Real Ericka and the Stunt Doubles

Sometimes I'd kill to have a stunt double (or more) in real life. It never fails that I need to be 100 places at once...and the majority of the time I seriously try to figure out a way to make everyone happy and be at every place I need to be. I hate letting people down. If I had a few stunt doubles, then there would be more of me and everyone would be happy!

We'd meet bright and early every morning around my kitchen table. All of us would have my favorite coffee travel mug and I'd assign each double to their tasks for the day. (I'd call the shots since I'm the Real Ericka.) Everyone would go do their job for the day and then we'd all report back at night and debrief each other on the events of the day.

There would be:

Mom Ericka - She would be at every classroom party, dentist appointment, doctor's appointment, parent-teacher conference and awards banquet. She'd wear a big 'S' on her shirt for SuperMom. She'd be able to hangout on the deck with the kids while they play in the sprinkler and go on every fieldtrip. She'd be there to Band-aid every scraped knee, or put the wind back in their sail when they've been disappointed. Every tear would be wiped clean off their cheeks, every spec of ketchup would be spit-rubbed off their chins, and every proud smile would be permanently etched in her mind.

Sports Ericka would cover all the bases.....pun intended. She'd have a mack-daddy calendar with every sports schedule lovingly written and color coded. Bryce would be red, Brenden would be green and Taylor would be blue. (Harley doesn't play sports, but if she'd did, she'd be purple.) She make 100 copies of every schedule and make sure every Grandparent, Aunt, Uncle, friend, and neighbor would be given a copy. She make sure every water bottle was filled, every sports bag packed, every uniform was clean. She'd have a first aid kit handy, healthy snacks readily available and a shuttle to and from each practice, game or team event. She'd be sitting in the stands at every event, watching every play, proudly wearing her team-logo attire complete with a large, round photo button. Maybe even have a coordinating seat cushion.

Domestic Ericka would wear a cute little apron with a big "S" on the front -- yes, for SuperMom. She'd keep the fridge stocked and the floors shiny. Drawers would be free of clothes that are too small, no almost-empty cereal boxes in the pantry and every toilet paper holder would be promptly restocked with a full roll. The dust would never accumulate on the dressers, no mildew in the showers and the floorboards would be wiped down each week. There would always be vacuum lines in the carpet, ice in the freezer and dinner would be religiously served at 5. The grocery list would remain on the fridge instead of her head. There would be hospital corners on every bed and fresh flowers on the countertop. The grass would be cut, the garden would be hoed and the smell of fabric softener would ooze from every open window.

Girlfriend Ericka would spend her days buying her sweetie new underwear and sentimental cards to leave on his dashboard. She'd call him throughout the day to tell him how much she missed him or to remind him of plans they have for the weekend. She'd set up Date Night or fix him a soft pretzel with cheese while they're watching 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here'. She'd give advice, offer support, and greet him with a bear hug and a "how was your day" when he'd walk in the door at night. She'd make get-aways for the two of them every three months to keep their love energetic and their commitment renewed. She'd leave "I love you"s on the bathroom mirror that he'd see only when the bathroom fogged up. She'd snuggle on the couch every night and surprise him with a lunch date on Thursday "just because".

Photographer Ericka would have a thriving career in what she's passionate about. She'd keep clients' emails returned and orders processed. She'd attend lighting workshops and Photoshop seminars. She'd keep her knowledge fresh and her schedule full. She'd blog about rootbeer floats and birthday parties, complete with pictures. She'd be in charge of giving each Ericka a camera to capture the memories, and when full, each Ericka would return the camera to Photographer Ericka so that prints can be made. She'd make sure all the frames proudly displayed on the mantle -- or the wall of 104 pictures -- were aesthetically arranged. She'd make big canvas prints of each child and hang them in the hallway. Family pictures would be taken every year, and school pictures would be passed out.

Best Friend Ericka would meet with her best friends every single day. None of this every-six-months BS. She could go have lunch with Martha in Indy, or hang at the beach with Angie, or take an afternoon shopping with Heather. She'd be able to stay caught up with baby appointments, or the happenings in B-town. Martha and I would be able to have grape Martini's at the Fish Market every Tuesday while we chatted about how lucky we are to have great men in our lives. She'd be able to meet Martha and Heather for a Mandatory Once a Month dinner. She'd call her network of close-knit friends to check on them every week, make sure they are ok, check on how their kids are doing and catch up on their lives. They would talk about cheerleading try-outs and weightlifting meets. There would be no "did I tell you...." or "I forgot to mention....." in their conversations. She would keep in touch with everyone, every day. She'd offer them all encouraging words in trying times, bits of advice when things got rough, and a smile because she's glad to hear from them. She'd make plans with Casey and Susie, Ted, Tom and Angie, and all their kids to go to laser tag, or to spend New Year's playing Guitar Hero.

