Gone Fishin'

Some coverage from an outing this morning on Jordan Lake.  Great day on the water, not so great day for the catching of fish...

 

...can't wait to go again.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

No, this has little, if nothing, to do with my photography work. However, I love this great instrumental song by Derek Webb that is showcased so well in this short video clip. The visuals are stunning, compelling and leave you asking questions. 

Enjoy.

Looking Up

Canon EOS 1Ds Mark II, 50mm, 1/640 sec., f/8, ISO 640

After taking a bunch of photographs regarding my Friday afternoon, I realized that the best part was already made.  Looking up, I saw how beautiful the leaves looked as the low sun passed through them.  A little de-saturation, up-grain, and bump contrast; done. 

Hitting the Ground Running

Well, it has been a long time since I've been on to post an update, but it seems like everything came at me at once and this blog fell off of my desk.  Nearly a month ago I had the privilege to spend a week in the Smoky Mountains of east Tennessee with my family.  There, we were able to relax, enjoy the company of my wife's parents, and tour the fringes of this great national park.  I'm posting a few photos here, but plan to put a more thorough review in subsequent posts and the best shots will go into the fold of on-line portfolio.  

Really, this was just the primer to a big month for me.  Two week's after our visit to the mountains I had the thrill of shooting my first wedding.  With a healthy dose of anxiety, I managed to work the entire day through without too much distress.  In fact, I'd have to say that it was a great success!  Sure a lot of lessons were learned, but that's what this is all about - experience; there's only one way to get it.  I'm still processing the photographs from the wedding, but 'am confident the bride and groom will be pleased and I'm excited to have some fine examples for my portfolio.

Here's a foretaste...

Stay close for more details from these events in the days ahead.  

Things are happening.

Preparing to Go

Struggle

 

I've been invigorated lately about my passion to capture this life in a photograph.  Whether it be an upcoming vacation to the mountains of east Tennessee or the challenge of shooting a wedding in June, I'm thrilled to be behind the lens with real purpose.  I'm thankful for the diligence that my "Project 365" has forced upon me, to take a thoughtful photograph every day and share it.  However, I sense this passion growing into something so much more.  Maybe it is late or maybe the heat of this North Carolina Spring is having an impact, but I know that there is more to this than just a casual shoot in the mountains or a daily post to my personal flickr account. 

What if I made this my sole work?

What if I took this as seriously as my "day job"?  

What would happen if I was forced to pay the bills with my art?

It is a scary and uncertain thing, but I know that all things are possible when we rely not on ourselves, but on the gifts given to us.  No, this isn't my normal style for posting here, but I need to put these thoughts down for myself, certainly for my photography.  When will I stop treating this gift as just a hobby that would be nice to get paid to do and focus on making it my reality, my work, my bread?  Can I work my other career and successfully pursue professional photography?

  Why not, but why?  

I believe that I'm good at what I do, my struggle is to convince others of that same truth. 

Half a man

I'm preparing for time in the mountains, for time with my wife, my boys, my family.  I'm also preparing to go, to seek life, to capture all things created, to tell the story of something other than, something bigger, than myself.

Zagg invisibleSHIELD

I've been working with a new camera for a few months now and have concerned about scratching the ever-important LCD screens.  In this case there are three screens, two of which share a continuous plastic cover on the rear of the body.  After researching protective covers for such screens I came across a brand called Zagg.  According to legend, they originally started by making protective films for the US military, particularly for helicopter blades.  Research and innovation lead to a product ideal for covering consumer devices such as cell phones, laptops and cameras.  The product, known as invisibleSHIELD is a clear, protective film that is very durable, invisible and scratch proof.  They also provide a lifetime guarantee. 

The kit comes with a surprising amount of packaging, documentation and installation supplies.  I'm not sure if this was in part for the complicated application of the screen or to show justification for the $15 price tag.  The supplies include a chamois cloth, squeegee, and a spray bottle of solution.  Application was fairly straight forward when following the very detailed directions.  Cleanliness is paramount as you don't want oils from fingerprints secured between the film and the screen.  The process involves spraying both sides of the film with the application solution, which is sort of tricky since you don't want to touch the side with adhesive.  Once applied to the screen you have just a brief moment to slide or otherwise adjust the positioning before the adhesive begins to lock things down.  I had to pull up the larger film twice and re-apply the spray to make it mobile enough to make oriented exactly where it needed to be.  That being said, the films are cut to very precise tolerances and matched the the screens on the Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II perfectly.  Once positioned, you utilize a small, rubber squeegee to flush all of the application fluid and any air pockets out from under the film.  I had a fairly high success in getting all of the bubbles out, however there are one or two that still remain.  The directions indicate that these will disappear in a day or two as the moisture breathes out.  

Overall, I'd have to say that these are a very good design and seem to be made of the best materials.  I have little doubt that they'll provide ample protection for my camera's screen against scratches.

Spring

All photos were taken with a Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II digital SLR camera with a 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro lens during the first hours of a Spring day.