Dorothy Brown Photography

Every year the Solano Avenue Association hosts a performance to celebrate Lunar New Year. It’s a free community event that highlights music, dance, martial arts, Chinese language learners, and just about the cutest little kids you’ll ever see. The Albany Twin Theater was standing-room-only. I was tasked with covering the event for Albany Patch, and it was a challenge. There was no way to move around without creating undo disturbance, so I took all my shots from a center seat in the second row.

At one point I turned around, and I’m so glad I did. This is my favorite image from the day. I hope you’ll visit the gallery here. The little chicken dancers stole my heart.

I am so grateful to Albany Patch for giving me these opportunities to appreciate this town I live in. It’s pretty charming here, close to home.

Also? Contortionists creep me out. I got this shot before I had to look away.

Happy New Year, everyone!

I have said many times on this blog how much I enjoy helping people record who they are right now. Time passes so quickly. It’s so worthwhile to take a few hours in a favorite place and let the camera capture the silliness, the joy, just the being together. The moment.

Last weekend I decided to take my own advice. Hilary is on the quarter system, so she was back at UCSB. Grace is on the semester system, so she hadn’t started back up yet. We decided a girls’ weekend was in order in the paradise that is Santa Barbara. Saturday afternoon found us at Goleta Beach where I watched these sister friends be sister friends. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Hilary has quite a repertoire of animal impressions. Here she’s winding up to do her velociraptor.

Just a couple of goofballs.

Thanks, girls. What a fun afternoon.

And here’s the ice cream I promised.

And . . . we’re done.

I’m so glad we did this. They both have big plans to be in places far away soon, and that’s good. But so was this. This moment.

You can see more of the shoot here.

If I can help tell the story of your right-now moment, please let me know. It would be my pleasure.

Well, I learned something about myself this weekend. I have always been curious about butterfly groves and put that on my list of Things I Want To See Someday. Not a “must do” — just a “that would be interesting” type of thing. This past weekend Grace and I went to Santa Barbara for a short visit with Hilary and made a quick stop at the butterfly grove in Pismo Beach to have a look. I almost said “to scratch that itch”, but that brought back the skin-crawling feeling I experienced when I looked through the powerful telescopes that bring this natural wonder too close for my comfort. Turns out one butterfly is beautiful, several can be quite interesting, but hordes? Creepy.

I know there are science-types who will disagree. For them I recommend the butterfly grove at Pismo Beach.

Beautiful:

Interesting:

Hmmmm….

Looking around for Alfred Hitchcock:

WAY too much of a good thing:

For me this is a classic instance of when less is preferable. I’m prepared to be in the minority here. And I’ll gladly give up my spot at the telescope.

Storytelling.

I think that’s what 2011 was about for me when it comes to my journey with photography. I spent more time in study and practice than ever before, I became an active member of a world-wide community of passionate and generous photographers who inspire me to keep improving, I enjoyed some special travel and developed a deeper appreciation of my world close to home. And all of it reinforced my belief that photographs matter.

It was a privilege to help tell the stories of the many talented people in town through artist features on Albany Patch. It was a joy to help people record who they are right now through portrait sessions. It was a thrill to have an essay published online and in print by Rear Curtain. And — always — it warmed my heart to spend time with family and friends just doing what we do.

Moments are fleeting, but moments tell our story. If I can capture the moment so that the story can be repeated for those who were there and enjoyed by those who were not, I think I have done something of value.

Here’s a look at moments I treasure from the year gone by.

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Looking ahead, I wish for you a new year full of stories of joy and growth, laughter and love.

Happy New Year!

When you live with someone who likes to take pictures of people, the camera is pointed at you a lot. My family is used to it. Sometimes they ignore it. Sometimes they play to it. That reaction in particular can be challenging for the photographer. For instance, Grace and Hilary can go from zero to smile-for-the-camera in no time flat. Only problem is, their cheese-y faces aren’t my favorite. I consider it a win when I get past that to the authentic moments and the genuine goofiness that I know is under the facade. Sometimes it takes a quick shutter finger, or patience, or just letting them laugh at me. It’s worth it when I’m rewarded with their beautiful laughing eyes.

Here are a few favorite images that remind me of the year gone by.

It’s fun to review the year in pictures and to find the ones that really make me smile. When you find those keepers in your archive I hope you take the time to enjoy them, share them, back them up, and maybe even print them out. Photographs have the magic power to bring back those favorite moments and make us smile all over again.

On Saturday afternoon I joined Harold Davis and about twenty other photographers on a photo walk along the Berkeley Pier. The hazy light of day turned into a brilliant sunset. It was a great vantage point to view the iconic San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate Bridge.

I have been fortunate to do quite a bit of traveling with my camera this year. It is so exciting to see a new place and try to capture the magic of those first impressions in images. But I find it is also deeply satisfying to be able to see what is near at hand and all-too-familiar with fresh eyes. Heracleitus is quoted as saying you can’t step in the same river twice. It’s like that with light. Every sunset is different. Fog, haze, mist . . . they all change the view from the pier.

It was fun to play with this group of enthusiastic photographers. But let’s face it: that’s a lot of tripods.

I will be returning to the pier. There is a lot to learn there.