Storyteller

When I was a little girl, I walked around with a notebook and a writing instrument, prepared to write down anything that inspired me -- a conversation, a story idea, an observation: anything.

When I picked up the camera, I became a visual storyteller.

I started recording the everyday that was around me.
Here is one of the very first photos I took with my very first digital camera in 2008:

It's nothing fancy: just a set of salt & pepper shakers by a bowl of creamers and next to a sugar container. A few loose crystals of salt or sugar are on the table near the containers.
I took this at the restaurant that I would frequent with both my parents and my then-boyfriend, and I took it with a point-and-shoot Kodak EasyShare.

My love of documenting the everyday continued.

The top of the bookcase in my room.

My then boyfriend's arm guarding the remote to the television.

Evening light coming through the window in my mother's back door.

Milk as it hit my morning fruit loops.

The silhouette of a vase of flowers and a speaker atop a television in my room against a late-spring sky.

The previous autumn's sunflowers still looked amazing against this late-spring sunset.

Then I got a new camera. It was another point and shoot, but this one had macro capabilities.

An accidental selfie in a salt shaker.

My maternal grandmother at my paternal grandmother's memorial service.

Up close and personal with my kitty.

My mom won the jackpot on the nickel (or penny) slots.

A line of autumnal trees against a painted white plywood wall when we got my dad's car from the mechanic.

It was more of the same as it was with the previous camera, except now I could get closer to things. Ha.

I'm now on my fourth camera -- my second dSLR -- and I have photographed a lot of other stuff in the last eight years. (All photos shared on this blog so far have all been from 2008, when I started getting into photography.)

When I first got a camera, it was to share images from my life in an easier way. I wouldn't have to get a disposable camera, then get the images put on a disc, and then upload from the disc onto the computer, which is what I had been doing.
In fact, buying a camera came to me as a bit of a chance. I went to bingo with my parents, as was the Monday-night tradition in those days, and ended up winning a jackpot blackout game along with another patron. I took everyone out to dinner afterward, paid a bill, and bought my Kodak point-and-shoot, which was on sale for a whopping $89. (My winnings were a grand total of $200.)

My mantra hasn't changed much. It's still to share the beauty of life that happens all around me.
Only now it's more of others' lives than my own.
When I'm at a shoot and it's time for posing people, I'll do it. It's not my favorite thing in the world, but I'll do it. It doesn't come naturally to me to do so.
I see beauty in life as it happens: in the gradual messiness that a kitchen acquires as a meal or snack is prepared; in early morning snuggles shared on the weekends; in the smiles that are shared as a family plays a board game; in the wonderment as a family decorates their home for special holidays; in the casual way that one partner embraces and hugs another without any prompting... I've always felt this way. I see specialness in everything. There is a wonder in the life that surrounds us.
If, at the end of our lives, all we have to look back on are the photos of people in coordinating outfits found in yearly Christmas cards, photos of our parents in their wedding day garb, and photos taken at school against scenic backdrops that will not match the life that we lived. Life is so much more than all of that -- and that's what I've been in love with. That's why I so hastily and hungrily took photos of EVERYTHING that I saw: fence posts, meals, tree trunks, animals (1) (2) (3) (4) (5), insects, crab-apples both in bloom and in fruit...
Sadly, over the years, through the busyness of life, I have fallen out of the practice of taking photos of everything. (I still take plenty of photos of my food, my dog, and my husband when he's sleeping, but those are mostly with my cell phone.)
When I'm second-shooting at a wedding, I am trying to document the day. I let the main photographer get the shots that she needs (those portraits listed out by the couple) and I try to get the story of the day. Even when I'm the main photographer, a lot of the detail shots I like to get are documentary shots, ones that the bride or groom wouldn't see in the course of their day, or ones that will help tell the story of their day. In the example below, the bride's dress is being fastened by her father, whose wizened hands -- after decades of being a tailor -- expertly found the troublesome thread eyelet on her dress.

