A couple weeks ago I decided that I would face a photographic fear and head into the forest with some lights. I tested them before I left, making sure I understood the basics (how to turn them on) and brought some extras with me, like a sheet, to diffuse the light. When I got to the forest with my friend we began setting lights up, and when it came time to trigger them, nothing happened. For 2 hours. And I…
I am reading an inspiring book right now called How Successful People Think and in it, the author quotes words spoken of novelist Charles Dickens: “He did each thing as if he did nothing else.” We live in a world built on pressures; the pressure to be successful, the pressure to be happy, the pressure to be someone great. We are taught, not necessarily by our parents but certainly by other influences, that we both need to reach higher yet…
The sun was setting. A yellow and red glow was coming from the left and I only had minutes to shoot. The temperature was below freezing, something I had not packed for. At 10,000 feet in the air I was above the clouds. I was in a cloud. The moisture from it wet my hair completely and my feet started freezing to the ground. I tried adjusting my camera but my fingers stopped working like I told them to. I…
If I had to share one of my biggest weaknesses, it would without a doubt be how I deal with disappointment. I hold myself to extremely high standards, something that a lot of people do, and when I don’t meet those standards, I feel the effects tremendously. I received an email recently that rocked my world in about 5 words. It wasn’t life-changing. It wasn’t mean. It wasn’t anything but the simple truth: someone was not fully satisfied with something…
I am sitting in our retreat house in Hawaii right now. A beautiful woman named Sheila is sitting nearby – she is like my long lost sister. Another named Amani, who I’ve had the privelage of knowing this last year, is on a great journey and I shared the last few days with her. This morning Robin, another who is at our retreat, came and gave me a necklace to wear as a princess headband. And when I said goodbye…