December 30, 2013: The 2013 Year In Review

Last year my during my 2012 year-in-review blog post, I poured my heart out about the ups and downs of the year and what I learned going forward. I started an experiment called 52 Chances. Every week I put myself out there in some way: entering contests, teaching a workshop, sending out a packet or email. It was a great experiment that opened doors for me. Though many good things came out of that experiment, one of the things learned was that I was focusing more on promotion than work. I am not a fast worker. It takes time for me to plan my images and, for lack of a better term, the spirit to move me. Some months I can get 3 solid images in and some months I don't take my camera out of the bag. This year put myself out there, but made sure that I worked consistently to shoot and finish my series The Heart and The Heavy.

The year started out perfectly with a retreat in New Mexico with David Bram and Jennifer Schwartz's Flash Powder Projects. The retreat came at a perfect time for me.  I was spinning my wheels and needed solid direction. I left New Mexico with a 12 month plan and I am happy to say that 10 months later I have stuck with that plan. You can read in detail about the retreat here.

Shortly after the retreat I taught a wonderful group of women at my Savannah workshop. I was extremely impressed by the outcome of the photos from that day. I have shared this video before but I feel it is worth sharing again.

Of course one of the highlights of the year was the Project Imaginat10n experience. What a wild night that was! If you missed the blog post you can catch up here (celebrity photo bombs and all).

Throughout the year I took some of my favorite images to date and completed my series The Heart and The Heavy. The series was shown at two galleries, one in Durham, NC and one in Atlanta, GA.

Overall I would say that the year was a success, but it wasn't without its ups and downs. Many days came with elation, recognition, rejection, self-doubt, defeat and confusion. Despite this, I wouldn't change my occupation. Creating is a fight, a good fight. Completing an image that has been wrestling within me for months makes all those uncertainties worth it.

I spoke about these ups and downs recently to a creativity class at Wake Forest University. I have found through my short time in this profession that if you only look towards the end goal then you will be disappointed. There are so many small events and chance meetings that lead to bigger things. You may not see these at the time. When I woke up this morning I found this quote on the internet by Dr. Seuss:
  
"Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory."

This holds true for all aspects of life though particularly resonates for me regarding my work. Every small thing has the possibility to open the door to experiences one never dreamed.

So what does 2014 hold for me? I am moving forward with clear goals yet an open mind and space to allow events to unfold. I am starting a new project soon but will continue to put myself out there and await serendipity.

I sincerely wish all of you a Happy New Year and thank you for your support.

Heather

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March 9, 2013: The Hassles of Shooting, Old Rickety Steps and Italian Vogue

A few years ago I had the crazy idea to drag an old television set out to the beach. My vision was sitting in front of the t.v. with my husband, while the sun rose in the middle of it's gutted screen. Not too daunting a task, right? Turns out this project became one of the biggest hassles of all the images I have taken.

Step 1: Find an old t.v.
I learned quickly that the cool rounded televisions of the 50s and 60s were not up for grabs at the local Goodwill (or the neighboring Goodwill, or the Goodwill across the state, or online...). It took months before I stumbled across that perfect t.v. in a local antique store. It was bit more expensive than I anticipated but worth it considering how much gas I spent scouring the state for one. I picked up the television, loaded it in my car and nearly sideswiped every car in Winston-Salem. (Sorry about that fellow drivers!)

Finally found my perfect set.

Step 2: Gut the T.V.
The hard part was over right? Hardly. Finding a repair shop that would even touch an old tube t.v. was impossible. No one would gut it for me. My dad saved the day and removed the contents within 30 minutes. Thank you Dad!

Step 3: Take it to the beach
My husband and I were already planning a beach trip for our anniversary. Since the coast is quite a distance from our home, I planned on doing the shoot while there. We woke up before sunrise in our "outfits" and lugged the t.v. down these stairs. Thank you husband!

The tretcherous stairs!

Step 4: Take the picture
Ok, the t.v. was purchased, gutted and carried down rickety old steps to the shore. We were sitting there just before sunset in our outfits. Everything was in place; now we wait.

and wait...

and wait...

and, is that the sunrise over there? No, that's a ship.

and wait...

(turn head to the left)

oh no!!!!

The sun rises in the east right? Well, yes, but NC beaches are a little tricky. We were down in a divet where the sun rises over a random sand dune. To get to a beach where the sun rises directly over the ocean we would have to go to the Outer Banks (quite a drive). Being the impatient person that I am I knew I had to shoot this today!

So I thought fast. We turned the t.v. around, ran and got "in" the screen. The result is the image below. Often a shoot does not go as planned, but something just as good if not better results. I love this image and that we are part of the show. Life is better than anything on television.

Tune In
© 2011 Heather Evans Smith Photography

Two years later the image is published in the February 2013 issue of Vogue Italia. And while I didn't get that sunrise in the t.v. set pic that I had originally wanted, I got something better. Italian Vogue isn't too bad either!

Me holding the February 2013 issue of Vogue Italia.

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December 29, 2012: The Unraveling

I certainly thought that my last blog post would be the final one of the year. However, an unlikely burst of determination and inspiration resulted in an image that I sketched over 14 months ago.

Last year I set out to create a dress made entirely of rope. I bought over 400 feet of rope to create this garment. A variety of things pulled me away from the project. The rope continued to sit in my laundry room, one third finished, mocking me every time I walked by. I guess the timing was not right. For a year my computer sticky note read "work on rope dress". I ignored it until a few weeks ago.

Something in me was determined to finish it this year. I started working on the dress again from scratch, undoing all the previous work. It surprisingly went pretty fast, even on top of what might have been a mild flu. (See below for iphone pics of the work in progress.)

I find the landscape around Eastern North Carolina to be a wonderful backdrop for many of my images. The farmland is flat, sparse and compliments my subject well. With an upcoming trip there for our family Christmas gathering, my deadline was set. I called on my niece who modeled for me a few months back. She is a big supporter of my work and a great model as well. Within the span of an hour she was wrapped up in the dress and ready for the shoot. We shot in a harvested cotton field.

The image turned out better than I had imagined earlier in the year. Perhaps there are larger forces at work when we procrastinate. Had I shot it earlier both the shape of the dress and the location would have been different.

Now having deleted my "work on rope dress" sticky note, I see this as a lesson. Those "props" will no longer haunt me in the laundry room, but sit patiently waiting for the right time to come out and play.

Since this will be the last blog post of 2012, Happy New Year to all! Looking forward to a creative and fufilling 2013.

The Unraveling
© 2012 Heather Evans Smith Photography

The dress in various forms of completion.

Here is a short video that gives a better idea of just how heavy the dress was. It was a challenge walking a short distance into the cotton field.

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