Daughter/Sister/Aunt Ericka would make every dance recital, softball/baseball/tee ball/football game and every birthday party. She'd stay caught up with her brothers and sisters. She'd fix dinner for them when they'd get home from the hospital with a new baby, or dogsit when they're out of town. She'd be there to babysit when scheduling conflicts happen and fill every niece and nephew with sugar before sending them home. She'd check on the grandparents and stop in to eat lunch with Elaine. She'd visit the cemetery more frequently and place bright bouquets of flowers where her loved ones rest.


But the Real Ericka doesn't have this luxury. I have blogs to post, clothes to put away, a boyfriend to hug and kids to keep clean. I had 100 places to be this weekend and only one of me to commit. I missed softball games, errands and chores. There were priorities to keep and work that was shoved to the back burner. So, until I figure out how to duplicate me -- because the world could use more of me, right!? -- I'm just going to have to accept that this is the way of life for the time being.

I'll be catching up on posts over the course of the week (hopefully) but for now I'll just give you this little teaser from a BBQ that I WAS able to attend! Aunt Ericka did her job here with help from Photographer Ericka. Hard to believe that she's this big already when it seems she was only this big a few weeks ago.

My own angel

It's been weighing on me for the last couple of days now, and no matter how distracted I am with new gear, kids, life, etc. I can't seem to shake the increasing thoughts about her.

Her. I say that like she doesn't have a name or I've forgotten what it was. Like we were only brief acquaintances and not blood. I say that like we didn't see each other day in and day out for 15 years. Or maybe I say that to keep her memories at an arms length to protect myself from the sharp pain of missing her.

As if she wouldn't have been proud enough of me for being a mom -- a great mom -- I know she'd be proud of me for diving head first into my photography business. And no matter how excited I am to start this book of my life, it's somewhat bittersweet to do it without seeing her excited reaction smeared across her face. This venture gets added to the long list of monumental milestones in my life that she's missed, like another notch in Life's belt who happens to be on Weight Watchers.....and Adkins. The older I get, the more things get added to the bottom of that list -- always at an increasing rate.

It amazes me how the sense of smell can instantly take you to an otherwise forgotten memory. Like the smell of Doublemint gum taking me to Sunday morning church service, sitting next to my Grandma who let me have a half a stick to chew instead of singing hymns. Or the smell of a sawdust-y garage taking me back to my grandparents house on Strowbridge Drive in Sandusky where I'd skid the wheels of my Big Wheel down the straight runway-esque sidewalk. Or how the smell of a growing corn field whispering on the summer breeze takes me back to long summer days on a farm where my Aunt Leah encouraged our imaginations to melt as fast as our Jell-O pudding pops on the back porch. Or how I can pass a strange woman in the mall wearing White Shoulders perfume and I'm rushed back to the last Mother's Day with my mom as if it were just last month.

I can hear her laughter in my mind when Harley or Bryce says something funny. I can hear her encouraging words when the doubt creeps in as if she's sitting across the table from me, with her piping hot coffee in front of her, and a lit Winston Light 100 in hand. She'd tell me that I'll be fine and she has faith everything will fall into place. Then she'd tell me how proud she is of me for being daring enough to follow my dream.

I take comfort in her as my angel. I believe all of the signs I have seen, all of the subtle hints that have been strategically placed, were all done by her hand.

I have an amazing number of supportive people who are encouraging me in this. Some I get to see every single day (or close to it)....others I "see" with my heart.

Mama got a new toy!!!!

The last few weeks Chris and I have been tossing around the idea of upgrading my old camera. It's outdated now about 5-6 years and while it was doing the job, I was spending way too much time on the processing/editing side of my photography.

So, I started my tedious research on which one would work best, what features I needed/wanted, how much, all that jazz....when I narrowed it down to the Nikon D3 and the D700. The 700 won by a landslide.

