Ridiculously Giddy!

*SQUEAL* I am so excited... Check out this email I recieved today from gown designer Marianne Lanting!



I was floored!! I know its may not seem like that big of a deal but it was really exciting for me! To make it even better, I spoke with her on the phone and she said that the picture will be a FULL page! So, needless to say I am ridiculously giddy , not only do I have the priviledge of working with the greatest guy ever, but because of him I get to experience fun stuff like getting an image published in a real magazine!

Mike...you are just the greatest and I am sooo honored and blessed to get to work with you!

Here is the layout that Marianne sent...

So...I'm generally not a big fan of being in front of the camera...BUT when Mike says "Shyla, jump in there so we can test the light" I do what he says! :) The models weren't exactally ready when the shoot was supposed to start sooo...I was the lighting guinea pig. I believe I was shaking the whole time because I was so nervous having 20 cameras pointed at me...but I then you eventually became numb to that feeling and start making a fool of yourself! Anyway, here are a few shots I snagged from Ray Santana and Master Mike. I think every photographer should experience some time in FRONT of the camera beause you really get a sense of what the model feels and why it is SO important to make them feel comfortable! :)
Now..if only I could actually sing...;)

Bridal Gown Fashion Shoot

AHHHH...its so HARD to pick your favorite images during editing! I downloaded all my images from the Fashion shoot last week and I narrowed it down from 1200 to 13... but then I got stuck, I simply couldnt choose from there! So, I just decided "what they hay, why not post 'em ALL? Afterall, it was my first 'real' fashion shoot" So.., here are some of my favs...I had soo much fun and I was so excited!! Brittany Gebler is the 'bestest' model ever! I LOVE LOVE LOVE her!
And make sure to keep an eye out on Mike's blog because his images from this shoot were AMAZING!!! (Of course!)













And this,is Brittany...

BRK-IN-PLZ

My car got broken into AGAIN last night....Twice in 3 weeks?!?? hmmm....kinda shady if you ask me. That makes 3 times in the last six months. They stole my bible...but they left my CD player....lol! Maybe it'll do them some good...who knows?
I've been brainstorming for some fun ways to rig my car so if someone breaks in again they get tarred and feathered....or attacked by a rabid squirrel...hehe
Oh well,whatever...its only a car. Life is too short to stress! :)
Although, I think I should get a vanity plate that says...BRK-IN-PLZ, what do you think? ;)

All things are possible...even to those who PROCRASTINATE!

Here it is 5:56 in the morning and I just pulled an allnighter! 22 straight hours (minus the hour to watch McDreamy), 2 vanilla frappuccinos and 1.5 liters of water later I am officially done! I just finished an entire three-credit class in one weekend! You see, technically I purchased an independent study course uh,like two months ago, with a completion date of March 20th (that date is non-negotiable for graduates). Anyway, I simply kept pushing it off untill later and then I realized Thursday it was due on Monday so I totally had to hustle to do all the work! Beginning Friday Night,I read 500 pages of a commentary on ACTS, answered of 650 questions, did two research papers, a community anaylsis, map of ancient cities Paul traveled to, an Evangelism plan, read and responded to 5 different articles and have 6 tests to take on all the material later on today! Oh and I also did another research paper for my counseling class that is due in 3 hours and worth 40%of my grade. I have had all semester but started that one at 12am...hehe...oops!.. I am usually not this bad at all!!!...but for some reason I totally slacked off these past few weeks.
All that to say I am pretty proud of myself! Not that I'll ever do it again (I think I've learned my lesson) but I cranked those suckers out! Praise God for Graduation in 7 weeks...because after this weekend, I have mentally checked out!

Another Willing Subject...

Hehe...yeah, This is Ryan... he fell prey to the "I'm a photographer and I think you've got the look" speech. Works every time! ;)

Its almost Done!

We began building the house in September and the projected finish date is end of May or early June and I am sooo excited! The abundance of Northwest rain has caused some set backs...but my brother just sent me some recent pics of the house...

The place is so beautiful...and the view is amazing isnt it (see top picture)? Its a 180 degree view of the Columbia River all the way from Mt Hood to the airport!
My Bro and I have already begun planning our 1st Party which I'll definately fly home for...anyone want to join me? hehe!
I also included a picture of my wonderful family! I love them so much and am continually amazed at what wonderful parents they are :) Any man who can be a full time Pastor of the seniors ministry at church, plus build a house with his brother (yeah, they are building it themselves!), AND run his new mortgage business all at the same time is my HERO!

<--- Look, Thats them... I'm sooo proud!

The Moon...

