On The Edge

They announced at work today that tickets are available for the Los Angeles County Fair. I haven't been to the fair in a couple of years. I don't remember why I didn't go last year, but the year before that I had a broken leg. I love the fair. I love to see the exhibits and eat all my favorite foods - candy apples, beef dips, peanuts, Indian fry bread. Maybe that's why I didn't go last year, I was still trying to be good about what I was eating and the Fair holds too many temptations.

Another reason I love the Fair is the Photography and Crafts exhibits/contest. I like to see what people are creating out there. Some of the quilts and clothes are amazing. But it's the photo exhibit that I love the most. A few years ago, I entered some of my photos into the Fair. To my amazement, one of my pictures received an Honorable Mention. It's called On The Edge and it's a picture I took in Bryce Canyon, Utah (see picture). I actually entered 5 pictures that year but this was the only one that got an award. You'd think I'd feel rejected that the others didn't make it, but I wasn't (a big step for me, the ultimate people pleaser). I know that art is subjective and not everyone will like the same thing. It was photography that taught me what I like and don't like about other forms of art.

I've been thinking about photography a lot lately. A lot. Everyday really. And I've been looking at the photos I have on my wall and my camera bag sitting in the corner. It looks lonely. I really miss it and I need to find the time to get back into it. I missed a lot of great photo opportunities this spring because I was training for my first tri. The best times to take pictures - early morning & late afternoon (for what I like to take) are when I was training. And in the beginning of my training, I was too tired to go traipsing around with a camera anyway. I have to find a way to balance the two. Photography is my artistic outlet. I don't get the same sense from my cross-stitch projects. Probably because I'm working from patterns that someone else created. But with Photography, it's all me. How I framed it in the lens. The type of film I used (I'm a purist & anti-digital). The filters I use or don't use. Even the camera I take the picture with makes it different.

The other day, there was a quote that I applied to tri but now I'm going to apply it to Photography. "It's a dream until you write it down, and then it's a goal."-Anonymous. Well, I'm writing it down. I am going to take my camera out and starting taking pictures again. Next year, I am going to enter some photos at the Fair. Hopefully, next year at this time I'll have more good news to report. If not, at least I tried. :)