I am about to share something very, very valuable with you. Absolutely Free. And it's not even mine to give away!

If you are a photographer, or photography-enthusiast, you might be interested in some Free Photoshop CS4 training by a very fabulous Adobe Certified Instructor, Jason Hoppe of Seattle's own Creative Techs.

I took an Intermediate Photoshop course taught by Jason at Seattle's School of Visual Concepts in 2007. His tricks and tips helped me advance my Photoshop skills to what they are today. Currently, I am enrolled in his InDesign class at SVC to expand my design knowledge.

The Free Photoshop Course is a 10-week webinar that you can attend via your own computer. Classes will be once a week for about an hour. And they're free. Seriously!

Click here to find out more and to sign up!

As January comes to an end, I realize that 2009 is moving forward in full-swing, and I never wrapped up 2008 on a personal level. I started the Spiderman 3-Week Challenge in early December, made it 13 days in, pulled my hip-flexer and totally left you hanging (not that you didn't have anything better to do than read my next iPod play list and mediocre workout that day). So... what happened next, you wonder?

After a little R&R (to heal the hip), some holiday celebrations, and much-needed family time, I was ready for a more consistent, and full of self-improvement 2009. Jake and I started going to yoga, and I began visiting the gym the way I had envisioned when I started the Spiderman 3-Week Challenge. Rather than paying homage to the workout gods by hanging out in the cardio room now and then, I committed to a more regular class-only routine. I always get a much better workout when someone else is leading me, and a bit of competitive nature ensures I just cannot slack. Currently, my weeks consist of alternating days between yoga and spinning. No weights yet due to tendinitis in my shooting arm (which acupuncture is currently helping). I aim for 5 days a week, but typically workout 4 days. I feel good. I am happy.

Just after the new year had passed, one of my yoga instructors had said it best. Create New Year Evolutions. Not resolutions. Resolutions can often be set-ups for personal disappointment... things we hope to achieve, but often fall short of for whatever reasons. Instead of recognizing your good attempts, you feel bad for having failed your goals. Who needs that?! So instead of setting goals, her advice was to do your best to commit to evolving into a better you. Whether that means healthier eating choices, more physical activity, or reevaluating your relationships and overall happiness, celebrate each good choice you make. Celebrate your personal evolution. This, I can commit to.

At COSA BELLA FOTO, we are looking into lots of ways of evolving our company this year as well. There are many good things in store, and we'll be sure to let you know when they happen :)

Sign up for the COSA BELLA FOTO email list, by clicking here and putting "mailing list" in the subject line. Also feel free to let me know what you want to see and hear about on the blog this year!

And, a few photos from my winter vacation to enjoy as well...

After two years of basic email marketing and some feeble attempts at networking, we decided we just weren't doing all we possibly could to let YOU know about US. We decided it was time to go big or go home. And with that mindset, our very first print ad was born :)

We chose the fabulous Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom Magazine as the canvas for our very first full-page advertisement. Pick up your copy on stands now!

I love, love, love experimenting with colors and textures. The Vintage look allows me to do just that. Sometimes I spend hours just deciding which looks go well with each photo, trying different looks until I come up with what I think works best. Here are some of my favorite wedding and engagement shots, with a special vintage treatment.

My Modern look is classified by a unique twist of color resulting in a mismatched date with reality. I have not had the opportunity to use this as often as I would like. You will see much more modern fun in 2009!