Squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails

I have always envisioned a beautiful french country garden for all of the places that I have lived in and I thought this time I would really make it happen. My front garden has butterfly bushes and a small rose garden. I have beautiful bougainvilleas, gardenias and fresh herbs growing. I have a bird bath with a Celtic cross in the bowl of it and I have a 3 foot cedar wood bird feeder that would look heavenly for any bird.

Everything is wonderful...except for the unwanted visitors, the squirrels. I have always been an animal lover, but I will admit, I did shoot an armadillo once. However, while raising my boys, I have always taught them to love animals and not to hurt the lizards. This has not been easy and I have been successful, for all but maybe 5 lizards.

My 40th birthday came too soon like a credit card bill in the mailbox. I have to be honest and say that it was truly dreaded. My amazing husband Bret is a bit younger than I am, to my advantage since I act much younger than him most of the time. Let's just say it's good to have an adult around sometimes...if you know what I mean ;)

For my birthday my husband took me to brunch at the Ritz Carleton, which was amazing and fulfilled every food craving I have ever had in my life. He also allowed me to pick out things for my dream garden. I bought new flowers in all different colors, a bird bath and a bird feeder. I love birds, really!

I spent 4 long days ripping apart my front yard and reassembling it to resemble something like a garden. Most importantly I put the  bird feeder together by myself, that I am quite proud of :) I placed everything in just the perfect place and I waited. I waited and I waited and I waited some more. After 10 minutes I was very disappointed...not one single bird.

I walked away from my garden, I went back inside, cleaned myself up and I heard movement in the garden. I could hear the birds outside, I ran to the window and what did I see...a big pair of squirrel balls faced right at me while he was tearing at my bird feeder! I grabbed for the hose...he came back and this time he brought friends. They dug holes in my gardens, knocked one of my newly planted flowers over to tower like the Pisa.

I searched the Internet for help and I decided on Moth balls. My eyes watered as I pulled them from the box, the children took 3 steps back and making a "yucky" face. I thought this to be a good sign. I placed the moth balls in the garden, not just anywhere, like a decorator, adding smelly accents to my garden. They looked like little decapitated snowmen all over my garden, but I didn't care. When I was finished, I waited and I waited some more.

After a couple of hours I heard movement in the garden and I knew the savages were back. I waited patiently for them to keel over and die. I felt justified, I was doing it for the birds! What I saw was not death like dominoes, but laughing squirrels with big snowman shaped cheeks. The mothballs were now being carried off like prized nuts by the squirrels. I thought for sure they would die from them, but then the squirrels came back for more. They removed all 30 mothballs and I believe they have furnished their entire nest with mothball furniture, all thanks to the crazy bird lady with the hose.

After feeling defeated, I refused to refill the bird feeder only to nourish the demon squirrels for almost 2 weeks. They have since ripped chunks of the bird feeder off in rebellion and trampled every plant I have. So, today refusing to wallow in defeat, I refilled all the bird feeders I have, but I added cayenne pepper. This was another deterrent that I read about online we will have to see what happens.

Moving in a forward direction

With photography, as with most things, there is constant learning and with the technological side of photography it's always changing. Where APS cameras and then digital were the big things, now it's all about Pixels. Bigger is better...My best camera has a 10.1, now Hasselblad has a 39.0. They get bigger everyday. This is a good thing if your making a photo the size of Denmark or you crop in on the mutant atoms of a flea.

I sometimes get lost in thinking I need the latest and greatest, then a little voice (Thank you Holy Spirit) reminds me that it's the photographer not the camera. Then of course I worry about technique and there I go running for blogs and books to extract as much knowledge as I can before my head explodes. Or, my husband yells that it's time to put the toys away and come in for supper.

My past is littered with more information than one person can put to use, so I'm making a change to the "less is more" team. I like simple, elegant, beautiful, classic... but simple. I'm thinking of changing my company name, yet again,to just" Corinne Noel. " It's shorter, it's my name, it sounds French and classy, which is what I'm trying to market.

I've gone from the broad terms of "Life Photographer" to wanting to do strictly wedding and portrait photography. I don't want a studio. I feel there is so much outside, more canvas than the eye can see, why limit myself to what I can hang on my wall or pull out of a closet?

Here is a photo from Mother's Day with my family, my nephew Alex. I can't wait to do his Senior photos.

A beautiful Easter...

It's the Tuesday after Easter and I would have to say my favorite since I was a child. There were no big gifts or mountains of candy, but more about the true meaning of Easter.

I was on Facebook for a time and many people from my past came out to befriend me. There were many unsettled things that were settled. I asked for forgiveness of my past, as I freely gave forgiveness to others that didn't ask for it. I am a new creation in Christ Jesus, it is my duty to forgive others or I cannot receive Jesus' forgiveness and that I cannot live without! The feeling of true freedom happened last week, a real sense of being able to move on. I can look back at some pretty terrible memories...and smile knowing it was all part of who I am today, that it has been wiped clean and together we have been freed of any burden of guilt we may have carried over the years :) God is amazing!!!

Worked on the finals for a restaurant advertising campaign. 4 separate shoots and not with the best lighting. Did my best, I think some came out REALLY nice!

Wedding season is coming again

This past winter I have found myself doing parties, outdoor sports, indoor events, but the weddings have been no where to be found. Until today...Just had my first lead of the season and I'm getting excited with the thought of tool and lace and a picture of forever.

This is a wedding I did last year, the bride was beautiful and her home had every photo-op available without taking her to another location or bringing ANYTHING!!

I think today is the start of the warmer weather coming back...I don't really miss it. Maybe I do, but I really don't like being stuck to my leather seats, or my makeup dripping down my face before I get to my destination.

It can always be worse, if this is the worst that happens, I'm blessed :)

When it rains it pours...

