Bubbles

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Photography: #100DayProject Second Update

It’s Day 45 of the #100DayProject and I’m still going strong. Since we are almost at the halfway point, it felt like a good time to reflect on what I’ve learned so far.

  • Storage: I ran out of space on my hard drive. It was inevitable, but I finally had to do something about it. I now have an external hard drive, and I’ve moved several years’ worth of photos onto it, organized into folders by date and subject.
  • Editing: Once I tackled spacing issues, I had to face my inconsistent workflow. I was using multiple programs to edit and save photos with no long-term planning. It’s embarrassing, but I would edit them on my desktop, put them on the blog, and then get rid of the edited versions. Argh. Now, I’m close to having a good working system, which keeps edited photos and the RAW versions.
  • Skills: I’ve taken four classes so far—posing, exposure triangle, light, and senior photography as a business. I’m starting an editing class next week. It’s a lot to learn, and having to take and edit photos daily, along with everything else in my life, is proving to be exhausting.
  • Time: I’m behind on editing. Having to take a week to move things over to the new hard drive and organize all my photos has put me behind. I’m still going to share some of my bigger shoots with you, but some will just be practice.
  • Camera: I’m discovering the limits of having a camera with a Micro Four Thirds (MFT) sensor. Also, learning a lot about how prime lenses work and dreaming now of all the beautiful gear I can someday afford.
  • Career goals: My timeline of taking a year to really figure out if I can do this for a business is proving wise. I’ve had a few freak-out moments, some big missteps, and I’m learning the well of knowledge is pretty deep. 

As I haven’t had time to edit or share any photos for over a week, I thought it would be nice to share some of these with you. My nephew and goddaughter are my models a lot, but you’ll also see my daughter’s friend Layla in here, critters from my yard, items from the Antique Trove, animals at the Sacramento Zoo, and my friend’s fairy backyard.

While I’m falling even more in love with photography, the editing and tech side of photography has me kind of overwhelmed. And I miss writing. I’ve not had time to do any at all, and I’m feeling weird about that.

It’s hard to believe my book is almost a year old. I need to promote it more, maybe throw a party for the anniversary, but then again, I feel like the book did its job. You know? I’m proud of the work I did, but I think when I have more books to market, it will find a greater audience.

All this to say, sorry I’ve been away, and here are some pictures for you to look at. Let me know if you have a favorite and if you see improvement. It’s hard for me to tell if I’m just spinning my wheels or if they are indeed getting better.

Thank you!

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Bonus photo taken of me by my daughter’s friend Layla:

  • If you’re unfamiliar with the #100DayChallenge, it’s simple. You choose any creative project you like and do it every day for 100 days, sharing your process on social media using the hashtag #The100DayProject. This year the dates are Feb. 22-June 2.
  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic.
  • To follow Anna’s progress in the 100 Days. visit Little Bits of Thread
  • See what my friend Angelica’s doing for her 100 Days, visit Journal of a Wayward Writer
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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.
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Photography: Updates from my Backyard

Just popping in from the land of editing to share with you a few quick shots taken with my iPhone in the backyard yesterday. I also want to share exciting things happening:

  • My short story collection book has a name and an ISBN number.
  • I’ve hired an artist to create a book cover and it should be done in February.
  • Yesterday, a kindergartner told me I was pretty.
  • I’ve decided on a new photo project—portraits of strong women. I’ve got the first three models/friends booked and I’m excited to see how this grows.
  • Tonight, I’m going to an art event celebrating Rebels, which is the exact energy I want to bring into this year.
  • Bubbles and sunshine filled my yard again.
  • I recently got Lightroom. My photos might look a bit different as I figure out how to use this new software, but I’m excited for a new challenge.
  • My camellias and daffodils are blooming.
  • My 5-year-old nephew is obsessed with gnomes and it’s the best thing over.
  • Tomorrow I’m taking my daughter to see Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and I get to wear my old cowboy boots.

The world feels like such a mess, so I hope you forgive my need to celebrate all the things. Tell me something good happening in your backyard today and I hope you have a fantastic week.

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  • These photos were taken with my iPhone and edited using Lightrooom.