Old is just an age, not a label!

Tried something new this week on FB live and now I'm sharing it here.  So many people are out of sorts, like something in the air.  Quite a few friends find their lives, their emotions raw for a variety of reasons.  I've had some things I've been struggling with but more like birth pains.  Struggling with getting a concept born into the world like the fully formed baby with life ahead of it.

So all of that inspired a bit of a rambling, not quite a rant (and I appear to have a need for words beyond "amazing"!).  I hope it brings you a little inspiration during a difficult time or gets you fired up to keep up the fine fight!

Your Brand, Your Style...What does it say about you?

I've been thinking about style lately.  It makes a difference to have your own unique style that fits your brand, your personality, your work and allows you to accomplish your goals comfortably.  Clothes can get in the way of life and work(can't get nothing done if you're uncomfortable, no one will take you seriously if you're dressed funny).

Ona Camera bag, Vintage Pentax 645 NII film camera, Hex iPad cover,
Roper Boots, Nine West wedge pumps, Ebay Camera Scarf, Nordstrom
Tunic, Sweater & leggings, T-shirt & Sueded leggings from Target.

When I attended the Promoting Passion Conference with Brooke Shaden in October, one of the speakers, Tamara Lackey talked about saving time and creative energy by simplifying your wardrobe.  She mentioned how Steve Jobs wore the same thing everyday so as to not waste a minute thinking about something so unimportant to what he wanted to accomplish.  She lives a very busy life with lots of pots on the fire while still raising a family.  I love that she readily shares that she is still looking for an easier way to get things done and accomplish her goals.  (Put the kids to bed in their school clothes!  I wish I had thought of that when the kids were young.)

Another thing that got me thinking is helping someone choose the clothes they will wear in court. It is a very important matter, it means being heard fairly with a future in the balance.  I read up on the subject and was very surprised to find that many people don't think about that...even for a traffic ticket or divorce court.  Well maybe I'm not that surprised, have you seen what Pamela Anderson wears to court? There's some funny stuff about what people wear to court.  Obviously dress appropriately for the occasion never crossed some peoples mind.  

Although I am an old broad, I used to work in fashion off and on.  I designed clothes, I worked in retail sales management as well as a stint in Alterations at Saks Fifth Avenue.  What an education in fashion to touch a one of a kind Bill Blass double faced fabric dress!  So dressing plain and in all black is just not my thing.  I've also been small and I've been large.  I've learned that wearing all black only works when you've paid good money for your clothes.  That cheap polyester pair of pants and shirt does not look professional unless you're part of the catering staff that will probably wear the meal at the end of the night so it makes sense to be so practical.  But I'm here to tell you that all black makes no one smaller.  

I've always believed that you dress the best you can in whatever age or size you are.  As a photographer I want to dress for comfort but I want to look good doing my job as professionally as I can.  I offer a quality result and charge a pretty penny.  I don't want to spend all my profits on clothes when there are bills to pay.  I also don't want to spend all my time thinking about what to wear.  I've got to style the shoot, plan the travel, pack the equipment and props or at least make sure the assistant has gotten the packing done!  

So I chose my wardrobe for a successful year yet I made it easy on myself.It's kind of like the old line of kids clothes that were called Geranimals.  The giraffe tag shirt went with the giraffe tag pants and you could mix and match the African animals but never with the House pets. Okay, I made that last part up but you get the idea.  

This year my wardrobe is all about comfort with style.  Solid color tunic tops in quality knits like side tail t -hirts, tunic sweaters and in denim to go with comfy ponte knit and stretch denim leggings.  I love scarves and I found some fun big drape-y camera scarves that are just too fun.For consultation I can wear a not too tall wedge heel and for running in the forest or to be on my feet all day I wear a comfortable pair of good leather boots.  Finally found a black pair on sale online that I can't wait to wear!  This is my uniform for all kinds of weather in blues, tans and black.  I can dress it up with a beaded print top or gold sweater.  So easy! A pop of color brightens things up for winter accessories...knit caps, infinity scarves and those inexpensive gloves Target has to keep your hands warm that won't cost much and make a big difference!

