Practice and a Mentor {Make Perfect}

I am a classified wannabe photographer.  I love it.  I love everything about photography.  Problem is...I don't know everything about it and probably never will...but I can surely learn a lot more!  I have a serious passion for photography; I want to just get better and better at it.  Slowly, but surely I will.  I know the best way to learn how to take good pictures is to practice, practice, practice and trust me, I do. Ask my husband and children...they will tell you - I'm in their faces with a camera every.single.day (no joke).  But along with practice you need knowledge and that is where Amy comes in.

I had never actually met Amy before Sunday, but through the good ol' 6-degrees of separation I came to know her! Amy is a wonderful photographer; I love her work - I seriously stalk her (which I fully admitted once I met her and thankfully, she is fine with it).  Amy does mentoring sessions and mentoring is exactly what I need.  Thankfully, my friend Lori is also a lover of photography and wants the same kind of help I do - so we tag teamed a mentoring session with Amy in Olympia on Sunday and it couldn't have gone any better!  I learned so much and cannot wait to put it all into practice!  I really hope that I can soon take an editing workshop with her, so I can turn my 'ok' pictures into awesome pictures!  Ultimately the goal is to not have to edit much, but reality is a bugger and lighting isn't always good, your subject(s) aren't always cooperating (see 6 and 3 year old boys) and sometimes, you just need to make things better than they actually are - that's why they invented editing software people!

Our new best friend Amy.

My big girl mocha - so pretty!

After some mentoring and coffee it was time to head out to practice, practice, practice!

Rain was a bummer - but we made the best of it.

Lori in action!

Thanks Lori for capturing me in action!

Best cupcake I think I've ever had came from here!  A must-do when in Olympia.

Next two photos were taken by Amy - thank you!

Love this!

{My birthday and Christmas are pretty far away, but if you need any ideas for what to buy me - I have a whole list of photography must-haves that I'm happy to pass on to you!}

After our trek to Olympia, Lori was nice enough to bring me back to my car...my car was not nice enough to start!  Dead battery...as in D.E.A.D - not "I left the lights on dead"...we're talking "must replace now dead", ugh.  Thank God for AAA, Olive Garden and great friends.  Lori was so sweet to stay with me while I waited for AAA - I was told 1-2 hours.  I pulled the "I'm a single female in a dark parking lot" bit with the dispatcher who said she was sure to note that for me - yeah right.  Lori and I went over to Olive Garden for a nice dessert (so yummy) and sure enough AAA shows up about 30 mins later.  I guess my single female bit worked :)  One new battery, a $125 later and I was on my way home!

Lori and Amy, thank you both so much - you will never know how much that one day means to me!