You are not your job.

So many things are so different than they were even ten years ago, it used to be a matter of pride and dedication to stay at your job for long chunks of time, fifty years, careers, people had careers. They stuck it out and they stayed with companies through thick and thin and they left with reasonable retirement accommodations. 

Then came in the era of the 401k and the millennials, and suddenly it was more about now and less about later, You could job hope because if you even cared to save for your retirement, you could do it on your own independent of your company. 

Then there is this group of people stuck in a gap between generations that are entering their mid thirties and if they are like me and the people I know they are stuck being defined by their jobs, they work long hours, they will even work from home when they leave work, and enter a blurred zone of what is downtime and what is work time. 

And I am here to tell you to stop it. We are not our jobs. 

We are people with interests and families, we are people who put in our time at work and we deserve that very little bit of coveted downtime. No matter if it is to sit home and watch TV or to go to concerts and shows or to just sleep, because we all know we aren't sleeping enough. 

We owe it to ourselves and our loved ones and even more importantly our cats, we owe it to them to leave work at work and no longer let it define us or control us. 

Our jobs are not tattooed on our foreheads either, we aren't born like in the game of Life into predetermined careers and lifestyles, we can change those things we aren't happy with. It may not be easy but we are the controllers of our fate and happiness. As a photographer who needed a break and took up a whole new field for a few years I am telling you, you can literally do whatever you want to. I am not saying you will be good at it but you are the only thing stopping you from seeing if you are. When we reach a point of unhappy in our careers maybe we need to try something new, If something isn't working there for you, maybe something elsewhere will. You don't need to make a million dollars a year to be successful, in my opinion, success comes from being happy to walk into work everyday you are there. It comes from coming home and not being so drained and exhausted your family suffers from your job too. Success comes more from a million tiny moments of happiness added up throughout your day much easier and faster than those pennies add up in your checking account. Notice I said checking because realistically, we aren't barely even using our savings accounts anymore, now are we?

Think about this if you still think I have had too much to drink before sitting down to write this, when you go to a funeral and I am certain most all of us have been to far too many, how many times has someone gotten up to speak and said, Jane was such a great accountant, Jane could really crunch some numbers like nobody else could. Or do they mention how Jane was a great mother and she was a kind person etc. 

Life and even death are not defined by your job or career but more the tiny moments that add up in between leaving work and returning, Work will still be there when you get back, unless you work with Milton and wont return his stapler, leave work at work, and if it makes you unhappy, don't do it anymore. 

2013 the year of the newborn

So it has been well, over a year since I have blogged and its funny it seems like it was just yesterday that I was blogging about Tiffany and Chris and the wonderful wedding they had and now I realize their first year of marriage was in September. First of all for those

who read and enjoy these blogs they are not as easy as you would think, it seems like a rather effortless process but it can be a challenge of writers block and trying to not cross the line of too sappy of content when gushing about peoples life moments like engagements or weddings, then you have to mix in a good amount, but not too much, of marketing and personal touches from your own life. I don't know why people are so fascinated with the everyday lives of photographers but they are, one day I will write a book of the random things people ask me and want to know about my life that has no relevance at all to their photos hehe

So you see blogging is almost like the one this I am just really not good at, cooking. Mix in ingredients, stir and burn and then order take out :) It is natural I would not be a good, skilled and committed blogger if I can manage to set a pizza roll a flame in the microwave. Let’s also add in that I cannot spell to save my life, and in reading any blog by me understand that I am a photographer and not a writer, I will make mistakes and I know they are there so I don't need you to point them out to me, unless you have never in your life made a single mistake EVER in your life, then call me, please do, and tell me your secret of world domination through perfection. I'd love to hear it.
All this being said, while I begin to recap and take you through the last year, keep in mind all the things previously mentioned and know that there is a small part of me that likes to blog, but given my blogging handicaps, and sub par spelling and dry humor are merely weaknesses that one day I may overcome. And hey......if it is that bad, just look at the pictures :) Happy New Years and cheers to more blogging in 2014!!
So what’s been up you may be asking yourself? Well, pictures of course!! In the last three years I have seen a huge jump in my client base to the point that I am not currently accepting new clients at the moment, but do not fear! The time is coming! Soon I will be accepting new clients!!

So of all the amazing things that have happened this year all in all I would say 2013 was the year of the newbie! And by that I mean WE HAD A BABY!!!! And by that I mean my best friend and her husband had my little god baby and let me tell you, she is beautiful!! We had a blast at the maternity session and really went a far different route with hanging baby clothes of a clothes line and it is actually something that we loved so much we used again to! And amazingly this lady had a baby and then less than 2 months later was back at shooting and second shot an amazing wedding with me! That is crazy! And from that we actually did a significant amount of maternity shoots and then newborn sessions as well, including my little god baby Lilith!! And Lilith was all waves and smiles during her newbie shoot as you can see!! And she is just getting cuter and cuter too as you can see


above!!We definitely saw alot of maternity and newborns sessions here are some highlights from just a few of those shoots! It was amazing for me because I got to see some of my best friends and people I have known for years and years go through so many wonderful life lessons this and last year. One newborn session in particular was a bride of mine from 2011 and I have known her for years since I was about 21.





I got the awesome pleasure of I had the honor of doing a maternity and gender reveal for a client of mine that I have known since she was a little girl and she is now a beautiful wife and mother of about to be two babies! It is just so heartwarming to see people grow into amazing adults and even better parents!


