The Monkey's Paw

A 14th Birthday - In The Style of Monkeypaw

2012-01-29T09:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was my daughter's 14th birthday. So what did I do? Took her on a photo hike through Minto Brown's flooded terrain.

Yup.. her feet got wet. The water was still "flowing" over the road and we had to get past that to see more of the park. She cowboy upped and was rewarded with a photo shoot of epicosity. Happy Birthday!

Here are some of the images I walked away with:

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Above is a series from the first pond on the left as you enter the park. Below is a series of some rocks.

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Below is a series after we past the water running over the road.

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Lastly is a series of reflections I pulled from the water's edge.

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I hope you enjoyed the image. I know we enjoyed the two hours of shooting. She got some amazing images as well.

A weekend at the beach

2012-01-24T19:04:00.001-08:00

It amazes me how much beauty there is at the coast, even when you leave the beach. I am planning an outing for my photography club to this particular location.

Have you ever been camping in a yurt? I have; many times. It is always a great experience. If you haven't or even think I am making the word Yurt up, you should check it out.

A yurt is like a cross between a cabin and a tent. They have heat, power, and some even have cable hookup for those of you that understand what camping it about. The yurts can each sleep five people and a select few in Oregon are pet friendly.

Leaving the yurt, you are just minutes, walking, from so much natural beauty.

And you are only ten minutes from Newport's Historic Waterfront.

Check out SouthBeach State Park, at $40 a night, it makes a weekend at the coast affordable and just as enjoyable as the $120 a night motels.

Our Weekend with Wags and Friends

2012-01-22T18:23:00.001-08:00

This weekend we were blessed with the opportunity to spend some time with a new friend, Wags. During the flooding in Salem, the Willamette Humane Society called out for help to their volunteers. The facility was evacuated due to the rising waters. We arrived after so many troubles with road closures and after a short time, we went home with three friends, a dog and two cats.

I would like you to say hello to Wags.

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Wags is a 2 year old Border Collie mix, and has almost as much energy as he does love. He is completely house broke. And while he had a few accidents the first night, he was nervous and had a case of the runs. After that first night he was accident free.

This weekend was our 6th wedding anniversary, and we had plans to go to coast this weekend. But because we also answered the call to help we had to make a choice. We had already asked our friend Liz to come over and watch our cat, so we confirmed with her that a couple of extra cats would be okay as well. Liz, being the kitties lover she is, welcomed the extra feline friends. So we took Wags with us to the coast.

Wags bonded with us completely. He was a complete companion. He loves other animals, he loves people and rarely left our side and he is always happy. He was so at home with us in our Yurt that he even smiled while he slept. It was hard for us to take Wags back. The bonding my wife and shared with him was deep.

In addition to wags we brough home Bunny Boo and Duece. Both loving kitties and siblings, although they completely different. Bunny Boo, in the first photo is a playful and energetic girl that love playing almost as much a snuggling. Duece, is a calm quite boy that is shy at first, but warms up for some snuggles soon enough.

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Come on down to the Willamette Humane Society for and take on of these future family members home or if for nothing else, come down and see what you can do help, and say hello to Wags... it won't take long for his loving personality to touch you like he did us.

Oops... "Acts of God"... they can suck

2012-01-17T18:28:00.001-08:00

So a few weeks ago we had an incident of large branch (200+ pounds and 12' long) falling from a dead tree in our backyard. Funny thing is, it was only mildly breezy that evening. When it hit the ground it sounded like an cherry bomb going off, followed by what my wife said sounded like someone trying to break into the house as the smaller branches exploded and sprayed the backside of the house.

We were lucky. No damage.

So today I get a text message from my wife with this image attached:

That's right, one of our trees fell onto our neighbor's house and the sad part is that it wasn't the dead tree mentioned above. Now the two trees that were downhill from the one that fell are leaning more, looking like they might come down as well. So now we have three trees needing to come down, including the dead one, one to clean up, a fence to repair and trying to console our neighbors who lost the backside of a nice little shop/shed structure and could have damage to their roof. Now we have to talk with our landlord about removing the three trees. Scary stuff, just glad that nobody was hurt.

