the open road

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

Song of the Open Road, Walt Whitman

***

I came across these words from Walt Whitman just at the end of 2011, and immediately felt a rush of energy, adventure and possibility. It whispered to me "Go. Do the things you want to do. The road is wide open."

And of course, I couldn't resist.

A minute later, my "word" came to me: Free. Free to be, to do, to go, to shoot whatever my heart desires. Free of road blocks... And especially the self imposed!

So, maybe you've already got your word already, but maybe you don't. Either way you can join me on this. Close your eyes and see what pops up when you reflect on what you want to shoot this year. Don't be timid. Go big. Is it pictures of your life? Is it editorial, advertising, stock? Is it a project you've kept in the back burner for while? Perhaps you want to step it up professionally. Or maybe what your dream is to just make time to shoot {period}. Whatever it is, if what comes up for you feels like a *super delicious* secret desire that burns your core and gives you butterflies in your stomach... You've got it. That is it. Now imagine the open road. Feel that you own it (because you really do own it). This road is totally yours to conquer.

The time is now.

"These are the days that must happen to you".

Go.

Today I invite you to share images of open roads, paths, passages, doorways, or whatever may remind you that the road is wide open for you and that you, my friend, are leading the way (your way) in 2012.

Just in Time

I had planned to sell my Nikon D90 after I upgraded to the D3s last year. The camera had been out of sight in a deep drawer within my office and out of mind until my eleven-year-old son discovered it just a couple of weeks ago. "Can that be my camera?" he asked. I don't know why it hadn't dawned on me to keep the camera for my children. Maybe it seemed too expensive or complicated for small hands. Or maybe I just needed one of them to discover it on their own. To ask for it. I tightened up the camera strap, showed him the basics, and placed it around his neck just in time for the sun to begin its decline. "Come with me," he said.

When did you discover photography?

b kind to Earth

Earth day is just around the bend and we are thrilled to be celebrating with the likes of The Motherhood, Nickelodeon and the National Wildlife Federation in their B Kind 2 Earth Day incentive. What's it all about? Just a great way to get a lot of people committed to doing something kind for the earth this Earth Day. What's not to love?

Won't you join us as we begin the celebration now through blog posts, tweets and facebook notes as well as photos (lots and lots of gloriously green photos)? However you choose to participate, pop over the the B Kind 2 Earth Day Facebook page and let everyone know what's on your mind as Earth Day approaches.  And we invite you to add your Earth Day (and before) photos to our Flickr pool and tag them #kind2earth so we can keep track of all the wonderful stuff you're doing!

Let's see how you capture a little bit of kindness today!

No Trespassing

I often find myself driving along, breaking my neck to check out some beautifully rustic piece of land, only to find a barbed wire fence and "No Trespassing" sign. Why do the most intriguing spots to photograph belong to someone else? There are times when I will risk the possibility of getting caught to get a good shot, but most of the time I'm too chicken. Of course, having a partner in crime seems to help calm my fears a bit, but that's not always convenient. And I am always on the lookout for beautiful locations to use for my portrait business, but tend to stick with public land in order to avoid the session getting cut short by an angry farmer or land owner.

So how do you find your favorite photo locations? Do you tend to stay with public spaces or are you brave enough to break the law for that perfect shot?