Meet this Week's Judge: Erin Konrath

This week, the talented Erin Konrath of Erin Konrath Photography judges our "travel" theme. Her work is 

filled with a spirit of adventure and joy - check it out, and while you do, read about what inspires her. 

1. Tell us about yourself...  I am a mama to 4, a wife to my high school sweetheart, a former waitress and teacher and a completely obsessed natural light lifestyle photog.  I am 37, but feel like a twenty-something and I am a realist, but a big dreamer.  And I love Mexican food and coffee.  And music.

2. What ignited your passion for photography, and what fuels it now?  My passion got sparked from the pure and simple effect of capturing THAT moment, THAT look, THAT feeling, THAT story. And that is still what drives me today.  The only photographs that truly matter to me are the ones that stir the emotions I get from capturing these things.   

3. What's in your camera bag right now, what do use the most? the least?  I’ve got my best pal, the D700 and the lens that is attached to him most of the time is the Sigma 35 1.4.  LOVE HER!  Sometimes 85 1.8 comes along for the ride and I give her a little test drive.   She usually makes me really happy too.  50 1.4 tends to collect the dust the most, but I tend to really rely on her for my garage sessions.  She’s very handy in there.  I had an expodisc, but lost it…I’ve got a lenspen, a back-up battery, an extra memory card, and some chapstick.  I have a wallet in there too, but there is never any money in it. 

4. What's your dream project or shoot?  I have had this project idea in my head since last year and I plan to bring it to fruition in 2014.  I have this ‘thing’ about photographing people with just one eye showing.  Like my subject is peeking from behind something, but just one eye shows…or something is covering just one eye of my subject…(?!?!)  Anyway, that is my dream project.  The One Eye’d Willie Project.  Weird, I know! 

5. What is the biggest challenge you face as a photographer?  Just learning to slow down in general.  I always feel so rushed…and then I look back on the shoot and realize there was not really any reason to feel that way.  That my subjects would have been fine if I had just taken my time more. 

6.  If you had $500 to spend on photography...

How should you spend it?  On business matters.

How do you wish you could spend it?  Put it toward a new lens.  Maybe the 135 or a macro.  Pretty pathetic that $500 won’t buy you much in this industry!

How would you really spend it?  I’d put it towards a new lens.  :D  Usually what I wish is what I do!!!  Even though I shouldn’t.

7. Is there any one thing you wish someone had told you at the very beginning of your photography journey?  No.  I am glad no one told me anything, because this has been one crazy and challenging and thrilling ride and if someone told me all the things I be experiencing or learning on it, it wouldn’t be half as much fun as it is!