Don't be a poser, but if you have to...

My close friend, talented photographer, and now photography blogger Samantha Bartlett had asked me a few weeks ago to do a guest post on how to pose for the camera. I couldn't help but snicker to myself because I still don't have the faintest clue what I'm doing. If you watch Aaron and I take pictures, it's usually me standing awkwardly, and Aaron saying stuff like: "Too stiff. Too fake. Smile more!! Your arm looks funny. Stop looking constipated. Look over there! Squirrel!!

In any event, I thought I could have a little fun with this and share some of the top 8 go-to stances that have worked somewhat for Sunny with a side of. Yes, I collectively have named these poses:

1. THE "SMILE AT NOTHING"

This one is probably the easiest to do. Just relax your body and stare off at the nearest tree, lamp post or telephone wire, then think of something funny. You'd be surprised how well this technique works, and you still look somewhat natural.

 2. THE "WHATEVER"

Not a care in the world. Nope. Not paying any attention. Not listening.

3. "MY PRETEND EAR PIECE"

My hair often gets in the way, so may pictures are captured of me trying to tuck my hair back... which ends up looking like I'm talking on an invisible ear piece. It works, somehow.
Roger that.

4. "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER"

Oh say can you see...

5. THE SIT

Sitting works much better than squatting- which is an awkward position to begin with, and I risk ripping my pants. The trick is to always keep your back straight.

6. MESSY HAIR

There are all sorts of ways you can mess with your hair, get closer portrait shots and have fun with it. It's also much easier to do this when there is a strong wind out. 

7. HIDE IN THE BUSHES

Use the nature around you to be part of the camera frame, especially if you need to hide your crooked skirts/pants.

8. THE "RE-ADJUSTING MY BOTTOMS"

In this case, my skirt was crooked. However, while you are adjusting your bottoms, you can turn it into a pose. This is a variation of "hands on the hips", except I think this looks maybe a little bit less forced.

Top: Generously contributed by Lalamagic

Skirt: J.Crew

Bag: Target (Philip Lim)

Shoes: Ferragamo

Bottom line is, it doesn't matter if you're a beginner fashion blogger or top model, do what you are comfortable with. There's really no right or wrong way, as long as you're connecting with the photographer, enjoying the experience and having fun. With time, the rest will fall together naturally. Have an awesome weekend, everyone!!! Check out Samantha's photography blog!

She's not afraid of us. Not one single bit

Blind as a Bat

If I lived in the Stone age, God help me I would've been one of the first to die. I certainly would not have been part of the elite "survival of the fittest" club. My vision started deteriorating when I was in first grade, and since then I have become severely myopic (near sighted). I actually have a hole in the back of the retina because my eyes are so deformed, which is closely being observed right now. So back in the caveman days, if I hadn't already been chased down and eaten by a panther, I would've already killed myself by running into a tree. Finding a pair of well fitting glasses have been pretty difficult for me over the years.

Every pair of prescription glasses I got in the past, I always ended up with a bad case of "Heavy coke bottle lenses repeatedly sliding to my nares" syndrome. You know what I'm talking about. In residency, I had to tape my glasses to my forehead when I performed sterile procedures in the ICU so that they wouldn't fall off. Talk about embarrassing!

I'm happy to say that my search for glasses is over. I renewed my prescription this year, and was lucky enough to find a team of wonderful ladies who work at EyeQ Eyewear, who introduced me to Alain Mikli glasses. These carefully handcrafted glasses factored lens weight into the equation, and is made such that the ear pieces are heavier in the back to balance out the front. GENIUS! The lens itself is the thinnest I have ever gotten (despite my ridiculous prescription of -9.5R and -8.5L), held intricately together by a unique french designed, durable titanium frame. As long as my eyes don't get worse, I may wear these glasses for the rest of my life.

Outfit: Back to school Inspired

Dress: Theory

Eyeglasses: Alain Mikli from EyeQ Eyewear

A thousand thank you's to Tammy and Simona at EyeQ eyewear for your help. I can actually SEE now, and I don't have to tape my glasses to my forehead anymore! Thank you Mayo Insurance, for your generous eye insurance/stipend for making this affordable for our family :)

Linking up this week with Stylelixir, Life of the Party, Thirtytwocents

Thanks also to Friday's Five Linkup on Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins and FACE IT CATALOG for the feature!

An extra-ordinary experience

Although I adore accessories, I think there's something lovely about an un-accessorized outfit. 

Simple and clean. 

Blouse: Generously contributed by Lalamagic, more styles here          
Skirt: Ann Taylor            
Shoes: Ferragamo              
Bag: Prada Gaufre

An EXTRA-ordinary experience

This weekend we made a last minute visit to spend time with family in Chicago. The Grandparents really missed Grace.

I found out (through Facebook of all places) that Transformers 4 was having a casting call for extras in Chicago. They were looking specifically for FBI and military looking professionals. I freaked out… this is perfect!!! If I can’t be a government official, at least I can pretend to be one!!! Have no idea what I’m talking about? See previous post here.

They were also looking for extras who are Asian for a HongKong scene- women, men and children. I’ve never been to a casting call before and was so excited that I dragged the whole family to this crazy event. Poor family. It was crazy alright! Over 2000 people showed up on the first day in 100 degree smoldering hot weather to be in this movie. Many braved the scorching sun dressed head to toe in military wear and sunglasses, looking like Men in Black. They weren’t joking around I tell ya... it was the whole nine yards! Women wore 5 inch stiletto’s and suits, equipped with headshots and photos to hand out to the casting directors.

