You're a Rockstar!

For my fill of fast-paced action and more Rihanna and Cobra Starship than I thought I could ever handle, I was sent to the soccer fields this fall. I've been working for and learning from the Master Sports Videographer, Craig Caruso, over at Playback Performance. This past spring, Craig dabbled some opportunities to film lacrosse games in front of me and I must have passed the test. I was able to film the Upper Arlington Women's Varsity Soccer team this season AND edit together a big chunk of their end of season video for them. This is a condensed sample of what we gave them for the banquet. I loved filming these girls! They knew how to have fun together and knew how to persevere through a tough season. As they've said, it's what they remember from the relationships they've built and the love they have for the sport. Thanks, girls for helping me tap into my inner teenage self!

Brownies, It is

The One That Got Away:

1 box Pillsbury Brownie Mix (Family Size)
1 can Pumpkin
1/2 c. applesauce
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup water (or whatever little bit will help the batter become suitable for brownie-batter-pouring consistency)

Mix with wooden spoon and pour into greased baking pan. Bake at 350°F (for glass) in a 9x13" cooking pan for 30 minutes and then some until your toothpick comes out clean.

We've been introduced to some mighty-fine vegan recipes, and there is one that stands out among the crowd: Shelly Smithberger's Pumpkin Brownies. I decided to make some myself and ended up providing both my mother and my husband with hours of endless entertainment instead. Mom had the audacity to actually pick up the brick out of the pan and knock on the counter with it to get my attention. And Steve, even with the voracious hunger that consumes him after running miles and miles, wouldn't touch them with a 10-foot pole.

I needed to fix this, and pronto! So, as you're not supposed to do with science, I changed ALL the variables and struck pure gold.

A Bushel and a Peck: The Phiel Family

If striving to be a good employee isn't enough to keep you up at night, how about taking family photos for your boss? When all is said and done though, and pictures are in hand, it really is nice to hear your boss say "Don't quit your day job" and know how he means it. This was truly a unique experience as I discovered a different family through the lens; different than how I think I had ever experienced them before. Gone was the business of running a lab, of meeting with clients, and of immersing oneself in the available scientific literature. What I had before me was the heart of a family and the giddiness that comes with young children. My young assistant, Elaina, did a fantastic idea and was always fresh with ideas of where and how to pose for photos.

Engaged! Erica and Ben

You can tell you're getting old when your cousin, whom you tried to teach to play piano when he was younger, is now engaged. In my defense, I had no idea what I was doing with teaching and Ben was more than capable of picking up the sweet sounds of piano playing to woo the ladies. Case and point: he's now engaged to the sweetest girl, Erica. Ohio recently had its last nice, fall weekend so Erica, Ben, and I spent a leisurely time strolling the Pet Trail at Highbanks Metro Park before the sun set for the day. We were blessed with brightly colored leaves, a dark sky threatening rain but never delivering, and finally, a setting sun. I was blessed with the company of two fine individuals.

Engaged! Rob and Katie

Prior to a couple getting married, there's this small event called the "Proposal" which leads to the couple becoming "Engaged". I'm looking forward to filming Rob and Katie's wedding in August 2012, especially after taking some time together so I could hear more about their story and just what it is they love so much about each other.

Together with Todd Seimer, we spent twilight walking through the Short North where Rob and Katie were game for anything we could come up with, even stopping in and by a few shops. For now, I wish them the best with their amazing Groupon finds and for forever, I wish that they do, as Rob said, find themselves as happy years down the road than they are at this very moment.

De-Cluttering

One would think 2 TERAbytes of external hard drive space would be enough storage to last well until a newer technology is incorporated. Not so, my friend. Especially when dealing with video files. I recently discovered that an average wedding will rack up at least 100 GB of raw footage and the finished product will add another 20-30 GB once exported. I was coming to the end of myself, or the end of usable space on my hard drive.

Here's a little secret, which hopefully doesn't come back to byte (get it, "byte"...ha ha ha) me in the long run. In the process of creating feature films, I do lots of rendering. These pesky, little render files add up quite significantly. So here's the secret: I went in to my Final Cut "Scratch -> Render Files" folder, highlighted all of the render folders for finished videos, clicked "Move to Trash", and automatically gained almost 400 GB of my life back. It was like coming across extra health packs in Halo. I figure if I need to access these completed projects again, I can hit render, sit back and sip my coffee, and get right back to where I started. Was this a smart move? Only time will tell...