Just A Night Owl

Category Archives: Photography

Seventy Two Times.

Written on January 9, 2013 by just a night owl in Life, Photography

The Lord has truly blessed my business endeavor this past year as I sought an outlet for all things creative, a mommy break, and an additional income to support our homeschool and extracurricular activities. These are some of my favorites from the last month. Boy, was I busy! Christmas photos galore. It was so festive. My camera, my McDonalds peppermint hot chocolate, and I were very busy.

I was thinking through my business plan today. Working on some goals for the new year. I sat down to count the sessions that I had during 2012. I was floored.

I began my business on Mother’s Day 2012. During these almost 8 months I have had 72 sessions ranging from training sessions, to student portraits, to full length sessions, and even a wedding. I am not sure how that is even possible. I really couldn’t be more thankful. AND I’m totally not even just saying that.

I sit in awe of our Lord and what He blesses us with. When things are right, they just are…and they work. When He calls you? go! and He blesses.

I tend to be impulsive. No shock if you know me. I get an idea and I go with it. I don’t like to think through how to do it or if it will work because it will. I will make it. No matter what it takes. Fear generally doesn’t enter the equation. Many times this is fantastic. {Sometimes not so much}.

With this business venture, I was not impulsive. I thought and thought, had friends advice, had husband support, and most importantly, many conversations with the Lord. The night before I began, something hit me that I had not thought about.

What if no one ever hires me? Fear gripped me pretty bad that evening. I prayed and prayed about it and tossed and turned all night. I seriously considered not going for this. Because honestly, what if I suck? I mean who was I to think I could do this? Morning came and I hit publish on this and the journey began. No looking back.

I am so glad I did.

I love what I am doing. I love the opportunities. I love the beauty of the emotion that turns up in these images. I love meeting the people and I really love the kids. Oh the little munchkins make me smile.

I love being a part of an engagement, a birth, a birthday, a reunion, or a moment in time when family members from all over the country are together.

It pretty much rocks.

Pictures are pretty important.

They tell such powerful stories.

Stories of life, just as it is.

I can’t wait for 2013.

I’ve got much more to learn…

More new things to experience…

I’ve got plans, my friends….

I’ve got dreams…

Kick the fear to the curb, it’s not worth it.

What might you miss if you don’t?

I’d love your “LIKE” over at my Facebook page, if you have a minute to visit. My website will be coming this year too. Such exciting things. There is a big smile plastered on my face tonight.

November

Written on December 2, 2012 by just a night owl in Photography

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November has been B U S Y. It has been an unbelievable pleasure working with friends, meeting new people, and reconnecting with people I haven’t seen in years! I am so grateful for all my clients and the joy this first year of business has been to me so far. Here are some of my favorites from November.

Enjoy December with your family and friends!

Let’s Catch Up, Shall We?

Written on October 31, 2012 by just a night owl in Photography, Random

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A whirlwind has occurred around here, oh my goodness. It’s like one day I was sitting on the couch eating bon bons and then BAM, ya know? I am once again vowing to not miss this season. The next 2 months are hands down my favorite time of the year. Gonna live in the moment and say NO to that which does not make me scream like a little girl with excitement. That’s my plan. There is SO much I want to do.

I could not be more blessed as I celebrate the first six months with Green Jeans Photography. I’ve had the awesome opportunity to shoot it all from weddings, to newborns, to seniors, and everything in between. I am swamped this season. I love love LOVE what I am doing. I look forward to 2013 and what is to come. So many opportunities.

I began Insanity on Monday, a nine week commitment that will conveniently end on Dec 30th, just in time for New Year’s Resolutions. I have done two days and I am so sore. I am sore in places that I didn’t know I had places. That guy, Shaun T, is crazy. This program speaks my love language. It’s an all or nothing deal. I usually love the bells, whistles, and fluff. I can be swayed by it in a heartbeat, BUT this time, this hardcore, bare bones, grueling and mildly annoying workout complete with music that makes you want to gouge your eyes out, is my choice. After a year at the same weight, I am ready to kick it up ten notches and get this weight loss thing finished. I’d like to live in maintenance land. I haven’t been there in a while. This just fits. It’s what I need right now.

The beautiful thing about how long this weight loss gig is taking me, is that I have been saving money to go on a shopping spree when I am in a healthy BMI range. Let’s just say I have a chunk of change saved up and I will be re enacting that scene from Pretty Woman. You know the one, right? I might even sing the song.

Speaking of weight loss, we just went to Apple Hill for the first time. Oh, the treats.

Apple Hill. The Land of Gum Drops and Ponies. My word. I could live there. We visit multiple times each fall. Multiple apple orchards, like 55 of them or something.

