Look What I Can Do!

Before.

After.

This is what today's technology is offering me/us. Well, this is only a small piece of what we can get away with using today's technology. A shot that I would have tossed aside in the past while making a comment to myself about it not being good enough, is now something I decided to put on my website! This is also the argument for shooting in RAW.

I come from the land of splashing around in chemicals, hours upon hours spent in rooms of darkness dodging and burning until my shoulders ached, pouring hot water on sections of prints while processing in trays that were agitated by hand. I come from a land that by today's standards is incredibly old school. For years my wardrobe consisted of clothes that I wore with the intent to ruin. Chemical stains on t-shirts and old jeans and cheap shoes. And now, well now I'm supposed to sit in front of a computer and click buttons and slide around color adjusters and contrast increasers, then brush off my clean hands and call it a day. It feels weird, and yet liberating. And honestly, my shoulders and back still hurt after a few hours of this more modern day way of creating my images. And I don't really get to walk away with a handful of prints. I do, however, have a sense of accomplishment from figuring out yet another way to perfect my craft.

And I would call that an almost even swap.

Above photo is Brian Patrick of the band THE LOMAX. They are a Portland, Maine based group with a fun sound and I highly recommend seeing them if you get the chance. Be on the lookout for more posts to include Brian and the other band members....

Reasons to be Thankful...

Family, Friends, and Food!

The famous Bennett Turkey done on a Webber Grill... Yum!

The beautiful table awaits us

Feeding the twins, Landon and Payton, before the big meal

Max shows us drawings of what he's thankful for

Unstuffing the bird

The Thankful Tree, hung with last year's leaves of thanks

Bailey and Max find something hilarious

The twins, fat and happy

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Still Crazy After All These Years

Beth, Shari, and I in the parking lot on our way to see Kelli

The internet has a crazy power over some of us. And, after going twenty years without certain people in your life, the internet seems to have the power to bring them to your door. That is what seems to be happening in my life lately.

Well, more accurately, I have been on a roller coaster ride down memory lane for the last four years. The ride honestly started while working a god-awful waitressing job at a hideous chain restaurant. I would tie my apron on before every shift, try to muster up my strength, and wonder "who will I have the pleasure of seeing/waiting on tonight?". Because every shift at that god-awful job was like an episode of 'This is Your Life' playing out for me in the dining room. It was, at times, painful.

Then, the roller coaster ride sped up. With the horrible chain restaurant job behind me, my family was walking through the minefield that comes with a loved one battling cancer. People appeared and offered to help. When my father's battle ended, even more people appeared and one familiar face after another offered support. And then, I found myself living in my hometown again. Running into people from my past seemed pretty likely.

After staying clear of the town I went to college in for almost 14 years, I found myself there twice in the span of a few months this past year. And since then have had many welcome reappearances and connections with the long gone college crowd. High School pals and acquaintances were resurfacing with more frequency. Then, in what I have to assume is the final stop on this crazy ride, the faces of Middle School and Junior High were in front of me. One day Kelli emailed and said "I'm coming to Maine in November, and would love to see you!"

So, it's like that. Well, ok. And I started to scheme.
I thought it would be great to see Kelli after all these years, but then I thought it would be EXTRA GREAT if I could track down our other pals, Beth and Shari. For these are the friends of that time in life when boundaries and rules were to be tested and experimented with. The people who I shared first attempts with booze, smoking, sneaking out of the house, and other random acts of bad behavior (if my mother is reading this, then that last sentence was just for show). There is a definite bond with the people who helped you figure out which paths you felt like you could handle walking on or not.

My hope was that Kelli would never see it coming. And she didn't. It's safe to say that we surprised her.

Before I ramble on any further with the story of an amazing day, I should remember that this is technically a photo blog- a blog about photographing life! SO, I came armed with camera. I shot these images on a 20mm lens at 800 ISO. I didn't want to use a flash and hoped a few things would be in focus. I also wanted to see how much noise was happening with my camera. Some of the colors are a little funky, which I like. Besides being a great day with old friends, this was a good exercise with my equipment. I guess I was doing some modern day testing of boundaries, trying to see how much I could get away with...


And this, well it's the face and the smile I hoped we would see.









Here Samantha and Jonah (Kelli's son) watch us loud ladies. I love the colors.

So, here we are ..

(this photo is not by me)

We spent the day erupting in fits of laughter and disturbing the peace. Similar to how we spent most of our days together so many years ago. I'm looking forward to our next get together...