My big splurge is a good leather camera bag or handbag.  I buy them every other year and they last forever!  Really, they do.  I buy everything on sale from Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, Anthropologie and Target.  Well, I'll pay full price at Target when I really love it.  It's not like I have a ton of clothes and shoes.

My goal this year is to stick to the uniform.  I got rid of a ton of things I had for years that wore out or that I never wore.  I'm looking forward to minimizing this part of my life but still looking good.  Maybe I'll lose some weight but I'm worth it at whatever age or size I am.  So are you!

Tell me about your favorite wardrobe changes you've made recently in the comments.  Better yet, link to your favorite place to shop or your favorite style blogger/Instagram account!

Double blog posts! Double creativity! Double followers! Double the sparkle!

I seem to love learning more than doing.  But I know when you learn how to do something to be successful, you have to actually DO it!  This is a lesson this old broad knows for a fact.  Whether you are old or young, it really is the secret of successful living.  Sometimes it's the details of actually doing it in a focused way.  It's so important to learn to direct your "blows so as not to be striking the air" or you exhaust yourself and your resources getting a lot of nothing accomplished.

Today I'm cleaning and organizing my closet (am I the only one that does this before packing my suitcase?) and I logged onto www.creativelive.com to make the time count.  Where have you been all this time April Bowles-Olin?  What a great resource this class is going to be!  It's hard to spring for an online class on the eve of a long trip but it's a five week course so I can purchase it when I get back.  But then you'll be ahead of me if you get it now!  

I am pretty excited to be motivated by a class like this on the eve of a trip to find my passion!  That means that maybe, just maybe there are other people like me who find themselves all over the place with that thing they love.  I am traveling to learn from fine art photographers for the next phase of my life, to see the Appalachians and to tie up my brain's loose ends by time alone to think as I drive through places I've never seen.  Will I follow the advice I've already learned as I caught up on laundry and folded?  What about you?  Do you want to try this with me?

I promised you some sparkle.  I've been taking lots of pictures of the pretty things I use for my photography when I style a shoot.  I've rekindled a love of just a little gold and sparkle in my life.  Not too much!  Just enough to make me smile.  I hope you have a little sparkly of your very own in your life!

Details so you can find the information that will Double your Dreams!

This post is a part of the Double Your Followers blog tour to spread the word about April Bowles-Olin’s upcoming CreativeLive course. Does hearing the word ‘marketing’ make your armpits start to drip with anxiety? Are you terrified of sounding salesy or like you have the personality of a dead blowfish? If so, come join me and 2,500+ entrepreneurs who’re taking April’s latest CreativeLive course, Double Your Followers with Creative Marketing. You can RSVP and watch for FREE. Yep, free. High fives, wildflowers, wine samples. Who doesn’t love free?

24 Frames in May

I joined a group of talented photographers for a film photography challenge to shoot 24 frames of film in May.  It's lots of fun to see what I can do when there are challenges.  I shot with a Hasselblad 500 cm and an 80mm lens which is like a normal 50mm lens with a DSLR.  I'm getting ready to sell it so I thought I would take it on a goodbye tour as I travelled to Providence Rhode Island, Boston and the Palm Springs Photography Festival.  24 frames on a Hassey means shooting 2 and a half rolls of film.  I chose to use Kodak Portra 400.

These are all the shots from my 24 frames.  We visited an amazing old library in Providence.  It was a dream location for a quiet moment to contemplate and imagine all the people through the time the library has been open.  Old wood card catalogs, nooks and crannies to read in, antique chairs and small desks.  It was a lovely town and I look forward to going back.  There are a couple shots from Newport Rhode Island.  The statue and arbor.  I wish they let you take pictures inside the beautiful old mansions!  We did a very quick tour of Boston and cocktails across the bay with a view of the city was a nice end of our day.  We walked around Harvard University and listened to their marching band play.  In Palm Springs I tried to photograph as many people as I could.  I will miss my Hasselblad because it always attracts attention, lets me photograph the most reticent of subjects and allows me access because it commands respect.  Funny because nowadays you can have one for a song but they have a long history of being an expensive professional photographers tool.

