If you had asked me when I was pregnant what I wanted to have, I would have told you this: a confident, beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful, kick-ass guitar playing girl. I won the lottery.
I love birds. But I especially love crows. I collect crow things and even dress up as a crow for Halloween. One day, after back surgery, when I felt so immobile, I decided to depict myself as a crow who couldn’t fly because of damaged wings, and I knew that only I could fix them, just as only I could make myself fly again. I have run about ten miles this week. Amazing what you can do if you put your mind to work on your body
1: How long have you been involved in photography?
I got my first 35mm camera for a high-school photography class. I bought it from my cousin for $50—a Pentax Spotmatic, which is an amazing camera. I have not put the camera down since 10th grade, and I’m now forty-[inaudible mumbling].
2: Equipment you use?
I just replaced my Nikon D200 with a D90, and I’m in love with the 35mm 1.8 lens. (If I had a 1.4, I’d never be able to take a picture in the daytime! This D90 lets in lots of light; I’m not used to that!)
3: Mac or PC?
There’s not a chance in the world that I would ever own a PC. Macs are intuitive and a joy to use.
4: What inspires you?
Beauty. And I find beauty in everything, even if it’s a sad beauty or an ugly beauty—road kill, the dilapidation of poverty, an orange crane poking a hole in the skyline.
5: Preferred subject matter?
It’s cliché to love shooting my daughter, but she’s so gorgeous. I’m also intensely fascinated with bug and flower macros. Cliché, but that’s too bad! And I love costumes, especially masks. It's amazing how much you can tell from a body and the eyes when the face is covered.
6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.
I would like to capture that thunder and hugeness of when a thousand crows take off at the same time. It's never quite as grand as real life.
7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?
I have been through periods of guilt over loving what I do and feelings that I am a fraud. A happy, paying client erases all that. And when my husband, who is the toughest customer, loves what I'm doing, it helps. But I decided on January 1 to stop giving myself negative messages. If you tell yourself you suck often enough, you will start to believe it, and you will start to suck. So why not remind yourself every day that you're getting better by the minute? No more messages from the Suck Voice. I'm done with that.
8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop
I have a Master’s degree in graphic design, but I’m a writer before I am anything. I have an MFA from Goucher College, and Simon & Schuster published my first book last year—Let Me Eat Cake: A Celebration of Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder, and a Pinch of Salt.
9: Plans for the future?
I’d like to write another book, probably about music or birds. I'd love to do a coffee-table book, too, and I have an idea I can't disclose. But I think my photography future sees me reading the manual of my D90 and learning how to use a Speedlite!
10: In one word, describe your photography.
lush
