Jennifer Bowen Photography » Engagement, Wedding, Portrait & Family Photographer // Scottsdale, Phoenix Arizona

First let me apologize to my clients and all the non-photographers who read my blog, because this post will likely bore you to death. It’s a technical (and long) one regarding equipment that other photographers might appreciate, but for the rest of you, feel free to skip this one.

I wanted to share my thoughts on the new Canon EOS 1D Mark IV. I recently purchased it, but almost feel it was out of necessity, rather than a purely desired purchase. Let me explain.

I have always been a Canon shooter. But as some of my photographer friends know, this past year I have contemplated moving to Nikon. I’m not one of those who has loved the 5D Mark II because I’ve had some issues with mine, specifically  the focus system. After many frustrations this past year shooting with the Mark II (and the focus system already being replaced once by Canon) I’ve put my faith in them that this new 1D Mark IV, with its brand-spanking-new 45-point focusing system, will respond consistently well and be a suitable replacement for my Mark II.

Let me give you a little background as to the equipment I’ve used and my progression through different bodies so it has some context. When I first started in photography about 10 years ago, purely as a hobby then, I learned with film. I bought a Canon Rebel film body, an entry level lens or two, and basically shot it on automatic until I started to learn a little more about shooting manually. Digital SLR cameras really starting taking off about a year later, and being one who was never intimated by technology, I made that jump pretty early on. I bought the newest “entry level” digital SLR body at the time (Canon Rebel), a better lens, and my relationship with Canon digital SLR’s began…

That first Rebel camera worked well for me until I started shooting weddings and quickly realized I needed something that responded much faster and was more ergonomically laid out control-wise. I bought the newly released Canon 20D and found it worked great for the next year, and when the Canon 30D came out, I bought that one and sold the old Rebel. I shot with those two cameras for about a year until I could afford to buy the lovely full-frame Canon EOS 5D. And I fell in love instantly. Moving from a cropped sensor, like all the previous models were, into a full frame quite frankly took my photography to another level. The colors popped more, and the images out of the camera were just seemed to have more depth and dimension.  Not to mention my lenses, by this time mostly pro “L” series lenses worked as they should, meaning I had the full focal distance out of them. I knew that since I had gone to a full-frame sensor, I could never go back. I sold the old 20D and used the 30D as my primary backup, but mostly shot with that 5D for the next 2 1/2 years.

But like all things do, that camera aged with time and the technology had by then outpaced the current features. Like many other photographers out there, I was itching for Canon for release its successor since it had been 3 years since they rolled out a replacement full frame. I followed many of the technical blogs out there, checked in with Canon and other technology sites and forums, and waited impatiently for the replacement. Finally they announced it – the 5D Mark II! – and I quickly added my name to the waiting list at Samy’s, B&H and Crutchfield for the thing. It finally arrived right before Christmas 2008, and I felt like I did the year I got the Cabbage Patch Kid doll from Santa. I was so excited to get my new toy and play with the features and functions, see how high I could push the ISO, and use the movie function to record home videos of Jordan on Christmas morning and of her seeing her new baby brother for the first time a month later.  (Ironically — and quite sadly for me — I accidentally reformatted the CF card of Jordan seeing Alex for the first time in the hospital before I pulled off the video. I pulled all the images but forgot to move the video over since those files were newer to me. Big, big bummer.)

So since that time, I’ve been shooting weddings with the Mark II and the original 5D. There are many things that I do like/love about the 5D Mark II, namely the high ISO and the ability to shoot rather cleanly in very dark scenes with no flash, the larger LCD screen, some of the new functions and  generally the feel of it my hands. I also obviously love the HD video capability for personal use and ergonomically, I find it’s a little ’sturdier’ than the old 5D. And while the huge jump in megapixles was nice (if they are needed, say for shooting the cover of a magazine) I found I usually shot in SRAW 1 so that the files were 10-11 megapixels and not 21. Mainly because a 10 mpx RAW file produces a beautiful image, and working with those massive 21 mpx files requires an inordinate amount of space, both on CF cards and on the computer hard drive and virtual memory.