All in all a good month and lots of fun!  I wish my eyesight was better.  I really don't want to get rid of this beautiful camera.  I'll be shooting lots more film in the coming month.  I love not editing!  I love thinking carefully about what I shoot and learning how to use it well.  I love showing people the backwards view in the viewfinder and talking shop with fellow photographers who admire it.  Maybe I'll try a viewfinder with a diopter and keep it after all.

Awestruck - The Palm Springs Photo Festival 2015

"If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants."

Isaac Newton

The memories, contacts, and keepers from the Palm Springs Photo Festival I carefully packed away for home.

Last week I had the privilege of volunteering for the Palm Springs Photography festival.  Being a volunteer had amazing perks.  I was able to attend seminars and evening symposiums from some of the greatest photographers on the planet along with experts in marketing, archiving, software and the business of photography along with hearing about the opportunity for advocacy and social change.

I arrived late.  The festival started on a Sunday but I had travel plans.  I made sure to be there for a portrait presentation on Tuesday.  Too bad jet lag got the best of me and I forgot.   But I caught the seminar by Elizabeth Sunday on funding fine art photography through a collector's circle.  When photographers pursue a fine art or documentary photography they often need to be funded in order to have the time to do their work creatively and effectively full time. The festival provides excellent instruction on funding projects and this seminar was eye opening to say the least.  It was wonderful to get to know this talented artist as well.  Her work in Africa is so beautiful and unique.  The late evening presentation was Mary Ellen Mark who has led a long career in Documentary photography.  Her work has impacted the awareness of life beyond our own circumstances.  She is an icon and a gracious photographer glad to share her knowledge.

Mark Seliger & Jeff Dunas

Wednesday was a busy day working in the transportation department.  But it meant loading up the workshops for Frank Oeckenfels, Peter Hurley, Mark Seliger and working next to Ian Ruhters wet plate class.  I felt like a stalker and like a newbie kid.  "Who's that!" then the Facebook stalk.  What amazed me was the generosity of time by the people who sat in my shuttle.  After driving Mark Seliger a few times, I was comfortable in asking him if I could copy his Oscar Photo Booth set for weddings and it was interesting to me that it was as I saw it...an imagined recreation of a turn of the century traveling portrait photographers studio.  Then to hear him speak in the evenings presentation was a real treat!  Did you know he writes and performs music playing guitar and singing?  His song used for the background of a Brad Pitt session video was so good.  (Not fawning, the video technique could have been so much better - I kept thinking what my kids could have done with it!)

Late Wednesday evening was a symposium of Emerging Artists.  Hearing how they pursued their projects, how they funded it, where it led was informative and their enthusiasm for the art form was infectious.  The opportunities they created for themselves makes you realize the possibilities and they are abundant!

Really late in the evening there was a party to meet and network with all the attendees.  There were so many wonderful photographers I met of all ages.  I had a great conversation with Mark Seliger's assistant who shared the lighting for the Vanity Fair Oscar Photo Booth.  I also met a young woman who had Mary Ellen Mark as her mentor and she was very sharing (and wore an adorable dress).  I met a photo assistant from Scotland who came for a workshop who was a hoot.  It was late but I could hardly sleep!

Thursday I drove some prominent photo industry people to the airport.  It proved to be a great opportunity to network for me.  To hear I am on the right track with my portraiture and personal projects is reaffirming and hearing that they would be available to me is too exciting for words! I managed to attend a seminar on archiving film work.  Important information to be sure.  Agency Access provided a seminar on creating a vision based portfolio by a couple of great speakers.  Young, enthusiastic and knowledgeable with a great presentation every photographer needs to know to get the best out of their work, their portfolio and their website.  I'll definitely be sharing my notes on that one! Thursdays evening events more than made up for all I missed!  

