birthday celebration

+ chocolate festival


sweater/dress: borrowed // shirt: garage sale // tights: thrifted // shoes: target





Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday! On top of a million facebook messages, dorm decorations, and hugs, Ivy and Amy took me to the chocolate festival in Portland! It was super fun to be able to hang out with them in such a beautiful city, and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was sunny and not too cold, which made walking around downtown that much more enjoyable, especially when we wanted to burn off all the chocolate we ate.



Ivy; she took the pictures of me.




Amy!



I don't think I've ever tasted such delicious chocolate. My favorites were the dark chocolate with bacon, actually. It was such an interesting and awesome flavor--just enough crispiness and bitter chocolatyness to make me want to eat it all! The salted chocolates were also fantastic, as well as the fudge and chocolate covered almonds. Mmm! So many of the companies were organic and fair trade and advertised healthier chocolates, which was also fantastic. I love learning about companies that are passionate about things like that, especially when those companies hand out free samples!







By the end of the day, we were all so stuffed from free samples that we could hardly move. I never knew there could be so many different flavors and combinations of chocolates. On top of the bacon filled ones, there were also jalapenos, dried blueberries and other fruits, alcohol (too bad we couldn't taste those, haha), and so many other things. By the end of the festival we all had chocolate hangovers, but it was totally worth it. Towards the end, vendors were trying to get rid of their last bit of goods, so we even got a couple free chocolate bars! I know what I'll be eating tomorrow.






All in all, my birthday was definitely a blast. It's crazy to think that I'm now in my last year of being a teenager and basically a fourth of my life is over with. I'm old! ;) I can't wait to see what this year holds and what memories are about to be made.






Hope you all have a super awesome day.

print giveaway winners!

Congratulations to those who won! Please message me your address and the print you would like by February 3rd so I can get it sent out to you!

Also, I'm happy to announce that you can now purchase my prints at my new print shop here! 100% of the proceeds will fund my trip to a photo gathering.

Have a great day everyone!

p.s. if you want to watch the awkward video of me winning, you can see it here.

my week in instagram #31

I got the van stuck in the driveway because it was so slippery // Oscar is my blogging/editing partner // saying "see you soon" to Matt and my family and Alaska // saying "hi" to beautiful Oregon // drawing with my birthday present from Matt // cards got a little wild // built my first flat all by myself at my job // finally became an art major (now I'm majoring in English AND art whoop!) // got a cookie cupcake from my friends

Hope you all have a fantastic week!

mad world

Today is my last day of being eighteen. And life is good.

film friday: sweater

Willow - Sweater from Filip Sterckx on Vimeo.

Hey guys! Sorry for the little blog hiatus. It was definitely unintended and I missed blogging a lot. My laptop's power cord bit the dust the first day of classes, so I quickly bought a new cord and even got the quickest shipping, but of course it only came on the last day of the week. Being without a computer has left me kind of crutched since a lot of my schoolwork is online, but thankfully my friends have let me use their computers this first week. But now I am back and ready to go!

And thankfully I'm back just in time for film friday! I really love this music video. For one thing, I love finding new (to me) bands that are really good at what they do, and for another thing I'm a sucker for really imaginative music videos. This one blows my mind every time I watch it, and you definitely should take a look. Now it's time for me to catch up on everybody's blogs since I missed a whole week. (you guys wrote over 100 posts while I was gone ... either I'm following too many people or you guys are writing a ton!)

Have a great weekend!

my week in instagram #30

sledding and watching the sunset // making quality art with photographer friends // staying motivated to save money for a plane ticket // being silly // my boy playing with the dog // everyone's gingerbread houses // shooting people is what photographers do best // scouting out photoshoot locations // waking up to a sleepy cat next to me

These photos are actually from the past two weeks, as the holidays took over last week in instagram's time slot. In just a couple of hours I'll get on the plane to go back to Oregon, so wish me luck!

(you can follow me on instagram @impulsings)

Have a great day everyone!

her unknown surroundings

"She had been traveling for days, a slow paced snail’s race, for the memories of a forgetting town rattled in her brain too much if she ran. Her legs clutched to the cold damp ground every time she tried to lift them and her eyes no longer cared to search for any little speck of light. But when a glimmer of dust caught her gaze, she lifted her eyes and her unknown surroundings were suddenly a vast array of opportunities to become known."

