Annie Leibovitz at The Elliot Bay Book Company | Photo by Jacob Lucas

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet Annie Leibovitz at a local book signing in Seattle. She gave a quick talk and read from her new book, Pilgrimage (Amazon link), and answered a few questions from the audience. She is such an amazing photographer, and I also discovered that she’s an extremely warm, genuine and friendly person. I purchased her new book, Pilgrimage, and had it personalized and signed … and I even managed to sneak behind her table and get a photo taken with her.

This was such a great experience, and I’m truly inspired and motivated to get out and create. Thanks, Annie!

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 50mm f/1.4, 1/125 sec at f/4.0, ISO 800 (both images)

This is the view from the window of my condo. I have an entire wall that is almost completely covered with windows (minus a few feet of drywall at the bottom) so it was pretty easy to spot the gorgeous golden clouds as the sun was rising. I had my camera nearby so I grabbed a few photos, then put my camera down and made coffee.

When I peeked outside five minutes later and noticed that all the color in the clouds was gone. It took only five minutes for the gorgeous, beautiful light to be replaced by boring normal-ness. If you’ve ever photographed landscapes or portraits outdoors you already understand that there is literally just a few minutes of this type of gorgeous light in any given day, the kind of light that glows orange and red and is so soft you would stand in it for hours if you could.

And don’t you just love all of the parallels with light & photography … and life? I titled this “cleverly” to mimic the phrase “life is short” because, well, it is. Why not rush outside with your camera when you see something beautiful to hold on to it for as long as you can? Why not get up at 4:00 am to head out to a gorgeous mountain and capture the sun as it rises?

We should do things every day that are filled with meaning, spend time with people we love and do things just because they feel good … because life is short. We should want to hold on to them as long as possible, really live for each moment … and not pass up on opportunities because we were too lazy, tired or scared. We should take more risks, find balance and be adventurous … the great moments in life pass by as quickly as the golden light of the morning sun, so don’t let them pass by without your camera (… or your heart … but they are kinda one in the same if you ask me). :)

Fuji x100 (panorama mode), 1/110 sec at f/5.6, ISO 800

A little over a week ago I moved into my new place in Seattle. And if you haven’t noticed, things have been pretty quiet here on the blog … an out-of-state move plus a heavier-than-usual stream of work would be the culprit. I might still be sitting in a home full of unopened boxes, but I anticipate my productivity level will skyrocket and I’ll start tackling some writing projects I’ve had in my mind, and also photo-shoots that are still sitting on my hard-drive which desperately need to make their way to my stock portfolio.

This journey has been exciting, bittersweet and chaotic … yet definitely worth it. I’m excited to get my space set up so that I can start cooking and photographing food once again, and maybe get enough work done on the computer so I can run around and so some shooting in the area before the sun hibernates for the winter. This has definitely been an adventure, and something tells me my journey to “what’s next?” is nowhere close to being finished. :)

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5L II lens, 0.3 sec at f/8, ISO 100

Last night I said goodbye to my friends, shed a few tears and spent my last night in Utah. This morning I was on the road at 7 am to start a new chapter in life … and 850 miles later I’m just a few miles away from my new home in Seattle. It’s been a bittersweet journey, but one that I think has (so far) been extremely rewarding and uplifting. I’m definitely going to miss my friends dearly, but know that I’ll see them again in the future. :)

To me, life is about risk, change and going against the grain. This move is a big leap into the unknown for me … and sometimes you just have to jump right in to test the water. Thankfully I have my trusty sidekick, Fuji, to keep me company. :)

These are my nieces and nephews … and are arguably the cutest darn kids ever. :)

When was the last time you said “if only…” or “after (something cool happens) everything will be better…”? Maybe it’s buying a shiny new toy, or going on a trip, moving to a new home, getting married, having kids, or finding a new job. The list of things you are waiting for can go on … and on.

When we do this, we are trying to live in the future. The problem is that there’s always something around the corner to capture your interest and make you believe that life will be better “after”. My life, right now (and in the next four months) is already hectic, busy and exhausting. There’s a part of me that can’t wait until December when I can finally relax, but I know that there will be something around the corner (who knows what) to make me want that month to finally pass so I can take a break from it all.