The symposium was on Advocacy Photography as an agent for change.  Hearing photojournalists who have seen war, human suffering, issues that need to be heard and the changing scene of how photographers are hired and paid for this important work.  They face danger death, see the pain of men, women and children suffering unbelievable circumstances.  Without them we would have no knowledge of the important issues that need to be heard.  I hope to share their stories in future blog posts. 

Dan Winters hoping to win big

The last speaker was Dan Winters.  I studied his portraiture in Don Giannatti's 8 week portrait class and grew to appreciate his style in depth.  He taught a workshop for the first time in 10 years at the festival.  He brought his own assistants and was generous to the festival and attendees with his time and informative in his presentation.  He expressed his joy in participating and it was noticeable as he held his tickets for the evenings raffle of a Pentax 645z  then shouted as he was one number off.  He was one seat away and scared the tar out of me!  BTW, the new Pentax is my new camera of choice.  I'll be saving for it however long it takes. Many photographers who used it as part of the festivals vendor lending program raved about the results they got. 

A big part of the festival is slideshows submitted by photographers from around the world.  The winner won a new Canon EOS 7D MKII with lens.  The slideshows are always a great event with so much talent and variety of work!

Barry Schwartz giving us the business

Friday things wrap up. I attended one last seminar by Barry Schwartz on what it takes to build a creative career.  The copyright information alone, though brief was just what I needed.  Being able to ask questions of experts in a small group is such a great feature of this festival.  It's more of a discussion than being talked at and such great speakers.

I had some of my best networking contacts taking people to the airport.  I can't share til we see how things pan out.  Really huge exciting stuff.  All I can tell you is that any photographer who wants to have the opportunity to have their work seen and be paid well for it must attend this festival.  So many of the industry people said this festival allows them time to really get to know the attendees work well and discuss their finds with each other as well as have the time to hear what the photographers they meet have to offer.  They take their time with the portfolio reviews that are available every day.  The other volunteers are talented photographers, one was also a beautiful model I look forward to working with on a project.  So many great and sharing professionals and students.  The photographer/prison guard (really!) who ran the transportation department I worked at kept us laughing and happy through the nearly 110 degree heat!  He accommodated our schedule for seminars we wanted to attend and gave us opportunities to choose who we could shuttle and meet.  I am waiting for film to see the portrait I shot of him.  

I also drove the Aussie architecture photography workshop instructor to the airport.  I learned so many things in that short ride and his profound, passionate views on photography were inspiring.  He said that he tries to instill in his students the need to see the work as a portrait emphasizing the personality of the subject whether it is a building, room or detail. This being more important that the tools or technique.

Wow.  I'm still digesting all I learned and reading my new autographed copy of Dan Winters "The Road to Seeing" and excited to be on the path!

Attend this festival if you can.  Be inspired.

Virginia

Never to old to learn...8 week Portrait Class - Lesson One is Skrebneski!

I have a mentor of sorts in Donald Giannatti of Lighting Essentials.  He is a commercial photographer who loves to share (as Wizwow on social media) and teaches workshops.  He is currently teaching an 8 week Portrait Class and each week features a different photographer to study and learn from.

We are learning lighting techniques, editing, style, composition and posing from these great photographers.  Our assignments require us to interpret what we learn in our own way.  I've seen many photographers I admire "borrow" from other photographers in their work, testing an inspiration in their own style.  I didn't realize it until I started researching and seeing the work of many famous photographers as I payed attention to the stories they were telling in their work.

The first photographer we studied is Viktor Skrebneski.  I would show you a google search but there would be lots of NSFW images, beautiful bodies shot in an artful manner but not everyone wants to see them.  He also shot many iconic advertising campaigns for Estee Lauder, Tiffany's and of course, many celebrities.

One of his famous series of images is his "Black Turtleneck" series.  I loved those images and the lighting.  He shot with film, I saw a Hasselblad in one video I watched.  I think I would like to do my own black turtleneck series because you can really capture the personality of a subject by distilling the styling so simply.  Here are a couple of my shots inspired by this series.