But what I did not like is that I noticed pretty quickly that this camera’s focusing system was extremely inconsistent. It had a difficult time locking in on a subject in low light conditions, such as receptions or darker ceremony spots, and would often “hunt” for too long, even with very fast prime lenses and all “L” series professional ones. What good is that high ISO for low lighting if the camera can’t focus on anything when you need it to? Many images came out very soft or slightly off focus. My Mark II also had a hard time locking focus in conditions that it should not have – such as high contrast or perfect outdoor light. On several occasions it would hunt between the groom’s tux and the bride’s dress and never focus lock on anything – as if it didn’t know if it should lock on black or white. Many times at weddings this past year, I had to flip my lens to manual focus and just override the whole system so I didn’t miss moments. And for someone who does not have 20/20 vision, that can be a little risky at times. But I usually did better than the AF system did! (Side note: I have used the “back-focus” button approach for a few years now; where you can lock in on your subject with the center focal point and then reposition the camera as needed by switching the functions between your exposure lock button on the back with the shutter button. This always worked brilliantly with the first 5D, but my Mark II would lose its focus on the recomposition half the time. It’s like the thing was on crack and so happy to keep bouncing around every second.  So, I sent it back to Canon and they replaced the entire AF system, saying it did have some malfunction issues. It came back better, but still did not focus as consistently well as my older 5D focuses.)

This past year, I had to increase the number of shots I take at any given portrait session or wedding just so that *something* came out in tack-sharp focus. I could take 3 shots of the same scene where I have changed absolutely nothing focus-lock wise and 2 would be SO soft and blurry and one tack-sharp. As a wedding photographer paid to capture moments, I cannot afford to miss any moments due to a poor internal focus system that is so inconsistent. After a little googling of “focus issues with the 5D Mark II”, I found LOTS of people were having the same issue I was. Turns out there are several blogs and forums burning up with less-than-kind-words for Canon, and specifically this camera and the focus system they should have updated when they released this camera. I wont share those links here only because my intention with this post is certainly not to bash Canon, and you can easily google the issues. As I said earlier, I have always been a Canon shooter, and my goal is to stick with them, because I think by and large they do make great products.

Which brings me back to hinging my relationship on this new 1D Mark IV. When Canon announced it, and the completely redesigned new 45-point focus system, I took a very hard look. I read as many things as I could about the camera, but I was afraid to spend that kind of money on a relatively untested body since I’d had so many problems the last time. And Canon definitely keeps things under wraps as far as all their selected-photographer-testers go; meaning those testers are not allowed to even look at their images on a computer or post them online; they can only view what’s on the LCD, which as we all know can sometimes look perfect there but when you open it up in the computer, sharpness can be off. (Which begs the question: why so much secrecy Canon? From what I understand, Nikon does not have this same approach with their testers.)

But what sealed the deal for me on deciding to move forward with this camera was this review by England-based photographer Jeff Ascough.  It wasn’t so much the {great} images that he did post from the wedding taken with this camera, it was that like me, his big hesitation was the fact that this was not a full-frame camera and therefore, its hard to imagine the files could be as pretty as the files that come out of the full frame Mark II. But as he put it after looking at them – the Mark IV blew the Mark II out of the water quality wise and he loved the focus system. Okay, done.

I will say, so far I am loving this camera. The focus system is much better, hands down. It doesn’t not have a problem locking in really low light, low contrast light or even nearly dark rooms. The files straight out of the camera are beautiful. It is a new body and system for me, since the 1 series cameras are a little different button wise than the 5D’s, and that is taking a little getting used to, but it has a ton of custom functions that the Mark II does not have. I also love that it has a dual card slot. It takes a CF card and a SD card. Battery life remains to be seen as far as shooting a wedding and if it will last all day.

I did a comparison shoot the other day, where I set the two cameras on the exact same settings and took the same image to compare the output. In all cases, the Mark IV focused faster and quieter. I too thought I would notice the fact that it was a cropped sensor more than I am. When you compare the files with the Mark II, you do certainly see the crop, but when its up to your eye, Im not noticing it too much. Im a fairly “intimate” wedding shooter anyway, meaning I like to get up close to capture emotion, so I think this balanced with the full frame Mark II, will work beautifully for 2010 weddings. I can’t wait to put it to use starting March 6 with my first wedding back.

