moving.

hey everyone, the blog is moving to

http://love.sarahwaggoner.com

same design, ramblings, and me.

just a different location.

go head on over and add the link to your reader if you wish. :]

ciao.

--sarah

photoshop, how i've missed thee: before and after.

i just had to share how much i am grateful for photoshop and the wonderful editing tool that it is.

here is a before and after from Melissa and Jordan's engagement session. the image before was okay, but dull in comparison to what i envisioned it being.

it's amazing what a few editing techniques can do for your photos.

i am VERY grateful for photoshop.

here's one of my first shots from this spot, but it happened to be my favorite frame out of all the ones we took there, so i decided to save it. boy did it need a lot of help.

for both of these images i used Florabella's action: Swoon.
but turned down the opacity and turned off a few layers, and did a lot of my own edits to it.

photoshop is a powerful tool to help you create your final vision.
but of course, you should create your vision first in your camera.

arrivederci!

--sarah

Melissa and Jordan - engagement sneak peek

Here's just a short sneak peek for Melissa and Jordan.

This was the first time I'd ever been to Sedona. It is absolutely gorgeous there!

Can't wait to share more. :]

please bear with my confused brain.

okay okay okay.

i'm really flaky.

in the aspect that i decide things then change my mind.

ALL. THE. TIME.

~

my name is sarah, and i am addicted to photography.

~

after i decided to "quit" and just do it as a hobby, i felt uneasy, apprehensive, and nauseous.

when i think about doing other things as a profession, i feel even more like i'm going to lose my lunch.

it seems photos literally call my name.

"sarah, give me life."

i continued to look at photos and think, "what do i like about this photo? how can i recreate it in my own way for my own clients?"

then i'd lie to myself, saying, "oh wait, i'm not doing photography as a job anymore."

~

just now i was perusing the inter-web and came across these lovely photographers:

red leaf studios

i fell in love with the film-y feel of their photos

and found their online photography workshop:

http://www.redleafonlineworkshop.com/

i caught myself thinking "I NEED TO SIGN-UP FOR THIS!!"

then, remembering my decision, my eyes filled with tears.

this quote has kept coming to my mind all day.

why waste what God has given me?

i may not be the best at photography, but there's time to grow and improve.

patience just has to play a big part in this.

~

my final thoughts on the matter, is that i need to really put myself into my photos and find my niche in it.

and this is my wake up call to work even harder and do the best i can.

~

i ask you all to please bear with me

as i sort this all out.

and wish me a big ol' "good luck!"

until next time,

sarah

today i woke up and i found more to love

life, could you please just stop being so complicated?

i'm running away to europe.

hah.

okay, no i'm not.

~

my mom believes i look very similar to the character on the cover of her book.

and she had the idea to make a book trailer. meaning a short video introducing her book.

so she had me be her model.

(minus the beauty mark and a bigger nose, what do you think?)

after "filming", i got my hairs did by miss Verity.

she did a splendid job!

meh. you can't tell in the picture, but it's lighter and caramel-y

mmm!

and i have bangs again. woohoo!

~

i really want a film camera.

preferably a Hasselblad or Leica. hehe.. just kidding.

i really would like a Nikon FM2 though.

after finishing up my last few photoshoots coming up, i may sell my camera and get the FM2 and the 50mm 1.4.

and get a digital point and shoot.

maybe save up a little and get the Fuji Finepix x100

it looks like a vintage toy camera, but it's a digital point and shoot.

it's so cute! a little expensive, but i want it.

~

i'm off to go do something other than sitting at the computer.

we'll see what interesting things i find to do.

au revoir.

sarah

"pro bono", a project, and a lack of wisdom.

thinking about certain things makes me queasy.

but that's not what i'm here to talk about.

~

i've had an adventure these last couple years.

starting my photography inquisition,

graduating from high school,

lived in CA for a month and spent time with sweet kiddos and future sister/brother-in-law whom i love to eternity,

had a couple of different jobs,

took a year off from school.

starting a new job next week.

i guess it's not too exciting, considering there were so many more exciting things i could have done, but oh well.

however, i feel my photography adventure is coming to an end, at least doing it for money.

i really don't like doing it for money. it's becoming a chore.. actually.. it always has been.

i've always stressed about time limits, expectations, etc.

it's time i do it for me.

i will offer shoots for other people sometimes, but i want this to be more of a hobby.

which is funny, people usually want to make money from it, not the opposite.

but this is my decision.

not because of other people's criticism or choice.

because i feel it is what is right for me.

~

on to fun stuff:

i'm working on a rather large "project"

it included wandering around goodwill with my lovely friend alison.

in the process, we found the most beautiful shirts..

 i make super cute faces when wearing such flattering shirts.

