Number 13B

More from today. I had a total of fifteen minutes to get some shots today. Tomorrow I will be doing a few PR shots for the Sultan Safety fair and having dinner with some friends.

I think there is potential in finding a variety of objects to hold up my hair. This is something I will have to give more thought to.

Number 13

Another afternoon spent taking apart cable components.

Number 12

This was taken yesterday as I was in the process of photographing cable system equipment. I was listening to This American Life on my iphone. All of those boxes, racks and cords are what make up the head end of a cable system. The signal comes in through the satellite, goes to a digital decoder, then to a modulator and out onto the cable. With a few exceptions (the move to digital decoders) this is the same technology which has been in place for decades. RF technology doesn't change much.

Unfortunately, none of this really helped our cable endeavor. This system was unidirectional; meaning you could deliver information to customers but they could not send anything back. So, no Internet could be delivered on this system without major upgrades.... In order to justify an upgrade, you have to have paying customers.

So, I am now in the process of dismantling the components of this system and selling what I can and recycling or trashing the rest.

Is anyone in the market for a really big satellite dish?

Day 11

You will notice a 10 day gap. The past few days have been so busy I haven't been able to take the time to put the thought into this I wanted to. My goal for this is twofold. I want to improve my portrait skills and I want to see myself in a new light. As the weather turns from this rainy, cold spring into summer I hope to be more creative in posing, props, etc... I am really fond of my remote shutter release. I need to find some sort of extension cord for it so I can move onto some full body shots.

In the next week I plan on cleaning out the garage to set up my studio equipment for the remaining rainy days. The storage unit is also going to have a thorough cleaning ahead of it. I have a dismantled cable system to get on e-bay.

Day 10

Day 9

Day 8

Day 7

I wanted to make sure people know I do, in fact smile. This was taken at dusk with a tripod and a remote shutter release. I love the way the light is coming through the fence posts in the background.

Today was a long day. Tomorrow is going to be a a long day as well. I have to go to Everett to sign a release to get medical records transferred to a new doctor. New medical insurance is a pain. I wasn't particularly attached to the old Dr. so this may be a good change.

On the business front, I need to get some ads out as soon as there is money to do so. The other business has some impending issues. The accountant keeps coming up with questions which seem to have obvious answers for me. It seems we are paying an awful large sum for me to have to do this much leg work. C'est la vie.

Day 6

Yesterday the wind howled and the clouds spit rain. Amid the gloom are the rhododendrons and azaleas blooming in my front yard. I took advantage of a brief respite in the rain for this photograph.

Over the next month I need to make a point of cleaning out the garage to set up my lights and backdrops. I also need to obtain a reflector stand in the interest of being able to manipulate ambient light without an assistant.

Day 5

The 25th we spent the morning at Lake Tye with the munchkin for the annual fishing derby. The little one caught her first fish. We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather that day. So far this spring is making up for the mild winter.

This photograph was taken later in the evening as we were helping TK move one more exit on I-5 away from Seattle. Yes, this is a traditional "cam-ho" pose but my resources were pretty limited and I needed to make sure I got something in for the day. On the upside, I really like how my eyes turned out.

Day 4

I was still feeling the after-effects of migraine on the 25th. The day was spent cleaning house and taking the munchkin to swimming lessons. By the end of the day I felt as washed out as this photo.

Day 3

Nothing on for the 23rd. There was too much miscellaneous other stuff going on and I didn't have a chance to even think about getting my camera.

Day 2

This was taken in my backyard two hours before sunset. I ran outside to take a quick picture before getting dinner on the table. One thing you can't see in this picture is the red lining my irises towards the center of my face. This translates to me having a migraine.

A migraine headache is unique in that it is caused by the blood vessels expanding. This is why caffeine can help a migraine; it constricts blood vessels. So this was quick and dirty. Now off to a quiet dark room for me.

Day 1

Day 1 was quite difficult. I stood in front of the mirror thinking of all my imperfections. My glasses make it hard to see my eyes. My ears are crooked. My freckles are turning into age spots. I have crow's feet. My chin is too big. My forehead is too big. I need to lose weight. My eyebrows are getting bushy. I can go on forever.

So, I thought what do I like when I look in the mirror? Then the answer came to me. I love my hair. It has a natural curl to it which is brought out beautifully by the lazy humidity of the Pacific Northwest. It is long; most of the time my hair can be found in a bun held up with a pencil, a knitting needle, a crochet hook or, on very rare occasions, an actual hair stick.

My hair seemed as good a place to start as any other. Give me some time and i will eventually get around to the rest of my face.

365 days...

On a suggestion I decided to become one of many to take a self-portrait every day for the next 365 days. This is going to be difficult for me because like many others I do not like the way I look. Over the course of the past few years I have taken portraits for many women who do not fit the conventional defininition of beauty. These sessions have often resulted in some of my favorite photographs. So, off I start on this journey.

The meat of this project will be on this public blog with the occasional reference to other social media.

Bella Vita Girls

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of doing a portrait shoot with Brie'n and Nichole, the proprietors of Bella Vita Planning & Paper Company. We spent a wonderful afternoon walking along the Snohomish River scouting out good locations. Overall, I am happy with the results.

I wish I had brought my reflector with me so I could have taken advantage of the sun and a larger variety of locations. To this end, my next photo purchase is going to be a reflector stand. The bottom line is, I am usually doing shoots on my own and holding a reflector in the correct position while trying to snap a picture is unrealistic. There were a lot of excellent locations I couldn't use because the sun wasn't cooperating.

wings and things

If you ever want to make a room of people smile just take a little girl, put her in a full-skirted dress and a pair of wings. I have seen this strategy successfully implemented at many summer weddings. Every girl wants to wear wings. All of us. The size, shape and variety may differ, but every woman is the star of her own fairy tale.

A good pair of wings can be an incredibly versatile prop and not just for children. Costumes are a powerful tool. A costume frees us to express things we might normally keep hidden. Clothes define us; they are an outward expression of who we are, where we come from, and where we would like to be.

Perhaps it is my background in theater, but I am a tremendous fan of costumes. I like my photographs to be playful and I firmly believe putting a costume on someone allows them a certain freedom to step out of their comfort zone and relax in front of the camera. Just like wearing a suit to an important business meeting will boost confidence, the right set of clothes will open up a person up to express who they are.

Society often dictates what we wear and when. A portrait session is a rare opportunity to create a visual representation of how we want to be remembered whether it be in an evening gown, a suit, jeans and a t-shirt or wearing wings.