DannBecke

I met Dan and Becke a year ago through, what we believe, was Divine Intervention.  Before I met them, I was into my 3^rd month of single parenting thanks to my husband’s deployment.  While I loved my son and loved spending my days with him, I longed for something else to occupy my time.  I needed something that was for me, but also something that would be for the good of the community.  I found myself praying to God about this before PWOC one day, and my prayer was answered when a mutual friend announced they were looking for volunteers for a Youth Coffee Shop.  Dan and Becke, Youth Ministers in our community, had a brilliant idea to establish a place for teens to come during the week get a free drink, relax in a safe environment, and in turn, would branch out to more teenagers looking to connect with God.  As a former Barista and management focused college courses, it was a wonderful opportunity.  I love how God brings people together.

Quickly, I learned that these are two of the least selfish people in the world.  They spend their life spreading the word of God to some of the most difficult people to reach; teenagers.   It was so neat to see how their different personalities were able to connect to the youth.  Dan has a relatively calm personality but is always saying something incredibly insightful.  It's a gift of his to be able to have a collected conversation with an adult and then be able to relate to any teenager like he's the fun big brother.  Becke, is full of artistic energy and the sweetest person ever.  I love how she uses art as an outlet to understand God and His teachings.  Both are amazing inspirations.

Today, Dan and Becke are in the process of adopting siblings from Ethiopia.   They are preparing a package to send to the orphanage to show the kids who they are.  I was flattered when they asked if I could take pictures of them.   I didn’t feel comfortable charging them since I still have a long ways to go for that, I thought  it was time to take what I had learned through my few workshops and classes and put it to the test.  

I am thankful I had them as my first clients as they were so easy to work with and extremely patient with me.  They both lit up in front of the camera and were naturals.  Their love and affection for one another was apparent as they laughed, joked around, and shared many kisses.  Even though our session was cut short due to a downpour of rain, I am very happy with the results and hope they can use a picture or two for their journal.  

  

If asking for photos wasn't a gift in itself, a fun thing happened after Becke contacted me for portraits. I found God working through them again as I began to receive more emails for photos sessions, more creative opportunities presented, and a new artistic endeavor that I so badly needed.  Thank you, Dan and Becke, for everything.  You two are going to make wonderful parents and I wish you nothing but the best. 

 

Photography, My Forgotten Passion Part 3: A Reality

I am a photographer…A hobbyist anyway.

It took a move overseas, a new job as a SAHM, and a swarm of friends who were just as passionate about photography, for me to pick up a camera again.  Unfortunately, a funny thing happens when you downgrade from an SLR to a point and shoot, you get stuck on Auto.  Like a second language you no longer converse in, I forgot all the technical skills of my manual mode.  I could not tell you the difference between Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO to save my life when only a few years ago, I would dream about them in my sleep. 

I was constantly flustered that the camera was not working the way I wanted it to.  The flash was too bright, the image was too grainy or the subject too dark.  I did get some amazing pictures of my son despite this lack of knowledge.  My apartment has wonderful natural light that the camera was able to register pretty accurately.  It also helped that he was amazing in front of the camera.  He would actually pose for awhile making those spontaneous candid shots null and void, but at least I captured his precious smile.

I tried to read my manual and find articles online, but I’m a kinetic learner and a language that I was fluent in before was completely foreign to me now.  Through the USO, I was able to take a class to at least get me off Auto and onto Aperture priority.  I was actually excited about photography again.

And then I met Jessica.  Jessica is a wonderful lifestyle photographer in our little community that loves all things natural.  Despite me going to an art school, working in an art gallery, and having artistic friends, her work showed me how a documentation of a family could become art on a canvas with a click of a button.  Her work was beautiful, she was beautiful, and she made you feel beautiful.  I had the pleasure of working with her for a few photo shoots.  It had been years since I was a part of something like that and I forgot how much I missed it.   She helped charge my artistic desire yet again and the hunger to learn more. 

After working with Jessica, I took a workshop with her and finally felt the confidence and know how to upgrade my camera to a Canon EOS Rebel TI (complete side note, that Nikon D40 was “misplaced” before a garage sale.  A little ironic, eh).  I also took an online course suggested by one of my friends.  Oh Shoot Photography is highly recommended for anyone looking to get off the auto function and learn the beginning skills needed to take great photos.  What I loved about this class is it caters to all learning abilities.  She supplies a PDF document, an audio file, a video, and almost instantaneous feedback on all questions you may have. 

