photos of extra stuff

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip set

by Lucky Red Hen on February 16, 2007

There are 2 shows I watch (TiVo) on a regular basis: Grey’s Anatomy and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Studio 60 doesn’t make sense; it’s a TV show about a TV show where their main concern is whether a commercial makes one of the actors look stupid (I didn’t make that up, stole it from a GOOD friend). But I LOVELOVELOVE the actors and their chemistry. I’ve watched Matthew Perry for 10 yrs on Friends, Bradley Whitford on West Wing and Amanda Peet in A Lot Like Love (gotta pull that one out again and watch it) and Igby Goes Down (careful of that one but she was UNbelievable). Not sure how long the show will last (rumor has it that it’s not ‘Must See TV’ but I don’t miss a single episode).

When I flew into LAX last week I got dropped off at the Warner Bros. studio to hang out with a GOOD friend that I’ve known for almost 10 years. I LOVE this friend!!! We walked the grounds, saw some sights and had lunch. Other than just BEING with my friend, the best part was seeing the Ocean’s 13 casino set, E.R. and the Studio 60 set. The latter was my most anticipated and I was NOT disappointed. We walked through quickly, the lights were mostly off (thus the crummy lighting for my digital pocket camera) and the place was empty. If you’re a fan, you’ll recognize most of these pics…

One of the Warner Bros. entrances
and the famous non-working water tower.

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Favorites from Photography Unconference

by Lucky Red Hen on February 13, 2007

This is Serena. She is a beautiful person with a gorgeous engagement ring (thanks to Jeremy for letting me guess the stats). She was gracious enough to pick me up at LAX, drop me off at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank so I could see Pete (AND take a peek at the Ocean’s 13 set and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip) for a while then pick me back up and drive us to Pismo Beach, CA for the conference. She was lucky enough to also sleep with me for 3 nights and drive me back to LAX on Sunday (we took a detour to the beach for sunset pics). We had lots of giggles. I took this picture of her. It’s one of the favorites of my trip. SHE is one of the favorites from my trip.

This is Robin of Bellissima Photography in Pittsburg, PA. Honestly, I was a little nervous meeting her because she’s such a smart and put together business woman (she’s also a full time engineer) that I thought my crazyness would rub her wrong. My thoughts of her all changed when we had breakfast the first morning and she shared a secret with me that we have in common – how fun is THAT? Her seminar on business and album design has changed my way of thinking for the better. I’m so excited to implement all the ideas I have! She is one of my favorites from the trip! Oh, and she brought TO DIE FOR truffles, suggested by BruceBruceBruce – so yummy and they melt in your mouth (but I won’t be having anymore for a while because another favorite from my trip and I are cutting out soda, junk food, fast food and candy). She thought of getting us altogether for a time-share type situation so we could have a house on the CA coast to vacation at and gather together again. We’ve decided one of us will have to win a lottery to have enough $ to buy one (those houses are outrageous).

And this is Ryan P Flynn. He’s the one I’d hand-pick to be family. We had been in contact before the conference via email because I had questions about editing. He lives in Seattle so we had that in common as well (and blowing head gaskets on our Toyota trucks – but mine was back when I had James and now my neighbors dad owns him). I wasn’t the only one that felt this way toward him; guys and girls alike have told me how easy going and sweet he is to be around. The spirit about him is peaceful and I feel lucky to know him. What a huge help he was with helping me learn my new camera (switched to Canon last week). There is quite the learning curve with new gear but I figured most of it out pretty quick and am LOVING the switch. Thankfully I could run over to Ryan and ask him to fix something if I got stuck. I sure know how to pick ’em. He’s one of my favorites from the trip too. Hopefully we’ll be hearing wedding bells for him and his cute girlfriend so I can fly up (or live there by then) and attend/shoot his wedding. Awe.

This is Serena again with one of my favorite pictures of ME taken this weekend. I’m not sure who had the camera (they kept passing it around, but I think it was Ryan that took this one). I think Serena and I look so cozy cute together. You should hear her laugh; that’s cute too. She’s getting married April 2008 and I think I’m a shoe-in for an invitation (hint hint). Haha. I just remebered that I’m not a very good hinter – not subtle enough to call it a hint. More like kicking down the door :o)

This is a part of how crazy I am. Um, lay on the floor and let’s see if we can make a picture out of it. Umm, no. But it’s fun to see me act like a dork, huh? There were other cameras taking pictures too so maybe one of these on the floor turned out better than this one. Sure makes a difference what angle you’re at when taking pics. That’s why I’m a professional – it’s my job to know the best angles.

