Fluidity. Moving like water. Going from one point to another without letting obstacles hinder you. The ability to move in and out of situations.
Gender fluidity. Moving through genders. Not bound by one. Encompassing two or all. Because deep inside looking in the mirror tells half the truth. So I tend to ask the question, “What am I?”
It’s hard to be inside my head all the time. It’s one failure after another. One trip-up, another insult, another downplay. Every so often I get to say something nice to myself. Every so often I feel like I’m moving forward; accomplishing another goal. Reaching another plateau. Sometimes it lasts a couple of months then I hit a wall and fall with gravity. I can’t help to be so critical. So many chances. So many doors. So many failures (it’s all my fault). So many disappointments (can’t blame anyone else). But where would I be if these didn’t happen? It’s definitely a question I come back to. I could be famous. I could be touring with music artists. Teaching all over the world. Acting in plays/movies. Become a scientist. The possibilities were endless. The discipline, non existent. So where do I end up next?
This will be the last one in The Hustle series. It was the last day and our last walk through the barrio. We met some of the kids’ families, took more photos, and took in the scene around us. Half way through our walk we came upon a house where the family makes these mats made of dried reeds. One of the coordinators asks if they can show us the process and he obliges.
It was awesome to see him in action. I was even able to get a few rows in and must say that it was pretty meditative. This is definitely my favorite set and wanted to end it on this note.
I’ll be m.i.a. again for a week or so as I need to catch up on some projects. I will be back though! See you soon.
Last week was not a great week to start any projects as it was packed with work. Now that things have calmed down a bit The Hustle series will be completed throughout this week.
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We left the previous house soon after we got there in hopes of beating the rain, but on our way to the next place it started coming down. Shortly after we get under cover, it pours.
Two of the boys brought over chairs for everyone to sit on. We were in a circle listening to how they make a living; a small storefront out of their home and a seamstress for part of the town.
The sewing machine was outside, somewhat part of the circle. With the downpour preventing us from going anywhere, we had some time to kill – and so she begins sewing.
It was 4:30 in the morning and we were all half asleep, but ready to take some amazing sunrise photos. We grab our gear, get on the bus, and head out to El Rayo with the students of Empowerment International (more on EI another week.) We were almost there, but the sun managed to beat us to our destination. However, there was still plenty to photograph but more on this particular day another time. Today, we highlight The Hustle of the local islanders.
The morning started out pretty slow. It was quiet so all we had was the landscape, we got there after the sunrise so that was out of the question, but then the lake started coming alive. Monkeys in the distance, people in their boats, and then a yellow bus rolls in.
They start their mornings early, getting their boats ready to take to the main land in order to get to school, work, and drop off their catch/produce with the bus that comes in to take them into the city. With the language barrier (me not knowing Spanish) and being hesitant on going up to random people, I didn’t have the nerve to talk to them and ask questions about the process. Something I definitely need to work on for future trips. However, I did manage to get some shots so here are a few of them.
After going through photos taken during this past trip to Granada, Nicaragua with The Giving Lens (TGL), it was clear that putting a series together in releasing the images was the way to go. I had come across TGL a few years ago during a search for a way to travel while doing photography and TGL stood out to me. They work with non-profits* in different countries, teaching kids the art of photography. Nicaragua was my first trip and I’m excited to go on other trips with them in the future.
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The cards seemed to align. A little over 4 months had gone by and I realized that the money put into the studio could have been used towards building my equipment as well as travelling. I had been stressed out about working more hours to pay for an art studio that I barely used since I spent most of my time working. And after hearing that rent was going to increase, the decision was made for me. Give up the studio. It was easy to do as I was subleasing the space and the owner was ready to move on also. A little over a week after turning in my keys, I get the email: “TGL: Nicaragua.” Without hesitation, I applied.
It was the end of March and the trip was set for the first week of July. Of course three months is plenty of time to save up for the trip. But oh, I forgot, I also had a trip to San Diego for a week and New York for another week within that time plus I just got back from a weekend in Big Bear. With finances tight I was instantly reminded that this trip might not happen even if I did get accepted. But by the grace of my co-workers needing shifts covered and people hiring me through TaskRabbit, everything worked out just fine. Therefore, I find it appropriate to kick off this series with…
The Hustle
The first in this set is from a day we visited a small town about 30-45 min from where we were staying. We broke into small groups to visit 3-4 houses in order to take photos and talk to the families. Our assignment that day was to come up with 3 image stories.
As we went to our first house it was on my mind, “3 image story. What story will I tell here? Shit, I don’t know. Think Joanne.” I just kept shooting without any real direction. It wasn’t until going through the photos that I realized where the 3 photo stories lie. It’s not just from one house we visited, but from each part that makes the whole.
Each day this week I’ll be sharing 3 images on how people in the places we visited in Nicaragua make ends meet. In this first set, we were running short on time due to wanting to beat the heavy rain and didn’t give me a chance to chat with the family and take as many photos as I would have liked. This was unfortunate because it would have been really interesting to hear more about this (and get better shots.)
*We worked with Empowerment International while in Granada, Nicaragua. More on them another week.
It’s been almost a month since starting the new move into the studio and things are coming along nicely. Slowly, but nicely. A friend of mine who does videos for her business, The Right Brain Entrepreneur, brought her studio lights into the studio a couple of weeks ago and I finally have been able to play around with them in the evening time at the studio. I had a blast and definitely learned quite a few things. One of them being, a fill light is definitely in order!
The lights that were used were quite bright without the ability to dim them so it made it difficult to use for a fill light. I attempted to use the overhead lights which have the ability to be dimmed, but it was too high and cast too much light over the subject and background. We didn’t have too much time for me to scrounge around for a decent light to use so I just went with what we had at the moment. Overall, I’m happy with the results and know what to do for next time.
Preparing for a mixer at the studio next month, I decided to revisit some old photos I’ve taken over the past few years and re-edit them. Perhaps even showcase them at the event. Still not really sure what to showcase, but here are a few runner ups given that I don’t go with a different series by December 12th.
With all the changes happening at once, it was nice to get cut from work early and spend some quality time with my girlfriend. We grabbed a bottle of wine, I of course grabbed my camera as well, then headed over to Treasure Island to enjoy the clear sky (before Karl the fog rolled in) and each others company while taking some long exposure shots.
J.Mulson Photography 