Inspired by Skrebneski's shot of Andy Warhol lit by a silk Japanese lantern over a bare daylight balanced fluorescent bulb.

Inspired by a shot of Bette Davis holding a cigarette.  A smudged chalkboard for a backdrop, same silk lantern lighting.

Inspired by Victor Skrebneski campaign for Estee Lauder of my makeup artist (how appropriate!)

So google Victor Skrebneski, notice his beautiful lighting and how the light drops off to darkness so as to accentuate the subject.  So how do you think I did?

Virginia

Am I too old for dreams to come true? Has my time passed? Is it over before it's begun?

A reality check for an old broad trying to chase big dreams is the invisibility of age.  When you want to be included in conversations, industry events, even a celebration of something you worked hard to help accomplish yet get left out, cancelled on or ignored because, well...you're old!  It's like a synonym for invisible, unimportant and disposable.  It can happen when you're young, like being picked last for kickball.  I remind myself that life is full of moments like these, they just happen more often when you compete with younger people for attention, clients, success, inclusion.

But I think it's like the LA freeway system.  There are lots of ways to get where you want to go.  Sometimes you miss your offramp or your views are different.  Life goes by fast.  But I don't always have to take the freeway, I choose the scenic route (with stops for love, romance, great friends and food)!

Time to explore.

The Epic Blog Adventure!

For someone who always has a lot to say, blogging is pretty hard!  It commits to public viewing my two bit opinions, grammatical errors, misspellings and sometimes a great lack of knowledge on the subjects I love to talk about.  But I am always learning and willing to listen.  Hey, I'm not dead!  Always a good thing.  I started blogging recipes.  I like to cook and people kept asking me for the same recipes over and over so I figured a blog would keep track of them, provide a permanent place to refer people so I didn't have to write the same thing over and over.  It's a great idea however a big glitch in my plan happened when I had to go gluten and corn free.  Now I am learning to cook all over again and documenting my misadventures in cooking isn't what I had in mind.  It's pretty sad when you've built  up a reputation as a good cook only to have it destroyed by a dietary change. 

Then I started a photography business with my daughter.  I was the assistant and needed to keep up quick.  So I started this blog to remember the things I was learning and see if I was improving.  I also found out how hard it was to keep up a blog.  It got even worse when my beautiful wordpress blog got inundated with spam and then hacked, locked out and erased.  Do people have nothing better to do than tear down what other people work so hard to build?!  Now that I really have learned a few things, I am starting  The Epic Blog Adventure!  I cleaned and decorated my office with lots of light, weekly flowers and pretty desk accessories (blogged HERE) so I could have a spot to work.  I also started researching how to blog staying up late writing copious notes in bad light from magazines  (my favorite on blogging and business from Stampington) and blog experts like THIS ONE.  I decided to ditch wordpress and go back to bloodspot - where I started in the first place.  Simple, easy and Googable!  My old blogposts get action even though I hadn't blogged so I figured I should take advantage of that.  What would happen with regular blogging?  Of course that meant a great professional design for my business blog.  I looked everything up on my phone which taught me the importance of responsive design that matched across websites, blogs and social media.  I also looked to inspiration from other photographers

Everyone should see this photography website by wedding photographer Kari Bellamy.   She has branded herself with the cutest website (she is very cute!).  The work is amazing, cute is just a package for the powerhouse of a photographer she is.  Her images...I die!  I had the privilege of second shooting for her. She has fun, a great eye and works hard.  I love learning from photographers of all ages.  I have a lot to learn! Kari has a great business and continues to work on improving herself.  She has also made a commitment to blogging regularly this year.  It will be fun watching her efforts and blogstyle evolve. It also inspires me to keep blogging as well.

So I realized I couldn't just blog, I needed to rebrand as well.  More work!!!  A photographers job is not just taking lovely photographs (Kari has a pie chart on her blog explaining the whole thing).  I've been mulling over this whole rebrand for months.  I tried lots of colors, textures, some nice and some hideous.  But sitting in my pretty creamy white office with linen boxes holding a collection of vintage photography, advertising and ephemera, a shiny gold stapler and girly teal Anthropologie curtains...duh!  Most people have AHA! moments.  Mine are catching up to the obvious.  So here you go, my new rebranded Modern Vintage Photography blog using a great template I found on etsy.

