I’m really thinking about story a lot more these days. My last hike was Ribbon Creek, and while I snapped a lot of shots, and mostly close ups, which are my jam, I really didn’t think about story. And it’s something that I have been thinking what kind of stories do I want to tell, do I want to tell stories? It’s hard sometimes the light works well in the forest, but is garish in other places. I end up culling ( as should you) so many photos that the light wasn’t good and it broke the photo. What about you? Do you like story telling in your images?
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I love the sculptural quality, the lines that give so much movement in the the photo. I look for that energy as I’m walking about. A boss once joked that upon hearing my name as Melissa when they hired me that they thought I would be calming like the herb Melissa, but that wasn’t the case. No, don’t look for me if you want calm, still, serene, it just isn’t me. Since I’ve been making art and photos, it’s always been about movement and energy. I don’t know how to not do it. What kind of work do you make? Energetic or serene?
I’ve decided that I need to make a collection of some of the black and white images. Group some photos together to make a portfolio. Sometimes, as I walk through on a hike I’ll usually group those images together, but some of these I might get a good photo here and there, and then a few months later get something that relates. A friend recently inspired me to start getting zines out, and I have to say I’m really fond of the idea. I’ll have to make an email list or something so you can get some prime photos in your hands.
I love taking photos of grass. It’s so expressive and out here in the foothills there’s no lack of grasses. Grasses take well to photography in both winter and summer. There’s always something that shapes it into something interesting to look at. I need to get outside. It’s been too long and I can’t wait for the weather to warm up. What will you do first when we get out of the polar vortex?
The wonder of winter, I've talked about it before. There is something magical about winter, even though here in the north we complain about it a lot. But to feel icy wind blowing on your skin, and hot sun on your back. It awakens you. While I moaned and groaned about returning to the snow, it’s better than rain, hail and sleet. And, I have found that if you find the right winter activity, that winter passes by rather easily. What do you do to make winter pass by more easily?
The closeup, you can feel the texture of the ice crystals just by looking at the image. Its called the haptic. The ability to feel within your body even though you cannot physically touch something. It’s one of the reasons that images are so powerful. The body can feel something without feeling it. Its been nothing but ice crystals these days!
Geez, I need to put this up in big letters on my wall. How many times have I not made work with fear paralysis, because I didn’t know how it worked or how it fitted in. I was so thankful in my master’s degree. There were no grades, just rubrics stating how you fulfilled certain criteria. My first semester I took advantage and experimented as much as I possibly could, without the fear of failing. What about you, does fear stop you from making work? PS: This quote is from Todd Hido’s book; Landscapes, Interiors and the Nude.
Moody moody mountains. The one amazing thing about living out here is that you see everything from a distance. You see the snow coming, the rain, and the smoke in the summer. The mountains have a certain ecology that they influence and we are here also influenced by it. Its so cold that I’m craving a chinook. Let me know if you know what a chinook is!
Brrrrrrr, can you say polar vortex? I know it sounds made up, but it’s a real thing and it’s making things freezing out here. So cold that we haven't been out in the past 3 weeks except for some errands here and there. It might explain some of this lack of motivation that I’ve been having for the past few days. What do you do to get you through the cold?
What a crazy December this has been. I had geared up, prepping myself for possible winter hiking, but with all of the hospital and christmas craziness I haven’t made it out to the mountains yet except for that quick trip into Canmore. Well, here it is: I’m missing mountains so here’s a few photos from last year to tide me and you over.
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