Captured Glimpses: The Blog

Hi!

Welcome to my photo blog.  This little spot of the internet is where I'll be tossing up some more information on the stories behind the photos on the website, the occasional gear review, and exhibiting a few extra images.  Here are a few explanations/introductions/whatnot before I get started.  My friends on Twitter know the story, but I thought a little review may be helpful for those who are new.

My husband and I are from Akron, Ohio, U.S.A, the Rubber City.  We both went to the University of Akron which is where we met.  My degree is in Cultural Anthropology & Archaeology and he is a Doctor of Polymer Engineering.  When we graduated I worked in archaeology doing the odd contract or consulting job for a while before taking on a position with the local historical society.  My husband was hired as an engineer for a global corporation (The Company).  We bought a house in one of Akron's old neighborhoods.  I biked to work and discovered a passion for cycling.  Life was good.  Then, out of the blue, The Company said, "Hey, would you guys be up for relocating to Luxembourg for a few years?"  After about 30 minutes of discussion we said, "Sure, what the heck! Let's do it."  Chances like that don't come along everyday.  So, we sold the house a year after we bought it, The Company packed all our stuff into a shipping container, we hopped on a plane with our dog and two cats, and moved to Ettelbruck, Luxembourg.  We lived there for exactly two years, had some adventures and met some fabulous people.  Then, The Company said, "Hey, how about you move over to Germany now."  Once again, we acquiesced.  Today, we're in Bavaria, Unterfranken to be a little more specific.  Now, life is crazy and unpredictable, but still good.  That's the story.

Cycling and photography quickly became the ways I divided my time since we moved (cuz, you can't just take up archaeology anywhere).  As time passed, my answer changed from just "riding my bike" to "taking pictures" when someone asked what I did.  I started selling some photographs through the Twenty20 service.  I had some mild success.  It encouraged me to learn more, keep pushing to try new things.  As time passed, I stopped thinking of myself as an archaeologist or historian.  I hadn't researched a bottle fragment or excavated in years.  I started thinking of myself as a photographer.  When I wasn't riding my bike, it was how I spent my time.

Twenty20 suddenly stopped producing physical products in February, forcing me to find a new platform.  It was time to take a leap .  So, I've opened a brand new shop through Smug Mug under the name of Captured Glimpses.  It is stocked with scenic and travel shots which can be purchased as prints, wall art, or as photo gifts.  The quality of the products is several steps above Twenty20's and the service is top notch for customers and photographers.  I'm really looking forward to working through them.  I feel like we're only scratching the surface, catching glimpses, so to speak, when we visit a place.  We'd need the rest of our lives and endless vacation time to fully explore this beautiful and diverse continent.  We don't know how long we'll be staying here.  It won't be forever nor will The Company see the light and give my husband more vacation time.  So, I use my photography to capture those glimpses.  That's where the name comes from.  It's nice that it works well with the CG initials too.

I'm not in this for money or notoriety or whatever.  I take photographs because I love taking photographs.  I love looking at light, shapes, and the air differently.  The world changes so quickly, so the historian that is still in me is thrilled to lock a moment or place in time.  It is not only the artistic aspect that captivates me, but the documentary side of photography as well.  I love trying something new and getting a good result, or not and learning from it.  I find myself shooting mornings and evenings on the weekends, planning our travel activities around the good light, obsessing about the weather, spending the week editing, sorting, printing, planning, reading, and researching- you know, treating it like a job.  The process is what I enjoy.  If someone happens to fancy one of my images enough to bring it into their home or office, that's a bonus.

This is the companion blog to the website, and as always I'm on Twitter and Instagram.  The links are on the right.  Thanks for joining me on this next journey!