update on my Meetup.com group membership

From Drop Box

apparently, the group i joined last week, "The Ladies Who Lunch" is kicking me out. okay, not "kicking me out" but encouraging me to unsubscribe. they want to make sure i can commit to lunching 2xs a month, during the weekday. well, i guess i am not a lady who lunches, because who has time to lunch during the work week? i don't. so i had to humbly step down from that group.

you will be happy to know that i did indeed commit to go to a meet up next fri., in the hopes to meet some cool ladies, and prove to me wrong that this meet up stuff is not such a corny thing, after all (and a big "L" is not tatooed on my forehead). i'll keep you posted. 

with that said, my new year's resolution is to: participate in at least one social networking event per month. that's doable, right?

the saga continues...

the longest day: online reality show

okay...i have to admit...my name is guen, and i'm a reality show-a-holic. i don't like to admit it, but if you look at all my DVR'd shows, it is very rare to see a sitcom or drama show on the list (sorry, j.!!!). 

so i had to share this, for my blog readers that understand my addiction, this is the first ONLINE reality show. it's about photographers. before you yawn...check out the first episode! premise: the nation's top wedding photographers get together to produce a short film, and it's all for charity. the cool thing is, is that the viewers get to vote which team gets the grand prize money for their charity. photography, drama, charity, good cause, entertainment! what more could you ask for?? if you know of anyone, that would enjoy this type of show, please forward this them! it's quite exciting...

so check out..."The Longest Day"

Christmas pictures, holiday memories...

my dad was big on documenting moments. from holidays to birthdays to playing music in the living room.  in other words, every other moment was an important one. i am thankful for the pictures he took and the video he filmed. even though i am not too old, my mind---filled with to do lists, appointments, passwords and pin numbers--- can't possibly hold every single memory. 

every celebration with my parents, these days, make me want to never forget how i feel. it's inevitable. our loved ones pass on. it's a fact of life. but one thing i learned from my husband, j., is that we should enjoy our loved ones while they're here, and have no regrets. i guess that's what it means to rest "in peace."

so blog readers, take the time to photograph your memories. take pictures of your loved ones, every chance you get. even if they "hate" getting their pictures taken (that includes you, too!) because we're only this young, once. take candid pictures, pictures of people interacting, and enjoying each other's company. after you shoot these pictures, don't just leave them in your camera or on a disk somewhere to be forgotten. print out the best ones and frame it or put it in an album. enjoy and share your photos now. 

last, but not least, USE A REAL  CAMERA!! no camera phones! please, produce photos that are 1MB and up. anything smaller won't look good printed or on slideshows. produce photos that are at least in focus and not pixelated and muddy. 

especially your children's photos. they are only this young for a second. take pictures of your children in action. posed studio portraits have their place, but nothing can compare with your children laughing, playing, interacting with you and their siblings. this is how you will remember your child. not a frozen  young person, with a glazed stare into the camera, and  a painted smile, against a generic backdrop. 

and...that's my 2 cents.

hope everyone had a warm, wonderful Christmas!

i'm a joiner

i'm a joiner. i've joined 14 meet up groups (social/networking groups) over the past year. and...i feel a lil' bad because i haven't attended not one meeting. yikes! i have to say though, i feel pretty good, knowing that i'm part of a group. but feel like a poser not showing up. it's not like i'm a big flake. it's just that, a lot of the meetings are either too far, or on a day i have to work, meet a client or just DO LAUNDRY! maybe one of my resolutions (i haven't made one in years!) should be to attend at least one meeting a month. 

why did i join in the first place? 

well, blog readers, as much as i am a social person (bubbly, and all that), i do not feel that i'm getting enough socialization. j. says i need new friends. friends that i have things in common with. there's nothing wrong with old friends, but it seems that my lifestyle does not coincide or relate to my girlfriends' lives. i am not a mom, and no one lives near me!  i love my old friends, i just need some friends that have the time to meet or want to meet. thus! the idea of joining a "meet up group." sigh. 

so i'll keep you posted, blog readers! when i finally attend one of these meetings, i will post the end results and findings. ha! oh, and i just joined 3 more groups! it's a sickness i tell you!!

Click here to check out

The Ladies Who Lunch!

happy "early" birthday, KOI baby

this weekend, our family had a get together, a pre-Christmas celebration, if you will. our family has grown, and changed. we have lost some of our beloved family members, but they are never forgotten. it is now our generation's responsibility to carry on the traditions that have been instilled in us. thankfully, our cousin, Girlie, invited us to her home, and we celebrated together. at the same time, we celebrated my niece's birthday (she turns 5 on Dec. 30), Koi. I remember the Christmas we celebrated the year that Koi was born (well, my cousin, Alma, was still pregnant with Koi)...wow. A lot has changed since then. A lot has changed...(that's all i'm going to say...) anyway, she has the cutest smile! see the pix below!! happy birthday, baby...

happy holidays!

