It\u2019s November!! Seasons changed, weather is different. Here in New England the trees have started to change but we are having an unusually late peak fall foliage season. Never the less, leaf peppers from NYC and beyond have begun to descend upon My little mountain town and drive real slow and dumb and are generally amazed at trees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I try not to be too cynical about it and to actually enjoy where I live and not take it for granted. As I write this, I\u2019m listening to fall raindrops on a tin roof and looking out over yellowing trees juuuuust covering the mountain line in the distance. The spot I get to write at and have My office in is pretty incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ve been living here for just over a year now, and have finally settled in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We first moved here last September. It had been a grueling summer, and not just because of covid. But, actually BECAUSE of covid I lost My photography studio. Really right when I had just hit My stride with it. But there were multiple months we couldn\u2019t even access the building, but still had to pay full price rent. When we were allowed back in it just felt\u2026.unsafe. The wall separating Me from the painter next door didn\u2019t touch the ceiling and we literally had an air duct connecting us and I used to sit and listen to him cough. Mad people, including the postman had the code to get in so there was alot of traffic and it was just way more people than I wanted to be around. My landlord was also an unforgiving asshole so there was that. And as a cherry on top a big box of MY treasured lamps and wall hangings and candles got stolen while I was moving out. So many signs pointing to gtfo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But it was hard, and it was August and it was HOT and it was three flights of stairs wearing masks up and down to move and right directly after that in September we moved our house too. So everything from the studio got moved to storage then moved again into the house. It was like moving three times. I was always tired and sore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember I had photoshoots booked like starting Sept 3rd, days after we had moved and I ripped through the fall foliage season with at least 3 shoots per week. Constantly hiking up mountains taking pictures, then coming home and trying to unpack, and editing and processing images amidst boxes I still hadn\u2019t unpacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Took a couple months to have it feel like home and as we know, fall foliage is buusy season for outdoor photography. But sometime after Christmas it all kinda came together. I had taken last January-March OFF from shooting. And when I look over the last year…that was the most chill time for Me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am deciding how I want to run things next year, and paying close attention to how I feel and what gets Me excited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I feel the most excited about is: Hiking off to cool locations and shooting nature. I keep tricking Myself into thinking I can\u2019t be a nature or landscape photographer because there\u2019s no money in it. But increasingly, photography isn\u2019t the thing I pay My bills with. It\u2019s something I feel super passionate about and love doing. I actually get withdrawals if I don\u2019t do it often enough and start to obsess about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I keep notes and tabs on everything, and one of the things I\u2019ve been paying attention to is numbers. How many people book Me for paying shoots, how many people schedule trade or unpaid shoots with Me. How many friends I offer unpaid shoots to. Who actually shows up. Who shows up late, who flakes, who cancels half an hour before hand. It\u2019s like dealing with models there are SO many variables. Lots of big personalities and egos to deal with. Lots of like, hurt feelings when I express boundaries. I find Myself having to like, explain why I might shoot with someone more than someone else. It feels sort of tiring. I just wanna shoot cuz I love it. I just wanna take pictures. I don\u2019t wanna schedule whole days and then have a human cancel on Me and it throws My entire schedule into upheaval. I don\u2019t wanna wait twiddling My thumbs while models do makeup. I don\u2019t wanna send off huge files of My hard hard, work to folks for them not to even respond and let them Me know they got em, or liked em, or cared. I don\u2019t wanna see My work with bad instagram filters over it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think, after My mini shoot specials for the Holidays are over this year, that I am going to focus on shooting the Earth and not people next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am absolutely positive that I will still do some photoshoots with folks. I am sincerely hoping they are mostly paid shoots!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will still continue to shoot photosets of Sunny Cheex in 2022 and we will keep our standing once monthly shoot appointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am also thinking I may hire some professional models for some art nude shoots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don\u2019t worry, it won\u2019t affect things here! Except that I\u2019ll also be releasing some landscape photos for you to enjoy. I have SO many photosets of models, worry not, I will be releasing them for years to come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who is your favorite? Who do you wanna see more of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you think it\u2019s crazy that I wanna take macro pictures of moss and do a photo essay on trees?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have SO SO much in the pipeline that I\u2019ll be releasing footage and photosets of models well into next year. But I think I do know I need a break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I need to recharge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am realizing that in almost 2 years since the pandemic started, the ONLY social life I have had is photoshoots. I think it\u2019s left Me feeling like: Folks don\u2019t really wanna hang out unless I am providing something (pictures). No one has really tried to stay in touch or hang out or manage to invite Me to any outdoor or safe gathering\u2026. It\u2019s just all been photoshoots phootshoots photoshoots\u2026..They are always precarious, done outside. Severely limited to what and where I am comfortable shooting. I can\u2019t imagine what My career as a photographer would be like if I had been able to really get into it without COVID in the way\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am going to take November off from shooting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do only 3 days of shooting in December<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then take all of Jan off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another 3 day stint in Feb<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take March off completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then open My books again in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think that\u2019s enough time for Me to heal and deal with these feelings and then begin to feel invigorated about work again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thanks for listening. Sometimes making the porno is messy and brings up emotions and art is supposed to be hard and make you feel alot right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All of this being said, I am incredibly excited to begin winding down and excited for the new photo journeys of next year. I know it\u2019s too early to start new years resolutions but: I want to spend a good long time really getting to know My camera, learning more about photography in general and honing My craft. In 2022 I want to shoot another photo essay and really focus on that, and try for some publications and some gallery shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
PS: I have a new publication with some never before seen photos coming out this month that I am super excited about so I will write another blog about that when it comes out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<3<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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