The holidays are over now and most people have gone back to work this week. Meanwhile I was in bed til 2pm taking pictures of this dumb boi. I definitely have things I should be doing but sometimes you just laze around and do nothing before you’re mentally prepared to take care of your responsibilities.
This guy’s name is Sokka by the way, and he is 1 of 4 cats that I have.
Recently I bought a Sigma Art 35mm 1.4 and really enjoyed taking portraits with it. However, because of its size, it was much too unwieldy to take around with me everywhere like I do with my legacy glass. On top of that, asking to take a photo of someone / something while sticking a giant lens in front of them makes people feel uncomfortable and that makes it difficult to get more natural, genuine shots. I like to form connections and create stories with the people I’m photographing and I knew it wasn’t going to happen with that lens unfortunately.
So I returned it and picked up an X-100F which I’ve had my eye on for a while. I wanted a fast, low-profile, high quality, camera to take around with me everywhere that would offer me more opportunities to shoot. I’ve only been using it for a day but it’s completely renewed my love for photography. I don’t feel as intimidating asking to take photos anymore and my motivation to go out and shoot has skyrocketed with how fun it is to use. Excited to see where this camera takes me!
Today my first student graduated from a bootcamp course! I've been working part-time as a mentor for Thinkful and my first ever student has completed his course and moved on. It actually caught me off guard because I hadn’t really thought about my students suddenly being removed from my responsibilities.
I’m happy he passed and I can only hope that the assistance and knowledge I imparted to him is enough to carry him through his future career endeavors.
I only just received your card today and though the holidays are over now, I hope that these wishes for me will last throughout the rest of the year!
“A new year means a new journal!”
While some enjoy more traditional formats for documenting, I’ve been a digital resident since I was 11. So it’s only natural that I’m keeping a photoblog on my own personal website.
My friend Voranouth loves collecting stationery and journaling and after seeing some of what she’s created I have to admit it they look really pretty. She likes to keep track of things she did on her days as well as take note of upcoming events or plans she has during the year. Another friend, Mary, is keeping track of her progress toward specific goals and milestones she wants to hit in her own journal. I’ve never really been one to set such specific goals and always just kind of improvised as life happened around me. I accepted very early on that whatever happens, happens, and the only thing you truly have control over, is how you react or behave in the face of adversity. So instead, I set broad guidelines and hold a list of core values and principles that I adhere to. I don’t know how well it works but I’m still alive now so I can’t complain.
Hailing in this new year, I finished up a contract job as a developer. I’m now without work again and back on the search. I can’t say I feel completely comfortable with my situation but it’s definitely not the first time I’ve been here. In the past, as long as I kept myself collected and confident in my abilities, there was always an opportunity waiting for me to find.
It’s a new year and a new decade. I spent last night with friends and family just enjoying each other’s company.
Last new year’s eve I spent on my couch alone with my cats so I guess a lot has changed.
Something I noticed from everyone last night was it seemed like we were all at peace with what we’d done and where we’d come from up to that point. It’s the turn of a new decade and instead of reflecting back on arguably our most important first 10 years of adulthood, we were content with the present and looking toward the future. I’m glad that we can all focus on the important things and support each other in our individual endeavors.
I hope your 2019 was a good year, and though your decade was likely filled with pits and mountains, I hope you understand all of it has molded you into who you are today and that you feel comfortable in your own skin.
If you’d like to see the other photos I took last night you can visit my album using the link below.
I love taking pictures.
However, I feel like I don’t often get enough or create enough opportunity to take them.
In an effort to motivate myself to work on this craft more, I am going to attempt taking a different picture every day in the upcoming new year. A couple of my friends, @alonelychime & @everydamndayyy, were the ones who proposed the idea and asked me to join. Please go give them a follow as well if you’d like to see what they end up taking pictures of!
In the past, life always interfered when I wanted to take pictures. Now, I finally feel like I’m in a better, more stable place to attempt this. If you’re here and reading this, I hope you’ll support and cheer me on and I hope you enjoy my photos!
If you’d like to follow me on my socials you can find my links on my website and I’ll paste them right below on this post as well.
Twitter: @mynameisbien
Instagram: @mynameisgood
