Scaling Back: a Photographic Exercise

Choppy waters just beyond the Golden Gate Bridge.

On November 4 I boarded a plane in Portland, Maine to cross the country and land in San Francisco. The family was congregating in the city that my youngest cousin now calls home, so we could all attend his wedding. I was beyond excited.

First, I was excited to finally get to see San Francisco, and that the Weekend Warrior was coming with me (knowing he would finally see the Golden Gate Bridge, which he seems to have a mild obsession with, was fueling my enthusiasm). This was the final wedding of my 2009 season, only this time I was going as a guest. No pressure on me, aside from the fact that I would be required to put some serious effort into my outfit, and (*GASP*) wear heels.

Walking around the streets of San Francisco made me really thirsty.

I thought about how I would actually sit and eat an entire meal. I would hit the dance floor and dance for hours. I would hang out with my family, laughing and talking and watching my cousin have his moment. And I would get to see another photographer in action! I love to watch people who know their craft work, so this was something I was really looking forward to.

Then it came time to pack my equipment. I wasn't responsible for a wedding or portraits or film stills, so perhaps I could really scale back. I could bring just what I'm comfortable carrying on me for hours. I could finally do something I've wanted to do for a long time: One camera body, and one lens. But not a zoom lens, that's almost cheating. A 50 mm, nothing else and see what I get.

I loved how the sun was hitting this little building, begging me to take its picture.

In my twenties, before the days of auto-focus and extra bells and whistles, I went everywhere with a Pentax K1000 and a 28mm lens. I got very used to shooting close to my subjects or making negative space work in my favor. Things are different now, to say the least, but the desire to scale down and simplify is still with me. Excessive gear doesn't mean much. The important thing is to be comfortable and skilled with the gear you do have. Bringing only a 50mm lens is an excellent exercise for any photographer. If the shot doesn't work you either find a way to make it work or you move on to the next thing that might. It's an exercise in finding new ways to see (or a reminder of how you used to see, before all the auto-focus zooms came into your life).

Down at Fisherman's Wharf, in what I called 'Crab Alley'.


The end of Larkin.

Not to mention, it's a very compact and light lens making all day excursions with a camera around your shoulder much easier, especially when renting bikes. All of the photos in this post were taken on that trip, with a 50mm f1.4 lens. I'm looking forward to the next chance I get to stretch my photo brain like that.

I love the texture and color of this. Rusty metal things do it for me.

The touristy shot. I went under on a boat and across on a bike.

This little exercise stretched my creativity and left me wanting more. This is what scaling back did for me. What do you think it could do for you?

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Witness to Happiness

This is what content looks like, in case you haven't seen it in awhile. The highlight of his whole trip, hands down, making all the work to get there totally worth it.

A chance to see San Francisco is worth it anyway, and now I get to be one of those people who walks around saying "San Francisco is such a great city!" since I have finally seen it. Pieces of it, at least. This photo will remain one of my favorite moments, and a reminder of what I love about photography: that chance to witness people's happiness over and over.

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Rules to Live By

A window in San Francisco promotes one of my life mottoes.


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Time to Walk Away

Life as a photographer is not always glamorous, though it's ok if many of you out there want to think it is. But behind closed doors and after big shooting days, many of us photographers sit agonizing over how to get the next job and how to edit these images into things of beauty. Hours spent in front of computer monitors wrestling with the occasional lighting mishap, the technical glitch that halts all production, the endless stabs at our psyche when things don't go our way.


At times, these are the moments I get up and maybe flip laundry, take my vegie scraps out to the compost pile, or even get out of my pj's and into some real people clothes. Sometimes I turn to the internet for a distraction (not always the best choice). Other times, my camera and I head out to find pretty stuff (a very good choice). And lately I have added a new method of dealing. I simply walk away.



I walk away and grab a hula hoop. I walk away and get on the elliptical. I walk away and stretch, then go for a run. This breaks up my day and often helps my mind get out of the fog of frustration it has fallen into. Then I can either return fresh and keep going, or find a way to fix what wasn't working before the much needed break. I spend the rest of day feeling good and like I accomplished something.





