plans

As my son says, "I DID IT!! I DID IT!!!"
I made a goal to post every day this month, and I followed through. Hooray!

I wanted to wrap up this month of posting with some thoughts about where I would like to go from here.

A number of years back, I attended a workshop on how to build your business. One of the main things that has stayed with me from that class, is the idea that in order to really grow and accomplish those big dreams you have, you really need to "put it out there." This means everything from announcing your intention to the universe to talking about your goals to people. Lots of people. The idea is that you never really know where those conversations you have are going to lead you. This rings true for me.  The bulk of my business has been built by word of mouth, by conversations, by "putting it out there", by the synchronicity of things falling into place at the right time.

Since having my son, my business has undergone some changes. Some of my goals have shifted, some of my priorities have changed. What hasn't changed, however, is how much I absolutely love what I do, how much it excites and fuels me and how, after all these years, I am still in awe of the process of making images and capturing beauty in the world.

Now that Hugo is almost two, I am feeling that itch again to get out in the world again in a bigger way. I feel less home-bound and more eager to spread my wings.

So, in keeping with the notion of "putting it out there", I wanted to share some of my current goals/dreams for my business. Who knows where this could lead? ;)

•I want to build my client base on the east coast. It has always been my goal to be bi-coastal. Almost my entire family is on the east coast, and I want to spend more time there, particularly the Northeast.

•Along the lines of the above goal, I want to spend more time in Vermont. (Hey, Vermont! I want to come work there! And, PS- I love you!)

•I want to go and spend some time working and traveling in the UK. It keeps coming up in my mind. Interestingly, I get a LOT of emails and inquiries from that part of the world, (in fact, one of my favorite projects this past year was with a London author-- I cant wait to share that one) so I am hoping that's a sign that I'll get to work there for a bit. :)

•I want more jobs that involve visual story-telling. More documentary, more capturing of people doing what they do.

•I want to hit the road again. I want adventure in my business. I want to work all over this big beautiful country and go beyond the limits of being a "west coast photographer." Life is too short to limit yourself.

Happy 2016, people. Let's make it a magical year.

chocolate

these days, i dream of cheese

Not much else to say, other than that.

super bowl party food

Since the Super Bowl is nearly upon us, I thought I would share some images I shot for the National Co-op Grocers Association a little while back; healthier options for a Super Bowl party!

As a regular shopper at PCC here in Seattle, I am a huge supporter of the food co-ops around the country and a big fan of having healthy (but tasty) food options for any occasion.

kale salad (on the whole30)

This little number was part of our dinner on Day 14 of the Whole30:
Lacinato kale, apples, radishes, unsweetened dried cherries and pecans, tossed with a dressing made from mustard, red wine vinegar, balsamic and olive oil.

So GOOD.

whole30 tacos

I'm on Day 13 of the Whole30 right now, and thought I might go ahead and post some of what we are eating. Tonight it was tacos: braised pork shoulder served with radishes, avocado, cilantro, onions and lime, wrapped in lettuce leaves. Pretty damn tasty!

it's another home makeover (part 2)

Okay, as I mentioned yesterday, Joe had 8 days to finish our kitchen makeover, as well as some additional painting and carpentry on our main floor. EIGHT DAYS, PEOPLE! In the world of home projects, that is not a lot of time. My man worked around the clock. It was a crazy, crazy time.

Unfortunately, when I was taking the "after" photos of our living room, I realized I never had a chance to take the official "before" photos. Because of that, I had to dig up some Christmas photos from a couple years ago because they will, at least, give you a sense of what the space originally looked like.

So, take note of a few things: the persimmon colored walls, the lack of trim around the threshold to the dining room, the darker furniture and color scheme:

Some detail shots of the ugliness that was our fireplace:

And here are the AFTER photos. New paint, smooth walls, (Joe resurfaced all the walls to get rid of the texture), molding added in the threshold between the living and dining rooms, new fireplace facade and mantel that Joe custom-built and a whole new color scheme and furniture.

it's another home makeover (part 1)

It's time for another non-work-related post.

A few years back, I posted some shots of our basement remodel and, to this day, I still get comments about that. What can I say, Joe did an awesome job! :)

Last Spring, the Barboza household embarked on yet another stage of home improvement-- a kitchen makeover! We weren't able to change the footprint of the kitchen without adding a ton of time and cost, so we decided to basically do a great facelift to the existing layout. Doing home improvements with a toddler in the house is especially tricky, so we had to figure out a way to get things done as quickly as possible. To accomplish this, Hugo and I rented a nearby house for 8 days while Joe turned our house into a construction zone. Once again, I think my husband did a rockin' job. :)

Here are the BEFORE pics:

And here are AFTER pics:

So, as you can see, we had to keep the old floors. We just didn't have the time to replace them. But, here is what Joe did do in those 8 days:

•Moved the entryway next to the fridge over by 7 inches and shortened the counter to the right of the stove, all to accommodate a much larger refrigerator

•Resurfaced ALL the walls (kitchen, dining room, hall and living room) in order to get rid of the obnoxious texture that was on there

•Painted the walls (in the kitchen, as well as the dining room, hallway and living room)

•Added crown molding above the cabinets

•Installed a new GORGEOUS farm sink and new hardware

•Installed a new backsplash

•Took down one row of cabinets and installed open shelving instead, (the shelving is made from an old beam I found at a salvage yard.) Hands down, it's my favorite part of the kitchen.

•Installed a proper vent above the stove. This was HUGE. Prior to this makeover, we would set the fire alarm off every time we seared meat on the stove because there was no venting. Our new hood has been life-changing.

•Supervised the installation of our new quartz countertops. I do a little dance every time I work in my kitchen and don't have to deal with those nasty tile countertops! I mean, who puts tile on a kitchen counter???

So, that's it! There are a couple more things that had to be put on the back burner so that Joe could get back to his paying clients, but those will be done eventually. Overall, we are both so happy being in this space now and cooking is much more fun.

Tomorrow you'll get to see what Joe did to the living room and fireplace. :)

oh, seattle, my fair city

the day i was filmed for a french web series...

A couple weeks ago I was filmed for a French web series about photographers. I can tell you more about it at a later date-- it probably won't air until Spring-- but, in it, I had to demo a shoot on camera. I was not working with a food stylist that day- basically, I was just playing around with ingredients from the market- but the shots below are what I came up with. It's hard to go wrong with winter citrus and pomegranate seeds, am I right?

nichirei

Nichirei, another one of my new clients from last year, sells frozen food products that I can only describe as Japanese comfort food: grilled rice balls, veggie tempura fritters, green tea pancakes and calamari karaage alongside more "American" items like potato croquettes and waffle sticks.

Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the work we have done together.

farestart

Shooting for FareStart was one of my highlights from 2015.

If you aren't familiar with this organization, you should be. FareStart works with adults who are trying to turn their lives around after hardship. They provide job training in the restaurant industry, help with housing and transportation, resume building and computer skills, interview coaching and assistance in looking for a job...all free of charge. 

Additionally, FareStart serves lunch daily and holds monthly chef dinners, is available for catering and events at their two locations and prepares and delivers over 3000 lunches DAILY to Seattle area schools and social service programs. To say they are inspiring is an understatement, and I was honored to help document all the good work they do.