The class was great but I did a few things that I somewhat regret.  The first being, I took it at a time where I couldn’t be 100% devoted to it.  My husband just returned from deployment and my priority was adjusting to my family of three.  The second thing I regret, is that overconfidence in me (you know, from the teenage years) crept in and I felt I already knew everything the class taught (at least until lesson 3 of 7).  While I knew my fair share, my attitude was wrong.  My friends’ work improved greatly, mine improved slightly.  I really need to work on that overconfidence thing.  Thankfully, I have access to all learning materials from the class so I can (and will review) constantly.  I’m planning on taking the portrait class by the same instructor in the near future, hopefully with a different attitude and more time on my hands.

So today, I find myself excited about building my skill and expanding my portfolio.  I have even had a few friends (and a friend of a friend) ask me to take photos of their family (of course they are doing me a favor so I won’t be charging).  I don’t intend to make a career out of it (I have a lot to learn as it is) but I love that for now it’s something I’m passionate about and something adds a bit of artistic color to my life. 

Photography; My Forgotten Passion. Part 2: A Memory

I used to want to be a photographer…

 

4 moves, 3 states, 2 schools and 1 wedding latter I was living in Hawaii with my husband attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa.   I earned my Associates of Art at Des Moines Community College and was looking forward to a fresh start and hopefully a realization of what I wanted to do as a career (still looking for that realization).  I loved art, I loved photography, and I loved advertising.  My goal now, was to earn a degree that would 1. Let me actually finish school and 2. Let me finish in 3 years before we moved on to our next duty station.

The University of Hawaii was not my first choice but I was lucky enough to be able to receive an education with minimal cost.  My practical side knew that it wasn’t the degree or institution that was important; it was having a degree to get your foot in the door.   Deciding the degree was a little more difficult as choices were more limited.  At Columbia College, Advertising and Art went hand in hand.  At UH, not so much.  In order to get the business classes I wanted but the art classes I adored, I did what any stubborn…er.. sensible person would do and designed a major; Art Gallery Management.  I mixed my passions of Art, Art History and Theory, Business, Communication into one compact, get me out the door in 2 years, degree.  Plus, the idea of maybe possibly opening up an Art Gallery Wine Bar one day after military life sounds so appealing.

Professional Photography was a memory and my new career path was to allow me to display works by much more talented people than myself.  At school I took wonderful and interesting classes, one where I got to design my business plan, another where I designed art exhibitions, and yet another where I was the Team Leader for a marketing campaign.   I loved that I had actually found a way to act on my interests while earning a degree.  

It would seem to most people that Hawaii would be the perfect spot to expand on my photography.  I was surrounded by beauty.  Unfortunately, My Pentax ZX 30 35mm fully functioning camera was  “misplaced” during the move.  We were reimbursed but not nearly enough to replace.  Also, being a newly married couple paying my husband’s student loans as well as my current tuition, a camera was not in our budget.  We could have made it work financially, but that passion wasn’t there.   I still took pictures with a point and shoot and got some great ones (it doesn't always take a great camera to be a great photographer).  I also had a friend who is a hobbyist photographer and could easily put his medical career aside and become a nature photographer.  The beauty he was able to capture through his lens was far beyond my talents nor desire.  There was no reason for me to document the landscape that was our backyard when he could do it so much better.  

Things changed when I found out I was pregnant with our first child.  My husband bought me a Nikon D40 DSLR camera as a “Push Present” (google it, it is a real thing).  I had a motive to document this new little being’s life on camera.  We were also moving to Germany and while Hawaii is beautiful, I knew I would fit more into the European lifestyle.  The photographer in me started to rise to the surface again.

Photography; My Forgotten Passion. Part 1: A Dream

I used to want to be a Professional Photographer.  I imagined myself styling glamorous photo shoots for Vogue Magazine, living the high life in New York City and being a successful career woman.  Today, I’m a Stay at Home Mom, moving to the suburbs, and prefer Real Simple and O: The Oprah Magazine to any fashion magazine.  Things change, people change. 

My passion for photography began when I was young.  My sister gave me a Polaroid Camera for my 5th birthday.  It was more of a toy than a functioning product as the film was not in my 5 year old budget at the time.  I loved it though.  I loved the click of the button, the va-ca oosh sound It made when the imaginary picture came out, the joy of posing my stuffed animals and friends.  It was even better when I was lucky enough for my mom to buy me the film.  I tried to savor each shot as any elementary school child could, but the film rarely lasted more than an hour.  

I continued to document my play dates, field trips, and family vacations.  I would take my role of film down to Eckerds and wait anxiously for the film to be developed.  I always had to get doubles.  Most of the time the pictures would be looked over, shared, and then placed right back into the flimsy envelope to be tucked in a drawer and pretty much forgotten (my organizational skills did not come until later).  Occasionally, I would spend afternoons going through them and recounting the forgotten moments and try to relive them in my memory.  Pictures are always great for that.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I went with my mom to Chicago for a girls’ weekend trip.  It was there that we found The Museum of Contemporary Photography which happened to be attached to Columbia College Chicago, a media art school.  I didn’t need to apply to any other school; I was meant to go there.  I had set my destiny and just had to wait a couple of more years before it became reality.  

