Longview. A short drive from home. A song by the lovely Amy Seeley. Once while chatting with the lovely songstress, I asked her if the song was about my Longview. It was…a project was born. My friend, Alicia(my partner in crime and creativity!), and I, finally made it out there for pancakes, coffee, french toast and bacon…we chatted with the locals, but the bitter wind and lack of snow on the highway did not allow us to make the snow angels.
Personal projects are so important to a photographer. You have to stretch your creativity to keep it flowing. The best time to do this is in the winter when no portrait photographer is fully booked. It is a time to refresh and grow as an artist so that when the spring arrives, you are renewed and ready to launch into the new portrait season with guns ablazing.
This project was not one with clear parameters. We were just to go to Longview for breakfast. I barely shot any images, as I have been focusing on shooting video in my free time. I decided that I must edit outside my normal to further the stretching in my post processing, but that’s all I had really decided. And, do you know what? I was so refreshed…by the experience. So inspired by the people in the small cafe in Longview. Breakfast took two hours because everyone took the time to come and talk to us as we were obvious outsiders and Alicia has a habit of shooting the most random things on the planet(and making them look awesome). To share with us small stories about their own lives. Images they had taken with their iPhones or with their Nikons(I do not brand discriminate). To talk about their travels to Iceland(has everyone but us been there?), to Patagonia, to small town Alberta…for me, it was a time to slow down and just breathe in the wonder of it all. 
Have you ever felt like you had begun a life changing year? I really feel that 2011 is going to be that for me…so excited to be in it. Just experiencing the movement….
~ Dana
PS–you gotta love a breakfast place(only open until 3pm) that is licensed. Even if you only have coffee…
by Dana
I love the images you captured, and the processing, but most I love the experience you had and the reminder to do personal work — something I have been ignoring but am now committing to as well. It is really SO important.
These are great pictures! I popped over from your friends blog to check them out! Its a great story and looks like a great day out!
[...] time.Dana captured some ridiculously awesome imagery that morning as well and shared over on her blog.Anyway, please, before you scroll down, click the “play” button below and listen to the [...]