When I'm shooting a family session, I keep my shutter going, even when the smiles are relaxing and the pose is breaking up -- you never know what goodness you're going to get! (The same goes for a kiss...The examples below are one from right after the bride & groom were pronounced, and one right before.)

The most exciting news of all -- the inspiration for me writing this post -- is that I have found a community of photographers who are documentary-hearted, like me.
In this community, I will learn and flourish and grow. I will enrich and expand the photographic voice that I've had all along, but just needs some fine-tuning. 

For the longest time, I've referred to the style of photography that I've been seeking to do more of as "lifestyle" photography. While it's similar, it's not the same. Lifestyle could just mean set at home, set in the home. Taking family photos in front of the fireplace, for example. There's still posing happening, but it's not at a park.
Documentary photography involves noticing details and hanging out with the client/s and capturing them as they go about their lives. Does a typical Saturday involve an outing on a boat? Great -- we'll get that, and lunch before. Does a Friday night involve having friends over for a game night? Fantastic -- I'll get you prepping the appetizers and stay through the end of Monopoly. It's all about capturing the details of everyday life -- and that is what attracts me and draws me in. I love it. I'm so excited. And I'm very grateful to have found the name of it and a community that will support me as I start to delve into it more. 

Stay tuned -- there is definitely more to come on this!

**Some keen observers will notice that there are some photos with watermarks and some without. After having two portable backup drives die on me, I had to go with what I could find, and most of those came from Flickr, which were heavily watermarked by me over the years. Most of the watermarks bear my previous incarnation's name -- Rebbecca.Ella Photography. They are still very much my images, though.**

Back in the saddle.

The last few years, I have been doing photography still. (Let's face it -- I never really left.)
My schedule has been very limited -- I haven't done many shoots -- but I still have stayed active behind the camera. (Most of the stuff I've photographed has been second-shooting for Juhl Photography, mostly weddings, but also a few senior shoots as a second camera, too.)

This year has brought me more business than I expected.
I photographed a dear friend's senior portraits in the Spring, as she was getting ready to graduate from Colorado State University in May.

Then I photographed two weddings in July -- one for the aforementioned senior's cousins and one for a coworker.

Krista and I have photographed at least six weddings this year together (including my two) but that's just what I remember -- there are probably several that I'm forgetting -- and there's another one coming up in a few weeks.

Let's see, what else has happened in the last few years photographically....

• I  learned that you need to back-up your back-ups. (Two of my portable back-up drives lost the ability to function. The data is still there but no computer can currently read or write to them.) That little thing cost me every photograph I'd taken from 2009-2015. Oops.
• I've been photographing a shit ton with my phone. (Especially since I got an iPhone 6 a few years ago.) Mostly food and my dog, but hey, it counts. 
• I have two Instagram accounts: one for personal use and one for photography.
• I fell in love with Nikon. I remember posting an update where I borrowed a camera from my community college, and it was a Nikon, but I don't remember if that was on this blog or my personal one. Anyway, to sum up what that post said, I borrowed a Nikon from the school and fell in love with its color abilities. I have shot a few weddings with one of Krista's cameras this year (some of my lenses stopped functioning properly) and she shoots exclusively Nikon. I fell in love with them. I bought a new camera yesterday -- a Nikon D3300. We shot our first wedding together last night since I got it -- and I loved it. The biggest thing to get used to (besides where the buttons are that controls my stuff) is that the lenses come off opposite of Canon. Yikes. I love that we can share equipment now -- that should make things easier.
• I was hoping to get a better camera than that -- it's very similar in range to my Rebel XSi in terms of what's on the market these days -- but that's still something for a future time. (Heck, this thing is already more MP and more fps than my Rebel, so I consider it a step up.)
• I have also enjoyed shooting videos lately. Ok -- really only one. Krista had me come along with her to a quinceneara and I shot video while she did stills. But it was enjoyable. (And it was with her D5100.)
• I spent some time with Creative Suite 6, and am now onto PhotoShop CC. It's wonderful.
• I changed my photography business name. It was Rebbecca.Ella Photography -- a name I adopted because it's my first and middle names and I thought I wouldn't have to change it once I got married -- but I have since changed it to Feathered Penny Photography to align with other endeavors I'm pursuing, want to pursue, or could potentially pursue. (My brain is ever thinking.)
• Most importantly, I have been haunted by photography the last few years. It has ever stayed on my brain as something that I feel like I should (and want to) pursue more -- and that hasn't changed, aside from being further fueled by discontent in other areas of my life.

