Warning: The picture of the day is awful, technically. It will not inspire anyone, nor is it winning any prizes. It’s probably one of the worst pictures I’ve ever taken. But it made me laugh so hard that I couldn’t help it; I had to share.

Please allow me to give you the back story.

I’ve had the most uninspiring day today. It could possibly be from the insanely awful heavy duty retainer I have to wear when I’m not at work. It’s no headgear – in fact, it’s quite small. But it’s squeezing my teeth together and driving me insane!

So at first I thought “Well I should take a picture of what’s on my mind… my teeth! Oh! Self Portrait Time!”
So I got all dolled up, even teased my hair a little bit (Pentecostal Poof in the house… although I’m not Pentecostal). Well I took too long, all the good light outside was gone, and all the pictures I took inside looked like poop. Not only that, but I have an incredibly awkward smile right now. I seriously need to sit in front of the mirror and figure out how to smile, sans the metal in my mouth.

So I start taking pics of The Fat One, Reese. She’s being a moody model, only sticking her rear to the camera… or in some cases, mad dogging the camera (erm glaring). So my hero of a husband suggests letting Reese play in her food, because after all, food is her thaaaaang (not just thing; thaaaaang).

So after I tipped the food over, she was in heaven.

Well Bacon wanted in on the action.

I happened to snap this picture right before she started slapping him in his face with her declawed paw, REPEATEDLY, while kitty cat cussing… sending my little french bulldog to hide behind me & the camera. Didn’t even realize I photographed the calm before the storm until I stumbled upon it.
And after I finally stopped laughing, I decided it was time to blog.

Goodnight all <3

I have been racking my brain all day, thinking I have no idea what I’m going to shoot for Day 3.
I was distracted on the way home because I kept looking around me, looking for something, ANYTHING to give me even a hint of inspiration.
I stood in my closet.
I stood in my kitchen.
I stood in my drum room.
Nothing, and I mean nothing, struck a chord.

Then Reese, my puppycat, started barking at me (yes she barks) so I would turn on the bathroom faucet for her to get a drink. I rolled my eyes, grudgingly turned on the light, and turned on the faucet as I watched the chubby one jump onto the counter.

Looked over to the left, and there it was – my gift from my little sister Melissa that she brought back from her New Zealand / Fiji trip this summer. Awesome charm on a chord necklace. She brought all different kinds of charms back, and each one had a different meaning. She said to read the meanings and pick out which one I wanted.
Some were supposed to bring career change, some to bring power, and so on. It was a quick and easy decision. I picked the one that meant a special bond. Melissa (or Missy Metal Stuhlman, as she’s listed in my cell phone) is almost a mini-mi, but with her entirely own style. I took her to her first metal show; I went with her when she got her bellybutton pierced; and I took her to get her first tattoo. She’s pretty awesome.

You didn’t know? It’s really Kasi Daine Technical Difficulty Stuhlman.

I had a picture of the day for yesterday, couldn’t get Photoshop or LightRoom to work.. my Day 1 blog won’t feed to my Kasi Daine Photography Facebook page..
SO here’s Day 2. And then I’ll post Day 3 later tonight.

I know what you’re all thinking… Starburst? Kasi you had all day to take a picture and you took a picture of Starburst?!
For me, the Starburst candies mean so much more to me than something to satisfy my sweets cravings… The last time I’d had Starburst was about 8 months ago or so, when we began serious talks about my being close to getting my braces off. I bought them from the convenience store on the garage level of my office building; and they were stale. They were SO stale in fact that they pulled my molar bracket completely off. I then proceeded to bite down onto the molar bracket. And I had to leave it like that for about 20 hours. From that point on, I was terrified of eating Starburst!

So imagine the joy in my heart yesterday when I visited the vending machine and saw the Starburst! EEEEEEK!
And for those who were wondering – the Starburst candies were not stale; they were worth the wait (like most amazing things in life). Have a great day everyone & I’ll post Day 3 later today!!

So I’ve issued a challenge to myself, to take at least 1 picture a day and post on my blog the same day… I’m hoping that it will get me into a habit of actually posting on my blog.

