A Strong Filter

One of my favorite gems of a thinking place.

I am feeling both inspired and frustrated at the same time, and I can't quite figure out why. There is one side that feels great and like new things are taking shape and positive steps are being taken, while the other side feels like nothing is happening and things aren't going my way and I don't know what to do next.

But then I tell myself this all part of the process. "The Process" can be defined in so many different ways, but I think for me these feelings come about every few months. I hit a bit of a wall and the self doubt shadow follows me around for a couple of days, like an imaginary friend who's not really friendly. But, these moments always lead to another break, another step forward, another chance to take things to the next level. SO, I just have to remind myself that I almost need to go through these times to get to the better stuff. Sometimes, it's just simply Life Lessons.

It's also a matter of learning to filter what works and what doesn't. There are so many people out there dispensing advice, but not all of it fits into what might work for you. Or for me. At times, it can seem like information overload. We all need to learn to filter the good from the bad. One of the amazing speakers at Mystic 5 cautioned us all not to "drink the Kool-Aid." Which made me laugh, then think.

So, the strong filter is essential as a photographer, as a creative type, as a human just trying to get by. I usually walk around with an open heart and mind, and try to take in as much as possible. Later I have to remind myself to take in only what I want, only what will work for me. And then move on.

My only advice - don't filter so much that you miss the gems when they appear in front of you. They can often show up in unexpected ways.



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And, OH Yeah....

I got an awesome new logo! So, some things are gonna change around here. Brace yourselves.


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The 5Year Mark

Showing love to Ferry Beach with my {Dreamy} Diana lens.

Yesterday marked 5 years since my father's passing. I realize that may be a bit personal to talk about on a blog that is linked to my business, but we all have our stories and that info is part of mine. I feel like this a place where I get to share my work along with my stories.

I try to honor him in some way every year on Feb. 2. One year I went to Busch Gardens and rode roller coasters all weekend with the Weekend Warrior, one year I cut off all my hair and donated it to Locks of Love, this year I took a day for myself to enjoy a few simple things.




I ordered myself a photo book by National Geographic and another on the American Family. NatGeo was a magazine my dad always loved (and kept stacks of them in our house growing up), filled with photos I aspired to take. I took my camera and my new {Dreamy} Diana lens to my favorite beach and walked and photographed. Later, my family and I had dinner at a local chain restaurant that has Gluten-free options and animals hanging on the walls that talk every so often. This was really more for my nephew than the rest of us, but the being together part was what mattered. I topped off the night with 3 hours of LOST because I'm a nut and dying to see how the final season wraps up.



That last piece was really just for me, and not so much about my dad.

The rest however, made me think of him in good ways all day. His support in my photography endeavors was unwavering. So, it helps me to spend time working on and loving my craft in his absence, because I think of him often. Every once in awhile I might snap a photo just for him.




So, yesterday my choice was to play with my new Diana Lens - a plastic lens with a price tag around $60 and a dreamy look that could go for miles. Crisp focus is not likely to happen, but I have to say it was a bundle of fun. And always nice to step away from your normal way of doing things and mix it up a bit. One of the things that blew me away was how incredibly blue my skies were. Amazing what a piece of plastic can capture! Seriously. Please try adding something plastic/toy/fun to your camera arsenal. You will be so glad you did.




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Rinse and Repeat

The other day I hung out on a farm in the snow with an actress, a photographer and a videographer. Oh, and the the two camera guys are also musicians, but maybe that's not important right now. We joined forces, in the name of creative collaboration, cross promotion, and style enhancement. Working in collaboration, and seeing what our talents can produce. I think I am in love with working this way.




First of all, creative types can truly benefit by stepping out of their studios or even away from their egos, and sharing with each other. It's easy to get wrapped up in our projects and forget that. But every time I work with others I come away jazzed up and ready to roll. I know I am not alone in this.




One of the many things I learned while at Mystic5 was the concept of Lather, Rinse, Repeat (not just for clean hair, apparently!) In photo terms it can be worded as Shoot, Learn, Go out and do it again. And again. And again.... You get the idea. And since this early January 3 day seminar ended, I have seen that concept repeated all over the place - on blogs, twitter, Facebook, etc., and not by people who were at the Mystic5 seminar. People everywhere seem to know this.

So, go out and try it. Figure out what worked and what didn't. Go out and try again. And do that over and over, as often as possible. There has to be some mathematical formula out there that tells us this is the only way to get better and better at what we do. I'm not a math person, so I wouldn't know the name of such thing, other than persistence.




So, allow me to introduce Casey McDougal, SAG actress, Vegan, and all around fun person. She has to go through the Lather, Rinse, Repeat process all the time as well. No one is going to find her if she doesn't audition, and she's never going to improve if she doesn't keep at it, and learn from those around her, and then head out the door the next day to do it all over again.

There is something incredibly exciting about this concept. Every chance you go out and work on your craft is a chance to learn, to grow, to take yourself to the next level. And isn't that so much better than feeling stuck or working the same way day in, day out? Even the most seasoned rockstar-esque professional has to do this or else they too will get stale, and will watch as their colleagues pass them by. It's one of those things that reminds me at times that our possibilities are endless. I will continually shoot, learn, and head out my door yet again, and still not know all there is to know. There are so many directions I will be able to go. All of us have this chance, should we wish to take it.

The two musician guys and I had two more shoots together that weekend. Each one just as rewarding as the last, each one another step in the direction of building ourselves as individuals and a team. There will be more info coming soon on these collaborations, so please stay tuned.

Don't step away from the computer!

;-)

The Power of Photos:: Jen & Jeremy

Love this moment of them laughing during their ceremony.