An Award! For me?

Yep, it's true. A fabulous fellow blogger nominated me for a Blog Award. I am humbled by this mainly because I am so new to this arena. And also because, well... I guess what I said before. That's enough reason to be shocked by a blog award.

Part of what I get do in order to accept this gorgeous award is mention six things that make me happy, then I need to nominate 6 other creative people in the blogging world to receive this award. Then they will, if they want to, say the six things they are happy about and then also nominate 6 people to get this blog award. A bit of a 'pay it forward' in the blog world. Here are 6 things that are making me happy:

• My pruney fingers. I spelled that wrong, but I'm relaxed enough that I don't care. My fingers are pruned from time spent in my hot tub, also known as my thinking tank. It rids me of sore muscles and gives me a place to slow down and watch the clouds move, listen to the wind in the trees, or stare at a starry sky.
• My brother. This week we celebrated my brother's 40th birthday. He may not be that happy about it, but I am. He is a cancer survivor and every big life event reminds me that he is here and healthy. And that is a very happy thing. Plus, his birthday party was a lot of fun!
• The Weekend Warrior. My better half started MAKING a very cool and unique and thoughtful Christmas present for a family member that he seems so proud of. I'm excited to see it take shape, and I like watching his eyes light up.
  
• Socks. My mother makes these great knit socks and I wear them as I sit with my computer (and this blog) in my chilly house and take great comfort in them. I can't wait to get another pair at Christmas!
  
• Creative Cheerleading. My life at this point is blessed by supportive people. Simple doses of support can take you far. Natasha, of Creative Nachos is the blogger/friend/ cheerleader extraordinaire who nominated me for this award. So, I thank her and wish I could climb through the computer and give her a big hug. And I also think that this was a good exercise for me. We should all make of list the things that make us happy on regular basis.
  
• My camera. The other night I photographed a fundraiser for an amazing organization called Project G.R.A.C.E. The event is called The Trivia Bee, and teams sign up to take part in a trivia competition. That doesn't sound all that exciting, I realize, but the event was a fun-filled atmosphere of enthusiasm where people put on costumes and got competitive and silly. I am happy that I was part of it because I felt a real sense of community, was proud to support a cause that helps so many people in need, and because my nephew dressed up as a magician and made this funny face:

Now for my six nominees. I wanted to find mostly photography or design based blogs to promote and nominate. I actually had to seek the help of others since I do not have a long list of blogs I follow at the moment. This was also a great exercise because it opened me up to a whole heap of fabulous blogs and creative inspiration. And, drumroll please, the nominees are:

Stephen Grant Photography
Featuring the work of an amazing LA photographer and former college buddy
Design Sponge
Cool, clean, and fun things to make or inspire
3191 - A Year of evenings
2 women in opposite Portlands post photos from every evening. They have already published a book from their blog photographing a year of mornings.

The Selby
Just check it out!
Pictures From the Road
Joys and photos from a couple traveling around in their airstream

37 Days
Patty Digh is a blogging veteran with many awards under her belt, but I remember being inspired by her at a time when I was shifting, creatively speaking.

There you have it! Now to spread the word and let these fine folks know what I have done....

A couple of Average Joes

How much do we know about someone just by looking at a photo? If I were to ask you what this Average Jane did, what would you guess?

OR, is it better to know nothing about the subject and therefore make your own conclusions?

Would you ever have guessed this smiling face belongs to a lawyer? Hanna the Happy Lawyer. I love this image because I think it is so very Hanna. She smiles this easily roughly 90% of the time. It's refreshing.

How about this guy?

Just another day of apple picking with Chris the UPS guy. Next time maybe I should photograph him wearing the famous uniform!

Nah. That would be too easy.


How much do you like to know about a subject when looking at a photograph? Does knowing the context and history make you enjoy the photo more or less? I don't think there is a wrong answer. A chance to draw your own conclusion or have the story spelled out for you.

At times, I do enjoy hearing people's immediate reactions to my work, as those are often the most honest. I have realized some images just don't work, where others might be stronger than I realized, just by getting that initial reaction from someone. However, as photographers we must learn to edit our own work. Feedback is important, and so is being true to your work, to yourself.


These three images are a few in a series of portraits I have of friends and family. Something I hope will be a more complete body of work someday. Images of people I share my life with, that say something about each person's individual personality. Wanna know more about them? I'll gladly answer questions...



And, sometimes it's just a simple moment between friends, snapped quickly with my camera.

