As I write this I’m just getting home from handing in the keys to my photography studio after an afternoon of hauling two car-fulls of stuff off to the local thrift store. This change in my life has spawned a lot of questions, pretty much the same one over and over, so I apologize if you asked and I didn’t respond. The general question I keep getting is: Why? Well, here’s my answer: No, I’m not closing my business; no, I’m not having financial problems … yes, I’m still doing stock photography; and yes, I’m moving (eventually, but no solid plans yet). Nothing in my life has changed other than the fact that I now no longer have a studio.

I’ve been working towards minimizing the “stuff” in my life over the past few months and my studio was one of those things that just needed to go. A big part of that decision was based on the fact that I do plan on moving far enough away to where I won’t be able to use it. Also, a lot of my photography lately has been food, something I can easily do from my living room, so having a studio just slowly started to become more of a burden than a benefit.

But, outside of my professional life I’ve been trying to get rid of as much stuff as I can. You wouldn’t know it by the looks of my apartment at the moment … my living room is cluttered with tripods, reflectors and food props, not to mention the addition of two tables I still need to strategically position around my couch so I don’t have to squish around them to get to the kitchen. I’m also programmed to keep almost every product box (TV, computer, etc.) for when I move again, which seems to be much more frequent than I expected (I think that carries over from my “move every three years” military days). I basically still have way too much stuff in my life.

Clearing my life of clutter has been something that has been on my mind for several months now, but it really hit home with my studio. I had all this stuff leftover that I needed to get rid of and badly wanted (needed?) gone. All it was causing me was stress. Stuff was causing me stress. Excess, random bits of things that I was no longer using and had no attachment to. Not only was it was causing me stress but it was also costing me time, precious time that I seem to have less and less of these days.

One thing that I’ve learned is that being a photographer is not a good profession to be in if you don’t want to turn into a hoarder. :) As a stock photographer I would cling to anything I might use in a photograph, and most of the time it just ended up on a shelf collecting dust. Thankfully with my focus on food photography my collection of props has dwindled to silverware, dishes and napkins, all of which are a lot easier to organize. A storage shelf full of food props and a corner filled with camera gear and lights won’t bother me … the rest has got to go.

Maybe I’ve watched one too many episodes of “Hoarders”, or maybe I’m just trying to physically, maybe also metaphorically cleanse my life of all the excess baggage that I have that’s weighing me down … because once it’s gone it feels sooooo good. It will take time, but every box that gets hauled out to the thrift store is one less weight on my shoulder to carry around. I’ll never be an extreme minimalist (and don’t want to be) but I’ll definitely have a very clean house, mind and soul when I’m finished.

Wish me luck :)

These photographs are just a handful of my favorite moments and memories from the year 2010.

Yes, this is going to be one of those “New Year’s” posts with goals and aspirations, but I always find them encouraging and inspiring to write. Last year my “New Year’s blog post” had a handful of photography-related goals for 2010, and I can honestly say that I actually followed through on them. :)

My life has changed a lot in the past few years and I think I’m just doing my best to stay happy and in control (so far, so good). Two years ago I didn’t know that right now I would be single, living in Salt Lake City and have a very successful career in photography. I didn’t know that I’d have two published books under my belt with a good chance that there will be more to come in the future. I didn’t know that I would go through so much personal drama and change that it would actually make me a better, happier person.

So, for 2011 I guess I just want to do what’s best for me. Yeah, I know, that’s super vague but I do have a few specific things I know I want to accomplish (see below). I’m in a very reflective and uplifting place in my life that I just want to make sure I make the best of what I have and who I am. The fun part is that I don’t know where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing beyond three months from now, and even those three months are still very foggy. For a very large chunk of my life I had always wanted to plan things out years in advance, but right now it’s just so exhilarating not knowing what to expect in the future. No expectations … just hopes and dreams. :)

So, without further ado here are my goals for 2011:

Goal #1: I know that I definitely want/need to travel, somewhere non-touristy and far, far away. I haven’t traveled much in the past few years and I’m itching to get out of the US. I also have some anxiety about planning a complete solo vacation to a random destination. There are obvious safety concerns about traveling alone with thousands of dollars of equipment by my side, but most of it is just complete indecisiveness on where to go and how much money to spend. I’d really like to push past that and just go … that’s one thing I need to do before the end of 2011.

