Soap Box

I found this link over at Karen's Blog. For all of us who are a little tired of receiving those emails where you seem to be expected to forward to at least 10 people or have some dire fate await you . . . . . you will enjoy this link: Soapbox. Be sure to allow it plenty of time to load and have your volume turned up. This even brought Henry into my office and gave him a good laugh!

Abundance

It is so easy to get frustrated and worried when you don't see immediate solutions to life's daily challenges. But abundant living through God's provision is a solid Biblical concept. My morning's devotional from "The Art of Abundance" by Candy Paull reflected living life with that faith and hope that God IS going to provide the things we need. We put away our fear and open our lives and hearts up each day to experience God's gifts for today.

At the macro workshop, Nancy Rotenberg , made a comment that really spoke to me of abundance. Instead of previsualizing her shots for a day, she goes out and sees what shows up. She said that it was her experience that if you went out and waited, something usually presented itself as a photographic opportunity.

Today is a day that I need to get one or maybe two submissions out the door and in the mail. I have asked God to help me get past my fears - both known and hidden- and to help me experience the gift of His abundance in my life today.

Congratulations, Jeremy!!!!!!

I just got word that Jeremy's film, "High Score" won a popularity award at the Southwest Film Festival in Austin!!!!!!!!!!

Here is the link to see a report of the Film Awards at SXSW. Looks like Jeremy won an Audience Award in the category "Emerging Visions."

I'm so excited and happy for him. A lot of hard work is paying off.

Way to go, Jeremy!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Visit to the Past

One of my long time friends is Jane Mack. She lives in San Antonio and has three children. One of these children, Jeremy, has always been artistically creative. Last night I got to see his latest endeavor, a documentary, "High Score." It has two showings at the Austin South by Southwest Festival.

This is a great film about a young man who set out to beat a 25 year old record score on the original arcade game, Missile Command. The star of the film shows amazing determination as he faces the obstacles inherent in dealing with older, outdated equipment.

As a friend of the family, I got to spend a short time getting to visit with both Jeremy and Bill. So I have some inside information as to why some things happened as they did.

If you live in the Austin area, the next showing is Thursday night at 7:15 at the Convention Center. It shows my age, but watching the game action brought back memories of not only playing this game, but memories of at time when this was considered "high tech" gaming. How far we have come . . . . .

The Search for a Dress

While there are many special occasions in life, a wedding is one of the most important. It is a day where a woman truly wants to look her very best. It is also a day where most women do look their most beautiful. Finding that special dress can be elusive.

In Debra's young years, she loved dressing up. There were days we went through three or more changes of clothes. We had all sorts of creative dress up outfits. And, of course, we had sentimental clothing stored in the attic. When we discovered the Renaissance Festival (along with the Science Fiction Conventions), costumes became an important part of our lives. I even have Renaissance outfits.

When Debra was in high school, finding a prom dress for her senior prom was a challenge. We searched all the shops in the Austin area with no success. We had travel opportunities to Dallas and Los Angeles where we went looking. We looked on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and some other posh stores. Why do they think that only women with size 9 figures want to look pretty? It was frustrating. Fortunately, Debra finally discovered a store in Austin and the "perfect" prom dress became reality.

So when it came time to shop for wedding dresses, I knew that finding the right dress might be another challenge. During the fall we went through a very intensive dress shopping effort. All the bridal stores in Austin became familiar places as we haunted them trying to find "the dress." We made a jaunt down to the Renaissance Festival to see if it was to be found there. No such luck. And then Debra got sick . . . . . . the search for the dress got put on hold.

The search for "the dress" began anew this week . . . . . . and I can report "the dress" is found! She will look beautiful on her wedding day!

Thank you, God!

Writer's Block

One of my goals in coming home is to start getting my work out to photo editors who might buy my photographic work. What I am finding in the quest to be a professional photographer is that it is EASY to go out and get your photos. It is fun, exciting, rewarding to get out in the early morning hours, to sit and wait for wildlife, and to create beautiful photos. But it is a very different thing to get work sent out.

Step One - Figuring out which in a set of photos are the "best" ones. Which photos are going to please which editor? The self doubt - are these good enough, sharp enough, well processed enough? So the first hurdle is to choose which photos to send to a particular market. This one can be hard for me - requires a lot of intense decision making. As well as post processing the final candidates.

Step Two - To which market should a particular photo go? Should it go to Alamy as a stock image? Should my flower shots go to a card company or to stock? Should I send my Lost Maple fall shots to Texas Highways or Texas Parks and Wildlife? Which photo project should I work on and finish first?

