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Paula Gren, Chief Executive Optimist
Mark Winer, Chief Executive Optimist
Hilary Weekes, Associate Chief Executive Optimist
ph: 978-352-4147
What did your 18 year old self see you becoming?
At 18 years old, I was on track to becoming a scientist and outdoor educator. I vividly remember the stacks of yellow spined National Geographic Magazines in my grandparents basement and their science and adventure stories that sent me daydreaming. It wasn’t until I was utilizing photography as a tool to teach science that I truly discovered my interest in photography. The photographs cultivated a desire to know more, to travel more, to reach out and share something. It was definitely a light bulb moment for me. Fortunately for my 18 year old self, I’m still able to delve into these same passions – science, education, adventure – but now I get to do it as a photographer and storyteller.
When was the last time you watched the sun rise?
As a photographer with two young kids, it’s incredibly rare that I miss a sun rise! However, the last time I stopped to watch the sun rise with intention was on a trip up the mountain to ski with my 6 year old. From the back seat, a sleepy voice broke the quiet drive “Hey Dad, look how the sun is only hitting the tops of the trees”. Thrilled that he noticed that detail, I pulled over and we spent the next 10 minutes watching how the light gently turned the mountain pink, how it creeped down the east-facing hillsides and how it seemed to ‘wake up’ everything it touched. That was an unforgettable moment, as a parent and as a photographer.
What was one of the most interesting projects you worked on?
This one goes back a decade but was a project that has stuck with me. I joined a group of selected photographers, engineers and Adobe evangelists for two weeks of shooting in Iceland. Our mission was to run tests and give feedback on a new image processing software that was just taking shape – we all know it now as LightRoom. We went out each day and found amazing things to photograph; and each evening, we processed images and reported back on our experiences, making feature requests and suggestions for changes. The next day the engineers would present newly created buttons or sliders based on our feedback – it all felt a bit like magic! The creativity, conversation and collaborative spirit was amazing – and having your wishes come true for a new software to transform and meet your needs on-demand was pretty radical, if not very convenient.
Can you remember the first time you got paid to take a photograph?
I was just transitioning from photo assisting, when out of the blue I got a call from the photo editor of National Geographic Adventure. I immediately started calling friends to see who was prank calling me. A story rooted in the mountains. This was one of my favorite editorial projects to work on – a dream project at the time.
If you weren’t a photographer, what would you do?
If I were not taking pictures I would be building boats.
When you need it, what inspires you?
A good trail run goes a long way for me in terms of finding inspiration. Some human-powered miles easily becomes a form of meditation and inspiration often follows.
How do you get your news?
NPR is playing in the background of my office nearly everyday all day. I’m a huge public radio fan. I used to love holding daily or weekly news in hand (with coffee) however young kids and travel have made those occasions more of a rarity. Online news gathering is much more necessary and efficient now – I stream or read almost everything. I find I can cast a much broader net this way too, so in that sense, it’s been a positive change.
What are the top 2 things on your bucket list?
To sail with my family from California to the South Pacific while my boys are still young. And to instill a persistent sense of awe and stewardship in my two kids.
What might surprise people about you?
I taught stretching and fitness classes to senior citizens during my college years. My alias was ‘Dr. Sunshine’.
What were you like as a 10 year old?
Recklessly racing about the creeks and lakes with my brothers in our 14 ft runabout boat, getting completely hooked on the natural world at our cabin on the creek, skateboarding to school… Definitely a free range kid. I’m afraid my two sons will remind me all about the nuances of being 10 in just a few short years!