Death Becomes Her

So, the new season of The Hills airs this Tuesday. I'm not a religious fanatic about it but I like to watch. So what if I set my DVR for it, I just hate watching commercials. I finally caught a preview of the upcoming season. WTF!!

WTF did Heidi do to her self? She looks ridonkulous! Scary in fact! The worst part is when it shows her asking her mom if she thinks she is pretty. Cut to mummified face! I about fell out of my chair! Poor child. Did she really pay money for that? Or was it like some new surgeon hit the town and offered up some freebies?

To be honest, when Heidi first hit the scene in the first season of The Hills, I didn't really know who she was. I also didn't think she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the Earth. But she was cute. I could see how men could be attracted to her. After she had her first encounter with plastic surgery, she looked tons better. It wasn't a drastic change in her looks, more like an enhancement. I thought she was beautiful. Now THIS?! It's gross. How could this 20 something year old woman do this to her self? She looks like all those 60 something L.A. women who aren't just plastic, they are mummified.

Her surgeries were unnecessary and horrendous in my opinion. Terrible. She really looks like a mummy! What tomb did they find her in? This girl has to live like this and don't EVEN suggest she have corrective surgery. Poor girl will look worse than she already does. Why did she do this? First I guess I should ask who talked her into it? Doesn't this poor child have friends? Or has her "husband" completely ran all of them off?

I can tell you that if ever a friend of mine wanted to do something as drastic as that to their face, I'd offer up free surgery in the form of a bitch slap! It wasn't like Heidi was old and had a sagging problem. Shit the girl was pretty. How can she seriously look in the mirror and think that monster looking back is beautiful?

It just goes to show that the women are never satisfied with how they look. Some of us just chose to live with what we have. We were made this way for a reason. My nose is big and somewhat puggy but it's my nose! My boobs aren't the perkiest of fellows, but they look great in a push up bra! A lot cheaper than thousands!

I just think its time for us as a society to stop focusing on what we look like and start focusing on building self esteem, intelligence, personalities! If you put a guy in a room with three women, one being skinny and beautiful with the personality of a dirty tampon, one that is average and has a decent personality but but dumb as a box of rocks, and a fat chick with a great personality and smart as hell; who do you think said guy would chose? The dirty tampon!

It's just sad that women feel the need to perfect something that sometimes needs no perfecting. We as women should be proud of who we are. We should have more to offer the world than a beautiful face! Stand strong women!

Dating Disasters, Tattoos and Ass Cracks

I enjoy reading immensely! I call it an addiction and am in severe need of an intervention with a long stint in rehab. I have read 12 books in the last three weeks. Yea I told you it was severe.

I always wanted to write a book. I have even started some but never quite finished. Mostly from fear that it wouldn't be anything I would want someone to read. Until now...

I have a friend who seperated two years ago from her husband of.. well forever it seems. Since her seperation she has had some horrendous dating experiences. She is basically a hot mess when it comes to men. Her newest foray is into the world of younger men. Can't really say she is having the best of luck with this endeavor of cradle robbing but she still does it, lol!

She just started dating this guy who is about 6 years younger than she. She has been dating him for around a week. A long time right? Long enough for her to meet almost his entire family! She was even invited to his 12 yr old sisters weekly softball game, then dinner at grandma's house afterwards! I choked on my laughter when she told me all of this. I asked her when they were getting engaged, of course she snarffed at me. But the truth is, me best friend gets sucked into some ridonkulous relationships.

She always asks for my advice on relationships and life in general. Does she actually heed my advice? No NOT AT ALL! But months down the road when my advice turns out to be truth, she skulks back saying I was right all along! You would think years of my advice being right she would follow it at some point. Nope. But I love her all the same. We all have our downfalls. Hers happens to be douchebags who suffer from mommy syndrome. They suck her into a warp speed relationship to basically have a mother figure take care of them. Forget getting a job and being a man, just let the gf take care of everything!