It will be quite an epic adventure for me because I bought a book telling me to make it so.  It's an editorial planner.  I'm hoping it's not like all the other planners I buy and start out great but then by June it's in a drawer.  I plan on keeping it front and center on my desk as I also work to keep my desk clean and neat.  One month into 2015 and I'm good so far!Come back and see what I get myself into and what I learn.  I'll be checking in on Kari and other people who inspire me as well. 

My brain on a desk, all the important things to think about this year.

Who inspires you?  What do you hope to accomplish this year?  Did you buy the gold stapler at Target too?  Tell me in the comments, I'll be paying attention!

Virginia Smith

February Calendars to Download for FREEEEEEEEEEE!

I'm having fun making these, printing them and having them handy by my coffeemaker, bathroom and bedside table with the fun images I've worked so hard to create.  I hope you enjoy these!  You can download them free to print as a 5x7 HERE.

Did you notice February is a perfect calendar month?  Just sayin'.

A new year, a free Calendar a month to download!

So I've been designing calendars of my favorite images.  A food calendar to hang by my refrigerator, a flower calendar to hang by my alarm clock, an inspirational business calendar to put on my desk.  I created a template so I can even make custom calendars for my clients of their favorite images from a session.  They go on these little sycamore wood stands that started out as menu stands.  I like that I can print them up for each month or give them as gifts starting with the month I make them.  Who says a calendar must start at JANUARY?  If I give them to a client or friend in July, they don't want the previous 6 months.  I can start a one year calendar gift at whatever month I please.  How fun is that?

So I decided to give my blog readers a 5x7 calendar month for free to download and print on card stock.  Hang it on your fridge, tuck it into your list making notebook, tape it to your bathroom mirror.  You can place it on a small plate stand or easel to stand it up on your desk.  Every month there will be a new calendar.

Here on Old Mama Dog, New Tricks I will feature a page from my daughter's photography calendar for www.samanthasmitharroyo.com of her self portrait work with inspirational quotes because she continues to be my creative inspiration (seriously, her elopement photography is the stuff of dreams).  If you have an interest in food than you can find a food on film calendar page at Vintage Recipe Smith.   Flowers are featured on my The Vintage Eclectic Life calendars.

To download this calendar page go here and use the code 2170 to download your calendar.

Enjoy!  Next post I have some great organizing tips and tools for your business.  Wait til you see how cute my office is!  You'll love it.  I have jumped on the gold accent trend.  So glad gold is back, my 70's gold chandelier in my office is back in style!  

Photograph a Stranger..

I saw this article from Gawker posted on my fb page today about "The Problem with Humans of New York". 
    

No street cred like the suffering of others.
Hasselblad 500c Ektar 160

It's a thing now from photography workshops to Facebook groups to flickr meet ups ..street photography is cool!  Photograph a stranger and prove that you are a storyteller, a photojournalist! If it's a homeless person then it proves your street cred!  If you're shooting film...wow, then you're old school cool!  

It's no fun if it's a thing, it's not original if it's expected.

However it seems to be an outlet for people to be recognized by having their snapshot taken by this guy. Someone who wants to hear about them, who sees a little wisdom in whatever nugget they choose to share. There is something about it people relate to. The project as a whole is a powerful interaction between subject and audience because of the narrative.

 But once it went viral it also became a thing to monetize, to capitalize on as pop culture losing it's original appeal because the subjects become more "posed" in every way. It stopped being real.

Yet I can't help thinking about those seemingly insignificant people who WANT to be recognized, who WANT to share their little nuggets of wisdom, their slice of life. It's a powerful thing, this need to be recognized on this planet of billions....to be special even for just a moment.

