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Photography: Denio’s Farmers Market

My skills aren’t growing as fast as I want them to. I have several photo shoots lined up in the next few weeks and I’m suddenly aware of how scary this all is. Yes, I’ve been playing with my camera for years, but it’s only been a few months since I took it seriously. I’ve jumped in with both feet and I’m flailing a bit.

My good friend Angy always says that super scary things mean you’re moving in the right direction. Last night all I could think was, “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” I’m not ready for this. What if my friends/clients hate what I do? What if, like my nephew’s birthday over the weekend, I can’t get the exposure right? By jumping in this fast, have I ruined my chance of having this as a second career?

So, while I couldn’t sleep last night, I edited these photos from my recent trip to Denio’s Farmers Market. It’s a weirdo space, and I felt at home taking photos here. I love these. The stakes were low and so I just had fun. This is what I need to remember when I’m out taking photos of people in the next few weeks. I love this. It’s time to play and have fun. It’s all growth.

So, today I’m taking another online class about lighting. I’ll probably beg my daughter to let me photograph her again for practice. I’ve already booked a bunch of shoots, so no turning back now.

Let me know if you like these and don’t miss my bonus butterfly photos at the end. Have a fantastic day!

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  • The photos above were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 14-150mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

20 thoughts on “Photography: Denio’s Farmers Market”

    • It really is such much fun, and you never know what you’ll find. My daughter’s been on the lookout for an old walkman and finally found one. It works great too! I’m partial to looking at the odd dolls, and just the weirdest things I can find. There’s a woman out there who reminds me of the scene in Labyrinth after the ballroom scene, the lady with all the junk on her back. She’s a doll collector and has that scary energy. I should write a back story for her sometime.

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  3. Well I’m gonna call that number in the header pic and stop paying my rent 🙂 It looks great there, cheap fun for all the family. High noon and hot by the look of the shadows. So I like the low angle general shot #20 and the spooky doll #11. And don’t stress, you’re doing great.

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    • Hahaha! Thanks so much, Roy. It’s such an interesting place and incredible for people watching. You’re spot on about the time of day and how hot it was outside. #20 was one of my favorites too and who doesn’t love a spooky doll. That particular one has been there for a long time. Not even sure she’s for sale. Just part of the ambiance of the place now.

      I think what I’m most nervous for is the shoots coming up where I’ve got to direct people. I’m doing several senior photo shoots, three family sessions, and my friend’s portrait. The stakes feel higher and I want so much for them to love themselves in the photos.

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    • Thank you! I hope so. I’m nervous. I think mainly because, although I’m doing these for free, to build my portfolio, the potential for them to turn into paid gigs in the future is there. A new career path might open up if I can get good enough to take it. I know I need better gear, which I’m hoping to save up for, but for now, I hope to do good enough they recommend me to their friends, or ask me to do events in their lives. You know? It feels like a restart of my professional life, and I don’t want to mess it up.

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      • Good for you! I think you’ll have tremendous success. My photography professor who I was invited into his advanced workshop moved to France this month. The college fired him by email after 26 years! I’m fortunate to have a friend I worked with who is a photographer (I was in PR). He said he’d help me and gave me excellent information yesterday. He told me with my 400mm lens, I need to be within 15 feet of my subject (I mostly shoot birds.) He also told me about a 1.4 and 2.0 tele extenders that he uses for his bird photography. Instead of spending thousands on a more powerful telephoto lens, the 2.0 tele extender makes my lens 800mm and it’s under $400! He’s in a gallery in Palm Springs and has sold close to 50 photos.

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  6. I think you’re letting a bit of impostor syndrome sink in… I agree with this, “My good friend Angy always says that super scary things mean you’re moving in the right direction.” It does. Use your strengths, focus on what you KNOW you can do best with images and subjects. You would not be booking up so quickly if people did not trust your ability to photograph them or their events.

    The butter fly photos are all great, but they do not move me or force me to focus on them as much as your b&w photos above. Those are spectacular, IMHO.

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  7. I love all the b&w photos from the market! Very atmospheric! ❤ Good luck with your photography! Just surfed on in…. From Sweden

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  8. I love the butterfly photos, and how their colors suddenly pop at the eye after scrolling through the monochrome ones. As a creepy doll lover, I have no problem with those pictures 😉 and think you caught their moodiness. (I own a few and believe they do talk to their human owners!)

    As for your nervousness over future commissions, the more you practice, the easier it gets. It sounds glib, but you already understand storytelling as a writer: your photos will “speak” as well, so focus on framing your subject and finding out their story, and the technical aspects will fall into place. I’ve found the more I fiddle with the settings, the worse my pictures become; but if I focus on the person, landscape, whatever I am trying to capture, the pictures just seem to take themselves. But I believe you are on the right path! Being an artist is difficult and lonely at times, but you know the rewards are great. Love seeing your work here, keep it up!

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