inspirational quote

12 things happy people do differently / tuesday tip

I am always up way late, because I can't sleep. My husband says that I can't sleep because I am on Pinterest. But I tell him that I am only on Pinterest because I can't sleep. Anyways... I found this really cool article about what people do to find happiness. As I have started my business, I have been through a roller coaster of emotions. I have highs and I have lows and sometimes I drown myself in my lows. It is so easy to be critical and not give yourself enough credit. I have noticed that when I am not having as much success in my business, it is only because of ME!

1: Express Gratitude
2: Cultivate Optimism
3: Avoid Over-Thinking and Social Comparison
4: Practice Kindness
5: Nurture Social Relationships
6: Develop Strategies for Coping
7: Learn to Forgive
8: Increase Flow Experience
9: Savor Life's Joys
10: Commit To Your Goals
11: Practice Spirituality
12: Take Care of Your Body

The one that I am most guilty of doing, or not doing, is number three. I am constantly over-thinking everything, and comparing myself to other photographers and other business owners. I would compare my one year of experience to someone else's five years of experience and that would give me such self doubt but when I realize that the only person I should be comparing myself to was myself, I was able to grow in areas that I really wanted too.
Number seven was another one that I work hard to do. And it's not so much forgiving others, as it is learning to forgive myself. I have made many mistakes and when I let myself to forgive and forget, I can push on to the next thing without anything holding me back.



source: Mark and Angel

A pep talk | A little video you have to watch

My day has been filled with laundry, dishes and entertaining a little boy who is stuck inside the house all day. It is not until that little boy is sleeping in his bed that I have time for work or anything else, like The Bachelor. Is it like this for you?

Last week, I posted about how I was feeling a little discouraged and was working hard to find motivation and inspiration (read post here). I have been working hard and I was starting to feel like I had nothing to show for it.

My husband sent me this youtube video (I swear, he is addicted to youtube) and thought it would be some good inspiration. I thought it would be another video about someone falling off something, but it was surprisingly amazing!

I don't know if you have seen this or not, but you have to watch it either way.

"What will you create to make the world awesome?

Guest Blogger \\ Pacific Northwest Hikes

I am so excited to be having Justin Garin, the writer for Pacific Northwest Hikes, on my blog today! I follow him on instagram and I am a huge fan.  I asked him to tell us a little bit about all the adventures he goes on and how he gets such amazing photos. 

Follow Justin on instagram @vapormonkey

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Lena Lake, Olympic National Park

Hello followers of Leslie! My name is Justin and I write the blog Pacific Northwest Hikes & Adventures. Leslie has always shown great interest of my photography and I'm very excited to be writing on her blog. I have known Leslie in high school, but had no idea that she shared a passion for photography as well. I enjoy her photography, especially her portraits!

     Now for a little about myself. I grew up here in Washington and the Olympic National Park served as my backyard. At a young age I always found myself gazing at the mountains and I enjoyed the weekend trips to the Olympic National Park with my family. It wasn't until 2009 that I started venturing pass the full parking lots and well groomed trails. I can still remember my very first backpacking trip.  It was to a place called Enchanted Valley and we had hiked 13.5 miles to our destination. From that trip I realized that I wanted to be able to share the unscathed landscapes, the towering trees, cascading rivers, and snow covered peaks. I wanted people to see what I saw and to appreciate mother nature more.

     I could go on and on talking about the things I have seen, but lets get back to talking about photography! There are many places to see here in Washington, but if your fairly new to hiking I would recommend Marymere Falls trail. Marymere Falls is a fairly short hike at 2 miles, but every person I have brought falls in love! In the summer the trail is usually busy, but around this time of the year the parking lot is fairly empty. Marymere falls is located in between Mount Storm King and Aurora Ridge and tumbles its way into Barnes Creek, which drains into Lake Crescent. It's a well groomed trail with plenty of signs! Marymere falls is a short hike, but leaves you plenty of time to go swimming at Lake Crescent or explore some more!

Marymere Falls

f/22 iso @100 5s exposure

Barnes Creek 

f/22 iso @100 10s exposure

Here are few things that I do to take long exposure shots.
1.  Be sure to pack a wide angle lens, a neutral density filter, tripod and a remote to have your camera take the shot.
2.  Try to compose your shot before setting up your tripod it will save you a lot of time!
3.  Be sure to put your ISO to the lowest setting and I find that using the highest aperture helps get a long exposure.  Shoot in manual!
4.  Use a neutral or graduated density filter.  These filters allow you to get smooth silky water.
5.  Use the remote to take the picture.  Pushing the shutter button on your camera moves the tripod, which results in a not so sharp photo.

Another helpful hint is that sunny days aren't the best days for long exposure shots.  Cloudy days act as a filter and allows you to get long exposure shots.  
I try to follow these five rules every time to help get a great long exposure shot.  On top of all of that be sure to pack the "ten essentials" for hiking and make sure others know where you are at.  Do some research on the trail and try to find recent trip reports.  

Hope these tips help and you inspire you to get out and explore! Thanks for reading and thank you Leslie for giving me some space on your blog!     

Staircase Rapids is another short enjoyable hike full of cascades

overcoming negativity and hard work

I get so wrapped up in all of the business side of photography, that I forget why I love it so much. Isn't the whole point of this suppose to make me happy?

Some photographers work is amazing, and I am in awe of how wonderful their images are. I ask myself "How did they do that? I want to do that too." I feel very inspired by others work, but at the same time I get bogged down by feeling inadequate. It is easy to compare someones middle to your beginning. But how fair is that?

Not enough money or not enough time are just a few of the excuses I tell myself. But then I get overwhelmed and lack any motivation to improve. The only thing that will make any difference is work. A little bit of work at something is better then nothing at all. But where do you get that drive and confidence to pick yourself up and keep going?

I wish that I had all the wisdom in the world on how to get out of a rut. Is anyone an expert? I have been working hard this last week to overcome the negativity and rise above. I have had moments where I have felt like I might drown, but I don't give up. A few things that have helped me is:

Set goals: I write all of my goals down in a notebook and I look at them a lot. Some of my goals are big dreams! But others are daily and weekly goals. Little things that I can achieve and see immediate progress. It is important to see progress. It keeps us motivated.

Create an inspiration board: I have set up many places so that I can be inspired. I have a notebook filled with ideas, my phone is filled with saved pictures that I love, and my computer has several bookmarks of websites. I work hard to surround myself with motivating photos and ideas.

Take a mental break: I need to shut down my computer, turn off pinterest and just enjoy "the now." I will sit down for dinner with a promise to my husband that I will not talk about anything photography and enjoy being with my family. No stress, no emails, no thoughts about work. It feels good and it is very refreshing.

Check yourself: I tend to forget all of the progress I have made. I am planning so far into the future and thinking about what is next for my business that I don't notice all the good things that have happened. But it is not all about the good. Remembering the mistakes I have made has helped me become a much better photographer.

It doesn't have to be something creative or relate to business. Finding the time to exercising, that huge pile of laundry, any of those tasks that are not getting done. If you have been feeling a little discouraged and don't know where to even begin, I encourage you to think of something, even if it is tiny, that you can do today to help you reach your ultimate goal.