I have been really busy these last couple of weeks. I've been preparing for two events in the same weekend, no recovery time at all. It worked out great, the weather did more that cooperate, it actually was accommodating. The weather was so bad at one event, that I was actually able to go to the 2nd event early and relieve any stress about being short on time. The Beast Feast is an event for outdoors men. It has hunting and fishing and the whole manly hunter vibe. What most don't know when they first get there, is that Jesus is the reason and they will be introduced to him by a man who looks like the guy standing next to you in line at 7-Eleven buying chewing tobacco. The event is done beautifully, the people are amazing, the food is great and I get to witness many having the "Come to Jesus" moments. I'm blessed and honored.

I received the news earlier this week that my youngest son, has a rare congenital disorder where he won't have more than 6 adult teeth in his mouth. This is bringing back thoughts of me growing up with spaces between all my teeth and not smiling with my mouth open until I was 33! Only because I had my front 6 teeth bonded. I looked somewhat normal. My sweet little man, this would kill any one's self esteem, but after a messy divorce and some of the verbal abuse he takes from his Dad's house, I'm afraid of the consequences.

Many other things have come before me this week, none as crippling as what is happening to my son. Have to move on and pray, pray that miracles can happen for me too.

Lost in space or just in the middle of life...

Things have been really busy! If you ask me with what, I will roll my eyes, start counting on my fingers while I whisper to myself task after task and then the answer will be, "I don't really know!" Sometimes we all get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and we don't really know how to explain what happened, it's like a car accident..."I was driving along and the next thing I remember...I woke up here!" I woke up today and that's where I am...I know where I am, just unsure of where I was or what I have been doing :) I'm sure it was important to ME and a step toward improving ME and that's all that matters :)

Working with one of my sittings from last month, album issues, plenty of inexpensive albums and tons of very expensive ones, but the middle man is hard to find. Ordered one album from a company, not up to my standards, they want a picture of the album sent to them...why? I just want a credit! Anyway, that's another issue for another day.

Here is a photo that I took of a little girl, fun shoot outdoors. Kids are great, they must have 50 expressions in a minute, capturing them is the challenging part :)

In the Dungeon...

Helping a friend out with his new gym, said I would take some photos, thought it would be easy. Well, new things are not always easy. He calls it "The Dungeon" I thought it was just a name for a place of torture. Not completely the case here. It's VERY dark! I was taking action photos in the dark! I have lenses for weddings that do great in low light...but for NO LIGHT! So, I didn't do as well as I had hoped. Here is a photo from the shoot, it's a little artsy, but that's just me. Why put it in a book or a little frame and call it a photo when you could make it big, hang it on the wall and call it ART!!!

enough of that day this, day that stuff!

Okay it has been a few days since I last blogged, why does this sound like a confessional? Anyway, life has been busy! My computer guy turned a 15 minute project into a 4 day project, however on the bright side...I asked for an Acura type software at a "if you can drag it you can have it price" and he gave me a Black Range Rover decked out and still at the drag it price! I'm very happy :)

Forwarding my new domain to my photo site and forwarding my old domain to my new one which will...you know. Working on my logo, yet again, thinking I may go with something very simple as choosing my font and then wait for the logo. Much cheaper I think...budget is calling and I can't afford the call, ya hear me?

One of my events that I have done for 5 years now, is going to use one of my photos for their shirts this year, I'm honored :)

Day 4

Happy with my new logo, I think I have plastered it on everything I own, but my clothing...hm mm it would look great on a black shirt...heheehhehe! Spoke with a fellow photographer about selling rights to his photos to a zoo. All I can say is "Research, Research, Research" I don't know a lot about that situation and he has no idea what he might be in for, so Google away my friend, Google away! Went to Taekwondo this morning, I'm hurtin' but it feels great. I really want to take some photos there of the kids, parents just love to see their kids doing great and I love taking the photos and seeing the parents faces when they look at what I saw. It's awesome, it's why I do what I do.

Moments pass so quickly that we can rarely capture them to memory to do them any justice, that's why we have photographers! I love what I do :)

Photo for the day: From a Windsurfing regatta in Sarasota. The water is cold, the boat is rockin' and I'm standing up with a steady hand! Yahoo I love a challenge :)

Day 3

Worked on new logo today...went from fancy to simple and easy to read :) I like it, classic, simple, but elegant, black and white...sounds like me! Funny how that works isn't it. Okay, now working on new business cards yippee this is great fun! Going from part-time to full-time is a big change. Everything that I did before down to my logo was rushed and I knew it was only temporary. This is the real deal now...mister! Permanent marker serious!

Oh yes, and my photo for today: Photos for a family of 5 + a dog, for more Christmas cards, walking down to the posing area gave me some great shots of the kids looking more natural. I love this photo...maybe because it reminds me of myself when I was little, the sun setting behind her on the open water, tells me that the possibilities are endless...I love that!

Day 2

Okay this isn't so bad, a little problem with the whole password thing and remembering which email account I used to set this little booger up with :D and we're off!!!!!

Working on updating my website photos and products, big pain in the bottom half, but it must be done. Humbling to look at other photographers blogs and see how this really hasn't started out to look anything like their blogs.

Note to self...must have lots of photos to pull off "Pro Photo Blog" will try to remember that. Oh right, let me add a photo for today...ummm okay here it goes...

*** This photo from a great family wanting their Christmas Card photos. I think this was the fastest shoot I have ever done, must have been it was the week before Christmas and she still needed to send them out ;)

Crazy little thing called B L O G...

First day of blogging, not really sure what I'm doing, but because I'm serious about being successfull in the photography world...here goes!

This is a photo from our family vacation Beech Mountain North Carolina. Beauty & peace in a single shot...I love it!