Life Through My Lens
10.06.2024 – 12.03.2024
That was a bit of a time warp.
I managed to overload myself with work and disappear for October and November. Sorry about that, friends!
But I’m back and ready to keep sharing what’s been happening in hopes of pulling back that curtain.
PHOTOGRAPHY
October and November brought some headshot sessions, mini portrait sessions, lectures, and assignment marking.
I had a chance to create some magical photographs on my whimsical holiday set for a handful of families, and it was super fun. The set didn’t last two months and started to fall near the end of November. Which made taking it down a bit easier 😉
This time of year is tricky for me to balance teaching and photography in the fall, and I’m learning more about that this second time around.
I recently discovered that I’ve been missing the spontaneity and curiosity photography provides—the spark from decades ago.
That anchor feels a bit disconnected right now.
Realizing this has led me to come up with a few ideas for an experiment in 2025.
You’ll have to stay tuned to see it unfold.
STUDIO UPDATES
The holiday set was a success and super fun to create!
The landlord boxed in the illegal shower/bath the previous tenant put in, so now I have even more storage (but need to get a shower curtain rod and curtain).
The flies that visited in the summer are slowly disappearing—it’s super annoying, and I’m constantly cleaning them up.
I’ve realized I need to bring in more of my decor AND find a loveseat/couch.
I hosted another successful Community Night in late November.
It was another great night of laughs and shared experiences. We shared our approaches to contracts, pricing and more.
It was great to support each other in our journeys as creatives and providing different perspectives.
I haven’t set the dates for 2025 yet, but I’ll be alternating mornings and evenings so more people can attend.
You can sign up here if you want to be added to the invite, or email me hello@jenallison.ca
Anyone can join! You don’t have to be a photographer.
I’ve also realized I need a loveseat or couch for the space AND more decor, which will come in time. I saw the perfect vintage orange corduroy fabric loveseat at a shop around the corner from me but missed the chance to buy it.
Let me know if you have a comfy, bug-free loveseat or couch you want to sell. I don’t have the same luck on FB marketplace as many others, but I’ll keep trying.
Lastly.
My son and I talked about “hosting” a show of our artwork. Yes, my 6-year-old and I talked about how fun it would be to hang our various artwork for all to see. He is great at pushing me out of my comfort zone. Hopefully, I can organize myself enough to make this happen in 2025.
He did say, though, that his drawings aren’t for sale 💖
This would be an excellent way for me to get some pieces out of storage and possibly into the homes of others. I have some old pieces from my photos on acrylic days that need a loving home and some new pieces I’m nervous and excited to start sharing.
Hopefully, he can push me enough to do it!
TRIATHLON TRAINING
Triathlon training switched to 5km race prep training in October and November. Teaching three days a week, marking, running my photography business, and all the responsibilities at home left me dropping training sessions left, right, and centre.
So, my coach and I pivoted to stick to one session a day (vs multiple) and focus on kicking ass at a 5km run, which I can say I did.
I had a goal to run 5km in under 30 minutes and ran it at 28:13!
For non-runners, training to get your running pace faster actually means you have to run slower. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, right? But you gain more fitness and endurance as you run slower for longer. Then you throw in some “tempo” work (race pace speed work) throughout your training sessions, among other secret sauce magic. By race day, you can run faster, hit your goal, and then some!
Bikes and swims are slowly being added back into the weekly routine. I’ve kept my mobility and strength training going, which helps so much.
FAMILY LIFE
I never reported back on the final Rancor costume, but I DID finish it, and it was a success!
We found werewolf hand gloves at a Halloween store that worked well for his hands and claws. He was entirely in character all day and fully committed to the role.
It was awesome.
Otherwise, we’ve been trying to take the weekends off and do as little as possible.
My 5km run was ahead of the Santa Claus parade, so we watched that post-run. We’ve decorated the house, made sugar cookies, and done thousands of drawings.
Oh, and a load of Lego Star Wars video games. 🎮
FINAL PHOTO TIP
Pay attention to HOW you FEEL when you create photos.
This week I did some 1:1 portfolio reviews with my students.
It’s an amazing experience for any photographer and something I offer to my mentees. I love how people feel when they see their work laid out in front of them and can see their progress, style, and cohesiveness. It’s pretty magical.
A common theme in this last round of reviews was encouraging students to pay attention to how they feel when creating their images.
Did it feel exciting?
Was it fun and playful?
Did it bring joy?
Did it feel frustrating and annoying?
Did you wish you never had to do it again?
Was there any aspect you enjoyed or did you just do it because you thought you had to?
All of these feelings are clues for you to pay attention to.
The images you create when you FEEL something is the magic.
Those are the images you should keep creating until the feelings shift.
And they will. When they do, that’s another clue to pay attention to and shift with them.
All to often photographers and creatives in general get stuck into creating just for paid clients or because they are used to doing what they do. Things feel stale, stagnant or not enjoyable.
Try to rediscover and hold onto those feelings of joy, curiosity, excitement and playfulness as you experiment with new subjects to photograph.
And report back on how it goes!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. I hope you enjoy reading these Life Through My Lens recaps and find them valuable. I’m looking forward to all the adventures 2025 will bring and hope you’ll stay on this journey with me.
I hope you have a restful week.
With gratitude,
Jen