~~Confidence is Weird~~

Confidence is critical to success in anything and everything we do. But confidence is not easy to come by.

I have a client that is an antique map trader, and he could not take proper photographs of his maps to sell on line.  He hired a dozen...yep...a dozen...photographers to help him take better photographs. Then he called me.

“I have ZERO experience taking photographs of antique maps, but I will give it a go with you,” I explain to him over the phone. He hires me, and I promptly panic. I have no clue about what I am doing. I reach out to photography forums, to my buddies and to the internet for ideas. I want to help my clients, but I don’t have a clue. I don’t know what I am doing.

The day arrives for me to tackle the task. I pack up all my gear...or a lot of it...and I trek to his place way out in the desert.

After seeing his set up, I simply tell him to change one thing at a time.  He starts to write everything down.  I say, “No. Only write the formula when we get it right.”

After just a few tweaks here and there with his set up, his lighting, his camera settings and his post work...viola!!  He was thrilled!  And by thrilled, I mean he had tears in his eyes, saying that these were the best photographs he has ever made....(and that was after taking 400 before I got to his place).

We never even unpacked my gear.

Yes.... Confidence is weird.

~~Get that shot!~~

Sometimes nothing can stop a photographer from trying to get "that shot."

I've run across the house at full speed to grab one of the at least three Canons I have lying around. I've spilled my wine tripping over the dog. I've fallen out a window and down a lagoon to get "that shot."

Well, last night I was setting up my tripod in hopes of capturing the rare and illusive "Strawberry Moon." As I walked through the house, I glanced out the window to see what was surely one of the most spectacular events I may ever have the privilege to capture. RUN!! I grabbed the closest SLR and ran out the back and down the steps and into the wash...not looking where my feet were going. I was keeping my eye on the prize! RUN!!

After a punishing day of 117 degree temperatures, Arizona rewarded us with an almost unbelievable sunset show!

Enjoy and feel free to share this rarest of all sunsets!

~~On Arizona~~

I have created several photo books over the years...On training (as in locomotives)...On Switzerland...On Italy...On Motherhood.  Most of my books were just my experimenting with various book publishing services.

I found a service that I LOVE and I am now going to create photo books galore!  I really hope everyone that reads this will order one...or more, of course.

Here is the first of many to come....

"On Arizona"

Click here to preview your copy!

http://www.adorapro.com/mimiparis/book/on-arizona/xjda149ad3

This luxurious book will not only take you on a journey through one of the most unique states in our country, but will also lose you in it's beautiful texture!

Books need to feel as great at they look!

I saw a man die today....

Mother's Day 2016 started off just fine. I was going on a road trip to the lovely...and cool...Mt. Lemmon. At 10,000 feet, it is a lot cooler than the valley...by about 30 degrees.

As I headed out of town I saw a man in an older pick up truck ACCELERATE into a concrete wall. Before he did, he crossed over ALL lanes of traffic, left to right from the HOV lane to an exit ramp. I thought he may have missed his exit and made the stupid move to cross all lines to get off the interstate.

Instead, once he crossed over all lanes, he made a 90-degree angle turn to his left (and back into the traffic), gunned his car and slammed nearly head-on into the concrete wall that separates the north and south bound lanes. Because his vehicle was older, it didn't have air bags. Pieces of the truck flew across the road, and one of his hub caps nearly hit my car.

Because I was immediately behind him, I wasn't able to stop.  However, I saw that others did stop, so I called 911, and was told that this was the first call about the crash.

I was so shaken by this event that I thought that I should just go back home. How can I have a decent road trip when this man's life is over?  "Awful" doesn't describe it.... I did go on to Mt. Lemmon, all the while replaying the earlier scene.

Unlike me, I took very few photos today...way fewer than normal.

As I look at the images, I am crazy disappointed. I see so many mistakes. Obviously, I was terribly distracted. But that is okay. I remind myself that photography is also therapy.

Photography helps me cope.

Observation

"Photography is an art of observation. It has little to do with the things you see, and everything to do with the way you see them."
                                                                       --Elliot Erwitt   www.ellioterwitt.com


Observation, the active acquisition of information, is perhaps the most important of all human activities. My father accidentally taught me this life lesson.  I had to be alert at all times around him...to detect moods...that would lead to actions. And those actions were often not in my favor.

Today, however, the great power of observation has become such a gift in my my photographic journey.

Photography has made me an even keener observer of people, nature and life. It has made me even more appreciative of the "little" things that often go unnoticed.  An example of that is the following:


I was walking Tater, my dog, a week or two ago and I noticed a hawk flying over with a stick in its mouth. I followed it and discovered that it was building a nest.  After watching the hawk for a while, I saw another hawk flying around.  It landed in a tree.  Then, both hawks were in the same tree.

Spring has sprung and now I am on "Hawk Watch." Every morning, very early, I go see what they are up to next.  In about a month I should have a nest full to watch, photograph and share!

If you were to look deep into the tree with the nest, you probably still would not see this couple's nest. Because of my keen observation of the very moment a bird flew over, we get to watch life unfold before us!

~~Martha Mary~~

I was born "Martha Mary Parisotto" in Springfield, Illinois. I was severely deformed in that my legs were tangled up like a pretzel and curled up by my ears. I was fitted with baby casts that were later replaced by braces.

