Getting Where You're Supposed to Be....

I've always second-guessed myself concerning my career. Especially when I've had to veer off what I considered the "right" path. But allowing myself to be flexible led me to discover my love of teaching photography.

Now I get to discover what I probably should have done before now... Take a summer class in Marketing. I'm not such a great business person --- it's a different set of math skills. But I know it's something that will benefit me. So the only kicking & screaming that occurred was when I found out how much the course text cost ($100+ for an eBook?.... Maybe I'm going about this wrong!).

But it's all good and I am finally totally signed up for my Principles of Marketing class at Queens University this summer. Of course, I threw in a course studying Alfred Hitchcock just for fun.

I read somewhere (not the internet) that when you learn, the brain develops more wrinkles. Well then! Here's to a really wrinkled brain!

A Little Texture

I love trees. I love their majesty. I love their function in the natural world. I love the wide variety that can be found in their bark.

Although, sometimes I have to remind myself to stop and admire the things I enjoy most. 

All the worrying I've been mired in for the past year has helped to prevent me from letting myself enjoy some of those simple things I love. I think I haven't felt worthy of joy. When your world is disintegrating, it's easy to feel like it's warranted. But it's not.... not really. It's just life. And remembering that you are supposed to feel joy as well as pain is sometimes hard.

And that's what brings me to the texture in this tree. Hills & valleys.... AKA: Texture. It's rough, but it can also be beautiful.

Just rambling on a Tuesday afternoon....

Once More, With Feeling...

Egads! It's been too long since my last post!

As always, life can tend to get in the way. But after uncertain circumstances, things seem to looking up. I'm teaching more than ever... and at more places! I am far enough into the creation of my "Intro to DSLR" book that the writing of the s*^~ draft is almost complete and I can start shooting examples. I have been able to pick up new clients and maintain most of my favorite old ones. 

I finally seem to be getting the upper hand with my scheduling and am therefore able to book more gigs. I'm even signed up to take a couple of courses at Queens University this summer (yes, I enjoy getting to be a student as well sometimes!).

I might actually be on the upswing.

I even have a couple of new photo series percolating about in my brain! The positive momentum is a pleasant reward to sticking to it.

So here's to moving forward! I'll be posting and writing more articles on everything from the basics of photography and creativity to lambasting my muse when she refuses to get out of bed to even just posting the random image of beauty.

Andiamo babies!

"Power Up and Transform, Baby!"

Happy New Year!

I'm welcoming the NewYear as most Southerners do --- by fixing one of the many versions of Hoppin' John as a significant meal.

The meal consists of black-eyed peas (for prosperity), greens (I prefer to promote my financial gains with spinach), rice (because you just have to have a starch) and some country ham for flavor (because pigs represent positive motion when they forage). I'll probably break down and thrown in some cornbread just because it tastes good.

Yes, I know I'm speaking in stupidstitions, but that's OK. This is one of the traditions that my family has enjoyed for years. Besides, it's all healthy. And I'll write out my goals and dreams and resolutions as I eat so I can remember where I want my life to go in March when I start feeling overwhelmed.

So... Happy New Year y'all! I wish us all a wonderful year in 2013!

Double Exposure

I've always been fascinated by double exposures... I usually get them as happy little accidents as opposed to well-planned, intentional images. It's kind of a relief from trying to control everything in a picture.

Analogue for a Wednesday

If it hasn't become obvious yet, I am smitten with low-fi cameras. And it's inspiring me... Playing with my Holga and BelAir has gotten me seeing the way I used to see when I only had a film camera. I'm more purposeful... really thinking through the shot before I even look through the viewfinder... being equally conservative and gutsy. I'm getting back to my street-shooting self. Even when I'm out in a field.

Merry Christmas Eve Y'all!

I'm just finishing up some experimenting with some new-to-me cameras before I take some time to play with family... I am getting some interesting results with the Bel-Air X 6X12. I have a feeling there's a lot of operator error going on, but I kind of like the results. I used my stand-by film, Ilford Delta 100, shot one roll with the wide angle lens in 6X6 format and shot the other roll with the normal 90mm lens in 6X9 format.

I got quite a bit of unintended (but welcome) double exposure action going on. I'll keep testing it... probably to the annoyance of my family members. So far, I'm loving the surprise results.

Whatever you celebrate, I wish you all good cheer and peace...

Playing with New Cameras

Like a lot of my photographer friends, I'm on the email list for quite a few photography stores. I normally glance at the message and then delete as quickly as possible so I won't be tempted by something that won't really serve me.

But there was one email I received right before my birthday from the folks over at Lomography. They were announcing the launch of the new Bel-Air X 6X12 medium format camera. Actually, it was more of a tease than an announcement, what with the bellows, the retro styling and the two interchangeable lenses... and the pre-order discount. Yes, they got me. They got me good.

It took about a month for me to receive the camera, but it was worth the wait.

The appeal of the Bel-Air X 6X12 lies in it's ability to shoot in three different formats: normal 6X6 medium format shots as well as 6X9 and panoramic 6X12.

I shot the first roll in the 6X12 panoramic format. I had wanted to use my favorite film --- Ilford Delta 100 --- but when I went to look for a roll, I couldn't find any. (It was hiding in my still unpacked luggage from a Thanksgiving trip...) So I went with a roll of expired Fugi and totally ignored with fact that it was E-6 process film --- slide film.