These images are of nothing special; I just wanted to show the color fidelity and quality of RAW images straight out of the camera for comparison sake. Nothing has been done to these except for converting them to JPEG via Adobe Lightroom. All images were taken with the exact same settings: same lens, aperture, and ISO. The shutter speed did vary a little since the sensors are different size. I’ve noted the settings below.

(I would have taken face & eyes shots of Jordan if I could have convinced to her sit still for more than 5 minutes for this, but alas, my almost 5-year-old had more important things to do, like climb the tree. And my client sessions of late have been little kids so its impossible to do a ‘test shoot” on toddlers – so instead you get kids toys! ;-)

This is the Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/2500 second). Used center focal point on the mouse and recomposed. Partially cloudy day; overcast at time of shot.

And the Canon 1D Mark IV image. (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/4000 second). Same lighting conditions as above. Same focus approach; appears more in focus to me overall.

Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/6400 second)

Canon 1D Mark IV image. (ISO 400, 24-70mm f/2.8L lens, shot at f/2.8, 1/6400 second). This image would be brighter like above if I had backed up a bit, but I wanted to show the crop factor by staying in same place.

Canon 5D Mark II image (ISO 100, 50mm f/1.2 L lens, shot at f/2.0 @ 1/200 second)

Canon 1D Mark IV image (ISO 100, 50mm f/1.2 L lens, shot at f/2.0 @ 1/250 second). Again, appears to capture more detail.

Finally, here are the cameras side by side. My 5DMKII has the battery grip on it, which is nice at weddings because I never need to change the battery. The battery in the IDMKIV is bigger and different, so the “battery grip” is already part of the camera. I’m interested to know if it will last the entire day. Between the two cameras I’ll never run out of juice (and I always carry backup batteries even if I did), but it will be interesting to see how they perform side by side at the weddings this year.

5DMKII on the left. I will say I do like all the main buttons (menu, trash, review) to the left of the LCD like on the 5D, but I am getting used to the other body. Camera/live view function makes much more sense on the 5D also. Not sure why they named it “fel” on the 1D and put it on the front, right by the shutter button.

If you are one of those photographers who has had issues with your 5DMarkII, I’d love to know — or even if you haven’t and want to share your experience with it, please do! I have read some “rumors” that suggest Canon will issue a replacement for the 5D Mark II at some point in the next year or so – with the new focus system – and ideally I would have like to have waited, but in case it takes another year to come out, I didn’t want to wait that long. I also debated buying another original model 5D since I know a few places are still selling them, but after getting so used to the high ISO and bigger LCD, I didn’t know if I could go back to the other model ;-).

Anyway, hope this post helps if anyone else is on the fence about buying this new camera.

I’ve been playing with a few of the free actions from Totally Rad Actions and loved the way these two looked processed this way. Combo of Troy action & bag of dirt texture, masked out (removed) from them. What do you think? It’s kind of sultry! Im typically not a big fan of washed out images, but I think the effect can work on some certain ones. I have purchased several of the Kevin Kubota Action sets over the years, so I’m sure there is a way to achieve a similar look with his, coupled with my own textures I have, but I will say this made it fast and easy.

I find I only use about 10% of the entire Kubota set because I have found my favorites over the years and how I like to process images, but I think I’ll add this look to the mix for select photos. Especially ones like this…

Photogs: for more information on actions you can purchase, and in some cases download and try a few free ones, check out www.gettotallyrad.com or www.kubotaimagetools.com

About two weeks ago, Kim Jarman and I hosted our third round of Create Better Images Photography Workshops. We did things a little differently this time by splitting the days we host them and it turned out to work great. We had two wonderful groups of attendees and were thrilled with all the great feedback – thank you guys!

If you are new to the blog, Kim and I co-host photography workshops designed for both novice photographers (or parents who simply want to take better pictures of their kids), as well as a more intermediate-advanced workshop designed for photographers of all levels: those who are pretty new to the game, those who have been photographing awhile but might need a different perspective, or advanced hobbyists who want to take their skills to the next level.

Our Create Better Images Beginner class teaches the basic fundamentals of photography: how to take your digital SLR camera off the automatic setting and apply the basics of aperture, shutter speed and ISO to your picture taking to create better or more creative images.We also explain what makes a great portrait, where to find flattering light & how to use it more effectively, how to turn off the little pop-up flash, what lenses you can purchase today to immediately make a difference in your photography, how to adjust your manual settings on your camera as well as share some secrets to making your images pop more. The 3-hour class covers a lot of info, so we know it can be a little overwhelming at first, but most attendees email us after to say they learned SO much and have already begun producing better images.