From Drop Box

From Drop Box

elf yourself!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

it's official...it's holiday season for the Spillers

so it's official...i'm in the holiday mood. being busy, work related issues, the economy, and the illness of my father, has postponed me into fully diving headfirst in the holiday spirit. i know...dumb reasons, huh?? holiday spirit should not be delayed! it's all about counting blessings and feeling good about humanity. so...i am so ready for decorating our home, blasting christmas music all day, cooking cozy meals, and attending neighborhood Christmas functions. i'm looking forward to the break in my professional photography, and not worry about editing and designing albums, to just take some pix for myself. i know i should be doing that on a daily basis, and i have in the past done that, but when it gets busy, like a best friend, i needed time away. needed my space. 

so it's been about 1 week since i picked up the camera, i am ready to get out there and just get back to the fun of photography. not worrying about getting the "perfect shot" or proving myself, as at times, on shoots. i hope to post some fun or cool pix. on this blog, or on my Facebook, and even on my Flickr account. 

before i go, i posted the above pic because this picture became one of my fave pix of my last shoot. it wasn't my fave, at first, until the makeup artist, danielle wells from DFW Makeup, requested to use this pic on her site. i looked at this pic again, and i love what danielle did with lori's (the model) eyes and lips in this photo. these two features "pop" and somehow, it doesn't look like "too much" or overdone. lori was a great model to work with, (as well as her friend, armani. she was great with giving a lot of options and choices in her poses. i like the position of her arms,  here, even though it's not a natural pose, it definitely makes the photo look interesting. 

what a day this has been

so i get a call from my brother, that my dad is going to be taken to the emergency because he's "gone crazy." well, without going into too much details, the rest of the conversation was spent asking him to describe what he meant by crazy. i was stunned, almost frozen. didn't know whether to cry, or run out the door. i felt stuck. emotionally, and physically. j. and i have reduced to one car, so i didn't know what i was to do. i freeze in these types of situations. i don't know why. i lack common sense and a sense of urgency. i always want to think each situation through. anyway, in these cases, i lean on my hubby to give me the "right" answer. but he wasn't picking up his cell. my mom said to just stay where i was, while she was going to the hospital with him. i would meet up later, with j., when he picked me up from work. 

the rest of the day, i felt like i was just putting on a mask. trying to get through the day. having normal conversations with people. being the "norm" guen. in true form, j. came to rescue me, and whisk me off to see my dad. to my relief, he seemed ok. having a conversation with him, like normal. asking him, what the heck happened. he said his blood sugar went down to 24 and apparently he was delirious. since taken ill, my dad hasn't had much of an appetite, and especially with the chemo, and meds, he has not been able to taste much. so he hasn't had proper nourishment. thus, the "craziness" unfolded, as my brother witnessed. 

at the same time, my dear aunt, auntie nona, passed away this morning. i feel like i can't go to sleep without saying a lil' prayer for her and my dad, of course. i feel like i need to reflect and say something about my auntie before going to bed. my "auntie nona," who was a very close friend of our family, was the nicest person you ever met. she made the best desserts! as kids, and as adults, we look forward to what auntie would bring to potluck. she was so talented. i often remember her babysitting us after school. either we were the most angelic kids to watch or she was the most patient. we always felt welcome in her home. she made practically ever family party i remember, the birthdays, the graduations, the celebrations in our lives. she always made point to ask about us, as we grew older, which made my parents feel special and proud.  i do regret not making time to see her in the hospital. she was moved around often, and unfortunately, our life became too busy. but i know that she is at peace, and not in pain. god bless.

i just checked my voicemail, and my mom says she's staying overnight with my dad. i know that our time with our loved ones is finite. so i am going to make an effort to enjoy the moments we have with the ones we truly care for. i think if i remember this, i wouldn't sweat the small stuff so much. 

good night, all. 

for my fellow photog freaks!

Hey guys,

i have a lot of fellow photography lovers, and i thought i'd share some fave sites i like. also, if you have any cool photog sites u know of, please share! it's all good!

Found this one (or he found me, actually!) last week. Just a cool photographer guy that has an original blogsite, with audio commentary; does mostly music/concert photography, but also weddings

Jared Polin

Written by a working fashion photographer who shares their insight and inspiration with the masses. Inspiring.

Fashion Photography Blog

The Strobist: Everything you wanted to know about off camera lighting; YES, YOU CAN!

Flickr: the greatest inspiration comes from others...like us!

www.flickr.com/groups/fotogeeks

(forward this to any other photography geeks and join our group!; if you're already part of this group, you need to post your HOLIDAY PIX!!)

Photojojo: This is the perfect site for people that LOVE photography and the different things you can do with it! Check it out, you'll see what I mean. There's new ideas every week! Subscribe to this!

My BLOG!! yes, please subscribe to my blog!! And make comments to know that you were there! It gets lonely in Internet space....I always update this every few days. Check me out, eh!