First upload of the new year! It's been really nice not having to take a photo every day, but I have missed shooting and editing and sharing things with you guys. One of my resolutions is to do at least two photoshoots a month, as well as incorporate writing into my photos, so you guys will have to keep me accountable.

This photo was the first I shot during my mini meetup with the incredibly talented Grace Adams and Sarah Joann a couple days ago. It was such an honor to finally be able to meet and hang out with them in person! (In a few days I'll have a blog post up with some fun photos from this day). It is a surreal feeling to meet someone you've been admiring online for a long time. When I woke up the next day I wondered if it actually happened. They are both so beautiful and nice and awesome and I hope we can hang out again in the future!

I hope this first meetup is a sign of how the rest of my year will go.

film friday: this is oregon

THIS IS OREGON from Shwood Eyewear on Vimeo.

In honor of me flying back to the beautiful state of Oregon on Sunday, I thought it would be appropriate to show this video. Oregon is seriously so gorgeous and I love that it only takes a little bit of time to drive out and suddenly be completely immersed in nature. I think it's one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you have time, I highly recommend going to their website (thisisor.com) and checking out the photos, and would even more highly recommend actually going to Oregon and exploring all it has to offer.

so try to be somebody

dress/skirt/shirt/tights/shoes: thrifted // belt: forever 21 // jacket: from a friend




Can I just say that I'm quite proud the majority of this outfit is thrifted? I for one absolutely adore thrift stores. When I was a lot younger, I thought it was so uncool to have clothes that were bought from a thrift store, probably because that was back when I thought brands of clothes made you popular. My junior high self went so far as to shop at all the popular stores just so that people would think I was cool. Newsflash: it didn't work out so much. People didn't think I was cool when I suddenly had "Hollister" plastered all over my chest. Thankfully that phase of my life has ended (the brands and t-shirts and jeans phase) and I can roam the thrift store isles in all their glory!

I've been trying to purchase more basic pieces for my wardrobe, such as this skirt and dress. I have a lot of crazy pieces but not a lot of basic ones I can mix a whole bunch of times. I think this skirt will be just what I need and I already predict I'll be wearing it at least once a week this year. It will be hard to refrain from doing so. The red shoes were definitely a fun purchase. In Oregon I had my eye on some $20 red shoes (c'mon thrift stores, you're supposed to be cheap!), but I didn't buy them for that price tag reason. Now I'm so glad I didn't do it because these red shoes only cost me $6! Yuuus I love negotiating with sales people to get good deals.




This outfit works because most of these colors are neutrals. Neutrals are colors (blacks, whites, browns, navys) that go with any other color, and that includes other neutrals. Whoever decided to say that brown and black didn't go together was crazy, because they do, because they are neutrals. Even my cream colored shirt can be considered a neutral because it's a member of the brown family. Then I just added a little pop of color--red--to make the outfit stand out. I could have chosen any color shoes and bow because again, everything else was a neutral. And as far as print goes, I'm actually wearing two prints. The navy dress has some flower embossment (not a real word, but it makes sense, haha) sewn into the fabric (which you can't quite tell from the photos, but trust me, it's there), and then my cream top has some neutral flowers on it as well. They are nice subtle prints that work together.

I hope this helps you guys out in mixing prints and colors together! :)





Have a super awesome day. Love you!

birthday wishlist

1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.11.12

Also this shirt, one calendar for school, one for blogging/goals, one journal for diary, one for dreams, and a moo gift card.

Now that the holidays are finally over, it's time to focus on birthdays in the Parker family. My dad's, brother's, and my birthdays are all within the span of eight days, so it's nothing short of a celebration at our house. Of course, I head back to college before my birthday, so the party party party time will have to be a little premature, but I'm still really excited about it! My dad had me put together a wishlist of things I want, so I browsed around and found things that I claim I can't live without. But really I am content with where I am in life and this is just stuff (not saying that I don't want to get stuff for my birthday though, parents! Wink wink.) I'm just really thankful I've had an awesome break with my family and boyfriend and that in a week I get to go back to an awesome school with some of the most amazing people I've ever met.

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!

