A-HA Moment

I've been sitting at Starbucks all day long with a watered down iced coffee in front of me that I haven't even drank yet because I've been busy edited photos.

I came up with this great idea for a new piece that I'm going to use for my portfolio. It's called "Rearview Mirror"

Its a little expose of sorts, a glimpse into what my life looks like through my rearview mirror. I came up with it on a whim, it wasn't something that was meticulously formulated over the course of so much time. I was sitting in the car, patiently waiting outside Waffle House for my cousin, Kim, who failed to tell me that she was no longer employed there.

*dramatic eye roll* BUT it's okay, it was beneficial for me at least.

I was jamming to the radio when I heard the terrible roar of a hemi engine. When I looked up, I saw the most beautiful Dodge Challenger I've ever seen in my life. It was matte black with black rims, limo tint on the windows, and a beautiful man behind the wheel. I just had to snap a photo.

In that said photo, I happened to capture my rearview mirror, missing the car completely, and in that said rearview mirror was a brightly painted yellow sign that said Waffle House.

Needless to say, that was the A-HA moment.

Now here's two sneak peaks from today, the rest will follow after I edit them all! Enjoy!

                                                         Breakfast. Samantha Ponsock

                                                           Give Me Energy. Samantha Ponsock

Polly Want A Cracker?

So I had an interview today. 

I may or may not have failed miserably. They asked me to shoot some images for them and I really think I did mediocre at best. I was so nervous, I felt like a river was going to run out from underneath my armpits if I raised my arms up, I was sweating that bad. But who knows, I might have left a good impression.

But other than that today was a good day, I visited my mom and my sister who live in this little basement in a commercial building. We call their "apartment" the Hallway, because literally, that's what it used to be. 

They've been there for a few years, just the two of them for a long time, but they're anything but lonely. They've had a whole zoo of animals pass through, from snakes to lizards to cats to dogs, everything short of an adult elephant. Of all the animals they've owned, I think Nissa is my favorite. 

Nissa is Jenday Conure, about a year old, and just the spunkiest little bird I've ever met. She's got a beautiful yellow head that fades into orange and red, but explodes into green and blue wings and tail feathers. She's outspoken, she says a few choice words, like "Step Up" and "Nissa", but she also says "Asshole". And if that doesn't tell you what kind of language is spoken around her, I don't know what else would clue you in.

But no, she really is a great bird. She's loyal, she's loves to be held and have her head scratched. And the best thing about her is that she loves her picture taken, which makes me so happy as I love to take pictures. 

Take a look!

Nissa. Jenday Conure. Yellow and Orange Body. Green Wings. Flash.

Nissa. Jenday Conure. Yellow and Orange Body. Green Wings. Flash.

Nissa. Jenday Conure. Yellow and Orange Body. Green Wings. Flash.

Numero Uno!

WHERE DO I START?

I'm sitting at my Mac rubbing my hands together. I don't know where to start, what to write, what to even think.  I was going to blame it on writers block, but I don't think that's a valid statement at the moment. I'm not blocked, I have a hundred ideas that I want to put into the blog, but it needs some structure and I don't wanna be one of those people who just type post after post of non-sense. So, I think I'll try to post at least once a week, or if something comes up that I just have to share. 

But before I get into anything heavy, I'll explain a little about me and what I'm doing.

My name is Samantha Ponsock, but you can call me Sam, and don't even try calling me by my last name. Major eye roll. It's pronounced just like its spelled, 'pon-sock' but I've had so many different pronunciations over the years, that I'd prefer to drop it all together if I could. I'm currently look for a stage name that fits me... 

I'm nineteen years old, born April 3, 1996 in Cincinnati where I've been all my life. I graduated from William Henry Harrison High School in 2014 and I've been at Antonelli College ever since. 

I'm working towards my degree in photography, which will be completed in April of 2016 (JUST 7 MONTHS AWAY). But I'm not stopping there. 

After I graduate in the next couple months, I've been planning on transferring my degree to another college, the Academy of Art University in San Fransisco, California. I'm gearing up for Hollywood, baby. 

I want that directors chair, I want to shout "lights, camera, action!",  I want to spend countless hours in post making my imagination come to life. And what other way to attain that than going to film school, surrounding myself with people who are influential in the film community, and obtaining internships and jobs in the field?

I've been in contact with Admissions and I've sent my transcripts, so fingers crossed that everything will transition nicely and I'll be in a dorm in California by this time next year!

Now, I've been at Antonelli for the past eight months and I've had a blast so far. I've taken five terms, which is the equivalent to two semesters in a university. I'm in an accelerated program that will help me complete my degree in 14 months instead of 24, and so far, I've learned a ton. I've loved every step of the way so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of my journey will reveal to me. 

I want to show you some of my portraits I've done in honor of my interview that I have tomorrow for a portrait photographer! Most of my portraits are of friends, so if they look like they're goofing off and weren't cooperating, some of them most likely were! 

Enjoy!

Landen Brent. Aged 18. Black Shirt. Brick Wall. Portrait

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Jeans. Glasses. Two Lights. Portrait.

 Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black shirt. Glasses. Two Lights. Portrait.

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Two Lights. Portrait.

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Blue Shirt. Blue Earrings. Necklace. Two lights. Orange Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Blue Shirt. Blue Earrings. Necklace. Three Lights. Orange Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Blue Shirt. Blue Earrings. Necklace. Three Lights. Orange Full CTO gel. Portrait. 

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Blue Shirt. Blue Earrings. Necklace. Two Lights. Portrait. 

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Two Lights. Pink Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Gold Headband. Gold Earrings. Gold Necklace. Orange Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Gold Headband. Gold Earrings. Gold Necklace. Orange Full CTO gel. Portrait. 

Shalonda Hopkins. Aged 23. Green Full CTO gel. Portrait. 

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Pink Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Pink Full CTO gel. Portrait.

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Pink Full CTO gel. Portrait. 

Ericka Bryant. Aged 30. Black Shirt. Glasses. Pink Full CTO gel. Portrait. 

Landen Brent. Aged 18. Black Shirt. Green Trees. Daylight. Portrait.

Landen Brent. Aged 18. Black Shirt. Khaki Shorts. Gym Shoes. Watch. Train Tracks. Daylight. Portrait. 

Landen Brent. Aged 18. Black Shirt. Khaki Shorts. Gym Shoes. Watch. Train Tracks. Daylight. Portrait.  

Preface

There are no instructions included when you want to start a blog. There's no booklet or pamphlet with a picture of a smiling woman in a pantsuit on the cover that says, "B is for Blogging", although I wish that there was. So, I'm just gonna give it my best shot. 

I'd like to say I'm a fairly decent writer, I can write a mean essay and I passed every English class with a high mark, so I don't think you'll have trouble understanding me. But who's to say I'll be any good at writing a blog? All I can do is tell you to enjoy!

This blog is not about my life... I think I just heard everyone sigh in relief! No seriously, my life isn't anything to toot at, so I think I'm going to wait on that autobiography for now.

I want to blog about the road to success. I'm not an expert, I'm not here to sell some self-help book or anything like that, I just want to have documentation of the struggles and successes of my photography/film career. I want to be able to one day look back at all of my blog posts and think to myself, "Wow, I've really come so far. I am blessed." 

So with that being said, where do I even start?