Here’s Aimee again. This time you can see her in full splendor. Guess how many kids she has. I didn’t take this picture. Again, the cameras were all over the place. Sure do feel lucky that I got this image on my card though. She’s just a peach and I can’t wait to see her again at WPPI.

This is Riley, Aimee’s brother, my weight loss buddy and a new Bestie. He’s the one that came up with the great line about deja-vu (see yesterdays post). One of the first cool things about meeting him (although it seems like we’ve known each other forever; like I felt with Jeff and Doug – My Lisa knows what I mean) was that he was mostly along to help Aimee (and get some practice shooting) but offered to help me with my equipment. The lenses are the heaviest part of camera gear and it kills my shoulders and back. I probably had him carry my bag once, feeling a little guilty treating him like a pack mule LOL. He’s a big favorite of the trip. Our sarcasm and sense of humor are neck and neck which made it fun for sparring and joking around. Think I surprised him with my quick wit to which he responded with a challenge of sorts to see who’s funnier (I am, by the way – just kidding – we’re 50/50). I mentioned before what foods we’re cutting out for our weight loss but we’re also accountable to each other for exercising at least 3 times a week. A friend of mine down the street is letting me use her workout equipment anytime and I can bring Piper too. Y’all can encourage me all you want because I could use a little umph to get me going sometimes.

Here’s another favorite, John Michael Cooper. He was one of my favorite guest photographers (the other was Jose Villa – so gentle yet stunning photography). This guy was so nice to share his expertise and show us some of his tricks (he takes pictures in pitch darkness using only handheld flashlights to light the subject with a 20 second long shutter – amazingly cool). When I first met him I offered to do whatever I could to help him since he was being so generous (I got to hold lights and shake a tree). He’s such an inspiration and just cool to be around. He showed us how to handle shooting in the rain and how to see the big picture of an image. Notice Riley and Aimee in the background (she’d like to say that she was NOT looking at JMC’s bootie – just so that’s on record). I didn’t take this photo, it’s was taken by Mark (who didn’t realize what a smart alec I could be until he met me in person; takes one to know one, to quote a 2nd grader LOL).

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A New Bestie… Miss Aimee

by Lucky Red Hen on February 13, 2007

WARNING: I’m pouring my heart out on this one. If that doesn’t interest you (it’s sappy) then don’t read this post and wait for the next one (coming soon – I’m working through all my images).

Introducing one of my new ‘Besties’, Aimee. She lives in Arizona with her husband and gaggle of kids. We met at a photography conference with 100 other photographers over the weekend on the California coast. This event has changed my life; it’s been turned upside down and I’m completely serious. Like a ton of bricks just fell on me (and I LOVE it). There was so much learning, sharing and laughing (y’all know how I like to laugh). We were lucky to have several amazing photographers to lead us in shoots with volunteer couples and models on the beach, in the rain and walking about town. Yeah, rain. Flying to CA you wouldn’t expect 3 days of rain but that’s what we got. It was actually invigorating to work outside our box, so to speak.

Anyway, back to Aimee. Have you ever met someone for the first time that you feel like you’ve known forever? That’s what happened with me and Aimee. Her brother, another bestie (so glad Cathy came up with this expression so I can have more than 1 best friend), explained it like this…

“It’s like trying to figure out deja-vu. When you try to
think about what exactly it is you saw,
it’s gone in a flash,
and all you’re left with is a feeling.”

It’s like you just KNOW each other without having to explain a thing. That happened with me and My Lisa upon our first meeting – it was instant, difficult to explain. Aimee and I laughed like school girls LONG and HARD when we were together (wish we had more time to laugh). She said her abs hurt in the morning from the workout I gave her. It was pee-your-pants kind of laughter that gets funnier as you try and calm down then the other person makes a peep and starts it all over again. We have the same taste in food and pink lemonade (as long as it’s got the right ratio of tart to sweet). There’s no explaining each other. Sure, you tell stories and share experiences but there’s no judgement or criticism – just a bunch of love. I couldn’t get enough of her and just wanted to stuff her in my pocket and take her home; maybe put her in a little terrarium on my kitchen counter. Perhaps next to the giant rooster?