Tree removal - $0

Fence Replacement - $0

Roof Repair - $0

Shop Repair - $0

Insurance Deductable - $500

Everyone's Safety - Priceless.

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Keep yourselves safe and make sure to watch the sky... it seems to be falling more and more frequently.

Experimenting With Nathan

2012-01-16T08:07:00.001-08:00

Nathan of SmithFineArt.com came over to my house yesterday with an idea. We set up, settled in and began experimenting. It is so much fun to experiment with photography, especially when the idea comes from the creative genius that is Nathan.

We set up a projector as a light source and my finest bottle of Vodka as the subject... I know.. it's not Grey Goose, but I do happen to be on a budget.

By projecting different images on the wall, we were able to shape the light. Many of the projected images were made on the fly, as we shot.

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Nathan also has this nifty little program on his Mac that creates varying patterns. Using some special techniques, we were able merge multiple patterns to get some cool results.

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Nathan will be teaching this method at the March monthly meeting of the Salem Digital Photo group, salemphoto.org. Come check out this amazing Salem Oregon Photography Club.

Thanks Nathan for all of fun and education you bring to my creative life.

A Winter Wonderland

2012-01-15T13:41:00.001-08:00

So today marked the first snow of the year for our little region of the world. At my house, we got a light dusting, and I wasn't too inspired to go out, but that changed over the course of the morning.

I wasn't initially inspired to fo go shoot because I suffer from Fibromyalgia or FMS. It is a condition that causes chronic fatigue, constant pain and a slew of other things and is thought to be caused by hyper-active nerve receptors. There are time where being touched can cause pain.

FMS can be a real demotivator when what is called a flare (when symptoms are at their most impactful) happens. Today is a day where I am flaring. Flares are triggered by stress, anxiety, physical exertion and even changes in the weather and extreme cold or heat.

Well, the last week has been particularly brutal for my symptoms as the weather hasn't been all that kind to those of us in the area with FMS. So this morning I got up and knew that I wasn't up for getting out. As the morning progressed, I became more and more restless and more and more irritated that I wasn't out taking advantage of the rare snow day. I knew where I wanted to go, what shots I wanted to get and damnit, I was pissed I was letting my FMS keep me from doing that.

At 9:30 I told my wife I was going out and asked her if she wanted to go for a drive. She jumped up, threw a coat on and we headed out to a location I knew would have more snow that we did, one that I photographed just before Christmas. Below are the results.

Now the first of the two images in the set immediately below is from today. The second image is from a few weeks ago. I wanted to show the difference a change in weather can have on a scene. It is the same scene with a change of the weather. This is proof that a scene can and does change with different variables.

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The below image is from today. This is from the cemetary I stood in as I shot the two above images. While the skiy in the below image has been enhanced, the image is not a composite. The sky is how the sky was.

The below image was shot as a single image, then processed three times for different exposures and then merged to HDR to balance the snow, sky and non-snow elements.

All in all, it was an amazing day out. It took only an hour and a half from leaving the house to getting home, and took about 15 miles each way. I shot for a total of 15 minutes in two different locations. My pain levels are high right now, but I very happy with the results and feel it was worth the trip out of the house.

I love winter, even it isn't nice to me all the time.

Be safe out there.

A Day with Nathan

2012-01-11T06:13:00.001-08:00

For those of you who have not met Nathan Smith of SmithFineArt.com, let me introduce you. Everyone; this is Nathan. Nathan; this is everyone.

Nathan is the creative mind behind SmithFineArt.com. He is a family man with a wonderfully supportive wife and happy, but somewhat shy son. Nathan carries an energy around him that is very contagious and uplifting.

When Nathan isn't behind the camera or glued to his monitor processing his work to perfection, he is spending time with his family, playing video games or driving around location scouting.