Step Three- Writing captions or even short articles to go with the photos. On the articles, I'm finding that I have a hard time getting the words started on the computer. They are whirling around in my head, trying to come out. I remember Henry talking about this . . . . I think the answer is going to be a discipline issue - just make myself sit down at the computer and start typing. Editing it can come later. Even my blog has fallen victim . . . .

If I am going to make it as a professional photographer and writer, I've got to overcome these issues.

Coming Home

We got home with a wintry, icy weekend - so we enjoyed a weekend around the fireplace resting and enjoying spending time with Debra and Jonathan. It was a nice transition from the travel days to being home. I've cocooned a little also. Since October, life has been very busy with many transitions, lots of activity, lots of photo opportunities, seemingly constant activity. Having a couple of peaceful, restful days was a good beginning.

We've been home two weeks. I have found that after I've been gone for awhile, it takes a few weeks to get "back on track" at home. For one thing there is mail . . . . .tons of mail. Then there are the chores . . . . And the home routines are different than the travel routines. Plus we had a dishwasher that had gone out and a water line to the icemaker leaking . . . . etc. We still have work that needs to be done on the pool. A day spent just getting laundry caught up. Even with two weeks passed, it feels like I have a lot left to do.

When we were home for a few days in December, I tried to get together with as many of my friends as I could. This time, I've taken things more slowly, trying to get a handle on my projects, and trying to get rested. I thoroughly enjoyed our Ladies' Retreat in Salado. It was a good chance to get reconnected at church. I got together yesterday with my friend, Debbie. We went to San Antonio, eating at one of my favorite places, the Carriage House at the Botanical Gardens. Then we went over and saw a travelling exhibit at the San Antonio Museum of Art. I look foward to getting to reconnecting with my other friends over the next couple of weeks.

Post Conference

The nice thing about a conference is that there is a lot to see and do. The bad thing about a conference is there is a lot to see and do.

Overall, I have a really good feeling leaving this event. In my mind, I had placed a lot of importance on how well my photos were received with the portfolio reviews. I've worked hard the last two years to improve the quality of my work as a nature photographer. It was very important to me that my work be at a professional level. With one exception, the reviewers seemed pleased with my work. I have several opportunities as a result of attending. I am very pleased and grateful to have reached this point. Now it is my job to follow up on these opportunities. And I hope and pray that God will bless my work.

I've gotten a little behind in my blogging, but there are some other things I want to share. We moved from the Hyatt today - and you should have seen the bell men loading up all our belongings. Because I had not finished my portfolio, we had brought the printer and its big box as well as all our clothes, computers, camera equipment, etc. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to get everything repackaged as quickly as I did. I also had photos that I wanted to get in the mail to a magazine editor . . . so those needed to be printed before we left. There is much that I am hoping I don't have to remove from the car again until we get home.

I have packed some of the information that I want to blog - such as things that I learned from the Color Management session.

So for those of you that are reading my blog for photo information, please keep checking in. I do plan to do several more blogs about the conference. There is still much to share . . . . .

The Raptor Field Trip

One of the special events at this NANPA was a visit to Fort Collins to visit the raptors that are part of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. This program nurses injured birds back to health and provides programs for education. We got to see and photograph six birds - an American kestral, a swainson hawk, a golden eagle, a great horned owl, a long eared owl, and a burrowing owl. The volunteers were especially good at placing the birds so that we had natural backgrounds for our photos.

Yes, these are captive birds, but they have all been injured or damaged in some way, and probably would not survive in the wild. The burrowing owl had lost one eye - they don't know how but suspect he got hit by a car. One of my positions on captive animals is that they act as good will ambassadors for their species. By educating our children as to the beauty, magesty, and purpose of these animals, they will learn to appreciate nature and hopefully gain the desire to preserve our natural resources.

When I have attended various sessions such as this, it helps me better identify the birds in the wild. I also appreciate the beauty of their feather patterns and their keen intelligence. It is truly a joy and a privilege to spend time with these incredible birds of prey.

Personal Reflections on today

While I learned a lot at the Keynote and the Breakout Sessions - today had its own anxieties. I am doing portfolio reviews to learn how to improve my work, to see how my work measures up, and with the hopes of eventually getting my work published. I had two reviews today. I was very pleased that the Nature's Best editor liked my work. I will be entering two contests this year - one that I learned about today. I was not too surprised that the Corbis editor was not as interested in my work. It is hard to compete with Arthur Morris' bird photography and Darrel Gulin's flowers.

