Slap shot

Armed with 5x7 prints of my recent and favorite photographs I enter the Inspirations and Vision Photography class at the Continuing Education Department at the local high school. This particular class has become the "it" class that the local Larchmont moms are taking. It's not about the "how to's" but rather the inspiration and visual story telling of photography. Admittedly the only story I want to tell is my story. It is afterall, all about me.
For the first class we were asked to bring in our favorite photos. Upon arrival the instructor tells us he wanted us to bring in our strongest photos. Well that's a huge difference. Strongest implies photos meant to impress. So I walk in feeling pretty good about my photos and thinking I have a good chance at starting out as one of the best in the class. You guessed it, mine ended up being the worst. But everyone cheated!
Everyone, but myself and one other woman, brought in their laptops. All photos look great on a laptop. That's cheating.
So there I am with the photos, I got printed at Costco, which, although are 5x7's, look like wallet size photos in comparison to the full blown laptop screens.
We first look at everyone else's photos. These women, of course, bring photos they've shot in the most exotic venues on earth. First one ---photos taken at the Great Barrier Reef. Austrailia! Gimme a break! There they are - beautiful pictures of a walrus mother and her baby. Oh great wait until they get they get to my photo of a morning waffle.
Next comes a woman who says she takes classes at ICP, International Center of Photography in Manhattan. What in the hell is she doing here in an evening community class where the Italian cooking class has the longest waiting list?
She begins by showing us a simple but gorgeous, perfectly framed photo of a boy working a fishing net. "OOH AHH It looks like a painting," everyone keeps repeating. While everyone comments how the color and texture resemble brush strokes, I stand back cynically thinking "this has got to be enhanced with Photo Shop. The instructor gently asks her about Photo Shop. "Oh yes, I'm taking a Photo Shop course at ICP." WTF! She then proceeds to show us other photos she's taken in VIETNAM. Any photo taken in Vietnam is going to look exotic, right? (Does anyone just go to the local beach for vacation?)
Teacher's comments "fantastic"
We continue to make the rounds of class.
"Fantastic."
"What a story this photo tells?"
Blah blah blah.
The class is ending. As everyone shuts down their laptops only the instructor glances at my snapshots.
"That's nice".
"Um, that's a street scene."
"Oh, a waffle?"
I feel like the girl who instead of being described as beautiful is described as the one with the nice personality.
Our homework: take 5 photos that tell the stories of our everyday lives.
How many pictures of laundry can I take?
I'd better book a trip to the Galapagos.

Life Unplugged

My computer broke down at one of the most busiest times of the year-the first week of school, first week of Sunday School (I'm the director), and the week I decide to begin a blog. Duh! You need a computer to have a blog.

Like many families we are not limited to one computer per family. Hubby and teenage daughter have laptops but working on them is like staying at someone else's house. It's just not the same. It's not home. I did, although, create my first blog entry on daughter's laptop.

Admittedly I certainly was not living computer-free. I had my Iphone and a very lame outdated office computer. I learned to depend more on my Iphone as my computer information resource, twitter-facebook playground and calendar. One definite disadvantage is that you can't print from your phone.

Life without my computer changed slightly. I probably watched more television instead of procrastinating by surfing the web. I didn't get the family calendar organized and the stack of papers on the dining room grew exponentially.

The aspect I missed most was access to my photos. Photography (just my little daily life shots) have become my journal. Being able to take photos, view and share them immediately has become a connection I didn't realize had become so crucial to me.

But other than the photos, life wasn't as dependent on the computer as I would have thought.

I actually liked using the excuse that I couldn't get to certain things because my computer was "in the shop". I even began to like the instant sympathy when I told someone that my computer crashed. It sometimes illicits looks of total devastation from friends. "You poor thing."

While at the repair shop, I called to check on the patient hoping to gain an early less severe diagnosis and ultimately early discharge. But once it was ready I didn't rush to pick it up. Could I be learning that I can function without it? Yeah. But it's not as much fun and it's not as efficient.

Back home now, the desktop machine rests in it's home office waiting to be connected. Still unplugged. It's not psychological. It's laziness.

September 14, 2009

I'm been standing on the edge of the diving board for way to long. Weeks. I've been waiting for the perfect words to emerge onto the keyboard about my first blog posting . So jump in with me because it's nearly Fall 2009, the weather is getting chilly and the water is just getting colder.

Why start a blog? A need to write. I've often thought that I'm constantly coming up with great ideas for a column. I think I'm more clever than I actually am. (Was that incorrect grammar? Ending with preposition? Correction-I think I'm more clever than I actually am, bitch.)

Why the title Self Taught? Because "Self Taught" is a description that best suits my life thus far. I had great parents and mediocre schooling and knew the only way to improve my life, escape my neighborhood, escape my hometown and become a success and achieve the life I dreamed of was to figure out things on my own.

My parents were terrific people and hard workers. They were Mexican Americans of a generation that recognized the only way to get ahead was to assimilate. They assimilated pretty well. But they didn't know how to help me move on further than their own accomplishments. I had to figure it out for myself.

Entering junior high school and high school I decided what schools were best for me, enrolled myself and just told my parents "sign here". Same for the University of Texas. They just weren't the type to ask of their advice. But that's okay. I knew that whatever I was to learn in life I'd have to be self taught.

I've ended up with an incredible turnover of careers: Self Taught Television Reporter, Self Taught Writer, Self Taught Video Editor, Self Taught Television Producer, Self Taught Professional Shopper, Self Taught Religion Teacher, Self Taught Sunday School Director as well as Self Taught Wife, Self Taught Mom. Maybe my parents knew what they were doing after all.

Sure they wanted me to go to college but if I'd instead said "no" and gotten a good job they would have been just as proud. I knew I HAD to go to college but I had to figure it out for myself.

I got myself into the University of Texas, got my own financial aid package, etc. and have attained all the love, family, material things, pride and overall life I wanted.