I wore jeans and a random polka-dotted T-shirt. I forgot my writing utensil.

Clearly I didn’t know what to do for a casting call.

The first day, we drove past the area twice just to see if it would be possible to go in. Negatory. Just the thought of standing in the heat for more than 10 minutes gave me a mental heat stroke, not to mention putting Grace through that torture. However, the next morning we went a little bit early. On our way to the building, we ran into one of the assistant casting directors and she asked if we were here for extras casting. She then led us to a smaller, shorter line where we actually were able to see the main casting coordinator. She gave us directions to contact her through email and essentially bypassed the entire process. What a relief, we were able to do this without going through such an exhaustive process. I don’t know if we’ll get a call back, but that sure would be so cool. I can cross this off my life bucket list- To be an extra in a movie :)

This experience has given me a whole new appreciation for people who do this for a living. To get a part in a film is so much work! Kudo’s to those who have done this for a living, it really isn’t easy!

In other news, I'm featured on the homepage of Modcloth.com! :)                         Right there! ^

Linking up with stylelixir, Planepretty, Coffee beans and Bobbypins

Independence Day with a side of vintage LV

Happy early Independence Day!

I apologize if you've been seeing an over-abundance of red, white and blue outfits.

 Lets throw this one into the mix too :)  I don't usually wear red much, so it was fun to utilize my one and only red clothing item

This is a totally recycled outfit. Is that allowed in the fashion blogging world? Ah, whatever...

I wore this dress already here. And the red top here

This purse carries an interesting back story
When Aaron and I first started dating (6 years ago), I had no interest in designer items. I was as happy as a clam wearing random clothes from anywhere. I didn't understand the concept of designer wear. Why are they such sought after gems? Why do women go nuts over Louis Vuitton? I don't get it, it's just a bunch of letters on rock hard, inflexible leather.

Not long afterwards, Aaron's incredibly fashionable mom generously gave me this purse where she got in Paris, France over 25 years ago. It was my first designer bag, and I didn't know what to say or what to do with it. I just sat there and studied it for a long time, and it stared back at me. I didn't know how to love it because it was so foreign to me. Plus, I tried really hard to get over the fact that it looked kind of... "grandma".  So it sat around for awhile, forgotten and lonely in a dark hidden place. I was such an ungrateful, selfish fool.

I really hope Aaron's mom doesn't see this.

Fast forward 6 years later, it resurfaced again... and this time I was so happy to see it. What was "Grandma" looked more like a classy vintage style. What was "rock hard leather with random letters" transformed into a durable, italian saffiano leather with intricate hand stitched details. I hugged it like a long lost friend, and welcomed it back... this time grateful and appreciative. It's funny how tastes and perspectives change with time.
By the way, I'm still as happy as a clam wearing non-designer items... just with a new found appreciation for the differences between quality/comfort.

Grace and I had fun dressing up in July 4th colors :)

Dress: J.Crew ($15!)    Jacket: Plato's closet      Polkadot dress: Charter club      Shoes: Ferragamo     Purse: Vintage LV

Grace's Dress: Babygap

We ended the day with a family barbecue dinner.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Life is a highway

This skirt has one of the most unique prints I have ever seen. It’s a road map! I feel like you could take anything and turn it into a creative skirt nowadays. How about a newspaper? Sure!! Just tape a few pieces together, wrap it around your waist, add in some pleats and there you have another beautiful piece!

When I was younger, my family would take these ridiculously long road trips cross the country during my summer vacations. These road trips would be WEEKS long. For example, one year we drove from Michigan all the way to LA, California, and stopped by all the major states/cities along the way. Then the next year, we drove from Michigan to Maine. We did this every year until we hit all 4 corners of the nation. Dad would drag us to take pictures next to every “Welcome to ________ state!!” road sign. I remember being so bored in the backseat, and spent half of the trips drawing invisible pictures on the car ceiling with my toes. I never understood why my parents looked forward to these trips every year, but after 10 years or so, we were able to visit almost all 50 states through these road trips (Except Alaska and Hawaii). I look back and really appreciate it now. I do remember little snippets and fragments of these trips, like taking a journey through American history during our road trip towards Maine. I remember seeing the amazing differences in US landscape, architecture and culture as we travelled the distance towards California. I also remember random moments with my family on the road… like having to get off on the side of the road countless times to pee in the bushes as my mom shielded my behind from the oncoming cars.

Top: Old closet re-discovery       Skirt: Modcloth        Purse: randomly found in basement      Shoes: Ferragamo

Regardless of your travel history, your life can be painted into a beautiful roadmap. God has given us such gracious freedom to live our lives with choice and autonomy to create our own maps. You can travel down whatever path your heart desires, and along the way will probably encounter challenges, obstacles and decisions, but you will also experience variety and growth. You may find yourself off the path and down a road you didn’t expect to go down, but take that opportunity to learn about that path and use that knowledge as you get back on track. It's okay if you take a detour. There's no right or wrong way to do this. Enjoy the journey, because one day when you take a step back to look at where life has taken you, it will be a glorious picture.

Wow. I didn’t mean to get so deep.

It was all triggered by a skirt.