breaking rules

I am completing the third week in my class with Candela, and felt like the lesson we’ve been working on was an important one to share. it really applies to life in general, but I’ll explain it as it relates to photography.

we were asked to make a list of the rules we’ve learned or heard we should follow in photography. I made my list as it relates to my style of shooting – women’s portraiture. my list was long. MUCH longer than anyone else’s list in my class. 👀

my list included HAVE FUN, but it also includes a lot of what I watch for and try to correct while shooting to make my editing time less. these rules help produce my style. but there are A LOT of them.

I was encouraged to let go of my rules – and that made me want to clutch them even tighter. “what will happen to my style if I start letting hands or toes go all willy-nilly, and allow shoulders to be hunched or hide a beautiful neck!” my instructors response was “maybe a new style will present itself, maybe you will discover a new way to express yourself.”

I think in life we get comfortable with our routines. we don’t step out of our boxes, and put ourselves in uncomfortable situations as a way to learn and grow. this could be as simple as not spending a day in the nearest big city, because it’s too big and crowded. it could be putting off or not even thinking about visitng a foreign country because we fear the cultural difference. it could be not signing up for a class to learn something new because we think we’ll not be good at it.

so I was encouraged to break a rule. just one from my list – and that was doable for me. baby steps! I chose to focus on focus. to let go of my need to have my subject in sharp focus. I woke M up at the crack of dawn (actually before) to watch the sunrise at the beach, so I could break a rule or two.

focus and stillness broken here!

so the results were new for me. little works of dream-like landscapes with a painterly feeling. a new expression, a new way to capture my surroundings, a new way to create work! and that was only a couple rules broken – who know what else I can discover by breaking even more rules. 😳

what rules can you break in your life? what new discoveries can you make about yourself? it’s never too late – go break some rules!

xoxo – natalie

familiar things

im taking a class online about inspiration, and an assignment we had recently was to take a close look at the things in our home that we have special connections to – and then photograph them in beautiful natural light. we spend a lot of time out in the world searching for beautiful light, waiting for it, waking up before sunrise to capture it, or setting it up and creating it artificially. this exercise was to shot it within the 4 walls that we live in.

it was a fun exercise and the results surprised me. my everyday objects seem to stand out a bit different in these photographs. what do you think?
xo – natalie

watertank

I’d love to share some work from the watertank in Motherwell last month. I really think this is some of my most creative work. yay!

Steller Stories

xo!

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What It’s Like Not Being White

fresh press and so worth the read….

TAPE PARADE

I received the above opening line on Tinder last week. I quickly posted it to Facebook with the comment “Just so we are all clear, “you don’t strike me as English” is not an acceptable chat-up line”. My initial reaction was shock and disbelief along with a weary resignation. Amongst the 60-odd likes on were a number of comments which were largely jokey. I can play along to a degree, but the thing is: I wasn’t joking. It’s not an acceptable line.

I’m mixed race. I was born in London. I have a non-Caucasian name. I have brown skin and thick dark brown hair. My name and my colouring, two aspects of myself which I have no control over and were mere circumstances at birth, have far too often become the sole distinguishing features that people latch on to. These features single me out as not being white.Though 13%…

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oatmeal

a raisin in oatmeal — describes my experience growing up in the late 60’s in the Pacific NW at a time when blacks were just beginning to move to the west coast, and not many had made it to the northern most corner of the US. my all white environment was all I knew, and my speech pattern still reflects it. however, I was not always accepted in that environment – and I felt isolated more than included. as I grew up, got my drivers license and could seek out people who looked like me, I found again that acceptance wasn’t easy because our foundational experiences were so different. these images are a part of a series where I explore self acceptance for the two sides of who I am. #selfLove. #tallieimages

thank you for following my journey….

xo – natalie

portland

took a quick trip north to stand in front of my first gallery piece. crazy to think that a piece of my work was printed, framed and hanging on the wall of an art gallery – so I had to see it for myself.

plane tickets – check; hotel – check; family meeting us in Portland – check! everything was ready – except come to find out the gallery has very limited hours. Thursday and Friday noon – 5.

plans were in motion, so we made the trip anyway. I didn’t get to walk right up to my image, but we did see it through the window!! I’m grateful for the opportunity and hope that on Th/ Fri’s through August 20, others will get to see my work.

Portland – Black Box Gallery 811 E Burnside.

thank you to dear friends Dotcy and Vanessa for making the trip and trying to stop by the gallery!! xo!

vibrations

there is some excitement in my world mainly coming from anticipation of upcoming events.

first is my first submission to Portland Photolucia’s Critical Mass. thousands of photographers world wide at every level submit work to be reviewed and voted on by over 200 esteemed international photography professionals. there is a screening process that narrows the field to 200, and then to the top 50 who receive a series of awards and distribution of their work. the submission closed at noon today (7/28), so the party train has left the station. I’m excited to be on it and to learn as much as I can as I go.

second is my pending return to Motherwell. this magical ranch in the Colorado Rockies is where my photographic journey completely changed. I’m only a few days away from “Rocky Mountain High”. can’t wait.

third, and final… I’ve had my first image accepted into a gallery exhibition. if you are in Portland August 1-20 stop by Blackbox Gallery. look for Grace framed and hanging on a wall! if not, take a swing by the website. http://www.blackboxgallery.com

I’m vibrating!!

xo!

always learning

how do you keep yourself from evaporating? I heard this phrase a few days ago – evolve or evaporate.

my constant thirst for knowledge, and challenge to learn through experience has definitely helped my view of the world evolve. it’s pushed my photography even further.

there is something inside me needs to get out, and in order to convey it in it’s most complete form I continue to learn and experiment with new ideas and new ways of creating.

studio lights were the most recent challenge, and I was a wreck going into it. with every shoot there is the pressure of “you’re the Photographer – and you know what you’re doing, right?” and I do know to a point, but there are spaces of angst where I just don’t know why I’m doing what I’m doing, and I’m slowly becoming more comfortable with the not knowing. these are the spaces where I just see what happens – and capture that. the great thing is, I don’t think anyone can tell when those moments are happening! (I don’t think they can…..)

the studio presented itself with many benefits that have been detractors to the work in past sessions. there was no w i n d (unless we created it with a fan). it was not a 6am start time on my freezing San Francisco rooftop, and I did not have to worry if there was going to be enough light. however, the studio (this studio) had its own challenges. it was HOT!, and there were no windows or natural light at all, so it was like being in a giant cave.

I’ve always been intimidated by studio lights, but the setup was pretty straight forward – and once I had my settings I could just concentrate on creating – which was freeing.

evolve or evaporate? I’d say as I wrapped up my first session under the lights there was more of me. more brain power. more confidence and a little bit of pride that I had accomplished a new thing. I think what evaporated was my fear.

do something new today! evolve and evaporate.

up

over the holiday weekend (thank you America for having a birthday – I desperately needed the time off) we took a drive north – and rested our heads at the beautiful Bardessono hotel in Yountville, CA.

we all know the Napa Valley is one of the largest wine regions in the world, and we all know that I’m a wino!! but this weekend wasn’t about wine. surprise!

this weekend was about relaxation, new experiences and okay… wine!

Friday at 4:30 AM came very early, but starting the vacation off this way was so worth it. we were picked up and taken to the meeting site where we were assigned a group to meet our pilot. By 5:30 AM we were in the field getting instruction on how to be safe passengers on our first hot air balloon ride.

read more about the our experience above the valley in my Steller Story here :: Up on Steller

up, up and away……

-natalie