You and Commitment

Yes, it has been a while since my last post! There are too many reasons to mention why but let me just say I've been busy. All is good!

I wanted to start back and start on a very positive note. The story below was featured in a local newspaper and I wanted to share my story with people that will not have access to the paper.

As you can see by the pictures the story is a "before and after" feature. Hopefully, after you read the story you will take away more than just someone changing their appearance. It's a story on how you can change your life and focus on things that truly matter. I hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I did living it!

About two years ago, I had reached a point in my life where changes needed to be made. I was overweight, depressed and headed in the wrong direction. With a nudge from my nephew's Tim and James, I joined a local running program, Footwork’s Fitness 101. It was the best decision I could have made. Whether perfecting a trade, dealing with relationships, or trying to live a balanced life good intentions often fail and fail because of a lack of commitment. I can say without hesitation that commitment is not a word to be afraid of.

With a goal of improving my overall fitness, I followed a strict weekly program which included running and later I added yoga practice at Green Monkey. This proved to be the perfect combination.

Much to my amazement after participating in my first race, Twilight Run, I was inspired to increase my training routine. By adding swimming and biking to the mix, I completed my first triathlon (6/2010).

With my healthier lifestyle, physical activities, and the practice of yoga, I experienced the feeling of balance for the first time in my life.

Now with a different mindset and outlook, combined with my love of photography, I created Green Whatever Cards. GWC's are environmentally responsible greeting cards featuring my images from nature. Also, I had always desired to have my own event planning business. I started Arristar Events. As an indepentent event management company, Arristar can focus on small to medium sized meetings, conferences and special events. We have the ability and resources to supervise and coordinate all aspects including hotel, transportation, travel and food catering services.

Trying to live a balanced life is a never ending process. My hope is that others find the strength to make the needed changes in their lives!

Green Whatever Cards are Coming!

As I sit here writing this post the wheels are in motion for what promises to be a very exciting new venture. I want to thank all that have showed their interest and support for what is going to be a great new part of the journey....

My interest in producing an environmentally conscious card is close to becoming a reality. I have worked long hours over the last several months to make sure that my product meets all the standards of being "GREEN". One that does not harm our planet, one that uses natural resources, one that protects our forests and our wildlife. I believe that with the help of some very talented people we have done just that.

In this process, the selection of a printer that meets all those requirement is not an easy process. But, I have found a local printer that prides themselves on being an environmentally friendly. The discussions with them over the last several months has given me great insight to this "green" printing process. My new product "greenwhatevercards.com" will meet very stringent regulations on being green. A term which you all will become familiar with over the next several weeks as we introduce our cards is "triple certification" This is key! Triple certification means that the "Sustainable Forestry Initiative (sfiprogram.org), The Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (pefc.org) and the Forest Stewardship Council (fscus.org) have verified that this product is made soley from paper/ink and packaging that will not harm the environment. Sustainablity is very important in this verification process.

Now, we have established that "greenwhatevercards.com" is a green product. But, what exactly is a "whatever card?" Simply, it's whatever you want it to be. A "thank you" , a "Happy Birthday", a "Just for being you"....The cards will feature some of my favorite images of nature that I have photographed. The first edition will have images from our beautiful South Florida surroundings. I truly hope that you will enjoy this first series.

Please stay tuned to this blog and other announcements that will list the official places that you can purchase your set of Green Whatever Cards. Again, thanks for your interest!! Thomas

Personal Commitment

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Many times in life we start out with good intentions to make changes in our lives. Whether perfecting our trade, relationship building, or just being a better person. So often, good intentions fail and fail because of the lack of commitment. Commitment is not a word to be afraid of.

I was one of the lucky ones. Several years ago, I decided to make changes in my life by removing the bad and adding the good back into the mix (my life). Commitment was one of the words that I wrote down at the beginning of my journey. By definition, personal commitment means "a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth." The word commitment will mean different things to different people. All depends on our purpose and our goal. My goal was to take back what had been missing in my life and return to what I needed for my journey to reach internal purpose or happiness in life. Photography, as simple as that may be to some it was one part of my life that was missing. And, by my commitment to me in making changes has allowed me to find one of the missing pieces.

Several weeks ago I had the fortune of reading a blog posting from my yoga studio's website. The posting was written by Todd Goldfarb, the producer of "the Shift." In his posting he spoke of the struggle between "Internal Purpose vs. External Purpose." Here are 5 steps that Todd discusses for manifesting "internal purpose"

Ask yourself the question "what do I really want in life"
Make a practice of sitting in silence
Become a seeker of people and information
Create outlets where you monitor your progress
Be OK with initial struggle

To some this may seem too simple. If we all just do these simple 5 steps then we can reach our true "internal purpose". But, these are not simple tasks. If you are true to yourself and true to your commitment, these steps will take time!

