Countdown

???/365 - February 01, 2010, originally uploaded by HarmonyHilderbrand.

And the countdown begins. 14 weeks to graduation.

Exhibit is April 12-23. Thesis defense April 20. Birthday May 8. Graduation May 15!

Technology - Smology

007/365 - April 17, 2009, originally uploaded by HarmonyHilderbrand.

I'm not the best at technology, but I do consider myself pretty savvy.
For the past couple years I've been backing up my photographs (and everything else) onto hard drives. I have two 500 GB Western Digital drives that I've been using for storage. One drive served as my travel drive that held everything and that I used when editing and whatnot. The other drive served as a backup drive or a ghost copy of everything on the other drive.

--Why?-------------------------

Backing up is critical. I've had so many friends have their computers and hard drives crash and burn. And they lose everything. All their files, all their work, all their pictures. If I only had my pictures saved in one location and that location failed.. I'd loose all my photographic work, school work, personal records, etc from 2005 or so through the present. Thats a great deal of stuff! The way to prevent this from happening is by backing up your data.

Backing up should be done by keeping your data in 3 different locations. For me, I've been trying to do two separate hard drives and then on DVD's. [I've decided the dvd part is hard to keep up with and so I'm getting ready to replace that portion with another hard drive or online/off-location server. ]
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Back to my story...
I've had these two drives. I knew I was running out of space (especially with all my 365 shots, and all the portrait sessions I've been shooting lately) and so I started looking at getting either another 5oo gb or 1 tb drive. Jeff got me a Western Digital 1TB drive for Christmas. And literally the next week I ran out of space on my 500gb drive.

Now I've been copying everything from my 500 GB onto my 1TB, but it is such a slow process! (My dinosaur copies/transfers so slowly, so I'm stuck leaving it to run overnight on one year, or a couple months of pictures at a time). As soon as its done being copied I think the 1tb will be my working drive, and everything old will be backed up on 500gb#1 and then newer data will be backed up on 500gb#2.

But I'm running into a dilemma. Each year I've created more and more work which means more and more data to store and backup. This year as I graduate I'll start doing commercial photography more, which will mean even more data to store/backup. How am I going to store this data? Should I keep buying 1 or 2 tb drives and doing my 2-3 hard-drive backup? Is there a better way? Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for me?

I just envision next year as a disaster of dozens of varying hard drives stacked around my office with labels indicating what years data and work it contains. But there's got to be a better way... right? Anyone???

Upload and Backlog

202/365 - October 31, 2009, originally uploaded by HarmonyHilderbrand.

I'm way behind on my 365. But this isn't a post to complain about it. I'm behind and that's just the way it is. My issue with being behind is that all my viewers, family, and friends don't get to view my work and get insights into my life until 2-3 months afterward. And that's pretty lame.

So here's my new idea. (well not entirely new... I've been thinking about it for a while, but haven't implemented it yet)
Rather than editing and uploading backlogged work a few images at a time, or even rushing through editing all backlogged work and getting up posted in the next couple weeks... I'm going to start editing current work, and try to keep on top of current work. At the same time, when I have extra time I'll edit and upload backlogged work.

My numbering will be questionable until I've caught up, but this method would allow me to show my newest 365 work, while still catching up on my backlogged work, without rushing through it or overuploading batches.

I think its a great idea... the only problem is committing to staying on top of current work

Here's to hoping its possible and I'm diligent!

Oops!

193/365 - October 22, 2009, originally uploaded by HarmonyHilderbrand.

For the last month, I've been telling myself and everyone else that school started next Monday 1/25. I had that date written on every calendar.

I was wrong.


This Monday was Martin Luther King Jr day, and Jeff had it off, so I took it off. We slept in a little bit and after we'd woken up I checked emails and social sites and a college friend had posted a tweet About how happy she was that school didn't start until Tuesday 1/19. I thought, "silly, school doesn't start until next week." Then I began to wonder if I could be wrong. And so I texted my brother and my carpool buddy (who is actually no longer carpooling this semester) and then logged onto the UNR website to check the schedule. [mind you I'm doing all of this while still laying in bed, on my iPhone... Which is just awesome]

Turns out I was wrong. School did start Tuesday 1/19. Thank goodness I found out Monday and didn't miss a week of school. It was embarrassing calling my boss and telling him I'd messed up about when my classes started. It also sucked having to rush to order books, gather my backpack and junk and try to mentally get ready.

How exactly does one not know when her final semester begins? I think what happened is at the beginning of break in December a couple people asked when classes would start again and I got in the habit of saying "about the last week in January." I said it so much I believed it and never checked the actual schedule. How I managed to not hear from anyone that I was wrong is a complete surprise too.