This is just more proof that I am a dork...but I just love the moon. I was sitting here at the computer and I just happened to look up out of the skylight and and framed nicely between the window panes is a big beautiful full moon. I am so easily amuzed. I get excited over seemingly silly things like sparkly cement, playing with the stretchy glue strip used to hold inserts inside of magazines, collecting Christmas ornaments, and hitting up every gumball machine that happens to cross my path. The moon is another one of those simple things that truly make me smile. It may sound juvenile but I am reminded every night of the amazing and awesome creation that we live in and the amazing and awesome God I serve. It not only brings me joy but it serves as a constant reminder of how I should be living my life. The moon gives off no light of its own, it only reflects the light of the sun. How I LONG to be like the moon, giving off no light of my own but shining forth the light of Christ....and making people smile while I'm at it :).

My Hot Roommate!

My lovely roomate, Danielle, agreed to model for me for a project I had in mind. We couldnt find a dress I liked so I made one! Using a corset from Fredricks of Hollywood and yards of tulle plus a trusty ol' needle a thread a masterpiece was created! The corset was so tight she couldnt breathe...but you suffer to be beautiful right? Anyway, she did a great job! Thanks Danielle for bieng my guinea pig, and also for letting me post you on my blog (even though you dont about it yet *wink,wink*) Isnt she great ya'all?

Baby Fraiser on the Way!

So I just found out a friend of mine is pregnant! I just shot her wedding last August and she is already knocked up!:)
Congratulations Katie and Dusty!

1st Wedding with Master Colon

WOW! Today was my first wedding with Master Colon and boy did I have a BLAST! The couple are friends of the Colon's so Julie was there too! I think she is so amazing...That girl is a RIOT. For some reason she can stand up with a rose in her nouth while barking like a dog and GET AWAY WITH IT! She had everyone in stitches, laughing so hard.
I shot the D2X and it was so heavy, I feel like I have arthritis in my hands from gripping it so tight (I dont use a strap so I was clenching for dear life). Also I wasnt being very smart and I wore heels...yeah STUPID! I wore them for 13 hours and I am regreting it now, but for some reason I really didnt notice during the wedding.
Honestly though, could there be a better job than being a wedding photographer? By the end of the night I made so many new friends...I even had one guy repeatedly tell me where his hotel was, just in case I wanted to 'stop by'...HAHA..Whatever!
Anyway...I had so much fun!

(ps) Can I just say how amazing the Colon family is? I am sooo honored to be working under them!

Santa Barbara

OK, so I just had a wonderful weekend in beautiful SantaBarbara. I call it my "heartbeat city" beacause it is one city I would move to in a heartbeat without thinking twice if I had the opportunity. I went to spend the weekend with Miss Amy Nave,who is the hostess with the mostest!
We started our weekend off with a nice hike up inspiration point and Amy kicked my butt! I am so out of shape but making it to the top was so worth it... The peak looked out over all of Santa Barbara and the ocean....*sigh* it was so beautiful! Then we went country line dancing that night for my first time. We went with Amy's good friend Janey who was an absolute blast to be around! We danced with weird old men, laughed, and had the world's best trail mix :)
Sunday, I had the opportunity to join Amy and DJ, at Reality Carp which is one of the most amazing churches! Being a Bible College student I have been to my share of churches and this place is truly awesome.
I was supposed to go home Sunday Night but I just couldnt resist staying another night to hang out with more amazing people. (Plus DJ and Tim said school was overrated) So, Monday morning Amy and I went to a Pilates class at her gym and I am so sore...I have been walking around like C-3PO all day today. Then Jessica Claire came up from the OC and spent the day with us...talk about a kick in the pants... We had so much fun! First we had coffee together at this cute little coffee shop called Finestra and then met up with Mr. David Jay for lunch at Bogarts (another adorable little dining establishment). After lunch DJ showed us the studio where all the magic happens. I was impressed...I can honestly say its one of the nicest bachelor pads I've ever seen! So we "geeked-out" ( as Amy says) on our computers for the next few hours....it was hilarious! The night culminated in dinner with 14 fabulous people, including Master Colon,The great Dane Sanders (and his wife Tammy), Timmy Halberg, Jessica "the shoe queen" Claire, Amy "I'm over it" Nave, David "Amazon Streaker" Jay , Kacy Jo, Janey, and Kristin Shaparenko
Man what a fun group!

So I drove home this morning in a hurry to catch my 11:30 class (made it in a hour and a half by the way) and I got to class and the teacher wasn't even there...bummer deal!
Anyway, I truly had so much fun this weekend...Amy is truly as sweet as she seems and she is beautiful inside and out (she will go far in life!), DJ is such a gentleman and a plethera of knowledge (the man is a business genius...even from the 6th grade). So, Thanks for such an amazing weekend... I had a blast !


Sorry for the long post...I was just excited!

In the beginning...

ok, so I broke down and FINALLY got a blog. I'm a little behind,I know, but better late than never right? The only bad part is it is one more thing to add to the list of things keeping me from my homework... ahhhh!
I'll put together a "get to know me" post and have that up and running soon....stay tuned! :)