Chris

Saturday was Houston’s inaugural unconference regarding photography and i think it was very well received. Without looking at our final numbers, I would suggest there were 150 people present that were passionate about their craft. The fact we could listen and share ideas in a relaxed setting is amazing. This could not have been possible without my PhotoCamp Counselors Tracy, Imelda, Christine, Tracy, Jessica, Katie & the snappy campers.

The crowd was able to wake up and enjoy PhotoCamp because JR contributed java and bagels from the Coffee Groundz.

Mega-gracias to Marc at the Houston Technology Center for the venue and support.

Thank you to Ed Schipul of Schipul Marketing Strategies for your publicity and funding

Kudos to Matthew Westergreen of the Caroline Collective for hosting the happy hour which was waaaay happier because of …

Lennie and the entire gang at Saint Arnold’s Brewery who donated the variety of beer. Free. Beer. Unheard of! How cool is that?

We are doing this again soon, so stay tuned to our wiki and check out these images and more on our Flickr group.

Marc C. Austin

the Mojo

the PhotoCamp Counselors (Chris’ Angels)

Good Sax, originally uploaded by Photo Mojo.

Never caught his name, which is too bad because he was one of the best I have ever heard on stage. Inaugural Ball at the House of Blues.

Today, we inaugurate a new leader of the United States. My hope is that President Obama will not disappoint those people who are so passionate for him to deliver on promises of change. It may be change, but is it change for the better?

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I have been enjoying much longer walks with my 16 month old daughter and I notice the little things that happen when we do this. Ever since she was a crying infant, we’d step out on the deck and enjoy the fresh air. It has always soothed me and she is the same way. Today, I noticed:

• Daphne loves to run ahead, look back and smile. Independent.
• Also enjoys stopping and running to the direction we walked from. Adventurous.
• She’ll reach up and hold my hand and smile as we walk
• She’ll reach up and hold onto my shorts pocket as we walk
• I run into the same low hanging branches of a tree we always walk by. Every time.
• She is an outdoor girl, always has been.
• She stops to look at various points of interest, files it away and moves on
• Daphne looks even more beautiful with breeze in her long hair and warm sunlight on her face and smile.
• I hope we walk forever and back

This is a blog post from Mojo Denbow For more content like this, subscribe to the RSS feed, Twitter & Disqus.

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride…

– (Pride) In The Name Of Love by U2

Photo Credit: Photo Mojo

In this crazy economy where businesses are tightening their budgets and preparing for lean times, there will be the inevitable job cuts. Unemployment figures from the Department of Labor show a slow trend of lost jobs in almost every industry. Will this happen to you? Have you seen these cut backs already?

So what can someone do who has recently found themselves with some unexpected free time? Plenty. Now is the time to take charge of yourself. You have been performing as your employer has demanded but it is time to do what you want and need to do. Take advantage of this!

1. Re-vamp your Resume Hey, thanks Captain Obvious! No, seriously. Update your resume, get a new, clean format. If you haven’t already, be sure to add yourself to LinkedIn and network. Update your profiles here and in Facebook/MySpace too.
2. Find Some Contract Work This can help you stay current as well as bring in some cash. HR reps will want to know why there is a potential 3 month gap in your work history. Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com have plenty of employers looking for contractors.
3. Up Your Skill Sets This includes not only your soft skills, but your technical knowledge as well. Know HTML? Great, now on to CSS, PhP, whatever.
4. Learn Something New Does this include going back to school to get that new degree? A lot of people at this point may consider a career change. Not to be taken lightly.
5. Vacate Your Premises Now you have the opportunity to get away from it all. Leave your worries behind for a bit. Reboot your brain by refreshing your surroundings. Either take the family away for awhile or go it alone for the weekend.
6. Expose Yourself Please do not make the mistake of holing yourself inside your house, surfing the web, watching infomercials at 2AM and not shaving for two weeks. Get out and attend a seminar with like-minded people. Meetups are a great way to feel better, even if you don’t feel like it.
7. Donate Your Time How many organizations & causes could use some of your valuable investment of service? It is true that by giving of yourself, you will be rewarded. This is one of the best ways to stay positive. Find a cause you can believe in and contribute!
8. Get A Hobby “I never have enough time to do _________ like I’ve always wanted.’ Well, guess what!
9. UnPlugged As a technical professional, you are probably plugged in just about as much as the rest of us. Time to cut the cord, put away the gadgets, turn it off, and walk away. Breathe. You can do this…
10. Work It Out Gained a few pounds in that chair behind that desk, have we? No sweat. Actually, go ahead and sweat. Future employers will be sure to size you up by your resume and your appearance.

Got any other suggestions? I’d love to see them. How many of us could benefit from your advice? Please add them to the comments and let us carry on the conversation!

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Week one of the new year’s music list while I’m online.

I was invited by Nicole to cover a story for a future article in Envy magazine regarding adrenaline rushes and met up at SkyDive Houston for a jump.

After Nicole & 4 staff photo/video jumpers had cleared the plane at 15,000 ft, our guide, Todd yelled back to the crazy bush pilot, Bernie to “GIVE EM’ HELL!” Before I had a chance to react, this barnstormer tipped the nose of the plane straight down towards the earth and rotated the plane a few times causing us to experience zero gravity for about 5 seconds. Awesome. I think I was smiling the entire way down.

Many thanks to Todd and the staff for the sweet ride and full access to the drop zone.

I had the chance to shoot Envy Magazine’s NYE party at the House of Blues and had the added bonus of seeing friends from Twitter!

I sincerely wish that all things go well for you in this new year!