So, we did it. We upgraded to the Nikon D700 and Oh. My. Gosh. The advancements in cameras from when I last purchased my D70 were amazing!

Imagine going from an 80's style floor model TV to a 61" 1080p DLP High Def Samsung. That's what this upgrade did!!

Just in time for Busy Season......

She didn't stay here long

The Nikon D700 with optional battery pack

The first portrait taken with the new digs. Ironic that it's the one person in our family that won't sit still long enough to have his picture taken.

PS. Chris totally had to help me with all that tech-y stuff about the TV. =) Spoken like a girl......

Zach & Amber Part 2

A few more...

I love the look on their faces just after the pastor announced them as Mr. & Mrs. for the very first time.

The staple formal shot

The bands

The first dance (always has and always will be my absolute favorite part of the wedding)

Zach & Amber

I've just started editing the images from Zach & Amber's wedding on Saturday 6-20-09, but wanted to share a few quick images....

the dress -- a tea length strapless with an amazing lace overlay

the cake -- I wish I wrote down the name of the cake vendor. (I'll ask Amber.)

I love capturing the bride walking down and seeing the groom for the first time. Magic. I love how Dad is beaming here, too.

Amber was so full of emotion....you can just tell how in love she is.

I'm sure I'll be posting more soon, so check back.

Amber, Zach, you two are so cute. Thank you for letting me capture your wedding day. We wish you so much happiness in your lives together.

His Day

If you were to ask me what a typical day is like in our house with our little Half Dozen, the first thing I would tell you is "chaos". Mad chaos. Sometimes we try to organize it, but other times it's just flat outta control.

Then, I'd tell you how much love we have trapped in the 4 walls of our 2-story brick house. I would tell you about our red-headed-freckled son that has an uncanny resemblance to the Cookie Monster when he eats. I would tell you about our 11-year-old daughter who we believe secretly has a Sports Agent for her softball career. Then I'd tell you about our girly-girl who usually has her nose shoved in the binding of a book, reading to her baby, Molly. And I'd tell you about our super-star quarterback 10-year-old with a laser rocket arm. I'd tell you about how the 4 of them run thru our house like excited dogs searching for an open door. I'd tell you how loud it gets in our house from the laughter -- typically following one of the boys, or Taylor, farting. I'd tell you how we sit down to eat dinner together nearly every night and how my most favorite part of the day is when we tuck them in and get hugs and kisses..... x 4.

But then I'd tell you about the man that holds everything together. I'd tell you about how he works endless hours some days to make sure our house runs like a well oiled machine. I'd tell you about how he spends his "day off" doing way more housework than he should, without ever complaining, to make sure we can have quality Half Dozen Time when I get home from work. I'd explain that my passion for photography would never be pursued without the love and support from my best friend....even if it means he has to bear a bigger load for the next 2 months. I'd tell you about a man that gives his unbiased, genuine advice that nearly always follows the rule of "doing the right thing". I'd tell you how my heart warms to see Harley snuggled in his lap asleep. Or how I fill with pride to hear him and Brenden talk football at the dinner table. Or how adorable he is when Bryce is following him around the house wanting to help him with any chore he might be doing, like his very own personal assistant. And of course there's how he gets all sweaty passing the softball (or football these days) with Taylor in the backyard....then proceeds to give me a big 'ol (very sweaty!) bear hug.

I would tell you how he chuckles at me for leaving the closet light on. Every. Single. Day. I'd tell you how he has stood by me thru some of the darkest days of my life and how he's influenced me to be an amazing person. I would tell you how he loves my freckles and kissing me on the nose. I'd tell you how he tries to prevent me from burning myself when I cook dinner, and cleans up after me while I cook. I'd tell you how my days are sweeter and colors are brighter because of his smile. I'd tell you how I still get butterflies when his name pops up on my phone.

Sunday was his day. His day to be taken to breakfast, sit in the A/C, and be catered to all day long -- even if he did have to mow the grass. And that's exactly what we did. Because nothing says "we love you" and "thanks dad" like a glass of sweet tea and burgers on the grill. Which seems so inadequate for what he gives to all of us every other day of the year.

more of sweet Leila

I'm still working thru the shoot with this sweet little baby but had to share a couple more...

(babies always have the best lips)

Little Tiny Leila...

Gina, an awesome co-worker of mine, had a baby earlier this month and yours truly got the incredible priveledge to go shoot this little butter bean a couple days ago!

