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July 2014 Check-in

Prioritizing is hard.

I feel stretched, in the words of Bilbo Baggins. Working 30 ish hours in an office, running my own business, volunteering at Animal Allies, keeping up with friends and family, personal projects, traveling a lot this summer, and the constant pressure of moving hanging over my head.

But I recently gave one of those things up- fostering cats. Which is probably the most important item on that list to me.

I didn't really have too much of a choice- the townhouse in Old Town that I'll be living in already contains a cat who doesn't like other cats, and I kind of took it as a sign that I could give this one thing up and maybe feel sane again, even though I care so much about it. It's not like I'll never be able to foster again ever, and I can continue to photograph for their adoptions website.

But don't it just feel so backwards that I'm giving up what I'm most passionate about, even if it's temporary.

Some unrelated exciting news for July: I will be migrating from this blogger blog to one hosted by my website provider! Hurray ditching the .blogspot in my blog URL! Can't wait to make this happen soon.

Courtney & Justin: Wedding! Sneak Peek

A couple of photos from an amazing wedding day. There were multiple times when we were an hour ahead of schedule. Courtney and Justin were awesome, the weather was awesome, everything was awesome, and I cannot wait to share the rest!

It's a Dangerous Business, Going Out Your Door...

I remember being three or four years old and contriving with my sister to run away from home. I don't recall how it started- probably something along the lines of my five-year-old sister saying 'Sissy, we're running away,' and that was that- but I do remember packing my blanket and a banana in my little backpack while my sister made all these little plans to herself. We stepped out onto the driveway... then the sidewalk... and before we'd made it to the neighbor's driveway, we had to go back for something. And then stay home for good.

If anyone is wondering, yes, I think my mother was aware of our plans, and even helped us a little bit. I'm pretty sure she was somehow quite confident that two little girls with a couple of bananas and stuffed animals wouldn't get too far.

What I remember most strongly is the feeling once we reached the sidewalk of... wait, what are we doing?

And now we're responsible adults. This Saturday, bright and early, my sister and I are hitting the highway and I won't be back home until the 29th of June. Unless you count the one night I stop by and basically switch from road-trip clothes to Ragnarok garb. Which I don't.

This time, this whole thing was my idea, but I'm still wondering if that point will come where we realize that all we have are a couple of bananas and stuffed animals, and man, wouldn't it be nice to be home where everything is nice and familiar and not new or scary at all?

And the answer I'm looking for is a big, resounding NO. At least, not before some adventure.

Mason Jar Manifesto and Thoughts

Jonas Peterson recently re-posted his Mason Jar Manifesto blog post, and so I recently re-read it.

So many thoughts, here.

I think it extremely hypocritical to poo-poo on the industry that feeds you. That not only literally feeds you, but feeds your soul, and gives you room to perform a potentially amazing job like photographing weddings.

And yet, the more I think about it, the more I find myself in utter agreement. That's because this: the wedding industry does not cater to brides, grooms, and families who just want to get married. If you're recently engaged and dive headfirst into wedding planning, you're quickly ovewhelmed by people telling what you should do, what you need, what's trending, and perhaps more stressfully, what you should never do because people will think you're a terrible person, or worse, that you have no style. 

If you've decided you're going to have guests, you probably want them to feel like they're at a wedding (whoa, no way). So you turn to the wedding industry experts. Guys, what makes a wedding feel like a wedding? And they hear: Guys, what does a wedding feel like, and how can I convey that feeling with decor, favors, and cake? And suddenly you're avalanched in so much information that goes off in so many different directions, and you don't even know where to start.

That is the problem, or at least a problem. The brides and grooms or whoever is planning the wedding have every right to be concerned with the atmosphere of the party they're throwing. It's not that I have something against mason jars. But it is such a fine line we walk between running our businesses and advising the engaged couples about making their wedding day work, and then throwing everyone into hyper-wedding-planning overdrive. 

It can be frustrating for us on the inside to witness the transformation our own industry inflicts on some of these innocent people, most typically the brides, and that, I believe is where we can all take a lesson from Jonas' thoughts.


Somewhat related, I also recently read this article by Matt Mendelsohn, and it hit home really hard. If you want the short version, he contrasts a wedding day with an elderly friend receiving news of the death of his wife of 50+ years, and how the latter is what marriage is truly about (as depressing as that sounds!). 

My Gear: Lenses

This is what the gear bag is looking like at the moment! Don't they just look like a family or something?

Lined up in focal length order, of course. 70-200mm, 50mm 1.2, 50mm 1.4, 17-24mm. Why the two 50mms? Well, as you may observe, one has a nice red ring around the top. That means it's nicer. I just opened the box this week and I'm SO EXCITED to have upgraded. But of course, one can always use backups.

Above: the new 50mm vs old 50mm. I didn't know it would be so BIG.

Below: Old 50mm vs 40mm pancake lens. I adore the portability of the pancake lens and it's what I use most of the time for personal things.

 Below is the pancake lens, shot with the new 50mm at f 1.2 and f 2.8, respectively. Such depth of field.

Next in line will be a 35mm, and then I finally think I can justify a 40mm tilt-shift! But before either of those things comes a new camera body....

Adventure Log: DC Cherry Blossoms

Because yes, even though it's kind a normal thing to do around here, you never quite know what will happen when you brave the springtime crowds at the DC tidal basin. I guess I was lucky in that perhaps the only thing of note that happened was that I lost my hat. It was super beautiful though.
Freelensing with my 40mm pancake..

Rangers-Inspired Costumed Shoot

The Rangers is an independent film being made this summer, by some friends of friends of mine, from which Robin and I took our inspiration this almost-spring day in March!

It's almost as if we need an excuse to dress up and play outside with swords and cameras.