I went to my favorite tree across the street from the entrance to my neighborhood. In six quick exposures, I was done. As I was driving to the lab, I "saw" the E-6 label in my mind and cursed. It was not a problem... I just made sure they did not cut or mount the film after processing.

The images I got are not Pulitzer Prize winners by any stretch of the imagination. But I have a good idea of what I will get when I pull the Bel-Air out of my bag. I found my rolls of Ilford and am waiting for them to get back after a trip to the garden.

Hi-Ho Hi-Ho...

... it's off to work (in earnest) I go. Rebuilding. Reorganizing. Or maybe it's just a different form of procrastination.

It's easy for me to get waylaid while I do the office tasks of reviewing images and deciding how they need to be cataloged. Getting lost in the image is part of what I attempt when I click the shutter... But let's face it --- it's supposed to be my audience that gets drawn into the story, not me. I've been there, shot that.

So no more wallowing for me. But that doesn't mean you don't get to look...

Go Vote!

Yes, it's the obligatory "I Voted" sticker on the finger election day picture. So what? It's important to have your say and not complain after the fact.

I like to think that my female ancestors would be proud of me for getting out there. (Actually, I think they'd be quite miffed if I had not gotten out to vote! That's the kind of women they were!)

It's not just the big race this year... It's all those smaller, local races that I think, ultimately, have a more immediate impact on our lives. I'm proud of the fact that I knew who I would vote for as Commissioner of Agriculture before walking up to the booth.

If you haven't done so and you are legally allowed, go have your say at the polls. Thanks to all the early voting here in NC, there are no lines...

But What I Really Want Is ...

I'd rather be taking pictures right now... Or eating bacon. But the adult side of me knows that it is much easier on the senses (and pocketbook) to continue rebuilding my image database.

Wow. "Image Database." How incredibly unromantic.

That's okay. As I regroup and re-organize, I find images like the one above that I shot of my brother and sister-in-law's dog during a post-funeral breakfast. Here in the South, everything important is accompanied by food... preferably breakfast-type food.

I think I might just go have some breakfast for lunch while I make copies...

Friday Photo... and Re-Emerging

My external hard drive crashed in late August, taking with it all my digital images. I put a lot of energy into not freaking out about the situation. One of the ways I coped was by breaking out my film cameras and going back to my slow and more expensive analog roots.

This is one of the images from that period. The end of Summer...

It was an emotional time of upheaval that seemed to culminate in the death of my bonus-brother.

I've been licking wounds and being tender with myself since then.

But things seem to be recovering. My hard drive is recovered! I rediscovered my love of using film and have even come up with a couple of new projects. It appears as though that rough period of my life is finally behind me... And not a moment too soon.

Happy Friday everyone!

Hair Today, Gone This Morning...

I have not had a haircut in at least two years... At least not until this morning.

My hair was reaching to my waist. I had to braid it Ma Ingalls style when I slept so that it wouldn't a) wrap around my neck and choke me or b) get caught in my armpit as I turned over in bed.

Below is a picture of my braided bun. That's all my hair. No extensions or additions or stunt hair.

I called it "Recession Hair."

Today my hairdresser, Tonya Reid, the owner of T. Reid & Co. on East Blvd here in Charlotte cut off 10 inches. I'm still a little weirded out. I'm sure I'll get used to it...

A Little bit of Fall

I walked outside this morning and saw this leaf that had wedged itself into the railing on my porch. I couldn't help but admire the stubbornness it took to remain there on this blustery day.

Looking Up

As I navigate through my day, I try to remember to force myself to look up... or down. The different perspective usually yields some special little visual gift.

This particular view is from the Atrium in Spirit Square just after one of my Intro to DSLR classes I teach at the Light Factory.

I love it when Utility and Art fall in love and have a baby.

Friday Photo

The Obligatory Pumpkin

I'm on the move today... Out and about... So I thought I'd stop by my friendly neighborhood pumpkin patch and post the obligatory autumnal image.

Happy Thursday!

A Dog and His Goats

For some inexplicable reason I am fascinated by goats. Specifically, I am in awe of the current use of goats in kudzu eradication.

The invasive plant was introduced to North Carolina long ago and has taken to choking indigenous life out of vast areas for about the same amount of time. Every summer, the interstates sprout their leafy corridors. When I was a child, we just accepted that it was poor planning on someone's part and we were resigned to live with the ramifications.

No more. Now enterprising farmers actually rent their goats out. Every herd has their own guard dog to protect them from predators. The dogs are apparently raised with goats and accept them as their pack.

I can't help it... I'm just enthralled.

Good Advice

Still letting myself work back into what I like to think is "my norm"...

I was blessed last year with a part-time gig that has provided a restored faith in humanity. For too-short a time, I had a boss who was a wonderful example of a mentor as well as just a really cool human being. Due to restructuring, he's not my boss anymore... but I took some of his advice ("Ask for help.") and put it to use this week.

As a result, I'm slowly moving forward again. But it feels like I'm picking up steam. I hope it's not an illusion and that I can handle the velocity.

P.S. Thank you Dr. Neale...

Easing Back In

It was a long, sad, difficult summer and I'm feeling like I'm just now getting my footing again. I'm trying to purge the bad stuff and just let the good back in. It's a process. Licking ones wounds sometimes takes time, especially when you can't quite reach all of them. But I'm getting there... I believe for real this time.

Autumn always feels good to me.