2010 a Year in Review

Wow... I am so glad 2011 is upon us and 2010 is in the past; like many of you out there. I think the photo above somewhat represents the year.  It had many challenges, but some of those challenges brought growth and forced me to make some changes.  Looking back the good times, and photos I am proud of, came from some obstacles that I had to overcome.  Some I myself put in front of me as a means of change and to break out of the box a little.  So lets get to it!

I have seen myself grow in so many ways, through my photography, as a conductor and as a person.  I feel like I am starting to find my way in this crazy world, or at least am happy with where I am at and what I am doing.   I am very introverted and don't like conflict so I tend to stay away from possible confrontations, and sometimes interactions all together.  That has started to change this past year and this blog, for instance, has been a great place for me to share and to put myself out there.  I have also been more active on twitter and facebook, and commenting on other's blog posts;  which scored me a camera bag from a blog post on Tiffinbox.org. (A great resource by the way).  These interactions have lead me to be more confident in what I do and have led to some future work.  I have also since met other photographers and had some great conversations; one was really impressed with my work! Ahhh!  To get a compliment from another photographer who has been in the business a long time is a big thing, well at least for me!  I hope my face wasn't too red and the smile to big when he saw a print of mine.  I guess taking a compliment is something I will have to work on in 2011.

Photographically, I feel I have taken some huge gains in my craft and the results prove that.  It has been growing all a long but I have really noticed it's growth this past year and I will share some images in a bit but would like to thank only some of those for their inspirational blogs and content that has given me the spark to go for it.  These are just a few of the many that I look at everyday.

Don Giannatti with Lighting-Essentials
Zack Arias
Chase Jarvis
Skip Cohen with Marketing Essentials
Trudy
David duChemin
Seshu with Tiffinbox.org
David E Jackson
Jack Hollingsworth
Scott Bourne at Photofocus
Everyone at The Photography Corner






Now lets get to the photos! Starting with somewhat of a chronological look at the portraits I have taken this year.

    

Here are some favorite Fine Art shots I got this year.

Thanks 2010 for a great growing experience, now on to bigger things for 2011!

I love what I do...

But, that doesn't mean I am not fighting and working hard to have this.  My most recent shoots, and the concert I conducted, have been so much fun and I have had great people to work with.  All it took was taking that first step and doing it.  It was tough for me but you know what, it was totally worth it!  I came away with some great images, and a performance, and in turn made my clients (friends) happy as well.  That was the best part.  Seeing their face light up when the peek at the LCD, or hearing the excitement after a concert, just confirms that I am doing what I love, I just need the confidence to keep doing it.  Building that confidence is easy; through practice and dedication.  Example: here is one from the first 5 frames I took of her.

I immediately knew this shoot was going to go well, and I showed her them and a huge smile flashed across her face.  We were then able to get shots like this:

Timid me, would normally not try this, in fear of getting in trouble, even though I knew it would a great thing to do.  I just did it.  Nothing happened, and we got a great shot out of it.  I was confident in my abilities and that pushed past the doubts so I could get what I was envisioning.

I really think that I have gained a tremendous amounts of confidence in these past few shoots, and my first concert conducting the Casco Bay Concert Band.  That is what I think was holding me back from making that first step.  So, now that I have made that first step... I need to keep the ball rolling. Follow through is the next hurdle that I need to overcome.  I'm ready!

Fear = Change

So while out for a run the other day I had a pretty big realization about me and my photography, especially the growth of my photography.  I am afraid... of several things, and it is holding me back from reaching the goals I have in my head. 

So what am I afraid of exactly? I wasn’t sure and it took the remainder of my run to figure it out. The multiple facets of my personality have their own fears but it all comes down to the unknown and leaving the comfort zone.  The introvert in me doesn’t want to meet new people in fear of rejection or not pleasing them in some way.  The business person is afraid of not pleasing the customer; having seen my share of unhappy customers as an employee in a retail setting.  I am also afraid of not being disciplined enough to get what needs to get done.  I am afraid of that big step, I know once I step and start to walk then I will be fine, it's the first one that gets me.  All of these fears have been proven not to be an issue in other areas of my life, like teaching, but I still find I am tied in knots trying to move forward.  All of these personas are needed to run my own business, and they need to be in better control for myself but more importantly my potential clients.

Some solutions to this are mentioned in this article, although not the “magic wand” everyone wants, but they resonated with me.  I, for one, need to take it slower and get into a routine of getting out of my comfort zone.  For instance, little things, I run on a trail and go the same way every time.  This past run, maybe the reason for the revelation, I decided to take a shorter run and go the opposite way.  It is still the same, comfortable path, but I am going about it at a different angle.  I am very good about talking the talk but need to walk the walk so I can eventually run the run if you will.


This blog, being another huge step, will be a place to put the new and exciting things that I do to further myself and my photography.  I will share photos, stories, trials and tribulations but  please excuse the writing for now as it will come with time.  Comments are more than welcome as long as they are appropriate to the conversation.