Meet the Intern: Katie

Name: Katie Baker

Location: Southern Maine

Age: 24

Website: www.katebakerphotography.com  

How did you find out about the internship? 

I first heard about Anne's internship on her blog. I have been a fan of her work for a couple years now and am a huge blog stalker. I was thrilled when I first read it and instantly knew I wanted to apply. 

Why were you interested in the internship? 

I was interested first because I love all of Anne's work, and love the fact that she is so focused on things that are "green" and really giving back to the community. I knew I could learn so much from her. She is so willing to share and give back on her blogs that I knew working with her and getting to know her as a person would be not only extremely beneficial but also really fun!

What are you hoping to get out of the internship? I am really looking forward to learning more about social networking and all the other aspects of a photography business that I haven't fully dedicated myself to yet. Even my first day I learned so many little tidbits of useful information that will save me tons of time. Thanks Anne!

What is your education  background? Heehee, this questions always makes me laugh. Simply because I only have a high school diploma. I know, I know, I shouldn't say "only" , but it's true. By the time I figured out what I wanted to go to school for I was already married and living in Maine. I have done a lot of self-study and learning as I go when it comes to my photography. I believe so much can be learned outside of a formal classroom. 

Are you currently working elsewhere? Yes, I currently work as an Educator at a psychiatric facility in Maine, Spring Harbor Hospital. My favorite aspect of this job is that I was recently trained as a CPR instructor. I think it's amazing that I have been given the ability to teach people how to save other peoples lives. 

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? When Anne first asked me this question during my interview my first thought was to fly. It seems so childish but anytime I'm on a plane or watching the birds I wish had the superhuman power of being able to fly. Just to be free and see the world from a new perspective. 

Meet the Intern: Alexis

Name: Alexis Hall

Location: Newton, MA

Age: 24

Website: www.alexishallphoto.com

How did you find out about the internship? 

I've been a loyal blog stalker, um, reader of Anne's for a long time. I read the post and couldn't pass up the opportunity!

Why were you interested in the internship? 

I really admire Anne, both professionally and personally (or at least as much as I knew from her blog). Since I'm just starting out as a photographer, I wanted to learn as much as I could...plus I was hoping that some of her awesomeness would rub off eventually :)

What are you hoping to get out of the internship?  Ideally, I'm hoping to abduct Anne's dog, Misty...she's so cute!! But if that option is off the table...I want to learn the behind-the-scenes aspects of running a business. Photography school is fantastic, but there are some things you just can't learn in a classroom setting. 

What is your education  background? I earned my undergraduate degree in French, and am currently wrapping up a Professional Photography Certificate program.

Are you currently working elsewhere? Yes, I'm an Office Administrator at an investment firm. 

What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail? I would move someplace warm and launch myself full-time into pet photography. I love animals, and am not such a fan of the cold and snow. Balmy winters + spending time with other people's pets = my idea of the perfect life!

Keep Calm, Carry On

*** If you've emailed or called recently and haven't yet heard from me - please try again. You are important to me and I really want to speak with you!! ***


Do you ever have those days when everything seems to go wrong? Well, I've been experiencing a full month of technology failures. First I had a hard drive crash on me (nothing original was lost, just a ton of time and work that I had put into a lot of images). That didn't surprise me though, since hard drive crashes happen at least once a year with the amount of heavy work I do, which is why I'm religious about backing up everything in multiple places. Then, while I was at WPPI, several of my email accounts just turned themselves "off". This has never happened to me before, so it took me a while to figure out what the problem was and when I went to restore the accounts, a whole bunch of old emails that I had already dealt with swamped my inbox again and now it's hard to figure out which way is up in my inbox. As if that wasn't enough, my phone just loaded a bunch of voicemails that I never received dating back almost two weeks. I seriously feel like I'm being Punked! This feels much too bizarre to be reality. Alright Ashton, where are you hiding the cameras?



Needless to say, all of these factors combined put me way behind schedule on a lot of things. It would be slightly easier to jump off a bridge into some freezing water right now in hopes of a sudden death (and believe me, we have plenty of bridges and freezing water where I live), but that wouldn't be fair to everyone who's counting on me, and I HATE letting people down slightly more than I hate dealing with out of control situations. So, I'm doing my best to handle these character building challenges, but it's definitely not easy and it's taking way more time than I would like and infinitely more time than my clients would like. Thankfully I do have two wonderful interns who are able to help me get back on track behind the scenes, but even with them here, it's still a trying process that's taking a lot of time regressing and reorganizing before any progressing can actually happen.


