the colors of guatemala

Installment #2 from my trip. The bright colors were abundant! In the US, we stick to a more neutral color pallet...whether its for our clothes, decorations or homes. My camera enjoyed the color variety. Although that was pretty much it for me with the color...when I bought anything I tried to keep it neutral. My style isn't very supportive of the hot pinks, greens and purples. That's a good thing though or I would have broken the bank.

on failure

http://www.theanimalprintshop.com/

Let me begin by saying, I have a really awesome & supportive fiance, who is particularly supportive of my photography. So naturally, when he tells me my pics are great I am inclined to believe him. About 4 weeks ago, I entered a local photo contest and to my dismay didn't place at all! I was disappointed and felt like a failure!!

Luckily, the universe has ways of presenting much needed therapy at just the right time. I was catching up on one of my regular blogs today and found an awesome interview with Sharon Montrose, creator of the Animal Print Shop. Here is an excerpt from my favorite part:

Where I am now is a result of many things that I tried and failed at. First, I shot weddings and headshots, but I realized I connected more deeply with animals. Then, back in 1998, I tried to be a private pet photographer, but back then, people didn’t spend money on their dogs. It was humiliating: I took promo cards to vet offices and dog parks, but nobody called. Not one person called. Then I thought, maybe I’ll try to get a dog book published. So I read a book about how to get published, and I wrote letters to literary agents, and sure enough sold my book to Viking Press. That’s really where it all started to work out.

So I think it's fair to say that set backs are a part of any journey. I am sure there will be many more photo contests for me to enter and if I don't win any of those, well then, at least Chris will always be my fan!

the faces of guatemala

I was in Guatemala for 8 days and took over 1000 pics. I was there for school but even with other priorities I managed to have my camera on me almost the whole time. Before I left I was actually debating not bringing my camera since I heard that Guatemala is not the safest place but I couldn't be happier with my choice. The people I met were actually some of the most generous and kindest people ever and to think I was scared of being robbed almost makes me laugh out loud now. Some of the pics are of random people and some are of people I met. Overall, I love the friendly demeanor and hospitality of the Guatemalans. I can see why the country is ranked in the top ten of the happy planet index.