Here are a couple images from our beginner class two weeks ago:

Our Create Better Images Intermediate class takes the lessons to the next level, and incorporates a live model shoot as part of the learning experience. We go more in-depth with the camera’s manual settings, manipulating the light, posing suggestions and working with clients, using off-camera flash, and working with post processing software in an efficient manner to produce quick and stunning results to add the final touch to your images. The live shoot provides the hands-on learning experience where we walk around to find the light and photograph the models. This is where the attendees have the opportunity to apply the class lessons to the actions of working with light and people with hands-on guidance.

We had two models (well, technically 3 models) for this live shoot. Our first was Cheyenne, an actual high-school senior (I wish I looked like this in high school!):

We also had a couple that modeled as a bride and groom for us. They were married 6 years ago here in Arizona, hired a photographer for their wedding, viewed the images online only to find out a few weeks later he filed bankruptcy and shut his studio down. Sadly, he never delivered any final prints or provided any option for them to buy an album, prints or the images on disc. It baffles me how a person or any business could do that and not follow through on their end.  As you can imagine, they were pretty devastated that they never received any images from their wedding day. So when Tirsa emailed to express interest in serving as models, we didnt even have to blink. While its not their wedding day, she did wear the same dress, albiet slightly altered with the blush pink train she MADE and attached. Between 22 photographers, we knew we could give them some great images of them together. Here are some of my favs from those I captured that day:

Lastly, here is a group photo of our intermediate class. We meant to get one of the beginner class, but we got out a tad late and just didnt manage to get one with everyone. :-(

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If you are interested in attending our next round of Beginner or Intermediate Workshops, here is the general information:

WHAT: Beginner Photography Workshop / 25 seats total

WHEN: Thursday, May 13, 2010 / 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WHERE: 126 W. Main Street, Mesa Arizona

COST: $189 for the workshop ($159 early bird before February 9, 2010)
$89 non-refundable retainer holds your space; $100 balance due at the door.

HOW TO REGISTER: Click this link to register and to view all the class details

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WHAT: Intermediate Photography Workshop / 20 seats total

WHEN: Saturday, May 15, 2010 / 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM

WHERE: 126 W. Main Street, Mesa Arizona

COST: $379 for the workshop ($349 early bird before February 9th, 2010)
$179 non-refundable deposit holds your space; $200 balance due at the door.

HOW TO REGISTER: Click this link to register and to view all the class details

b) On a patio, under the roof covering, facing out to light source.

and 2) golden light in the last 15-20 minutes of direct sun exposure before it sets.

This shot was taken in the last 10 minutes or so of light, facing sun at approx. 30 degree angle. Meaning sun was setting just a few degrees off to her left (my right).

The beauty of that last 20 min or so of daylight– when the sun is just above the horizon — is that it also provides some neat opportunities for backlighting, where you can incorporate the setting sun into your photos, or use the light to create pretty highlights in their hair or silhouette them.

Above:) Shot probably about 20-30 min before sun actually set over the horizon.

Below:) Shooting directly into last minutes of setting sun

Above:) Sun is right behind them, but I moved off the right a bit, so that it would not hit my lens directly. I wanted this shot to be very golden and “moody.” This was probably about 10 minutes before it went over the horizon.

If you are working with shaded areas in high sun, move your subjects to a place where the light falls off directly in front of them, or to the side of them. This gives you more exposure but keeps it diffused and not harsh. Think of your front doors open, and stepping just inside the door frame facing out, to the point where the sun leaves the face and body. To me, that is great light to shoot in, especially if the area behind your subject is dark and all the light falls off behind them.

Above:) She is standing in the door frame of her back patio door. I exposed for her skin, so that any ambient light coming from her house behind her would fall to dark. I intentionally underexposed the image by 1/2 stop or so she was my main focus. In post processing, I brought up the lights (her skin) a tiny bit and deepened the blacks (behind her) so again, the focus is on her belly and face, where my intention of the shot was to highlight.

Note: All of the above images were shot using manual settings so I have more control over the light in the final image.