So, with her ridonkulous experiences that happen to no one else in the known universe, we both thought it would be a funny idea to write a book about her junky ass relationship disasters! I'm thinking it's going to be along the lines of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The kind of humorous and flat out never-could-happen-to-anyone kinda story. She will be the bleached blonde, tattoo artist, with multiple peircings and an ass crack that likes to make special appearances! OMG, I am cracking myself up as I am writing all of this. I can only imagine what her story will be like in written form. Of course the story will be loosley based on true events, but in general her experiences are hilarious with out any tweaking or stretching of the truth!

It's gonna be a fun endeavor and I really hope something comes of it. It's hilarious and sad! You want to feel sorry for her and then you want to slap her silly! But you will love her none the less.
I could totally write all night about her dating disasters. But I should hold off.

Stay tuned, we might just have another crazy disaster to add to this!

Spring brings on the blues...

Spring is here and with it, it should bring about new beginnings. A freshness to life! Awe! All of these things and more. Yea, hardly! I am in a funk. A major funk. For those of you that don't know, I suffer from depression.

I have suffered with depression for nearly all my life. My brain is junk when it comes to happy-feel-good juices a flowin' and right now it's drip dryin' in there. It all started when I missed an appointment to see my doc. So they decided to withhold my meds and force me to go to group therapy. I just have to say one thing first about group therapy. I was the only sane one in the whole room! WTF is that all about! Another thing, I was the only one that had never been arrested or incarcerated. Talk about scary. Why the heck did they put ME in THAT group therapy?

So after about the fourth day of no meds, me bitching and screaming at everything including the walls, I broke down and called my doc and told her to get me meds ASAP. I told her I was on the verge of being homicidal and suicidal. Of course I wasn't (nor have I ever been) that far gone, but it definately got them moving on getting my script. I seriously contemplated walking into the clinic with my hair messy and my makeup smeared, just to prove the point of not taking my crazy meds away. But I don't think it would have had much affect, considering the "peers" in group!

Let me just, explain why I was in such a frenzy for my crazy meds. The first day without was ok. I was fine, normal. No uncontrollable weeping, no bouts of anger. No sitting in the bedroom thinking my life is the pits. Come the second day, all hell breaks lose and I was a neurotic mess. Nothing fits right, nothing feels right. I was seriously having Doomsday scenarios running through my head. CW hated me. No one wanted to talk to me. I can't blame them, it was a sad pity party on my behalf. Every conversation was basically this :

phone rings

"WHAT!?"

"Umm, hello to you too. What's going on?"

"MY LIFE IS SHITTY AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT!!!"

silence

"I HATE PEOPLE!"

click

Do I blame them, hell no. I would react in the same manner. What can I say, I admit I was crazola! The third day, was even worse. I didn't want to get out of bed and I definately did not want to tend to things that needed tending. I wanted to wallow in my stupid self pity and my idiotic internal ravings, ok some where definately external, but for the most part I kept my crazed mouth shut so as to not completely freak myself out!

After I get my script for my meds, I tried to make a beeline to the pharmacy. I was super pumped about getting my crazy lady dope and sat there thinking about how things would be so much better. Until I found out that for a measely eight little pills they were going to charge me a whopping $40 bucks. Umm, hello! Crazy lady right here!? DO NOT tell a fragile woman that her crazy lady dope costs $40 bucks!

I went home in a far less happy place than I was when I thought I was gonna get my feel good pills. I moped around the house, pouting, screaming and raising all kinds of hell because nothing was to my satisfaction. Mostly the dissatisfaction was with myself. As I was shoving crap around in my wreck of a house ( I don't do housework when I am in a funk, yea yea yea, I know it makes you feel worse but who cares, I didn't ) and low and behold I find a bottle of crazy lady pills! Oh joy! Be still my beating heart! SAVE! Now don't ask me how or why those pills were where they were but they were. I was on cloud nine! I was about to get my fix and be normal!