I also showed ten of my Death Valley Flowers at the Member Slideshow. It is good experience for me to participate and show my work before this audience (a friendly one I might add). If you are lucky enough to get to participate, you get to show 10 slides and give a three and one half minute talk. Those of you that know me, know that I am "long winded" at times. So the time limit gives me an anxiety I might not have in other situations. Plus, as I hear the other presentations, my mind tends to make adjustments - not always for the best.

Another note, I have two images that made the NANPA Impressions journal. So this is my first real publication credit. It was fun and gratifying today to see my own work in a publication.

A start in the right direction, at least.

Jack Dykinga - Where does it come from?

Jack Dykinga gave the morning keynote speech. His desert photography is truly amazing as he finds such wonderful morning lighting and creates photos from agave and saguaro with such wonderful use of form, line, and pattern. His speech and photos really spoke to some ways that I have approached photography. I really liked his concept of "living with the subject", returning over and over to the same area to find not only the "right" lighting, but also the variety of light, clouds, atmosphere, and weather to create beautiful visions for us to enjoy. In so many of the online critiques I have received over time, people keep wanting detail in the shadows - but he used black shadows and silhouettes as part of his planned canvas. He also used black shadows to create diagonal lines and to provide symbolism. When he found a great compositions, he would return and take the same shot under different conditions. Another strategy he used that I can identify with - was to thoroughly explore your area - he mentioned hiking in concentric circles - finding the soul and essence of a place.

So I left inspired to continue going back to my favorite places, with the hopes that with frequent visits I will find the magic combination of lighting and atmosphere to create my own "magic".

John Fielder and the Roxborough State Park Field Trip

When I became serious about doing something with my photography, one of the first books I picked up was John Fielder's Photographing the Landscape - The Art of Seeing. This was a formative book for me because it thoroughly explored both the technical aspects of composing, using light and color, etc and the creative areas.

On Wednesday, I chose his workshop because of the concept of photographing the "intimate landscape." It sounded like an interesting location - one I had not visited. John gave us a workshop and slideshow presentation before we did our hike around the park. It refreshed my memory of all the concepts I remembered from the book. He personally led us through Roxborough State Park. He and his assistant took time to look through our viewfinders to help us improve our compositions, as well as making suggestions to help us "see" those lines and shapes to make our shots more satisfactory.

John also gave the keynote speech this afternoon. I am very impressed with how he has combined his marketing background, his photography skills, and his genuine concern for the well being of the environment in Colorado. He brings a keen analytical mind to find solutions for some of the environmental issues facing our country today - and has shown a creativity in finding workable solutions. '

I would thoroughly recommend doing any of John Fielder workshops, because I think you would learn a lot and come away very inspired to create your vision of your world.

Macro Photography Workshop

My first workshop was with Nancy Rotenberg . I chose this workshop because I am fascinated with flowers and flower photography and I really wanted to improve my skills. This workshop provided all of that and more. Just walking into the room the first time was a delight. I had mentioned to Henry that if I was doing this workshop, I would have all sorts of flowers to work with. At the entrance to the room was a series of tables, all with something interesting and beautiful to photograph. She had background choices, flower choices, lighting, frosted and sculpted glass, water drop setups, all beautifully arranged. When she began, I was struck by her affirmation for each of us - her "can do" attitude. Of course, she also greeted each one of us warmly before the session even started. I have noticed among the photographers their worldview tends to be infinite rather than finite. There is room for each of us to be the individuals that we are. She stressed that each of us has an artist and poet within. I loved the book she chose: The Dot by Peter Reynolds. This book will be on my Christmas and birthday list for some of my friends (even though it IS a children's book.)


I really enjoyed the opportunity to try out different techniques that I had read and heard about, but that I had not constructed the setups for. We had all afternoon to play. She and her 3 assistants went around helping us without getting in our way.






As far as equipment ideas:






The flashlights that had different colored lights were really fun to play with - I've found a likely candidate at REI.









I want to get the Canon 500D - a closeup lens to fit over my 180mm macro for even closer shots.



The Plamp I've signed up in the silent auction for one of these.

All sorts of frosted and cut glass - I'll see if Henry can help me make stands for these.

Wimberly's Flash brackets - Macro Bracket-to adjust the angle for my flash (although I wasn't pleased with my use of flash at the workshop.)