And for the clearest, most crisp pictures in outdoor light, remember to keep your ISO as low as possible. I hope that helps!

Occasionally I receive emails from aspiring photographers with questions about how to get started as a professional photographer and asking what I did to begin (or what lighting techniques I use, or other various questions about gear, approach, etc). I have decided to start sharing some of these emails because I know there are others who have the same questions and it is easier to post the info here so others can have access to it too. And sometimes I can spend much too long searching for previous emails I have sent with similar info, so this way it is publicly archived for me as well :). I’m happy to share info as others have done the same for me along the way too…

The first Q comes from Tasha Jones in Indiana and it is probably the most common one I receive: Tips on Getting Started

From: Tasha Jones
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 1:21 PM
To: jen@jenniferphotography.com
Subject: Amazing Pictures

Hi Jennifer,

As a single mother of a highly energetic two year old son, I am always looking for ways to capture each spectacular moment. I was just browsing the internet at photographs today and stumbled upon your website. Your photographs are absolutely amazing!!! I have a passion for photography and would like to expand my passion into a career. Currently, I have a full time job that utilizes my college education in accounting, but it has become somewhat redundant. As a busy single mother, I find it hard to figure out what the first step needs to be to start exploring my passion further. If there is any way possible that you may be able to give me any insight as to how you got started or any pointers that you might have I would be highly appreciative. I would love nothing more than to quit my J-O-B and pursue my passion without jeopardizing my income. Again, your photographs are amazing; I have yet to find any quite like yours where I live in Indiana. Some of your wedding photographs left me speechless and a little teary-eyed.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I hope to hear from you soon. Have a wonderful day.

Thanks again,
Tasha Jones

A: Thank you Tasha! First, I can only imagine how busy you must be as a working, single Mom. My hat is off to you because it is the hardest job one can ever have, especially when it’s just one person taking on both roles. You should feel blessed that you have found a passion — and one such as this that can be a great opportunity to have fun, provide for a family, and still have freedom. One of the benefits of being a mom/photographer is that it does give you the flexibility to work when you can and still allow time with your child(ren). The downside is that you sometimes find yourself working through the night to make up the time you may lose during certain days. While I cannot imagine doing anything else, I do work longer hours now than I ever did in my previous life in corporate, agency or campaign/fundraising jobs. (Well, the last one is a close tie for the amount of hours.) But that being said, I absolutely love what I do, so it’s not really “work” to me.

I understand and respect your need to not jeopardize your current income, and you can get to the point where you will eventually replace your income and potentially make more than you currently do. I think the road is different for everyone in getting up and running, but for me, the following things have helped me to become pretty successful so far. Here are 10 tips that I think are important:

1. Set clear goals. Write down what you want to accomplish and by what dates, and post them where you see them every day. Visualize yourself in the role you hope to achieve.

2. Teach yourself everything you can about photography. Check out books from the library, take a class at a community college if you are able, or join online forums where photographers share info. Open Source Photo is a free online forum, and a great place to start lurking, asking questions and learning from pros. Digital Wedding Forum is another great place to learn and grow. I would also say that attending workshops or seminars is probably one of the best places to learn and grow inspired.

3. Network with other photographers. One of my largest sources of new business (now) is through referrals from other photographers or other vendors within the industry. You’ll also find that when you start out, you will eat, sleep and dream photography, so its fun to make new friends with whom you have a lot in common, and you may find that some of them become very good friends. You can find local groups by google searching that in your area, joining your local PPA chapter, or attending one of their meetings for free.

4. Invest in the best gear that you can afford at the time. I do not recommend running up a large credit card bill initially by buying a top of the line camera and lenses because that is hole that will be difficult to get out of, and it is not necessary when you first start. But I would say you do need a digital SLR camera with interchangeable lenses and manual settings. You won’t fully learn the technical aspects of photography and how to manipulate light with an automatic point and shoot (plus, you will always miss “the moments”). The Canon Digital Rebel (I am a Canon girl, but there are almost-equally great Nikon starter kits) is a great starter camera and will allow you to get accustomed to shooting manually and controlling the light. However, it is more important to invest in good lenses first, rather than the camera body. An excellent lens for those starting out is the Canon 85 mm f/1.8 portrait lens or the 50 mm f/1.4. They both have a wide enough aperture to get that background blur (bokeh) and to allow you to shoot in low light conditions without flash and are both affordable as far as good lenses go. Ideally, you want your lenses to have an F-stop of 2.8 or smaller.