My friend Jeremy called me the other day. I photographed his wedding this fall, but our friendship goes back to our Ithaca College days. He wanted to tell me about his recent visit with his grandmother. She's in a nursing home, and from what I understand, she is mostly unresponsive during their visits. This time was different.

Woot! Officially Married.

How cute are they?

They showed her photos from the wedding, the family event she was unable to attend, and watched her become more alert and responsive. The simple act of looking at photos brought a smile to her face and made her interact more with her family. He told me it was probably the best visit he's had with her.

The hair.

The dress.

The last minute phone calls.

Hair officially approved.

The delicate task of getting everything on the dress done right.

"I thought you would like knowing that," he told me. His voice was charged with happiness and excitement.

And he was right. I did like, DO like, actually LOVE to know those things. These kinds of stories are plentiful, and are always nice to hear. [Read my post below for some more thoughts on how important family photos are.] His grandmother may not have been well enough to go to his wedding, but the the simple act of looking through photos of her loved ones brought her to a place she hadn't been in a long time. This is the power photography has: a power to bring joy and happiness in the most surprising ways at often the simplest of times.

Fun, simple, and pretty table decorations.

Love.

Flip through pages of photographs, and relive old memories or create new ones. Pretty amazing stuff, isn't it? Yeah, I think so, too. I'm so glad he took the time to call me and share this. It's a good reminder for all of us that those albums full of photos don't need to collect dust. Take them out for you, your family, your friends, your new neighbors. Share and laugh in each other's moments, old and new.


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Family History: Priceless

Dad @ Bitliff's, some time in the 90's.

I am fresh off a 3 day Wedding Photo seminar called Mystic5. I'm inspired, motivated and even overwhelmed. I am still decompressing, but my mind has some clear thoughts.

One of my favorite quotes from one of the presenters, the amazing David Williams, is "Put your hand up if you have EVERY picture you want of the ones you love."

No one raised their hands.
And every time I read it I literally get tears in my eyes. I think of my father. On Feb 2 it will be 5 years since he passed away from Mantle Cell Lymphoma. His death is still a very painful thing for me, and it certainly seems hard to believe I've been carrying this pain around for 5 years. But I remember that scramble to find photos of our family to share. That was my task. Logical, considering I'm a photographer. It was painful for me to realize how long it had been since he and I had been in a photo together. I found one from my wedding, the end of the night (we never did the father/daughter dance, sadly), on the dance floor we leaned in and smiled, my lips were bright red from the ring pop I had been eating. It wasn't a great shot of either of us. And, it was 5 years old.

The last photo I took of my father was on Thanksgiving 2004. He was sick, but we didn't really know why yet. He sat on the floor leaning against the couch, because it was the only place he could get comfortable. My nephew had climbed up on the couch behind him and was rubbing has hand across the top of my father's head. He said something and my brother started laughing. I took the picture. My brother said "He just said your head is square!"

We all laughed. We have always teased my father about his square head. I have been accused of having one as well. No surprise there, since I look like him.

It's not a great photo, but it's the last one I took of him so I remember that moment.

The point is our families are part of our history, and photos help us keep track of that history. People really are losing sight of how important it is to record and keep these moments. Looking through a photo album is such an amazing and simple experience that gives people a lot of joy, yet we are starting to forget what that feels like. But our families and our stories are on those pages, and should not to be taken lightly. People need to remember what that feels like, and need to remember the value of images. Imagine if you are just starting your family, and you never take a single image off your hard drive. What would you do if your computer crashed and it was all lost? You could lose valuable family history. Your kids will grow up and never have those images of their childhood. Or worse, something could happen to you and your child may not be able to find a photo of the two of you together. Imagine how that would break their heart.

And technology is a fickle thing. What works today, may not tomorrow. Your DVD of images may not read or work on a computer in 5, 10 years. Again, family history lost. I am no longer allowing my business to operate as it has for the last year. I am restructuring what I offer and what I do. One of those items being that I can't, in good conscience, photograph families without getting albums made. Walking away with just a CD is not enough. Your family needs to be honored.

And, yes, photography is an investment. But so is your family, your health, your happiness. All of these things matter. Everyone wants to find the cheapest & quickest way to do everything, but where does that get you? Usually, having to pay for the same thing all over again, either because something broke or you weren't happy with the quality. How many vacuum cleaners have you bought/ will you buy? My mother spent good money on a Kirby and used it for almost 40 years. She would have spent ten times the amount if she just kept buying the cheapest and first vacuum she found.

I'm a firm believer in what may seem expensive today, will be priceless tomorrow. If my family had photos taken by someone like me back when I was a kid, you would not able to pry that album out of my hands today.

And luckily for all of us, the painful Sears Portrait is not the standard these days. Photographers are doing amazing things that will tell YOUR story, and leave your mark in the family history.

It's a new year, a new decade. Maybe a good time for all of us to remember the value of quality and hard work. And to record our family history.


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Holiday Warmth

This year's wrapping scheme: recycled brown bags with accents of orange and turquoise.

Step aside, Martha Stewart. There's a new craft queen in town!

I get into Christmas. Every year has a color scheme with fun bows and crafty accents. My family will come over tomorrow and we will eat, laugh, and enjoy our day together. Sweet Potato Cranberry soup is simmering on the stove, and cornbread (both gluten-free) is cooling as I write this. My sink has backed up and The Weekend Warrior is tearing things apart and trying to get everything in working order. Things are somewhat hectic, and yet the air is filled with yummy smells and happiness that can mean only one thing: Christmas is almost here!

My mantle. Books are placed by the chimney with care.

Home.

No matter where you live, what you believe, or how you celebrate, I hope you all have a holiday season filled with love, laughter, creativity, and inspiration!

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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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