Close to Home

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”
― Lao Tzu

The only thing that can be counted on is change. I have been faced with many changes in the past couple of years. My son, Jeremy, married the love of his life, Abi, and moved to another town to begin his adult life. I

retired from my long and fulfilling career as a public school educator.

These and other life developments have changed my photography, as well.

During the past decade, I spent most summers traveling and photographing. It was not uncommon for me to be away from home for half of the summer.

Important responsibilities have kept me close to home this summer. This change has allowed for many discoveries.

I always taught my students the importance of becoming a lifelong learner. Although I have stayed in one place, I am continuing on my photographic journey.

I have spent a great deal of time reading. Some of my favorite books read this summer include: Day to Night by Stephen Wilkes, The Life of a Photograph by Sam Abell, Light, Gesture & Color by Jay Maisel, It’s Not About the F-Stop by Jay Maisel, Workshop Stories edited by Elizabeth Opalenik, The Journey by Arthur Meyerson, and The Meaning in the Making by Sean Tucker.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to be a participant in two powerful workshop experiences offered through Nobechi Creative. While I am not in the position to travel right now for workshop experiences, Nobechi Creative and the magic of Zoom allowed me to have two rich learning experiences. The first workshop experience was Online Masterclass with Sam Abell. The second workshop was Using Your Life to Launch Your Photography with Iraroionex Perello. Both of these classes were amazingly inspiring and taught masterfully. I am incredibly grateful for these experiences with such talented photographers and gifted teachers.

I also had the privilege to participate in Alister Benn’s Mentorship program. Alister Benn’s company is Expressive Photography. I looked forward to meeting with Alister twice each month to dive into the meaning of my photography. I thoroughly enjoyed our meetings and the discoveries they brought about. How magical to be able to meet with someone living in Scotland from the comfort of your home office to discuss your imagery!

Using the Zoom platform, I have also enjoyed giving my presentation, The Power of Personal Projects, to several camera clubs.

I am so thankful for the Zoom platform since it has filled my needs for teaching and learning during this time.

All the while, I have been photographing, here, close to home. I found that I am looking more and seeing more in the process. Here are some of my favorites taken nearby.