This new method of coping has happened almost accidentally. It is my hope to participate in the TRI for a Cure in the summer of 2010 with some of my gal pals. Too many years of sitting in front of computer, combined with not being active enough have taken their toll. Meaning, I'm kind of out of shape. And honestly, this work requires a certain level of strength and endurance. A 10 hour wedding or a day in the desert on a film set is exhausting, but would be easier to handle with a little more muscle on the body. The TRI is the perfect motivator to make me find time to exercise, and a great way to manage some of the not so glamorous bumps in the land of photography.






Film Stills from a recent shoot I was on. More info coming soon....

Visit this guy's site for more info on his work
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The California I Saw

The blog has been sitting silent for a little while. This seems to be a common theme on many photo blogs, followed by apologies and often promises to do a better job updating. I'm not sure any apologies are needed. Sometimes life just happens and things get busy. I had hoped to update roughly once a week, but that doesn't always happen. And for the most part, that's ok.







What I have been doing is lots of photographing and some travel and general life busyness, all in the name of photo goodness. Not to mention it's FALL! The best time to be living in Northern New England. But I decided to leave my favorite place during my favorite time of year and spend a few days out west. Los Angeles, to be exact. While I was there I took a few photos...








I love that feeling of being in a new place. Seeing things for the first time makes my creative energies come alive and my photographic eye go into overdrive. I had been down some of these streets earlier this year, but still had that excitement of being in a new place. Several of these were taken on my morning walk to find coffee. Sitting and watching, while consuming the necessary caffeine doses, gave me a chance to take in what was going on around me and make some images of the California I saw.

I'm starting to believe that 4 days away is the answer to any lack of inspiration or motivation. We all hit those points, no matter what we do for work or with our lives. Disappearing for even a small amount of time is often just what we needed to get back on track /recharged / ready to start anew.

What happens to you when you go to new places?


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Trying to find some focus

A beach in California. Where I wish was right now...

It's cold and it's January and I'm struggling to find some inspiration. OH! It's not January, it's actually February. Ooops. My mind is a month behind. I guess those 2+ weeks I spent in sunny California did something to my concept of time. Anyway, I am still getting used to the idea of working for me and keeping some sort of schedule that doesn't involve my pj's and a laptop and endless cups of coffee. I find myself in this almost weird sort of time warp, struggling between getting lots of little things done and feeling like I'm getting nothing done. I head into the office where I'm happy to find myself around other photographers, all of whom have helped me in some way. We come out of our offices and try to laugh or distract ourselves from the fact that there isn't much work right now. Keeping a positive attitude is essential and yet a struggle.

I spent Tuesday in the lighting studio bonding with my new lighting kit. I have been editing still photos from recent stints on different film sets. Some images for a friend who is working on a short film (that is a continuation of his 48 Hour Film Project), and the other for an independent feature I hooked up with while in Los Angeles. That whole experience is what I really want to write about and I am DYING to post those images on my blog. It was by far the highlight of my trip. But we will have to wait for that project to wrap and hopefully be released before I will share much more. Stay tuned.

So between editing and learning more about my equipment and lighting, there is the need to promote oneself. Everyone in the office is feeling discouraged and worried with what little work there seems to be. Perhaps a good time to update the website, start a new project, or maybe learn more about your craft. I say it's also a good time to work on relationships.

A fellow photographer I have assisted for a couple of times gave me a good piece of advice. He told me the key to marketing yourself is relationships. Take those relationships you make along the way and cultivate them. This makes perfect sense. How else will they know to think of you when they are in need of a photographer? His advice clicked with me and in that moment faces of people I had already been building a relationship with flashed through my mind. It was a moment that helped me to let go of that unhealthy schoolgirl feeling that maybe I'll be bugging someone by contacting them. It's just the opposite. The cultivated relationship is mutually beneficial, and the key to growing success for yourself and those around you.