My husband and I often talk about what it would be like to buy land like that and open a pumpkin, crafty, Christmas tree wonderland where we work all year to entertain families all fall. I kinda think that would be a little bit of heaven. As long as I had a wrap around porch, my family, Chipotle, and a Hobby Lobby near by~it’d be near perfect.

We have been getting through the basics of our school day right on track, but without a whole lot of frills, over the last couple of weeks. Tomorrow is teacher inservice day. This means that the kids will be left will a couple of independent assignments and the principal. I am off to spend the day planning for quarter two and to sneak in a pedicure and a hair apt. #homeschoolteacherperks

Did you know that there is just 55 sleeps left until Christmas? Look who was a client of mine last week? Holla.

Passion

Written on October 4, 2012 by just a night owl in Life, Photography

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I have figured it out.

Avoid a rut. Give yourself an ever needed kick in the boo-tay.

You know that comfort zone? Annihilate it.

Get outside of it. Re invent yourself. Not in a crazy mid life crisis kind of way, but a new hobby and a new adventure kind of a way. I sit here and reflect. I’m all snuggly in my freshly washed hoodie, yoga pants, and leopard slippers. Today I am welcoming fall with open arms and a pumpkin candle as a chill spreads through the house. I have pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone this past year that I turn back to find it and it is but a speck in the distance. My new photography business has been a part of that.

Everyone needs to find themselves in a situation where your nerves parallel the first day of high school and you find yourself kneeling in a dirty bathroom stall praying that you will survive the day because you just really don’t want to screw anything up.

It’s the scariest and most beautiful of all places.

Realizing that there is a distinct possibility that you might fall on your face. This state of being breathes life into my soul. It’s precarious. It requires effort. The best efforts that you have in your arsenal.

New experiences?

They don’t replace my old life. They blend in seamlessly and wake me up.

Alive.

Stay alive.

It’s the best way to live.

Find a way no matter what the cost to wake up.

My word for 2012 was passion. I was in a slump and I lost it. However, I have found it again.

I’m so grateful.

Branded

Written on August 30, 2012 by just a night owl in Photography

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It has been fun to watch my little business come to life. What a blessing it has been.

It’s stretched me {taking pictures of a professional photographer SCARY}, humbled me {try looking at a client’s session and realizing your reflection is visible in every single picture due to a pair of glasses}, and brought me so much happiness, as I have spent time with so many wonderful people. Seeing the connections between families and getting to crawl around on the ground to play with many little friends is just pure fun to a girl like me.

I ran across a designer on Etsy and fell in love with her style. I contacted her immediately about doing a custom package. You know what her response was? I would love to but I am moving next week from Paris to New York. (or maybe New York to Paris, I can’t remember) Can you wait two weeks? I’m thinking what a fun sentence to say and have it actually be true. Two cities that I have always wanted to spend time in and to live there? Magical.

I waited for the two weeks and I am so glad I did. It’s as if she jumped inside my brain, found what I wanted, climbed back out, and brought it to life. She was a dream to work with. I highly recommend her if you have designing needs!

Thanks Andy!

I am looking forward to a fun and very full fall season. My brain is working overtime imagining Christmas photo ops. The possibilities…..

Here are some of my favorite shots from the last month. I have been busy! I did my first newborn shoot ever, met new clients, and photographed a beautiful family awaiting their second child. I had clients who people think are reserved, but yeah as it turns out NOT. I have had many sessions with kids as I am offering a Back to School event for students. I was able to spend time with the sweetest baby ever who loves duckies and photographed a couple of absolutely adorable preschoolers…my heart and my calendar have been full.

Have an awesome Thursday.

Click It Up A Notch

Written on August 1, 2012 by just a night owl in Photography

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A fabulous resource for doing just that, Click it up a Notch is on my list of must reads for improving my photography skills {and has the most adorable blog ever}.

One of my favorite shots from July.

Unprompted. Real. Joy.

Genuine giddiness over her soon to arrive little sister.

All Kinds of Fantasticness

Written on July 22, 2012 by just a night owl in Favorite Posts, Miscellany Monday, Photography

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1. I went to an antique store recently and found my new best friend in an old blue mason jar. It had a rusty lid and begged me to take him home. Fortunately, I had recently seen this and so I made this. Yes, it does make doing dishes a whole lot more fun.

2. Some birthday money brought me to Nordstrom to buy some little girl sandals for ME. Saltwaters for adults can be found in the kids department. They make me happy and when I wear them I feel like I’m eight again. Nothin’ wrong with that!!!!

