Nimble

They are not fooling anyone with those Lone Ranger Masks, a disguise as thin as Clarke Kent’s glasses.

But they are SUPER with their hands.  Opening garbage cans, unwrapping tender fish guts – believe me you don’t know the half. 

My watch was drying outside on the picnic table, after falling haphazardly into the lemonade.  The one that must have been the mom took it apart with her tiny nimble fingers, smelling it and licking the acrid sweetness off its dials and leather band.  It keeps time so much better than it used to.  The swish swish of the minute hand is now barely audible yet comforts me while I toil away on spreadsheets and in endless meetings.

It’s only the 9-5 that keeps them out of Architecture or shoe repair.   Baking would be a breeze if they could resist slinking away to the dark recesses of the building with all the chocolate.

Motivation?

As an "Photographer", there are three main motivations for working with and for people:


1. Money
2. Improving/ challenging my skill set
3. The "C" word ...(Collaboration)

Often only one of these is necessary for me to work on a project. 

Here are 4  main de-motivators for working with people:
1. No money
2. Micromanaging 
3. Glad-handing / Leading on
4. Job Creep

You hired me for job A.  We've agreed on the terms. job A is turning out swell.. so swell in fact that over drinks... your'e asking me to do Job B.  Out of the kindness of my heart (massive mistake!)  I agree, and suddenly I am doing Job's C, D & E too  (Refer to no money and micromanaging).

 Pretty obvious, but a lot of people think I should work for free, regardless. 

There are people who I will always work with because of their  energy, spirit,  and enthusiasm for the projects as well as their public and private behaviours.  When I work well with somebody I have come up with some pretty amazing pieces.


If I don't know you and you ask me to work for free, there better be some other really serious pay-off. "Adding" to my portfolio so that you can get $$$ worth of head shots for zero (or maybe an espresso if I am lucky??) is not something that interests me. (unless I absolutely adore you, don't even ask).

I'm skilled. No shit. You looked at my website, you have see my work. You think is great and want some shots of your dog/yourself/lover/semiprivate parts... and you KNOW I have done this and can make you look good.   If you're going to stand over my shoulder and dictate every detail of what I'm doing, don't hire me. It's insulting.

 Let's work together.

I get so tired of people saying "this will lead to X" or "we'll be splitting the $" and then getting vague brush-offs or nothing at all. 

Be clear with me what you want and what you have to offer. Otherwise I'm going to think you're generally full of shit.  

And usually you are.  :(

hab·er·dash·ery

I found my gloves.  I just happened upon them after almost giving up completely.  I thought I would never find any like my last pair. 

Oh my last pair.  A moment of silence please…. Gorgeous was the only way I could describe them… burgundy with beige and black stitching & chrome buckles…  It was a love affair every time I put them on.  Slowly slipping my fingers into their leathery tightness,. pulling the cuffs over my wrists …tightly fastening the buckles that went half way up my arms.  Putting them on meant fun was about to happen.  I could almost feel the kick-start of my 1960 VBA underfoot… Gears would be changed.. Speed would accelerate, clutches would be pulled, … pavement would be passing below me.

Ah, and then the accident. You were my first line of defence and kept my hands safe and wound free.  You sacrificed yourself for my hands, and let yourself go… stitching undone, leather shredded and torn by the hard and unforgiving asphalt.  I wept when I looked at what it had done to you. 

I never thought I would find a worthy replacement.  Yet here I am, January and after an extensive 6 month search I have found them.  The Bikes are sitting uninsured in my garage, but as soon as I pulled you on and did up your gorgeous buttons I could feel my heart racing. Riding season will be here soon, and you my new sexy protectors are going to make it all the more sweet.

Garden

This pretty much sum's up my experience lately

"I saw a bird perched on a tombstone.
I realized if I reached for it, it would fly away
If I caught and held onto it, it would die,
but if I stood back and watched from a distance I could watch it sing."

I think we love the bird for it's beauty, grace and singing...but we also want to grab a hold of it and make it our own...only to be sad when the singing stops.
What most attracted us to that bird was it's beauty,  freedom and independence   I truly believe that if the bird likes singing in your garden, it will visit time and time again.  So I will focus on tending to my garden, not trying to grab the bird.

Fog

Today feels like a list day to me.

So here you go:

fog, this gorgeous fog wrapping it's blanketing arms around the car, teasing me , blinding me then vanishing

french press coffee

salty pecans with half open shells draw me to their delicious contents

lazily reading the newspaper in my newly purchased silk pj's

my dog sleeping at my feet

wanting to wrap my writs in ribbons, let down my hair,  corset myself tightly lay around waiting .. patiently.