I love Twitter…
- October 29, 2008 -
I consider myself to be a rather early adopter on things, especially with technology (at least being knowledgeable). About a year ago I signed up on Twitter, and it wasn’t too exciting for me at the time because of the lack of use by others – you definitely need a community to make it worthwhile. But since the iPhone hit many of my friends, twitter became so easy to update and more and more are starting jumping on board. Also, so many photogs are on twitter that it’s a great way to stay connected in the industry since I can’t make it to every social or networking event and such.
My fiance (and others) are not huge fans of it, and I keep trying to convince them of the relational benefits that I’m reaping. I’ve been a terrible phone person with keeping up with people in the past, but through twitter I’ve reconnected with some people and know a lot more of whats going on in their lives than ever before (and vice versa)! Now when we see each other in person, we bypass a lot of the formalities and can get deeper into conversations. And more so than just random knowledge of what people are eating for lunch, I’ve gotten a lot of personal benefits from it. Let me share a few:
(1) I was leaving work one day, and wanted something refreshing to drink…so I twittered that. I got a response from a friend who works at Starbucks who recommended an Iced Venti Passion Tea Lemonade…and hooked me up since she was going there to study anyways!
(2) In an effort to expand my fashion knowledge and such, I made a request to see if anyone had magazines laying around that were not in use (I was going to get a subscription, but figured I start with this first). Within an hour I had 3 people offer, and have already received a handful of mags.
(3) In need of a GPS, I posted for recommendations. I got a slew of responses with what people are using, what price points they are at, and things like that, which helped me make a decision on what I just purchased (and am pleased with my Garmin Nuvi 750).
Some bonus perks are I’m able to have my facebook status update with my twitter status, which frees up my time from having to be “as connected” to facebook…because I do twitter quite a bit though, you facebook friends probably see my status update a lot. Sorry!
All this just to say…I love Twitter. It helps me stay connected, get quick answers, and keeps me entertained throughout the day. Do you guys use twitter? What’s your favorite part about it? And for those of you who don’t, why not?
Oh right…it’s rude of me to have a post without a picture…so…ummmm…here’s what my desktop looks like right now (I’ll be getting this shoot up soon…):
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | 
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[10.27.08] Monday Night Recap
- October 27, 2008 -
- [W] I went to watch “W” with a couple of my college roommates last week. It was a very interesting portrayal of our current government leaders, basically exaggerating various characteristics of their past or present. I don’t believe that it’s in any way an truly accurate look at the reality of the leaders, although I don’t believe that was the original intent. From a creative standpoint, the movie was pretty well-made, although there were a handful of scenes that I didn’t think were necessary to the story, and there was also no correlation with the flashbacks (and I constantly was looking for a correlation). All in all, though, I think its an interesting movie overall and worth the watch.
- [U of I] This past weekend I made a trip out to the University of Illinois, which is always fun. It was slightly different than normal, as there were about 20 friends not from the school who were visiting because of another friend’s birthday. Although I had every intent to take some pics, I barely took out my camera, and when I did I didn’t shoot much. So not going to be that much of a photo documentary as before. But now a recap:
- [Ballin'] One of my joys is being able to ball with the college guys when I get a chance. 50 degree weather, but we played some outdoor ball on Saturday. Unlike last time (when I ate a steak dinner before some midnight ball), I actually played decent. Fun times, indeed.
- [Birthday] My friend celebrated her ‘supposed’ 21st birthday on Friday (I still think she’s like 12…), and she had quite the celebration. Like I said, there were about 20 visitors who came as surises for her, at multiple times of the day for 3 different surprises. We got together at Houlihan’s for some dinner, and this is pretty much all the pictures I took this weekend (all shot with my 17-35):
- [E-Session] The main reason for this visit, though, was because my fiance and I were taking the second half of our e-session with Kenny Kim. You can be sure I’ll be linking to the images when he posts them, but for now you can check out our wedding website (work in progress), and here’s one of my faves from our first session a few months back that we turned into our save the dates:
- [Quarantine] Sunday night my fiance and I went to go watch Quarantine, which is surprising because (1) it was her turn to pick the movie and (2) she always picks romantic comedies. Sadly, she wanted to watch ‘Nights of Rodanthe’ but it was no longer in theaters, so she settled for this. It was a decent film overall. I’m not a fan of unrealistic movies (for scary movies), and this one had a more realistic flavor to it, which made it work.
