Sanctuary…
Hasselblad 501c/m 80mm lens
f5.6 30 second exposure
Kodak Ektar 100 c41 film developed at West Photo
Camera balanced on a cooler.
9:44pm 16˚F with freezing fog.
I should have made this exposure a bit longer so you could better see the mist rising from the hot tub and the fog surrounding it. This was my first long night time exposure in quite awhile. This project is already teaching me that I need more practice. I am listening.
The black walnut tree tosses little sticks in the yard every snowfall.
Hasselblad 501c/m 80mm lens
Kodak TriX 400 film developed in Ilfosol 3
12:45pm 24˚ and overcast
I could use a bit more practice photographing snow…considering what season it is currently, I don’t think that will be a problem!
Sleeping under a bear…or family Christmas Eve adventures
Hasselblad 501c/m 80mm lens
f2.8 1/30 sec exposure
Kodak TriX 400 film developed in Ilfosol 3
8:30pm 9˚ and snowing
Other images from that night:
(This one was taken with my cell phone.)
Monday was a bit of a blur this week.
But, here we are at Tuesday. I am standing at the bottom of a mountain of a week that will have me running from place to place, setting up photo shoots, and watching my folders of photos to process grow exponentially. It is still exciting to me, and I wouldn’t have it any other way just yet.
This past weekend we spent at a resort with John’s company for their holiday party. It was a lot of fun and exhausting in the best ways. The freezing cold bits of January are past for now, making it possible to actually be outside. On Saturday I actually managed a short photo walk. Both John and I needed a bit of ‘introvert’ time away from the crowds. I brought my camera with and we walked along the lake at the resort. That has me beginning to feel like I am closer to being back in touch with my film cameras again.
Now, to take on the rest of the week.
Taken with my cell phone. Film version coming soon.
They won’t sit still for long…
Hasselblad 501c/m 80mm lens
f2.8 1 second
Kodak TriX 400
developed in Ilfosol 3
10:25pm -6˚F and snowing.
It is beginning to sink in how much I love this new role in life of being an artist.
Only an artist.
Feeling like I have a bit more brain space again, time to plan, apply, create.
Having actual time for a hobby.
Feeling happy, and happy with the work I am doing…which I must get back to.
But first! A tiny bit of shameless self promotion to remind you that I do indeed have an Etsy shop where I sell all of the things I am creating. It is full of cards and prints currently. I have so much more that will be added soon. Also, for pottery fans, here is a link to the pottery shop I work on with my dad!
And, this is my studio today. I’m so happy to be working here!
I know the days are shorter in the winter here, but the last couple have seemed quite long. Perhaps this is the reality of working from home every day? Or just a feeling I get from knowing I don’t have a car (with heat) readily available for me to leave on a whim? Yesterday and today I have plugged through, feeling like I wasn’t accomplishing much, but getting to the end of the day and realizing that I have accomplished way more than I thought.
Today was spent on applications. Nothing of much interest to tell you about, dear readers. It is one of the tedious aspects of being an artist, sending out applications to be in shows or get gallery shows to show your work, sending the same images to different places in slightly different formats, each one labeled in a different way. yada, yada, yada. But, what amazed me today is that I am already applying for and planning for events in May. MAY. It seems to me that is the reason the years seem to go by so fast. When so many things are planned so far in advance, it is hard to not feel like time is rushing away.
Oh well. Two applications done today. Fingers crossed.
While editing photos today, I came across this one.
Taken sometime in September (Impossible Project instant film, Polaroid Spectra camera).
It was warm, we had settled into a routine in our new home, and apples were in season. We rode our bikes to the local co-op to buy apples from a local farm to make apple sauce and apple butter. We packed our bag so full of apples that we couldn’t get my bike pack to close.
Winters in Minnesota have their own special beauty, when everything is still, the snow sparkles, and the air is crisp. When you can go skiing, or sledding, and return home to hot drinks and rosy cheeks. It is hard to remember all of this when the air stays in degrees below zero, when breathing outside is almost painful. But this is all temporary, just like every other season. I’m still looking forward to the next day it is warm enough to wander a bit with my camera.
Yesterday was my last day as an intern in the preservation department at the Hennepin County Library. My last four months there have seemed like such a whirl wind, but it was a welcome change of pace. I have taken many photos of my work there, and developed most of the film (I had a bit of a stash to develop…) last week. I will share those photos soon! 
I hate talking about the weather here. But, the days we have had of below zero temps seems unique this year. What I have been amazed by is my walk across the Hennepin Avenue bridge on the days I work at the library. I never realized the Mississippi River would freeze over so completely here. I never realized how awesome it can be to watch the steam rise from the St. Anthony falls just a little ways away from the bridge I cross. Now I know, and I am excited that I photographed the river every day I crossed it. Expect a new project on that coming soon!
I make New Year’s resolutions. I try to make realistic resolutions, and I am usually successful at sticking with them. I don’t make a big deal out of slipping though. This year, I am lacking in the resolution department. I usually try to focus on resolutions that will change the coming year, shape it a bit into something positive. This year, I am facing a year that is going to be so vastly different already without any help from a resolution or two from me. So, this year, I will be a bit vague in my resolutions.
I want to journal more, and give myself every day (realistically at least 3 days a week) to writing, journaling, and working in my sketchbook. I love the book I made in a recent class I took at MCBA with Timothy Ely, and I want to use that book as a jumping off point. I plan for that book to be the first of many volumes, and I plan to document it more here.
I want to try more meditation and yoga, to help train my brain to slow down a bit more.
That’s it. I am facing 2014 with an open mind, and an open heart, and I am ready to see where it takes me.
~Peace~