(click on the image to purchase this poster from Etsy)

I believe in the balance of life, and that all of the wonderful things in our lives are balanced out by really crappy things. So, if I'm experiencing all of these really crappy things right now, perhaps there are some really amazing things yet to come! At least that's what I need to tell myself in order to push forward! In the larger scheme of life, I really can't complain because all of the important things are still here for me. I have my health, my caring family, my thoughtful friends, and roof over my head - which is more than a lot of people on this planet, and I'm grateful for every day that these most important things are still in my life. It can be so easy to let overwhelming stresses take over, but when we remember what's most important in life, it gives us the courage and peace of mind to push through challenges and overcome the problems that life throws at us when we least want them. I sincerely appreciate any patience and understanding that you can extend to me during this period, as it helps me be more efficient and focused in what I need to overcome. It's not easy admitting these difficulties publicly, because we'd all like to be perfect and say that we have everything under control, but I also feel like problems are easier to deal with when other people have the opportunity to understand what's happening behind the scenes. Thank you so much for caring enough to read all of this, and for putting your continued trust and support in me. While technology may fail, I will not.


(from my iphone)

I'm So Blessed.

I miss you guys!! This year has already been non-stop with amazing things happening left and right! Since I last blogged, I've had meetings and big projects filling up every free moment in between the time I wake up and go to bed! I feel bad that I haven't had time to share them all with you, but it's all been happening so quickly that I can barely keep up with it myself!! I still want to do a year end review and set goals for this year and I still have tons of weddings and other work to blog about!! Can I put the world on pause please so I can catch up with everyone?!

Here's a super short sampling of what's been happening in my life lately, for the slightly more extended play by play, check out my twitter feed:

• I was invited to present at Mystic 4, alongside some amazing photographers I admire
• My mom spent a week at our place and helped us FINALLY empty a whole bunch of boxes from our move and organize us to a point where we feel like we're living in a home and not just a box storage facility (I love you mom!)
• I interviewed 12 possible interns and got to choose two super talented and incredibly smart women who I can't wait to work with each week for the next 6 months
• I began an extended project to bring attention to the local hungry & homeless situation as well as the state and federal public services available for people who find themselves in these situations
• I was interviewed by the local paper on my outlook on public service
• I was sold on EBay (with Free Shipping! HA!) to raise money for Thirst Relief International
• I was interviewed and featured in Design Aglow for tips on how to use social media
• I was interviewed and featured in Bride's Magazine (New Jersey & Philadelphia) for lighting tips at receptions
• I was interviewed and featured on the Pictage Blog for Mingle with Engle's Photographer Spotlight
  
• The fabulous WeddingBeePRO has continued to feature my past blog posts on their amazing resource blog for brides
• I hosted an online video chat night where I answered questions live from photographers and wedding planners (I also have to give a shout out to the awesome wedding planners who answered a lot of other photographer questions! Thanks ladies!)
• I was invited to lead & organize the Boston PUG group, and just hosted my second monthly PUG meeting
• I was invited to give a presentation on community blog development for the stakeholders and developers of Lowell, MA
• I photographed the annual Lowell Winterfest activities including the Soup competition, Human Dogsled competition, Merrimack Valley's Got Talent competition, among many other Winterfest activities
• Alex (my hubby) and I launched Lowell Handmade and are in the process of founding a non-profit to help support the local arts
• I've been recruited to be project manager for an art auction fundraiser for the Artist League of Lowell.
• I've been coordinating the 2nd Annual Photo Lovecat Giveaway Gala at WPPI
• I've been coordinating a very exciting blog and book publication for Las Vegas Weddings
• I've been invited to be a featured presenter at the Thirst Relief and Pictage Booths at WPPI
• I've been meeting Boston area wedding professionals who share my same passions for Green & Sustainable practices

... and that doesn't include just the everyday stuff of trying to keep up with clients and vendors around the world on various time zones, taking care of computer/billing/communication problems that arise, being airport transportation for my frequent flyer family, being my own secretary and editor, being a good pet parent to my dog, and being a caring sister/wife/daughter/friend. Phew!! Did you get tired reading all of that?! I know I'm tired just after writing it all out... and I have to get on a plane in few hours!

Please note: I will be at the annual Wedding & Portrait Photographers International Tradeshow & Conference until February 19th - so please forgive me if I have a difficult time returning phone calls or emails- my schedule is pretty packed while I'm there! I'm doing my best to manage it all right now, and look forward to having a MUCH more manageable workload after WPPI is over!! Every one else's deadlines have been so crammed into the first 6 weeks of this year that I've barely had time to breathe. I sincerely appreciate your understanding!!