Let’s talk about me :)

I feel so bad that I haven’t been able to update my blog. I’ve been sick and I haven’t fully recovered yet so I’ve kinda been behind on editing and blogging but in an effort not to  leave my blog “hanging” I’ve decided to talk about something else today – moi : ) – and mention a few things that are important to me. So here goes -

Gratitude: I keep a gratitude journal, I have a hardbound notebook and I also have an iPhone gratitude journal app. I think it’s really important to be consistently grateful and remember all the good things that have happened for you. For me doing this, helps keep my thoughts positive and it motivates me to keep achieving. The front of my hardbound notebook says “Faith” which I think is perfect word to sum up everything I’m hopeful for. Of course it’s not as easy when I have a bad day but being grateful and reviewing my journal entries helps me get our of my rut much quicker.

Female Entrepreneurship: Sorry guys I’m all about women empowerment! I love seeing women who are making their own way and paving their path in the business world. As a female photographer I will be honest and say it hasn’t been that easy and I’ve encountered several chauvinists in this business but the great thing about being female is that we are able to easily talk about business stuff but at the same time bond on some many other levels and as a result I’ve met some amazing women (past and future brides, fellow photographers and other business women) who have become good friends along the way (although important, sometimes it’s not always about ISO and exposure and blah blah blah – lol).  In addition to my photography business, I own a fashion/beauty blog- Lookbook by Onada – and an online clothing store called TheWhiteDressShop.com which I have to admit are a lot of fun and I absolutely love it. I’ll tell you, there’s NOTHING like being your own boss and just thinking about that makes me want to work harder and harder each day so I can get to where I really want to be.

Learning and self improvement: I love to find new ways to improve myself as a photographer and as a business woman. There’s no limit to how much you can learn and there’s no knowledge wasted. Over the last year I’ve seen my growth as a photographer and a business owner and I still have SO much to learn – I’m my own worst critic and so I try to challenge myself as much as possible. Everyday I work to improve my photography skills, my business skills, my writing skills, my attitude and my life in general – I’m determined to be a better me in every way possible.

Giving back: I think this is so important and it doesn’t really matter how big or how small you decide to do it. Giving back has taught me (and continues to teach me) how  to be selfless. I think everyone in the world should have the opportunity to succeed. I’ve been really fortunate in my life and I want to be able to help others (kids especially) have hope that they can achieve anything and be anything they put their minds to. I established an educational fund for this sole purpose and you can check it out  here – BrightOneSupportFund.org

And here are a few casual photos of me taken by Mike from Ash Imagery that I’ve been meaning to post : )

I have two weddings on my desktop that I’ve completed editing and I can’t wait to blog about them. I’m almost back to 100% so I’ll be back with new updates pretty soon.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend everyone!