Goodbye, Snow

See you next winter, snow!

April 2014 Check-in

It's April and I feel the cabin fever setting in.

As such, I have a good handful of personal and professional goals.

-Start running. Which is a terribly strange thing for me to want to do, because running hurts my joints like mad, and that generally means I hate it. I've had an itch to run recently, though, and instead of fighting it I think I will simply invest in a decent pair of shoes.
-Spring cleaning. I'm moving in a couple of months and will have less space for all the things, so I've got to start getting rid of what I don't need!
-Upgrade equipment. It's time to get ready for the shooting season, and that means getting my hands on some better glass. Super excited.
-Experiment. With photography. I want to start prisming and freelensing a bit more. I will also remember to set my damn white balance before every setup. I will, I promise.

And here's my favorite frame from this week's fun times with Robin, dressing up and playing ranger/elven swordmaiden, inspired by The Rangers, an independent film being made this summer.

More garbed shoots, please.

Spring is Coming

We just had the time change and it's lighter later, and along with the warm days we've been having... I was feeling this early springtime cosplay shoot with Nicole I did last year. Even though it's freezing again and we might even get a bit more winter weather, my thoughts are with warm temperatures and thunderstorms. It's also interesting to take a look back on last year's work and see how far I've come in such a short amount of time.

Inspiration vs Comparison

Last January-ish, I made a huge, wonderful discovery. I found out that there are TONS of other people like me out there; young business owners and photographers.

Instead of being overwhelmed by potential competition, this gave me hope, and I made another amazing discovery- all in all, this industry is one of comradery, not competition. There's some of both, definitely, but there is actually a weirdly compassionate atmosphere about other photographers in the industry.

So I got hungry for other photographers' experience, work, advice, and stories. I discovered and started following amazing people around the world that do amazing work. STORY TIME: I even met a small group of local photogs last spring, and that was maybe the most nervous I have been in my entire life. I know that in social situations where I know zero people I quite literally clam up and watch everyone else talk, and eventually someone will make a comment about how quiet I am, and I'll smile and be like, yeah, well. And that will be the extent of my interaction with the rest of the group. (That's more or less how it went, but I had a good time!)

Through following these people over the past year plus, I've gained a pretty solid idea of what's hot in the industry these days, got a feel for a few different trends, who's who, what's what; I've expanded my knowledge of the industry exponentially and I feel like my work has improved drastically in the past year.

So why do I now feel more doubtful and anxiety-ridden than perhaps I ever have?

Because there is a fine line between finding inspiration in the amazing work of amazing people, and then comparing your own work to theirs and knowing (not thinking, knowing) deep down that you will never even come close to creating something so awesome, so why bother even trying.

I am so sick of feeling this way and have decided that I need to stop, stop, stop following and comparing myself to other photographers for a while, as much as I will miss seeing some really amazing work. But I still want to not cut myself off completely, so I asked myself: of the few dozen photographers I follow, who truly most inspires me to be 1) a better photographer, 2) a better business owner, and 3) a better person?

It was actually really easy to narrow it down, and I want to share this little list because I think these people's blogs are all worth following even if you're not into wedding photography (though that might help just a tad).

Sam Hurd inspires me to be a better photographer by constantly pushing the boundaries. He'll post experimental images, saying "I'm not sure if this works or not but here's what I did," and it's some weird, awesome idea like inverted silhouettes. Looking at Sam's work makes me think, 'huh, what if I tried this...' And that's kind of the entire point: trial, error, and creative discovery. Using the medium to its fullest potential.

Katelyn James inspires me to be a better business owner. She's a teacher and business coach and also churns out consistently solid, bold, colorful work to her many wedding couples. I find the advice she constantly posts so valuable.

Mary Marantz inspires me to be a better person and keep on pursuing those crazy dreams. I have days where I simply feel like giving up, and then I will read her latest blog post and wonder how on earth she knows exactly what I need to hear in order to keep on trucking.

I hope this is a step in the right direction, and that I'll be a bit more at peace with myself and my work. Just look at this happy face, all looking off optimistically towards the future and stuff.

March 2014 Check-in

Happy March, everyone!

Yesterday, we had a snow day. My feelings on this matter are mixed. I like snow. We don't get it all that often around here. Wasn't it last winter that we got some sleet one day and then saw some flurries a different day and that was it for us for winter weather? I was kind of let down.

I like snow. But you know what? I am done now. No more, thanks very much.

However no matter the weather situation, I like to try and make the best of it, and for me that meant using that unusual (for here) wintery landscape to take some photos! And luckily for me my brother and sister-in-law live right across the parking lot from me and Laura LOVES getting pictures taken (and Andy's a pretty good sport too).

So I tried this thing called the Harris Shutter effect, and it's kind of cool, though I don't think this is a terribly creative use of it... I wanted to see if I could make it work! And look at that, I think I can.

More snowy photos to come. Drive safe, guys!

Wedding: The Getting Ready Time

My favorite part of a wedding day is when I get to hang out with the bride and/or groom as they primp and preen before the ceremony. The atmosphere is addictive, all charged with anxiety and excitement, yet also relaxed at times. It's a private time, and it always feels like I'm being let in on a secret.

Sometimes, amid the chaos, the bride or groom will stop, take a deep breath, and close their eyes, and you know they're catching a beautiful, calm moment in an otherwise tumultuous day, before they go out and face all their guests and become the center of attention. It's quiet and perfect.

Adventure Log: The Acre House

In the spirit of our snow day and wishful thoughts of summer.

From August 2013 and January 2014 visits. This is the cabin in the Adirondacks that my grandfather built in the 50's and that my dad's been working on for the past twenty or thirty years. They are in the process of redesigning the structure, so the house might be torn down and rebuilt in the next few years.