Signs of Spring

My two most favorite times of each year are the transitions from summer to fall and winter to spring.  I suffer from severe cabin fever so being able to get out wearing flip-flops and shorts is like rebirth.

With the coming of spring, the birds become more active..  Searching for a mate, nest building and establishing territories..this all makes for some fun photo opps!

More here.....

Work that continues to inspire me

I don't know much about this photographer, but I know I lover her work..  I follow Deb Layden's blog and web posts with childish anticipation.  Ironic because her niche is "capturing the experience of childhood and beyond".

Pay a visit to her website...she has a wonderful eye, produces some inspiring compositions and does fantastic work in post production and delivery.  She also does some workshops that I have on my To-Do list for this year...


Pixel Fairies Productions..  Website and blog

List , charts and sketchs can keep you focused and save time

I'm a list person... I sketch and doodle a lot.  I have lists for everything.  I have an iPhone app to keep track of my lists.   So it should be of little surprise to find that I make photography lists and sketches.  Lists of things I want to photograph; How I want to photograph them; Workshops I will be doing; Topics to share here in the blog..

Consider quick napkin notes of ideas you want depict in your photo session.  Many will agree that working from a self-assignment can help give your random ideas some direction and form.  You don't need to be an artist, nor do you need to be overly detailed.

Creating a schematic after a recent workshop has helped me recreate the shooting and light setup and will save me a ton of effort next time I want a similar setup.  Historically I will make three to five revisions of a particular setup on scrap paper before committing it to one of my journal.  The journal has a rather random flow, but I keep an index in the back of each book and use a keyword hierarchy to navigate back to the entries of lists, camera settings and schematics that fill the front pages.

It's not how good you are, but how good you want to be...

One of the things I find myself saying during my workshops and seminars is that, "it's not how good you are, but how good you want to be."

Well, in 2010 I am going to stop reading my press clippings and get this ball rolling. Over this past year watching the [M] School take shape, I have really found that I have a passion for helping people.  Well, I knew this already, but the more I do it, the more I like it. I have always enjoyed helping others master something new and challenging and, truth told, I should have been a teacher of some sort.  Mom knew it too.  She always said..."if you know something well enough to teach it someone else, you know it really well..and you know it well!"  (She also sent me out to 'get some fresh air' as the universal remedy for what-ever might have been ailing me... thanks Mom.  I suppose fresh air is better than Windex).

This year I am going to really focus on motivating and inspiring people, and encouraging them to step up and reach beyond their self-imposed boundaries.

I'm not messing around. No more wasting time, no more excuses. I am all about helping others, busting free and having fun at the same time. A reputation of changing peoples lives will precede me. 

I have a lot on my plate for 2010 and a lot to share...I hope you'll stick around to listen to, watch and read my stories. Thanks in advance for following along.