I encourage all to be positive and look for the good around us and think about the next time you use the word commitment!

Take it with you part ll

If there has been a theme that has consistently run throughout my blogging it has been "taking your camera everywhere". Now, for many of you this is not new but for some the idea of lugging that bulky DSLR or even the slim/sleek point and shoot around is much more of a hassle than anything else. But, I can say without any hesitation that everyone reading this blog will admit to themselves if not openly to wishing at some point to having their camera with them! Nothing to be ashamed of but just realizing how great it can be is the first step to taking that most unexpected great shot.

There is also another aspect to this madness and that is the subject. In this instance, the subject could be a friend, family member or just a stranger on the street. That unexpected shot of someone is most often the best image because there is no time to think about it....For example, the shot used in this blog is one I took just last week at a friends house. While entertaining a visiting family member we were invited next door to an impromptu guitar concert. It was great. I, of course grabbed the Nikon and began shooting away. Mark, the performer (neighbor) was very much into his performance and did not realize I was shooting him for roughly an hour. As a result, there were some great images of a relaxed guy having a good time entertaining friends....

Many of you that know me realize that I am not a professional photographer nor do I claim to know much about the business of taking pictures. But, what I hope to provide is a vehicle (i.e. Blog) to give information that helps you the amateur photographer take better pictures... And, "taking it with you" will help you do just that....Good luck!

Thank You!

Several posts back, I was pleased to announce the first series of my "whatever Cards" were available for the holiday season. Honestly, I was not sure what the response was going to be but I am here to report that the response was great. All of the initial production have been sold. And, orders for the next series have already started to come in. As an amateur photographer, I am thrilled that people have taken an interest in what I love to do! And, I hope that I have provided a beautiful and thoughtful way to send a message.

Now, as with any new venture there are improvements that can be made and my "whatever cards" are by no means an exception. I have collected all the suggestions and working with them to make the next series more successful. Thank you to those that have contributed their opinion. It's important to look at everything and make decisions that improve your product.

So, thanks again to those that purchased the first series of cards and I look forward to working hard and producing the next series. This is a work in progress and I am grateful for the opportunity to say "THANKS"....

A Lucky Shot!!

As many of you know, street photography is one of my photography passions. Street life is fascinating to me in that it truly is a "mirror image of society". That according to Wikipanion's definition of street photography.

Having the opportunity to shoot in a vibrant city such as Miami can be great fun and rewarding. Occasionally, I have come across individuals that stand out above the rest. One individual crossed my path several months ago while I was shooting on Lincoln Road in South Beach. Walking the streets shooting photographs at will I came across a rather distinguished individual playing an electric guitar on the side of the road..I initially walked passed because of a crowd that had gathered to listen to this guitar man! Then, realizing that this was a chance to photograph true street culture I turned and strolled back to the group of on lookers. I approached him and threw a few bucks into his guitar case and pointed at my camera indicating that I wanted to take his picture. With a gentle smile and nod from him, I started shooting. A few minutes passed and a crowd began to gather again so I thanked him with a smile and wondered off to capture my next image.

The images of "guitar man" became a favorite of people visiting my website and others! One individual was a friend of mine who manages a local bar/restaurant favored by the young professional set. Being a lover of jazz, he was intrigued by the photo and the soul that was portrayed in the image. Several months have gone by and today while having lunch at this spot Nick, the restaurant manager came to me and said that he had been out on the town several weeks before and came across "guitar man" playing on a local street corner. Nick listened for a few moments before recognizing that this was the same individual in those images from several months back.

I was pleased to hear that "guitar man" is now playing a full time gig at this local spot and drawing larger and larger crowds. I have since learned that this man is a veteran and fought for our freedoms as Americans. You never know when you take a shoot on the street if that will be the "lucky shot..." And, in this instance we all are winners...

They are here!

After weeks of selecting images, style design and packaging my first series of "whatever" cards are now available.

Those of you that have been with me from the beginning know that I began revisiting my love for photography about one year ago. It has been wonderful. The next step for me in this journey was to create something that would allow people to enjoy some of my favorite images in a useful fun way. Hence, my creation of the "whatever" card.

The first series are three images that were selected to represent my love of nature and concern for our environment. All cards will be printed on recycled paper. This is just a small step to help protect and save the environment....

If you are interested in ordering a box of the first series, please send me an email at thomas@thomastaulbee.com or go to my website thomastaulbee.com and fill out a comment form and I will contact you.

Thanks for your interest and I hope you enjoy this series and future one's....