Creative Light in the Morning!

It’s 6:50 am and I’m here inside Bubble Trailer in the Santa Cruz Redwoods, listening to the huge raindrops from the trees dripping, dripping…my feet snuggled in my purple kids’-sized sleeping bag (the camping equivalent of my ‘snuggly journaling blanket’ at home) while I type by LED lamplight. That I just made. Yep- getting creative already! At this early hour when it’s still dark outside, the trailer room lights are just like floodlights! No need to flood the room with light while Jonny is still sleeping a mere 5 feet away! I just need a little mood lamp to softly light my tiny creative cave. (I guess I need to shop for one before we hit the road for the long tour!) But what about today? I glanced around…. Oh, wait! We have that goofy little dollar store lamp that Jonny picked up, a plastic replica of an old coleman lantern….I’ll try that!! Augh! 8 piercing LED’s binded my eyes. Not that it’s very bright, but the raw LEDs with no diffusion were fiercely blinding!! So, I looked around for something to diffuse. Afterall, I AM a photographer and I know light! Yes! A tissue! I wrapped it around and indeed, it was the perfect solution! Now for scotch tape. What? We have no tape in here? (clearly I need to stock our trailer better!) LOL but I DO have Glue Dots! (After all, wouldn’t any creative person have rolls of glue dots squirreled away in every junk drawer?) So there it is—a little scissor action to trim the tissue and wrap it and stick it on with glue dots… and it’s the perfect li’l lamp for this morning! I’m feeling so creative already, and it’s only 7:20 am!

So, what are we writing about today? Being creative and resourceful! That’s one of a photographer’s best skills… being resourceful and making things work on the fly. I can remember many events over the years, shooting a prom or some party on location, scrambling to make a set fit in a tiny hallway or side room, needing more clamps or a way to prop up that silk bush behind the bench on the set…. diffusing the harsh sunlight streaming thru the window in baby’s room because your client really wants shots in her custom-made crib (at the wrong time of day for good light)! –Or just rigging up cool sets in my studio! A photographer is not only the king or queen of wearing MANY hats, but also skilled at out-of-the-box creative problem solving–Usually on the fly!

That’s certainly one of the skills needed in camping as well. You pull into your campsite and the ground is not level where you need the table….the pin fell out of the whatcha-ma-dealie and its loose now and how are we gonna fix that? …. The ice chest sprung a leak and …. Or, it’s dark and I haven’t had my coffee yet but I need to write in some soft light and how can I rig that? (right now, and quietly?) 😀 There’s never any shortage of adventure, unknowns and inconveniences when you go camping. But, personally, I think living with those three things also keeps you young. We all gravitate towards security, comfort and routine. It’s nice to arrange our lives to be smooth and effortless. But often boring. And you get a little soft. Getting outdoors and braving the elements and inconveniences definitely keeps you young and on your toes!

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