halloween.

I don't know if there is another time of the year that is more highly anticipated for my kids than the moment that magically chimes the free-for-all-door-to-door-candy-walk-a-thon.  My kids think that half the year passes every one minute that leads up to the first sighting of a trick-or-treater.  This sighting means that we need to be out the door 5 minutes ago...at the very least.

They try to keep themselves busy in the middle of the "can we go now?!!" and the "when are we leaving?!" and "all of the candy is going to be gone!".  You would think that somehow Halloween was going to pass with out them. 

This reading moment of Miriam's lasted all of about 2 minutes before the barage of questions about when would we EVER leave to go trick or treating??? started up again... 

I have a feeling your kids sit quietly on the couch with their hands in their laps patiently waiting for the clock to strike "TIME TO TRICK OR TREAT."  And then they very passively walk to the door and begin their trick or treating.  All the while remaining calm.  Or maybe not.  Maybe they are just like my kids and act like they are caged animals...

putting on their costume the moment they wake up.

are we going trick or treating now?

no.

oh man.  (takes costume off)

puts costume back on a little while later.

are we leaving yet?

no.

geez. (wears costume for a little while and I find it peeled off in the driveway)

costume is magically back on again

WHEN are we GOING trick or TREATING?

not yet.

UGH!

hat from costume is on

will we be leaving soon?

in about 5 hours.

WHAT!?!??!!

and so the day goes.....

.........

..............

.......................

Finally, the costume is back on for the umpteenth time. 

Mom and Dad, we HAVE to leave!!!

Okay.

And before I can say another word...

they all bust out the door, running to the neighbors to be the first to ring the doorbell, with me yelling behind them, make sure to say thank you!!

I think Halloween should always be on a school day...

:)

funny. LIFE.

***All images in this post are copyright Ulrica Wihlborg.***

NEXT WEEK: Melanie Nashan

{To nominate women you'd like to see in this series please list them in the comments-or if you have a question you'd like to see in the interviews--make sure to include your info in the comment fields so that I can get in touch with you- or write to me at: davina at davinafear dot com }

As always make sure to leave comments for the women who are featured. They like comments as much as I do I'm sure...let them know if you have questions or just to say thanks! for their insight and wisdom...

You can check out the rest of the series by clicking here. Tell a friend!

You are very busy and have numerous private as well as commercial clients.  What do you do to keep things normal at home with your family?

I have a great partner in my husband Craig and our household is pretty much 50/50. Also, once I had children I simply gave up a lot of things that used to be important to me in order to have a more serene home life. For example, I try not to answer the phone or spend any time on the computer before 10 am or after 5:30 pm. I try to get all my work as well as personal phone calls and errands done during my "office" hours. Sure there are drawbacks. I miss working out as much as I used to, I miss spending time with my friends and I wish I had a few more moments to myself. But my two boys are young (Gustav is only 8 weeks and Axel will turn 3 in December) and I want to spend as much time with them as possible before they start school. My hope is that as a result, they'll grow up feeling secure and peaceful.

Your work is so beautiful, serene, and natural.  What have you done to ‘come into’ your own style?

I've always been drawn to simplicity, from my taste in design to my life philosophy. My style is simply the way I see the world - as a beautiful place where freeways, skyscrapers and litter have no place. It's a dreamer's world, and I know it's naive, but it makes me feel happy. In order to transfer my vision to photography, I learned by trial and error. I started shooting 35mm film, metering everything. Then I switched to digital photography. Now, I shoot almost exclusively medium-format film using Contax 645 cameras. I shoot manually without metering - I estimate as I go and tend to slightly overexpose my film. It frees me up to focus on the moment I'm trying to capture, and gives my photographs that "happy" luminous feel that I like.

I love the way you’ve edited your images for your website.  You have sweet detail shots that add so much to the story of images.  What is the process you go through in doing such a beautiful edit of your images?

I think details tell so much about a person's life. What they value, how they see beauty...To me a portrait is a combination of the details surrounding a human being as well as the "traditional" portrait of their face. I think we remember so many things about our lives through the little objects we surround ourselves with. Whenever I do a portrait shoot, I ask to photograph details that are important to a person during that time in their lives, be it a favorite pair of shoes or a dress.  My hope is that later on that image will trigger a beautiful memory.

What are the three most important things you do as a businesswoman?

I have to admit I'm a terrible businesswoman and I'm still learning. My husband is the tough one when it comes to business and he tells me daily that I'm too nice! I honestly haven't figured this one out yet. Photography is so personal to me and I always want to make others happy, so I tend to overdo things.

What are the three most important things you do as a mom?

Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle :) Apart from those three things, I also read a lot to them, I always try to meet them with kindness and I do my best to create a home environment that is as calm and happy as possible. Of course I'm not always successful, but I try to do my best!

