A More Personal Note...

and a blog that is not entirely about my approaching wedding, photography biz, or whatever.  Just me.  And the things I think about.  And the things that matter to me.  I also wanted a blog with a comments option for once (I always manage to find ways of blogging that completely cut out the whole audience interaction thing).

Some basics: I am marrying my best friend.  I am very excited and insanely nervous about this.  Excited because (this is the easy one to answer) he is my best friend and I can't wait for a lifetime of adventures with him.  Nervous because I tend to lack direction in my visions for all other things, I get bored easily, and I am prone to mood swings... all of which I hope will not come into play with our marriage and somehow ruin everything.  See?  I have three blogs that I only half pay attention to because I get bored with the site or I am disappointed with the limitations of the site or something.  I have a million half collections.  I do things halfway.  And this is terrifying.  Seriously, I lose sleep over this these days.

I am also starting my own business, MET Photography.  It's been a trial.  Sometimes things are really looking up and I can't believe how fortunate I am!  Other days, all I hear about are cancellations, or I work on spreadsheets and watch my funds dwindle while my clientele list looks even more bare.  It's an emotional rollercoaster, especially in today's economy.  You want to stay competitive while not robbing people, offer quality work, and still somehow make a living.  It's a precarious dance on a wire, even if you absolutely LOVE what you do.  On the plus side, the clients I have had are very happy with their portraits, and my friends and family really promote the heck out of me!  Like walking, talking billboards.  There is no better publicity than word of mouth.  All the photos I will be posting here are my own images, copyright MET Photography, unless otherwise stated.

I live with my fiance and have a dog (Josie) and four cats (Rummy, Sinful Cynthia, Tic-Tac, and Zia Maida).  We like to call them Josie and the Pussycats.  I am actually still slightly afraid of big dogs (which Josie is rather large), and I have an allergy to cats.  But I love them anyway.

I have a love of literature, particularly anything by Charles de Lint.  I was a huge Francesca Lia Block fan in my younger years, but felt like de Lint's work kept my mind more active while I read (you would have to pick up a novel and read it to see what I mean... there is this fictional city of Newford and at this point, I almost know where every street runs and intersects, whose house is in relation to what part of town, where other towns are in relation to Newford... I may be a supernerd).  All the stories are modern fantasies, yet they are totally feasible if you believe in things existing that we may not be aware of all the time, or can't see or feel or hear... and most people do (this is why there are churches and religion).  The difference is... these are the things you can sometimes see out of the corner of your eye or sense when you are alone, the Good Neighbors from Ireland and the Spirits of the Native Lands, and everything in between.  Fascinating, really.

I love listening to vinyl (LPs and single track) records... there is something pure in it.  I like the muted sounds of a full orchestra behind the vocals of Bing Crosby and the occasional crackle sound that is issued when the needles skims over stray dust.  I like really listening to a track at a time, getting up to turn over the record for the second track, flipping through the literal album of music finding other songs.  It's such a kinetic experience.

I always keep a camera close at hand.  I primarily shoot digital these days, as I have limited if any access to a lab and darkroom anymore.  I miss the relaxing hours spent in a darkroom developing my own film and enlargements.  I miss the smell of the fixer and the glow of the red lamp, hood pulled down extra low so it's really really dark.  I miss the magic of watching your photograph emerge from the paper under a film of sloshing chemicals, becoming darker and more detailed, like a dream made solid.  Now, I sit on the couch, upload my images, and stare at a screen while I edit instantly appearing images.  Not that digital doesn't have it's perks... it's just not as magical or therapeutic.  Sometimes I shoot 35mm film (color or B&W) or 120 film and send it off to be processed.  This is fun and sometimes a nightmare.  I have had improperly developed film returned to me... it was processed in the wrong chemical solution, and effectively wiped the film clean.  All I have now is a strip of what looks like clear cellophane.  So irritating.  (And the lab didn't hold true to their promise of replacing the ruined film with a new roll, either!  Not to mention it was 120 film.  I'll never get those pictures back.  I was/am bummed.)

I have a thing for elephants.  I don't really know why.  I got to feed some elephants some Peeps before and they explored my face with the little thumb at the end of their trunks.  One got fresh and explored down my shirt.  It was the coolest experience... how something so huge and ungainly could have such a gentle and inquisitive touch.  Maybe it's the magic thing again.

I apparently am a big believer in magic: the little magic of day to day life, like love, photographs, memories, smiles, music... as well as the magic of things beyond the perceived realm of possibility.

So, that's that.  I'm a young, engaged-to-be-married-to-my-best-friend photographer who believes in everyday and extra special magic.  And I am trying to share a little of that magic with the world.

Or, at least, the internet world.