2017
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The shot she didn't get
Google photography quotes and your results will likely include this quote by Imogen Cunningham: “Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”
It’s true. Sometimes photographers miss shots. Whether it’s due to poor timing or poor planning… it happens. Typically we brush it off and keep on shooting. Sometimes though, missing the shot hurts your heart.
Up until a few nights ago there were only two shots on my list. I have since added a third. How do I convey the anger and frustration I was feeling with myself for having missed such an opportunity?
Picture this: you are cresting a hill and the highway descends down and away from you in a sweeping right hand curve. You are in national forest land so there are trees on both sides of the highway. There is a heavy layer of smoke clinging to the trees and roadway from all of the fires burning. Current weather conditions are keeping the smoke sandwiched in nice and thick. Hovering just above the trees as you crest your hill is the sun, a huge blood orange disc crisp and sharp as a tack. It takes your breath away. You audibly comment, “Whoa!” when you see it. Unfortunately by the time the car is stopped and turned around the conditions have changed significantly. The smoke has crept in and completely obscured the sun painting the clouds a very faint pinkish orange. It was only minutes, but in those minutes everything changed. The lighting, the composition, everything that made the shot so breathtaking had vanished. I was crestfallen.
While I probably will never get the opportunity to recreate this shot, it will live in my heart. I can only hope to adequately describe the magnificence of the image. For me, some of my favorite photographs are the ones I missed.
July 2017
The first time I ventured onto the ocean was as a newlywed. My husband’s grandparents had a fishing boat and they frequently went salmon fishing off the Oregon coast. The first day the ocean was smooth as glass. I remember thinking that those folks who complained about getting sea sick must be a bunch of babies. I couldn’t fathom what they were talking about.
The next day the ocean was rougher than a 5:00 shadow. I remember being in control until that moment when I went below to relieve myself. My stomach heaved and my head instantly began to ache. I thought I was going to die. Thankfully the Coast Guard closed the bar AFTER we got back to dock. A good thing too, because I think I would have died if I had to stay out there any longer than I had to.
This past April I reluctantly agreed to go on a bottom fishing trip with my husband, future daughter-in-law, her sister, her father and two of my sons. The morning was beautiful, a tad bit chilly. I remember feeling that adrenaline rush as the boat engine revved up and started heading toward open water. Newport looks so different from the deck of a boat. As soon as we headed below the bridge, through the bar and onto the ocean I felt so liberated. It took a bit before I found my sea legs and the rhythm of the rocking boat and waves.
“I’m on the Ocean!” I remember feeling the wind on my face, the smell of diesel, the rumble of the engine and my death grip on the railing while I did my best to avoid thinking about my head and stomach. I don’t recall how many fish I caught. It is definitely different than lake fishing where I can drop my line, pick up my book and read while I wait for a bite. Instead, I had to let out tons of line and slowly reel.
At some point I had to relieve myself. I tried and tried to postpone but I wasn’t going to make it. The moment I went below I became nauseous and sick to my stomach. I toughed it out for the rest of the trip, but I sure hated everything. Unfortunately, the Dramamine never kicked in. Needless to say, I was very relieved to get back to the dock.
I loved this blue rockfish; his color was so vibrant and bright. Even the fillets we got off of him were lightly tinged blue. All in all, it was a fun trip with wonderful people. It’s good to get out of the studio.
What are little girls made of?
They're made of sugar and spice and everything nice... that's what little girls are made of.
June 2017
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." ~Confucius
I don't know if it was one person or many, but who ever you are, thank you.
We spent our anniversary weekend beating the heat in the valley by going to the coast. I was strolling along a lovely rocky beach focusing on the sunset and where I needed to be in order to capture it. I was so busy looking at the "big picture" that I nearly missed the proverbial forest for the trees.
There, stacked on the beach were hundreds of stacked rocks. Someone had spent a great deal of time stacking and balancing rocks of all shapes and sizes on sand and driftwood into little rock cairns. It looked a sculpture garden of little gnomes, castles, mushrooms and pagodas. I think it was a divine reminder to slow down and notice that there is beauty all around us, we just have to be willing to open our eyes to see it.
January 2017, Heceta Head Light House
"In order for the light to shine so brightly, the darkness must also be present." ~Francis Bacon
What you can't tell from this image is how stormy the weather was. The rain was coming down in torrents. My camera and lens were wrapped in a zip lock baggie to keep them somewhat protected from the elements. The wind was howling and the ocean was roaring. I love stormy weather at the coast.
About Damn Time!
January 2017
Congratulations to Matt and Jessie! I am so happy for both of you and wish you nothing but happiness and a long beautiful life together full of love.
Love is in the air!
January 2017
Well, maybe love isn't in the air for poor Charlie. Sorry Charlie. Lucky for him though, his parents had an engagement photo session in the snow! I wonder if he'll be in the wedding party?
Love is in the air (continued)
"I can conquer the world with one hand as long as you are holding the other."
Thank you Matt & Jessie for asking me to take your engagement photos! I am so glad that Jessie requested snow pictures! The weather was perfect, the lighting was soft and even. This is one of my favorite shots!
"For me, lingerie isn't about seduction, it's about being a woman." ~Dita Von Teese
What I really liked about working with Haley was her confidence. I think it's extremely difficult for a woman to have confidence in her appearance and body these days. I don't know if being beautiful fuels confidence or if confidence is responsible for radiating beauty. When both come hand in hand, the results are magnificent.
Deep Into that Darkness Peering...
January 2017
Dustyn was in a dark place when he contacted me wanting, needing to find the light. For this shoot we went completely unorthodox with the lighting, using an overhead projector. We sprayed water across the glass and then projected the water onto Dustyn. The hard lighting in conjunction with the water patterns is our visual metaphor of light and dark.
A Love Story
January 2017
"Once upon a time, there was a boy who loved a girl, and her laughter was a question he wanted to spend his whole life answering." ~ Nicole Krauss
Congratulations to Rachell and Sterling who were recently engaged! I love the way he looks at her and the way she smiles when he does, is enough to melt anyone's heart.