I took my pills and two days later I was fixed. Functioning and no psycho babble oozing from my lips. It just goes to show, that I cannot go back to how I was. I really for a long time tried to trick myself into believing that I could be a functioning person with depression. I didn't need meds. Pfftt!!! Oh yes I DO! If I was anything like I was the last few days I should have been taking meds since birth! Me functioning with depression is like saying a crackhead can function with their addiction. That isn't a really well thought out statement. Crackheads don't function!

I am still having some of the Doomsday thoughts. I have been super excited about photography for so long and its just gotten to the point that I feel like its all fruitless. Why am I trying to do something I love so much, something I have talent in, just to be skipped over for the next Dick or Jane who wields a camera. I guess art isn't really about talent or creativeness anymore. It's all about who you know. Pfffttt... sorry but if you wanna pay money for crappy work go for it. Who am I to stop you!? But needless to say, its been a thought in the back of my head that I am just not cut out for the cutthroat world of photography. Especially portraiture photography. Apparently anyone who owns a camera nowadays is a photographer. They don't have to be good. They can edit the hell out of some photos and turn people green and SHABAM! photography!

UGH! It just puts me in a funk thinking about it. No don't get me wrong.....they have some PHENOMENAL photographers out there, and I am in no way trying to compete with these people. I am not even close to being able to compete with these people. I just pisses me off that out of all the people claiming to be photographers, I am the one that gets skipped over when it comes to making money! UGH!

I have people contact me at least once a week about wanting to get some photos done. Of course I get super excited. A chance for me to do what I love!! I then tell them my prices and thats where it ends. Now I have done my research. I have looked at the local photographers and those not so local. I have looked at the photographers that are making a living and those that aren't. I have compared my work to phenomenal photographers and some not so phenomenal photographers. My prices are fair, especially considering the amount of work I put into them. My work is beautiful, to myself and to a few people who love what I do. But that's about as far as it goes. PEOPLE!! I don't work for free! I am sure you wouldn't be going to work for no money! I won't do the same. This world isn't free sweeties! You want a frappucino, you gotta pay for it. Same for my work. Just remember next time you are looking for a photographer, base it on talent and artistic ability before you judge it based on the price tag. Because you get what you pay for! It's like designer handbags. You gotta pay money for the good stuff! You pay $50 bucks for a Dooney and Bourke you are more likely getting a Booney and Dourke. Same for photography!

Anyway enough of my ranting. I just had to spill it all out somewhere. Not too many people to talk to about your pitifulness at 3:40 in the morning. So I leave it all here. Not that I imagine many people will be reading this, it might be too candid. But who cares? Right people judge you no matter what. Might as well put it all out there ..

T-Shemise Fashion Shoot

I had an awesome oppurtunity recently to work with a fashion designer, makeup artist and a model! I had previously worked with the model before and was excited when she called to ask if I would be able to do the shoot. I was shocked when she said a fashion designer in Shreveport. Do those really exist? Yes, she does! Tiffany, the designer for T-Shemise Fashions, is a talented designer and I was honored to have worked with her! The makeup artist was a talentented woman. Her airbrush work is incredible! I had such a great time on this 2 day shoot and the experience was something to get excited about! Hope you enjoy some of the images from the shoot.

* All photos copyrighted to Christine Pope Photography.

For Models/Amatuer Models

In the experience I have had and from the people I have spoken to, some people need clarification on the concept of modeling. I have noticed that from my experience on a website for models and photographer, that most of the people claiming to be models, aren’t really that.

If you have posed for pictures, it doesn’t necessarily make you a model. A model is someone who knows what angles will work for showing off what is needed. Knowing the proportions of their body and how to make their body look their best.

Just because you have posed for some guy with a camera asking you to do sexy, partially nude pictures, that doesn’t make you a model either. That just makes you a victim. 90% of the pictures taken by a man claiming to be a photographer and wanting you to take you clothes off, come out looking like they belong in the amateur section of a Hustler magazine. If you don’t have aspirations or dreams of being in one of those magazines, then you should avoid doing that borderline sleazy work.

