Bio - what?

Wow, who would have thought that writing a bio was that hard?!?  It took me most of the day today to write up a small bio as I prepare for an artists reception at the Gresham Arts Committee tomorrow night.  Yes, I know that this is something that I should have completed months ago.  I just never got around to it.  So, now I'm hustling to get the details done and ready for the reception.  What actually got me through the Bio process was this page.

Now I'm getting ready to tackle the updates to the website.  I've got new images to put up, logo updates that need to be done as well as a general update to show the new directions I'm getting ready to take.

Speaking of new directions...  I'm considering doing some portrait work.  I know that probably comes as a shock to anyone that has discussed photography with me.  I've been working pretty hard to avoid portrait work up to this point.  However I am beginning to realize that what I have been dreading is the bland, cheesy, classical "stand straight up, look into the camera and try to smile big" boring old portrait.  What I've realized is that I don't have to do those boring old pictures.  I can be as creative as my customers will allow me to be and by being creative, I'm appealing to a different customer.  So look forward to seeing some portraits come up on my site in the near future.

For those of you that are interested, the impetus for this change began with a conversation with a potential customer.  The family and I were checking out a local cake shop for a cake for my son's upcoming birthday.  I noticed that the cakes on display in the shop where looking worlds better than what was on their website.  I offered to do a few gratis shots for them to see if we wanted to do some business together.  When we were done the owner asked, rather enthusiastically if I did any portraits.  At that point I said that I did not, but her question got the gears in my head turning.  I had to ask myself "why not?".  The answer I came up with was in two parts.  First, I hate (I mean detest with absolute disdain) the boring old portraits that come to my mind when I think of "portraits".  The second part of the answer was that I'm just more comfortable by myself out in the woods taking my time composing the picture at my leisure, finding the emotion in the scene.  When photographing people, the photographer needs to bring out the emotion from the subject/client.

So when I looked at it, I determined that my discomfort (or fear) wasn't going to stop me from meeting the needs of a client.  Who knows, I may just end up enjoying working with subjects that are a little more interactive than a mountain scene.

By the way, if anyone is reading this and hasn't already received an invitation to the reception for the Color Explosion show, consider this your invitation.  The reception is at the City Hall building in Gresham Oregon from 5:30pm to 7:00pm Tuesday Feb 16th.  Hope to see you there!