This past Saturday I had the absolute privilege to meet up with nine other local toy photographers and spend a very quick two hours running around Seward Park taking photographs of toys. This group was made up of people I admire, people who are my friends and people who I want to get to know better. It was a morning well spent.

It was also a personal reminder of why I do what I do… I enjoy the social aspects of social media. By “social aspects” I don’t me a brief comment on a photo or a quick “like”, I mean the get down and dirty lets go have a beer, share some fries and talk toys, life, jobs, relationships, kids or whatever else you want to share with me kind of exchange.

Almost everyone who I know in real life I have meet on the internet; the number of exceptions can be counted on one hand. Those experiences, connections, exchanges are what I thrive on.

There are a lot of changes on the horizon for me in the next few months and I want to savor this summer. I don’t want to worry about this blog; I don’t want to think about photography. I want to concentrate on more personal subjects. I think it is great that Mike is thinking about his photography more; I think its great that Me2 has gotten back in the studio and is reconnecting with the fun of photography; but for me I need to take two very large steps back.

I am going to change up my priorities for the next few months. They will include

  • enjoying my daughter before she moves out this fall.
  • going for a hike at least once a week.
  • meeting up with friends for more photo safaris.
  • practicing my archery.
  • taking advantage of those long standing offers for free lodging in the San Juan Islands.
  • puttering in my garden.

I also promise to take a selection of Lego along for the ride which I actually don’t do now! I will take photographs of Lego and dinosaurs in places around the beautiful Pacific Northwest and share my adventures with you. What I won’t do is bore you with talk of art & commerce or give you bad photographic advice; you are welcome to read my older posts if you that is what you are looking for.

I know that there are people in the toy photography community, my self included,  that would like to see what we do acknowledged in some larger way.  Whether this will happen or not I think this quote speaks volumes on the subject:

“Sincerity is a non-value in art.” Robert Storr, lecture at Pratt Institute

So instead of sitting around and planning, strategizing and generally trying to force a miracle to happen; I’m going to concentrate on what I do best, build community and of course share my photographs with you. I will be active on the usual platforms, maybe not my regular daily post, but I will always be around and engaged. I will also be spending time with the people in the below photo taking more toy photographs, sharing a burger and fries and generally engaging in the more social aspects of social media.

You know… what I do best.

~ xxSJC

Photo Safari - Seward Park, WA

Photo Safari – Seward Park, WA  by Christopher Nelson Photography (standing: xxsjc, rewjam3s, wiiman, dinoczars, thisbrick, camrc_, gwenji_, stephrcdore. In front: sunnymartini, chrispirillo)

If you want to follow the adventures of the toy photographers of the PNW, our hash tag is PNWToyPhotoSafari.