the workshop

I went to an all day photography workshop yesterday, and it was fabulous! It was just what I needed since, I confess, I have never quite known how to use my DSLR to the best of its ability. I have always tended to keep things in automatic mode with minor adjustments here and there for white balance or things like that. I've always known it wasn't enough.

I walked away from yesterday's workshop with so much more knowledge! Super exciting!! The photos I took aren't super inspiring, but they do demonstrate the camera's abilities. We did tons of mini assignments to play with the ISO, aperture, shutter speed, light metering and flash exposure compensation. I admit I didn't even have a solid understanding of what most of that meant until I took the workshop.

Here are some of the shots I took to demonstrate different techniques.

freezing motion in suspended raindrops:


metering the light and adjusting the shutter speed to capture things in the intended light:




Playing with the aperture to capture depth of field:




Panning with a slow shutter speed to capture moving object in motion:


Metering the light to capture accurate or flattering skin tones:




And lastly, my personal favorites from the day:




I learned so much! I look forward to putting my new knowledge into practice in the coming weeks!

thoughts on a Saturday afternoon

I love taking photos. There is no question about that part.



I also love getting feedback about my photos. Its fun to hear people's thoughts about a particular photo or set.

The problem is, I never know which of my photos to post, and under what format -- Flickr, blog, facebook, something else? It sort of drives me crazy.

What are your thoughts? What is your process when you bring home a new set of images, either a developed roll of film, or a new batch of digital files to import? How do you decide what to share and how do you?

About The 31 Project

I'm a little late on this post, but still excited to talk about how fun this project was for me!

From the perspective of someone who had a desk job for 6 years doing something I found boring, and taking care of two small children during the non-working hours, just getting out into the world is sometimes more eye-opening than I'd really like to admit. I get really excited... look at all the people out here... and they're DOING stuff!!!

So silly. So true.

It was great to take it to the next level and talk to them. Make them real. Connect.

We've been trained from early childhood that we shouldn't talk to strangers. They are scary and they might do something bad to us. This project helped me see past that and stop being afraid of the people I share this city with.

Each person I approached initially had that skeptical, imposed-on look, but quickly softened when I told them it was my birthday and asked them for some good advice. Those that were not in a hurry to be somewhere ended up talking to me for a while after they'd answered my question. People love to talk about themselves and the things they've learned about life. I feel privileged to have heard what they had to say.

The 31 Project

Yesterday was my 31st birthday.

On a whim, I decided to tackle a photography project. I asked 31 strangers to give me advice for my next year and asked to take their picture.

Here are a few from the bunch.


"Never trust Craigslist."
- Thomas


"If you don't protect what you've got, you'll lose it."
- David


"Take advantage of everything. Do it! No regrets! You will be lots of people in your life. Don't ever get too complacent."
- Donna


"Trust in God. Clean house. Help others."
- Bo

You can find all the photos from the project here.

I'll be back tomorrow to talk a bit about the project and my thoughts about it. Hope you enjoy it!

It's that time of year

It's almost my birthday. A birthday that, if I hadn't already promised myself I would never waste time fussing about my age, I might have a small freak out about. But, whatever.

I'll be 31 next week, and It's exciting! Why? Because I know my thirties are going to continue to be about finding out about me. Doing what I love. Making things happen for myself.

Today I took a stroll through the grounds of one of Portland's Ashrams. I've come here a number of times for yoga classes, and I always stop and admire the beautiful grounds, but always forget my camera. I did that again yesterday, and though I practically ran through to get out of the pouring rain, the beauty still caught my eye--rain dripping off of statues and moss -- raindrops in puddles on the brick paths -- bright daffodils peeking out of the soggy ground. It's everything that signifies that winter is ending and spring is beginning. I love that my birthday falls at this little magical time of year before everything blooms.

I'm glad I went back today to capture it to share with you.

Stills on Mississippi

Here are some of the still shots from my excursion the other day. I love to document the little things I see when I'm out and about -- things that others may have missed or maybe just overlooked.









Have a great weekend!

First Street Photography Experience

It's amazing the power inspiration can have.

I've been sitting idle on my photography goals for a while now. I've been taking pictures, but I haven't been taking the risks I need to become a better photographer. It's easy to stay home and take photos of my own kids, or take pictures of inanimate objects. There isn't any fear involved for me in capturing those images. But more often than not, its boring.

Recognizing my need to be inspired and get a firm kick in the pants to get off my duff, I picked up some books from the library. I wasn't very intentional about the books I got. I just picked up what was available on the shelves at my tiny neighborhood library. Coincidentally, the three books I chose are all about women photographers. I'm really enjoying reading about the rebellious Berenice Abbott. While her photographs themselves aren't particularly inspiring to me, her spirit and her way of doing things her own way is fantastic. She didn't follow trends. She went against the grain. She took risks.

It's helpful to see that I'm not alone in being afraid to have people see me in action. Says Abbott, "I was shy about setting up my camera in NewYork. The first time I tried it I packed up and went home. But I knew I had to do it and I made myself come back." People made fun of her, with her short hair and slacks in the 1920s, but she learned to ignore them.

This is the spirit and energy with which I approached my photography yesterday. I just got out there and did it.

I warmed myself up by taking some self portraits in a conspicuous place with people walking behind me.


Then I dove in, learning quickly which angles and techniques would work best to stay unnoticed, helping me to capture people uninhibited.













It felt amazing to be out doing what I've wanted to do for so long. My photos aren't anything groundbreaking, but that wasn't the objective yesterday. It was to take risks and get comfortable. And since I was feeling good, I went ahead to the next step.

A man was in his backyard and there were puppies everywhere. I stopped to take a few photos and then I called to the man and asked if I could take a picture of him with his dogs. He said yes, came over, opened the gate and let me in. Just like that! It was so easy and he was so friendly, I found myself at ease.







He isn't a breeder. Just a man with two dogs that had puppies. He's lived here for 20 years and seen the neighborhood change dramatically during that time. He buys his dog food in bulk at WinCo and mixes it with hamburger and those puppies come running. He's going to keep one puppy and give the rest away, or sell them, or however it plays out. His name is Charles.

This was a good day.

Update: Tomorrow I'll post the still shots from this session.