- [Quality Time] My past few ‘encounters’ with my fiance have been a bit rough with various other responsibilities and events going on, but this weekend we had an extended time together which was great! We were able to just spend some quality time together, as well as make some progress on wedding planning and such. All in all, I couldn’t ask for a better weekend with the soon to be Mrs…less than 10 months away!
- [Gas Prices] When I left to head out to U of I on Friday, the cheapest gas price I found was around 3.09. This is what I filled up with when I left (felt so liberating) {sorry, the iPhone takes pictures sideways…}
- [Fantasy] I done and done it again. Another breakout game provides another W, and helps me jump another 3 places into 7th overall…people are starting to get scared!
EDIT
- [Photo Challenge] About 1 week left to get your self-portraits in…help me connect a name with a face!
- [Winter Weather] Today I woke up and had to scrape ice off my windshield…I’m not ready for this. Need to go invest in some gloves, hats and scarves soon…
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
Abraham Family :: portraits
- October 24, 2008 -
Jason and I pretty much grew up together (though he is a bit older than I am) attending the same church, and he’s also best friends with my brother-in-law. Over the past few years Jason and Susan were out in Bloomington, IL, and had just moved back closer to the Chicagoland area much to the joy of many of us. (He chronicled the transition for his family to move back as well as starting is insurance agency at this blog). We’d been looking for an opportunity to do a family shoot all summer but it was quite difficult because of schedules, but finally were able to get something a couple weeks back. We made our way out to the Cantigny Gardens in Wheaton, IL for some fun times with the family.
(side note: Isabelle is also best friends with my niece Alexis, and has become like another niece of mine. I think she likes me – except she constantly refers to me as the one who always takes her food…I don’t know what she’s talking about [kids always have good snacks wherever they go]. :) )
Definitely one of my favorites of the day…
Of course, we were able to grab a few of just Jason and Susan too…
and I LOVED that patched lighting by this bench…a beautiful set…
Little kids have so much fun making silly faces. I’ve always wondered, though, where it starts…where do they get the inspiration to make these faces? I think this answered my question.
Jason and Susan, I had a blast as always hanging out with you guys, and definitely look forward to seeing you more often now that you’re back ‘home’.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern Portraits[10.20.08] Monday Night Recap
- October 20, 2008 -
- [Photo Challenge] Just a reminder there’s about a week or so left in this month’s challenge… (which means I need to start figuring out the next one…oh geez…)
- [Dancing] Much of this past week was filled with dance practices for my friends’ wedding on Saturday. I might of stated this before on this blog, but I dabbled in many arenas of the creative arts trying to find what I could excel at – dancing wasn’t one of them. I ‘retired’ at the end of last year because it was too time consuming and my body couldn’t handle it anymore (I’m old), but made a comeback for this one wedding this year. I think I’m retired again. Anyways, there are a few different versions (of varying quality) floating around but here’s one for your entertainment (the guys are in the last two sections: “Board Meeting” and “PYT”)
- [Sunil and Theresa] All that was for the wedding of my friends’ Sunil and Theresa, who got married this past Saturday. My friend Kenny Nakai was their photographer (along with David Lai), so I left my gear at home since I had plenty of other responsibilities to fulfill. All in all, it was a fun time – definitely will be anxiously awaiting Kenny’s pics. The video above is just a glimpse of all the went on – I feel like our community has turned wedding receptions into a local “America’s Best Dance Crew” crossed with “Star Search”! I believe in total this one had a drum off by the bride and groom, a slideshow, 3 choreographed dance routines [the set above only counts as 1], 5 speeches, and a partridge in a pear tree.
- [Bears] Bittersweet? Scoring 48 points is nice, but giving up 41 is not. Definitely not what were used to seeing with the Bears D…we were looking like the Broncos! But a win is a win is a win, and I’ll take it.