So this week has been interesting. I managed to get 2 of my books from the library (and for the entire semester because I'm an honors nerd- yes it finally pays off!) Two days in a row I wore different boots that had small holes in the soles, which matched with falling snow resulted in wet socks and feet. I still feel like I'm not mentally prepared to be back in school, but seeing as the being in school part won't change I'll have to get back into the groove if things this weekend.

But since school started, it means I've officially begun my final semester of college!!!

Starting and finishing are two different things.

186/365 - October 13, 2009, originally uploaded by HarmonyHilderbrand.

I have high ambitions and high goals. But sometimes I think I set them unrealistically high.

I start blog posts all the time, and never finish them. I start photo projects and never finish them. I have multiple unfinished canvases in my closet, half sewn skirts and shirts in my office and half-sanded dressers in the garage.

I think part of my problem is I want to do to many things. So when a project takes longer than a day to complete, I'm ready to start something new on day two and so the first day's project doesn't get completed.

I have goals to complete all my unfinished projects. And I will at some point. But that will likely be after school is done.

Have I mentioned that school is almost done? Well let me mention it again....
I GRADUATE IN MAY!!!!!!

I am so excited. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and its unreal. Its like birthdays when you're a little kid. You know your birthday is 5 months away... and then 2 weeks away, but as excited as you are it doesn't really feel like its your birthday until its the actual day and you get cake! It'll feel like graduation when I turn in my thesis, take my final finals, and walk across that stage.

But before I get there, there is lots to be done.

My thesis is the largest barrier between me and that stage. I have lots of research to finish, the actual thesis to write, pictures to take and print and frame, and an exhibit to hold. [in april or may I'll have an exhibit at UNR so EVERYONE should come and support me!]

I have 3-4 more months of my 365 project. I have 2 months of backlogged 365 editing to finish.

I have lots of wedding, senior, maternity, and family pictures to edit and upload.

I have to finish revising my website to have commercial and personal work on it (its in progress and I really like the new layout/design.. just a slow process doing it page by page).

I need to clean my office out like a madwoman. I hold onto and keep everything. and everything is currently thrown around my office. I don't think I've used my office as an office for at least 2-3 months. (sshh don't tell jeff, I told him I'd clean it, and I will.. as soon as I have time)

I need to travel to San Diego. Part of my thesis grant award [Did I mention I recieved funding to pay for my thesis work? I get to travel to san diego, and it pays for my paper and framing!], is traveling to San Diego to explore where my parents grew up.

In March I'm hoping to run a half-marathon. I'm training right now, and its going well. But 13 miles is a whole lot longer than the 3-4 I've been doing.

Anyways, I have lots to do before I graduate in May. I'm so looking forward to being done with school. And as much work as its going to be until then, I'm looking forward to all the different things that stand between me and that stage. ;]

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OH and since I'll probably never finish a couple of other blogs I started...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Christmas in T-9 days!!!!

Yikes! Christmas is only 9 days away... which means there are almost no days left to get presents for family and friends.

Jeff and I have done basically NO shopping (for friends/family or each other). We're talking about keeping Christmas simple this year. I'm giving some homemade things to family & friends.
For those of you in the same boat as me, I have some solutions for you!

1. Buy a Portrait & Print Gift Certificate.
Everyone wants to have some great pictures of their family or children, so why not fulfill that desire? You can choose a portrait package, add a print package, or choose a set dollar amount.
Gift Certificates are 25% off through 12/19/2009!!!

2. Give the Gift of Beautiful Art.
Fine-art prints make a great addition to any room of the house. Choose the print, the size, and whether or not to frame it. I have plenty of fine-art images to choose from. Many of them are not on the website or flickr. If you're looking for something in particular or a certain style, and want help identifying possible prints, email me!

3. Skip the gift and send a card.
This season I'm offering 4 designs to pick from. Order ASAP and get them ASAP. Choose folded cards or postcards in sets of 8, envelopes included.
Christmas Cards are 25% off through 12/19/2009!!!

Merry Christmas!

Maternity Preview

Today I had a wonderful maternity shoot with my friend Alisha who's due to have baby number two in just a couple weeks!

Here's a sneak peak:





And one of her adorable son!

It's been a while since my last maternity shoot and it was a blast! Pregnancy is such an amazing process. God designed the body so creatively. ;]

Babies and pregnancy were just on my mind today. I was thinking about the shoot; then I went to sushi and ate so much I decided that pregnancy must feel like being overly full withal sushi baby; then the maternity shoot; and finally watching our friend's son play football and envisioning one day when jeff and I have a boy and he plays sports and I get to be the mom on the sidelines. ;]