December 30, 2009
Much like the way I do Christmas — that is all at once and nothing at all — is the way I do New Year’s Eve. Last year I made a couple resolutions on the actual ringing in of the New Year. But, in general, during the year, something random I want to accomplish will pop into my head and I’ll write it down on my goal list.
However, I’d like to actually do more resolutions today since I was pretty successful accomplishing what I set out to do in 2009 — be a better wife, check, save 25k more (well we actually saved less than 25k but that goal was keeping our travel plans in mind for the start of 2010, so when we stopped saving in July to travel this year we were right on track with how much we should have had) check, shoot 12 weddings, and MARK. The biggie failure that I had resolved for myself sometime in Feb. was to run a marathon.
So. Numero dos on my list for 2010 is:
Run. A. Marathon.
Particulars: The Chicago Marathon with one of my best friends from high school, YAY!
Numero uno is actually:
Don’t. Die. After this 2009 craziness I definitely don’t take breathing in and breathing out for granted.
And of then we have numero tres on my list for 2010:
Work a set schedule. To put it mildly, I need to learn how not to be bat-shit crazy. Tough. See, the thing is that I have no off button. For the last 4 days, literally, the moment I woke up, I went to the computer, started working, and didn’t stop until I went to bed. I love my work, and I mean LOVE my work. When I’m feeling down my clients and their pictures and my work are what bring me back. Well, Seba does too, but lucky for me, he’s completely included in every sense of the words, “my work.” It’s just hard for me to stop, ever, even though I know that a little down time is probably healthy, even good for my creativity. So my goal is to work no more than 10 hours of a normal day and to take 2 consecutive days off at any given point during the week.
Last, and slightly contradictory to the above, but probably most important after the whole don’t die issue, is:
Grow our photography business. This year I shot 15 weddings and booked 10 more. Next year I would like to shoot a total of 25 weddings. That sounds like a random number but it’s actually the amount of weddings we will need to live comfortably, pay our mortgage (that we don’t have yet, but will as soon as we find an apartment) and pay for Marcelo’s tuition.
I have a lot of very specific ideas that we need to get rolling that should help with exposure which will hopefully lead to more clients, both in Chile, Argentina and in the U.S. They’re all ideas though, that take a lot of work. So my goal is to work on all these marketing goals from start to finish of all of 2010. The incomparable Jasmine Star once said something that really stuck with me (in the DVD that the also incomparable Bobby Earle sent me) with regards to marketing (paraphrased), “Marketing is like lifting a chair. There is no ‘I’m kinda lifting the chair.’ When it comes to marketing, you’re either lifting the chair or you’re NOT lifting the chair.”
I am going to lift the chair. Watch me. My name is actually Kyle Hercules Hepp and I can lift mad chair.
December 29, 2009
With all of our couples and wedding we have, we don’t have a lot of time for family portraits, but we are always happy to do them when we can! This adorable little one was so much fun to photograph, she almost made me want a baby — I swear, I loved her so much my ovaries started screaming at me when they saw her. If I could guarantee that I would have as sweet of a child as this little one, I would give birth tomorrow. Ok, that’s a medical impossibility, but you know what I’m trying to say here 
Seriously, if this face does not slay you, I do not what does!!! She looks SO CUTE with that pout, I can hardly stand it!!! This was the absolute last photo of the day because she was just about to have a break down — too many cameras in her face, totally understandable — and I LOVE it.
December 28, 2009
I actually do have some culturally funny, not mishaps, but just observations to blog about. But I am going to wait until 2010 since for the rest of the year I figure everyone is probably on vacation and not reading my blog.
So how was your Christmas? I think I’ve mentioned before that Seba and I aren’t really big holiday people. No tree, no presents, no decorations. Neither of us are Scroogey. We give each other presents whenever we find something that the other would like during the regular year. But, searching before an actual holiday is too much pressure.
This year was no different. A few weeks ago, while we were in the U.S. I found a book similar to the David LaChapelle one that was on my fake Christmas wishlist for a mere 3k+. I should mention that Seba was also crazy about this book when we saw it in the flesh in Amsterdam at our hotel, and both he and I like things that will one day decorate the apartment we don’t have. So I gave that to him while we were in Miami, meaning I had nothing for him when December 25th rolled around.
Then Seba actually emailed a friend because he knew I loved her sunglasses. They were a bit out of our price range, which lead to him googling, “over sized sunglasses,” and he found some Miu Miu ones. He knows I love Miu Miu shoes because he had seen me fondling a pair in Italy. But, he wasn’t sure if I would love the sunglasses as much as the shoes, so in the end he told me about what he was trying to do. And I told him not to spend money on anything, because the mere fact that he had thought to try and hunt down some designer sunglasses that he knew I would love — even though he is scared of talking to people he doesn’t know — even though he thinks that spending money on designer anything is stupid — was more than enough to make my little heart go pitter patter.
Merry Christmas to us.
Annie and Kevin threw the rules out the window on their wedding day. I absolutely adored that about them. Getting married wasn’t about traditions and conventions, it was about Annie and Kevin simply being themselves and celebrating their love in a way that fit them. They even saw each other before the ceremony and walked down the aisle together. So. Awesome.
Really, it was obvious their entire wedding was So. Awesome. Annie is one of those rare people who has the gift of making anyone in a room with her feel totally comfortable and happy. She’s funny and loud and charming and when I first met her, I could not even fathom what this “cute little gringo,” she had talked about would be like. When I met Kevin, I understood. He’s maybe the only man on the planet confident enough in himself to keep up with Annie. They’re a perfect match.
December 24, 2009
Feliz Navidad a todos los Chilenos que estan celebrando esta noche, y Merry Christmas to all the Gringuitos opening presents tomorrow morning!
This is us today. Hanging with my doggie and my husband, then family dinner tonight!
I debated long and hard on whether or not to give myself some time off next week. I’ve decided to go ahead and do it. Tonight I have to finish up editing the last photos from recent sessions, answering a couple emails and I’ll probably pre-publish a few blog posts, then I’m all caught up. So after that, this one woman office is closed for the holidays! Well, aside from the wedding that we’re shooting on the 26th — but believe it or not, shooting an entire wedding isn’t really like work to me — it’s everything else that goes on behind the scenes afterward that takes up the bulk of our time. I’ll get back to anyone who contacts us for wedding photography or sessions on Jan. 3rd. Thanks for understanding that photographers are people too, who also need rest time!
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- @dregonzrob, hahaha, eating wall paper, that's a new one. Dog whisperer dato coming your way :)
- @lanapuckett, when we get back I'll have to introduce you to @gabrielrodriguez, @sebamilla and @sebastiankaulen!
- @dregonzrob, you need the dog whisperer!!!
- Brian McBride is announcing his retirement from the game today. He will go down in history for me as my favorite U.S. player ever. LOVE him.
- Caroline and Tommy should probably stop being this hot or somebody's going to catch on fire. http://tinyurl.com/2feozcy
- Writing w/ @imnotobsessed tomorrow early! Love catching people up on their daily dose of gossip and I <3 @inosherry, my online co-worker :)