So what's next?

I plan to reinvigorate this blog. Do more posts. (Especially now that I have a few weddings of my own to blog on here.)

I plan to post regularly about other things -- you know, those things that I mentioned at the beginning of this blog: inspirations, information, photography tips and tricks, etc.

That's it, really.
Not a heck of a lot.

I'll be posting more regularly, so see you soon! 

Newborn Posing Workshop

I have been so blessed to be able to watch Kelly Brown's Newborn Posing Workshop on CreativeLIVE over the last few days. Most of the workshops occur on the hours I work at my "real-life job" at Target, so I am not able to watch as many as I would like, but Ce la vie. This was actually the first workshop I watched on CL, and it so inspired me and so empowered me that I am even more excited for my two newborn sessions scheduled over the next month!

One of my favorite moments in the workshop occurred on the first day when Kelly said that she had asked Sue Bryce to come to her studio and give her a kick in the pants. It was so encouraging to see that someone who is as successful as Kelly is had her moments when she was struggling, and that success really isn't just handed to anyone. That moment makes a photographer like me, who is struggling, believe that I can make it, too, with a "kick in the bum." =)

The second of my favorite moments occurred on day two, as Kelly was doing some of her post-production work. She did some of the same basic techniques that I do, and I was so uplifted and encouraged when I saw her darkening the eye line of the sleeping baby. It made me feel like I was doing something right! (Dare I say that it made me feel a little proud?) I was also a bit shocked when she color corrected the baby because the skin tones were a little red -- a problem I encountered on my last newborn shoot, and was sure that it was just a flaw that I had somehow created, probably by not setting my white balance correctly or something related. Seeing a pro have a similar issue arise in post-pro really gave me a boost of confidence. (Maybe the baby's skin was just red, and it wasn't something that I did at all.)

In the light of this workshop, when I look back over my just-published blog containing my favorite images from Colby's newborn session --my third ever-- I can see several things that I will be doing differently when it comes to posing in my future newborn sessions.

I am so sad to not be able to see any more of the workshop live as it happens. Real life is kicking in, and I have to go before watching the piece of the workshop where she poses siblings. I'm sure there are many more moments that I would favor and find uplifting.

Thank you so much, CreativeLIVE and Kelly Brown, for the wonderful bits of information, inspiration, and encouragement I have gained from the workshop! I am sure there will be many more on the downloaded package.

Photo Books

It has been a long while since I have completed a photo book.

Quite a few have been started, but I have not actually published any since the first one in 2008.

It is important for me, though, to have updated hard copies of my photos. I prefer book form to print form, too.

I was looking through my first book, ...one, the other day and noticed how far I've come.

So, this year, I am going to make at least two books. One of them will be another 8" x 8" book of just Instagram photos, and the other will be a portfolio book. I may split the latter up into people and non-people, so it might end up being three books. I'll have to wait and see how massive it is. (I mean, I have three more years to draw work from than I did for my first book!)

Realization & Re-Evaluating

I met with another of my maternity clients on Friday to go over her session that we are going to do tomorrow. Luckily for me, she also happens to be one of my longest-held friendships as well.

But, last night, as I was making my list of things to do before the shoot tomorrow -- what to take and to remember to format my memory cards and charge my battery -- the real reason I stepped back from photography.

I'm not afraid of failing, as some might take it to be from my post.
I'm afraid of it being successful.

Unfortunately, over the course of my life, I have come to expect failure from myself. I always anticipate falling flat on my face and making a complete spectacle of myself.