At 11 months old, I was dumped like a stray animal in a city park, left only to be found by police. I was placed in the local hospital until the first of many foster/group homes could be located for me. 


We often identify ourselves based on our childhood, our relationships with our parents and siblings and our environment. When you are thrown out as a baby, abused as a kid and begged a judge to go back into foster care, it's nearly impossible to have strong self-esteem.



I spent my entire life hiding who I was and from whence I came. Photography has become a powerful vehicle that keeps me out of the shadows and in the light.

Beach Sunset, Kenai, Alaska

Another reason....

Another reason that people take photographs is that photography is great for mental health. It can be a lot cheaper than the "Lie on my couch" therapy, and all in all, it makes people happy!

I am a natural explorer, and nothing makes me happier than finding gems and, through photography, sharing them!

I am so happy to see this Limited Edition Artist Print hanging in my client's office!  And it makes everyone happy when they see it!

Little Red Cottage, Glacier National Park

Happiness is a really good reason!

Friends

In those "early" years, I didn't make many friends. I isolated. Everyone is a judge. And truly, none of us has a duty or right to judge others. It is too easy to judge.  The Norwegian proverb stays locked in my mind:

"Sweep before your own door first

before you sweep the doorsteps of your neighbors." 

I, like everyone, don't want to be judged. So I isolated...and when I did creep out once in a while...it was all good all the time. No one knew about my personal hell.

I tend to isolate when things aren't going so well. I am, by nature, an introvert. Most people laugh when I say that because I am very outgoing. To me, strangers are just friends I have not met yet.

Introverts get their energy from being alone and being quiet.  Extroverts, on the other hand, get their energy from being with others.  I get most of my peace and energy by being alone.  I love my alone time...probably way too much.  Thank God for internet friends!  (Giggling, but it is true.)

Getting out is critical to good mental health, so I decided to go to a class at a local camera shop. And to my surprise and delight, the photographers in the class were friendly, nice and helpful!  They were not like my instructor...not a all.  They shared, were helpful. And when they saw my work seemed genuinely excited by my "eye."  In fact, they invited me on "photo walks."  I didn't know what a photo walk was, but now I crave them and invite others regularly.

This one experience changed me dramatically...just like the "lesson" changed me. But this was one of the most positive experiences of my life.  I really saw the light...and I was transformed, encouraged and thrilled about my new life of photography.

I had lived in the business world for all of my adult life...too bad...so sad.  I never considered myself to be creative or gifted in anything...but writing, speaking and communicating.  This new, physical form of expression started feeding my soul like nothing ever in my life.

Photographers can be snooty and rude, but I searched...and found...so many lovely friends in photography that helped me...and now...after a few years, I get to help others.  I would never laugh at someone learning...ever.

I have even had the pleasure of coaching new photographers....and experienced ones, too!  How fun is that.

Photography feeds my soul.  Friends feed my soul.  And then there are photographer friends......

Mike Brown
mikefish001@yahoo.ca

Joe Newman
Bastrop, TX
Joe.in.Bastrop@gmail.com

Cindy Hamilton Wentzloff
Grand Rapids, MI
www.cynthiagailphotography.com

Matthew Tracy
Portland, Oregon
mtfenderplayer@yahoo.com

Sean Smith
Dallas, TX
txbol.yahoo.com

John Mariani
Wyoming
johnmariani.skybeam.com

Marilyn Kidwell
Cedar City, UT
maklv.me.com

Mike and Marie Adkins
Dallas, TX
www.michaeladkinsphotography.com

Rick DiGiammarino
Boston, MA
rickdigi2000@comcast.net

Tim Wohlever
Scottsdale, AZ
tim.wohlever@gmail.com

Peeking Out

When I was first going through the mess I got myself into, I needed to find a way to regain my mental (and probably physical) health.  I was deep into the darkness of the situation that was completely out of my control.

I starting peeking out into the world.  "Out there" was a much better place than "in here." As a friend once told me, "Never stay long in your own head. It is too scary in there."

I got my first "real" camera in 2010, but really didn't use it much. Photography seemed much too complicated, and I didn't have much energy or capacity at that time to delve into something so complex.  I played with the camera a bit.... These are the very first pictures I took with my Canon Rebel T2i--cringe worthy, for certain...ugh.

I wanted to get better, so I bought a "Groupon" for a lesson with a local photographer.  I was nervous and intimidated, but I made it to the appointment. The professional photographer examined my camera and and told me it was "okay for a starter camera."  I thought, "Hmmmm....that is a shot...and not very nice."

During the lesson, she talked about F-Stops and ISO and Depth of Field.  She quizzed me on the mathematics of the formulas.  And when I got the aperture issue incorrect, she laughed and seemed to take pleasure in making me wrong.  (By the way, not all of photography is "intuitive.")

The final straw that made me put my camera away for nearly a year was when she asked me if I shoot in RAW.  I simply stared blankly and asked, "What is RAW?"  Again, she laughed and said "Never mind."

Are all photographers so snooty and rude?  If so, I didn't want to be one.

(This shot is just for my instructor....nature's answer to mean people.)  

Even though I had a tough experience, I still itched to shoot.  I knew that if I stayed "in here" too long the darkness would continue to take over and I'd never get to see the light again.

Interesting that one of the most important aspects of photography is...the light.

Peeking out into the light motivated me to keep picking up my "starter camera."