3. My transmission was going out on my van with 160,000 miles on it. I am not a mechanic and my musician husband sings so well that there is a chance that if he broke it into some musical ballad the transmission might decide to fix itself. However, the Lord chose to spare us that route and my parents texted me on a Wednesday at approximately 3:04 and said, “Would you trust us to gift you with a new car?”. I believe I said something like “what???????????????????????”. At approximately 6:48 that night, they roll up in my driveway with this…. Yeah I’m not kidding. We have been working so hard at our finances for the last 29 months. We cut up all credit and deal on a cash only, debt free system. It’s tough and makes no sense in this world. God answers with unbelievable abundance and blessing. Every time I get in my new ride I feel like I am driving down the street in a big giant wrapped up hug from God Himself. Sometimes words do a poor job of expressing gratitude.

4. Do you remember latch hooks? My girls have recently become latch hook junkies. Rainbows and unicorns. They make me smile.

5. I had been saving Trader Joe’s Salsa jars for quite a while to make into candles for the Fourth. That plan crashed and burned, but thankfully I found these condiment caddies (and really a condiment caddy? Who names this stuff?) at Target on a clearance row. The jars were the perfect addition for our red spinny things, formerly known as condiment caddies, that now adorn our school table.

6. Yummy new paint, a trash can from the dollar tree turned light fixture, and the beginnings of a wall of functional items for our school days are the beginnings of our new and improved classroom, coming soon.

7. ‎“Don’t let fear stop you. You just may be on the very brink of incredible.”

A timely quote that I read late last night. The Lord has been opening all kinds of doors for me lately and choosing which ones to walk through can be at times daunting. My human nature is to pick up my skirt and run my little girl sandals as fast as I can through each and every single one of them. That doesn’t work. Ask me how I know? So, now I am learning and relearning the art of slowing down and prayerfully considering which way my feet should carry me and trust the God of my life who has the bigger picture and my best interest at heart.

8. I am having the best time being involved over at Hip Homeschool Mom’s. Such a fantastic group of women that are literally spread all over the world. I have the awesome privilege of regular postings and product reviews. It is a great resource if you are homeschooling your little monsters.

9. I was recently interviewed for a book regarding eating unprocessed food in America. The author is a former journalist for the New York Times who is now freelance writer. My littlest Emma has now decided we are famous. In reality, it was just a ton of fun.

10. School is out for the summer, but a teacher’s job is never done. I have been working hard at wrapping my head around the million things that we will be learning this year. Second grade, seventh grade, and eighth grade it is….A friend of mine and I have a standing 7pm on Tuesday date at whatever place with house us with free internet and a comfy chair. We frequently also attend the after party at one of our houses. We plan, and plan, and read, and discuss plans, and plan some more. We discover deep things and not so deep things. Most recently, we have discovered that Better Binders really have their name for a reason. Staples, my friends. In all colors and patterns. Get some.

11. Green Jeans Photography….I recently wrapped up all of the editing my whirlwind five session weekend in San Jose. It was a fabulous weekend! AND NOW, I am working with a designer and will have a logo, business card, and all of that fun stuff within the next 2-3 weeks. I also am the new proud owner of my space on the internet….greenjeansphotography.com. A website will be coming in the future.

I hope your Sunday is fabulous, my friends!!!!

Go hug somebody…life is precious. Don’t forget to live it.

Home

Written on July 1, 2012 by just a night owl in Life, Photography

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I get all nostalgic when I take trips home. Home is where the heart is they say and while my home is here in Sacramento, a part of my heart lives two hours away where I grew up in San Jose. There is a hill that I drive over on my way down and when I reach it, I know I am almost there. At the tip top, I get a first peak of home. Over a million people spread out in the hustle and bustle of the big city. A far cry from the chickens that roam the sidewalks of the small town that I am now living in….

Thirty three years of life in that city. Twenty four years in the same church. I have family there. Not flesh and blood family, but heart family. The kind where I can go days without contact and then walk in a door and have hugs so tight, eyes swollen with happy tears, and conversations that pick up where they left off. The only thing revealing the gap in time is the kids who have now grown into mini adults since my absence. It will always be this way. The countless hours we have spent together have cemented that fact in both future and history.

I have second homes with sleep overs in race car beds with four year olds. Where a family busy in passionate youth ministry returns home from camp and simultaneously has me as a house guest and while I stand in a monkey themed bathroom flat ironing my hair, I hear “Son, go get a pair of pants from the couch.” Laundry may never all reach the dresser in this house either and I smile. It feels good to be home.

My brain likes to pretend I live in a tv series at times. My life tends to verge on over reflected and I find myself standing in a shower reading a shampoo bottle and wondering what effervescent really means. Regardless, I conclude that they are smart for putting this on a label because it just sounds so dang inviting. Who doesn’t want to add a sprinkle of effervescent to their existing life?

I celebrate more sweet babies that will soon be joining us at a lovely garden shower. I won a prize. An adorable gift pack that guarantees me that preparing, hulling, and slicing strawberries will now be a delight. Amen. I eat amazing fruit, chicken chutney finger sandwiches, and pass up delicious looking cake.