This makes no sense, though, because I passed some of the hardest classes my college offers with flying colors.

I think it is that I am just afraid, too, of not having proper time to devote to it.
What if my business takes off, but then I also get a new career position? A photography business takes a lot of time to be successful: marketing, interacting with clients and fans, scheduling, photographing, editing, delivering product, ordering prints and photographic items, meeting with clients, paperwork, and a whole mess of other things.
I'd rather get the career part figured out, first, and then fill in the gaps with the photography part.
I'd love it -- love it, love it, LOVE it -- if I could just do photography full time and have it be gainful. But that part also scares me.

So, for now, I am still on the periphery of the business. I am still honoring those shoots I've agreed to and any shoots which have been inquired about, but I may be back before too long.

2013: Stepping Back

Often in life, decisions are hard to make.
The following decision was one that came a little easier, all things considered.

At this time, I have decided that I am no longer accepting new sessions.

I will still honor sessions from anyone who has inquired about a session, and, obviously, those who have done a bit more than just inquire. However, at this time, and for personal reasons, I am no longer accepting new client work. 

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but please know that this decision has been a long time coming. 

It does seem kind of odd, though, doesn't it, that I am stepping back right when it seems things are about to really take off.
I've had more inquiries in the last six months than I've had in all the previous 18 months combined.
It was just last spring --starting a year ago this month-- that I took a Studio Photography class to learn about studio lighting techniques.
I've had many friends --Krista Juhl of Juhl Photography principally among them-- introduce me to new opportunities and open the door to new experiences in photography over the last year. 

So why step back? If things are going so great and things are looking up, why derail the train? 

I need a breather. 

Yeah, I know, that's rich. There are photographers out there doing six shoots every weekend and at least two more during the week, in addition to raising their children, keeping their house clean, and juggling everything else in life, but poor little ol' me, who has one shoot every quarter (if I'm lucky), has no children (except a fuzzy one named Bailey who requires a leash every time she needs to relieve herself), and has minimal housekeeping duties, needs a break. 

I'm just going to re-examine where I am and how photography will really, truly, fit into my life. 

Do I really want to continue to offer this as a business? Or do I just want to do it for fun? 

I've tried for the last two and a half years to make it be both, but a fun business hasn't made any profit, or really turned out much of an attractive portfolio. 

Photography has been one of the things that has made me the happiest.
I can capture the world around me and share my unique perspectives with people. 

...but does that require me to have a client list? Does that require me to have a sitting fee? Should it? 

I decided about a month ago that out of all the styles of photography that exist, that I am closest to a lifestyle photographer.
I like to capture people in their otherwise unmemorialized everyday, doing what it is they do. Natural poses for clients in natural environments. 

It makes sense, especially because it (1) causes a permanence to exist for fleeting moments and (2) that line of thinking is what drew me to take photography more serious anyway.

This decision, to take a step back, is not a permanent one. I will be back. 

I just need space, and time, to think things over. To reacquaint myself with myself.
Hopefully, to start a new career and move out of my parents' house -- again. 

And figure out where photography is going to fit into all of this, and how deeply. 

I will still be posting work. I still have clients on my list; I still have sessions scheduled on my calendar. (And there are five weddings on tap so far this year! Woot woot!)
And I will be posting personal work. I don't plan on being photographically lazy. There will be more landscapes. More art. More springscapes. More animalscapes. More lifestyle photography from my own life. And, perhaps, more expressive work as well.

So I am taking a hiatus. Hopefully you will be around to see what happens during and after.

Thank you for your understanding. 

Ok, Ok: I Did It

For the longest time, I was editing with Lightroom 2, and using Photoshop Elements 6 for when I wanted to put watermarks on my images.

Well, I finally broke down and installed Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 6. (And deleted the dated Elements.)

