Our Trip to New York City day 2 of 7 | Personal

The second day we were in New York we decided to go sight seeing.  We did not take our camera because we had been told horrible stories about how the people of New York were and that they would rob us if we looked like tourists.  Unfortunately, we succumbed to those rumors and missed out on a whole day of amazing captures. However, the memories are amazing and unforgettable.

     We woke up and walked to the subway.  Everything around us was loud and busy.  Living in the country we were in a bit of culture shock, but nothing could prepare my little one for the extreme loudness of the actual subway.  As we descended underground, we could feel the wind from the train hit us.  We had missed out passage to downtown.  It was ok because the trains run about every five minutes.  Leighla was shell shocked.  She hung on to my arm and tremble with fear. I tried  assure her that all was fine and she had nothing to worry about.  All of a sudden she turns and looks at a poster and her face lights up like a child meeting Mickey Mouse for the first time.  She yells "Mommy we have this picture in our world too!" The picture was a movie poster for X-men.  I laughed so hard.  She thought we were in another world and that the train was a time tunnel.  We didn't correct her because in essence New York is definitely a whole new world to us.  

     We arrived downtown near battery park.  Upon surfacing from the subway we instantly see a food cart.  Yep, a New York food cart was on our list of things we had to eat while in the city.  Then, we saw from afar The Statue of Liberty.  Leighla thought she was amazing!  We had to buy her a little figurine.  Then, we walked to South St. Seaport because it was on Josh's list.  Unfortunately, he was disappointed. The seaport had been shut down and is being scheduled for demolition.

      We hopped on a bus to Chinatown. The smells in Chinatown were strong and pungent at times. Many of the vendors had fresh fish on ice and aquariums overfull with fish.  Some of them had octopus, toads, krill and many other foods we don't think of eating.  We got hungry and decided to eat in Chinatown.  The restaurant had nine tables and a wall length mirror.  The people were friendly and very attentive. Unfortunately, we were the only people there and they stared at us the whole time we were there.  I went to wash my hands and had to stand outside the bathroom because the bathroom was so small.  I'm a big girl but even Brooke had a hard time in that place.  The rice was good but the rest of the food was very different from what we are used to in South Carolina.  Brooke had a hard time eating but knowing she was being watched, she ate as much as she could so the owners would not feel offended.

     It was May 12th 2014.  Josh and I were also celebrating our eighth wedding anniversary. So, we chose to celebrate with my aunt and her children.  We had a great first day but were exhausted!!   We had to rest because the next day we were headed to Brooklyn New York to visit and tour Bethel.  The headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses.

The kids had a cook off.  They both win!

Lory Ament DreamShots Photography Blog: A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

Lory Ament DreamShots Photography Blog: A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

A Trip to New York day 1 of 7 | Personal and Photography

Saturday, May 10th 2014 was a really emotional day.  We were getting ready to leave the next day to New York for a week.  I spent the first eleven years of my life in the city and was concerned about how my family would fare in a place so big and populated.  I have lived in the beautiful state of South Carolina for almost twenty years and have grown accustom to our much slower pace and lifestyle.  Two of my girls were at a friends house and had not packed all their belongings yet for the trip.  As I am beginning to fret about not being ready, my husband tells me we should leave that night and that way we could miss all of the traffic and the children can sleep through the night!

We went to pick up our girls who were at the local park with the friends they had spent the night.  Holy Smokes!  My girls and their friends had managed to put together a surprise Anniversary Party for me and my husband.  On the 12th we would be married 8 years.  So many friends and family were there.  We even had family travel from Oregon and Tennessee! Keep in mind these girls are only sixteen and eleven years old.  I was so happy to see everyone.

They made a homemade sign.

                                                                                  My eleven year old got me a Nikon Lens cup :) 

  My parents.

 

                                                                                    All friends who helped them make it happen. 

Josh's grandparents and sisters. 

                                                                               Josh's Grandma,Sister, Aunt, Father and another Aunt. 

A small part of our blended family.   

Once the party was over we rushed home finished packing and loaded the car up.  Yep, I drove from 9 pm to 5 am. I was so tired that I had to turn over the driving to Josh.  He got us the rest of the way.  The girls slept a good part of the way.  When we all woke up we could immediately tell we were "not in Kansas anymore" so to speak.  The highway was lines with trash bags.  It was so odd.  It wasn't like the bags had fallen off a truck.  Many were just huddled together while others looked thrown and discarded. Traffic was no longer friendly.  People zig zagged and cut others off.  I was so glad I was no longer driving.  Our first stop was Jersey City.  We were to meet up with my aunt and cousins. They were attending the one day assembly at The Stanley Theater. The place was beautiful. We couldn't help taking pictures.

 The pictures don't do it justice.

