While I still do graphic design for my main income, photography has always been a passion of mine. It’s something I’ve done on the side for a few years now. Photoshop editing is my strength but my picture taking skills are not too shabby if I do say so myself.

I’ve learned about lighting techniques, reflectors, different kinds of camera lenses, depth of field, and additional advanced stuff my mentor has taught me. I also learned that focusing on too many details can be a negative.

After a recent scheduled family photo session that could have turned out much better, I realized some people really don’t think hard about what they are going to wear. This alone can result in OK photos rather than incredible ones.

So here are some tips for those who are considering getting some professional family pictures taken this year.

If you’ve scheduled a family portrait session, you’re probably already trying to decide what to wear. It can be challenging to keep the whole family looking great for your pictures, but the task is not impossible! If you’re not sure what clothing to select, keep the following ideas in mind.

Remember Basic Rules of Coordination

If thoughts of your entire family in matching outfits from head to toe, give you nightmares, don’t worry! You don’t need to make everyone match to have beautiful photos. However, you do need the colors and styles of your clothes to coordinate.

As a general rule, basic styles and neutral colors are best. Your favorite dress might be brightly colored and boldly patterned, but that can be distracting when you’re looking at a photo. Instead, stick with neutrals for your family picture.

Although you want everyone to coordinate, you also want to emphasize individuality. Allow your kids to pick accessories, such as scarves, ties or hair bows that add a pop of color.

Make Sure You’re Comfortable

You want your photos to look natural and beautiful, so it’s important that each member of your family is comfortable in the clothing you’ve selected. If your teenage daughter hates dresses, let her wear pants instead of the sundress you would prefer.

If your toddler complains about clothing with tags, make sure that you cut the tags out of his new sweater before picture day.
When your family members are comfortable in their clothing, they will also be confident. This allows your photographer to capture moments that are naturally pleasant and relaxed.

Add Some Personality

Finally, the best photos are those that showcase the personality of your family. If you want unique portraits, consider dressing in a way that emphasizes your family’s hobbies and interests.
Sports-loving families can find clothing even for their littlest members so you can have a photo that proudly displays the love you have for your favorite team.

If all of your children are active athletes, allow them to hold their footballs, baseball mitts or other sports accessories in the photo. If you’re a family of musicians, don’t be afraid to add your musical instruments to the scene.

When you coordinate your apparel, make sure everyone is comfortable and add a splash of personality, you’ll end up with photos that truly reflect the love and happiness that is present in your family.

For eleven years I am proud to say I have lived in Brooklyn. I am a lover of all animals but Brooklyn’s Pigeons are the absolute worst. It seems as if these pigeons fill the streets of Brooklyn and they are all I ever see.

They are either on the ground making a fuss or in the air. No matter where they are it is a horrific experience for me. The pigeons do not practice even basic hygiene. They will drink or eat anything within their path, no matter what it is.

There are multiple reasons why I do not like pigeons. I have encountered a few run-ins with them, unfortunately.

1. A Family of Disgusting Pigeons Hatched on My Balcony

Out of all the places that the pigeons could have gone, they decided to come to my balcony. I am surprised they could not tell that I did not have any love for them. I noticed that each morning as I’m getting ready for work, an ugly pigeon would come to my balcony for around a month. I did not know why each day I would see it come. I thought it was trying to make up to me for all the times the pigeons’ families were in the wrong.

A few weeks later, I noticed something under one of my folding chairs while I was doing my spring cleaning. I quickly realized it was a nest with two baby pigeons. I had to admit that it was a cute sight. It caused me to rethink what I thought about the pigeons for a moment. Maybe they were just so nasty because they did not have any other choice and I was admittedly kind of happy they had chosen my balcony. I did not go back on my balcony for a couple of weeks because I thought they would leave in a couple of weeks so I did not want to disturb them. I was very wrong.

At one point, I counted over fifteen pigeons on my balcony. That is way too many. They even covered my nice, newly clean balcony with their poop. I could not believe they did not know they should not poop where they sleep. This attracted flies and all kinds of insects. I knew that the only way to get rid of pigeons would be to scare them away. Then use an unhealthy amount of bleach to remove the stench they had left behind.

One day I noticed that one of the pigeons was actually using his beak to try to peck on the glass. He seemed to be trying to get into the apartment. I knew this was the day they had to go. So I placed garbage bags all around my body and went outside to scare them away. Then, I used water and bleach to clean.

