Today's Shoot

Well, the good news is it's behind me.

I arrived at 4:15pm for the 4:30 shoot (yes, still habitually early) and met Shelia, Serena Nicole's assistant. She's so sweet, and I signed a release and got ready - then met Serena Nicole. Also super sweet. She said the family was running late, so I ran around, got my white balance, thought of a few ideas for the family of SIX (they told me as I took out my camera - parents & 4 kids!) I would be shooting.

A short while later the cell phone rang, they got into a fender bender in the parking lot and now would be tied up with the Japanese Police & waiting for MPs (as I've mentioned before in this blog, you do NOT want to get in a car accident with a local). You are at fault. Period. American - you chose to drive here.

Anyway, Shelia saved the day and called her hubby who brought Emerson, their adorable 20-month-old daughter. Not unusual for that age, she was strong-willed and after a few short minutes of trying to make it work by the pirate ship, we were headed for the water! (Mia would've done the exact same at that age.) Shelia totally warned me of that probability before they came, so I saw it coming.

The light was low, it was hot, and there were a lot of other people at the site. Suffice it all to say it was more of a challenge than expected, but I hopefully snapped a couple of decent shots. It was a learning experience I'm very thankful for. I'm hopeful and confident that a business-savvy talent like Serena Nicole will consider more than just our "15 minutes of fame", as it were. And no matter what I do look forward to the class starting in January. I just have no clue how that woman does it all! I'm really impressed. She should give a business class too!

In the "small world" category, the woman who arrived to shoot after me introduces herself and I realize she's Meredith from the Okinawa Hai! blog I've been reading! I had just emailed her to try to arrange a meet over some coffee, and there she was telling me she had just read my email (in which I'd told her I was going to the shoot-off) and was thinking, "how funny, I'm going there too." So we weathered the turn of events together, and she was funny and fun and I do hope we'll grab that coffee - or something more potent - sometime soon.

So - now we wait! I'll hear whatever I hear next week. Thank you to everyone who has given me praise, confidence, well-wishes, criticism, etc. I do appreciate you!