photo52

How many people out there dream of just doing their own thing? Being your own boss. Make the photographs you want to make. Wouldn’t that be nice? Well, in an effort to make that happen I’ve decided to give this a try. I will be selling my archival photographic prints at the Portland Art Festival on August 28 from 9-4 along with about 300 local and regional artists. I’ve enjoyed printing my work and I’m excited to show it. The goal here is to have some fun, see if this could be another outlet for my work and of course, another source of income. Here’s a preview of the prints that will be on display. All of the photographs will be from my personal project on Water.

Images from Maine, Virginia and Mexico.

If you’re in the area on the 28th, stop by and see me!

The Potomac River at Sunrise.

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer and have been able to witness beautiful sunrises like this one.

Get out of bed, you won’t regret it :)

Occoquan Reservoir #3, 2010.

I love every aspect of this personal project. It gets me back out on the water, which is where I naturally love to be. It’s ingrained in some way. On the water. Near the water. With the water. In the water. It has also helped to give me a little more focus on what my photographic purpose could be…

With all of the horrifying news coming from the Gulf of Mexico these days, I feel that this project is even more important than me getting to play in a kayak. It’s made me realize that I’d like to take it a step further and do some good. Make a difference. Educate people and help fund conservation projects. Because we humans need water. Clean water. As a photographer, I’ve been searching for that cause, that purpose for years and it was right in front of me the whole time. This cause is a natural fit for me. So please, if you have any suggestions or places that you think I should check out, let me know. This project will be long term.

For now, I will be donating a percentage of my print sales to help clean up the gulf.

Let’s hope they can plug that hole soon….

Occoquan Reservoir #2, 2010.

Occoquan Reservoir #1, 2010.

Lake Champlain #1, 2010.

Lake Champlain #2, 2010.

Here are a few more images from my Water & Light project. Enjoy!!

An early spring day at the Occoquan Reservoir

Balance.

If I’ve learned anything in the past year, it’s that running around doing work all the time is not conducive to having a clear, creative mind. When I have a To-Do list a mile long, there’s little chance of me creating new, interesting work. My mind just isn’t in it.

So, how does one deal with the pressures of life and still produce good work? I’m not really sure, but my current game-plan is to find balance on a daily basis. Some ways I’ve been doing this is getting up a little earlier to practice yoga and meditate in the morning, playing with my dogs when I get home, and leaving time before bed to read my book. Today I explored a new park with David and the two pups, which is where I took the photo above. It has helped. Tremendously. It sounds so simple, but finding time in your day to clear your mind is difficult, at least for me. But it seems to be necessary in order to approach your work life with fresh ideas and positive energy…

I’m always up for suggestions, what do you do to balance work and life??

Lake Wesserunsett, Maine

Lake Wesserunsett, Maine

Here are a few more of my images from the Water & Light Project. What’s interesting to me with this study is that no two images are the same. Both of these images were shot from the same basic location but at different times of day. The reflections, the movement of the water, and the shapes that are created are all unique. I’ve enjoyed the hours spent lakeside looking, studying, and understanding the way that water and light meld together. There’s a meditative quality to photographing this subject that has been invaluable to me.

I’m starting to print several of these images for an upcoming exhibition in Maine this winter. Once all the details are ironed out, I’ll post the information. Oh, and am I the only one that sees a face in that first image??