Groundhog Day! (South Jersey Photographer)

 

Dear Mr. Punxsutawney Phil,

I would like to let you know that shadows are good. Please do not be afraid of your shadow this February because I have some exciting plans for spring and I really don't want 6 more weeks of winter! LOL! Seriously, though, if I could convince that little bugger to bring on spring faster, I sure would! I have been inspired by two amazing Texas photographers and their use of the colorful, unique places around them. I started driving differently around my town, looking at the incredible backgrounds I never knew were there. With a new vision in my brain, I am seeing the potential of so many new places that are a few minutes' drive from here. But today is one of those days where your jeans freeze instantly on your legs and moving actually hurts! You know what I mean if you've stepped outside lately around these parts of the country. Gray skies, flurries, bitter cold. Not fun. It's frustrating to be so ready to shoot but you can't! So I'm begging Punxsutawney Phil to embrace his shadow and bring on some nice weather! I can't wait to post up some new work and shoot at the fun new locations I have discovered!

What's in your (vacuum) bag? south jersey photographer

I finally had some time to do a little spring cleaning in the studio. I moved all the equipment and props from one side of the room to the other, and gave it a gooooooood vacuuming! I had to smile as I watched what was filling up the vacuum. I can honestly say that the vacuum bag consists of a little dust and mostly GLITTER!! You know, glitter, the stuff that makes little girls sparkle!! I was so amused by this concept of having the prettiest dirt in my vacuum that I had to write about it!

I am about to hang a new backdrop and steam out the wrinkles for my next shoot. What's in the works? Well, there's a first birthday, a second birthday, a third birthday, two weddings, and a sexy valentine for some lucky guy...

I have enjoyed this winter so far. Did I just say that?? Wow. I had so much to do and I feel much better being stuck indoors when outdoors is cold and miserable anyhow. I am still working on several projects but I have completed the homemade pinhole camera I bought myself for Christmas! It took days to build since glue had to dry before you could move on. The camera takes...... drum roll, please...... FILM!!! I shot the first test roll and well, not too shabby for a cardboard camera in the year 2010! I am so excited about its old school look. For those of you who still love an occasional roll of film in your life, I use a lab called Viewpoint Photo located in Marlton, NJ. (856)596-8118 It is the last best place to process film and get quality prints. The two shots above are from the pinhole camera! One is a "quadruple exposure!" Enjoy your day!!

The Un-Blog

Happy New Year to all! Being an avid Facebooker, I have seen many of you sticking to your resolutions and making all the wonderful changes you said you would! Kudos to all!

I am calling this post the Un-Blog and I will explain why. When I first started blogging, I thought it would be fun and easy. I usually love talking and sharing. But I found that the things I wanted to say were quite personal and I had to filter the feelings I wanted to really write about. But today, since I am in rare form and it's a new year, I'm going to tell a story that most would say I should not have been so open about.

It starts with another photographer's blog. I enjoy seeing other photographer's work so much! It's an obsession, but a healthy one! The talent is intoxicating and the inspiration is priceless! I love reading blogs to see how my colleagues and I are living the artful life.

I recently read a New Years blog written by a talented photographer who was making a list of all the people she wanted to thank for "really" helping her "get where she is today." I got instant chills. See, I thought about that list of people I would thank for getting me where I am today, and well, there's no one on it. Sad, but true, I can honestly say that other than the man who built my lovely website, I have no one to thank for helping me to get where I am today. The reason, I chose to write about this is because when you see the work I will post from this holiday season, you will know that I did every single bit of it by myself, from start to finish, with no help at all. I think that's something to be proud of! And so that is why I am being brutally honest in this post. I do see how far I still have to go, and I realize that getting there alone will be a long journey, but I have been trekking down this road alone for years and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon. There is so much I still want to learn and maybe someday, I will have some people to put on that list! I look forward to that.