Month: February 2015

hanging

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I’ve loved this image from the moment I shot it. there are those split seconds where you just know its a good one – this was one.

this is me. it is my work, but it is also how I have felt and how I feel on occasion.

in my work there is a repeated visual of curling up. I see it now that I’ve been through my recent set of critiques. curling, going inward, the body made circular, womb-like. I think it’s something for me to explore. as an introvert I immediately relate it to my need to recharge by going inward, but maybe there is something else to it.

I’m reading ‘Quiet, the Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’ by Susan Cain, and it’s fascinating how much it’s telling me about me, about my struggle to always be “on” or “to push myself out there” – where I’m not comfortable at all. it’s fascinating how clearly she describes the world as over time becoming a place based in extroversion. current day example — Tony Robbins makes millions on selling the idea of success tied to being extroverted.

I personally know there is power in calm, quiet approaches – but in a world that is constantly yelling it can be hard to be seen or heard.

I’m not quite half way through the book, and I am hopeful that she will have guidance and insight on how to use my Quiet for good!

this is me. it is my work, and it is hanging in my house. the first fine art piece that I’ve framed and hung.

happy thursday
xo

http://www.tallieimages.com

the gathering

I come away from the last three days of hearing the stories, advice, and words of guidance with new energy.

the reason I picked up a camera (as a child), was to save memories. to continue to add to the collection of images my parents had created. boxes and books of prints that I could spend hours on my bed looking at, studying, thinking about “that time when….”.

the day photo’s of my great-great relatives where found in Houston after my grandmothers funeral was amazing for me. it was a window into another time, another place when life was very different for African Americans. without those photographs I would not have been able to be a witness or experience it in a small distant way.

photographs have a power – the power to make you stop and think. to reflect, to appreciate beauty, simplicity, the harsh reality of a time period, the human connection, the grand-ness of this planet. nothing else can visually stop time, tell a story in a fraction of a second, tell the truth or fabricate the authenticity of a moment.

the last three days showed me that real photography still exists. that it is hard work, that it can take you places you’d never dream, that there is longevity, and critical thinking, and a way to find your place in it all. I think we are in the midst of change in the industry, an evolution of sorts. the ease of access to cameras (dslr, film, phone) has created a new population of photographers. new digital mediums to share the day-to-day images that will someday become the digital memories that I used to daydream about in the boxes and books of prints are abundant. my advice — don’t forget to print those memories.

though six critiques I learned my work has a place. it may have been very different from the other attendee’s, but it has substance. I learned that the journey ahead of me will come with lots of ebbs and flows – moments of doubt, and joy. I learned that shooting what I love, what I care most about, and shooting it from inside me will make it mine. I learned that opinions matter, but my vision is what will sustain me.  honing in on that vision and shooting it until it feels right is my mission.

I have a story to tell. it’s my story, but I also think it’s everyone’s story. photography is the tool I use to tell it. photography is still my way of saving memories. it is how I document that I was here. that is why I pick up a camera today.

xo

http://www.tallieimages.com

critique

my first professional set of critiques happen in a few days.

select 20 images – print only (which makes me very happy), and get ready for six professional photographers – with 15-30 years experience to one at a time, sit and go through your work.

augh.

breathe.

freak out.

I’m ready because without this I won’t know.

here we go………

dad

he is my rock, my example for what a man should be. he is opinionated, hard on the outside but compassionate on the inside. he works hard, and has instilled the “always do your best” attitude in myself and my siblings. he lives life by doing. maintains a young heart by staying connected and molding the youngest members of our family, but his years of living life have created concrete beliefs and attitudes that are his and his alone. they are what give him character and make him my dad.
his smile, his laugh, his hand on your shoulder. they are the things I don’t take for granted. his wisdom, words of guidance (even when it’s not exactly what you want to hear) and words of encouragement are jewels to be treasured.

happy birthday dad! here’s to another year….
xo

published.

it’s a rainy Friday morning and I’m dressed in all gray (and black of course). it fits the day and fits my mood. kind of low key, cozy, and relaxed.

earlier this week was just the opposite. I got my first image published on the cover of the everything bloom newsletter.
there was dancing and singing!!

to be published in as many places as possible, that fit my esthetic of course is the goal this year. online and print.

cheers to the first one!!

xo

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2/20/15 update:
second feature!!

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simplification

simplification

clutter. stuff. things.

it comes in a physical form, a digital form and a mental form. it comes with value and with absolutely no value. it can slow you down, hold you back and even block what you’re meant to receive.

it’s February second and I’m not really a resolutions person. I set goals for myself and do what I can to achieve them throughout the year. similar to resolutions – I start out strong, give it my all, and somewhere near May or June things start to relax.

2015 is my year of simplification. organization. scaling back. giving more and putting others first.
my goal is to write about the measures I take to achieve these things throughout the year and how it makes me feel, what the outcomes are and if there are benefits or drawbacks associated.

stay tuned….
xo