Thread time!!! It seems like forever since I have actually sat down to do a Thread, so the pressure is on for this one to be fantastic 🙂 So here goes nothin’!
1. April Showers Bring… Give Aways! April is Autism Awareness Month, and you know how I feel about this special month. To copy my words from last year, I am deeply grateful for those who commit their lives to teaching, helping, raising, and supporting people with autism {or ASD – autism spectrum disorder}. Because I have a great appreciation for what my mom does every day, for the families she works with, and their unique and beautiful children, I want to celebrate them. So in the spirit of Autism Awareness Month, I am giving away one free mini session to a family that has been touched by autism. Simply email me and tell me your story or the story of someone you know. All that I ask is that the winner be willing to share their story here on my blog to help raise awareness and offer a unique perspective. I will be taking entries until April 21 and plan to announce the {random} winner here on the blog the following week. I love doing this giveaway each year and it is so close to my heart. I look forward to reading about some of the amazing families out there 🙂 **Please only submit entries for families available for a Houston-area shoot.
2. Workshop Round II. Just putting some feelers out there to see if there may be interest in another getting-to-know-your-camera workshop? I was thinking about scheduling something for June, so email me if you want to be on the list to get first dibs at the details and to reserve a spot!
3. TV Time. As you know, I have been out of town a lot lately, and that means I have been missing some of my faves on TV {I know, wahhh wahhh wahhh}. After a few days of marathon-style DVR-watching-while-working, I think I am just about caught up on my episodes {much thanks to many of my prime time shows not being on last week–whew!} but now I am getting excited about our favorite shows that are about to make their spring/summer season debut, particularly Game of Thrones. Oh. Em. Gee. This show is kind of addicting. Dragons, betrayal, scandal, war, British accents — HBO has made us wait a whole year before seeing season 2 but it airs this weekend and I am so excited! If you have HBO, and aren’t afraid of some gore, I highly recommend checking it out 🙂 Does TV watching ever cease in our house? Sheesh. Read a book already, Chelsea.
4. Thread Tunes. There have been a few songs that a I cannot get out of my head lately. One, Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye, I totally despised when I first heard it on my sister’s iPhone. But, I have come to kinda like it. It’s catchy. I hate when that happens. The other songs I catch myself bobbing along to are Brockenhearted by Karmin {love them!} and Domino by Jessie J. Can you tell I have been listening to pop radio a lot lately?
5. Rain on my Parade. I recently discovered an article about Pinterest that I found really sad, but really informative, and I felt the need to share it with you guys. Take it for what it’s worth to you, make your own decisions, but the articles definitely deserve a read.
A lawyer {who is also a photographer and Pinterest user} researched the legality of ‘pinning’ and explained the issues associated with it. I admit, I was totally bummed when I read it. It was as if someone took the air straight out of my balloon. I ADORE Pinterest, that’s no secret here. I get more ideas {on everything from cooking to decorating, what to wear and what to craft}, and more inspiration than I have ever been able to access in one place. I personally feel that it can give photographers great exposure, or any business owner for that matter, and that as an artist, I would want the world to see my work {otherwise, why put it on the internet in the first place?}. But many do not agree, and I can understand why. Really, I can. The bottom line though, the part that scares me personally, is the legal risk. You can see that there are some really gray areas involved with Pinterest, and some very scary stuff that we agree to when signing up for a Pinterest account. I encourage you to read the two articles {this one goes into greater depth to analyze and report on the legal details} and decide for yourselves how to handle your approach to pinning, or not pinning, because knowledge is power. But as for me, it has taken a few weeks to decide what direction to go in {I love me some Pinterest boards…all of that hard work!} and I am still figuring out what to do, so I have decided to put a pause on actually ‘pinning’ much, and will just browse for the time being. I hope actions are in place soon to make this site more compliant with copyright laws. I would hate to get in trouble because I pinned a cute photo of a birthday party, ya know what I mean? 🙁
6. Smile! Because I don’t want to leave you on a blah note from all that Pinterest stuff, here is something to leave you smiling…
Hey Chelsea! My name is Lacey Martin, your friend, Louise Kastrup referred me to your photoblog- love your work! I see that you’re having a give-a-way for families touched by autism and well, mine most definitely is. I’d love to share my story. My life’s mission has become just that. Not sure it could fit in this little box though, should I email you directly? 🙂
Hi Lacey! Yes — please email me; I would love to hear your story! chelsea(at)chelseadavisphoto(.com).
My little brother is Autistic; I think It’s so amazing that you’re shining light on this. Thank you.