(i wish i had evidence of alison's equally sexy shirt)

I'm sad to report, we didn't purchase these... NOT! obviously they were awful.

another part of the project included crafting with my oh-so-adorable friend haley.stew . go check out her blog to see what she made!

this part of the project is not quite finished. but when it is, i will share it. :]

i will announce what the project is soon. promise.

~

at my current job we have fun.. most of the time.

we got to work in Home Theater the last couple weeks.

here is burtney (brittany). "HEY! Are you recording?" no burtney.. just a picture. hehe.

last night we made the biggest screen we've ever made. 38 ft x 75-ish ft..?

 on my way to work one day i saw this man on his motorcycle who had one. single. GIGANTIC... dreadlock that went down to his buttox. and i mentally vommited. no offense, sir.

~

last week i had my wisdom teeth removed. i am no longer wise.

please excuse this scary picture of myself.. but who doesn't have a picture of them self after wisdom extraction?

fat face. it only lasted the first two days. and i didn't really feel any pain the whole time.

in my bored moments i painted my nails.. an ugly shade of NEON pink. on accident.. the lighting was dim when i did it.

i was also spoiled by my mom. she made me lots of mashed taters, soup, and.. smoothies.

vanilla bean ice cream, white chocolate chips, and strawberries.

yum.

~

i got a new job.. i start some time next week.

i will be working for Chase bank.

i get a badge with my name (and picture?) on it.

woohoo!

~

i suppose that is all the "exciting" things i have to offer for amusement.

i'm off to do important things including giving the job news to my boss. meh. and laundry.

arrivederci.

--sarah

c'est la vie.

do you ever feel like some things just keep stepping in the way of what you think you're supposed to be doing, keeping you from reaching a goal?

every little thing keeps stopping the growth of my photography.

one: stupid technical issues {can't get the blog to run, website issues, domain transfer crap, etc.}

two: no money for equipment, especially because i constantly break rental items and have to pay for my damages because i'm clumsy and trip over things and land on my face and on the equipment.

three: {i know this one shouldn't really matter but...} rude remarks by people about my photography. or people saying i should do other things just in case if photography didn't work out. {it totally screws my confidence and hurts my feelings, and it's something hard to get over}

four: no time for photo shoots.

five: personal issues.

one moment i'm so inspired to do my best in photography. the next i want to give up.

and i really am ready to give up. at least, doing it for money.

i really don't like the pressure.

the nerves.

the time limits.

the stress.

i suppose i should talk to the Man in Charge and see what He thinks about this mess.

~

whatever decisions are made, i'm launching the new website tomorrow.. without the blog launch, seeing as it's not working.

i'll post the link on the facebook page tomorrow.

~

side note: it's funny how this happens - without even knowing i needed a friend to talk to, my lovely friend haley stewart {<--go read her blog. she's adorable and hilarious} sent me a message and cheered me up. love you haley.stew <3

i'm feeling more optimistic now.

my goal is that my next post will be 100% negative-free.

{full of fun pictures too}

~

p.s. i'm also considering deleting my facebook account.

meh. "c'est la vie."

at least, i'll have a life if i deactivate it.

ciao.

--Sarah

(i went to Sedona for my first time ever. it was a gorgeous morning.)

raw.

disclaimer: this is not meant to offend any of the people i've called my friends, or for anyone to feel sorry for me. just another entry. emotions, thoughts, growth.

~

from the time i was born to now, i've never felt a sense of belonging.

i've had one singular best friend growing up, then as a preteen, another best friend came along and we made a triangle of bestfriendship.

even my own family sometimes, mostly just the computer games... cough World cough of Warcraft.. cough cough. {i really do love you guys! :P}

~

|joyschool| - with all of the kids in my ward, i saw them ALL the time. but i never felt that sense of belonging.

|junior high| no particular clique. hardly saw my best friends, because a) i moved to Show Low in the middle 8th grade and b) they were a grade ahead of me.

tried to fit in with girls from my new ward, no success really.

|9th grade| - first semester {in Show Low} - i hung out with seniors. obviously not fitting in..

 {second semester - moved back to Mesa - went to Kino} made new friends, out of pity for me, i've always assumed, because all i did was sit by myself outside of orchestra, waiting for lunch to be over.

|sophomore year| - occasionally i'd hang out with them. trying so hard to be the right kind of goody-good-mormon-girl-friend, but in the end always having to invite myself.

|junior year| - cue: Nicholas. (not a bad thing. i do have a point to this) sometimes hanging out with mentioned friends.

best friends graduate. don't see one of them until a-whole-nother year later. the other i'd get together with a few times.

|senior year|- original best friend {"forever"} doesn't really speak to me for who knows what reason.

completely attached at the hip to Nicholas.

graduation.