2012 in review

Since I'm already a couple days late with this whole review of the year thing, I'm just going to jump right in. I've been reading all of my posts from the last year (all 500+ of them ... sheesh Lauren) and man, I was so nerdy back then! Hah, of course my current nerdy self is one to talk, and I'm sure by this time next year I'll look back on this post and think the same thing (hey future me, wassup? ... I'm gonna regret not backspacing on that one), but since keeping this blog, I've become so infinitely better at taking outfit pictures and writing up posts. For me, it's all a matter of elaborating on things, and I've become a lot better at doing it throughout the year.

Speaking of the year, here are some highlights:
January: I officially started blogging! (Which also means, Introvert's Introduction is officially one year old!); went on a date with Matt to the zoo; played in the snow; became a math tutor; turned 18 and opened a letter my freshman self sent to me; got a gold key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards; got a part in the school play; went to an Owl City concert; and danced with a handsome man at homecoming.

February: I traveled to Oregon for the first time and participated in my college's scholarship competition; celebrated Matt and mine's one year anniversary; babysat some precious kids; and won a photography contest.

March: I went bowling with awesome people; did my very first blogger spotlight; received my first piece of clothing from a company; saw the northern lights; held my first blog giveaway; went on a photo adventure; was caught with my camera; and performed in the school play.

April: I took some senior portraits; watched improvaganza; bought my first business cards; made a camera strap; helped Matt with his video; and took engagement photos.

May: I kicked off the 30 day dress challenge; went to a bridal shower; was voted outstanding lead actress; participated in the senior prank; GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL; and dressed up as a vampire for a 48-hour film challenge.

June: I used my tablet for the first time; went on a photo adventure; went camping; went camping again; took pictures of miss alaska and miss teen alaska; shot my very first wedding; and changed the design of my blog.

July: I hung out with Matt; celebrated the 4th of July; took pictures for a week long camp; had one of my best friends visit me; and went to the air show.

August: I finally began talking about introverts; showed some of my editing process; made a behind the scenes video; went on a photo date; said 'see you soon' to Matt; went to college; and fell in love with a beautiful city.

September: I dyed my hair for the first time ever; went to the beach and made some beautiful friends; held a hummingbird; talked about college; and went to my first meetup (and met some of my biggest inspirations).

October: I wrote my first article for the school newspaper; took college street style photos; explored an abandoned building; went to the Bombay Bicycle Club concert; and went to the pumpkin patch.

November: I hiked Multnomah Falls; dyed all of my hair; took my first successful RAW photo; and introduced film friday.

December: I celebrated the end of the semester; took my favorite 365 photo; returned to Alaska; looked back on my first semester at college; wrote some thoughts on photography; showed off my ceramics haul; went to a New Year's retreat; and took my last 365 photo!
Wow, it's been such a crazy year. Some of the things I did in January, I could have sworn I did years ago and not just a few months ago. It's crazy how fast time flies and how memories seem like they happened a lifetime ago. It's been a crazy year full of a lot of struggles and successes, and I think I've matured a lot in these few short months.

365 day project: 2012 from Lauren Parker on Vimeo.

And here is photographic evidence of my year in (nearly) 365 photos. This video makes me so happy because even though I didn't give any effort much of the time, I made it a whole year and I have grown so so much as a photographer, even in the days that I didn't care to take a picture. I think now that the 365 is over, my work will get exponentially better because I'll have more time and I'll be able to share only things I'm proud of. But I am glad I decided to do another 365 and I will always look on these photos with fondness.






Here are some of my favorite outfits from 2012! It's so fun to look back and see how my (practically nonexistent) style evolved into what it is today. Even in such a short amount of time (relatively, of course, because this year has seemed really long), it's crazy how much I've grown fashionably alone. I'd say it wasn't until about summer before my senior year in high school that I really started to get interested in fashion. I mean, I liked dressing nice but I didn't know that much about personal style and I certainly didn't have one of my own (if you don't count jeans and shirts as a personal style). Only after did Matt (my boyfriend) show me his sister's blog were my eyes opened to personal style and a world of blogging I had never even known about. My whole life I've had some sort of diary or blog (I kept a neopets blogspot in elementary school, that's how cool I was), but I never knew people could blog about things other than random diary crap (not saying that stuff is actually crap, because we all know how much I like to post about my life, but let's be honest, my elementary stuff probably was not the best). So after posting some outfits to my tumblr, I decided to start blogging January 1, 2012 to document my last half of senior year and journey into college. Who would have even thought it would turn into so much more than that? I have made so many friends through blogging and have grown so much because of it, not only in personal style but just in general. You guys give me a lot of good perspective on life and I want to give you good perspective on life as well. I used to be so depressed and unmotivated but from blogging (which includes dressing nicely and taking photos and making new friends) I have so much more joy in life, and I hope whenever you guys read my blog that you get a little bit more joy in yours. If I don't do that, then there's no point in me continuing on. But it's a fabulous journey and I plan to stay in the game for many years to come. It's funny, I started this blog to document a major turning point in my life, but I think every single day can be a major turning point, and I don't want to miss a moment of it.

