Personal Commitment

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Many times in life we start out with good intentions to make changes in our lives. Whether perfecting our trade, relationship building, or just being a better person. So often, good intentions fail and fail because of the lack of commitment. Commitment is not a word to be afraid of.

I was one of the lucky ones. Several years ago, I decided to make changes in my life by removing the bad and adding the good back into the mix (my life). Commitment was one of the words that I wrote down at the beginning of my journey. By definition, personal commitment means "a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth." The word commitment will mean different things to different people. All depends on our purpose and our goal. My goal was to take back what had been missing in my life and return to what I needed for my journey to reach internal purpose or happiness in life. Photography, as simple as that may be to some it was one part of my life that was missing. And, by my commitment to me in making changes has allowed me to find one of the missing pieces.

Several weeks ago I had the fortune of reading a blog posting from my yoga studio's website. The posting was written by Todd Goldfarb, the producer of "the Shift." In his posting he spoke of the struggle between "Internal Purpose vs. External Purpose." Here are 5 steps that Todd discusses for manifesting "internal purpose"

Ask yourself the question "what do I really want in life"
Make a practice of sitting in silence
Become a seeker of people and information
Create outlets where you monitor your progress
Be OK with initial struggle

To some this may seem too simple. If we all just do these simple 5 steps then we can reach our true "internal purpose". But, these are not simple tasks. If you are true to yourself and true to your commitment, these steps will take time!

I encourage all to be positive and look for the good around us and think about the next time you use the word commitment!

Take it with you part ll

If there has been a theme that has consistently run throughout my blogging it has been "taking your camera everywhere". Now, for many of you this is not new but for some the idea of lugging that bulky DSLR or even the slim/sleek point and shoot around is much more of a hassle than anything else. But, I can say without any hesitation that everyone reading this blog will admit to themselves if not openly to wishing at some point to having their camera with them! Nothing to be ashamed of but just realizing how great it can be is the first step to taking that most unexpected great shot.

There is also another aspect to this madness and that is the subject. In this instance, the subject could be a friend, family member or just a stranger on the street. That unexpected shot of someone is most often the best image because there is no time to think about it....For example, the shot used in this blog is one I took just last week at a friends house. While entertaining a visiting family member we were invited next door to an impromptu guitar concert. It was great. I, of course grabbed the Nikon and began shooting away. Mark, the performer (neighbor) was very much into his performance and did not realize I was shooting him for roughly an hour. As a result, there were some great images of a relaxed guy having a good time entertaining friends....

Many of you that know me realize that I am not a professional photographer nor do I claim to know much about the business of taking pictures. But, what I hope to provide is a vehicle (i.e. Blog) to give information that helps you the amateur photographer take better pictures... And, "taking it with you" will help you do just that....Good luck!

Thank You!

Several posts back, I was pleased to announce the first series of my "whatever Cards" were available for the holiday season. Honestly, I was not sure what the response was going to be but I am here to report that the response was great. All of the initial production have been sold. And, orders for the next series have already started to come in. As an amateur photographer, I am thrilled that people have taken an interest in what I love to do! And, I hope that I have provided a beautiful and thoughtful way to send a message.

Now, as with any new venture there are improvements that can be made and my "whatever cards" are by no means an exception. I have collected all the suggestions and working with them to make the next series more successful. Thank you to those that have contributed their opinion. It's important to look at everything and make decisions that improve your product.

So, thanks again to those that purchased the first series of cards and I look forward to working hard and producing the next series. This is a work in progress and I am grateful for the opportunity to say "THANKS"....

A Lucky Shot!!

As many of you know, street photography is one of my photography passions. Street life is fascinating to me in that it truly is a "mirror image of society". That according to Wikipanion's definition of street photography.