And then there is this restaurant. It’s called El Burro. I have been eating there since I was a little girl. The same dish for over thirty years. It tastes the same – every time. No need for new and improved. We always gather here. Birthday parties, showers, and for no reason at all. It never changes and I love that. Old nasty chairs that remind me of a throne, cheap baskets turned upside-down for light fixtures, and wobbly tables set the scene for some of the most delicious mexican food ever. I close my quick visit home there with some of the bestest ladies on the planet.

I leave San Jose way too late as usual. I get on the freeway at 11:39 pm and think I will likely pull into my driveway at 1:40am and conclude that it is a very good thing that I do late night well. I open the sunroof, turn on the heater, and begin the two hour concert that may or may not have included a Starbucks straw for a microphone. Entertained by Ghetto House Radio mixes, Wham, old school Madonna and anything else that kept my attention, I loved every second of my drive. Since I began homeschooling three years ago, I have lived with my babies round the clock seven days a week and while they are the reason my heart beats they are also the reason that my brain sometimes craves some peace and quiet. I take full advantage of this solitude.

After two hours, almost on the dot, I pull in at 1:39am. I drop my bags inside the door, find some left over grapes and get to work editing a few pictures for sneak peaks. For Green Jeans is what prompted this visit and I am as anxious to see some of these shots as my clients. One of my girls is giving birth in just a few weeks to her third precious kiddo and my bff’s third son just turned one. It was more than reason enough to make a quick trip down to San Jose and I had the added bonus of three more sessions while I was there. My heart is seriously full to the brim of kid cuteness, family love, and the most beautiful baby bump ever.

I peak at each of my lovelies before I crawl into bed at 3:09 a.m. next to the safety of my husband and I am blessed. Blessed to have two homes. Both full of fabulous people and amazing memories and life. It’s hard to believe in just a couple of months, it will have been seven years since moving to our current home. My heart aches as I miss the one and beats full of anticipation as I live the other. Thankful that distance doesn’t have to mean goodbye, I fall into sleep as morning will come all too quickly.

Green Jeans.

Written on May 31, 2012 by just a night owl in Photography, Random

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Green Jeans Photography. My little baby officially began on Mother’s Day. A lifetime in the making, really.

I love photography and always have. I spent years during the scrapbooking boom teaching classes, training consultants, and making a part time living based around something I love. I am thrilled to be back involved in the world of memory keeping, but this time behind the camera.

Creating beauty in capturing moments through the art of photography is a passion of mine. The options to grow, create, and capture are limitless. What I find most fantastic is sharing with people the moments of life. Whether they are monumental or everyday, there is beauty in all of them. They are all worth remembering.

People have asked me where Green Jeans came from. I wish it were some story that would cause you to reach for a kleenex, but it really is quite simple. Many photographers have their personal name become their business name. My name just doesn’t work for that. It’s waaaayyy too long. Darcy Victoria Struckmeier Photography. There is not a combination of that, that sounds just right. SO, I had the brilliant idea of using my initials, but if you say them aloud…D V S. Yeah, that doesn’t scream solid business choice. I needed to go another direction.

I wanted a fun, eclectic, random name. Nothing too stuffy or too pretentious. One day I was at the store trying on a pair of pants. Four kids and four decades later, I have reached the dreaded point where clothing needs to be examined to make sure that I haven’t crossed the line of I’m sorry sweetie you are just a little bit too old to be wearing that. You see, in my head I remain forever 21, which is actually where I would really prefer to shop, truth be told.

Anyway, as I slipped into a pair of green skinny jeans….not lime green, not kelly green either. The green that is like a deep green of a freshly cut summer grass. That one. That awesome one...I had just one thought.

Green Jeans Photography.

Why? Because it is slightly un normal, fun, and reminds me of some crazy awesome vintage store with big chandeliers and fabulous colored crystals shining down on rows of velvet covered couches adorned with grandma’s quilts. Walls smothered with oversized and intricately, detailed, ornate frames and mirrors. Everything is fabulous. Too much to look at. Too much to take in. All of it steeped in memories and tales of long ago. Yes, I got this from a pair of pants. I have an overactive imagination and I am o.k. with that.

I have big dreams with this business. Dreams to capture moments of loved ones and clients turned friends. It is already a place where I can take a break from the everyday and create and dream and explore. Then in turn provide these treasures for people to have for a lifetime. What a privilege.

My calendar for June is filling up fast and I am thrilled. There is never a shortage for a reason to take pictures and my camera and I are waiting. If you wouldn’t mind doing me a favor, I would love if you would head on over to my Facebook page and like me. While social media these days puts me in a strange position of asking you to like me, I really prefer to look at it like my own private little cheering session. I might even buy you some pom pons.