5. Practice, practice, practice. That means offering your time and services for free at first. Take pictures of your kids and your friends kids for free just to practice. If you like wedding photography, let other photographers know you are interested in assisting for free, and be ready to show your work (and work ethic). When you are practicing, turn off your flash. Flash can really distract from the quality and mood of the image. (That isn’t to say there are not times when flash is necessary or that it cannot be used creatively off camera, but initially you want to turn it off and learn to manipulate the light by adjusting your manual settings.)

6. Show your work. In other words, put together a website. This is critical to you getting off the ground. There are plenty of companies out there who do beautiful template websites for photographers that are very affordable. Expect to spend between $400-$1000 for a template site and upwards to $3000 for a custom site. I highly recommend these template sites because everything within the site is still somewhat customizable to your look and feel and will showcase your work much more effectively than a quick, do it yourself site (unless you are very knowledgeable in HTML or flash.) Put you work up there and keep refining it as you get better and better.

7. On the topic of look and feel, it is also important to eventually establish a brand. Your brand is more than just your logo — its an extension of you, and who you are, and the feeling people get when they see your brand. It ideally should reflect you and what you offer, but also affect those in your target market. Are you playful and fun, fresh and funky, elegant and savvy? What five words would you use to describe yourself? Branding and marketing is a large subject area and I think an important one in creating a successful, long-term business.

8. Tell people what you do. Once you feel that you are ready to start taking on clients, tell people you meet that you are a freelance photographer. Share the word that you are available for work! Get yourself some free business cards at www.vistaprint.com or very affordable and higher quality cards at places like www.overnightprints.com

9. Invest back into your business. This was easier for me to do when I first started because I still worked full time while I slowly built my business as a freelancer. I worked on the weekends or evenings after work and was able to take all the income I made from photography and invest it back into better gear, software, sample albums and marketing. If you are lucky enough to have a spouse or other investor front your new business venture, then you may be able to invest in these items up front, but Tasha for you and most others, you will need to move slowly to build your business and get yourself to the point where the photography income will replace your current J-O-B income. This is doable; it just takes a little longer. The upside is that you learn your mistakes along the way without unwisely “paying” so dearly for them.

10. Don’t put all your eggs in the advertising basket. One of the biggest challenges for any new business is getting new clients. I am not saying you should not advertise, but realize that simply taking out a magazine or internet ad will not guarantee clients. What it does do for you however, if you advertise smartly, is get your name out to the vendors who may eventually refer new business to you. The name of the game has always been to network, network, network. But understand that effective networking can take years to build up and depends a great deal on your personality and how you come across to others. Above all, be yourself and be professional. Follow through. Don’t pretend to be something or someone that you are not. People will see through that quickly. In the end, people refer who they know and like. Be likeable.

I have one more tip I feel is crucial: #11 — READ BOOKS. Read business books, read psychology books, read books on getting organized, read fiction or biographies and obviously photography books. Just read. In the end, a successful photography business requires what any other successful business requires. Diligence, follow-through, motivation, people-skills, communication skills, talent, and the positive mindset that you will be successful. If you don’t believe that you can do this, it’s likely no one else with either. That, I feel, is the most critical component to being successful at anything.

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These are most of the areas I focused on when starting out. I have always kept myself in the black by not incurring unnecessary debt and have kept my eye on where I want to go professionally. My business has grown faster than I could have imagined and I am always learning and evolving, which keeps things interesting.

Having a business is a lot of work and like anything, there are downsides too. But the positive definitely outweighs any negatives. I love the yearly WPPI show in Las Vegas and also credit the seminars and networking as a big source of inspiration each year. The trade show alone is worth the cost to attend.

I also think that blogging is important to help your clientele and potential clients to get to know your work and who you are. Blogging is free, easy and pays off in spades — though it can be time consuming! For some great photography blogs, click here, here and here.

It’s late so I can’t think of too much else to add right now, but since this is such a long post, I feel I need to add a photo. And who better than my Jordan.

Good luck Tasha! Keep me posted on your progress…