A 12 day old baby. The smell, the sounds, the sight of such a tiny little thing.....

*Sigh*

I have quite a few of images yet to edit from this little shoot, but I had to post one real quick. This was the last shot of the day.

The.

Very.

Last.

Shot.

Good things come in 1000...

Well, my little blog here reached a new milestone today!! My 1000th visitor! Thank you, visitor from Dayton, Ohio at 8:53 this morning!!

It's a little humbling for me to think that I have had 1000 visitors! I'm not sure what I have to say is that important, so I'll just tell myself that they all just like stopping by here to see the pictures. (It's my world, right?) =)

I've had several people tell me that they like to check in here for mere entertainment. Oh! My life is entertaining alright! 2 boys and 2 girls, crazy life, love life, photography business, you name it. I'll blog about it. Chris makes fun of me for taking pictures of banana sandwiches (which I'll be blogging about soon), or taking pictures of us on "date night". It's actually become a joke between us. If something big happens -- heck, if something even small happens -- we'll look at each other and he'll say something like "did you get a picture of it so you can blog about it later?". That in itself is entertaining.

I've had visitors from pretty much everywhere so far:

Sun Prairie, Washington
Laurel, Maryland
Birmingham, England
Rochester, New York
Thiensville, Wisconsin
Ft Mitchell, Kentucky
Indianapolis, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Okinawa, Japan
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Atlanta, Georgia
Austin, Texas
St. Louis, Missouri


My best friend, Heather, and a fellow photographer friend of mine have both told me I should write a book about my life. I would agree that my life has been.....interesting. I've learned alot in the short time I've been here. I've learned some important lessons from a lot of different people. Some of those people I love, others I don't. Some of those people are still part of my life, and others never were. Some of those lessons learned were by mistakes I've made, some lessons were learned by mistakes others had made. Some by death, some by birth. And while there have definitely been times that were more along the lines of an episode of The Jerry Springer Show, there have been some things that I've learned that might help someone else. But for now, this little blog will be the closest I get to writing a book about my life. I'll save the hardbound edition for when I retire and am traveling the continent in an RV with my sweetie.

So anyway, I just want to say thanks to everyone that has stopped by, or continues to stop by -- whether you're my best friends, family, co-workers, clients, or just passing thru the information superhighway. I appreciate the fact that you stopped to have a look around and read something....interestingly funny.

Next time you come thru, be sure to leave me a comment! Say hi! I love to know that I have visitors!!

Supersoftballmom

One of my best friends calls me "supersoftballmom". Which is a title appropriately warranted from chasing Taylor around to a gazillion (that's really a word) softball games, practices, etc.

She plays fast-pitch for the Cross County Cannons -- a traveling team based in our hometown. And we spend our entire summer at the ball parks cheering them on.

Now, let's keep in mind that I'm not sports photographer by any stretch of the imagination, but I did get my gear out last weekend to snap a few pictures.....and by "a few", I really mean 221.

Here are 120 of them in a 3:34 video:

Honey-Do (it yourself) List

Somewhere in here I've established that I'm an emphatic list maker. Lists about what I love about my best friends, why my kids are da bomb, on and on and on. The lists do not end with me and I've just accepted it as part of my genetic makeup. I obviously have the 'list' chromosome.

So anyhoo, now that I'll be starting my new job, I've started a list of things that I need to do once I get there:

paint new "office" (and the laundry room while I'm at it)
organize office
update website
research marketing/advertising
nose pierced
Picture Fizz Facebook???

Ok, so, right now it's a small list, but mighty. These are pretty big tasks. And let's face it. We can go ahead and cross "paint new office" off this list -- I highly doubt my painting-contractor-boyfriend will allow me to paint any walls in our home, my office or otherwise.

As my wonderful boyfriend would attest, my "desk" leaves alot to be desired. A-LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOT. Since I'd rather be shooting, editing images, chasing kids, conjugating verbs or doing long division, organizing anything isn't really my forte. Nope, not so much. I just get too busy to keep it tidy -- well, that and the fact that most of my editing takes place on the couch while watching "I'm a celebrity, get me outta here". So, it kind of becomes a "just put it on my desk, I'll get it later" spot. Check it:

You thought I was kidding. Clearly not. Yeah, so "organize office" is going to take me a little bit. Ok, ok. A lot bit.

