Busy & Sort of Under the Weather Sort of Month

Last week I came back from five fun filled days of learning in Las Vegas only to be laid up with the flu and then nasty sinus infection.  I won’t bore you with the details of it all (especially the sickie parts) but it felt good being amongst my peers, learning new techniques, hearing how other photographers run their businesses, learning how they shoot, what their inspirations are.  It made me realize that truly I am ensconced in a profession that I not only have a vested interest in (to help feed my family!) but in one that I am proud to be a part of.

I have this constant realizaiton that photography has brought something remarkable into my life.  I feel fortunate that this is truly where I am meant to be.  I heard a fabulous quote about people feeling lost and it struck me as true:  sometimes the purpose of feeling lost is just that, to be lost.  Sometimes we need to be lost to know when we really truly find ourselves.  As many of you know, photography took me from a dark, deep place and brought me to where I am and need to be.  I was lost and by happy circumstances found myself.

My friend Paula blogged several weeks ago how much she loves trips.  I love that she documents EVERYTHING.  I wish I had that sort of need to express – I find myself searching for that part of myself every year around this time.  I try to take time off in the winter to regroup and sort of find myself again and this year it took longer to get to (client commitments and business related images vs. shooting for pleasure).  This year I vowed would be the year where I’d regroup and find myself (AGAIN).  I haven’t done it yet.  It takes remarkable will to shoot from the hip like I did in my early days.  It’s less about the spontaneity, I find myself SEEKING now.  Paula never lost that drive for shooting for herself (forget everyone else!) and it shows.  Let me just say that I am so proud of her recent achievements (look on her blog) and am so proud of her!

However, my point in mentioning Paula (and her wicked cool talent) is this, several weeks ago she posted about how she can’t wait to leave (hmmm, escapism?  LOL) and posted an image that reminded me of the VERY roots of my love of photography.  So on my way back from Vegas I grabbed my camera.  The image I took was on my way home.  Obviously we have differing world views 😀 :

A simple image from a P&S camera that I stashed in my carry on to capture on the sly before the ok for electronic devices announcement happened (literally 2 seconds after I snapped this shot of the Grand Canyon). 

Paula’s image on her blog of leaving and the world below, my image of the Grand Canyon — they reminded me of an old old image my brother Matt took long ago from an airplane.  He was traveling back to Europe to meet with his fiancee who lived there.  He had invested in a Canon AE-1 (my first love) and loved documenting life. Upon his returned I remember staring at a shot he took from way up high where all you could see were clouds and the wing of the plane and I remember being fascinated by that image.  I was no more than 7 years old at the time and utterly perplexed with the process.  "How did the picture get from your camera to this sheet of paper?"  "How did it come to you ultimately?"  To me, it made no sense (until later of course).  The sky pictures from a birds’ eye view (airplane view) and the double exposures he played with back then were pure MYSTERY me. 

The travel / birds’ eye view images: when I saw Paula’s blog it all came back to me.  THIS is where my love is.  This is where my passion began.  Oh so long ago when my brain couldn’t work around the concept of photography – the fascination has stuck.  Obviously I know where pictures come from now but it is a reminder to all of us to pay attention.  What we say or do, how we act – you never know when it’ll make a difference.

You just never know.