I had to throw away my folding chairs because their poop was all over them. For a few weeks, one of the pigeons kept coming back. I guess he was waiting on the others to return but they never did. I guess he gave up because I have not seen a pigeon on my balcony since the day he stopped coming.

2. Brooklyn Pigeons Consume Garbage

When someone googles what pigeons eat they will get results like seeds, earthworms, and grains. The only problem is that I have never actually viewed a pigeon eating anything like this and I see them every day.

I have watched pigeons eat food wrappers, dirty tissue paper, thrown away pizza, cigarette butts, and chunks of vomit. It is my belief that pigeons eat anything they can find on the streets of Brooklyn. I would think that pigeons would know not to eat certain things instinctively; however, this does not seem to be likely. They will truly eat anything.

Many people think that pigeons are just flying rats. At least rats have the decency to do their dirty work behind closed doors. Pigeons do not care who is watching.

3. My Face was Swooped by a Pigeon

I was certainly in disbelief. I could not believe that a penguin did that to me. Every time I see one, I think of that moment. I was walking downtown a couple of years ago, fully focused on where I was going. Then, I notice a swooshing sound. I heard the sound go back and forth quickly. I had no idea where the swooshing sound was coming from.

As I was trying to figure things out, a pigeon almost flew right into my face. The pigeon’s beak was millimeters from my nose. As the pigeon flew by, its wing hit my left cheek. I was mortified.

I will never be a fan of pigeons for so many reasons. All of these moments with them are times I will never forget.

I can remember as a very young tot going to the Yankees games with my grandfather and my father. The entire day that we ventured to the stadium was a big event for my family. That is why I have kept this tradition alive by traveling to see the Yankees play during spring training in Florida. During my trip there were a few epic events that have created more lifetime memories for myself. I had decided to take some time off from freelancing in New York to re-experience some old memories and create some fresher adventures. That’s one of the biggest benefits of working for yourself. You can take a vacation when you feel like it. I am a creative mind who likes excitement and loves a great baseball game.

Florida Baseball

The sun was high and the weather was hotter than my native New York. Which is of course to been expected. I decided to drive down to Tampa, Florida instead of taking a plane flight. Although flying would have been faster, I preferred to make this an adventure. I rented a vacation home from a reputable website. That way, I could live in what I perceive as “luxury and privacy” without spending the extra cash on a traditional hotel room. Also, I think it sounds kind of neat when I recall the events of this trip with my friends. This was to be the vacation of a lifetime. The sun was sizzling and so was my adventurous soul. Yankees here I come!

Yankees in Action

The slap of the baseball after it had been thrown hit the catcher’s mitt. The bases were would be loaded if the batter hit the ball far enough. However to my surprise, the batter bunted the ball for a grounder. He sprinted towards first base without hesitation. Oh My! It was a close call. The umpire yells “safe”! The fans cheer and I’m in the middle of it all in the stands. I look across the field, I see all of my favorite players. This was a moment that I have been saving and waiting for. I was so excited to be there and my voice was growing sore from cheering.

After the game was over a few of the players signed a few balls for the fans. I was a little timid at first but got the courage to ask for an autograph from my favorite player, Brett Gardner. To my astonishment, he signed my ball that I caught during the game. My heart was racing. This was a very exciting moment for me and made my trip worth the drive.

Fun Side Trip

After seeing the Yankees in action, I made a side trip to water ski the next day. Unfortunately. I never water skied a day in my life. So… I decided to get the I could find. You, know… for safety. This was a day that I learned to let go and have more fun than was imaginable in New York. At first I felt like a fish out of water. After a few failed attempts, water skiing was become more natural to me. After skiing on the water for a while, I relaxed on the boat. I contemplated on my entire trip and all the new people I met along the way to and in Florida. In many ways I think that I did more than relive old memories. I truly lived! As the sun began to set, we traveled back to shore. I will look back on this as something that has help me to become a better person. If it weren’t for this fantastic adventure I would have always wondered, “What If”?

A lot has happened since I last posted. Rent in New York has skyrocketed and I was forced to make the decision to move out of my place. I’ve been looking at apartments a little further away from the hub of the city since other than convenience, I have no real reason to live there working as a freelancer. Well, the greatest thing ever happened a couple months ago. A friend of mine and her husband were planning on traveling the world over the next year. The own a nice (but older) home out in the suburbs. Instead of simply renting it out to a stranger, they agreed to let me stay there for less than what I was paying at my old apartment. I’m talking about having an actual yard, garage, and room to fit more than a couple other people in my place at a time.