North American Nature Photographers Association Summit

Today was the first day . . . . . I went to the Macro and Creativity Workshop . . . . . Look for more details tomorrow - it was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!

Winter Solitude

We left Breckenridge on Wednesday. After staying five weeks at the condo, there was much to pack up and load back into the car. And a doctor's call sent me to his office to get my shoulder checked before we could leave - one more thing to slow us down. But we did get off - and headed toward the western side of Rocky Mountain National Park. Instead of taking the fast paced, stressful I-70, we headed north out of Frisco and went through Kremling - leaving the populated areas of Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco, and Breckenridge behind. It was snowing on our first pass through Rocky Mountain National Park. The highest peaks were hiding behind snow clouds. As we headed out of the park, we passed an area where the snowmobile trail paralleled the road complete with snowmobilers sharing the road with us. We found a hotel in Grand Lake Village - a small rustic town. I almost think that at this time of year the snowmobiles outnumber the cars - as there were snowmobiles to rent EVERYWHERE. It turns out there is a large trail system in the national forest just north of town. You could probably spend days exploring all of them. Grand Lake is obviously doing well financially based upon the well kept building and upscale souvenir shots, but this is not their big season. Our first search for restaurants found many of them "closed." We settled for the restaurant across the street from our hotel, Bear's Den & Paws Pub. The trout almondine was good and we ate there a couple of times during our stay.

It was snowing when we went to bed, and I was looking forward to getting out at dawn, hoping for a colorful mountain sunrise. We got out early and were the first ones to make tracks on the snow in the park - that is, the first human tracks . . . . . Over the next few days we had a lot of fun studying the animal tracks in the snow. The west side of the park gets much more snow and moisture than the eastern side. As a result, the snows are deeper in the winter, and many of the parks animal residents either hibernate or move down below to winter. Birds were few and far between - I think I saw only three or four during the days we were there. Our most common animal siting were the moose that frequented the road.







However, there were lots of animal tracks. Snowshoe hare was the most common,















followed by the moose that crashed through the snowberms along the road.






But we also saw some smaller tracks that were harder for us to identify.




We saw one series that were most likely coyote, complete with a trail "marker".





We saw tracks that were probably weasels and squirrels. I decided that it would be fun to photograph the tracks perhaps to identify later.

While there were a few people driving through, snowshoeing, or cross country skiing, Henry and I pretty much had the park to ourselves. We could hear the wind whistling through the trees, watch the snow devils across the frozen beaver swamps, and enjoy the falling snow.

The Dipper Revisited

Visiting the different wildlife refuges, we have learned that often you will see certain birds (or other animals) at the same area each time you visit or make the "rounds." Once we found the spot in the creek where the dipper was feeding, we saw him regularly there. And of course, we kept going back both to enjoy watching him and for me to try to get that award winning photo. The weather in Breckenridge this year was cold and snowy. I kept hoping for a day that would have just the right combination of sun angle or high light clouds. I wanted photos of the dipper with enough lighting for a sharp, crisp photo and with the lighting at my back so I was not shooting into the sun and fighting the silhouette effect. I had one more chance with better lighting. I put my teleconverter on and spent probably an hour moving upstream with the dipper. While these are not "prize winning" or commercial quality shots, I am pleased, because I got a set of intimate shots of a very shy creature. Plus I got the enjoyment of watching his antics. I was so surprised to see him disappear underneath the ice at the edges of the water. I even saw him go under an ice bridge and surface on the other side. Because I spent so many days watching and observing, I feel an affinity with this individual dipper. I find myself searching other icy creek beds hoping for a glimpse of another dipper.

Four Degress (Fahrenheit) Sunrise

We've had a lot of snow over the past several weeks. I've been checking the forecast to see if it is worth while to get up at sunrise and get out. Today looks promising. I wake up around 6:00 - check the sky - I can see stars . . . . a good sign. I check the temperature - 4 degrees - that's pretty cold.

Because of my arm, Henry is going out with me - I can manipulate the camera and the smaller tripod, but if I need my big lens and heavy tripod, I need help. So we throw our clothes - tons of layers for me, not so many for Henry - he just sits in the car working on his writing. For me, one layer of thermal underwear, wool socks, one long sleeved T-shirt, wool sweater, ski pants, wool hat, fancy mittens that allow my hand to stay warm, but have my fingers available to work with the camera, and my ski jacket. I wait until the last minute to put on the sweater and coat - too hot inside otherwise. And on my shoes go my YAKTRAX - a product that I just love. It is like little chains for my shoes. I don't slip anymore!