- [Fantasy] It happened again – If I’m going to win, it’s because all my players perform. I just need some consistency! But I can’t complain, I jumped out of last place finally and am starting my push into a playoff run as we go through the second half of the season.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
[10.13.08] Monday Night Recap
- October 13, 2008 -
- [Bulls] On Thursday night, I caught the Bulls first preseason game. I was thoroughly amazed at how little I knew about who was on the squad. To my surprise, Roger Powell was picked up for the preseason squad! Powell went to U of I and was a part of the amazing run in ’05. Time to reminisce the greatest comeback in NCAA tournament history (I’m a little biased, maybe):
If he earns a spot, I’ll have a reason to really follow the Bulls more.
- [Julie and Mark] On Saturday morning I was out for an e-session with Julie and Mark, and blessed with some beautiful weather! Here’s a little teaser:
- [Bears] Wow…we should be 6-0. Granted, as I watched the first 57 minutes of the game, I didn’t expect us to win. But Orton pretty much ran the 2-minute offense to perfection driving down the field for the score to put us up by 1 with 11 seconds left. Who would have that a squib kick leaving 6 seconds, and a pass down the sidelines leaving 1 second on the clock would be enough to get the Falcons in FG range. Blasted Jason Elam.
- [Cowboys] Anyone watch the game? Now that was even more kicker madness. To end regulation, Folk has an opportunity to tie the game for OT, but gets his kick blocked. BUT, the Arizona coach called a time just before it, so he got another chance – and hit it to force OT. Then after a poor offensive drive, the Cowboys are forced to punt near their own endzone…AND THAT GETS BLOCKED AND RETURNED FOR A WINNING TD! My goodness, football was crazy yesterday.
- [Chicago Sports] It’s been a painful year. First the Cubbies throw out an amazing season. Now every Sunday the Bears are toying with my emotions. I’m not too excited about the NBA season – I’m seriously going to be having some heart issues or emotional trauma.
- [Fantasy] It happened again – my RBs do not perform (combined they give me just over 5 points). And the week where it actually makes a difference if my kicker puts up 10+ points, he puts up 5. Now I need the Giants D to put up 25 for me tonight…or I go to 1-5 for the season. It’s slightly embarrassing that I post about this. Oh, and insult to injury? My stud QB Romo is expected to be out for 4 weeks with a broken pinkie. Wow.
- [Made of Honor] So my fiance was in town this weekend, so we were able to hang out in between the busy-ness of both of our schedules on Saturday night. She normally picks the movies we rent (we alternate if its in the theater), and this time she picked “Made of Honor“. Normally I can handle romantic comedies of sort, but can someone please create a new storyline? It was semi-entertaining the first few times…but come on. Where is the creativity people?
- [What are you looking for?] I know I post many random things especially on Mondays, but if there’s anything you guys have a question about, feel free to ask! No guarantees I can answer everything, but I’d still be willing to give it a shot if you’re interested. So if you do have a question, feel free to post it in the comments below, or just shoot an e-mail to info(at)natemathai(dot)com.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal No Comments | add a comment
Rock the Vote?
- October 12, 2008 -
I don’t try to use this arena as a political platform, nor do I consider myself extremely knowledgeable to do so. But I have a couple questions. First, here are two videos that have been floating around quite a bit recently.
This first one is a call to vote…very creatively made. I’m a sucker for creativity…
And here is a news report by John Stossel for 20/20 regarding the massive call to vote, and the knowledge of many of the people who are signing up. Hmmm…there isn’t a way to embed the video, so check it out on the ABC News site, then come back to give your opinion.
What’s your take? Do you think it is our civic duty for every person to vote, or for those who don’t know enough not to vote? Should voting be done by those that are knowledgeable? What’s the greatest benefit – having everyone vote regardless of what they know about the country/candidates/issues, or having a ‘select’ group vote who are well-versed to make an informed decision?
[I think ultimately the best option is for those not well-versed to become well-versed and vote...but will that really happen?]
Let me know your take in the comments section below…looking to hear your guys’ stance on this! (Again, this isn’t about specifically who you are voting for or whatnot, but just the situation of who should actually vote)
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: PersonalNMP Challenge
- October 7, 2008 -
Alright, I’ve posted the next challenge for October, so check it out. It’s a shortened month (since I posted this late), but it’s a simple one. Self-Portraits.
And from September’s challenge, here’s a submission from Taffy…he sent in both his texture as well as an image he used the texture with…
Keep pushing your creativity people…happy shooting!
