Still reveling in the joy of my website being published and all of the wonderful comments, emails, and phone calls it is no wonder that Saturday morning I woke up in great spirits. I was off to a daylong Lightroom workshop and ready to impress. My clothes were picked out, my computer bag packed and the car even vacuumed. I'm pretty sure I even curled my hair. This was a workshop, but I also figured it would be a chance to meet some PDX photogs, do a little networking, treat myself to a Soy Chai and nourish the creative spirit inside. I was glowing. For about 30 minutes.
Well, maybe a bit longer considering the amount of time I took to get ready, but once I got in the car I believe the glow lasted approximately 30 minutes. It started to fade when I drove up and down Belmont amongst a sea of unnamed buildings looking for a building number that didn't exist. Then faded slightly more when I could not get my cellphone to turn on despite the fact that it had been charging all night. And then faded just a wee bit more when I decided to walk into Zupan's to ask a cash register if they had a phone book and and phone I could use. Did you know there is basically no such thing as a phone booth anymore? I'm pretty sure the glow was completely gone by the time I walked into the workshop 25 minutes late, hoping there would be a seat in the back, and settling into the reality that by the time I made my way to the only empty seat in the room everyone was going to know who I was. I guess I discovered a new kind of networking scheme to make people notice you. Or maybe that's just what they call "making a grand entrance."
It gets worse, now that the radiant glow was gone a deep red tint began to emerge on my cheeks. After I had unpacked my computer from my oh-so-chic red computer clutch, asked the gentleman in front of me if I could rearrange the outlet strip so that my cord could fit, set my chai down, and crossed my peek-a-boo heel adorned feet I began to feel a presence. Or maybe it was a lack of a presence. The warm-fuzzy estrogen laden smiles of encouragement I find from all my photog friends was missing and in it's place was about 18 middle aged men. I was alone. And out of place. And definitely not glowing anymore.
Hello, Girl With the Silver Lining. My good friend Kelly Jones has a new CD out and this is one of my favorite songs. It's not a song to listen to while chilling with friends. It's a song to pull out when the world around you says, "No you can't." Cartoonish, happy, and mood lifting - that's what I needed. I finished my day humming, "Yes I can.", flashing mega-watt smiles, oozing positive charms, and learning to edit, retouch, and store my images like a super hero.
No, the day didn't turn out quite like I hoped, but it was an amazing workshop. If you live in the Portland area and are looking to learn more about workflow, Lightroom, or Photoshop. GO. We have a genius living right here in our midst. Mark Fitzgerald of the Digital Darkroom teaches a variety of workshops and even does private tutoring. I can not even begin to tell you all how much I learned in one 8 hour day. It was so worth it.
1 comment:
cant' wait to hear about it!
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