Next decision - where to go? I head for an overlook that has been productive recently. The sun is not up yet and the clouds over the mountains show promise for a spectacular sunrise. Only issue is there are also clouds to the east that may obscure the first light.


There it is - the first light on the mountain, but it is off in the distance, not lighting the clouds I had hoped for. Too far away and not bright enough for the magic I'm hoping for. Decision time . . . Yes, I'm going to move where I can be closer to the mountain peaks that are getting the sun.




So we head over to Hoosier Pass and I am hoping to still catch that early lighting. We get as far as Quandry Peak - yes, I like that blowing snow.

With two feet of snow in just the last few days, there is a lot of powder for the wind to blow. Sun looks good on it, too.

When we get to the top of the pass, I know it is going to be a good morning. Trees laden with snow, interesting weather on the peaks, the wind whipping up the fresh powder snow. Yes, it is cold, but, oh, how exciting and rewarding.

The Dipper

Back when we were camping in our truck camper with the kids above Silverton, Colorado, we saw our first dipper.



We saw this cute bird that kept submerging himself in the icy cold, rushing waters of South Mineral Creek, jumping from rock to rock inbetween. He was easy to identify as a "dipper."

I've been trying to find good photographic spots around Breckenridge. (Yes, I know all of Breckenridge is scenic, but I've been trying to find magic, undiscovered places.)

I went up a road called Tiger Run and had found a creek that has areas with running, unfrozen water.


I'd been intrigued by the areas with running water surrounding rocks with caps of snow.



We've startled a beaver and watched him quickly dive out of site. One morning there was a mallard couple swimming and foraging. And we've consistently seen a dipper in this area.





I've had opportunites on three different days to photograph the dipper that frequents this area. None of the photos are competition quality. But I've had more fun watching. The first day he spent a lot of time running along the ice along the edge of the creek.


I had a lot of fun watching him fish one day. At the base of a beaver dam, I watched him catch a small fingerling trout. He bounced it on the ice until it quit wriggling and then swallowed it whole.


It is fun to watch him hop out of the water after he has been foraging on the bottom. Sure looks cold to me!

Today I watched him flip rocks searching for food underneath them. The fun ended when another dipper flew in. My dipper chirped and began to chase the intruder away. I saw him land some distance upstream. The visibility for viewing is not as good there. So I gave up for the day.

Because we know this dipper feeds here regularly, I will come by regularly in hopes that one day I'll get the right lighting, a good photogenic position, and perhaps even the catching of a fish! Whether I ever get an award winning photo of this cute creature, I get a lot of enjoyment spotting him and observing him.

Falling

I really love winter. I love snow and icicles and cold weather. I like walking in crunchy snow. I do NOT like walking on ice. There is a reason for this. One year when I was walking home from dinner with Thomas and Stephanie, I fell on a slippery porch on the east side of our River Mountain Condo. My head hit the brick floor with such a thud that the store worker in the stockroom came out to check on me. The kids insisted I go to the emergency room. No concussion, no problems the rest of the trip.

On another trip, Debra and I were walking in downtown Breckenridge - our last window shopping before leaving. My foot slipped out from underneath me and I landed on my back. When I got back to the condo garage, it was hurting bad enough, I started crying. Even though it was time to leave, we headed over to the emergency room. It was snowing out and I was the driver . . . .so he gave me one set of meds to take while driving and another one to take before I went to bed. By the next day it was much better.

On Thursday, we were headed over to a restaurant a couple of blocks from the condo. We've walked this stretch regularly the last few weeks. The parking lot looked like packed snow - which is pretty easy to walk in. The problem - underneath the two to three inches of snow was a layer of ice. When my foot started sliding, I tried to break my fall. But, of course, I landed flat on my back, shoulder hurting. Several people stopped to help, including a policeman. My first choice was to continue on to the restaurant, eat my lunch, and then go to the doctor.

The x-rays showed a possible tiny crack in my shoulder - the right arm just does not work very well. But at least I am not in pain, and each day it seems a little better. But, I suspect my skiing is over for this season.


Henry got me a pair of Yaktrax - like chains only for your shoes. I wore them for the first time today. Definitely better traction in the packed snow.

Do I still love a Colorado winter????? You betcha!

Catching Up

I had several things I had planned to blog over the last 3 weeks. Things have been busy . . . . . . So I am going back and posting - I should be caught up in a day or so . . . . . . So if you want to follow our adventures, take time to scroll down and catch up on the latest Melton adventures!