There's others, like fave photographers, wedding, portrait, dog, and fashion photogs, but that's a different post...and I'm tired of typing now...hahahaha....to be continued.

Merry Christmas, y'all!

fullest moon of the year

this month's full moon is reported to be the "fullest" because of it's closest proximity (distance) to the Earth. this is the best i could do. just reminded me, though, how much fun it is to just shoot nature and your surroundings. this season, i am going to make myself shoot everyday, something that catches my eye. it's been awhile since i've made time to do this, what with the weddings and shoots i've been doing. since i have some down time, this is a great way to post some of my fave pix of the day. 

if you like taking pictures, join our FOTO GEEKS Flickr group! it's all about finding the beauty in everyday life. discovering the extraordinary in the ordinary...if you're not a Flickr member, join (it's FREE and you get inspired by other cool photogs, amateur and pro alike).

From g j spiller photography

Makeup by DFW Makeup

From g j spiller photography

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like i blogged before, i met danielle, from DFW Makeup, at a teresa and james' wedding, and talked about taking pictures for her new website. we thought it would be fun to do some different makeup looks and spend an afternoon with some models, showcasing her makeup. danielle had so many creative ideas! she derives inspiration from different sources, it was cool to see the process, and her imagination running wild. i am used to photographing events, documenting events as i see it, and even when i do my portraits, i usually let my clients be natural and be themselves with minimal direction. so it was definitely a nice change of pace. 

our models highlighted here are loriana and armani, both music artists/songwriters. they were great sports and went with the flow. luckily, they were good at posing, and having a good idea about modeling. i'm used to shooting interactions with people, and capturing genuine moments, this shoot challenged me to have to direct and shoot at the same time. 

check out their individual slideshows. danielle's makeup was fabulous, and the girls were gorgeous! 

click here to view their slideshows in a separate window!

loriana slideshow

armani slideshow

also check out loriana's site to listen to her music (i can't wait until we hear her music on the radio!)

christmas with danielle & arlan & akiah

we met danielle and arlan at a wedding we were shooting. danielle (Danielle F. Wells Makeup) does beautiful makeup artistry and is experienced in doing wedding makeup, as well as fashion makeup. i will be posting some of her work that i recently photographed for her. she is so creative, and knows what to do to create a certain look. and i've watched her in action. she knows how to listen to her clients, and that is so important to women, especially on the day of their wedding... so stay tuned!

arlan, her husband, was such a good sport with the shoot and craziness of 4 women taking over his house and home! akiah, their adorable 2-year old, was watching the models pose, and as you can see, she picked up a few poses herself! watch out with this cutie, arlan and danielle!  you might have a model on your hands!

my father, the dentist, and needles

i have always been afraid of the dentist. okay, not always. i had a really traumatic experience when i was 19, getting my wisdom teeth pulled. nowadays you have the option to sleep. no, i had the full on vibrating jackhammer to gums fully awake and aware. i felt like i was being tortured for government secrets, like on an episode of "24" or "Alias." but i think my fear of the dentist and other medical procedures, were fostered in me very early on by my father.

my father would tell me about his oral surgery while he was serving in vietnam. detail by detail. and then he would tell me about his root canals, detail by detail. the drills, the needles. i cringe just thinking about it. after those stories and my one bad episode with my wisdom teeth, i have not gone to the dentist in like 5 years. bad, huh? not only that, whenever i walk into a hospital, i feel like my skin is crawling, and i start to get anxious and uncomfortable in my own skin.  i also feel like that when i am visiting someone in the hospital. 

recently, my father got diagnosed with multiple myeloma, cancer of the blood. he was anemic and in pain for the last month, and finally went to the hospital, a day before thanksgiving. he had all the symptoms of myeloma, including a mass found in his kidney (hence, multiple myeloma). yesterday, my parents were advised to have my father go under chemotherapy twice a week, and also take medication. my mom was positive because the doctor said this treatment causes a high survival rate, IF the treatment was followed completely. i said, okay, that's good. and then my father started mumbling and grumbling about needles, and IV, and the discomfort of taking 10 pills in one day. i thought, hey it's a small price to pay for your health, but held my tongue, because i am not in his shoes. but, i could see myself in him. 

i'm such a baby when it comes to any type of pain. i am holding back on taking insulin shots, because of the needles, but it's been 4 months since i was diagnosed with diabetes, and my lifestyle has not changed and my blood sugar has made little progress. and if i want to have a shot at having kids, i need to get off the diabetic meds and onto insulin shots. it made me think of my father and how he was being so stubborn about his health. i had started to become the same way. 

so, today i choose to be an adult and take care of my health. i choose not to let my fear prevent me from having the life i deserve. and i pray that my father, for the sake of his health, and for his family, i pray that he give his taurus-driven stubborness  a rest, at least for now, and do what's best for him.