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Foggy Mind

On a foggy November Saturday I found myself somewhat overwhelmed with technical issues and needing a break. I picked up my camera and took a walk in in the fog. My head feels much clearer now...

This fence that surrounds my yard has been falling apart, but I kind of like it that way. And when the fog rolls in, it seems to add to the appeal.

All season I have loved how the yellow leaves have been landing on and making a temporary home on my little blue car.

While inside the house I noticed how this once bright red tree was changing its look. The fog surrounding it left me standing in the window staring for several minutes. That was when I grabbed the camera and gave myself a mandatory break from the computer.

I was attracted to the very muted colors of this bush against the sky, something that often goes unnoticed next to the bright fall colors.

This yellow was calming to me. There's something both relaxing and energizing about yellow. Why is that?

I was going after the water drops, and got the added bonus of that piece of spider web in the corner. There is something so great about making yourself step away from one thing so you can slow down enough to enjoy the other things. The contrast of using computers and technology and things that are meant to speed up every process for us to watching nature slowly getting through another day is pretty remarkable. It's as if my mind forgot that mother nature works at a much slower pace. Stepping out into my yard I was almost forced to operate at the same pace as these plants. Taking in one moment at a time.

Waking up after Election Day

Wow. Today is an amazing day.

Although this is not a political blog, I feel compelled to post the day after our nation's most historic presidential campaign. Today we are all part of a changed American landscape. We have all just seen our country vote for its first African-American president. I'm not sure how anyone, no matter what party you support or what you believe in, would be able to sit back and not feel how huge this is.

I watched the coverage until late last night. I am not afraid to admit that when Katie Couric looked at me through the television screen to say that it was official - - Barack Obama would be our next president -- I felt a huge wave of emotion. I was not really prepared for that. But the reality of how huge this moment was sunk in and sunk in fast. A tear may have been shed.

Ok, so there was more than one tear. But photographers don't cry.

Well, this one does. This one knew she was watching a huge moment for her country and even for the world unfold in front of her eyes. So, ya, big deal. This photographer shed a few tears.

Almost twenty years ago my father was able to show me where he was when he heard that Kennedy had been shot. We were on the campus of West Virginia University, getting a tour and thinking about where my future might lead me (we now know it didn't lead me to the fine state of West Virginia). He pointed to a red car parked on a hill, and filled with patriotic pride and sadness as he was able to tell me that's where he was standing when another student told him the news. "No one ever forgets where they were when they heard about Kennedy ," he told me. At the time I didn't really get it, politics weren't exactly my thing. But now, after sitting on the red couch that was once his and watching history happen, I wish he had lived long enough to share this moment with so many of us. I wonder what he would have to say and how he would want to remember it. I will remember that I sat in a house once occupied by him, and felt the world shift, shedding tears and sharing smiles with people in all corners of the globe.

And now, it's the day after and I have decided I am tired of hearing 3 certain words : Joe the Plumber. I could come up with some new people for us to look up to/watch. How about Judy the Photographer? Or maybe Doug the Teacher, Amy the Doctor, Andy the Lawyer/Musician... And this guy - Scott the Weekend Warrior/artist/accountant/husband/son/brother/uncle/friend/neighbor. We could talk about him for awhile, even though he might not like the attention. Or we could just look at this photo of him polishing his El Camino.

I think I just gave myself my next project! Portraits of these Average Joes in my life that are really anything but average. I have had this in the back of my mind for a while, but now it's moving quickly to the front. Better get to work!

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Golden Morning

I'm a huge fan of coffee. Most Sunday mornings you can find me curled up with a large ceramic mug full of the stuff, as I welcome in another day. Today was a little different.

This morning I had coffee out of a gold-rimmed cup. This particular gold-rimmed cup, to be exact. I'm not sure why, but I was compelled to photograph it. Maybe it's because I felt slightly awkward in my weekend comfy clothes, pulled back hair, and unimportant appearance sipping coffee out of a tiny and fancy cup with a god rim. Maybe it's because I had a lot of time on my hands, sitting down to a breakfast where I could eat nothing that was being served (gluten and I are not friends, but that could be another post on another day with another photo). Maybe I simply wanted to photograph something that I could later play around with in Lightroom. I have been looking at work by other people and realizing I still have so much to learn about my software. So, I happily took an uninteresting image and played around for a while. Just another day in the land of riding learning curves and figuring out cool stuff.

An exercise with a slightly boring image, or an image taken by someone who was slightly bored? I welcome thoughts and opinions...


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