--a year since--

new ward. primary calling. strangers.

still less than 1% {of a previous lifetime of} contact with original best friend.

practically zero amount of hanging out with friends. busy working. figuring out what to do with my life.

failing at sorting my miserable life out.

still trying to sort it out, frustrated in the process.

feeling lost.

where religion plays into this: i know they say "when you're lost, turn to God", but even when i have done all that i'm supposed to in the church, i don't fit in. i love the gospel with all my heart and know it is true and i trust Him with my whole existence {how ironic.. seeing how he really is the one in control.}, i'm not saying anything otherwise, promise. i guess i just haven't had a reassurance of my grand purpose on earth yet.

~

the only place i feel a real belonging, proud to claim the ownership to this title:

future wife and best friend to Nicholas Dale Waggoner.

the only person i know i can count on to spend time with me, even if i've already seen him that day,

to hold me when i cry,

to kiss my fears away,

to promise me everything will be alright,

to make me feel like a princess.

and i feel equal belonging to his family.

especially his mom- so sweet, loving, accepting, and amazing.

all of his family, including extended, have welcomed me with open arms. they all make me feel at home.

i really love them. i can't even explain the love i have for them.

~

i'm realizing the people i truly love are the ones that matter. i don't need to impress other people to feel like i belong. because i have people that love me for who i am. and this is the life that God has given me, so none of it is going to be taken for granted.

~

each day.

step by step.

~

i have so many more thoughts, and i haven't accurately written out all of the above thoughts, but it is now time for me to do something productive.

~

bonsoir, étoiles

newness.

in the little time i have to update before i head off to work, i have a few things on my mind i need to jot down.

||one|| my heart is full today. full of creativity, ideas, passion.

||two|| i will be starting an inspiration blog soon. will i ever have time for it? who knows.

||three|| possibly going to start searching for a part time job so i can have time for creativity and school, respectively. mhmm.

||four|| i'm going to get more focused on my business. i want to do things right. i don't want to flop.

||five|| i love nicholas.

the end.

missing my life. if found, please contact me.

Since starting my job, I have had time for nothing.

I work from 2-10:30pm, go to bed around midnight, wake up around 9am, do laundry, help people do this or that, run errands that usually consist of getting my dinner for work. Then do the same thing all over again.

Don't get me wrong, having money is nice, but I rather dislike my job. I won't explain why because there's a probability that someone from work will read this. Let's just say.... "it's the hours.."

I don't have time for photography.. Which is really frustrating. I "quit" {sort of} my other jobs so I'd have more time for photography.. And this job was for the sole purpose of saving up for new equipment. I've been working there 2 months, and not one paycheck has gone towards equipment.

~

Anyways. My whole reason for writing today was:

1. I don't have work today. Because of the abuse of power. {I'll leave it at that.}

2. I had to let everyone know I'm not dead, although sometimes I'd like to be.. {totally kidding}!

I am alive, but not living.

~

Some things as of late:

I got an iPhone.

I might be getting a Mac desktop sooner than I thought. {goodbye to this sucker of a computer!}

I paid my tithing for the first time since last May... I'm pathetic, I know.. :/

The vintage photoshoot I've been planning for a couple months is this Saturday. And this time it's really happening because I'm actually ready for it.

I'm shooting a wedding tomorrow! Rentals will be here in, at most, 2 hours! {squee! [haven't used that word in a long time]} 35mm of 1.4 goodness.. If only you were permanently mine...

I'm going to Globe on Saturday with my darling dearest Nicholas for his family's Easter Picnic. <3

And my favorite of all...

I am going to Disneyland for the first time in my life!!

Countdown: 8 days.

I'm going with my lovely best friend Justine and new friend Brittany.

I love those girls. It will be a blast!

Leaving just after work on Friday, driving all night, going to the beach early morning, heading to Disneyland, park hopper tickets {CA Adventure here I come!}, then driving home at midnight that night to be home in time for church Sunday morning.

Are we crazy? Hmm.. Yes, actually we are. :]

All three of us recently went to the zoo:

Yes. We brought happy birthday balloons to the zoo, but they wouldn't let us take them in.

So happy the lovely people of Starbucks like to play along.

I had more pictures to share, but my computer is currently {always} being a pain in the rear end.

~

So remember, I'm not dead.

I just have a crazy life right now and I'm trying my best to sort it out with the little time I have.

But for now, on my day off, I'm going to go get some new knobbies for my little secretary desk, and I'm going to paint my desk white. Also paint some of the cute little things for our photoshoot this Saturday.

~ 

Au Revoir!