An Invitation...

Several weeks ago, I read about  Lillian Bassman  in the LA Times. She was an iconic fashion photographer from the 50's and 60's, who quit shooting fashion in the 70's.  She destroyed her negatives (so she thought), but a friend found discarded negatives in bags in 1990, and in 1991 a photo historian pushed her to work with them.  What followed was a resurgence of herself and her work.  She began having gallery shows and shooting fashion campaigns.  At 87, she embraced Photoshop and so now, at 93 she is very much a working photographer. 

I couldn't wait to see her show at the Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica.  I was inspired by her story and absolutely mesmerized by her images.  It gave me hope that I could do anything I wanted to do!!  I adventured up to LA with my girlfriend Deb and looked forward to a fabulous afternoon wandering the galleries at Bergamot Station and a girly lunch.  But my story of serendipity took a slight turn...

Deb and I loved the show and decided next to venture to see Bob Poe's exhibition of i-phone photography.  Poe spent his career in the broadcast industry and as a high profile member of the Democratic Party.  Now, as an artist, he is exploring photographic technology.  His i-phone images are elevated to art status when enlarged and mounted on canvas.  Deb and I delighted in talking to Ken, who runs the gallery.  I suppose that Ken asked if we were photographers based on questions and comments I made and when Deb told him that indeed I was, he asked what sort of work I did.  I told him that currently I was doing portraits and he asked if I had a portfolio.  (A PORTFOLIO!!!??!!)

Now, I have to interject at this point to tell you that I have lately been lamenting the fact that I want to get back to the brave, creative and adventure filled soul that I was in college.  Don't get me wrong, I love making invitations for my daughter's birthday parties and generally being the best Martha I can be, but I need MORE.  And I think that if I had more creative juices running, I would be an even better portrait photographer. 

Ken's query definitely had my wheels turning.  I thought about what I had now in terms of personal work, and what I had done in the past.  He told me they were looking for one more photographer for an upcoming show and that I should submit my work.  The only catch was that it had to be submitted by Friday.  (Yes, this past Friday)  I KNOW that you know what I was thinking.  We all have that voice in our head... It doesn't matter what you are trying to do--we all hear it--Are you good enough to do this????  At first, I didn't hear it.  Deb's cheering was way too loud and drowned it out. (Let me tell you, if you don't have a great friend like her, get one!) But as I began gathering my personal images, the voice got louder.  Here's the thing:  I decided to ignore it.  I pushed on.  I even created some new work, based on old work from college.  (that didn't make my choice to submit, but I'm glad to have done it)  I gathered four different groups of work, put them in an email and pushed send.  I almost passed out when I did it, I was so dizzy with what...fear? excitement? It was surreal.  This opportunity just fell in my lap.  But you know what I was most proud of?  I had just done it.  I jumped off the cliff.  I didn't know what was going to happen, but I followed through and that alone made me darn proud of myself.

So I just got an email from Ken.  They have extended an invitation to be a guest photographer for the show opening on April 17 at the Bob Poe Gallery in Santa Monica.

WhoooooooooooooooHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!