Now, I can edit and watermark without leaving a single program.
I still haven't quite gotten skin retouching down yet in CS6, but I am working on it.
The patch tool is quickly becoming my friend! =)

In other news, I am going to be quite busy over the next 46 days.
I have a maternity-cum-family shoot on Sunday. The mama's due in approximately three weeks with her second daughter. So excited. =) I am in the process of making a belly sash for her to wear. It's my first go, so I'm a bit nervous. (And most of it will be hand-sewn, because I am still unfamiliar with a sewing machine!)
I have two engagement shoots over the next month. One of the couples wants to mail out their photos with their invites before Christmas. The other couple is easy-peasy on time, and just wants it done before the end of the year.
Also coming next month is another wedding. Yep, I am second-shooting my fourth wedding next month! I am so excited.

All of this coming work is a blessing, and I welcome it.

Dusting Off the Compass

With my impending graduation getting ever closer, I am faced with the choice of deciding what to do next. Do I work for a while? Do I go right to school?

Part of me says, "Hey, you'll be in a new city; why not do both? Go to school, and you'll have weekends to do photography part time."
Another part of me says, "Hey, remember when you tried that and it didn't go over so well?"

I have been doing a lot of thinking about my future where photography is concerned.
I know that it is something I will always do -- it is a part of me now: that cannot be changed.
But what to do about it? How big of a role should it play in my life? Should it just be something that I do for fun? Should I do it for fun and try to sell my better art pieces? Should I offer my services on the weekends?

I will not lie: there have been a few times when I thought about hanging up the camera strap completely. [Insert ramble of negative thoughts and things that may make potential clients eschew my services.] 


I think that moving to a new town will force me to market myself in new ways. Here, I haven't been doing everything I could (or should) do. I know that. I recognize that. I've even had things ready to market myself, I just...haven't. [Insert shaming finger-wag here.]
Perhaps focusing more attention on getting my work out to local eyes would elicit more business. I do not plan on taking this action where I am presently, though, because in five and a half months, when it comes time for me to move to Denver, I will have just established myself in the local eyes, and then uproot and do it all over again 50 miles away. No, it is much too late for my Greeley client- / fan-base to grow.

Besides, Greeley is not regarded at the moment for being a center of art. No one seeks Greeley out for the artisan shops. There is the annual Arts Picnic, but the majority of the vendors that I have seen when I attend come from other cities, 20+ minutes away. The University of Northern Colorado draws minor artisanal-quality shops and lifestyles around it, supported mostly by the larger-city students who attend the school.

I have also thought about making photography a bigger part of my life.
I would love to offer traditional packages to people: engagement sessions, weddings, family photos, portraits, senior shots, kiddo sessions, newborn sessions, maternity sessions...
...but seeing as how I do not have much experience in those arenas --I have never shot a maternity session, but the others I have-- it will be harder to get clients for those arenas because there is not much to see in the way of examples of my work. (Offer some free shoots on Craigslist? Don't mind if I do!)
Honestly, yes, I have thought about majoring in photography. But, I would be focused on shooting things, objects, and food, like doing spreads for household magazines. I do not know what it is about those shots, but they have been appealing to me.

That is not to say that I will stop offering the traditional shoots. 

I have been meaning to take inventory of my life for a long while: to define where I want to end up, living-wise and career-wise.
Photography is not my only prospective major. Neither is art or ceramics. I have considered everything from teaching (as shared in a previous post) to being a counselor, one who specializes in addictions or just a regular therapist-type. My Creative Writing class really re-stimulated my dormant *not dead* love of writing these last two semesters, and with that reawakening came a dormant dream of possibly pursuing it in the future as well. {Ideas have already started forming for books to write about; some of them have already been presented to the classes over the last two semesters.} I have also thought of possibly becoming an editor for a publication (newspaper, magazine) or for a publishing company. (Y'know the ones to whom authors submit their works to be looked over...etc.)

The app for MSCD is due in March, so I have until then to decide on a major.
I just cannot believe that this is happening again. Every time something happens with me going to college (even when I enrolled at Aims) I always have a hard time deciding what to do. Maybe it's because I want to do it all!
There we go, that's what I can major in: Renaissance Womanhood! =P