The Story of BlogHer {Part IV}

August 19, 2010 - 6 Comments by Mishi - Blogging and Social Media, Me, Myself, and I

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be a professional photographer.  I watched others develop their careers, envious of what they were doing and how quickly they had come into their own.

After leaving the portrait studio scene in the late 90’s—for motherhood—the only time I touched a camera was to take pictures of my quickly growing brood of children.   I took it everywhere with me, that much I remember, but the flash was always used and it was only used for snapshots.  I very rarely dabbled in the art of photography; at that point it was just day-to-day documentation.  And, that was more than OK.

In late 2004, though, something sparked in me.  I grabbed our mock-DSLR (a Fujifilm Finepix S5000) and started snapping.  I re-learned some things that were instilled within me during my first photography class in high school, and ran with it.   Little-by-little, I was engrossed again.   Come to think of it, I think the abandonment of my little 1.3MP point and shoot had a lot to do with an incident I like to call “Candy Apple Meets Fujicam in Mishi’s Purse”.  I really don’t like to talk about that much, though.

Fast forward to today.  I am alive with photography, and I see things differently as a result.  I do creative things with my camera, often creating art that is specific to myself and how I see the world around me.   I work as a photographer—documenting events, a family’s beauty, the love of a couple, the sexy appeal of a gorgeous mother.  I travel and speak about photography with other talented photographers.   I do not take light for granted nor my ability to bend it.    I continue to embrace it.

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When I asked Lotus if she wanted to submit a “Room of Your Own” for BlogHer, I honestly had no idea what we were getting into, but I knew (I knew, I knew, I knew) that we had to do it.   Imagine how thrilled we were when the ROYO was placed in our hands.  Not only would we be presenting a session based on our idea, to the mix would be added none other than Rachel Devine.

I had followed Rachel (or Sesame Ellis as she’s known) on Flickr for a long time.  I loved her style and loved the fact that she had started blogging, too.   Being a big fan of her work intimidated me a lot.  I told Lotus that I was kind of scared that I wouldn’t be able to do it because Rachel was on a whole different level.

Then it happened.

We connected.

Rachel, Lotus and I connected.

There was this new dynamic that was introduced that is way deeper than any words I choose to use can describe. It’s a mutual respect and admiration that we have for each other.  It’s something that rapidly grew in our short time together, brainstorming and cultivating our presentation via email, Google chat, and Skype.

The meeting before our session, the ROYO itself, the dinner shared at Pazza Notte on Saturday night, and all the hugs and kisses–in between–are now a concrete part of my forever memory.

Thank you Lotus and Rachel—
Thank you for your photogranerdiness!

Tagged: blogher10, lotus carroll, mishelle lane, New York City, photographers, rachel devine, ROYO

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