Goal #2: I guess that the previous paragraph goes hand-in-hand with the next goal … I want to take more risks. Whether it’s with relationships, photography, travel, writing, or any other endeavor, I’m going to really push myself past my comfort zone. We don’t grow if we don’t try new things, and sometimes that can be scary. I’m only going to live once and I definitely don’t want to have any regrets.

Goal #3: I’m going to stretch my artistry and creativity beyond photography. This is extremely simple to do, yet also very important. It shouldn’t be too difficult, since all it will really take is signing up for an art class and actually going. I sometimes find myself “stuck” creatively, and maybe it’s just because photography isn’t enough. Ever since I was very young, as early as I can remember being alive, I’ve had this passion for art inside of me that needed to express itself. As a kid I drew, painted, or just created random pieces of art with construction paper. As a teen I wrote a lot of poetry, and even learned a few chords on the guitar which helped me write some songs. When I decided to take a photography course in High School I realized that photography was the way that just “clicked” with me to express my creativity, but lately I’ve been longing to get back into those art mediums that I used to really enjoy.

Goal #4: I’m going to be happy just being me. I’m going to make me a priority, treat myself with respect and not let others determine who I should be or what I do. It’s well-known that you can’t truly love others or let others in to love you unless you love yourself, and I’m really going to take this to heart. This is not about being selfish … quite the opposite in fact. I always find that the people we enjoy being around the most are those with a flow of positive energy, and people are usually that way because they’re content in their own skin and just plain happy. When you take good care of yourself you’re centered and refreshed, and it makes it so much easier to be there for everyone else, and in my case (photographically speaking) “being there” means sharing on my blog, attending photowalks, creating tutorials and writing books … or whatever else comes along.

That’s it, for now. I know I have other non-soul-searching related things I’d like to do, like adding a full-frame SLR and at least one more good lens to my arsenal of gear, and also try to save and/or spend my money wisely (do those contradict themselves? hehe). But those don’t really take much effort … because, unfortunately, lifting my wallet isn’t really too incredibly difficult. :) I wish everyone a loving, enriching, drama-free 2011! Happy New Year!

Me and three (out of four) of my nieces and nephews taken earlier this month. I love these guys :)

Sometimes it’s difficult to think of things we’re thankful for … it can be easy to concentrate on the crap that’s filling our lives to recognize the good that is always there. I know that I’ve sure had my share of drama and heartache in the past few years, so this post is more for me to force myself to find the good in my life. I know it’s there, but that dark, lingering cloud is keeping them in the shadows … Thankfully I’m a photographer and know that sometimes the shade is where you can find the best light. :)

Here are the things that I’m thankful for:

• I have a great family who loves me. They’re rarely nearby, but I know they support me and I’m always welcome back home.
• I have an awesome job, I love my work and being a pro photographer is what I always wanted to do. I get to work from home, help other people and make cool photos for a living. That sure doesn’t suck. :)
• I have a roof over my head and can pay my bills each month. I don’t really have a lot of worries in my life when it comes to basic needs.
• I live in a beautiful place where I’ve met a bunch of other amazing photographers … I definitely made the right choice moving all the way out here.
• I’m young, healthy and have an amazing life to live ahead of me.

Happy Thanksgiving :)

The last few days I’ve posted photos from a food shoot I did, and I thought I’d share some tips on how I styled it.

When you make yourself a sandwich at home they don’t usually look all poofy and airy, they usually end up flattened with all the ingredients mushed together. Well, I wanted my sandwich to look like all of the ingredients were stacked up beautifully, and wanted those nice little curls to the deli meat, so I did more than just place all the pieces on top of each other.

In order to keep the sandwich from being flat and saggy I cut small pieces of cardboard and layered them as-needed in-between the elements. I put one under and on-top of the lettuce, and then I used tooth-pick halves to pin the bunched-up deli meat in place. The toothpicks also helped to add bulk and hold up the tomatoes, which were placed (along with the top piece of bread) directly on the deli meat.

