Me, The PhD and Photography

I am in the final six months of my PhD and determined to get it done and then do nothing with it to become an over educated Wedding Photographer!!!!!!

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The adventures continued.....

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The recent personal adventures with my Canon 5D of awesomeness!!! Weddings, familys, trips to South Australia and a Christmas Dog

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For the past few years now at Christmas I get together with my brother and our friend Rio and after buying each other some lego, usually Star Wars lego, we sit around, have a few drinks and build our sets. This year I have created a time lapse video thanks to the awesomeness of my Canon 5D Mark III (aka: My baby and the love of my life all rolled into one). Doesn't feel like Christmas without our lego tradition. 

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This week has been mental, I have had application deadlines and personal thesis deadlines and two newborn shoots, which are always for more exciting than the PhD related deadlines. 

I got to meet the gorgeous Boston today and take some cute pics of him and his parents... and yesterday I got to do a lego newborn shoot!!! I was sent photos of the family and made lego figures of them and then created some family scenes, all without leaving my own house, It took me a while to figure out how to make a lego baby, but I got there in the end :)

Back to the thesis....

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Today I stepped away from my computer where I have been trying to write about the fact that you can't actually define nature, to go for a walk in nature, if you can call it nature??? Nature, you confuse me!!!

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I am back for a week of PhD’ing on Stradbroke Island… with 3 other fellow PhD students who happen to be completely awesome and some of my favourite peeps to walk on the face of the earth!!! I represented some of todays events through Lego. The events are not that exciting because we sit in front of laptops all day.

British tea drinking Ed actually drank a cup of coffee, Nat continued to kicked PhD butt!!! And Rachy was being her usual gorgeous smiling Rachy self.

I am happy to report that I am also getting stuff done which is awesome and provides a good feeling along with it, not so much sensing doom!!!

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Lego Photography update: This is my brother in Lego form, he is my favourite person ever and he is pretty much my favourite lego person so far, because of the hat, who doesn't want a lego hat with a beaver on it???? 

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Pretty sure I am doomed......

So easter has passed and it has actually become one of my fav holidays. You get lots of days off and most people stay in town so you get to see people, unlike Xmas where everyone seems to bail and I never get to see anyone (because I am stuck home keeping my recently separated brother company, which is cool because he is my most favourite person in the world, but it is also uncool). 

I went and stayed with my parentals over easter which was awe. My Grandmother was in town from Adelaide and I haven't had much to do with her over the years, so it was great getting to know her a little. We spent some time on Ancestry.com looking into the family tree which is always a good thing... anyway.... the parentals sat me down and decided that they wanted to help me with my lack of motivation because I am so ready to give up on the PhD, so they said to me (which if you knew them you would know that it is so unlike my parents) that they would buy me a Canon 5D Mark III with the 50mm 1.4 lens that I have fallen in love with, when I submit my thesis. 

Sooooooooo, you would think that this is the appropriate metaphorical kick up the butt that I need, and it was for a few days, I was stoked, I was determined, but yeah after spending today in the front of the computer, I am no longer either of these. I don't think I can do this and if I don't think I can do this with a Canon 5D Mark III waiting for me at the end, I am pretty sure that I can't do it :(  

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On the weekend my friends got married which was awesome. Awesome for many reasons, it was a really enjoyable day, very relaxed, so many pretty things, everyone looked gorgeous and there was a lot of love in the air. I also got to be around for the whole day and take photos so I got to be a part of everything, which is another reason for the awesome.

The most awesome, was the photographer who I got to hang out with for the day who is not only a great photographer (one of my favs Ryder Evans) he is also a really nice awesome dude and gave me so much of his time and taught me soooooooo much and even lent me a lens for the day, which has changed the game for me. I officially fell in love with the good old 50mm canon 1.4 lens. It is now on top of the list of items to purchase. So I am sharing some photos with you that I took on the day. There was also some really great videographers (is that what they are called) there emm films, who were also just as awesome and nice as Ryder and it was great to spend the day with them as well. So peeps if you are getting married in Brisbane I highly recommend them all!!!!! 

PhD Update: yeah so, yeah, ummmmm, I don't know what to say, there is nothing to update and I am so over it. Had a meeting with all three of my supervisors on Friday and things were changed (again) and I honestly don't know if I can come back from this change. I have absolutely no desire to look at it, do anything to it, or even think about it. It actually makes me angry and slightly ragey. So I will be ignoring it for a few days, that is always a good way to handle it :) Meh!

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This afternoon I went outside to yell at the dogs to tell them to stop barking, and yes I am aware that this is possible the worst thing that I could do, but sometimes it just gets to that point. Anyway I went out there and after the yelling and the pointing to get inside, I saw this gang of super cute, super mini Double-barred Finches on the back fence and had to share them with the world!!!!! It is the first time that I have ever seen these little ones. I am a shit ecologist!!!

They were so cute. 

PhD Update - there is nothing to update :)

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Chillin with Flannery 

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Hanging out with Muppet :)

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Today I made a Lego figure of myself. It kind of looks like me, but then looks nothing like me. Then I took photos of me. What else would you do when you have a thesis to write ;)

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Russell the Jack Russell…..

has very photogenic ears

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 PS. There was just a weird mini storm/sun shower at my place this evening, so many pretty colours

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This week has been shit for a number of reasons and I am not going to talk about it because I am ignoring all aspects of the week, this week never existed. 

Today I decided that I would do something really really different to what I do every day (Not!!!) and look at some more photographer blogs. I also offered my brother an imaginary assistant job for when I become a totes awesome wedding photographer and his response to me was that he is on board as long as I kick *insert his ex mother in laws name here* butt. I have always thought her photography was pretty bad so I was intrigued to see if there was any improvement and jumped on the website..... yeah no, it is still pretty bad as displayed by the picture above. Have you seen a more awkward wedding photo???

1. The subject needs to be placed in the middle, ever heard of vanishing lines???

2. She looks completely uncomfortable

3. The feet??? What the hell??? The bottom half looks like she is falling over while the top half looks like the famous Fame scene on the chair gone very wrong

4. The neck, if America's next top model has taught me anything it is that there needs to be more neck and it is all about the angles

5. Why do we not see more of the train, that could actually be quite interesting

6. Why the hell is she lying on the ground in front of a train???? 

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What did you do today?

Nothing, I did nothing. I was meant to be getting stuck into my thesis as I am meant to be doing for the next 5 months... what did I actually do... nothing. I did spent hours and hours online looking at wedding photography and going through my usual process with it. 

The process....

Look at a new wedding photography website - think it is totes awes - get excited and think that I can do it - starting looking at more and more of the blogs - increase my thinking on how totes awes they are - start to think that there is no way that I could do that - think that I might be able to if I have the camera that I want - think about how I am going to get that camera - realise it probably won't be possible until I finish my PhD and get a real job - start thinking about PhD and how I have done nothing today - find some more blogs to distract myself - continue the process.....

Sounds healthy doesn't it. 

I did do a maternity shoot the other day which was a lot of fun. I will attach some photos. 

It made me happy.