Where do you see miracles?

'There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle' Albert Einstein

Life gets very big sometimes, doesn't it? And so many people are so unhappy. Truly, there are tragic and challenging events in all our lives that cannot be avoided. What do you do to regain some balance? Some people turn to yoga, meditation, spiritualism, workouts at the gym, even alcohol and food, in search for understanding, inner peace... happiness. OK, I admit, food is one of mine, darn it (I'm working on that!!), but even more, I use my photography, looking closely at smaller pieces of the world through my lens. I can wander my yard for hours, watching and waiting for a dragonfly to land on the end of a flower or leaf I'm standing near, looking closely at the dew drops hanging by a nearly invisible strand to the underside of a leaf, waiting for a ray of light to fall in a pattern on the side of the barn, and "capture" it to remind me later of the many small miracles surrounding us. This pink waterlily is an example, found bobbing, holding its own against a river current, surrounded by the more common white lilies. The gorgeous subtle pastel hues against the splash of the startling gold center, so frail yet so self-contained, a little miracle all its own, just waiting for us to see it.

Albert Einstein's got it right. We can choose to live our lives focused only on the troubles and issues, or we can open our eyes to the miracles all around us and have a whole new appreciation for the life we are given. Where do YOU see miracles? I'd like to hear. Please share by posting your comments for us to read and enjoy.

Dog Psychologist among many talents

Our two "Dog Days" Theme Portraits are done, the fur has settled, the doggie treats are out of my pockets, but for the crumbs, and all is quiet now on the Studio Set.

What fun, what fun!

I experienced a "first" yesterday. While I am familiar with doggie anxiety, reluctance, some peevishness, and downright stubbornness, this was the first time I witnessed and had to work around a dog that was in utter panic every time the lights flashed! I give great credit to his owners, who knew that he was a scaredy cat over just about everything, and took it in stride. If they had become anxious too, then we'd have had to admit defeat. BUT, we persevered, gave LOTS of positive reinforcement praise, played some dog psychology games, and here's the ONE great shot we needed!

Photography is knowing the technology, having all elements as perfect as can be and in place before the subjects get on the set, and then, lots and lots of psychology.... even for our four footed friends! Bravo Harry! You survived, and you look great! Oh, and your mom and dad look good too! Hope you enjoyed that Dunkin Donuts they were bribing you with.

When is "good enough", NOT good enough?

Recently, a high end contractor was proudly showing me his work in pictures he'd done himself with his "good camera". Here he is, a professional insisting on the best of everything for his clients, top of the line work and finish products such as cabinets, crown mouldings, appliances, faucets, you name it. Then, he decides to save money on the marketing of his services to attract new clients. He knows it's not professional, but says it's "good enough". There is DEFINITELY something wrong with this picture! I didn't confront him and make him feel bad about his pictures, but it made me realize that I needed to have something that would show what he, and others like him, are missing. I went to an office location where I used my "really good point and shoot zoom camera" - (TWELVE megapixels, wow!!!) readily available and frequently purchased by the average consumer, and let it do its thing on "auto", much as a non-professional would do. Then, I set up several professional architectural lighting units on stands, placing them in the best positions around the room to draw the eye around the image as I wanted it to go, metered the output of each light separately and made sure the existing lighting fixtures would register also, white balanced so the colors of the walls would be accurate, manually set the settings on my camera with interchangeable lenses, which allowed me to use the correct architectural lens, positioned myself correctly so the walls didn't tilt, and took the picture. Now, all these details might be boring to you and not necessarily something you wish to learn, but, does reading about this and seeing the difference in the photos illustrate why not using a professional photographer can actually COST someone money, lost sales by those using their own snapshots to try to get new clients? I don't try to draft architectural plans or build buildings, thinking they might save me lots of money and be good enough anyway, and it's much the same with deciding to hire a professional photographer. We do this for a living, and we KNOW how to make the client's marketing images look, not good enough, but GREAT.