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We are very honored and excited that one of our photos has been featured on JPGmag’s blog post on Animal Photography! The lead image is a shot of our dog Malo, a fawn pug, as he lies prostrate on the kitchen floor next to his food dish. This image is also entered, along with several others into JPGmag’s “Dog Days” photo contest. If you have a minute please check out our photos and vote!
When I left corporate life in June 2007, I made a proclamation of sorts. In my farewell letter I wrote, “… it’s time to simplify and live my values. Focus on having and sharing experiences rather than making money and buying stuff. Biking instead of driving. Taking pictures. Gardening. Raising chickens. Playing with the dogs. Writing letters. Learning new tricks. Climbing rocks. Volunteering. And yes, smelling the roses.”
By November of that year I had covered the list and then some, with the exception of volunteering… Somehow I hadn’t found (made) the time, and wasn’t quite sure who I wanted to work with. That all changed one night while throwing darts at a pub with my husband. A few folks were playing darts next to us, and before long we were getting schooled by a couple of AmeriCorps Vista volunteers. Turns out one of them had just moved to Portland to work with REACH Community Development. REACH is Portland non-profit that provides affordable housing, free home repairs for senior and disabled homeowners, and programs to help residents “stay in their housing, raise their standard of living and connect to local resources and opportunities.”
Before long he learned I was a photographer, and I kid you not, his next words were, “Ever do any pro bono work?” At this point in my young career as a photographer, it seemed ALL I did was pro bono work. But my own words echoed in my head, reminding me of my values and I agreed to shoot an upcoming Community Builders event.
I have been volunteering for REACH ever since, shooting various events and work days throughout the year and sponsoring the 2008 and 2009 Paint & Repair-a-thon. This year, however, marked my first commissioned projects for REACH, and will culminate next week at the REACH Annual Donor Lunch. Each year they do a slideshow or video presentation, and I am honored they asked me to work on the piece this year. Even more exciting for me is the fact that my husband composed and performed a beautiful piano piece for the soundtrack.
As I don’t want to take away from next week’s event, I will wait to post the presentation. In the mean time, do check out REACH’s website, and if you’re so inclined, sign up as a volunteer or donor. It will be time/money well spent. The best part by far, though, is meeting the people who’s lives are directly impacted by REACH’s programs. The stories are inspiring, moving, and some are nothing short of astounding.
Well, it has been a very busy summer. Been dividing my time between photography projects, weddings, rock climbing & travel, web development, and our urban homestead [which we like to call "InStead"].
It is time, however, to focus on the business, and as such I have gotten myself a mentor. Ethan Jewett, a good friend and wonderful talent has agreed to take me under his wing. This will definitely keep me busy for a while. I think I’m already booked solid for the week! I’m very excited and grateful for the tutelage.
My own website is woefully overdue for an overhaul, but in the meantime, I have updated the testimonials page to include some more recent raves, and have uploaded a few more pics to my Flickr page.
There’s a lot of truth in this comic for most independent photographers… I know I didn’t fully anticipate how expensive this would get. I suppose when it was just my “hobby”, I didn’t have the need to keep track of how much money I spent on equipment, software, computers, etc. But now it’s a requirement. I only have one word: ouch. So now I need to really focus on building a business, getting work more consistently, and yes, marketing myself.
I’m not 100% sure what the best approach is, so I’m throwing all kinds of stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks. I think the first thing I need to do is find a mentor or two, second is do a LOT more networking. And I need to revamp my website to start driving more traffic this way.
I am delighted to announce my second exhibition of photography at the Morning Star Cafe. There will be an opening reception Friday, March 7th from 6-8pm. The photos in the exhibition are from my recent trip to Patagonia and capture various aspects of the wild, rugged, austere, and vast landscape. I’m very excited to be able to show the work, and hope to see you at the opening!
The Morning Star Cafe is downtown at:
510 SW Third Avenue
Portland, OR 97204
phone: 503-241-2401