Thank you guys so so much for reading this little blog of mine. You are seriously seriously seriously the best ever and I love you so much! Let's make 2013 an awesome year.

to enter the light

day 365

Counting down to the new year always makes me emotional. A year's worth of pain, struggle, happiness, success; a thousand actions, a million thoughts, a billion memories, all finally fall behind my back as fireworks ring in a fresh beginning. I'm starting to think that New Years is my favorite holiday because it holds the greatest emotion for me. It's just so monumental to put another milestone in your life. I knew 2012 would be a roller coaster year, and it definitely did not disappoint. Tomorrow I'm doing a big year in review post, so I won't talk about all the things that happened in 2012 right now, but even just looking back through my memory, this year has been so insane. And to think that I was able to document it with (nearly) 365 photos is equally as insane.

You may or may not have noticed that I had a series going on within my 365 project, and this photo is the final image in the series. At first I was really frustrated that I would have to shoot in an unknown location with no internet for my last photo, but this one ended up even better than I could have imagined.

day one: to leave the atmosphere
day one hundred: tearing down our foundations
day two hundred: halfway home
day three hundred: and as the fog clears

Day one I wasn't in love with photography any longer and I didn't really know what I was doing with the 365 project. I felt like I was in a fog and couldn't see where I was going or what I was supposed to do. (I actually won a contest with that photo, which I find so ironic because I felt lost in regards to photography.) Day one hundred found me inspired again, thinking I could never top that photo at all. The fog was beginning to clear but I was still timid about what my personal style was and if I even had a place as a photographer. Day two hundred found me with my first wedding under my belt, with my first major photoshoot with miss alaska and miss teen alaska behind me. It found me searching and pushing through that fog. Day three hundred found me in a new place, a new state (state of mind and geographical state), with models and photographers and friends and a lot of growing up. I was trudging through the forest and I was starting to see things clearly. And day three hundred and sixty five has found me finally entering the light, finally feeling at peace with who I am currently, finding joy in pushing my boundaries and doing things I never thought I would do. I think if I were to redo this project, I would have worked even harder on it. I would have given myself more guidelines in what I could and could not create, because many days I was lazy and gave no effort, which left me frustrated and ready to quit. But now I know it is in doing the scary things that bring me the most joy. My favorite photo in the entire project would be this one, and not necessarily because it was the most well done or popular photo. It was because that photo was where I went against everything in me and did something I previously thought I would never have been able to do. I want every photo I take to make me feel the way this photo did: absolutely terrified but so so accomplished. I know that just because I write "day 365" doesn't mean my journey is done. But now I feel a little bit more enlightened and I am in love with photography again. And don't worry, I will be taking a lot of pictures in 2013.

And I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone who supports me. I ended the year succeeding my goal of reaching 25,000 views on flickr and 365 likes on facebook. That to me is unbelievably amazing and I cannot thank you guys enough. You are the best ever. In a couple days I'm having a big huge print giveaway to say thank you, and in a few more days I'll pick up my camera again to make some more awesome images, but in the mean time, I'm taking a much needed break.

I just want to nod my head in the direction of the end of my first 365 project, because that was when I first fell in love with photography and my eyes were opened to this fantastic world of awesome people, many of which are my friends today. I still look on my first 365 with fondness, and it's great to see just how much I've improved. And let's not even try to imagine what I'm going to say at the end of 2013 that I thought I would never be able to do today! But let's make the end of 2013 be really proud and blown away by what we did in the year.

All I can say is thank you, and it's going to be awesome.

life in a frozen house

day 364

Hey everyone! I hope you had a wonderful new year. I just got back from no internet, so things shall resume around here as normal. I'll post day 365 in a few hours to give this one a little bit of time to shine. :)