I haven’t mentioned before what I’m going to write about now because I didn’t want to jinx the outcome.

3/1/10 – I received a very complimentary email from a local MHCC resident who had found my blog from a MHCC Hiking Club link.

He mentioned that he does wedding photography. www.PalmSpringsPhotography.net.

3/1/10 – I very excitedly responded to him offering up that I’d be interested in assisting him if he ever needed help, writing I really have a desire to learn more about photography.
3/2/10 – Rick responds asking if I’d mind letting him know what equipment I am currently using.
3/2/10 – I respond 3 hours later listing all my gear.
3/3/10 – Rick liked my gear. (See LR, its good I spend a lot of money on lenses.) He also asked if I’d be interested in being a 2nd shooter at weddings with him.

My thoughts went like this………I can’t wait to get on the phone. I’m so excited I don’t know what to do with myself. I need a reality check. Can I really do this? Am I kidding myself? Self doubt and fears are overtaking my excitement. I call my sponsor first, and then call someone I know will tell me the truth, my photography teacher, Carol Leigh. She’s excited too, once I calm down enough to let her process what I’m saying. At the end of our talk she mentions that my busy life (she reads my blog and knows) might be a deal breaker. I fear this too. Then I run this by Ray. I can see he is excited for me too. He thinks it sounds great.

Things you don’t know about me:
1. I’ve not had a job since I was 19 or 20 years old. That’s a loooooooooong time ago.
2. And because I’m not had a job, I’ve not had an interview.
3. My days are usually of my own making.
4. I don’t usually put myself in situations that I am not at least a little familiar with.

I was a wee bit nervous about meeting Rick, but what was different about me was I just trusted the outcome of this meeting was going to be what it was going to be and I was just going to show up and be present and available.

I got to our public meeting place before Rick this morning. We started in talking like we‘d known each other before. Our first meeting was so nice, so easy, AND fun. We are alike. It’s nice to have someone to share with who understands and is so excited about what you are excited about.

One hour and 40 minutes later we began to end our visit. Actually I could have stayed a lot longer. I found our visit exhilarating. I was given an envelope filled with four pages of all the information Rick gives his potential clients. Rick asked me to talk to my husband, think about what we had talked about and get back to him with an answer as to whether I would like to be his 2nd shooter.

At home, my head raced. It raced mostly with thoughts of how am I going to find time to work with him. I know better than to think too long about a problem. I started going through my calendar, month by month, making a list of all my already scheduled committed days. The list revealed I have no time in March or April to be available to work. I continued listing dates in May, June, July, etc. through December. Thank God my schedule lightened up considerably after April.

I printed out the list of already scheduled dates and showed it to Ray. He said, “I’m glad that’s not my calendar!”

I copied and pasted the list and emailed it to Rick. I was sure he would say, “No way. You aren’t available to work.” But I sent it anyway, letting him know I would like to work but would understand if he said he needed someone to begin right away.

Surprisingly my busy March and April weren’t a problem as he often books assignments out 6 months in advance. His only concern was staying ahead of my busy schedule, surmising that soon my June, July and August would begin to fill up.

In this same email, Rick asked if I’d be willing to do something he’d mentioned during our talk this morning…..whether I’d be interested in shooting and covering the action shots after Rick leaves the wedding he is shooting in a few months.

I replied, “Yes.”

It begins.……just like it began the day I started planning for and setting out on my 2,660 mile thru-hike in 2002 when I backpacked from Mexico to Canada, at first not knowing how I was ever going to do it. I have a love/hate feeling about leaving the comfort of the known and venturing into the unknown. All is good.

Over the weekend, during some very infrequent free moments, because I didn’t bring my computer, I read. There are a number of wonderful photography books that have been published this year and the one I was reading is Vision Mongers, by David duChemin. I only wish I had a few days where I could sit, read and contemplate all that David has written in this book in one sitting.

Here is one paragraph in David’s book I highlighted…….. p. 29 -”You don’t see the thousands and thousands of frames of garbage we’ve shot–and still shoot–the visual experiments that we’ve tried and failed at, the stages we’ve gone through to find our vision and master our craft. But this can be your path, too–and because time both speeds by too fast and seems to take forever to get here, I can confidently say, “Be patient, you’ll get there.” If you study your craft. If you shoot and shoot and shoot some more. If you give up trusting your gear to create great images and start trusting your vision instead. And most importantly, if you love putting the world into a frame for the sheer sake of it, for your love of expression.”

I’m home and haven’t exercised since Friday morning. I haven’t photographed anything for way too many days. Time. I’ve got to make the time. I did sneak out for a quick grab shot when I noticed the back-lit clouds, blanketing the snow covered San Jacinto range. Soon Ray was calling me to come back in and watch the Emmy Awards show.

I’m on the fence again with the Canon G11. I used the G11 for this handheld shot. I didn’t take the time to pay attention to my settings: F4, 1/2000, ISO 200, focal length 13.7 mm, focusing on the lightest part of the clouds. I see the subject distance reads 64.4m, with a lens that is 6.1-305mm. I’m trying to figure out why the photo is so grainy when I view it actual size. I wish I’d taken more shots with a variety of different settings. If I don’t start doing this, I won’t learn. Time, again.

Knowing my morning would be consumed with getting ready for the Baby Meeting five of us are driving in to LA for today, I took some photos while on a packfree walk around my neighborhood last night.

