bits and pieces

The wonderful Doug Plummer has a great entry in his blog about the unchronicled, unsung skills needed to be a good photographer. As someone who is still trying to grasp many of the technical elements of photography, I found his perspective refreshing:

"...The technical minutia of photography is the easy part. It's just a skill set. The crucial element is your ability to connect with the diversity of subjects and clients and situations that a professional photographic life is going to throw at you. The crucial quality is curiosity."

I just love that thought. The whole entry is wonderful.

This has been an interesting week for work and photography. For the first time, I'm going to be working part-time in a situation that allows me lots of exposure (heh) to photographers and photography. The job is definitely small potatoes right now, but I'm still really optimistic about getting to learn more, meet new people, and increase my skill set. I feel like I'm at a plateau photographically right now — perhaps one of many plateaus I will reach during my creative life — and I am looking forward to reaching beyond it.

Photography-related links I've been enjoying lately:
- Kathleen Connally's "A Walk through Durham Township, Pennsylvania" photoblog
- Photographer Jeremy Cowart's portraits tagged "experimental"
- Bill Wadman's incredible 365 Portraits project. This guy is amazing. One new portrait shot and posted each day. Thanks to Paulie for the link.

Don't tell anybody, but it's 3:00 pm and I'm about to go sack out on the couch and watch a movie. I divided the morning between yoga and some freelance work. Tonight I'm getting together with a friend for some wine and conversation (her email was titled "we should drink more").

Life is pretty good.

prayers for a friend

My friend Bob has been missing for three weeks. He disappeared some time on August 1 in Washington County, Kansas. Authorities are starting to conclude that he drowned while exploring a river on the campground where he was staying. Though his body has not been found, the situation is not looking hopeful.

Bob was one of the people that really encouraged me when I was getting started with my photography. When I told him last year I was thinking about upgrading to a newer, faster camera, he encouraged me to shell out the cash for a Canon 5D, which is a really powerful professional digital Canon camera. "The caliber of your work easily justifies this level of gear," he wrote me in an email. "If you want to hold up liquor stores to get the money, let me know. I'll drive the getaway car." I didn't end up getting the 5D, but the thought of robbing liquor stores at gunpoint with Bob made me laugh.

Bob had a 5D himself, and he also had the technical skills to stretch the camera to its full capacity. He was known around my community for his ability to capture dancers twirling and smiling, finding moments of pure joy and connection on the dance floor. I still don't know how he did this while keeping faces in focus and the shots properly exposed.

He was one of my favorite dance partners, too. That's how I first got to know him. He was an extraordinary partner, tall and strong. I knew if I was dancing with Bob that I could cut loose a little bit and he'd always be there to catch me on the other side.

Some of my favorite images from Bob:
Mentone fire dance
The bass player
Me dancing in 2005 with my friend Bruce

I hate the thought that I might never get to see Bob again.

what went right

Some hints of cynicism have been coloring the edges of the days lately. It occurs to me that I am really scared about finding my next job. I long for work that is colorful and interesting and fun, but man. Three seasons of The Office have threatened my belief that such a job even exists.

This morning I went to another class at Dance 101. The class was led by Ofelia, who basically owns the studio and calls the shots. She led one of my introductory classes a few weeks ago and I wanted to try another one of her classes, because I really liked her style.

We started with a warm-up. Ofelia's graceful style turns even basic stretches into elegant displays of art. The way she moves is just so beautiful. As we danced through the class, I found myself feeling so grateful that this woman had found dance (or that dance had found her) and that she had decided to open this studio to students. She didn't even discover dance until her late 30s — then she dropped everything, sold the insurance business she had started in her 20s and put all of her energy into Dance 101.

When you see Ofelia dance, you sense that she is doing the exact work that she was made for. It's so beautiful to know that this kind of perfect fit does happen sometimes.

Today, in an effort to push back against the brittle taste of my own negativity, I am writing a list of What Went Right. There are always far more things that go right in a particular day than go wrong, right? I wish I was not so quick to brush aside the joys of the day and agonize over the "problems." So without further ado:

- Made it to dance class and back safely.
- I got some of the dance steps down correctly, and found those very enjoyable!
- Anticipating going out for a yummy dinner with two juicy girlfriends this evening
- Andy and his wife were nowhere near their Twin Cities home when that bridge collapsed in Minneapolis. They use that bridge all the time, but they happened to be on vacation yesterday when it fell apart.
- The old discarded leather chair I spotted a few days ago down the street was still available to be photographed this morning... photos possibly forthcoming on Flickr.
- I did not have to work today with S.J., C.D., K.B., or J.B. (a host of former work people at the VLMC who were pretty much impossible to deal with).
- I found the absolute perfect card at the store down the street to give to a certain friend this weekend. I don't know why that's so satisfying, but it really is.
- No one else was using the washing machine so I put my clothes right in and now they smell terrific.
- A very kind librarian was able to find the misplaced copy of the Cormac McCarthy book while I waited so I could check it out.
- I got to spend the whole day on the couch reading said Cormac McCarthy book (an extremely rewarding way to spend a day).

Remind me to make lists like this more often.