Listen to the photographer. When they ask you to crook your leg to the left and swivel your hips. Yes it might be uncomfortable, but your photographer may think that that particular pose will make a great shot. After all isn’t that what you are wanting? A great shot? Be willing to do anything that isn’t inappropriate. If you are asked to hang from a fire escape, do it. It’s not going to hurt you and the photographer isn’t going to make you do something that can potentially hurt or injure you.

When getting in contact with a photographer or anyone else in the industry, be sure to speak or type correctly. You definitely do not want someone to think you are uneducated. For they might just think you will not be someone they would enjoy working with. Also, be prepared. Have a recent photograph of yourself if not more. A few examples of the work that you have done can help a photographer get a feel for your potential and what they can expect from you.

If you are pursuing a career in modeling then you need to know something about the business. Like I mentioned earlier, if you have posed for pictures, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a model. If you want to begin a portfolio, contact several photographers. Contact only those that you feel will be able to benefit your portfolio. Make sure that you enjoy their work. The worst thing to do is get work done from a person claiming to be a photographer and all it is, is someone with a camera who wants a title.

If you are less than 5’8”, remember that high fashion/runway models are taller than that. You might be great for commercial/print modeling. So if you want to do modeling make sure you are honest about your height and body measurements, so that you can be grouped into the proper category. It’s easier for a photographer to know these things before a shoot, so that everything is planned in advance.

Also, if you are really wanting to be a model; go for it. But remember that you need to do the things that are going to put you in the best light. You don’t want to be known for nude pics, if that is all you have done. You want to be known for your ability to model. So practice, practice, practice. The best way is to get as much time in front of the camera. Just make sure it is someone that knows how to work that camera.

If you would like any more information, feel free to email me !


*Above picture Copyrighted to Christine Pope Photography.

Why I charge the prices I do !

I have had many people question the prices I charge for sessions and such. I and others feel that the price is far cheaper for the quality of work that I do than some other photographers. I work really hard to offer great keepsake images to please the client.

When I charge 150 dollars for a session, the session lasts about 2-3 hours. That is 2-3 hours of me busting butt to get the best possible image. I get on the ground, crawl around and try to find the one that is going to be the best. It's a workout and tiring and sometimes not the cleanest of areas to be wallowing on the ground. Up,down and all around is what happens. I run myself ragged at times to get the best of the best.

In that time frame, we may visit several different locations and have several different wardrobe changes. I also spend time talking to the client to find out what they want out of the shoot and what they would like to see in their images. I am constantly thinking and working it out in my head on what is going to be the best.

When the shoot is over, I drive home. Spend about 30 minutes uploading to my computer the 200-500 images I have taken through out the 2-3 hour shoot. After that, I look at each image to make sure they are in perfect condition. Clear and crisp images, no blurs, no imperfections. I then go into editing process where I edit every image that I think is the absolute best picture. It can range from 30-all pictures being edited. This process can take anywhere from 3-10 hours depending on how well the shoot went and how much cooperation I had from the clients.

After the editing process, I then go back through all the unedited pictures to see if I might have missed a spectacular image. I also go back through the edited images to make sure they are up to my personal standards. I then put all the edited images on a CD, which takes about another 30 minutes. After the CD is burned and operable. I make a CD cover for the jewel case that the clients will receive if they purchase the disc. I print out a copyright release and sign it. All put into an envelope ready for the mail.

When a client purchases a session, they are not paying me by the hour. They are paying me for the amount of work I put into the entire effort. From the travel, to the shoot, to the editing process, to the final product. When the purchase a CD with images they are paying for the copyright release that they receive which gives them the right to print as many images as they want, whenever they want.

So if a client opts for a session and a CD, they might be charged $350 depending on the disc they want. That is $350 dollars for 6-15 hours of my time. So the next time, you question a photographers prices, just remember the amount of work that some of us put into our work and the quality and experience we strive to provide for our clients.