My solution to the stress? I’m desperately trying to be present right now.

As I write this I’m putting all of my energy into the words, trying to form my thoughts into a palpable blog post that is easy to understand. I’m doing my best to not get distracted by Twitter, Google+ and email (and mostly failing at that attempt). So, I (just now) turned on Think (a really great app that helps you focus on one computer task at a time), closed all of the other tabs in my browser and continued to write this post.

You see, all we have is now. Literally right now. Have you ever been talking to someone and they weren’t paying attention because they were thinking about tomorrow, or the next few hours, or maybe even dwelling on what happend yesterday? Have you ever been that person? (I think we all have.) Have you ever lost (or almost lost) someone you loved dearly and tried to remember the last thing you said to them? If you feel something, and it’s important to you, don’t hold it in. If something crosses your path that could be life-changing, what would happen if you weren’t looking?

As much as we may try, we can’t live in the future. If the next four months fly by for me and I don’t embrace each moment, then the amazing experiences I’m about to go through will have been for naught. My moment is right now, not next month or next year. I don’t want my life to fly by, I want to enjoy it. I want to listen deeply when my friends and I are having a conversation. I want to give my full attention to my nieces and nephews when they’re showing me something that they consider to be extremely cool. I want to focus on my photography, writing and work without getting distracted. I want to live with clarity.

Next year, next month or even next week may never happen. You just never know. Now is all we ever have, so why not consciously live in each tiny moment? They might be painful moments, but we can’t live without pain. Difficult moments make us stronger, and they also make the not-so-difficult moments feel like a cool breeze on a hot day. Living in this moment right now makes me feel very little (or no) stress about the days to come, and more importantly it makes me present and available to those I love.

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E  24mm f/3.5L II lens, 0.8 sec at f/11, ISO 100
“Pink Sky Purple Fields” 

A few weeks ago I was visiting family, and I had a nice conversation with my dad about work. I mentioned some of the accomplishments and opportunties over the past few years and said something about being “lucky”. And with that, my dad replied “It takes a lot of hard work to get lucky”. (Don’t dads say the smartest things?)

He is so, so right. When I reflect on the past few years and what I’ve done, while it might feel like luck it was a combination of a lot of little things that got me where I am today. Heck, I’ll be 32 in a few months and I’ve already written three books for Peachpit, an eBook with Craft&Vision … and I hope to add more to that list down the road. I make enough money with my photography alone to fully support myself, pay taxes, insurance, save for retirement and even have a little leftover for fun and travel. It feels like luck, but I’ve worked very hard to get here.

My path is unique to what many others will accomplish (or even want), and looking back it was a combination of a lot of things that have led to my success, and my goal is to keep doing these things (and more) to hopefully bring in more opportunities and adventures. The funny thing is that I did none of these things with an agenda. I wrote blog posts about my photography, shared Photoshop tips of mine that I’ve discovered and mastered and posted behind-the-scenes images of some of my photo-shoots … all because I just wanted to share what I know with others. I didn’t know who was watching, or if anyone even cared … I did these things because I enjoyed doing them. I didn’t realize that my efforts would result in jobs, and books, and amazing friendships.

While there’s no formula to success (despite what many self-help books will lead you to believe), there are some essentials that have helped me grow and become not only successful, but a better person and photographer. Here are a few that I truly believe in:

Embrace change, conquer fear & take risks. Everyone’s life is different, but there is always room for risk and adventure on many different levels. For me, I went from photography being “extra” money while I was married to going through a divorce and having to fully support myself with my work. There was a lot of fear involved with that unexpected and immediate change in my life, but it didn’t stop me. It was that event that was the catalyst in my career in photography. I went from a “normal” life to an uncomfortable one, a life where I had to be fully independent and in control, and it has made me a better person, and a better artist because of it. In six weeks I’ll be packing up and moving to Seattle, where I know no one and have no idea what to expect. It’s a huge risk I’m taking—both financially and creatively—that I hope will open new doors for me and help me see things differently.

