Hullo world. I’m still giddy about my first ever blizzard here in Denver. It’s been snowing for 2 days and I just ventured out to see what it looked like and it’s beautiful. I’ll confess I’m getting a little stir-crazy although I know I could be doing any number of projects. Also,just got word that tomorrow is a snow day! No school! Picture taken with my iphone and edited with the photoshop app.

P.S. If you haven’t read my ramble below, I’d love feedback, even if it’s a difference of opinion..

Though I’m always reluctant to say the words “I am an artist” or “I am a photographer” out loud, I’ve secretly thought them…maybe in subconscious hopes that it will begin to sound less pretentious to my own ears. Through teaching both of these subjects, it’s hard to not put my own skill or creative tendencies in context of what I am teaching (both in photography and art appreciation) my students. This was especially true last week as we dove into Impressionism in art appreciation and I poured through one of my favorite sources Art: A New History (Paul Johnson).

Impressionism is usually known to have not been widely accepted in its beginnings (although I’ve read some opinions that that has been exaggerated). That changed over time…but at what cost? Johnson said:

“But as always with artistic successes, there were drawbacks. One was a certain loss of individuality. Art is essentially a personal response to the visual world, and an artist should always be wary of belonging to a coterie. Of the artists commonly classified as Impressionists, it was those who were emphatically not impressionistic but realists who kept their individuality–Degas and Mary Cassatt, Toulouse-Lautrec and Caillebotte.”

What’s my point? With my “photographer’s mind” I immediately thought of my own art form. With the widespread ability (Travesty? No, I kid.) to easily obtain a camera comes a loss of individuality. In certain genres of photography especially, there’s an alarming amount of repetition. Not to say I haven’t been guilty of it too, but with the internet, its like a brushfire of…bad ideas? Or one good idea copied relentlessly until it is so deteriorated as to lose its value. Using tracing paper well over an original does not make me an artist. I’m not so worried about labels/perceptions as I am over my continuation of growth. At the same time–shouting I’M DIFFERENT! from the rooftops won’t accomplish anything either.  So it’s no good to be different for the sake of being different.

But I ask myself, at the risk of sounding ego-centric, what do I have to say and how can I say it best?

Remember when I showed a picture from my Highway 301 Project? I have more, and as I’ve been culling through my portfolio and redefining my…voice, I’ve paid attention to different pictures than before. This image is one I passed over at first and now I’ve stared at it way too much. That’s my shadow, yes, and my cousin in the background, in a cemetery.

McCall is one of my students. She also offered to help collaborate for this shoot which was part portrait, part lifestyle, part whatever struck my fancy. My thought process was to get as far away from a traditional senior picture session as possible, but still explore portraits…of a senior (just in a rad, unexpected way). The light was varied and beautiful. We worked with a concept I’ve had for a while–riding the Light Rail from the end of the line (my stop) to Union Station (downtown) and stopping along the way. The amazing light in the tunnel-ish image is underneath Union Station. The last shot is the sky on the way home from the train window. It was COLD but worth it, I think.

So, you may have noticed (Rose) that I accidentally posted some info on here that was intended for my class (maybe you enjoyed looking at the links too, however!) because I was delusional and I manage 2 class blogs on this same platform and was bound to get things mixed up. But, I’m very pleased with the photo shoot I have to share today! I’m not through editing so here’s one to tide you over until a bit later.

An outtake from a shoot for the FC mag last week in Erie, Colorado. Funnily enough, it’s probably my favorite image from the afternoon. There’s another one I’d like to post once the mag is in peoples mailboxes.

Teaching is still going swimmingly…totally endeared to my students, love having a captive audience (no one’s really surprised by that) and I get paid to encourage creativity in photography and art. Dare I say it, I wouldn’t mind teaching more than 2 days a week! (Maybe 3 would be just right.)

In my spare time I’ve been devouring novels written mostly before the 1950s. Favorites so far are The Wonderful Year (copyright 1946), Dear Enemy (1915) and Bright Island (1964…a bit later but just as dear). There’s something surprisingly profound in each of these, and I MAY have laughed and cried.  Also, it’s soup weather and I’m trying a new recipe this week. The weather is unpredictable (60’s today, forecast of snow tomorrow) and I love it. And we (cousins and I) have started watching the National Parks Ken Burns documentary on PBS and it’s so good but bad because I already want to visit all the national parks and it’s only making it worse. Every few months, the travel bug bites me hard so who knows where I’ll go next (I have good friends in Switzerland and Turkey right now!)

