All of us are a work in progress

All of us are a work in progress

All of us are a work in progress

We all have regrets
Forgive yourself
Offer Grace to others
Every day make an effort to be a better version of yourself
Pay it forward
Tell someone how much you appreciate them
Let the past go
Breathe

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

The World is Changed by Your Example, Not by Your Opinion

The world is changed by your example, not your opinion.  ~Paulo Coelho

The world is changed by your example, not by your opinion
Lead by Example

There are so many people I wish would take this quote to heart.  Especially this year, as we watch people argue over how bad “other” people are, and how much “better” their own opinions are, rather than just making an effort themselves, to do the RIGHT THING, always.

No, you cannot force other people to believe the same as you, nor can you force them to do what you consider the “right thing”.  However, it is always within your power to lead by example.  Make it a good one.

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

Perfection in a Photograph?

What defines perfection in a photograph?

It seems that the photos I am most proud of or cherish the most are never “technically” perfect – at least not in the conventional measurements of composition, focus, clarity, story, art or whatever.  However, they are perfect in a way that those measurements could never describe.

This image of Multnomah Falls was taken on a whirlwind trip to Portland, Oregon to watch my daughters synchro team.   Continue reading “Perfection in a Photograph?”

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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.

She’s a Photographer

I released a relaxed exhale as we left the cruise ship and began our walk down the path to the beach, enjoying the happy laughter of our kids as they raced ahead, cool breeze flowing through my hair when…”excuse me, will you take our picture?”.  I awkwardly accepted the offered point and shoot and even more awkwardly try to figure out how it works as my dear husband says “you picked the right person, she’s a PHOTOGRAPHER“.

I wanted to slap him.

I don’t know why I am so uncomfortable with the title being blurted out like that. Is it because I perceive that other people will assume I should know how to work ALL cameras as I stupidly fumble with theirs?  Is it because I know in this moment, this light, this location they will get nothing more than a snapshot (some photographer, they will think when they review the photo) or is it in fear of the dreaded “me too!” As every Tom, Dick and Sally is now a “professional photographer”?  Or horror – if they really ARE a photographer, are they secretly judging me by the quality of their requested snapshot?

At that moment, it was a little of all of the above I think.

Am I a snob?  Maybe. Sometimes. But paradoxically I am also supremely insecure about my own abilities and wonder what my place is in the photography world.  Permanently ensnared between confidence and insecurity, flowing one way or the other with the wind – I’ve heard enough stories to know that I am not the only photographer/artist to feel this way.

So the next time I’m on vacation and I am the one that stops an unsuspecting passerby with “excuse me, will you take a picture of us?”, and she looks at me awkwardly as her husband pipes up “you asked the right person, she’s a PHOTOGRAPHER!’, I will smile warmly and say “me too”.

Riley and me in Grand Cayman (2011)
Riley and me in Grand Cayman (2011)
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Tressie Davis is a blogger and photographer located in Chelsea, MI.