Authentically herself

Had a great lunch with Kate, who blips as KatesGardenPDX and is creating a blog that tells the story of her family and the ways it has been shaped by adoption. Not knowing one or both biological parents definitely marks us in some recognizable ways. We agreed that if we had a motto or mantra stamped on us, it would be, "I don't want to be any trouble; I can take care of myself." 

We talked about our past and present lives, of course, and we gave some attention to photographic ethics, which I'm exploring (and still not certain about) with the purchase of the zoom lens. Is Street Photography ethical? Are images of people we don't know, who don't know we have made and taken away images of them, exploitative? When does a photograph honor, and when does it exploit? What is respectful street photography? 

Kate mostly photographs plants because she's a horticultural therapist and an artist and avid gardener, so these questions don't arise for her as much as they do for me, but it is good to think together. 

I made several photos of Kate with the new lens, chose my favorite three, and sent them to her. She chose my favorite. I feel this one conveys some of the vulnerability and childlike innocence we see so beautifully written in her blog. I note this process is very different from the process for yesterday's photograph. I tried Sara Evans' advice on achieving sharpness with a zoom: back off a bit from the full extension of the lens and increase the shutter speed. I think it worked. A more typical smiling portrait is in extra.