looking back: favorite photos from 2013.

i have gone through ALL of the photos i have from the past year, and have compiled this blog post full of my favorites from each session, as well as some randoms thrown in. it is crazy how much i pushed myself in a year, from trying new lighting situations to totally new types of sessions - even adding in weddings, and how proud i am of my work. i hope you enjoy seeing them as much as i enjoyed shooting them!

2013 was a great year for me, especially creatively. i spent so much time behind the camera, and i think that it really shows through in my work. i cannot wait to have my first shoot of the year this weekend!

<3

i'm back in the new year.

well. this is awkward, isn't it?

i haven't blogged since august, and it is now january of the following year. i'm back to attempt to have a place to post my resolutions.. i know. what about last year's resolutions, jordan?

we're starting again, here, internet.

here they are, in no particular order of importance:

• read more.
• try to do some sort of fitness regime at least four times a week.
• once school starts again, stay on top of the work. this means visiting the studio BEFORE finals week and studying along the way.
• also.. look nice for school. sweatpants are for the house, not the classroom.
• branch out more in photography - schedule as many shoots with models as possible, doing concepts that are internally pleasing, not for the sake of gaining popularity, but for the sake of creating beautiful work.
• start doing videos again. try for at least one each week until it can be upped to two again.
• until may, save up as much money as possible for the london trip.
• lastly, use this blog for things to go along with youtube, as well as reviews, fotd/ootd's, wishlists, and everything else - including staying up to date with these goals!

so, there you have it. i have actually started working on some of these things already.. four of them, at least, unless you count blogging, and then it's five.

i have already finished stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers, by mary roach, and very much enjoyed it. it takes a somewhat delicate, if not gruesome, subject, and approaches it in a very easy to digest (excuse the awful word choice) way. i would definitely recommend checking it out!

i am also, according to my kindle, 66% of the way through when god was a rabbit, by sarah winman, though i don't have any definite thoughts on it, yet!

as far as fitness goes, i can only say i have made the very tiny beginning step, which is to buy a new pair of running shoes. i got some new balance 574's.

i already have a definite plan for an interesting shoot with a model from lawrence on the twelfth of january, which i am very excited about, and another sort of in the works. i can't wait for either of them!

i have also got some money saved up to start a separate account JUST FOR london, which is very much needed.

that's all for now! hope you can achieve all that you wish to in the new year, and that i can, too!

tiny update.

i'm bad at this. i have a life outside of blogging.. and i do this thing where i forget this whole "jordan's dreams" thing exists. i know. not okay. today i just wanna share some random moments via instagram and also a few inspiration images, as well as just some ranting.

i'll start off with the rant, and get it over with.

basically, i'm just a stressed little college student about to go back to school from summer break, and freaking out about money. i'm kinda sorta barely making enough money for rent + groceries + gas right now, not to mention anything extra. i suppose the last two weeks i have had to spend more money because of traveling twice, so that is putting more pressure on me than normal, but it's just hard.
y'know?

i work at a restaurant (hint, it rhymes with crappletree's), and for the most part, i make NOTHING for a paycheck. let's be real here, my last TWO were right around $25 for two weeks. so we may as well just ignore that it's even there, because for real. WUT.

so, needless to say, i make most of my money in tips. however, since i'm about to go back to school, i'm not going to be able to work as often, because HELL NAH i am not staying there until midnight when i have class in the morning, and i want sundays off because.. i need me time and studio time and homework time and yeah. it's just worrisome right now. yes, i'm making money taking photos, but once the weather gets all cold and yucky again, that income will disappear.

(PLUG: WANNA BOOK A SESSION? jordanstorrerphotography.blogspot.com)

it'll be okay, guys. just stressed, is all.

moving on to instagram! i'm just sharing photos from the two most exciting events that have happened since i LAST blogged: our 2-year anniversary and the Killers concert.

those are our happy faces with our anniversary presents and just in general.. celebrating two years together was great!

these were taken before seeing the Killers.. probably the best night of my life, no joke.. definitely doing a vlog about that one! the first photo is of josh's feet and some chapstick (lolz), second is my pre-concert selfie, and the third one is me in front of the stage that brandon flowers would later stand on and BLOW MY FREAKING MIND.

lastly, we'll end with the prettiest part of this post: a couple inspiration images.

thanks for reading, and letting me rant on the internet and not hating me (to my knowledge)!

<3 JS

Review: MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Zen Rose.

hey, guys! yeah, i know what you're thinking: long time, no blog. I KNOW. life has been pretty crazy for me this last month, but i'm trying to get back on track, so today i wanted to do something a little different. as you can see by the title, i'm reviewing a lipstick!

i actually bought this lipstick when josh and i went to see the black keys for my birthday.. it was sort of a present to myself, if you will. i went to the MAC counter and had my makeup done, and i had been lusting over this color (Zen Rose) for the longest time, so i asked for it! the lady who did my makeup actually applied it in a very thin, sheer layer, and i was a bit disappointed, but i bought it anyway. something to note is that the Sheen Supreme lip colors are $16 at the moment, and the regular lipsticks are a dollar less!

after i got my makeup done, we went out to dinner (we went [here], and it was delicious! a bit expensive for pasta, but their gluten free selection was great!) and afterwards i needed to reapply. when i did it myself, i was really able to build up the color to make it opaque. i tried to show two swatches: the top one is just one swipe, and the bottom one is a built-up bit of color, but those were a bit of a fail.. my camera just wasn't having it today.

as far as wear goes, these lipsticks won't last nearly as long as say a matte or amplified finish. they're meant to be a bit sheer, and they are very glossy, so staying power isn't on the top of the priority list for this lipstick. that said, if you're like me, you probably check up on how your lip color looks throughout the day anyway, and it shouldn't be a problem.

another (very shallow) thing to mention is the difference in packaging between the Sheen Supreme lipsticks and the regular MAC lipsticks. the SS case is very thin, glossy, and overall more appealing to me, personally. most people know what the other packaging looks like, but i don't see much love on the internet for the Sheen Supreme lipsticks, so i thought i'd mention it!

the last difference between the actual packaging of the two is the shape of the lipstick bullet inside the tube. as you can see from the last photo, the SS lipsticks have a rounded shape, and the others have the typical teardrop shape that we're all used to. i don't really think this makes much of a difference either way, but i suppose that can be left up to personal preference.

you can find Zen Rose online, [here]. it may have been a limited edition product, because i can't find it on MAC's website, but [here] is a link to the rest of the Sheen Supreme lip colors!

if you enjoyed this review or if you have ideas for other products you'd like a review on, leave them in a comment!

<3 JS

follow me on [twitter] @jostorrer

follow me on [instagr.am] @jordanstorrer

photography blog: [jordanstorrerphotography.blogspot.com]

follow me on [youtube] @jordanstorrer