Having the opportunity to shoot in a vibrant city such as Miami can be great fun and rewarding. Occasionally, I have come across individuals that stand out above the rest. One individual crossed my path several months ago while I was shooting on Lincoln Road in South Beach. Walking the streets shooting photographs at will I came across a rather distinguished individual playing an electric guitar on the side of the road..I initially walked passed because of a crowd that had gathered to listen to this guitar man! Then, realizing that this was a chance to photograph true street culture I turned and strolled back to the group of on lookers. I approached him and threw a few bucks into his guitar case and pointed at my camera indicating that I wanted to take his picture. With a gentle smile and nod from him, I started shooting. A few minutes passed and a crowd began to gather again so I thanked him with a smile and wondered off to capture my next image.

The images of "guitar man" became a favorite of people visiting my website and others! One individual was a friend of mine who manages a local bar/restaurant favored by the young professional set. Being a lover of jazz, he was intrigued by the photo and the soul that was portrayed in the image. Several months have gone by and today while having lunch at this spot Nick, the restaurant manager came to me and said that he had been out on the town several weeks before and came across "guitar man" playing on a local street corner. Nick listened for a few moments before recognizing that this was the same individual in those images from several months back.

I was pleased to hear that "guitar man" is now playing a full time gig at this local spot and drawing larger and larger crowds. I have since learned that this man is a veteran and fought for our freedoms as Americans. You never know when you take a shoot on the street if that will be the "lucky shot..." And, in this instance we all are winners...

They are here!

After weeks of selecting images, style design and packaging my first series of "whatever" cards are now available.

Those of you that have been with me from the beginning know that I began revisiting my love for photography about one year ago. It has been wonderful. The next step for me in this journey was to create something that would allow people to enjoy some of my favorite images in a useful fun way. Hence, my creation of the "whatever" card.

The first series are three images that were selected to represent my love of nature and concern for our environment. All cards will be printed on recycled paper. This is just a small step to help protect and save the environment....

If you are interested in ordering a box of the first series, please send me an email at thomas@thomastaulbee.com or go to my website thomastaulbee.com and fill out a comment form and I will contact you.

Thanks for your interest and I hope you enjoy this series and future one's....

Start'em young

On a recent trip to visit with family in Atlanta, I met my cousin's daughter's for the very first time. What a wonderful time we had. Catching up on old times and seeing the sites of their hometown. It was just great! Oh, can't forget feeding the fish!! Hi, Victoria....

Now, all of you know that my interest in photography started at a very young age. And, you can contribute that interest to my Dad. Not realizing at the time, photography would become a big part of my life so many years later. But, here I am.

I was so pleased to see Sofia, the older of the two girls take such an interest in photography. She would follow me around with her camera shooting lots of pictures. Some of her shots were really good and she seemed to enjoy it. Now, this (photography) may be a brief moment in her life but you never know. If her interest continues to grow we maybe are looking at the next great photojournalist or nature photographer. Who knows but the fact that she has started at this young age is very promising. And, if that interest is just a hobby then she is in for years of great joy taking pictures of the world around her.

So, take interest in these brief thoughts and give the young one's around you a camera to play with. You never know!!

Skies the limit, Miami

Growing up in Miami, I have been witness to the many faces of an emerging city. And, Miami, like many cities have been blessed with the good and the bad. But, Miami and it's residents can say with pride that the sky is the limit.

I had the pleasure today of going to what is a world class event. Art Basel! This event finds it's permanent home in Basel, Switzerland but has made it's way to the Magic City. It truly is magnificent. Hundreds of artists flock to Miami to show off their talent to a collection of people from around the world. Wondering the floor today as I did made quite an impression on me. The amount of talent that was available for the average art enthusiast to the serious art collectors was incredible.

As a photographer, I was most curious to view others that shared my same interest. There was an impressive collection of photography and I was most pleased albeit surprised to see works from a particular favorite which is "street" photography. I chatted with a younger (well, slightly younger than me) guy from England about his work. He sounded very similar to a guy I know (me) saying that street photography has given him the ability to show off the world around him. His work was intriguing to say the least. Although, impressive may be a more accurate description.

Miami, you should be proud that you have finally joined the ranks of such cities as New York, Boston, San Francisco in catching the attention of the world's elite artists...Cheers!