Nathan is also one of the organizers for the Salem Digital Photo Group, leading us through the group's giving events like our annual help portrait event. He also teaches workshops on Lighting and post processing for the group.

Take the time to look at Nathan's work and see for yourself what a wonderful craftsman and artist he really is. If you take the time to get to know the man, you will a better person for it.

Thanks Nathan for all that you have done and will do in the coming years. Your friendship is greatly appreciated.

My World - A view of the world how I see it

2012-01-09T20:37:00.001-08:00

Last weekend was fantastic from a creative point of view. Exhausting and fantastic all at the same time. Starting with the Kitty shoot Saturday at the Willamette Humane Society, moving into a planning session for my photo group's workshops. It was a long and rewarding start to a weekend.

Then Sunday came early, 5:00 AM to be exact to prepare for winter shoot at a local park.

Then Sunday afternoon came and it was time for the shoot with Nathan Smith of SmithFineArt.com. Pardon the raw look to this, it is merely a first draft; the final will look super-d-duper.

After the shoot with Nathan I hung out while a couple of other photographers spent some time shooting him. While they did their thing, I assisted with lights and shot some background plates.

Once I got back home, I began editing. Until my student came over for the weekly mentoring session. Yup... that's right. I am mentoring a person for the year. Helping guide this individual to discovering their true potential and find their path to creative enlightment. This will be an annual project with a new student each year. So far it is going swimmingly, although after the assignments I handed out this week, this individual might not feel the same way.

I did more creatively this weekend than I did over the entire summer (June to August). It feels great, but I am exhausted and ready for some sleep.

Willamette Humane Society Photography

2012-01-07T13:47:00.001-08:00

It was another glorious morning at the Willamette Humane Society. Glorious because I got to give and get some love from some amazing animals. Also, it was glorious because there weren't that many cats. Oh, don't worry, there are plenty of cats for you to choose from, but there weren't nearly as many as the last time I visited which means more people are giving these loving animals good homes and that makes for an exciting day for me.

There are some wonderful cats at the Willamette Humane Society right now, here is a select few from this morning.

Penelope

Penelope is a sweet kittie that was a little camera shy at first (aren't we all), but then warmed up to me and came in for some loving coupled with some purring action.

Schnider

Schnider isn't up on their site as of yet, he is that new, but he was a fun, loving and handsome guy. If you want a cat that can be both snuggly and playful, then Schnider is the one for you.

Sweet Melinda

Yup... that is her name. Sweet Melinda lives up to her name. She is sweet as sugar and loves to lay in your arms and have her head, right between her ears, rubbed. Sweet Melinda can make any home a lot more loving.

Wallace

Wallace is a little shy at first, but once he warms up to you, he bend over backwards for some attention. I truly love his strong jaw line and deep yellow eyes.

Last but not least, is my Cat of the Week. Each visit I pick one kittie that gets a little extra special attention. I set up a small studio, bring my favorite kittie in and do a little something extra-special. This week's pick is...

Simone

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Simone is a very loving kittie with some beautiful features. She sat in my arms for close to fifteen minutes before we began the portrait, and she never once tried to move. She was happy and content. Once I put Simone in the studio and snapped the portrait, she hopped down and began exploring, returning to me every few minutes to get a little more loving. She quickly becomes attached to people and like to get some love frequently. She is also a fun kittie, lying on the floor rolling around and crawling on her side playing with me.

Simone is waiting for a good home, but I doubt she will have to wait too long because she is quite a catch and will make a great addition to someone's loving home. Could that someone be you? Could be if you hurry.

That's all for this week. Take a trip down to the Willamette Humane Society and see what new family member is waiting for you. Better yet, head on down and ask how you might be able to help make all the animals' short stays a little better.

Until next time... Be loving to your animals, because they deserve nothing less.