  After eating lunch with the family, we got my aunt's keys and drove to their home which would be our home for the next seven days. We slept... Woke up to spend more time with the family and then slept... Until Monday morning.  The day that TRULY started our NEW YORK ADVENTURE!! 

Come back next week for part 2 of 7 of  "A Trip to New York."

SECOND SHOOTING AT A WEDDING | Photography

Second Shooting At A Wedding

     I have been photographing weddings since the year 2000. At that point in my life, I was an assistant / second shooter for a photographer in Pendleton. He took me along to weddings and I was to make sure that everything was aligned properly, the dress was fluffed and that there were no photo bombers in the background. While I did this for a few years and enjoyed it I really wanted to do more shooting.  He realized this and sold me his D70. I was so excited to have my very first digital camera. I sported that thing like it was the best thing since slice bread.  I was so proud of it; I kept that camera around until last year that I handed it over to an aspiring photographer in my family.  It still works and take beautiful pictures.  Anyway, having the ability to takes digital photos I was allowed to shoot weddings by myself!!  I loved the challenge of shooting by myself a full wedding. Weddings are usually a blur to the bride and groom. They are constantly being pulled by there guests to talk, hug, take a photo, or dance.  Photographers get to capture all of the wonderful details, emotions, food, cake and chaos that happens throughout the day, allowing the couple to look at their wedding story through pictures when they come back from their honeymoon.

   In 2008, I stopped working for a while and dedicated my time to raising my newborn daughter and spending time with my other two daughters at home.

I had three beautiful girls to shoot, but, I missed the joy of photographing others.  So in 2011, my husband encouraged me to pursue my dreams of owning my photography business. DreamShots Photography was born in my mind in high school and became a reality January 2011.  Sometimes we put our dreams off but that doesn't mean they can't come true. I began networking with vendors and other photographers to get back on the wedding scene.  The photographers in South Carolina welcomed me back with open arms and helped me join groups and classes that would further my knowledge and skills.  Throughout all this my husband, Josh Ament, has been a rock by my side, an encouragement to continue with what I love and a true blessing.   Recently, my husband has joined me in my photography business as a second shooter. He is an amazing second shooter and has a great eye for details.

     On occasion I have the honor of second shooting for other photographers in our area and I love it.  I say honor because at that point they are trusting me with their brides and their reputation and style. 

While initially this makes me nervous, I tend to get at ease once we start the day. Second shooting is not as stressful as being the primary shooter.  As a second, I am able to get different angle of a shot the primary has set up. 

I am also able to concentrate on more of the details and candid shots throughout the night.  Many times I have heard a bride say " Oh my god! I didn't even see that person at our wedding!" and they are grateful that they have a photo of them being there.  Second shooting is fun and I think anyone who is interested in photographing weddings should find a mentor and second shoot for them before taking on a wedding by themselves.  I know this has helped me a great deal and I am thankful to all the photogs who have been there for me in the past and will be there for me in the future.

     

CHILDREN OF A PHOTOGRAPHER | Photography and Personal

     I have five amazing children.  Four girls and one boy. It would be an understatement if I said they are my world. My husband makes fun of me because I am with them pretty much 24/7 with the exception of the two older ones who live on their own in Florida. The three that are left here with me are home schooled through an awesome public school online program called Connections Academy.  So literally, we are together all the time. I love homeschooling them because our schedule is super flexible!  I don't know how many times we pick up and go on vacation on a whim because we don't have to worry about school schedules.

     Along with the flexible schedule there is a really huge reason I love them being home with me all the time. I am a photographer.  You might be thinking... So what, who cares?  Well, imagine being an artist and your home is always fully stocked with paints, brushes and amazing canvases to work on and you never have to order a single thing. You would be in artist heaven!! That is how I feel! I am in photographer's heaven every day.  If I get an itch to try out a new idea, I grab one of the three girls and start photographing. The funny thing is the other two will usually offer to assist by holding a light source, reflector or battery pack.  I love it when we all work together.  My eleven year old specializes in building or putting together sets, my sixteen year old like to model and my five year old... well, she is a camera hog. LOL!

     Recently, it snowed really hard.  We actually had snow stick to the ground! I was sitting at my desk at 9:00 pm and jumped out of my chair saying "Brooke, do you feel like playing in the snow?" She smiled and said, "What outfit would you like me to wear?"  It was great! She new immediately, that I wanted to take pictures in the snow. Within minutes my husband dragged a red vintage sofa outside and brought out some lights.  My daughter got dressed and braved the cold weather. All so that I could get to 'play' in the snow.

.

I appreciate having such great girls and live in models.  Another time, my daughter decided to play dress up with my five year old. When the baby came out of the room she looked just like Shirley Temple.  Of course I had to take out my camera and take her picture. However, I played it as though it wasn't all that and the baby says "Mommy, don't I look cute?  Are you going to take my picture?"  OMG! how could I resist.