Accept critique and contempt. To be able to get past the struggles we all face as creative people, we sometimes need to have a thick skin … but not so thick that nothing gets through. My main source of income is from microstock photography, a business model that some people disagree with (it could be that it’s just an easy target … but that’s an entirely different blog post altogether). :) It’s not easy when you get hate-comments from people who just don’t like what you do. I mean, it’s not like I’m conning widows out of their life savings to buy a photograph. But people can be mean, opinionated and vocal … I’ve learned to just let it happen and continue making my living doing what I love.

This also goes with having your work critiqued. I’m not talking about the random anonymous comment that says something extremely nice, or extremely mean about one of your photographs. True critiqe, from someone you respect and admire, is worth its weight in gold. It can be painful—and trust me, I’ve been there—but it is an invaluable learning experience that I think everyone should experience regularly.

The bottom line is that if you are ever on the receiving end of contempt, mean comments, controversy, or just basic, solid critique that you don’t want to hear, do not get hung up on it. It’s human nature to focus on the bad and ignore the good, but sometimes seeing that “bad” side of things can be a good thing. I can’t stress this enough: if you only hear good things about you and your creative efforts then you will never grow. Listen to, embrace, and accept the bad … and then walk away from it. Learn from critique, but don’t let it drag you down and stifle your efforts. Some things you can never change, like someone just not liking what you do, but other things can be used as a valuable learning experience.

Be yourself. I believe that this is essential to going down any path that would be considered “successful” in today’s world. People appreciate “real” people, people who aren’t just a robot filling in the blanks with what they think people want to see, hear or read. Create work that inspires you, that shares your vision and comes from your heart. And, once you do, your efforts won’t seem so strenuous … it’s so darn easy to just be yourself! With photography or any kind of art or creative effort, when you create what you love and are truly passionate about then you will never, ever be wrong.

My dad, the model :)

My dad is awesome. He’s always been there for me and always believed in me. (And, he makes a darn good model, too!) :) When I was a kid he used to tell me that I could do anything I wanted to in life, and that has always stuck with me. I believed him, and he was right. I love you, Dad … Happy Father’s Day! :)

Canon 5D Mark II, Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 L II, 1/320 sec at f/11, ISO 100

Yesterday I decided to take most of the day off and spent the afternoon driving around. I soaked in the beautiful Utah scenery and I even took a short hike up to a waterfall, all with a camera (or two) in tow, of course. It was great, and something I really, desperately need to do more often. I was still able to get some work done (all that I really needed to for the day) but instead of lurking in my office “finding” things to do online, I left. It was a gorgeous day, perfect weather … plus I won’t be in Utah much longer so I really need to take advantage of my time while I’m here. (The photo above is a tilt-shift image of aspen trees off the road on the Nebo Loop scenic byway. I also photographed some other images on my drive which served as the texture you can see in the sky.)

You see, I’ve been pretty stressed out lately. Not all bad stress, most of it was of the “good” variety, in fact. I spent the last five months working on a new book that will be released in August, squeezed an eBook in there as well, and also did a bit of traveling and photography to mix things up. I’ve been extremely busy, which is great, but stress is still stress. My stress is the reason I’m (unfortunately) not going to be going on a road trip to my home state that I blogged about earlier in the year. Work piled up, I needed to plan and shop for the trip and it just couldn’t happen without causing me more stress. It would have been fun, but what I needed was a few solid weeks of no planning, no goals, and no expectations or deadlines. This summer is going to be hectic enough with packing to move to Seattle, along with another big project I might be working on, I didn’t want to add anything else into the mix.

So, instead I’ll just take things day by day, something I never used to do. My life used to be all about “plans” … and I’m definitely not that person anymore. The only thing I can count on is that in just over three months I’ll be living in Seattle. After that I have no clue where life will take me, and I love it! And, as a photographer/writer/creative it also seems to be almost necessary. I can remember wanting a family, kids, and a perfect house that I would live in forever, and there was a time in my life that I thought it would happen. I might still have that one day, but right now it seems so far away and I enjoy being spontaneous, mobile and ungrounded.