An Afternoon Creating with Others

2012-01-01T10:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I spent a few hours with Nathan Smith, Michael Conkey and Chris David. Only, for the most part, I wasn't shooting. I was the subject. The guys, plus Chris Sabato who was out of town for this shoot, are working together to deliver portraits for each other that communicate the essense of who each of us are... a project that originated with Nathan.

It was cold. It was dreary. It was amazing. It was fun. Spending time with these guys is always entertaining, educational and a huge collaborative super nova of creative energy. I didn't shoot much, since today I was the subject, but afterwards... I was sent loose and had a little fun with my camera.

The location is a building that looks like a abandoned warehouse, but in fact it is a working foundry. The owner, Jackie, was in this day and invited us in to look around. Jackie showed us around and told us stories about the foundry, which he started working at in 1964 and then purchased in the 80s. Jackie was a friendly man willing to take time out of his busy day to talk with us and show us around.

I walked around capturing some HDR series of the interior for reference in planning a future shoot at the location.

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Since it was cold, Jackie fired up a natural gas torch for a little heat. Well, being the 12 year old that I am I was drawn to the fire like a moth to a flame but because I have a slightly bigger brain than a moth I stopped short of getting burned. I got some cool fire textures. One of the things that I love about photographing fire is that with every frame captured, fire is different. Fire is a living and breathing creature that is in a constant state of change. Fire is awesome!

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Also... check out my new watermarks for my images. I have developed eight new watermarks for lightroom. There is one for the right, left top and bottom of images in both light and dark versions.

Can't wait to see the results from Nathan, Chris and Michael. Thanks guys for the fun time.

2012 Goal Setting

2011-12-31T11:21:00.001-08:00

As 2011 comes to a close and 2012 opens its doors, I am planning my goals for the year. Yes, if you believe the doomday sayers, 2012 is the year the world is supposed to end, but that isn't any reason to think that 2012 isn't going to knock 2011 out of the water for awesomeness. I mean imagine the great, unique photo ops right around the 21st of December. Complete Epicocity.

So after giving it much though and deliberation I feel that this year I need to focus on three things this coming year, after tonight's spirited celebration which will include the following imbibements:

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My focus in 2012 is:

Educating
Giving
Execution

Educating:

I have picked a person, who has agreed to participate, in a one year mentoring program I have been developing. In addition to the mentoring I will be focusing on teaching others through free and low cost workshops.

Giving:

Giving is one of the few things that allows us to contribute positively to others selflessly. In addition to the above mentoring I will be consistently giving throughout the year by:

Continue to volunteer to photograph animals at the humane society.
Participate in help portrait and help portrait like events.
Guide others, who ask, in becoming successful in thier goals.

Execution:

I have had several ideas floating around in my mind for photography projects, but have completely failed to execute on them. This will be focused on executing four of my large scale projects. Why only four? I want to make sure I have the time, money and other resources to actually execute on the projects.

How do I measure the success of these goals, by defining the measures of success:

Education:

Complete the mentoring program I have started.
Teach 8 workshops during the course of the year (before Dec 21 since that is the end of the world)
Hosting one shoot event for the photography group each month (at a minimum) and ensure that at least one person learns something from each of the events.
Teach at least one workshop at the State Fair.

Giving:

Photograph animals at the Humane Society twice a month, blog about the animals, and post the image to the Humane Society's website.
Participate in the annual help portrait.
Participate in Kevin Kubota' s Picture in the Park.
Participate in at least one other giving event

Execution

Pick and execute one of my photography projects each quarter. That is one project every three months.

That's my goals and how I am going to measure their success.

What are your photography goals for 2012?

2011 - A year of discovery: The Review

2011-12-25T10:24:00.001-08:00

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I can't believe that 2011 is coming to a close already. It is crazy to think about all that has happened in the last twelve months. It has been a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions.

In January I worked with Nathan, Liz and Jonathan to form Studio 247. It was an experiment in trying to open and run an art studio. Our first and really only Studio event was the Extreme Makeup and Photography event.

