STORIES, STORIES

Like moving mountains. Only the beginning. Optimism works wonders. The law of attraction has triumphed one too many times to be ignored completely. It's like that time so many of your friends told you not to watch a movie because it sucked so bad, like that Adrien Brody film The Jacket, and yet you, in all your optimistic rebellion, watched it in the middle of the night while all of them were asleep because you had faith in the bottomless pit that was Adrien Brody's talent. But sometimes, no amount of quelling that self-limiting, self-defeating attitude can triumph over one film's yawn factor. No amount of pep talk, of optimism, of positive thinking can get you through to the end of one movie. Like that Adrien Brody film The Jacket. As with most things in life, there is an appropriate time to give up.  I am giving up. I do not have the means or the strength to fight things that are beyond my control. I have done so much within my power (at least that I know of), and now, th...

ctc? I'm supposed to be writing an article for a ladies' publication, on online relationships. Instead, well, I am stalling. ** Why Online Relationships Work. * People develop better communication skills. They are not so quick to say things they don't really mean, and they take that few moments before making a strong statement to make sure they are saying it right. * It's easier to understand each other when people have something to refer back to; in this instance, a previous chat. It's easier to iron out misunderstandings. * Chatting solves one of the main problems of some failed relationships: communication - talking about experiences, feelings, expectations, goals, interests, and so on. * Alternately, people become better "listeners" on chat. ** Why They Don't. * So many of the things that people convey but don't necessarily verbalize (or in this case, type out) are lost in chat. * Additionally, tones, moods and humor may not be as easily detect...

I obviously didn't make myself clear in my last post. I admit it, this is me on Defensive Turbo. In retrospect, I realize that my last blog entry is not a good reflection of my professionalism as an event photographer. It doesn't matter that I was ranting on a private blog, or that I was being sarcastic, or that I exaggerated some aspects of my story for entertainment value. It doesn't matter that it was a private, personal note, not really intended for all to read, especially of course, the subject of the post.  Because nothing is ever private online, is it? Because it was published online, I compromised my (young) reputation as an event photographer and exhibited how "nicely" I take to challenging situations, how "quickly" I can adjust to an unexpected occurence, and how "excellent" my people skills are. Look how I talked about my client. Who's gonna want to hire me now? And yet, I do not apologize for that post. Call it stupidity. Arroga...

I am back, poubelles. Had a nice vacay, thanks. Today, we rant about the world of photographers. In Jeddah. I'm a little busy, see? It sounds simple enough. You have an event, you'd like some above-average photos of that event, you hire a photographer, you get your photos. Done. The problem is that you don't really know what a photographer is supposed to be doing during your event, do you? It's also very simple. The hired photographer is to do the following: 1. TAKE PICTURES. 2. TAKE PICTURES. 3. TAKE PICTURES. Oh, did the photographer forget to mention that to you a week before your event when you two were negotiating the price for photography services? In that case, I'm sorry, it's not your fault. I mean, it's not as if it is explicitly mentioned in their job title that their sole purpose is to take pictures. What the hell does "photographer" mean, anyway. It could mean ANYTHING, for crying out loud. A photographer could be anything from an event...