Where do photographers find the time to do what they love to do? You know, make pictures. It’s very easy to make them when someone is paying you to do so. But between all of the tasks I listed above, sometimes it’s hard to find the time to go out and photograph. At least it is for me lately.

Last week, I “treated” myself to 3 days of shooting for me. I hadn’t visited the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge before so I packed up the car with my camera and bicycle to do some exploring. When I got there and realized  the place was relatively empty of tourists but full of middle aged men carrying around 20lb, 600mm+ lenses, I felt I might have under-packed. Or not. I reminded myself that I’m not a wildlife photographer (or a lawyer with unlimited photo budget), and was able to happily ride along on my bike looking for my photos. The photos I wanted to make.

It seems to me, spending time by yourself doing what you love is a great way to grow as an artist + photographer + person.

Photographers: What do you photograph when the subject is totally up to you? How do you make time in your schedule to make this work?

For him, “The major concern …was to create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time… Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed right on this site or for this purpose. But here, at the edge of the Mississippi River, a great arch did seem right.”  - excerpt from the National Park Service Website

If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the Arch, I highly recommend it. Bring a picnic, lay on the ground and enjoy the beautiful, simplistic design symbolizing our Nation’s move westward.

The Jefferson Memorial at dawn

If you come to DC in late March/early April, you know about the cherry blossoms. The city erupts in activity as the 3,000+ cherry trees around the National Mall (mostly the Tidal Basin)  transform  in beautiful white and pink flowers. The trees were a gift from Japan in 1912, so this year marks the 100th anniversary celebration. Peak bloom has already passed and thanks to the wind and rain last weekend, the blooms have retired for the season. I managed to get down there just in time to see them last Friday. There’s still a lot going on to celebrate so check out the official Cherry Blossom Festival website for info on the history, events and  how to get involved.

The blooms are definitely a bucket list kind of thing…

I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many photographers in one place & so early in the morning. If you were down there, check out the photography competition that FotoDC and the Cherry Blossom Festival are running: Deadline April 15th.

 Today is World Water Day.

The goal of this day is to stress the importance of sustainable practices with our freshwater resources. This year’s theme is on “Water and Food Security” which is a huge issue as our population grows and our resources dry up. Their website has a lot of great information and videos to help us make better decisions about how we consume this precious natural resource.

Spring is here and it’s day earlier than most years (thank you leap year!). The vernal equinox is a day for balance and peace. Day and night are equal today. Revel in the light and the balance that it creates.  Take a moment to smell the flowers, go for a walk and enjoy Earth’s natural beauty.

“I hold no preference among flowers, so long as they are wild, free, spontaneous.” -Edward Abbey

“Nature does nothing in vain.” – Aristole

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.
-Chinese Proverb

“Nobody sees a flower really; it is so small. We haven’t time, and to see takes time – like to have a friend takes time.”  -Georgia O’Keffe

One of many jellyfish that were washed up on shore.

Last week I found myself on the beach in Alabama. A beautiful beach. The same beach that experienced the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest in history. Scientists are still studying the long term effects that the Deepwater Horizon explosion will have on marine life. With the 2 year anniversary of the spill coming up on April 20th I wonder what we’ve learned? Have we changed because of this tragedy? Or have we simply gone back to business as usual now that everything appears to look fine? As I walked the beach each morning at sunrise, I  wondered…what will we know about all of this 10 years from now?

Orange Beach, Alabama

Quiet morning on the beach.

Orange Beach, AL

I’m probably one of the few people that look forward to a snowy winter. I like stomping around in the woods with my snowshoes. Going sledding on the biggest hill I can find. Yes, I’m that adult flying down the hill while all the parents hope I don’t run over their little ones with my makeshift sled. My feeling is that if it’s going to be cold, we might as well have snow and have some fun.  Virginia hasn’t seen much snow this winter at all. In fact it’s been pretty darn mild – my tulips are already coming up. But the snow that has fallen has been lovely and a reason to step away from my computer and tax preparations to make some new photographs…

One morning on the beach near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, I found a little message in the sand.

Over a 5 year period, 1979-1984, Richard Avedon set out to photograph the working class in the American West. It was a project initiated by Mitchell Wilder, the director of Fort Worth’s Amon Carter Museum in Texas. In 1985, the portraits were shown at the museum unframed and sized anywhere between 4 feet to 11 feet high. There are images of the exhibition on the Avedon Foundation website. Visitors did not find imagery of Western socialites but instead saw images of drifters, housekeepers, miners, carneys, ranchers and migrant workers. And they were astonished, and some were angry. Apparently, numerous newspapers deemed the images cruel and cynical even though the subjects when seeing the photographs had a positive response. Eventually, the work gained praise from the establishment and is considered “a touchstone in the history of American photography” -from preface, John Rohrbach, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Amon Carter Museum.

Richard Wheatcroft, rancher. Jordon, Montana 6/19/81 and 6/27/83

Published by Abrams in 2005, you can search online for copies and they seem to run around $120. This is one of my favorite books in my collection and one that I come back to time and time again for inspiration. I think it’s a wonderful collection of images depicting real people. Honest and open. In addition, it is a beautifully printed book, thick paper and high quality binding. All things I love and appreciate.

Boyd Fortin, thirteen year old. Sweetwater, Texas 3/10/79

If you’ve been following the blog, you’ve probably noticed that I have a “small” obsession with dogs. My dogs, your dogs, crazy dogs, happy dogs, intense dogs, unlucky dogs, all dogs. So, I’ve decided to combine my obsessions – dogs & photography – to see where it’ll take me. Everyone has resolutions, mine is to simply follow a path that makes me happy, that makes me excited to get up in the morning. To do that, I’m working to shed all of the negativity and self doubt that I put on myself and have some fun. I have the best job in the world and it’s getting better everyday.

Gizmo is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve met in a while. The minute I walked in the door we were best buds. So, so friendly and so smart. His owner, Carolyn, is also a photographer so he knows what a camera is. And he’s not impressed. Not even with the camera phones. He knows and will quickly look away. Or hide. It’s really just a game of distraction. Squirrel!