Lantern

Even with all its flaws, I am still proud of this image.

“Lantern” as I have decided to call this piece, is a perfect example of an image that – in my eyes – did not turn out (more on that in the video below). However, I still would like to point out why this image holds a sense of pride for me.

During the Promoting Passion Conference, I met so many incredibly talented and BRAVE individuals who did not procrastinate. I can tell you that I am not always brave when it comes to taking photos and I can tell you that I almost ALWAYS procrastinate when it comes to taking photos.

Lately, I have been trying to adapt more of a “do it now” mentality vs. “meh, I will do it tomorrow” mentality. In an attempt to rewire my brain to be less lazy and comfortable, I am trying to accomplish things “now” vs “at another point in time”. Being surrounded by so many driven individuals at the Promoting Passion Conference made me realize this so I decided to NOT procrastinate this time.

While in New York, I had packed two dresses “just in case” I decided to use them. During our lunches and dinners, the tables were set with lanterns as centerpieces. I thought to myself, “I should ask them if I can borrow one for a night shoot”. For me, this was a big courageous step because I would normally just think that it’s a terrible idea to ask and shun the project all together into the “i’ll do it later” bin. But instead, I asked. And guess what? I received.

The lovely manager at the Beaver Hollow Conference Center kindly allowed me to borrow a lantern for the evening. She even included a battery powered candle. How wonderful! I was set. The next brave endeavor was to go out at night, in the dark and get rained on to take this photo. Of course I asked my dear friend Terry to come along with me and play with taking photos. I am so glad that she came along because it was a lot darker than I expected.

Terry is an amazing photographer who creates beautiful painterly portraits of women (check out her website!). She helped to light me with both of the flashlights on our cell phones. In turn, she also took several photos of me. We had a great time together and got to play. 

What is one thing that you have pushed yourself to accomplish? 

Thank you so much for reading my thoughts on Lantern. Below in the video I talk about not giving up and why this image, in my eyes, was not a successful image. There is also a speed edit at the end because I am proud of all of those lanterns at the bottom haha 🙂