This guy wants recognition forever, so you won't forget his name.
Sony A900 50mm

I am one of those people that meets a stranger and they start telling me their life story.  I also notice and feel the pain, neediness and angst of a stranger feeling compelled to make a connection as if I can alleviate their burden just a little.  I do that by taking their photograph.  It seems easier now that I hold a camera.  I used to feel like the Empath from the old Star Trek series.  I'd listen, take on their pain and for days carry it with me, anxious and praying for people I'd never see again.  But with a camera I might capture their pain but I aim for something more...their hope, their beauty as a human being and that spark of something that I can see is special.

Is "real" really real?  Is a beautiful smile enough?
Sony A900   

It's amazing when you see the "Aha!" moment as they see the first image on the back of my camera that I warm up with then the last one after we've talked for a few minutes, I notice some spark in their conversation to draw out and I get them to talk about what makes them happy or feel good about life.  When they recognize it in their own face...that it's there even for a moment I know that they will look forward to the email with the photographs, a couple of my favorite inspirational quotes and feel good about themselves.  It's powerful but is it just because it's a "thing" that I had to do it?

Maybe no one else can see the story in my images but I am compelled to do this thing.  I don't want to do it because it's expected or because people will see it.
  

An unlikely brotherhood

Something to offer

A brief smile
Sony A900 70mm

But people should think about the power of a photograph being taken, the connection that can be had between the photographer and subject...if even for a moment...and no one ever has to see it but the subject and the photographer.  It can be about being "human".  I learned so much about storytelling watching a recent workshop by Kristen Lewis that just blew me away.  It was the Aha! moment I needed.

So...I am changing the direction of my photography as I shoot more film. Overall I hate my own results but I love the work itself. I've been all over the place trying to figure out what type of photographer I want to be when I grow up.  As I get older I realize the small moments are just as powerful as the big ones.  It's been a long time since I've been a kid and yet I've never been more of a kid than right now.  

So I'll keep taking every kind of photograph like a kid in a candy store til the sugar high wears off, throw up or learn what kind is my favorite.  Pretty sure it's all about being human whether it's in New York or my own little corner of the world.

Life can be like peanut butter...sticky, messy and a whole lotta fun. (iPhone)

The old mama dog,

Virginia Smith

Recovery is the Mama of Reinvention

I've seen lots of reasons for people starting over...divorce, laid off, disaster, sickness, getting well.  Sometimes it's simply a change in circumstances.  An empty nest,  you tried something and it just didn't work out. 

For me starting over is the fun part.  It's like seeing an old house and imagining it all fixed up or an empty field and seeing the garden.  Starting over is imagination and dreams!  I've started more than a few business and helped others do the same.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't.  I've come to realize that all my business are just one long story of a creative life.  From making vintage styled dresses out of old tablecloths to wedding flowers, interior design and as a management consultant for the antique business...it's all been about creating, styling and reinventing from the resources at hand.  I can use all those abilities, I can be all those things for my business and to help others with theirs.

This last year I helped a daughter establish her photography business.  I assisted her as a second photographer at weddings, styled sessions, created a brand and assisted her with her new brand as well.  The photography is new as a business (although I've loved it for years).  But everything else is a result of what came before.  I created window displays for the shops that sold my vintage styled wedding dresses as a teenager then did them for boutique owners who offered to pay me to help them.  An owner of a chain of boutiques hired me to do window displays, then another hired me and trained me in retail boutique management and branding.  The newly developing Antique Mall business needed managers and branding so I started a new adventure building on my skills teaching owners to start, brand and run their businesses while designing displays, store setups and often owners homes.  Somebody liked the flower arrangements I made for an open house and asked me to do wedding flowers.  Somebody else liked the food I served for a grand opening and asked me to cater their wedding as well.  There wasn't a creative idea I didn't want to try at least once.  

I've made my share of mistakes some big ones!  I've learned some big lessons as well.  The most important one is learning how to be "directing my blows so as not to be striking the air".   It's the planning stages that determine if an endeavor will be successful.  