I think it’s important that we are constantly challenging ourselves. I try to create and find experiences that are new and unique, and even the little things can make a big impact. Sitting and staring at a computer screen probably isn’t inspiring enough to really grow as an artist. Getting out in the world and meeting new people, eating new foods, traveling (or moving) to new places or just going on a walk in a different neighborhood might be all it takes to ignite that one spark that will take you down a path you didn’t even know existed.

This is one my my “in-progress” pottery projects

The other night I was up pretty late, drinking wine and watching some random Korean soap opera on TV (yeah, I know … welcome to my world). From what I could gather in the fifteen minutes I had seen of it was that, minus the inevitable love triangle and torn emotional trauma that typically surrounds a Korean drama, the show was about a group of chefs trying to create their “masterpiece” dish. One young chef had come up with an amazingly beautiful, tasty dish, but he looked so sad. Something was missing, he said. He just wasn’t excited about it.

When he said that (or rather, I read it from the subtitles since my Korean isn’t what it used to be) it really struck a chord. That feeling, as simple as it may seem, is what drives us. It gives us a reason to enjoy life, to wake up each day and look forward to the next. It gives us purpose, momentum and fuels our energy to grow.

For the past several months I’ve been taking pottery classes. My goal with this endeavor is to use my hands, get away from the “digital world” for a few hours and maybe even make something I can use with my photography. I’m still not very good, but at least I can keep the clay on the wheel and form it into something that I’m usually pretty happy with. It’s all very experimental, since I never really know exactly what I’m going to create when I sit down and start working. Recently I’ve started adding decorations, making more refined work, and loving every minute of it. I’m feeling that excitement build, wondering what I’m going to create next. I kinda feel like a kid again.

Today I’m heading out to the store to grab a bunch of goodies for some food I plan on photographing (and eating) later in the day. When I pre-visulaize an image of the next dish I’m going to create and photograph, it’s usually all I can think about. I’m so excited! I can’t wait to go through the entire process of cooking, styling, lighting, plating … and then finally making my way to creating that final image is like icing on the cake.

So here’s my question to you: when was the last time you were excited about something? Was it your photography? An ingredient you couldn’t wait to cook? A vacation you’d been planning for months, or even years? When was the last time you felt that inner burst of happiness, brought on by one specific thing?

That feeling of excitement, longing, craving—whatever you call it—it’s what drives us. Whether it’s with your photography, cooking, hobbies, family … if you’re feeling it and it puts a smile on your face then you’re truly living. I’ve had my days of loneliness, that feeling of something missing in my life, but I always have something driving me each day. Maybe it was a book or big project I was working on, or maybe it was as simple as one photograph I wanted to create. I find that one small thing I’m excited about can pick up momentum for other things, building this whirlwind of energy that fuels my life and my desire to create, teach, share … to learn and to grow.

We all have so many reasons to wake up each day and enjoy each breath, and I say it’s better to smile, find something (or someone) you love and live each day to its fullest. Find what drives you and enjoy the ride. :)

Canon 60D, Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens, 1/3200 sec at f/4, ISO 100

So, it’s “un-officially offical”, but later this year I’ll be packing up and moving to Seattle! It’s “official” because I am 100% sure that I’m moving there, and “un-official” because it’s too far out to make any of the logistical arrangements, like finding an apartment and hiring movers (as of right now it looks like it will be happening around September or October). I gave myself a few solid months to really think about it, and I’m super, super excited for this change in my life … it just “feels” right, ya know?

I’ve been in Utah for almost two years now, in a very transitional period of my life and I have nothing “grounding” me to this location, so I’m ready to move on. My job(s) also allow me to live wherever I want (as long as I have a computer and the internet) so I’m taking advantage of that and going somewhere new. I’ll miss my friends here in Utah, but I’m sure I’ll be back around from time to time to say hello.

Just thought I’d share the news with you guys, so if you’re in (or near) Seattle let me know! I’d love to meet up with the photographers after I’m settled later in the year. :)