Updating my website should be pretty easy. I try to keep up with the galleries as much as I can -- always adding fresh new images of my super-cute clients. And I really need to tend to the 'About' page. I draw a complete blank when I try to edit this page. "what should I add?"...."does it sound too cheesy?"...."does anyone even look at this page?"

I haven't done the first bit of advertising for my photography business. Everything has been word of mouth. And since this will be my primary source of income, I figured I probably need to look into this. Lucky for me, I have a highly successful beau that knows the ropes when it comes to this and will gladly listen to his knowledgeable suggestions on the subject.

And since I will no longer be working in Corporate America, I WILL be getting my nose pierced. This is something I've wanted to do for quite some time but for obvious reasons have never been able to. And since my boss will be...well, me....I can pretty much do whateverintheheck I want now! Although, my grandma has made it quite clear that if I get my nose pierced she will remove me from any inheritance I am currently willed.

Not sure about a seperate Facebook page, though. That's just one more thing to update, and quite frankly, I have enough to update. So, we'll see 'bout this one.

This should get pretty interesting....

Shootsac

I spend a big part of my free time researching other photographers....what they're shooting, the gear they're using, the clients they love. It's a way for me to challenge myself creatively, continuously learning techniques and lighting tricks. I have learned so much by fellow photographers...it still amazes me how helpful other photographers are. It's like this big community that's always paying it forward.

I've been following this photographer ever since I entered the wedding biz 4 years ago. She has an amazing eye and captures phenomenal images.

She also has this really cool side business making the Shoot Sac --this handy bag with pouches to hold all of my gear while shooting. I've had my eye on one of these for a little while and today, the UPS guy delivered mine to me:





This baby will definitely come in handy. And the super cool part of it is I can change up the covers! Right now I'm digging the metallic floral number....

*sigh*

....it's pictures like these that make me want to have more babies.

For about a minute.

Until I realized that there is just no way possible to squeeze any more time out of my already crazy-busy life.

BUT! If I did have more babies, I'd want 'em to be this cute. (I think all of my clients are cute!)

Brairen, meet the internet. Internet, Brairen. His parents are good friends of ours and we had gone over last weekend for a little BBQ....beer, burgers, cornhole....you know, the usual. I had just finished up a shoot with this cutie and this handsome family and still had all of my gear in the truck. So, while everyone was playing around, I busted out my camera for a little fun with this butter bean.

(Big fat cheeks and drool.....don't it make you want to bury your face in his neck and kiss him??)

His eyes are the most amazing colorS...yes, colors -- with an s. They start out this greenish, slate grey color and then turn this amazing, orangish brown.

This cute-ness should be illegal.

I'm shooting his 1st birthday party in a few weeks. Can't wait to see what he looks like with cake on his face. Delicious!

Little D...round 2

So, remember this little guy?! My first session with D was when he was only a month old. Now, he's 3 months and twice the size he was then! I couldn't believe how much his looks have changed since I last saw him. He's so alert now. And happy!!! MY GOODNESS was this kid happy. He just kept smiling and laughing and smiling and coo-ing.


I love this stage of babies. When they're just starting to notice their surroundings and react to you. They find their hands and feet for the first time. When they smile like this it makes me wish there were some way we could jump inside their minds to know exactly what made them smile.

Isn't he cute!?

Couldn't wait!

Ok.....I'm not even half way thru editing the session I did with Jaime, Jason and their son, Jayden, but I couldn't help but post a quick peek. I absolutely loved this little man. He had such character!

My favorite part of being a photographer....ok, well, there are many, so let's just say ONE of my favorite parts of being a photographer is capturing personalities in my images. If I laugh out loud when I'm editing a session because I see an image that comes alive, I know I've done my job. There were quite a few times while I was editing these images that I just chuckled, out loud, at the expressions on Jayden's face...like I could almost hear his cute little giggle. Absolutely adorable, this kid is!

One of my other favorite parts of my job is trying to figure out what it takes to make my clients smile. I've done some pretty radical things to pull a smile out of the frowniest (I'm sure that's not a word). With Jayden, all it took was a high five. I'd high five him, he'd smile. We had it down pat.



Check back...I'm sure I won't be able to contain myself while I process the rest of the images!

I absolutely love my job!!!!!!!!!

xo,
e

Proof....

....that I wasn't lying when I twittered that I was on a rootbeer float kick lately...

Stay tuned....last weeks sessions are almost done!