My circumstances have changed, my daughter has gone off on her own with her husband now as Samantha Smith Arroyo Photography.  I cried my eyes out but it's the nature of things. I raised my kids to be their own person, have their own lives but I am still a creative person, a stylist and a photographer.  I know how to run a business.  Do you know what it starts with besides a plan?

A spot to put the plan in place.  A spot to work out the details, to be inspired, to take calls and to stay organized.  The very first thing you do is the first thing you did when you started school.  You find your desk, you sharpen your pencils and you get your paper ready.  The 2014 version includes a computer and Instagram!  It also helps if your work area (no matter what size) looks great.  Here's the Instagram version.

Modern Vintage Photography

To my photography friends who need a little inspiration on reinventing their business, listen to this guy...he knows his stuff!   ( Interview with Zack Arias )  Lots of people will give you their opinion on the internet.  Make sure you listen to those who have already been successful after having made a few mistakes.

Styling a Photography Session for a Wedding Blog Feature

Such exciting news today because my styling work has been featured on Green Wedding Shoes today!

http://greenweddingshoes.com/jon-klassen-inspired-california-forest-elopement/

I work with my daughter styling the engagement sessions and we really wanted to do something that showed off her evolving film photography style.  We live near the Idyllwild California which is so pretty and the community is very artsy.  There is a tunnel of branches in a spot called Double View which we decided to use for our stylized elopement session.  My son in law is a very talented film maker for wedding and adventure videos so it was a fun family project.

My job was to create the setting and the flowers for the session.  It is something I have done as an event planner.  So excited to do this because I feel like an elopement can be a wildly romantic thing to do without Las Vegas or an ugly courthouse.  I have done these before, they are so much fun for a few close friends and family to share in!

 You can even include your dog!  We used the cutest VW bus, the dog got to wear a hat and it was all inspired by a book by Jon Klassen...I Want My Hat Back!  Wait til you see the dog in her red hat.

What's more romantic than a dinner for two in a pretty secluded spot at the end of the day?  Idyllwild has Bed and Breakfast Inns, cottages to rent and you could even camp after your nuptials for an incredibly memorable honeymoon.

We were also inspired by some amazing paper mache hats on Etsy.  The link for the masks is in the blog post.  The theme tied together perfectly.  You can see more by going to Green Wedding Shoes.  Don't forget to watch the video!!! 

See the blog here!

I also made some forest pop tarts with home made peach preserves.  I'll have to post the recipe tomorrow on my recipe blog... The Vintage Recipe Smith

Other People Say Such Clever Things!

So I am back to blogging because I am a pretty sick puppy and can't sleep with the growing sack of concrete in my abdomen.  So I read posts in photography groups.  Yeah, there are lots of groups on the internets but I have to say...photographers are a funny bunch of people.  The crack me up in the middle of the night while I sit perched on my swivel chair listening to the rythmic snoring of my old man.  

One such discussion started with someone asking about Kinfolk Magazine and Anthropologie.  Us photographers notice imagery and often have our favorites.  We note trends to use in our wedding and portrait work to make our clients happy.  They like when they feel like they are magazine worthy.

Some of us noticed that maybe our favorites are a little bland and repetitive and this is my favorite comment...(I gave it a heading...my new inspirational poster).  

A note about ARTISANAL.  I chose it over Artisan because I associate the latter with Starbucks Baristas and their tendancey to pronounce it Artesian.  There's a difference between Handmade and Water!  With all the college education amongst Baristas working so hard to pay off student loans, you would think they could properly pronounce the word!

Back to the funny photographers...more cleverness ensued.  I asked to quote Ms. Christina and she replied with this gem...

Now I find this even more perversely funny with the recent controversy in the photography world by a certain rockstar photographer instructor regarding plagiarism.  (Google Jasmine Star and plagiarism if you must know).  I certainly did not want to participate in such a hot button issue as a word thief.  So I've immortalized her words and will repin them as well.

In the spirit of irony, I leave you with one of my creative endeavors which I'm thinking of printing really big and hanging in my dining room as sentinels during dinner parties.  I promise not to text invite anyone after others have cancelled.  I hate that!  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/168110998564456945/