Organic Photography

I am somewhat torn at the moment. I believe, wholeheartedly, that artists should be rewarded and compensated for their work. But that doesn't always happen. Often, we get short-changed for our efforts as the greater capitalist machine seems to misunderstand the power and purpose of art. And yet I put a call out to the ether to ask my friends and colleagues if they would donate images to me, free of charge, to make my second book as truly beneficial to the photography student as it can possibly be. The reaction has been overwhelming. Not only have well established photographers agreed to be a part of this process, but they have given me names of up-and-comers, unknowns, and other greats to ask for donations as well. The benefit? Hopefully a little bit of exposure for everyone, general feelings of well-being, and increased karma points. Should we be compensated for what we do? Absolutely. Yet as the artistic community has proven to me time and time again, we support each oth

They have been mailed out! My first book, "Capture: Digital Photography Essentials" has been shipped to all the loving and avid photographers, fans, and family members who bought it on pre-order. Now, the rest of you have the opportunity to purchase it as well! Just visit Amazon.com and search for the latest and greatest photography text! (Or, you can search for my name.) A huge thank you to everyone who supported the book, especially Glenn Rand and Christopher Broughton, my esteemed co-authors, and Rocky Nook Press for putting the whole thing together. I would also like to personally thank my husband, Steve, for his undying support, my sister Jenn for being a fantastic inspiration, and my parents and family for buying the first copies before they even hit the shelves. My love to all.

Writing is my second love, though these days it seems to be taking up my primary time. No worries, it is all in the effort of something greater - the distribution of information about photography, photographers, communication, and art. I am greatly in love with what I do, from the writing, to the photography, to the teaching - everything that I am currently involved in is a wonderful reason to be alive. (My bank, at the moment, is not, so it is good to have balance.) I wanted to take this opportunity to inform those of you out there that may not know that my first book, "Capture: Digital Photography Essentials" is available for purchase as of April 5th! Actually, you can purchase on Amazon.com now, but that is entirely up to you. I love the "presale" concept. As both a writer and an avid reader, actually. And, as always, check your most recent issues of Digital Photo Pro, Rangefinder, After Capture, Photographer's Forum, or the Nik Software Pro Talks and

There is something sort of beautiful about courage. And something even more beautiful about being able to give it to someone else. The concept of encouragement is laden with a heavy mantle of faith. The ability to believe in someone so completely that you can gift them with something so elusive, so difficult to manage in this world, is a strength and selflessness beyond any words. I just received such a gift from a dear friend of mine in Nashville. It was so simple of a statement that there clearly isn't any ulterior motive. Nothing to gain. Or lose, for that matter. Merely a statement said as fact. Which makes it fact. And that gives me courage. Not sure how to thank him for this one.

A friend of mine asked me today if I still had my blog. I do. I have this one and several others in the ether, all gathering dust from inactivity. The trouble is that I am writing more now than ever before, only I'm writing for other people and much less for myself. Last year I published 34 articles, book reviews, and personality profiles for various publications such as Digital Photo Pro , Rangefinder , After Capture , Photographer's Forum , as well as several uncredited Pro Talk interviews for Nik Software. I also spent a great deal of time working as a co-author on my first book, Capture :Digital Photography Essentials , and working on my second book, which is currently titled 10 Assignments for Avid Photographers . So I am writing. In some senses, in this past year, I have been more of a writer than a photographer. My roots are very solidly grounded in photography, but my writing has taken off in a very published direction. Which is wonderful. I'm happy about a