Spent a few days by the ocean for my daughter’s birthday. It was a lovely, relaxing time filled with giggles, music and games. I’ve been going so much lately it feels good to finally be home this week. I’m taking a little time to get my house back in order, return to my regular routine, and focus on my health.
On July 1st, I’ll be launching my 100 Day Poetry Project and be posting daily here again. You’ll see me experimenting a lot with words as I work on my poetry book which I hope to publish by Christmas. In addition, I’m adding more clients to my calendar and working on a website to officially launch my photography business in January of next year. This includes getting a business plan and license, buying new gear, and taking a few more classes.
For now though, let’s watch the sunset together. Let me know if you have a favorite and have a fantastic rest of your week!
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Also…
When Lola was little we went to hundreds of music festivals. Over the weekend she played Pops in the Park, a huge outdoor music concert with three bands. Watching her perform while little girls danced in front of her…it was a big moment in a year of big moments. Here’s a few of my favorite photos. Thanks G.I.R.L.S. Rock Sacramento!
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, with various lenses.
These were taken at Cornish Pasty, Red Rock Canyon overlook, and near Fremont Street. I wanted these to look out of time, so I focused on a different color palette using a vintage preset as a launching place. I left the grain on these, and love how they turned out.
Let me know what you think and if you have a favorite.
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These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, 12-50mm lens.
The #100DayProject ended on June 2nd. It was a wild, exhausting, fulfilling, and beautiful experience. Here’s my final images and a brief recap.
First, the numbers: I delivered 20 full galleries to photography clients, each with an average of 100 photos. I don’t have a count on total number of photos taken (that number would be embarrassing), but I edited 3,384 photos. That’s a lot of practice!
My biggest take aways:
Storytelling behind the lens is beautiful, and I love it more and more every day.
I really need a camera with a bigger sensor so I can capture low light easier.
Editing and color theory are so interesting, and I have a lot more to learn.
Documentary-style photography is my whole heart.
This can become a second career for me.
I can push through even on hard days.
Challenges work for me.
Not all of these are revelations, or even surprising, but they all give me information which can help shape my path forward. Let me know what you think of these images, if you have a favorite, and if you see improvement.
Thanks for following along!
If you missed the earlier posts and want to compare:
These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using various lenses and edited with Lightroom Classic.
What’s next for me?
I’ve got several more photo shoots lined up in the next few weeks, and then I’m taking a brief break to do a 100 day poetry project. My heart still wants to finish my book dedicated to Neil, and so, I’ll give myself that challenge. I’ll begin on July 1st and end on October 9th. My goal is to have the book published by Christmas. I hope you all will indulge me sharing lots of poems starting in July, with a smattering of photography as well.
Here’s hoping I can find balance and keep up my motivation!
Last week’s quick trip to Dillon Beach for my birthday, was a wonderful reset. I got to watch a magical sunset (joined by my women’s group on Zoom), take a nap, play rummy with my daughter, and listen to the sound of the waves for an entire day.
I also got an unexpected show! The Sonoma County Sheriff, Marin County Fire Department, and CalFire were holding training sessions right on the beach. From the balcony of the house we were staying at, I pretended to be a journalist documenting the scene. It was wild fun and a wonderful way to cap off the trip. They aren’t the best quality, as I was pretty far away and didn’t have my biggest zoom camera, but it was fun to document the entire thing.
Hope you enjoy these photos and let me know if you have a favorite.
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.
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.
My beautiful sister and her family invited me on a trip with them last weekend to the ocean. For a moment, all the worries of life were swept to the side. I got to be a kid with a camera. Dogs. Forts. Dance parties. Card games. Laughs. Deer. A hornet bite on my neck (not so fun). Reading in bed. Coffee on the balcony. Seagulls. Snuggles by the fire. A sea monster sighting (maybe). Salt water taffy. Mint tea. A stunning sunset.
I’m starting to feel words swirling inside me again. They seem almost ready to come forth. Yesterday, one of the local indie bookstores, Bloodstone Books, emailed “can you bring more books to the shop? We are officially out.” I can almost forget sometimes my book is in the world, but people are buying it. Slowly but surely. Taking more copies to them today, which feels fantastic.
My daughter is having some scary health struggles and my son is getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow. Life continues to throw things at us, but damn, I sure do love seeing it all through the camera lens. For those taking the time to view all my photos lately, THANK YOU!
Let me know if you have a favorite photo and have a fantastic day!
This week I was reminded again at how complicated emotions can be, at how we can hold both tremendous grief and overwhelming love in the same breath. It was a week of tragedy, connection, rock camp, fairy doors, bubbles, car talks, and two panic attacks.
Would I argue with the rain or clouds or the ocean itself? I see faces, I see shapes, I see love wanting only to freely bloom. I think I won’t complain.–Neil Reid
I’m still struggling, but I’m finding my way forward. Part of that path involves showing up here with you, even if I have to fight myself to do it.
About a month ago, my daughter and I drove up the coast of California into Oregon and Washington. Although this trip wasn’t what I had hoped, I got some pretty photos. Here are some of the best from day one.
I’d love to know if you have a favorite photo; can you guess mine?
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These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
You needed to see the sunset because the world felt too chaotic. We spent two nights together watching the sky become gold and then black. I couldn’t erase the pain behind your eyes, but I could remind you what was in the sky. It’s always there for you, as I am.
“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” —Rabindranath Tagore
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This is dedicated to my daughter’s best friend. Believe in yourself always, dearest. The sunset will always ground you as the ocean inspires you. I believe in you.
Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
Fall into the waves with me before we dance among the bowed heads of the pink flowers. Did you see the deer? The starfish? The seagull? What did they have to say to you? I thought I heard them giggling. Perhaps they know more than I do about what’s to come.
“I spent uncounted hours sitting at the bow looking at the water and the sky, studying each wave, different from the last, seeing how it caught the light, the air, the wind; watching patterns, the sweep of it all, and letting it take me. The sea.” —Gary Paulsen
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The last photo is of my brother’s dog Henry. He’s such a good boy! All photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
Here are some of my favorite photos from my birthday trip to Dillon Beach. This trip was about connection and reflection. Cloud cover allowed for only one sunset and it was an odd one. The sun flattened to a bowl shape and was swallowed by the sea. I found it inspiring and somehow fitting for the place I am right now. Bring on weird!
Let me know if you have a favorite photo.
“I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself.”—Franz Kafka
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These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.
Bridgette Tales 