Canon 7D, Lensbaby Composer, flower-shaped aperture, Double-Glass w/ +10 macro attachment, 1/60th sec at ISO 200

Exactly one year ago this month I moved to Utah. The past year has been challenging, in both good ways and bad, but I made it out the other side intact. I’d say I’m a changed person and have learned a lot about myself, both personally and professionally, and it never seems to stop. It’s always a wonderful thing when you can surprise yourself and accomplish something you didn’t think you could do, even when it’s a seemingly small task.

It’s quite appropriate that on my one-year anniversary of moving to Utah I participated in a Photowalking Utah event, a ladies-only photowalk at a rose garden in Salt Lake City on Saturday. The photography community in Utah is amazing … I’ve made so many friends because of it and I know I made the right choice when I packed up and settled down in the Salt Lake Valley.

I’ve mentioned this before in my blog but it’s so important that it’s worth repeating: Life is about people. I moved to Utah because of friends and photographers from the internet that I barely knew personally and had met only once or twice. I’ve gotten to know people all around the world and keep in touch with them because of iStock, Twitter, Flickr, etc, and my life has definitely changed for the better because of the people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made. :)

Canon 7D, Canon 24-105 ƒ/4L IS Lens, 1/30 sec at ƒ/4, ISO 3200

A few days ago I was blasting Switchfoot on my iPod and tuned it to my favorite song, “This is Your Life”. One of the verses in it really made me think about it in terms of my life in general but I also started thinking about it as a photographer. it’s really a very simple phrase, but has so much meaning to it:

This is your life, are you who you want to be?

Try to put his into perspective as a photographer. I’m not talking about the photos you create or the amount of photography knowledge that you know, or how “good” you are at photography. Set aside the idea of how much money you make (or want to make), how many books you’ve written or contests you’ve won. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about you, who you are and if you as a photographer reflect that as well.

When you are photographing someone do you talk with them and treat them with respect? When you interact with clients are you fair and just, even though it is business? Are you kind to other photographers, even though they are the competition? Now I am of course under the assumption that most people want to be good, fair, honest and nice, but sometimes we tend to only want to apply that principle in our personal lives.

I’m not saying that you can’t have high prices for your services, or that you have to give all your “secrets” away to other photographers. For me photography is my job, it’s how I earn my living and it’s a very big part of who I am. But I want to run my photography business in a way that I can feel good about. I want to treat other photographers with respect and courtesy, even though they might be my competition. Part of how I do this is by sharing my knowledge with other people – that’s just a part of who I am.

You can be as cutthroat, rude and mean of a photographer as you want … but if that’s not who you are as a person then why are you that person when it comes to photography? Life is about people, it always has been and it always will be. Be who you want to be, be yourself and you can never go wrong.

Canon 7D, Canon 24-105 ƒ/4L lens, 1/100th sec at ƒ/4, ISO 400

Photography is definitely my favorite thing to do (for both work and play), but my next favorite thing is knitting – I guess you could call it my favorite hobby. It’s very relaxing to sit next to a fire, watch TV and knit … and thankfully my cat is unusual in the fact that he doesn’t chase after my yarn. :)

It’s definitely nice to be somewhere cold again, so I can actually wear the things I make – the scarf in the above photo is my most recent and most favorite thing to wear out in the cold (and inside my freezing house). I think I’ll make an effort to photograph all of my future knitting creations; there’s just something about the texture of the yarn that cries out to be photographed. Plus, it might make a cool wall decoration one day to hang a photo-collage of all my projects.

One way I’ve worked this hobby into my photography is by bringing some of the hats I’ve knitted along as props when I photograph people, especially little kids. The hat in this photo is one of my favorites. The colors and textures can add so much to an image, plus it keeps their little noggins warm. :)

Today is Veteran’s Day, and, for those of you who don’t know I served in the US Navy for over eight years before I was a full-time photographer (from 1999-2007). I was looking through some of my old photos from my time in the service and found this one of me while I was stationed in Misawa, Japan in 2002. My primary job while in the Navy was a linguist (CTI), but I also did some security forces training and had the opportunity to become weapons qualified (that’s me shooting an M16).