What does your workflow look like?  What three things do you do to keep it simple so that you’re not overwhelmed and away from your family too much?

Since switching back from digital to film, I'm so much happier. Not only am I happier with my photographs, but I've basically eliminated retouching and my computer time has been cut down by 80%. It's had the biggest impact on my life as a photographer.

You spend a great deal of the year in your home country of Sweden.  How do you make that work with your business here in the states?

I spend about 5 weeks in Sweden every summer and 2 weeks during Christmas time. We just bought a house there and I'm so excited about the prospect of spending even more time there at some point in the future. When I'm in Sweden, I get incredibly inspired. Those weeks are a crucial time for me as a photographer.  I shoot a lot for my portfolio, and my latest exhibit was entirely shot in Sweden. To me, creatively as well as for my business, I need the time there in order to evolve as an artist.  

You shoot mostly film.  Do you use the computer, digital cameras, etc.?  If so what do you do to keep it from overtaking your life?

I basically don't use a digital camera unless I have to due to cost limitations or what not. I scan all my film, so yes, I do spend time on the computer. I also spend time designing albums - I do my own layouts in Photoshop. But I rarely retouch my photos and I deliver prints to my clients, so that cuts down a lot of time.

You have been widely published and recognized.  What tips to recommend for getting published? 

For me, t's basically been pure luck. I have wonderful friends who are often interviewed in the media and have hired me to take their pictures. I also work as a journalist, so at times I shoot my own stories for magazines. I've simply been fortunate. To me, personal relationships have been the key. So as for advice, I'd say try to develop personal relationships with magazine photo editors. Don't be afraid - they're almost always looking for new talent. And in this day and age, getting celebrity clients almost always makes it easy to get published.

What do you recommend women do who are just getting started in the industry?

In the beginning, if you have a day job keep it so you don't have to rely on the income of your photography. It takes the pressure off. Be prepared to do a lot of favors to get ahead. Creating relationships and goodwill is key. I highly recommend working part-time for a photographer who is already established, even though the pay might be very low or non-existent. It will give you an invaluable insight into how successful photographers operate and help you strike out on your own.

To see more of Ulrica's work:

website:  http://www.axelandmoa.com/

***All images in this post are copyright Ulrica Wihlborg.***

*tell a friend*

lauren clark and uno. 

Lauren Clark   is a master at photoshop! 

I've learned all kinds of photoshop basic and advanced skills from her...and plenty of great tricks.  To me, she is a photoshop genius...in fact...I'm trying to figure out CS4 and I'm planning to buy this dvd.

You really can't go wrong with  UNO .  I had quite a few people try to teach me about layers and other photoshop techniques and it wasn't until Lauren explained it to me that it all finally clicked.  She has a no nonsense approach in her teaching style that is straight forward and easy to understand.  I love hearing her teach...I learn something every time.

Lauren is one of my favorite friends and so maybe I'm a little bias.  I've been learning from her for over 2 years now and I still keep picking up new ideas and great tips.  There's seems to be no end to her technical knowlege when it comes to cameras and photoshop.  Really...what are you waiting for?  Head over to the  UNO website  and see for yourself!

she's got skills..."like nunchuku skills, bow hunting skills, computer hacking skills..." (name that movie) Okay...so maybe not those skills but she's got powerful photoshop skills!

www.unobylaurenclark.com

simpler. LIFE. 

*image from thinnerware website*

thinnerware.

So...it's a new month!  We're almost at the end of our  year...

October's winner is Karen.  She won by only three posts...crazy!

Karen also told me about thinnerware.  I thought it would be a perfect giveaway since we've talked the entire year about just a couple of things making a difference in being more healthy and losing weight.

#1-Eat less, smaller portions

#2-Leave something on your plate

#3-Eat small, healthy snacks

#4-Walk at least 20 minutes a day

Thinnerware is a dinner set that helps you to measure your food without an additional measuring cup...it helps you to know what a serving size should be instead of what you think it ought to be.

So our contest this month will be to eat less.  Put less on your plate and then leave a little (if you can make yourself do this).  Get  your mind and your body to stop eating so much when you sit down to dinner or a snack or dessert.  Come to the weekly Move it Monday posts and post every day that you eat less than you normally eat.  Practice this month taking less food than you usually do.  The person that takes less food and eats less food the most days will be the winner.  The winner will get two sets of thinnerware (2 cups, 2 plates, 2 saucers). **this does not mean you eat less everyday of the month to the point where at the end of the month that you are eating only a crumb of food for a meal...it means that you are going to eat less every day this month than you did in the month of October.**

Next month (December) will be a big contest...get ready!

smaller. LIFE.