When I got on the plane to fly back home Sunday night, I couldn’t help but think about the time I had and all the changes that will make my business better. As I sat in a middle seat, I started leaking out of both eyes. I wasn’t bawling like a baby (that came later), it was just a gentle tear fest that didn’t want to stop for a while. Tried to think about why I was crying (were they happy or sad tears) but I guess that just made it worse because I just kept thinking about all the great people I now count as friends and family. The kind of family you get to hand pick (that’s a little shout-out to Ryan). After a while I got the leak under control (call a plumber already) and read the paper to take my mind off of it. As we prepared for landing the leaking started back up again when I was brought to the realization that my weekend is really over and I was going back to the real world (it was like a fantasy, really). I was excited to be back with my family and smooch on my kids, don’t get me wrong – I love my home (not Utah as a whole, just where I live), but the euphoria from the weekend is something I didn’t want to wear off. As Ben asked about the trip I told him about the logistics because when I started talking about the people I will miss the leak showed up again.

As soon as I got home I called Aimee to find out how their drive back home was going. That was when I realized that the euphoria doesn’t have to end. My new besties are just a phone call/text away.

So there’s a little glimps into the tender heart of Shannon (gotta stop before I leak again). No matter how tough I act I can be a cry baby at the drop of a hat (like I have been since Sunday night).

My cup runneth over. Aren’t I lucky?

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2 Weeks In Seattle

by Lucky Red Hen on January 1, 2007

Left on a Sunday morning fighting the snow-ridden roads to the airport (but, luckily, had a nice neighbor to drop us off and save $80 in airport parking fees).

Charged the old man and woman sitting next to me on the plane for various things amounting to $25 by the end of the flight. Explained to him that the stewardess announced over the intercom to give the person on his left $20, ending at the aisle (I was sitting on the aisle). Getting up to let them in/out for the bathroom cost $1 each time and both of them went once. The last charge was getting his bag down from the overhead compartment. He found me at baggage claim and handed me 1% of his bill; a quarter. Said he’d have to owe me the rest.

Arrive in Seattle to the smell of cigarette‘s. Forgot how much people smoke until we landed – 2nd hand smoke is EVERYWHERE there.

Survive 3 days without power at the in-laws (severe windstorms knocked out their power for a week; other areas did without it for longer than that). Realized how boring life can be without electronics ;O) Whenever I would see the exhausted utility crews around town I would feel a little teary-eyed like I do when I see a soldier in uniform in person. Those crews were (and still are) working so hard to get the electricity flowing. 3 cheers for hard workers!

Lisa and I went galavanting around Seattle for the day to get some pics of Seattle so I could show you why we really love it there.

Went shopping at Bellevue Square for last minute gifts and found a little somethin-somethin for yours truly and a 20% discount because the cute sales clerk tangled it and couldn’t figure out how to undo it (I had it undone before we left the store). In case there are any single guys in the Seattle area that are looking for a fun redhead chiquita… stop by and see Amanda at Banana Republic – tell her I sent you from my blog. Here’s a picture of her I took on the fly…

See, cute, isn’t she?

The rest of the week until Christmas was fun hanging with the in-laws and all the family that were around. In the parents house alone there were about 13 people staying; mom, dad, the 2 brothers that live there, the 1 brother and his baby, us 4 then the sister/hubby/baby that are in between houses/states moving from Oregon to California with his job. There’s another sister/hubby/3yr old in the area too, but they didn’t sleep at the house.

Christmas eve we went to church in the morning (then again in the afternoon for a devotional). When the kids got out of the car they asked, “What’s that sound?” I had to stop and pay attention to figure it out because there wasn’t anything obvious like dog barking, construction or people. Oh. They heard the swish-swishing of the trees blowing in the wind; kinda sounded like a river. Don’t hear that sound in Utah – no matter where you are… it’s different in the NW.

We attended The Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Pacific Science Center with the whole family. It was too packed for me to enjoy it thoroughly, having to manhandle the bored kids and maneuver around a bunch of people who didn’t know how to keep the flow flowing. Saw some authentic writings from a bazilion years ago and learned some about how they survived so long, were sold a couple times (once for $250,000) and lastly transcribing them from ancient language to english. No pictures allowed, so there aren’t any to share (but take another look at Amanda above).

There’s more to write about but maybe this should be it for now. Phew. I have more pictures too ;o)

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2007 Predictions

by Lucky Red Hen on January 1, 2007

Resolutions are so 80’s. How about we make PREDICTIONS instead? I predict that I will improve my birthday recognition of others through snail mail throughout 2007. At the end of the year we’ll tally up the scores and the one with the most Whose Line Is It Anyway points will win a prize. So, what’s your prediction for yourself? And… which picture do you like better; #1 or #2?