Being in the military taught me several things and I am a much stronger, more confident person because of it. I love my job right now because I’m doing what I have always wanted to do, but I would never change anything about my past, especially the opportunity to enlist in the Navy.

Thanks to those of you who have served or who are currently serving in the US Military … you are wholeheartedly appreciated.

I have always been a photographer, even before I knew it. (Well, maybe I was always an artist and the camera was the pair of glasses that helped me see the world the way I pictured it in my mind.) Whether I am taking photos, singing, writing poetry, or attempting to play the guitar, all of that is who I am as a person. I don’t try to be someone else, I only know how to be me and I will always find a way to express myself.

Over the past several months I have finally started to realize how important photography is to me in my life.  I love it so much that I want to share what I know with others so that they can create beautiful memories to show their friends, families, children, grand-children, etc. I love it so much that I am incredibly broke because I am trying to make it a full-time job (and I cringe when I realize that it is probably not a realistic endeavor at the moment).  I want to be inspired, creative, and hopeful all at the same time.

Will I be able to do all of this? I think so, but I know that I’m not at my best quite yet. Tell a little kid to draw a picture and they basically are opening up a door to their little world. Sometimes I feel like I’m that little kid, and my photos are telling a story about my life … and right now my life is like a Lensbaby at f/2.8.

But that won’t stop me … I won’t slow down now & I’m only picking up speed. Come along for the ride if you like, but hold on tight!  And don’t even think about getting in my way.

Long before I started my photography career I was worried that, over time, I would start to see photography as a job and would lose my passion and love for what I do.  The nature of my job as a contributor to iStockPhoto & TWIP is, in a nutshell, to photograph & teach what I want with no boss & no deadlines, so I guess that keeps most of the boring stuff out.  But there is that part of me that realizes (well, hopes) that one day I do have those things and that I am still able to keep my passion for photography alive.  The fear is there … it’s tiny and in the back of my head, but I won’t ignore it.  I want to be scared of it because if I am still scared then it means I still care.

Even though I can photograph & teach what I want to, it’s still work.  Sometimes I take pictures of things I know will have a good chance of selling.  I get a sort of “high” when I look at my images on the back of my camera and see a great image that has potential, but sitting behind my computer and processing the photos is still going to be, for the most part, dreary and monotonous.  I can sit at my computer for half a day creating a tutorial that will reach hundreds, if not thousands, of people … and, well, I actually can’t think of anything boring or uninteresting about that part of my job (other than the fact that I do it for free, hehe!). ;)

In five/ten/twenty years will I still feel the same way?  Will I get excited to go on a photoshoot?  I think so.  I honestly can’t imagine not wanting to create in pixels the images that are burned into my brain.  I want other people to see those images too … I want other people to be able to create their own images, their own memories.  I don’t want to stop!

So … what do I do?

One of my recent hobbies has been to create TimeLapse movies.  I do these because I want to; I get enjoyment from the process of creating them and sharing them with others.  I do them because they are FUN!  That’s the key.  Keep the fun in photography … don’t make it only about gear, megapixels, money, contests, critiques, or skills.  If you suck at photography but you love taking photos, don’t stop.  If you don’t have a lot of money and can’t afford a “better” camera, use what you have and don’t let it get you down.  If you work all day and the sun is down when you get home, grab a tripod and try taking photos of the stars.  In my opinion, everyone is a photographer … you don’t have to be a pro or even know what you are doing, but everyone enjoys taking photos because they are preserving a memory.  If photography is your full-time job, try to integrate a part of photography that makes you happy and doesn’t just result in a paycheck.  I sometimes have to force myself to step out of my “iStock box” and take photos that I don’t plan on uploading or making any money on … it keeps my brain charged and my creative juices flowing.  Sometimes I even (unintentionally) come up with great-selling images in the process!

So just as we do in our day-to-day life, we are happiest when we have a balance of work and play.  That, in my humble opinion, is the key to staying passionate about photography.