Photography can be a very, very frustrating pursuit. I have not been happy lately simply because my work is taking a different turn.  I have been struggling with context and I’m afraid that it will take some time before I feel what I produce are pieces I am happy with personally.  This past weekend Tracy was feeling a bit under the weather so for the most part we stayed home.  And when I say we stay home that means we literally don’t even go outside.

I had some product photographs to do for a budding small business owner and since I was not happy with how they originally turned out, I figured I’d redo them since we were staying in.  And of course in her ever clever way, Tracy had a suggestion that proved to be brilliant, so I said to her as I always do when she has a great idea, “Gosh babe, I’m so glad I thought of that!” We both laugh as she knows damn well she’s the brains behind Mark and Tracy.

Anyway, I decided to get out of my funk and try something new.   Whenever I hit an impasse with my work, I break out my macro lens. I have been trying over the years to replicate a photograph I’ve seen where the photographer captured a droplet coming off the surface of water.  I’ve seen a million of those images, but this one had a pattern in the droplet. That pattern was a reflection off a graphic he had printed and placed behind the bowl of water where he captured the droplet.  So after umpteen tries, I finally got an image that made me smile.

And no, it did not make me feel any better about my work, but at least for a bit, it allowed me to have fun again with photography. Hum, since I’m having so much fun right now, where’s that ice cream we bought the other day…..?