SF silhouette, Thursday, Dec. 5, 6:55 a.m.
Last weekend I did something that I consider scarier than the tides that tumble under the Golden Gate and more frightening than tanker wakes. I showed my photography for the first time ever at Sausalito's Open Studios.
I felt like the new kid at school and I didn't really know what the reaction would be. Luckily, people were kind. Some even bought prints.
So now what? Keep at it of course. I was talking to Jay, my husband and a longtime professional photographer, and I asked him how he stays inspired. He shared with me the most valuable piece of photography advice he's ever received: "Work the subject." In other words, there are always angles and perspectives to explore. Be open to it.
It's not unlike rowing. Ken Robinson, a friend and fellow rower came by Open Studios and I asked him when he'd be out on the water again with Stefan and me. "Oh, I'm working on so much right now. I have to row on my own for the time being."
Ken has been rowing longer than I have, which is to say, a long time. Yet, he's still working the subject, learning as he goes, perfecting the elusive.
And that's just what I'll try to do.
PS – The cold weather that's been sashaying across the country is visiting Northern California, bringing us ice on the dock and sundogs in the dawn sky. It's freezing. My Nebraska roots tell me I shouldn't complain but then again, how many Nebraskans row in the winter…or at all for that matter?
Rising sun meets sundog, Dec. 8, 7:38 a.m.