Back in June when I was in California, still on the high of shooting Will and Kristens wedding the weekend before, a group of us drove out to Point Reyes. I’ve been fortunate to have many a road-trip, perhaps my favorite kind of trip, with spontaneous and wonderful friends. Point Reyes was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen…but I was saving the pictures until I needed a reminder of that bright, friend-filled day. Here’s an earlier post with some portraits from that day.

It was super windy!

The lighthouse on the peninsula.

Inside the lighthouse.

I almost didn’t include this because I was afraid you would realize how I’m not a perfect photographer. But it’s too laughable not to.

From the car window on the way home.

On Saturday I did an 18 mile (9 each way) bike ride from Frisco to Breckenridge. The Aspens are almost in their peak leave-changing time (everyone is saying this week will be the best) and there were yellow and orange leaves lining the trail, against an intense blue sky. The bike trail is paved but hilly, and goes through forests and through meadows and beside streams. It was amazing and I’m so glad I did it but my legs are KILLING me now. It’s like I’ve never used my knees or quads before. And today, it SNOWED! It’s just a cold-front and it’s supposed to warm back up again this week but summer is officially over. I’m probably the only one here excited that it snowed, but hey, I’m from Florida.

Okay so have you ever lived somewhere for a long time and you leave and realize there was so much you meant to do but never did? I’m committed to living here for at least through May of next year and I’ve compiled a list of things I must do before I leave. These are just things I knew about already or with a little research but I would welcome any other suggestions! This could include things in Denver (I didn’t really start a list of places to eat because I’m afraid how big that would get, but I’d still welcome suggestions) or day-trips like the Sand Dunes…I’ve wanted to go there for FOREVER.

If you come visit me, you can pick something off the list and we’ll do it!

Things to Do/Places to Visit while I Live in Colorado:

1. Visit Tattered Cover bookstore downtown.
2. Go to a concert at Red Rocks
3. Climb a 14er
4. Bike ride in the mountains (this Saturday 9/19!)
5. Great Sand Dunes National Park
6. Rocky Mountain National Park – camping?
7. Snowshoe
8. Visit Boulder
9. Take a scenic train-ride
10. Denver Art Museum (Free day 9/26)
11. Drive over the Royal Gorge Bridge
12. Visit REI flagship store
13. Antique shopping on Broadway
14. Garden of the gods
15. Manitou Springs
16. Picnic in Georgetown
17. Downtown Denver
18. Visit Golden

Scout is the daughter of some of my best friends, kindred spirits that I can’t ever seem to live near although I wish I would, Gabe and Mandy. Whenever I visit them (as best friend Rose and I refer to their home…a vortex that sucks you in and keeps you there even when you need to leave) it’s exactly the same. The same amount of understanding, of comfortableness, of laughing at ridiculous things but also them patiently listening to my questions about faith and life. The whole point of flying to Kentucky in July to take all those family portraits was so I could spend a few days with Gabe and Mandy and Scout in Nashville. I hadn’t met Scout before then and I was desperately wanting to hold her!

Scout was born with a genetic syndrome so there are lots of visits to the doctor, etc.

It was endearing to see Mandy (pictured here) in the new role of motherhood. She’s doing great.

Scouts room has an amazing chalk-board paint wall with a To Kill a Mockingbird theme. Lots of her friends have left messages.

I’m guessing Mandy took this one of me feeding Scout.

Here’s Scout with her mom at the doctor. She had to get a shot. The good news is that she is wearing a Beastie Boys onesie. Can you expect anything else when MixMasterMandy is her mom?

Scout is not hard to love and I’m so thankful I got to spend time with this fam. I look up to Gabe and Mandy, as trite as that may sound, and I’m guessing this is the hardest thing they’ve ever gone through, although I see them handling it only with love, thankfulness, sincerity and generosity. Scout has great parents and I can’t wait to see all three of them again!