During that time, I took a few photography classes through school, worked in at a photo store, and brought my fully functional Pentax ZX 30 35mm camera everywhere. I loved staging photo shoots with friends and my newborn niece was among my favorite subjects.  People commented on my work and my confidence for it grew.  At one point I was even a little too confident and volunteered to be the photographer for a friend’s wedding.  I totally dressed the part in my first suit that I bought from The Limited.  I had access to two cameras, multiple rolls of film, and very little knowledge of what I was actually doing.  While I’m sad that the marriage didn’t work out I am selfishly relieved that she does not have to rely on my pictures to document one of the most important day of her life.  

Continuing in my overconfidence stage (ie teenage years), I was also quoted in my high school newspaper saying that I would never use digital.  I thought that anyone using digital could alter their pictures to make them appear to be a better photographer.   At the time, digital meant Photoshop, and Photoshop was cheating.  Needless to say, I had a lot to learn. 

I did end up going to Columbia College…for a year anyway.  Being a photography student, I held my breath every time I had to develop my rolls of film.  I carefully would wind them on the spools, placing them in the light proof canisters, praying that I didn’t expose it too soon, scratch them when they were drying, or leave them forgotten amongst the other students work.  The fun, more relaxing part came in the dark room.  I could spend hours in there perfecting each print, playing with dodging and shadowing making sure I had the right exposure.  I felt very proud of my work but not overly confident.  

Being a part of an urban campus was my first dose of city living, and I loved it!  It was a perfect subject for my photography assignments.  I made great friends (and a few enemies) and learned a lot about myself.  For instance, I am much more practical than I thought.  I loved what I was doing but I also hated that my art was being overshadowed by assignments.  I rarely picked up a camera unless it was for school.  

Looking into future careers, I wasn’t sure if a professional photographer was a right fit anymore.  I wanted something safer but something that my photography could be a part of.  Before the end of the second semester I switched my major to Advertising with a minor in Photography.  It was a path I was sure about.  Unfortunately, finances overruled my decision and I ended up having to say farewell to Chicago.  Little did I know that I would be saying farewell to photography for awhile as well. 

What's in a name...

Elizabeth E.  Elizabeth Lindsay E.  Elizabeth EE?   I believe a name defines someone as much as their profession and way of life.  For the first 14 years of my life, I went by my middle name.  I joke that it was a harsh trick my parents played on me so that it would force me to correct the teacher and speak up in class (something I feared doing for the first 13 years of my life).   In reality, my parents felt that I was a Lindsay and Elizabeth Lindsay sounds better than Lindsay Elizabeth.  Fast forward to high school, I was beginning to define myself and with college applications in the near future, I decided that Lindsay no longer fit the woman I was becoming.

Yes, Elizabeth, simply Elizabeth.  Not Liz, Libby or Beth (maybe occasionally Lizzy if you are my nieces or nephews or Lizabeth if you were a high school friend) but Elizabeth.   It was confusing at first and I began responding to practically any name that I was called.  Of course, when I started my new job as a barista, there was another Elizabeth, a slightly older Elizabeth who had already been established as an Elizabeth in the work setting.  My name was thus shortened to E2 which was not just because of being another Elizabeth but also to incorporate my last name which also started with an E.  

I can thank my husband for the 3^rd E on my name.  Lindsay was officially dropped in 2006 and my name not only had the same three initials but was ridiculous long.  Elizabeth Emsweller Ellenbecker.  I constantly get remarks when people look at my Military Spouse ID and see a barely visible font squeezing all 29 letters in a ½ inch space.  

So, E3.  I’ve played with this symbol before.  In college, I designed a major in Art Gallery Management.  My dream at the time was to open an Art Gallery called The Cube (cute, huh).  My life led me into a different direction (across the ocean, a continent and another ocean to be exact) and that dream was put on a hold.  It was a good thing, however, as I learned more about the Elizabeth I was and the passions and dreams that would soon follow.

This is the start to embracing my dreams and hopefully in turn, will help me decide what to ultimately do with my life (besides of course being a wife to my husband and mother to my son). Through my art, inspirations, recipes, and thoughts I will explore my passions of life which range from Photography and Interior Design to Cooking and Going Green.  This chapter of my life will be using 3 different but defining Es to Creating an Enriching, Expressive, an Eco-Friendly Life.  I hope you enjoy the journey.