Connecting

Since I first decided that I wanted to have a blog attached to my website I've been trying to reconcile exactly what the connection between the two mediums might be.  Sure, a lot of people have both, which is what first made me think it would be a good idea, but what exactly would be my reason for having a blog?

Many times blogs will be instructional, or at least informative, about a subject matter; such as photography.  I knew from the beginning that would not be any part of what my blog is about.

I am a technophobe.  (Wow, that must be a real word because spell check didn't underline it!)

My method of photography is a combination of things learned and things instinctual, mostly instinctual I think. What I have learned I have learned by doing; not by reading a "how to" or having someone just tell me "how to" do it.  With photography, if I have to think too much about what I'm doing, the magic is gone and I no longer feel what attracted me to the subject in the first place.  Anyway, I would never presume to be able to teach anyone anything about photography so you won't find that kind of thing here.

*******  It should by now be clear to anybody reading this that it is impossible

               for me to "get to the point" in anything remotely resembling a normal                        amount of time.  Also, my paragraphs aren't necessarily real  para-

              graphs.   If you're an English major, I apologize for any pain this may be                   causing you.  If you're reading this and you happen to be of the male                           species,  I know that my style of writing may be especially painful for you               but, somehow, that gives me a certain amount of pleasure.  ; - )   Just  

              teasing!   *********

So what is the point of "Tori's Darkroom"?  I think it will be a way to show who I am using words instead of images.  That is to say; when someone views my work, I hope they can get a sense of who I am from the pictures I make and now, through my blog, I have another way for people to know who I am as a person.  There might be a lot of reading between the lines but that makes it more of a puzzle (and who doesn't like puzzles?).

I think I've always been a fairly open person, but damn, this is the internet and that's a little intimidating.  Of course, that's supposing that anyone reads this and that would seem fairly egotistical, so maybe I will just write it as though I'm writing to a friend and see what happens...

Up and Running, hmm, well, walking for now.

My website, http://www.ToriNelson.com, has been unofficially up for about a week now.  There have been some things that I felt needed to be changed before I really started spamming my URL.

They are being worked on now and I hope to have it all ready to go by the end of the weekend.  ( I seem to be saying that a lot)

One of the changes I've made was to delete what had been written in the "Who I Am" section.  A friend told me I sounded so boring that he would probably not bother looking at any of my images.  Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but he really is a friend.  He was right too.  I guess I'm just not comfortable writing about myself, my "accomplishments", why photography is such a passion with me and why everyone should clamor for my art.  I actually had something else written before the site went online but that same friend previewed it for me and said I sounded scary ( I've been known to be a tad bit sarcastic ); so for now, until I come up with the perfect wording, that section won't have anything but a link to this blog.

One of the other things I heard from the few people who commented on the site was that having to go to separate galleries for B&W and color was annoying.  Okay, I'll concede that.

I wasn't thrilled with the way it looked anyway so now B&W and color thumbnails will be together.  Well-not now- but by the end of the weekend for sure.

Getting back up on the horse...

It's not that I got thrown really, it's more that I stopped riding.  That is to say, I stopped actively marketing my photography.  It's been about three years since I had any work in a gallery, participated in any shows or even offered my work for sale.  But the time has come to get back out there and pursue my ambitions - again.

I have spent the past few years taking care of more pressing matters than photography.  I never stopped photographing but I didn't seem to have much time to do anything with it.  Now though things seem to have settled down and I feel more free to create and share my passion with others.

I took my first step out last weekend by being part of a group show in Riverside, CA.  My friend Matthew Blais organized the show (and did an incredible job!) and included me and 7 other really fine photographers.  We had a great time, learned a lot, sold some work and got to meet some very nice people.  Now I'm ready for the next one!

I will have a new website this week sometime, I hope.  I would really like it if you would send me any comments or suggestions.  It will still be the same address:

http://www.ToriNelson.com

I thought it might be up tonight but I thought wrong.  Oh well, by next weekend for sure.

Okay, well, this concludes my very first blog post ever.  It's a little strange and feels a bit like I'm talking to myself.  I'm sure I'll get used to it.