The only other stipulation was that I would take care of all the maintenance around the house. Well sure enough, something went wrong in the first few weeks. Once, somebody told me that water is something like 90% more likely to cause damage to a house over fire. It makes total sense because a water leak can arise from a hundred different ways. It could be your dishwasher, frozen pipes, washing machine, heavy rain, roof leak, or a water heater. For me, it was a combination of two. Due to the crazy cold weather streak we’ve been having, a part of a water pipe that leads to the top of the water heater in my un-insulated garage started leaking. I didn’t even notice this until I noticed a big ‘ol pool of water in the garage one morning. Really? A leaking water heater wasn’t something I wanted to deal with right now. I had just finished unpacking the last box and was contemplating “firing” a couple of my clients since I simply took on too many at a time.

Luckily, a local plumber was willing to come out the same day since someone had cancelled. He told me what I kind of suspected, that the leak was due to the cold. After listening to his explanation of how metal has a tendency to expand and contract when cold temperatures hit, I was hit with more bad news. The current water heater was over 15 years old and failure of the tank was imminent. So even though the water heater was leaking from the top and the repair wasn’t too complicated, what’s to say that he wouldn’t have to come back in a couple weeks to replace a failed tank.

I ended up doing some research on what a new water heater would cost. I heard about tankless models but they were really out of my price range. I ended up selecting a new AO Smith 50 gallon model from Home Depot I think. The plumber got it at a slight discount since he was a business and had it installed for me the next day. Even though I had to do without hot water for a couple days (not fun in a New York winter), I feel so much more at ease knowing I won’t be running out of hot water or seeing a flooded garage while I’m staying at the house.

I guess this is a good way of introducing me to home ownership. Once Todd and Sarah get back, I’ll be going back to apartment life. Maybe one day I’ll be the proud owner of my own home but with the home prices here, it would have to be in another part of the state or a different state altogether. Have any crazy water heater stories?

Ugh… so TIRED. You know the feeling, right? For the past few months now, I’m just… dragging. (No, I’m not pregnant.) You know how some days are just sooo looong and you’re sooo tiiiired and you can’t get to bed soon enough? Well, that’s been pretty much every day for a while now. I know nothing major has changed in my life, no big stress, no illness, so what gives?

I got to thinking that maybe, just maybe, things change a little as you get older? (Gasp!) And maybe, just maybe, I’ve been not-so-great about always taking care of myself. I’m doing pretty good at not being too much of a workaholic, yay! But I could definitely use an upgrade in my personal health regimen. So here’s my plan, and it’s already going better than I expected.

Food! Duh, food… Who doesn’t love food? I think I love food a little too much, and maybe it needs to love me back. So what do I do when I’m out of my element? I go to a professional. I got hooked up with this nutritionist through a mutual friend and we had our first consultation just last week. And I learned a lot about what foods might love me back a little better.

Tired all the time? Try a little iron. Spinach, beef, kale, beans, dried fruits like raisins and apricots. Hey, I can do that! A little extra effort on my part, and tacos for dinner or spinach salad for lunch is no big deal. Shoot, put the raisins in the salad and I get a twofer! Right on! I’m an artist, I can throw a little ‘design’ work at this whole food thing.

She also told me two other big rules. One, lay off the sugar/refined flour. These foods are literally tiring to your body. Even if you get that little sugar high, you crash after and feel worse than you started. So, that part is maybe not so easy, and I’m working on it, I really am. Two, try to put the right kinds of fats in your diet, so that you’re getting all the nutrients you need. Did you know that almost half the nutrients you need (like vitamins A, D, E, and K!) are fat soluble? If you stick to that low fat diet, you won’t be getting these important vitamins! Holy crap!

So here I am, adding those healthy-fat avocados to my spinach/kale/romaine/leafy green of the day salad, and I have to admit it feels pretty good. I mean, it feels good in my stomach, not like eating three servings of fettucine alfredo for dinner feels…. I can’t say my energy levels have really rebounded a whole lot, but I think there’s a difference, and it’s growing. I think I’ll go ahead and book another appointment with her (check out her work here), see what else I can do to get this apple cart on the right track!