Wait

I have been lying on the sand for 30 minutes, my eyes glued to the camera. My bones ache. My skin itches. My fingers are numb. I am starting to get cold. I am waiting. I am waiting for my subject to move. I am waiting for my shot. Most of the time, the shot never happens and those 30 minutes are added to the previous hours of waiting. 

The subject moves the wrong way. The background is not right. The light is not right. I wait for 30 minutes without a pause, and the second I break my stare, it is when it happens. Nature photography is all about waiting.

In the course of their lifetime, a person will spend approximately 3 to 5 years waiting; 35,000 hours motionless, expecting a desired outcome. We wait for the perfect moment. For the right woman, for the right man. We wait for the right conditions.  We wait for the rain to stop, for the sun to come out. We wait for the bus, for the train, for the subway. We wait in traffic, at the bank, at the grocery store. We wait on the phone. We wait for a phone call. We wait for people. People wait for us. We wait for salvation, for forgiveness. We wait for the show to begin, for the commercials to end. We wait for dinner to be ready. We wait for a package to be delivered. We wait for inspiration to come. We wait behind the camera for the perfect shot.

Francois Rabelais said: “Everything comes in time to those who can wait.” While Abraham Lincoln believed that “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustles.” Lenny Kravtiz has always waited for inspiration to write his music. Sean Lennon instead writes everyday convinced that inspiration comes with practice. Alexandre Dumas wrote that “ All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.”  At the opposite, W.M. Lewis said that “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

Nothing would ever be accomplished if we just waited for things to happen. But again, nothing would ever be accomplished if we were not able to wait until completion. Some don’t wait to start, but have trouble finishing. Others can’t seem to find the will to start, but once they do, they will finish what they have started even if they have to wait a lifetime to see the results. You can’t wait for the right conditions. You can’t wait for things to come to you. But you must be able to wait for the unique to manifest. And when it does, all those minutes, all those hours, all those years waiting, suddenly are worth the wait.

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Image and words courtesy of Shutter Brother Daniel Fox. You can find out more about Daniel and check out the amazing things he is doing through The Wild Image Project.

On Being Seen

When was the last time you gave yourself the gift of getting to hug an old friend for the very first time?

Jen and I have been friends for at least a year or two...but we had never met before last week...she lives in Portland, I'm in Silicon Valley...we're both busy busy ladies, running demanding photography businesses. But last week, we finally managed to align our universes to meet for breakfast, and from the very moment I walked into the restaurant, I knew that I had truly found a sister.

Our first hug was amazing. It said "I know *you*! I *treasure* you!!" ...and so much more....and then we talked. and ate. and laughed. and cried (ok, I'm pretty sure that was just me. and it was just a little bit)...and, of course, we took lots and lots of pictures.

Now, like many women who are photographers, Jen and I both have pretty strong feelings about wanting to be behind the lens, and not in front of it. It is a safe place, a place where we don't have to confront some feelings about our physical selves that we would rather not spend time with. It's also a loving place - because we get to show the world what *we* love...to give the gift of allowing everyone else to see the people, places, and things that fill our hearts with beauty and light, to see them and love them the way that we do.

But what happens when the person we love feels the same way, and wants express that love by pointing a camera back at us? Do we say no? Or do we swallow the fear and untether the self-judgement and self-criticism and the voices that say "no, run away, unbeautiful!" Do we trust that this sister who truly cares about us will see us with love, and gift her with the space capture something amazing, something beautiful?

Well, Jen and I managed to let go. It was hard, and we talked a lot about it, but then we laughed, then we hugged some more, and then we shot some more, and then we laughed a *lot*, then we hugged some more....and when I got home, and saw her images, and looked at the images I had captured...I got a little weepy all over again. Because, in giving her that gift of letting go, I gave myself a gift too. I allowed someone to create images of myself that I truly love. I let this amazing sister show me that she loves me too....we both feel *seen*...essentially, truly, lovingly seen.

So, shutter sisters...this is my challenge to you. Seek one another out. Give hugs. Talk. Take pictures. Love. Laugh. Let go. Be truly seen, allow yourself to be witnessed with love...it is one of the biggest gifts you can give, to yourself, and to the people who love you.

Trust me, it is *so* worth it.

Photo and words courtesy of Honorary Sister / Guest Blogger Lilia Schwartz of babymoon photography.

What Dreams May Come

I rarely remember my dreams.  But the other night I do remember that I dreamed I was on a boat, a huge cruise type boat.  The captain was yelling at everyone to grab an oar because we needed to row home.  The only thing that I could find was a roll of toilet paper.  But the captain kept yelling, "Row!"  Then I woke up.  Wish I knew what it meant because they say your dreams have meanings.  Like, if you dream you are being chased it means that you are feeling threatened by someone or some emotion.  I checked my cabinets, I have plenty of toilet paper.  

Photos can represent dreams in so many ways.  By the subject, the composition, the post processing.  An image can be surreal or ethereal, and therefore be dream like.  I love images that take me away, make me wonder what's going on in that world.  I want to put my ear to the picture and hear the sounds.  What dreamy images do you have or can you create?  Do you remember your dreams and can you represent one in a photo?  Or maybe someone is dreaming.  Come on, spill the dreams here. 

 

This guest post comes our way from the lovely Melody of HipMomma's Journal.

 

More Than Enough

For the longest time, I've wanted a camera.  You have a camera, a little voice would answer in the back of my head.  And I'd have to nod and say, Yes, that's true.  My little point-and-shoot performed minor miracles for me, capturing moments of rare beauty and the kind of memories you want to hold close forever.  And I was grateful.

But then one day I rushed back to my unlocked car only to discover someone else had been there first, my hiding place discovered.  My little trusty camera was gone. 

I grieved for about five seconds and then determined it must be a sign.  An invitation even.  My time had come.  No more excuses.  I made a list of reasons why this was my next logical purchase and recited them religiously to my family members mid-click at B&H.  I need it for my business.  I need it for my blog.  I need it for our family.  The real reason, however, remained unspoken. 

I need this for my soul. 

What is it about seeing life through the lens that makes everything important come into focus?  What is it about letting in more light that puts everything in perspective?  What is it about filling the frame with something, someone you love that makes all the pieces of my heart fall into a perfect whole?

I know, I know.  I sound ridiculous.  But I can hardly help myself.  I am completely and totally in love with a new way of seeing the world, with the challenge and discipline of waiting, of watching.  I'm consumed with the task of drilling down to essentials, of uncovering magic in the most unlikely places.  I'm soaking up the experience of trying something new--even though I have no idea what I'm doing.  Even though my shiny new camera is for the most part a mystery machine in my hands. 

Someday I'll know how to tell a story with one shot that makes you want to weep.  Someday I'll know how to create an image that leaves you wistful and aching.  Someday I'll even know what AF means on that little round dial.  Or TV or AV or A-Dep, for that matter.

Until then, it will be all wonder and pure love--and right now, that feels like more than enough.

Photo and post courtesy of Guest Blogger Jen Lemen