So I introduce you to Sway, my “oldest.” She sleeps with her forehead up against things. It really is odd.
Also, she’s in The Box. The Box is a fave of our cats. The fatter one actually busted it at the seams, so my husband stapled and taped it back together because they loved it so much. They’re just a little spoiled.

I’m a huge believer in working smarter not harder… well when it comes to marketing my photography business, I somehow worked easier, but not necessarily smarter. The scorpio in me tends to have a thing for instant gratification.

So when I finish a session and I post sneak peeks, I will post them on Facebook for a number of reasons: it’s easier/quicker; more people are checking out FB these days; and I almost immediately get comments on my work. With the blog, however, you have to do a lot more; and I’ve been leaving that out of my workflow – which is nutty! So I’m going to start with a quick recap of what in the heck I’ve been doing (for all of you who aren’t following me on http://facebook.com/kasidaine).

AND as a promise to myself (as well as those amazing individuals who check my blog vs FB), I’m going to issue a challenge to myself. At least for a month, I want to snap 1 picture a day (whatever my heart desires) and post to the blog the same day. It’s going to be a great exercise for me to get used to my blog, and I may even become better friends with it.

So… here you go. This is what I’ve been up to:

Had a Rockstar Senior Session with the amazing Cheyenne:

Had 2 maternity sessions: Lorraine; and Laura (joined with hubby Kyle).. these haute mamas-to-be were a pleasure to work with:
Lorraine

Laura & Kyle:

Took some time out to take some pics of a couple of my amazing loved ones (one you may recognize from the banner, eh):

Best Sister Ever

And who would know I’d have a thing for photographing families with dogs?! I love animals, and since I only have furbabies, I understand wanting to include our 4 legged family members in a family portrait session!
I introduce the Foster Family:

And the always fun Whalen Family:

I also booked an upcoming wedding and as part of the wedding package, Jacquelyne & Austin had an engagement session (or as I like to call them: Boy Meets Girl Session):

I also lost my mind for a moment and let 2 of the cutest kids go wild in a candy store! Here’s to Rory & Chase!

Let’s not forget my first successful live band shoot. I never in a million years thought I would be as lucky as I am to be able to photograph the local musicians who have more talent in their right pinky than I’ll ever have. Music has always been a passion, but it’s not my top talent. It’s not even in my top 25. Heck, I would make a better act balancing a pitcher full of beer on my head, before I could make a living as a musician. So imagine my spaztom (new Kasi’ism… write it down people) when I was able to capture these shots of one of THE most talented acts in DFW, Turbid North:

By the way.. Turbid North is having their CD release party Saturday, July 17th at the Ridglea Theater in Fort Worth. Come check them out. They’re not the standard sound of metal… they’re more of a Metal Symphony. And they’re amazing dudes, as well.

I also had a BLAST shooting the local band Burndown in the rain in downtown Fort Worth. Burndown hails out of Graham, TX but you can catch them playing here in the DFW area. Burndown is more of a union of metal, southern rock, blues, and soul. I’ve known JD for years from his work with his prior band, and was seriously psyched when they asked if I would do their promo pictures.

Burndown will be playing in Arlington at Pitchers (I think it’s off of Division?) on July 30th… check them out!!

And of course, I can’t end this post without a picture of the most emo dog ever. After all, everyone loves Bacon.

It’s my niece’s birthday today – wanted to wish her a Happy Birthday (as she’s the face of my blog).

And poor, poor blog of mine.. I promise to stop neglecting you. Soon.

I’m always looking to fellow photographers for inspiration and tips on how to do this crazy thing we do. So when I had a chance to learn from the amazing Leslie Spurlock, I was sooo down! So my great friend Angie & I made the trek to McKinney from good ole Burleson, TX.

While we were there, we got to share ideas/tips with a room full of amazing photographers. We also received an amazing set of Lightroom presets from Leslie Spurlock (I believe she has them for sale now – def worth it people!!), and yours truly won a $100 credit for Kubota Image Tools which I put to great use

Best part was the amazing group of models that were there!! Hair/makeup was done by Jennifer Jeffrey, who also modeled for us! To all of the models, thank you thank you thank you for being so beautiful and so much fun to work with!! And special shot out to the men who were in the pictures.. we know it’s not always something men prefer to do (take photos) but you gentlemen ROCKED IT OUT!

