My First Portrait Session Behind The Lens

I've known Vanessa since she was a child and now she is about to graduate college with not one, but two majors (Human Resource Management and Human Development)!

There's nothing like kids graduating college to make you feel old...sigh.  She asked me to take her picture for the ceremony invitations and at first I declined since I usually take pictures of dogs, trees, bird feet and the only people shots are random people living their life and not needing to send the photograph to their entire extended family of 10,000...well, almost.

I said no because I know that there are professionals out there that specialize in this type of photograph and I didn't want to mess it up for her.  I can see it now.  Her family opening up the invitation and saying, "Vanessa is so beautiful!  Who took this horrible picture of her? Let's get them!"  Then at that moment, I imagine an entire town running out of their homes with sticks on fire marching down the street looking for me.

I snapped out of my wild fantasy fear and told her I would do it.  I made sure to give her all of the disclamers in advance.  "I don't know what I am doing," "I don't really take serious people shots." "You and your family might hate me forever if they don't turn out."  You know, rational thinking disclaimers.

I have a new appreciation for wedding and portrait photographers.  I know how picky I am about a picture of myself so I can imagine what a photographer has to go through to make the bride happy.  Not that brides aren't happy, but I am sure there is a lot of pressure for the "perfect wedding day photograph."

Taking pictures of Vanessa was easy.  She didn't care that I had a point and shoot camera.  She didn't mind standing next to the tree (even though she didn't want bugs in her hair), getting in a water fountain, standing next to a shiny sculpture, laying in the grass, sitting on the sand or posing with a bunch of what seemed to be railroad ties.  We laughed the entire time.  I laughed at myself pretending to be a serious fashion photographer giving her words of encouragement like, "mmm humm, work it, yeah...that's it...riiiight...yes, good...beautiful."

In the end, it was a fun day.  It was easy to take Vanessa's picture because she's so beautiful and photogenic.  It doesn't hurt that she has a wonderful smile and an infectious laugh.  Congratulations Vanessa!  I am glad that you were able to see the beach for the first time even though you are graduating at Long Beach State.

Don't Fence Me In

There is beauty in a fence. For some reason, I love to take pictures of them. Perhaps it's because it is a boundary trying to keep me out while I think of ways I can get to the other side. It's the line that tells you to stay where you belong. Sometimes, there is no beginning and no end. Most of the time, I respect the definition but there are moments I don't listen by crossing to the other side.

I am watching the PBS special, "An Emotional Life" that aired last week. You can watch this three part series online about how our brains react to emotions. Part one is friends, family and lovers, part two (I am watching this now) is facing our fears, and part three is rethinking happiness. I would recommend viewing each one.

What does this have to do with fences? Well, I suppose it's not the actual fence, but what the fence represents that's intriguing to me. I know that I have built fences in my brain in ways where I think that I can't get to a place I want to be because of something in the way.

As time moves on or when I think about it, the fences start to soften and loosen up for me to cross. It's still there reminding me of what I built up in my brain to get to a place I want to be.

I think it's good to question why we put up fences in our brain. Blocks to get to where we really want to be. Fear is a big reason and if we face the fear, the fence doesn't seem as intimidating to cross.

As an example: I had a well paid career that I worked hard at for years to get to a place where I had the flexibility to work from home and the amount of money I never thought I would ever make in my lifetime. Why would anyone give that up?

There were so many fears around the unknown for me. There is a good chance I will never make the same amount of money, have the flexibility and perceived "security" that I had. However, it wasn't what I really wanted to do and it didn't make me happy. After much thought and consideration, I left that world to wander around the country with my dog. After two years of being on the road and living as cheap as possible, it has given me more personal fulfillment and satisfaction than the job I had for 7 years.

Don't get me wrong, I love a challenge and I learned a lot in that career position. It just wasn't me and all the amount of money didn't fulfill my need to be who I truly wanted to be.

So here I am. Taking pictures of fences.

I would recommend watching these episodes if you haven't already. They are well done and gives you a chance to reflect on your own thinking and what you can do to get to the place you want to be. I am thankful that I took the leap to make a much needed change in my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Thank you for letting me share it with you. Here are some more pictures of fences I've taken during my travels:






More Fences