Photos

Robert looked confused… He was sitting across from me at Gryphon Coffee when I opened this fancy box and pulled out a pair of beautiful pink wide framed glasses.

“Why do you have glasses?!” he asked. I smiled and slid them on to my face.

“How do I look!?” I responded as I posed across from him.

At six years old, all I wanted to do was be just like my big sister in every way. So, when my mom brought her home a pair of glasses, wearing glasses became a dream of mine… at six year old. A decade later, it was my biggest fear, and now another 10 years later, I am waiting for the day my eyesight gets fuzzy and I’m going to take the plunge and buy myself a pair of real glasses.

As a photographer, I log more hours behind screens than I care to admit. I’m either sitting behind my computer, trying not to slouch, smiling as I stare at my phone responding to Instagram comments or even looking at the preview screen on the back of my camera… I am always behind screens and I am horrified to think of what the blue light is doing to my eyes and should I mention how it’s affecting my sleep!?

That’s why, when I stumbled upon Klassy Glasses, anti-blue light lenses, I was totally sold. I mean, I’m not one to impulsively buy, but when I clicked the Klassy link, I couldn’t get to the checkout page soon enough. I literally could not resist. Being a photographer, and a human, my eyes are pretty damn important and I want to do everything I can to keep from harming them.

Five days later they arrived and I was giddier than a school girl eating an ice cream cone. I love my Klassy glasses, they work like a charm. They work so well that you can 100% see the color temperature change when you look at your computer and phone. The screens are just warmer. Your eyes are less strained and you can stare at a screen way longer with Klassy Glasses on. For most humans, this is amazing, for a photographer who is constantly adjusting the color temperature of her photos, not so ideal.

On the YPP Scale of Awesomeness, I would give Klassy Glasses a 7 out of 10. They are effective, helpful, relatively well priced and adorably stylish. The only issue is that I can’t use them for the bulk of my screen work, processing photos. And let’s be real, I spend a ton of time processing photos!

For now, my Klassy glasses will always be with me, I will wear them proudly as I blog, respond to emails, post and work on my invoices. Yet, as soon as the photo processing begins, those bad boys are coming off. Because, as I say, “anything for the photo!”

“You need to just get a hobby” Ayelet said as I was sitting across from her at the table in her College Park, Maryland apartment as she was making her infamous caramel cookies. She was literally the best baker and I loved nothing more than pretending like I was helping her create her delicious masterpieces.

” I know, but I don’t even know what I would do.” I said as I unwrapped another caramel for her. That was the problem. I didn’t know what to do. At 23 years old, I was miserable. I disliked my DC production Assistant Job. I wasn’t happy with my social life. Don’t even get me started about my non existent love life. I felt like I had nothing going for me. This was not how it was supposed to be. I mean, I did it all right. I went to college. Had the internships. Got the degree. Started a job. Why was I already this unhappy!?

Ayelet started collecting all of the unwrapped caramels from the table and looked over at me “Just PICK something. If you don’t like it, pick something else.” I sighed and switched the conversation over to her and her graduate school applications, at least she was doing something exciting.

As I drove home that night I decided that she was right. I just need to find something fun to focus on. I could really pick anything. I got home. Put my car in park and decided that I was not going to go inside until I picked a hobby.  So of course, like every good 20-some year old,  what did I do… picked up my phone, opened the internet and went to google…

“50 top millennial hobbies” was the first link that popped up. I clicked it.

Learn a Language… Nope

Garden… Ugh I have such a brown thumb

Baking… That’s Ayelet’s thing

Ceramics… UHHH

Meditating… Ya, I don’t think so

Dancing… I mean I like dancing, but I’m kinda REALLY bad at it

Photography… Now that’s a possibility, I just don’t have a camera. 

Improv… That’s a joke… Right?

After a few more minutes, and a few more lists. My mind kept circling back to photography. I read, “Adult coloring books,” for the fifth time and shook my head. Photography it is! I was going to do it! May as well give it a try right? Spending a few hundred dollars on a photography class couldn’t hurt.

I pulled my key’s out of the ignition and was pretty damn satisfied with my decision. I was smiling as I walked into the house. My roommate Kaleigh was snuggled up on the couch with her cat, Leo, watching HGTV as always. Jess was in the bathroom curling her hair getting ready for her shift and Anne was cooking something up in the kitchen… Things could definitely be worse, I thought as I settled into the coukch next to Leo. It was time to find a photography class. I pulled out my phone again and began to search….

To be continued…

May 22, 2014: Check out my blonde hair … thank god I grew out of that!

Check out Part II & Part III here: “How YPP Began Part II”

“How YPP Began Part III”