrew is rockin'?!)

So there you have it - ringing in the new year with a blast from the past. Maybe next year I'll be posting photos of a little Ben junior....? (just kidding, babe! ;))

Giving is Awesome announcement!

I can honestly say, without blinking an eye, that choosing a Giving is Awesome candidate was one of the hardest decisions that we've ever had to make. 

After announcing our participation in Giving is Awesome, it didn't take long for nominations to start pouring in. I guess I wasn't quite expecting the impact that this opportunity would make in my own life. In the beginning, I saw Giving is Awesome as an extension of provision to someone else - the possibility of an internal affect never even crossed my mind. Oooh, but that quickly changed. 

There were many nights that I sat in front of our computer in my sweats, tears plopping onto my keyboard. I didn't merely cry out of sympathy - I cried out of humility. I cried because I take my "basic" blessings for granted on a daily basis. I cried because I live a life of comfort and satisfaction, but I still have selfish moments of griping.

And I smiled. I smiled because of the amount of love that was dripping off of every story written in. These are real people, writing about real people - people who deserve jobs, money, food, love, support, shelter. Emotion ran deep through each nomination, and I was taken aback by the amount of sheer compassion extended through these e-mails. I smiled because I have hope for our world. 

Ben and I spent a lot of time reading and re-reading each nomination. I found it exceptionally challenging to remain objective in this type of situation - how can we choose just one when everyone is so deserving? After countless conversations and a few more emotional moments, we've reached a decision:

Nominated by Kenny Backhaus, the Gilmer family - consisting of Sarah (wife and mom), Dan (husband and dad), Chloe (oldest daughter and sister), and Claire (youngest daughter and sister) seems to be quite the amazing bunch. Kenny is Sarah's step-brother, and he had a lot of truly heartfelt, incredible things to say about his sister and her family. Due to the personal nature of the Gilmer's story, I will not be posting it on the blog. However, I would like to share a little of what Kenny wrote about their family:

Read over the highlighted section - talk about a powerful couple of lines! After the Gilmer's situation was brought to our attention, I started thinking about how I would cope given similar circumstances. In all honesty, I'm not sure I'd be able to say with complete confidence that I'd be as strong as they have been. And that factor - remaining resilient and dedicated amid intense trials - is why Ben and I would be honored to offer a complimentary photography session (complete with all the goodies previously mentioned) to the Gilmer family.

We would be extremely remiss to exclude this info:

To all individuals who have written in nominations - we will personally contact each of you after Christmas. Thank you for influencing our lives through your love. We admire your compassion more than we could ever describe.

Have a wonderful Christmas! :)

Much love,

Ben and Amy