I’m back to using the Canon Powershot A650 on walks until I read more about the Canon G11. I’m sure I just don’t know enough about the G11 to stop it from doing its own thing. I sat with the manual last night, but I was too tired too keep reading. The jury is still out on the G11. I will be taking the Canon Powershot A650 on my backpack. Knowing a camera makes a world of difference. Even though my head says I want to save up for a big girl DSLR (bigger than my Canon D40), I’m not looking forward to learning and becoming familiar with another camera right now.

I love my little Canon Powershot A650 (except for when I try to shoot macro). I know where everything is without much thought at all. I know all the camera’s idiosyncrasies. I just need to pay attention to seeing and shooting. No more gear!!!!!!!!! Trying to learn lighting (which I’m not learning really) has kept me from going out to shoot. Well, lighting and all the zillion other activities I have lined up all day.

[caption id="attachment_2874" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="It was the shadow that caught my eye."][/caption]

Yesterday was a long day. It was in fact a 24 hour long day.

I drove to Concord, California, a 5.5 hour drive with Milly who I’d picked up at 5:45am, to attend my sponsor Debbie’s 34th birthday brunch. There were about 36 of us in attendance, happy to be seeing each other again. As always the annual gathering was uniquely special, memorable and unifying.

I almost made it back home after leaving Concord at 6pm, and after dropping Milly off in Encino, but I was smart and instead pulled into a rest area at 1:30am, 36 miles short of Palm Springs. I was lucky to find an empty parking space where I became one of many, auto and truck drivers, reclined in our seats hoping to catch enough sleep to continue our journey. Two hours of fitfully napping, I pulled out of the rest area and headed home, still slapping my face to stay awake.

Just another light show over the San Jacinto Range tonight.

Tomorrow I leave to spend the night in LA. Ray will be home to hold down the fort. Saturday morning I pick up Milly and we drive to Oakland for my sponsor Debbie’s 34th Birthday Brunch. There will be 36 of us.

Debbie asks that we all have a photograph taken with her. We take a group photo also. Each year I am the dedicated photographer. Hopefully this year some of what I have learned in the last year will contribute to making us all look beautimous. I am bringing off camera flash lighting equipment and a rhttp://www.lindajeffers.com/blog/2010/02/packing-and-shooting/eflector. Whether I use this equipment, that I’m not too comfortable using, is another story. I do enjoy the opportunity to practice and am grateful I have subjects to practice on. Someone else asked me to photograph her with her sponsees, after my friend Carol D. referred me as someone who likes to shoot people. Thanks Carol.

This photo of me, no make-up, no hair “do” and lots of old lady neck wrinkling, was one of many shots taken today, practicing with off camera flash lighting. Now I’m off to watch more of Zach Arias’ One Light DVD.

Well I’ve committed to JJ, I will be backpacking along the PCT from the Mexican/California border home early April.
This photo is for JJ, Jeff, me and maybe (hoping) my BFFBBP. (best friends forever best backpacking partner, xx/oo)
I ran outside with my camera to shoot this shot when I realized I really hadn’t shot a photo I could post here today, except for the photo above, which I wasn’t orignially going to post. I figure posting the photo above is good for my ego deflation, so up it went too. Hey, I’m not my looks anymore, I’m so much more. tee hee.

For those of you who know this stretch of mountain, left side of photo begins with Fobes Saddle (5980′), next Spitler Peak, Apache Peak (7567′) (where the fire was last year), Antsell Rock (7679′), South Peak (7884′), Red Tahquitz (8738′), and on the far right behind trees is San Jacinto Peak (10,804′). This year is a high snow year so I don’t know if the PCT thru-hikers will be roading walking to Idyllwild or not.

While I’m away without!!!!!!!!!!! my computer, I hope to practice blogging from my phone with a photo or two.

Another attempt at the corners assignment.

An after-sun-has-set daily view.

As I mention every chance I get, Carol Leigh is my online photography teacher and mentor. Today I got to talk to her and feel so much better about my day.
Two pearls of wisdom from Carol:
1. What is important is becoming, not being.
2. Look for the effect, not the technique.

I got lucky yesterday. Carol left an instructional comment regarding a photo I posted yesterday. Here is what she said: Linda, regarding your “Tranquil Morning” photo, what if you were to crop in from the left until just before you reach the first tree? But there’s more: What if you were to crop DOWN from the top so that we don’t see the top “horizon line?” NOW your photo is all about a small strip of truncated trees up top and their elongated reflections below. Forget the bird — he looks a tad overexposed anyway. Do I sound harsh? You know I don’t mean to. To me, the artistry in your photo lies in the trees and their reflections, nothing more is necessary. — Carol “feeling overly simplistic this morning” Leigh

Hopefully, I cropped this photo below per her suggestions. I like the photo so much better. Thank you Carol. And, thank you for making time to talk.

This week’s Photomotivation assignment is Corners, paying attention to light and color.
Here are 3 photos I took today and posted in Carol’s Photomotivation online class Yahoo group.

Good news: I got up out of my computer chair and shots the very active early morning egret antics.
Bad news: One more time my panning didn’t render an in-focus shot.
Solution: A black and white filter!

I shot about 100 photos before I retreated back inside the condo. I was wearing my jammies and the golfers had started to play the 2nd hole where they could see me.

Here are some shots of what I was watching from inside, that called me outside this morning.

This week our Photomotivation assignment is Art for Art. We are asked to find a mural, someone else’s photo, a photo from our archives, etc., and look for and select out a special area to create our own art from a previously rendered work. Our teacher, Carol, emails out a 3 page pdf explaining what she wants us to do.

Hopefully these examples explain a lot better than I did, what I mean. Can you see where, in the original photo, I took my crop from?