July began with a severe weather warning around dinner time. A weather chaser friend sent me the warning via text message and we were off… Less than two miles from our home we set up the camera to watch the weather approach. It was mesmerizing and I was thrilled when I realized today while processing the images that I had captured lightning for the first time! Check out the post and more images on my travel and photography site here.
As I reflect on the past three weeks I can’t help but wonder the foreshadowing effect this storm would have on me personally.
Yes, there were sunny and bright days… but there were just as many stormy days with warning to shut down all computer equipment to avoid the dreaded power surge!
I am not only really referring to what happened outside my studio. It was more an inner turmoil I tried to keep at bay. The Kantha manuscript was looming and as I inched my way forward new challenges had to be mastered and overcome. I have blogged about my frustration already, so I won’t bother you with a repeat performance. The manuscript left my hands last week Wednesday and I had word yesterday that the Express Post package had arrived (it only took 5 business days… I wonder why we pay the big bucks for such poor service…).
After the manuscript was send off the day looked brighter. I met my friend for coffee and the next day stepped into my role of one of the photographers for the Saskatchewan Festival of Words. This is something I have not been comfortable with in the past: Making candid images of people, photographing author sessions and even capturing a Connie Kalder concert on Saturday night. Four days of being on all the time (some of these days were 16 – 18 hours long) I collapsed on the couch on Sunday afternoon and wasn’t sure when my energy would return. Well, there was no rest as I had to get about 4,000 images from the Festival to wade through, sort and process the best. Another two full days spent on the computer let me draw a firm line under this valuable learning experience.
Today was my first day where I had no outside demands waiting. I downloaded images I had made since July 1st and was rewarded with dramatic scenery and action shots. I will be posting about these experiences here over the next several days, or better: I will announce here when I have posted to my photography and travel site. That site has been sorely neglected over the last year. I promised myself that as of today, this will change and the travel site is resurrected. Paying for the website renewal is only part of it… Let’s see where my intent takes me!
Anna Hergert, Art & Design 