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern Portraits[10.06.08] Monday Night Recap
- October 6, 2008 -
- [Photo Challenge] Sorry peoples, I was fighting a semi-fever and unknown allergic reaction all last week…I promise I’ll get the next challenge up within the next day or so.
- [Cubs] It doesn’t upset me that the Cubs lost, per se. Its one thing to just get outplayed by a better team. But we didn’t play up to potential. Nothing against the Dodgers, but they aren’t good enough to sweep us. We just played like fools. 7 runs in the first game? 4 errors and 10 runs in game 2? Soriano, Ramirez, Edmonds, Soto and DeRosa go 1 for 15 in game 3? That’s just not right. We’ve got the guys who can play, and I hate to chime the “There’s always next year” mantra, but it’s true. We’re becoming a consistent force, now we just need to do something in the post season.
- [Revival] This past weekend, my home church hosted a Revival retreat, and we had Pastor Reggie Ramos of Immanuel Community Church as our guest speaker. It was a very powerful weekend (personally as well as for our community) as Pastor Reggie challenged us every moment on the centrality of the gospel. We’re looking forward to big things as we wind down 2008.
Pastor Reggie is also a photo enthusiast, so he brought his gear on the last night and I had some fun shooting two bodies. I must say, I do like the feel of it… - [Abraham Family] On Saturday morning, I was out at Wheaton, Illinois to shoot some family portraits. Here’s a teaser:
- [Bears] The Detroit-Chicago games used to be a big deal. But now we’re 3-2 at the top of the NFC Central, while the Lions are 0-4 after getting rocked 34-7. It was a fun game though, and we even got to see Grossman hand the ball off a couple of times to end the game. Good thing we’re keeping him fresh. :) The Bears are making the transition from the dismal Cubs post-season slightly easier…
- [Allergies] So for a little over a week, I’d been fighting a daily allergic reaction to something, and it’s been impossible to set up an appointment with an allergist. Luckily, my dosage of benedryl had gone down from like 4-5 a day to just one in the morning, and now for over 48 hours I haven’t broken out in hives or taken benedryl! It’s the little things that make me happy. I still need to find out what it was I was actually allergic too, but I’m glad I’ve gotten over it at least for the time being.
- [Fantasy] It’s really sad. The guy I’m playing had 3 guys in his lineup on a bye week. Easy win, right? Not when nobody produces on your team. I’ve ended the week with 65 points, and now my fate rests on the Vikings D getting torched tonight on MNF (he’s got their D).
We put his daughter to work handing out pens with our welcoming team, while his eldest had some fun in our kids room…
Aurum and I used to be a part of CFC at U of I together, and he’s now an pastoral intern at Immanuel…It’s always great to reconnect…
Like I said, Pastor Reggie brought his gear, so I was messing around with some of his stuff. I took this shot with his 30 1.4…looks like I’ll be adding a few fast primes in my arsenal…
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Modern Portraits, [MNR] No Comments | add a comment
Phuc and Sherry :: wedding
- October 1, 2008 -
I second shot with Kenny Nakai for the wedding of Phuc and Sherry recently, and I was so excited for this one! Weddings are such an amazing and fun time for me, but its even more exciting for me when there are many traditional/cultural aspects to it. Phuc and Sherry were having two tea ceremonies along with a church ceremony. I love shooting these events because they really show the roots of family traditions and the richness of a culture. And I LOVE learning about different cultures!
We started out at the Phuc’s place with the guys getting ready.
We then headed over to the bride’s place for the first tea ceremony, which started out with some ‘door games’. What happens is the groom and the groomsmen go to see the bride, but the bridesmaids stop them at the door. Then through various games, the bridesmaids test the groom to see if he is fit for the bride. After performing a few acts, the girls finally let them in to complete the tea ceremony, where the bride and groom receive blessing and gifts from the elders of the bride’s family.
Afterwards, we headed over to the church for the wedding ceremony.
After the ceremony, we moved ahead to the second tea ceremony. This time, Phuc and Sherry would give tea to Phuc’s family, and be received by them and given gifts.
From there we went downtown for some portraits.
Here’s Kenny doing his thing-
Phuc and Sherry, I had a great time at your wedding – thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in your wedding day.
be sure to visit the contact page if you’re looking for a chicago wedding photographer, available nationwide.
natemathai | filed under: Personal
