Gratitude Journal – Day 73 – September 11, 2014

In focus…….
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Women in Focus that is. Years ago, 8 to be exact, I joined the Women in Focus group and met ladies that would change my life forever. And every month there is a speaker to inspire us or an artist to do a critique. Before heading over to the meeting this evening, a couple of us met for dinner and caught up on what’s been going on in our lives. Our laughter and conversation danced about like bubbles from a fast running faucet hitting a still pool of water.

We head around the corner to the meeting, where Billy Howard will be speaking this evening. I’ve not heard of him before, but obviously I must have had my head in the sand as he is quite well known. He is a commercial photographer, but chose to speak on projects this evening. Sure commercial photography has its’ rewards, but as he asked himself, ‘How can photography impact us?’, he decided to look into projects. As I, along with every other WIF member listened to him this evening, it struck me how emotionally he becomes involved with the people in his photographs. I took notes on a brightly colored napkin as he showed us photo after photo and described the story behind each, often pausing to catch his breath or a tear escaping the corner of his eye.

Billy began with sharing his first project on the Homeless with us, which was a collaboration with 32 other photographers to raise funds for the cause. And then he went on to tell more stories about children battling cancer, about people fighting AIDs back in the 80’s when we didn’t understand it and about teens with mental illness. The people in the photos are looking right at us and we are able to see through their eyes to the ‘person’ they are. It’s been said that a good photograph is a reflection of how the photographer puts their subject at ease or how they feel about them. That being said, Billy is truly a master at the craft.

And as I think about my own photography, not award winning or famous by any stretch, I am drawn to photographing people (OK, and the occasional parking deck, LOL!) capturing the emotion of the moment. And naturally, my favorite subject over the past 11 years has been myDarlin’ Robert Kenui Pope.

And tonight I am inspired by this man Billy Howardhttp://www.billyhoward.com/books.htm

, a great photographer, who is really just a man with a big heart, a loving wife (I love how he acknowledged her as a wonderfully talented artist/writer) and a passion for using photography to make an impact on this crazy, imperfect world of ours. 
Today, I am filled with gratitude for photographers round the world, as they document fleeting moments of our lives, And we must ask ourselves, ‘How can photography impact us?’ to determine if we are ‘In Focus’ with what really matters in our lives and in the world.

#KeepLookingUp