express yourself

shirt/skirt: thrifted // leopard shirt: mom's closet // tights: forever 21 // boot: target // coat/socks: from a friend



Yay! First outfit post of the year! I've had a nice little break from the camera ever since finishing my 365 project, but now I'm excited to get back into the swing of things. I leave for school again in exactly one week, and I'm ready for life to kick into gear. Of course, I say that now, but probably in a few weeks when my eighteen credits is killing me, I'll regret saying that. But I can't wait to see all my friends again and take classes and be surrounded by beautiful Oregon landscape. And of course being in this Alaskan weather has hardened me up for what I thought was a cold Oregon winter.



Check out my super fun camera nails! I posted a previous version of these on instagram (you can follow me @impulsings), and I loved them so much (or rather, hated how poorly done they were, haha) that I redid them! The trick is to use sharpie. And when you put your top coat on, be very quick about it so the marker doesn't run at all. I really love these nails and I'll probably experiment with more designs like this in the future.




Also, I entered the Modcloth year of dresses contest and have a fun blooper video for you guys! I promise I'm not this dorky in real life, or maybe I am. At any rate, the contest made me really excited for 2013 and even if I don't win, I really want to focus on print/color mixing because I really do love it a lot and want to help out anyone who's a bit scared to try it out. 2013 is going to be a fantastic year!

bloopers from Lauren Parker on Vimeo.

I hope you all have a really awesome day, and I would love it if you voted for my entry here! Also don't forget to enter my print giveaway. I want as many people who want to enter to do so. The more the merrier!

my new years resolutions

A lot of people are against new years resolutions, and for good reason. They get so excited about changing their life and then after about a month or so the excitement fizzles out and they forget their lofty goals that they set up at the beginning of the year. I'm no different, and I've definitely had my share of unresolved resolutions. But I am a firm believer in improvement, and I think every person can improve and learn and become better in some way, so no matter how many years I fail, I'll probably always make new years resolutions.

But this year I've been reading a lot about setting goals and have learned a few tricks that will help me actually stay on track with the things I want to do. I highly suggest you read this article (with a link to another article that you should also read) about setting goals and sticking with them. I certainly will be utilizing some of the suggestions to make this year fantastic.

Here are my tentative resolutions for 2013 (I may or may not get rid of some in a couple months after seeing if I can handle so many goals):

1. Write one page a week in my novel.
2. Produce two photos a month.
3. Do one blog diy a month.
4. Do 8 outfit posts a month.
5. Take one college street style photo a week.
6. Read 12 books a year.
7. Draw one sketch a week.
8. Set aside $5 a week for savings.

And some dreams that I have for 2013 (as opposed to resolutions because there are other factors that could play into these things actually occurring):

1. Get my work "out there." (whatever that means, haha)
2. Get a photo on a book cover.
3. Gain more clients.
4. Go to a photo gathering.
5. Gain 100 more readers on Introvert's Introduction.
6. Gain 300 more likes on facebook.
7. Gain 25,000 more views on flickr.

(I want to pause here to say that numbers 5-7 aren't dreams because of gaining views on their own, but because I want to be able to share my photos and blog posts with as many people as possible. I love every single one of my readers a lot and would never turn them into a number or take them for granted. You make my day so much brighter just by me knowing that the things I post have the ability to make an impact on your life.)

I do realize this is a lot of stuff to take on, but I think it can be done as long as I purposely set aside time to do each thing. I can't become lazy and I need constant reminders, which is partly why I'm writing about them here, so you guys can keep me accountable. You'll actually be able to see if I'm keeping up with them based on what things I post. I love blogging, but I know if I don't set a goal for myself, there won't be any structure and I'll feel a bit lost. I'm also writing them here so you will hopefully stick with your own resolutions. I had never even thought about some of the steps to take to stick with my goals, and it will be exciting to see what becomes of them. Already I've been working hard on fulfilling some of these resolutions. In particular, the "getting my work out there resolution" has been going good so far. I've submitted my work to several places and am beginning the process to sell my images through a company that businesses and authors go to (hello book cover!). It's really nerve wracking because I'm not one who really likes to self advertise all that much because I don't want people to think that I think I'm the coolest thing since sliced bread (which I'm not), but I just wanted to give you guys a bit of encouragement that I've found to be helpful. You never ever know what will become of something if you don't try. The worst thing anyone can do is say no, and if you're too scared of the "no," then you'll never know what will happen if they say "yes." That's helped me press the 'send' button on multiple emails and I hope it will help you too!

