Street Saturday

My plan this weekend was to take advantage of the mildly warm June weather and go "street shooting". I wanted to be adventurous. Okay, semi-adventurous because I was going to go somewhere I felt familiar with. I was willing and planning to go by myself, but when my bestie offered to go with me, I took her up on her offer.

The plan was to start at Union Station. From there we would either go to the Arts District or to Farmers Market outside the Grove.

To make it to both places, we had to get to Union Station a little before the perfect golden hour. Still, the light inside the main side of the station, is almost always solid. And there seems to always be something interesting to shoot.

After nearly an hour, roaming the station looking for photo opportunities, we decided to go to the Farmer's Market at the Grove. Getting there was quite the adventure. Stupid new iPhone Map App. I'm going to stop complaining and download the Google Map App. That one never failed me.

We eventually made it to our destination. Liz had never been to the Farmer's Market before so we were like two kids in a candy factory.

There were so many wonderful places to eat. It was hard to settle on one.

Afterwards, it was hard not to treat ourselves to something sweet...we did do a fair amount of walking after all.

So much eye candy. It was hard to be deliberate about the picture taking.

At Last

Since my nephew, Brie and I headed for a photo walk last year roaming the streets of downtown LA, I've wanted to go back and shoot at Union Station. There was always one excuse or another.

On Friday, I told myself that no matter what, I was going to go on Saturday. Friday had been a good day. Only a very minor touch of nausea in the morning and I had more energy than I had hoped for. I felt ready to make the commitment.

On Saturday, I awoke, still feeling good. I had a brunch date with my bestie and her daughter, but that would in no way prevent me from making good on my promise to myself. When I got back from lunch, I passed out on my recliner, suddenly exhausted from staying up too late the night before and getting up early in the morning. I told myself this was in no way going to stop me from making good on my promise to myself. I would sleep until 3pm, okay, maybe 4pm and then head out.

I almost reneged on my promise, but I sensed it was now or never. Time to move. Time to stop making excuses. I dragged my sorry little body off my recliner, grabbed my keys and kissed Brie goodbye. I almost decided to turn around. I fought with myself the whole way there.

The moment I arrived, I was struck by the light. The glorious light.

It was just as I hoped it would be. I wandered the station taking pictures, at times boldly standing in the center of the walkways lining up my shots, at other times, trying to inconspicuously take pictures of an interesting character.

After a while, I decided to take advantage of the energy I felt and head across the street to Olvera Street for some more photos. I would have stayed longer, but I felt my leg start aching and decided that I should leave before I got too tired. I'm glad I listened to myself. The rest of the night, my leg ached, but it was well worth it.

As I reviewed my photos and critiqued the results, overall I was satisfied. I went, I shot and while I didn't conquer, I did learn. Next time, I want to move slower. I always move too quickly. I need to worry less about what others think and take my time. Wait for the right shot. Be still. Be patient.

It makes me excited to go back and try again.

Taking the Shot

Been finally getting around to downloading (or is it uploading? I always get so confused) my photos from my DSLR and editing them. It's rather like finding hidden treasures.

This one was taken on January 2 in Old Pasadena as I waited for Vic and Sharonda who were checking out the floats from the Rose Parade. As I walked up and down Colorado Blvd, I came upon a little hamburger joint. The insecure, unsure me would have paused and moment and walked on by.

But I had made a decision already that this year would be different so the resolute, determined me stood at the door, lifted my camera and took the picture, without caring so much what others thought.

I'm glad I did. It's a reminder to me that I need to do this more often. It's the 16th of January and I'm still embracing the New Year.