* Above picture is Copyrighted to Christine Pope Photography.

The Greatest Gift

Reece, my precious little boy, was born in March of 2006 with severe complications, which we were not aware nor prepared for. I saw my little boy, after nine months of normal, routine pregnancy whisked away bundled up in a blanket not making any sound. I knew something was wrong, for I never heard anything from the doctors nor my newborn baby. I was to find out later that things were worse that I could have ever imagined.

Reece was born with a malformed arm, that only had an index finger and a thumb. But that wasn’t the worst of it. His heart was enlarged with fluid encasing it. One of his lungs would not inflate due to the enlargement of the heart. He was not breathing on his own and for sometime the doctor’s were not even sure if he had an esophagus. They told my family and I to be prepared, that he might not make it.

My little boy I carried for nine months with no sign of the complications he was brought into this world to overcome might be lost to me forever. I didn’t get to hold him after his birth; I barely caught a glimpse of him. After the doctor’s told me of the problems he was facing they brought him to me in an incubator with little ear muffs on prepared for his helicopter ride to Ochsner’s in New Orleans. I remember I only was able to touch his foot.

He was diagnosed with Cornelia de Lange Syndrome immediately at the hospital in New Orleans. He was hooked up to a breathing machine along with an IV drip. The doctors told me to pray.

When Reece turned three days old I was released from the hospital (he was delivered by C-Section) and was able to go and visit him the hour drive away. I was the last to get to see him. When I walked in to the NICU, I saw the smallest babies I would ever see in my life. As I passed each little life, I said a small prayer for each of them, because I knew first hand how these parents were feeling. My little boy was at then end of the room, the only baby in the NICU not in an incubator but in a warming bed. He was so small and frail looking to me. So handsome. So still. Although he was awake, he just didn’t seem like a normal baby. Something seemed wrong.

At three days old, I held Reece for the first time. Hundreds of wires and tubes were connected and I remember my biggest fear was ripping them out. Reece is my first and only child as of right now. My fear should have been, am I holding him right? But I was terrified that I would do something wrong and rip a tube out and kill my baby. I sat in a rocking chair for three hours holding my little boy in the most awkward position so as not to interfere with his machinery. I remember the joy I felt when he pooted in my hand! It was such a great feeling to at least know that my son was able to have normal body functions at the time although everything else was still unknown.

A few days later, Reece was taken off of all his machinery. His doctor has prescribed him heart medication to aid his heart in the reparation process. He was starting to nurse a bottle. I pumped milk and would freeze it so that he could at least get some aid from what I had to offer him, even though I was unable to be there for him like I should have been. Reece was in the NICU for three weeks.

Reece is now a healthy, happy little three year old boy. Although he is severely developmentally delayed (around a 10 month old level) he is my pride and joy. He is so sweet and funny. His laugh will make even the hardest hearts melt with love. He attracts people from everywhere. Walking through the store, people flock to him to touch him, talk to him, even to give him money.

He is unable to talk and walk at this time, but is well on his way to learning these things. He is my little boy and will always be the love of my life. I thank God everyday for such a special little man !


A prayer for the greatest gift:

Dear Heavenly Father,
I thank you every day for the greatest gift. A beautiful little boy with a heart of gold. Someone to bring a smile to my face and teach me the patience I never was able to learn. I thank you for his kindness and unconditional love. His health and happiness which in turn gives me so much love and joy. I thank you for protecting him and giving him the strength to survive when he needed it the most. I thank you for my little man, who is so awesomely precious in my eyes, and I cannot think of anything in life that would have been so amazing of a gift. Please watch over him and protect him from the evils of our world. From the evils of man and the darkness that befalls the weak. Keep him strong, healthy and always full of life. For I believe that is how you would want him to be. He this sweetest little boy and I will teach him of you and your word. For he will always know that God has sent me an angel with a broken wing. I am eternally grateful.

* Above picture is Copyrighted to Christine Pope Photography.