Why I take pictures

When I see or read good art, I want to feel it in my body; feel the physical shock that comes from knowing the person who made this waded into the same sea. I want to engage with the work, and be provoked by it. The things I love the most are ones that make me have to look away to fully absorb them, then come back to them again and again.

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Spartan race: DFL > DNF > DNS

Three weeks ago, I finished the Spartan Sprint in Malibu. In theory, a Spartan Sprint is a 5K with 15 obstacles, but the Malibu Sprint was nearly 5 miles, and 18 obstacles. 5K, some obstacles… maybe some burpee penalties… how hard can it be? 

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Saying No Nicely

 I badly need to memorize every single one of these ways to say 'No,' nicely. Especially these: 

When asked to do something optional that you can’t commit to right now:

I appreciate you thinking of me, and I’m honored by the request. But unfortunately, I don’t have the time to give this my best right now. I think you would benefit from finding someone who can devote more time and energy to this project.

When someone asks you to do something that your much-less-busy coworker could do:

I would love to help you out, but given my schedule, I wouldn’t be able to get this back to you for a couple of weeks. If you would like to have this turned around sooner, I recommend that you reach out to __________. Does that sound good?

 

look for the light

A great bear of a man sidled up to me, introduced himself as Gar, and gently asked how my shooting was going. I allowed that my grand total of fifteen minutes' experience using a camera was perhaps not my best beginning ever, and handed him my camera to show him what I'd done so far. That Gar did not collapse into peals of laughter upon seeing my first attempts is a testament to how gracious and kind he was.

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