And here are a few of the images from the shoot… hope you enjoy

I’ve been rockin’ the braces for a few years now. I had to get them on my own, instead of having them as a child… so I think I learned to appreciate them so much more. If I mention my braces, people tend to ask, “When are you getting them off?” “Never.”
They were due off April 2008, I think. But I guess my grill was a bit jacked up. (yeah, I said it. I called it a grill)

So I had my ortho follow up yesterday. My orthodontist caught me off guard. “How would you feel about getting your braces off?”
All I could mutter was “Uhm, no?” Both my orthodontist & the assistant laughed.

You see, I’ve thought a lot about life post-braces. Will I finally look my age? Will bouncers quit rubbing my ID at bars? Will people fail to recognize me any longer? I’ve had these bad boys for years… and you’re telling me we’ll no longer be together? I feel like I’ll be divorcing my braces! And what will I do when I can’t see the staff at Apple Orthondontix every 4-6 weeks??
I said all of this out loud.

We’re leaving them on for now to allow for a few tiny gaps to get closed… something the retainer would do, but the braces will be a more solid route. But we’re probably talking maybe 2 -3 more months. And then yours truly will have the most fantabulous smile

Side note: As much as this is a photography blog, I am not about to post a picture of my metal mouth. Haha, metal mouth.
So instead, I present to you what I did to a family photo from this past holiday season.. We set up the camera on the tripod, set up a timer, and this was a shot that would have been amazing… had it not been for the fact that everything was in focus – except for US! Haha. So this was something I created with the idea that I’m going to have it done on stretched canvas. I couldn’t decide if it was really creative/artsy or if it was creepy. Haha.

I’ll be (finally) posting my blog w/pics from the Leslie Spurlock workshop shortly. I just had so much fun (too much fun) with the images!

I woke up this morning around 5 or so.. didn’t end up heading to the gym because of the amount of snow outside, and I wanted to stay up and watch the weather (Yes..I did say 5.. as in 5am).

It is now 8:50pm and it is still snowing! This does not happen in Texas! But it’s absolutely beautiful!

While I was snapping those shots, my dog was exploring the snow… If you haven’t done so previously, meet Bacon, my 3 year old french bulldog.

So then my wonderful husband Michael came home and we decided to play in the snow. He started a snow man… while I started a snow-dog, inspired by Bacon.

Then my husband made a man, sitting on a chair.. I gave him a pair of cheap drumsticks.. he stuck green straw pieces in his hair (ehhh lack of materials), and I grabbed my snare.

I’m off to stay warm! I’ll be posting more photos from the Leslie Spurlock Workshop this weekend!

Hard to believe 2010 is here. I remember when I was a kid, I thought for sure we’d be riding around like the Jetsons by now. Who dropped the ball here??

It appears I have some catching up to do! I had 3 shoots before the end of the year, but with the craziness of the holidays, I neglected my blog. Shame on me! So without further adieu…

Thomasina & Family
Thomasina wanted family photos for holiday cards of her, her fiance Charles, and Charles’ son Charlie. On my client form, “Additional Information Photographer should know prior to session” Thomasina wrote “We are a little Crazy.” How much of a match am I – haha! A little crazy helps make the world go ’round, in my book. This family even had a little Captain in them!

Baby Maurice Jr.
Precious precious precious baby boy. I would shoot newborns all day long, given the chance.

Look at how tiny his little baby feet are!

Lastly…

Christiane & Family
Christiane and her boyfriend Rob eloped in Vegas! Her mother in law brought the family together for a quaint reception dinner, and I was invited to take pictures of the extended family.

Christiane’s husband Rob, Christiane, & her proud father

Christiane’s twin grits (Girls Raised In The South) – they are going to be breaking hearts left and right

The girls w/their new cousins

And check out this ring!

Please check back frequently, as I have vowed to myself that I will keep this blog up.. even if it’s something so silly, so random.. it will be here
Hope everyone has an insanely wonderful 2010!