This is where being a social creature can start to work in my favor. At least, that's my hope. Hopefully this will help me find some much needed focus.

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Latte Morning: From the Sunday Morning Series

Sage looks into the kitchen to see what her mother is up to

Sunday mornings in my mind have always been a day to relax. Get a late start, have that extra cup of coffee, maybe do something fun, and hopefully get recharged for the week that lies ahead. So I have found myself posting photos of my occasional Sunday morning (see Magical Morning, and Golden Morning). I thought about doing a monthly Sunday morning photo for my blog, and today while in San Diego I photographed Erika and Sage getting ready for their Sunday morning visit to the zoo. Erika whipped up some latte's while Sage watched and I photographed. Welcome to the Monthly Sunday Morning Series...

Erika fires up the espresso machine and I realize there is amazing light coming through the window and caffeine on its way to me.

Magic pours out of the two spouts...

Sage joins the party, and all the great light falls onto her face and into those crazy blue eyes.

Future Coffee Drinker :)

Sage gets her first taste of foamed milk, and her eyes once again catch all the light.

Chances are high that coffee will be featured often in my monthly Sunday morning posts, as it is one of my favorite things to enjoy. Lucky for me, Erika's love of caffeine matches, maybe even surpasses, mine. Sadly, next Sunday I will be back in the cold of New England, drinking regular drip coffee and longing for sunny skies. So spoiled am I after barely two weeks!

I guess I better start bracing myself for reality....



photographer's note: it is important to note that no coffee was given to the child in the photos, but more importantly the subject is nowhere near as skilled with the espresso machine as her husband is. Since he is serving in Iraq, the subject is doing the best she can and anxious for his return so that amazing lattes and mochas will be prepared for her once again. :)

Green Art

On the waterfront in downtown San Diego there are these cool globes decorated by different artists, and all spreading the message of caring about the earth and living eco-friendly. Naturally, a very cool idea in my book. This one caught my eye, with its message of not wasting in order to create. Or creating with things that would have once been wasted.


I have spent the last several days of my California Conquering Tour scoping out LA, shooting some stills on sets, staring at the amazing colors in the sky, and generally just enjoying my time here. I think I have developed a bit of a crush on CA. This New England girl is pretty surprised!

Hopefully tomorrow my camera will be back in my hands and another post will follow. For now, I am ready to fall asleep on the Navy base outside Malibu, at the house of an old neighborhood friend.

Too tired to make sense today....

Another One Bites the Crust

I had Gluten-Free Pizza yesterday!! California Rocks.

This is no award-winning photo, but it is evidence that in California I can eat at a chain restaurant and get it gluten-free and organic (and hopefully local, but I didn't ask) at this great place called Pizza Fusion. Can someone please open up one of these places in Portland, Maine? I would and all, but I don't really have any interest in spending any more of my life in the restaurant biz. Besides, that would cut into my time and prevent me from taking great photos like the one below.

2 divas and a Mainer

My heart swells when I see these two. Melody and Zeamora are my pals from Semester at Sea, and there's just something about the bond shared with people who see the world for the first time together, especially when some of the adventures include ex-prisoners. Of course, any involvement with criminals was always Melody's fault. Always.

Oh, I could write some stories!

California Dreamin'

I saw the Pacific Ocean yesterday. Having left the cold grip of the Northeast with my camera gear and a large heap of excitement, I landed in San Diego and eased into my first day. First, there was the necessary dose of caffeine, then a walk on the beach where I stood in the water and stared out at the mass of blue in front of me. It was odd to feel sun shining on my face. I honestly can't remember the last time I headed for sunnier skies in the middle of winter. I could have just watched the ocean all day and gone back home happy. Back home to the Atlantic Ocean.



I watched these two surfers enter the ocean from cliff while a train sped by right behind me. It was then that I knew taking this trip was a good idea. My camera and I are looking forward to spending a lot of time together.

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