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In February I started the seven week long Artist Way for Photographers course. Man did that course help me grow artistically and in the end grow personally as well. As a result of being a part of that course, I along with seven others were shown in a downtown art gallery for the month of March.

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In March I learned that my ride was over. My unemployment was going to be denied if I refused to accept a job offer I was given. Oddly enough, I was one of the honest people on unemployment. I actually applied for jobs, which is a requirement of being on unemployment. Oddly yet still, even though I tried my damnedest to not do well with my application and even the interview, I was offered a job, which if I refused, my unemployment would be cancelled. I was on the brink of several things on the brink of breaking out into something huge when this happened, one of which was national.

In the end I did the safest thing for my family.

In April depression set in big time as I pondered over all of the huge art related projects that were absolutely falling from my grasp; projects that could have made an income that could have sustained my family without the day job.

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In May I starting learning who my real friends were and who were simply "The Good Times" friends. As a result, my real friends now have more value from me because now that I am in a better place, they are getting the benefits of me not being stretched so thin.

In June I failed horribly in getting my shit together for a showing with the group from the artist way. I let all of them down and as a result I missed a great opportunity to lift myself out of the black hole of depression.

In July I found something that I had been missing for nearly a year; passion for art. I had spent the last year darting into rabbit holes looking for where the money would come from and had actually lost the passion that drove my art in the first place. But over the fourth of July weekend, thanks to a close friend of ours (my wife and I) I found that passion again. I began the process of finding myself again and acceptance of the loss I experienced in the first six months of the year.

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In August I dyed my hair red, well not all of it. It was my middle finger the greed of the world, well before the Occupy movement began. I also isolated myself this month, letting very few people close as I was dealing with my own painful past and working through finding myself again. August also brought me back to what I did best; teaching. August also brought confirmation that I did the right thing by taking that job. But I also discovered that I couldn't afford the studio any longer.

In September I recovered my value and moved into planning my future. I relinquished control of something I hold very dear to my heart so that I could shift time resources to other things; like family and developing training syllabuses.

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In October I watched silently as something I and many others had spent years developing, was falling apart from the inside. October I executed on my teaching plans. .

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In November I was called upon to pick up the pieces and I did. Things are back on track and everyone I have talked to happier for it. November also brought back the giving. I am now photographing the cats at the the Willamette Humane Society. Twice a month I go down and photograph the cats, up to 50 each visit, and then come home, process the images and post them on their site.

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In December I am back on track. I am making art. I am having fun. I am earning a living with my day job. I am helping others. I am teaching. I am happy again. Happiness is found making art, not in trying to profit from it all the time.

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A day in the woods final take

2011-12-20T21:03:00.001-08:00

So here are the final images from my day in the woods with Michael Conkey of nine22.com and Nathan Smith of smithfineart.com. Michael was kind enough to model for us and was willing to play along with some odd requests like swinging an axe at my head and communing with nature and dancing a jig.

Posing for the camera.

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Swinging the Axe

The above image was about as dangerous as it gets. This was shot at 19mm and I was about a foot from the axe. Both Michael and Nathan were gasping as I moved in for the shot. Yes, I admit it was dangerous, but it was also worth it to capture that explosive impact.

After the shoot in the woods, we decided to take the back roads back home and came across some amazing landscapes. We must have stopped a a dozen times, and here are some of the results.

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And finally, we stopped at this church in the middle of nowhere.

All-in-all... it was cold. It was foggy. It was cold. But it was a beautiful, albeit cold, morning to be out creating art with friends.

A day in the woods

2011-12-18T10:10:00.001-08:00

What can a day in the woods do for you? Let me tell you something. It can bring a great deal of affirmation to recent choices and discoveries. Those will be covered in my next post title "2011 - A Year of Discovery"

For now, you can sit back in the comfort of your warm home and enjoy these few outtakes from my day in the woods with Michael and Nathan.