So what are your resolutions? Let me know so that we can keep each other accountable!

tips to begin (and finish!) a 365 project

After finishing my first 365 project in 2010, I had discovered a new love for photography and my eyes had been opened to a world I never knew existed. After finishing my second 365 project this year, I've learned a lot more about photography and how to be successful at the 365. I wanted to share with you some of the things I've learned from this project so that you can get the most out of yours! I think everyone should do a 365, despite whether they are a photographer or not. It's a wonderful way to look back on a year and see just how much you've grown.

1. Decide right off the bat what kind of project you want the 365 to be. My first one had strict guidelines: I was only allowed to take self portraits. This stretched me to produce creative images and explore myself and learn a lot about who I was. The second time around, I gave myself no guidelines, which caused me to be lazy and not grow as much as I could have. So decide right away what you want to gain from the project. Do you just want documentation of a year, or do you want to learn more about your camera, or do you want to create 365 pieces of art? If I had a chance to do my second 365 over again, I would have constrained myself to only shooting portraits, mostly conceptual, so that I couldn't be lazy and take photos of random objects, and so that I could also branch out from self portraiture and into the modeling world. (Also, some photographers, when they skip days, continue numbering their photos as if they didn't, so they finish their project several days or weeks past the literal year mark. For me, when I skipped days--which I don't suggest doing--I skipped numbers, because I was more concerned about finishing in a year than necessarily producing 365 images. So decide which approach to numbering your photos you want to take.)

2. Don't underestimate yourself. You've really got to believe that the photos you take are amazing. If you continually mope around thinking that your photos are no good, then you'll eventually become so discouraged you'll quit. There's a fine line between not liking your images because you're no good and not liking your images because you want to improve. There's always room for improvement and you have to be pleased with what you produce, but also be looking for those ways to improve.

3. Post your photos online. Be it via flickr or facebook, post your photos somewhere so that others can hold you accountable. If you're wanting to become a better photographer, I HIGHLY suggest you join flickr. I didn't join flickr until halfway through my first 365 and I wish I had done it at the beginning. Flickr is a wonderful community of photographers that are there to encourage you along the way. If you join, I guarantee you will make some amazing friends and gain a ton of inspiration which will in turn help you move forward with your own 365.

4. Don't let your limitations be limitations. I completed my first 365 using a $75 point and shoot camera and old photoshop software I found in a box. My very first photos were shot with a camera that only shot video, which I print screened on the computer and edited in paint and picnik.com. I was doing the most primitive things when I did my first 365 and I didn't let them limit me. I instead used them to my advantage, to create things people didn't think were possible to create with the tools I had. Never think the camera makes the photographer. The photographer makes the camera. I've seen awful photos shot with fancy DSLR cameras, and fantastic photos with point and shoots. Don't think you have to purchase tons of equipment in order to be a good photographer. (But at the same time, if you are serious about it, there comes a point where your skill exceeds your equipment, in which case you should invest. But my point is that equipment doesn't equate to talent.)

5. Don't give up. This is obvious, but trust me, there will be days or weeks or months where you'll want to give the 365 project up, I guarantee it. DON'T DO IT. You'll be too tired, too busy, too uninspired to do anything. But take a photo anyways. There were days where I hated my camera and I didn't ever want to think about touching photography again. But you just have to fight through those feelings. It's okay to create images that you hate. It's okay that you're too busy to take a decent photo. When I finished my first 365, after two weeks I went back and put all the photos I didn't like on private. The important thing is that I took those photos. It was in the failures that I grew the most. And the important thing is to recognize what you don't like about a photo and then fix it. Just don't give up. Even when there are photos you don't like, when you look back at the end of the year, you'll be proud of the entire project.

As for the technical side of the 365 (ie, editing and whatnot) I am completely self taught. I learned everything I know from pushing random buttons and looking things up on the internet. A really awesome resource for anyone who takes photos would be phlearn.com. They make awesome tutorials that I often go to and there is a lot that they teach in their episodes. Definitely go check them out.

I hope these tips will help you out a little bit. If you are doing a 365 project for 2013, let me know! I would love to be your cheerleader. And whenever you hit that bump and want to quit, seriously don't be afraid to talk to me. You will not regret doing a 365. Even though it is a challenge at times, it's one of the most gratifying feelings to look back on a year's worth of images and be proud of who you became.

Print Giveaway!

To celebrate the end of my 365, I’m hosting a print giveaway to say thank you!
To win one print of your choice from my flickr (flickr.com/photos/-laurenparker) (size ~5x8, 6 winners total), all you have to do is:

1. Follow this blog via google friend connect or bloglovin
2. Comment with your name and one thing you’re looking forward to in 2013

You can gain multiple entries by also entering on my flickr and facebook.

Also, if you were in any of my 365 photos and choose to enter the giveaway, you automatically get an extra entry for taking the time out of your day to model for me.

Giveaway ends on Monday, January 14, at 11:59 pm EST

Good luck!