Photography

Last Friday I attended the ISA International Signs Expo in Las Vegas. The primary goal was to meet Darek Johnson from Signs of the Times magazine.

Darek and I made fast friends through email but this was our first opportunity to meet in person. Darek was a popular guy at the show. Seemingly everyone we passed wanted a few seconds to speak with him. He graciously greeted them and then introduced me as “Theresa, The Award Winning Adobe Expert.” I hope I didn’t look as overwhelmed as I felt.

I also meet Darek’s lovely wife Li, and spent some time exploring the show with her. Li and I share a love for photography so we had fun looking for compelling imagery. After the show I joined Darek and Li for dinner where we spent some time getting to know each other a little more. Well, truthfuly I ate dinner and they drank coffee, saving room for their later dinner plans. I enjoyed their company so much that I wished I didn’t have to catch a flight back home.

Show Highlights

The show was large. Anything and everything related to signage was represented, from banner grommets, LED lights, channel letters, mobile cranes and more. I tried to see everything but focused on things related to print.

To create is to explore. This is a simple fact. It’s easy to accept this fact but difficult to embrace. There is a fear of trying and failing, of wasting time and accomplishing nothing worthwhile. I think linearly, work linearly and try to stay focused on a clear goal at the finish line. Linear thought is great for production work but not so good for the creative process. Sometimes the end goal isn’t clear and that’s the point.

Fear of failure can paralyze creativity. I found some solace in reading “Art and Fear” while on vacation. I am not alone in my fears. The point is to keep doing, exploring, creating, making, and experimenting.

Exploration Atlantis, printed on brushed metal is both the result of a creative exploration and the start to many more creative journeys.

This is a digital comp of the Exploration Atlantis on metal.

Our final two nights in Zihuatanejo were spent up on the hill in a hotel called Tentaciones (temptations). The view is 180˚, offering endless photo ops. The changing light continually repaints the beautiful scenery. I took many, many pictures trying to capture its beauty.

This is a full panorama of the bay, with the town bathed in morning sunlight. The town is to the right. Playa de Gatas is tucked in the cove towards the peninsula on the left. The boats look much further away then they really were. The round pink shape in the lower right is a staircase entrance to the hotel.

Zihuatanejo Bay is lined with some of the best beaches in the world. The waters calmly caress the shores with a steady beat of small waves.

This is a quick panorama shot looking south from the spot where we first landed on the beach. We cooled off under the shade of the thatched roof patio covers to the left. Almost dead center of this picture is a white hotel on the ridgeline of the hill in the distance. We didn't know it at the time, but this would be our hotel for the final two nights of our stay.