Greetings for the winter holidays of 2013!
May your world be merry and bright as we approach the shortest day of the year.
Looking back I want to share with you a few old and new facets of my work in photography that have enlivened my life this year.
Portraiture continues to be the focus of my commissioned work. As we all have experienced, the digital process has changed the way we photograph each other. The digital marketplace led me to invent my Face to Face Portrait Program, which serves web and print needs. However, when it comes to the family portrait we still want something to last for generations — a legacy portrait that stops time and brings a new memory into being.
When Frances Stevens came to me to make a portrait of her with her precious granddaughter, Annabelle, she had her legacy in mind. A former dancer, Frances planned a Flamenco theme, with her granddaughter wearing a dress brought from Spain especially for the portrait. What joy! We had so many enchanting images that I produced a montage of five images printed on archival paper, of which you see two here.
This is the perfect example of how portraits of families can be celebrations of now and treasures for generations. I am now privileged to be photographing that next generation!
This year I have returned to workshop teaching, delighting in the excitement of my students. I also work one to one, mentoring students in their quest to produce fine imagery. It is so satisfying to pass on knowledge to those just starting out on their visual journey
I have a new enterprise I call Books to Love. As many of you know, I have been showing my work in Books since I began photography. In fact, creating books has been a passion of mine since I made a handmade book with three other students under the direction of artist Leonard Baskin in college. Now I am helping others have the book they dreamed of. Right now I am producing a book with a client who is making a memoir for her grandchildren. I can work with clients who live anywhere, so it is perfect as a balance to portraiture, which demands that the client be on the other end of the camera lens!
ARCHIVE! is my latest offering. It is a service that is basic to photography, helping people organize their photos, old and new, analog and digital.
Life in the world of fine art photography has been especially exciting this year. I am happy to report that I had a most satisfying exhibition at PHOTO Gallery in Oakland and a selection in the summer show at Robert Tat Gallery in San Francisco. This activity has encouraged me to work toward the completion of my next book, Nature Body Time.
This is a recent portrait that I took of Joyce Goldstein for her new book, Inside the California Food Revolution. I enjoyed it so much that I thought I would share it with you all. And it would make a great holiday gift too!