Then I have the eleven year old who doesn't care to be in front of the camera as much as the others, but when I get her to cooperate she is awesome.  She can go from grungy to glamorous and not skip a beat.

 My life is full of color, laughter and joys because of these children of a photographer. May God bless them always.

EL MATADOR | Personal Restaurant Review

El Matador Mexican Restaurant ~ 2919 Wade Hampton Blvd. Taylors, SC 29687

http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-matador-restaurant-taylors

    I think I have to start off with asking a few questions. How many of you like going out to eat? I know I do. How many  of you like Mexican food?  For me, it depends on the restaurant.  I have eaten at several places that I wish never to visit again.  But I am not writing about the bad experiences. LOL.  

  The other day I had the pleasure of visiting a restaurant in the Taylors area called El Matador. This restaurant has been around since 1968!! It is the oldest Mexican restaurant in SC!! Makes you wonder how they have stayed in business so long. I have the answer.  

  The moment we arrived, we were greeted with a smile. The hostess seated us quickly and gave is our menus. Before we could open the menu, our server was there getting our drink order. He brought us our chips n salsa. I asked if they had anything hotter, because I love super hot salsa.  He said sure. In a few minutes the CHEF comes out to our table and explains they grow their own peppers and they have a very bad attitude.  I laugh thinking "yeah right". Well when they bring this salsa out, true to his word it was feisty!! I slathered some on my tortilla, my husband Josh was a bit more cautious, he took a small piece of onion to sample. he pops it in his mouth and his eyes get huge and his face red.  I chuckled popped my piece in my mouth and "HOLY MOLY, that is some hot stuff." I grabbed my tea and just let it sit in my mouth until the burning sensation diminished.  (It took a while.) The salsa was perfect!! Of course i refrained from using much more of it so I could actually taste my food. The left over salsa came home with me and I use it sparingly on my food.  

  We had no idea what to order because usually we order the same thing over and over again at Mexican restaurants. Sooo, Josh decides we should let the Chef decide what we are going to eat.  The server tells the chef we are at his discretion with our meal and the CHEF comes out to our table again! LOL.  He took the time to explain some dishes and learn what kind of food we like.  The two plates he chose for us were perfect!  We ate that food like it was going out of style. Then we shared a Flan for dessert.  It had homemade cream on top and drizzled with chocolate powder over the cream and a humongous strawberry on top.  Completely, delectable. My cup was never empty or half full. The server constantly asked us if we were ok or needed anything.

  

 So in conclusion, El Matador, has been open for so long because of it's excellent customer service, heavenly food and great atmosphere (Very cozy).  Of course, this is my opinion.  I challenge you to visit this eatery and make your own decision. The address is on the top of the blog :)

I LOVE DOGS | Personal

    

 Ever since I was a little girl, I have had a deep affection for animals. However, dogs are at the top of my list. I remember bringing home all sorts of strays. I didn't care if they were puppies or huge dogs, if they needed a home, I was sure yo be the one yo give it to them.  Mom and dad didn't discourage me and I believe that is why even today I have strays around my home.  Funny thing is that I don't get them myself, they just show up!

     I have lived in my home for eight years and have had the opportunity to help several shelter dogs by fostering them, I have helped several lost dogs find their homes, and I have had the pleasure of actually owning several dogs.  At the moment, I am the proud momma of a 3 year old German Shepherd named Hercules.  We named him Hercules because he was a huge puppy when we got him.  He was 9 weeks old and weighed 36 pounds. Today, Hercules weighs about 120 pounds.

     We also own a 3 year old Rottie named Perseus. My husband got jealous that I had a big dog and within a couple of months of getting my dog he bought the Rottie.  Initially, my dog did not like this new animal in the home. Fortunately, they both get along well now .

     Finally, we have the odd ball of the family.  Lol. We rescued a Chiuwawa mix who is really small compared to the other two dogs. She was found by one of my daughter's and much like myself at her age, she decided to bring her home. Our intentions were to re-home her. However, she won us over and we could not let her go.

     So, with three dogs in our home, there is never a dull moment. Do you have a dog or animal you love? Tell me a little about him or her.  I would love to hear your pet story.

A new journey blogging

Hi,
My name is Lory Ament. I am a photographer with DreamShots Photography, and recently I have attended a conference and a convention for photographers. Both functions encouraged us to Blog. Why? Well, it seems that blogging is a great way to build an audience and have people get to know you.
I thought I was doing well with this because I had a Facebook account.  LOL, it seems in the world of technology and social media blogging is were its at.

Truth be told, I find it difficult to initially find things to write about.  However, once I find a topic of interest I can  usually do a good job of keeping the content going.  This is my first entry and I intend to write at least three times a week.  The speakers, at the two functions I attended, suggested that we write about things we know. So, in the future, I believe I will be writing about my children, dogs, photography business, clients and spiritual faith.

I look forward to my new journey in blogging.