It was also really cool to have done maternity sessions for folks and then turn around and meet their little bundles of joy at their newborn sessions!! So all in all 2013 was for sure the year of the newborn and this makes me very very excited for 2014 the year of the cake smash! And I love me a good cake smash session!! Mixed into these newborn images are some additional highlights from the year.
This year should be ever bigger, ever grander and far more fabulous I have already started to acquire some amazing props thanks to my awesome boyfriend that got me a vintage scale for newbie shoots, one I have wanted for years and I CANNOT wait to use it!! I am seriously so excited! There is a lot in store this year and a lot of changes too!! One thing that we are focusing on as a business improvement for 2014 is our turnaround time, we are trying to shave it in half and cut it from 5 to 7 business days to 3-4 days!!

We have already start the entry period for the FOURTH annual cutest kid contest, can you even believe that we are in the fourth year!! I am so excited to be able to offer the entry fee of $15 for the first two weeks, which actually ends today and then goes up tomorrow. This year you can win a free full session which includes multiple locations and the runner up wins a half session! I am sure you all remember the “boy in the blazer” from last years contest and the reigning champion and cutest kid Amari!!

A few more highlights!! Caroline the worlds best intern graduated college and nailed a great job up in Tennessee! I miss her some much!! She helped me shop when she interned for me!! But i am so proud she is doing so well for herself!! I got to do all my volunteer jobs for the same organizations! FROG! The best oncologist in the area and across the country because they do have a New York Office I believe! This AMAZING group of people do so much for their patients including tailgate parties and jags games, even the employees are taken care of too and are all just so sweet and nice and I could go on and on and on! This year I got to work with them on four different projects and I got to meet the American Idol contests that just so happen to be related to one of the doctors and I just had so much fun!

And I got to meet this amazing man! And we had the pleasure of meeting this amazing lady named Lisa, she puts on mystery parties, like murder mystery who dun it parties that are seriously a blast! We went to one and seriously had so much fun learning all the characters doing some role play and learning who was the killer and all the costumes were just amazing!! Then at the couples shoot I did for Lisa and her husband, they were awesome! They were open to doing a shoot with holi powder it is the brightly colored powder that is in the color me rad marathons and used in the festival of color. It was one of the funnest shoots of the year and they were so awesome for being open to it! And they made a fabulous Christmas card from their shoot!

Back to that amazing man too! Someone I have known for years and didn't talk to nearly enough, and he kinda came in and swept me clear off my feet! I have never been happier, he makes me laugh and encourages my dream of photography and couldn't be any cuter at all with his southern roots and piercing blue eyes. He has made my year one of the best in years. Here is me and him the night of our mystery dinner party! It was seriously so much fun I suggest everyone book one of these parties!! Good times!

So here is to 2014 and all the ups and downs that will come with it. One of the things I have taken with me from 2013 is that I am not perfect and I cannot always be in 20 places at once. Sometimes it is okay to say no and sometimes it is okay to take time to smell the roses. Everyone, every single person on this planet is beautiful in their own way and I am head over heels in love with the fact that it is my job to bring that beauty out of everyone and show it to the world.

Lets meet at 9 and just have fun!

This is what fun looks like. And this what every one should do!! A few weeks ago I posted something about shooting more types of shoots for ladies just to make them feel good about themselves. And this is one of them, this shoot was planned in about 20 minutes between me and Melisa, the model in these photos, and the end results are freakin' magical. 

I think every women at least should schedule a shoot for themselves, wear their favorite dress or outfit or wear that dress you love that you only could pull off at a formal wedding or the golden globes or something. Find a location and go take some non traditional portraits, why you may ask?? Because you only live once, just do it! You will be amazed at what it will do to your self esteem. This shoot was supposed to generate about 10 images and well I am still editing it at 50 images, we put our heads together and I through out ideas and she threw out ideas, we brought props, we even did a little chatting and laughing and talking. It was one of the more fun shoots I have had in a long time. You even could have used the summer special for this too, but now that the summer special is expiring tomorrow this session is going to be $100. And if you would like a to add a $50 print credit to the session you totally can, I would recommend that too because what is the point of going out and having this much fun and letting your images sitting on a dvd just waiting to be printed? These types of shoots are designed to function more as art than just portrait work. If anyone is interested in one of these shoots and is on the fence about, do it! They make an amazing gift as well. 

Besides the fact that you are starring in your own art, these shoots are so much fun. This one in particular was a riot, we had amazing light and some great conversation, we got to play around with props and just have a relaxed and great time. We may or may not have trespassed but it was totally worth it. 

To book one of these or to gift one of these sessions to anyone, email cynthia@unobstructedstudios.com, and I will get you completely taken care of set up for a shoot. Think about the face that you don't have to just use this for women, think of how beautiful an artistically spectacular image had your child in it?  

One of the things that made Melisa a perfect match for this shoot was her willingness to try new things and run with new ideas and also bring ideas to the table as well. You can book one of these and go the simple route or you can book one and go over the top Avant Garde jumping in the ocean in your wedding dress, it is based on your preference and willingness to try new things and make some awesome art. Think of all those cool shoots they always do on shows like Americas Next Top Model, wouldn't it be fun to try some of those, not the ones with any live animals or bugs though. Take a look at the images below and enjoy the beauty of them and consider your own!