Story Time

There's something about holding a picture book in my hands that slows down time. Growing up, I judged books not by their covers, but by their pictures inside. My criteria was simple. If the text didn't interfere with the pictures, I kept it by my side. If there was just too much text, I tossed it. One author in particular stole my heart - and that was Tomie dePaola. I remember leaning against the side of my bed before going to sleep and just turning the pages of his books - captivated by all the rich colors, shapes, and simplicity of his art. I didn't even have to read his book to understand what was going on because the story was told through his illustrations. To this day, I'm still the same. 

I spend most of weekdays scrolling through blogs getting to "the good stuff" (pictures) and looking at photography online - the ones that tell stories. I yearn to be like "those story telling photographers" one day. But looking at the images online and scrolling up and down doesn't completely satisfy me. Holding the images in my hand and turning the pages slowly from one image to the next is where I get lost in my own world. There's just something about  picture books. 

Thank God for Kinfolk. A true work of art to lose myself in. Without the hassle of scrolling and looking at a screen all day.

Your Life Story

I've been doing a lot of research of other photographers in the Greater Puget Sound area. There are some pretty talented artists in the area. It can be a little discouraging at times because I feel behind. When I emailed Alejandra Vidal of Imaginale Design asking for advice she put everything together for me. When I mentioned feeling behind she told me we experience this because "it revolves around the idea that sometimes when we see incredible work we become discouraged because it's a yearning to BE MORE.  The beauty highlights our yearning for more." 

She couldn't have said it better. What makes it difficult for me is looking at all their work and liking it. Where things get dangerous is trying to mimic their style. No. No. No. I can't do that. I have to follow my instinct and create my own. In my office hangs a quote - "write your own life story" and it keeps me going. I have mounds of magazines and books in my office with cut-outs and bookmarks of everything I can relate to/admire. 

So - where I am going with this? Really, I am not sure. But this weekend I have a shoot planned out with my new camera. So I'll be experimenting with a few techniques I've been dying to try! And staying true to my style that will help establish my business. Sit tight and have a great weekend!!!