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Willamette Humane Society Photography

2011-12-10T17:12:00.001-08:00

My second visit to the Willamette Humane Society was, again, a wonderful experience. I photographed roughly 50 cats/kittens, about ten times what I did during my last visit, mainly because I nailed down my process. I just now finished doing post on all of the images.

The Willamette Humane Society is a wonderful resource for more than just adopting new family members. They also offer training classes, food assistance, spay/neuter assistance and they have a wonderful pet store located on site and so much more. To learn more about what Willamette Humane Society can do for you, or better yet, what you can do to help them, go to their website at: http://willamettehumane.org or drive by and talk with one of the friendly staff members. They are located at 4246 Turner Road SE in Salem.

Below is a small, but varied sampling of wonderful and loving cats and kittens currently available for adoption at the Willamette Humane Society.

Elton

Elton is a fun playful kitten who is interested in things that move.

Huntington (not on their site yet)

Huntington is a quiet but curious cat. He is pretty mild mannered but loves him some attention.

Inverness

Inverness was asleep when I came to photograph him, but he perked up and his purring motor got going when I gave him some love.

Isadora

Isadora is a mellow lover of a cat, although she may have some spunk in reserve.

Jumper

Jumper is my personal pick of the day. He got to come into the studio I set up there on site for a special photo moment and extra special love. Each time I visit I will treat one or two kitties that touch me to a special glamour session. Jumper was picked simply because his deep love of people. This guy's purring motor gets going if you look at him from across the room and he is more content in your arms than out.

Laverne and Shirley

Laverne and Shirley are room mates at Willamette Humane Society. They are inquisitive and get along well together. And just like the television characters they are named after, they are very similar while being quite different.

Lavon

Lavon is a playful kitty with a curiosity to match.

Oscar

Oscar is a little shy at first, but can warm up to you if you aren't holding a huge camera and flash in your hand.

Pappy

Pappy has an equally cute roommate named Peppy. That sad looking look on his face isn't because he is sad, he just doesn't understand why I stopped petting him.

Smoosh

Smoosh was the runner-up for my pick of the day. Just look at this guy/gal.. so much character in that face. Yes, I said guy/gal, because I don't know if Smoosh is a boy or a girl. I chose to respect his/her privacy. But I just learned from looking at Smoosh's profile that she is a she. You should take a look and learn more about this loving cat.

That's all for this visit. I know... I said I photographed roughly 50 of them... but if you really want to see more... head on over to Willamette Humane Society's site, or better yet, go down and visit the kitties yourself. You might find yourself a new family member.

Until next time... take care.

Photography Workshops in Salem Oregon - Lightroom and Lighting

2011-12-08T21:40:00.001-08:00

Lightroom Workshop - This Sunday from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM: $75

The price of this workshop includes a full year's membership to the Salem Digital Photo Group.

In this four hour workshop we will be covering the entire Lightroom application and basic workflow design. Topics covered in detail will include:

Importing images and file handling
Organizing images using catalogs, collections, keywords and ratings
Processing your images using Lightroom and External Tools like Photoshop
Exporting your images
Developing slide shows and web pages from within Lightroom
Printing from within Lightroom
What you will learn will include:
Basic workflow design
Image organization
Basic editing techniques (cropping, exposure, noise reduction, spot healing and red eye reduction, etc)
Advanced editing techniques (skin and eyes retouching, using graduated filters, presets, etc)
How to share your photos using the web, print and exporting features)

Each class participant will receive over 20 custom designed presets as a part of their participation in the class.

What you need to bring:

A laptop with Lightroom installed (Free 30 Day Trial is sufficient)
Some images to work with as we move through the syllabus
An eagerness to learn

I look forward to seeing you there.

About the instructor:

I have been using Lightroom for four years, since version 1 was released and have taught numerous workshops and provided one on one training to area photographers on the use of Lightroom in their workflow. I have mastered how to perform 100% of my workflow on 90% of my photographs without leaving Lightroom.

Also on Sunday:

Off Camera Lighting Workshop - 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM: $100

The price of this workshop includes a full year's membership to the Salem Digital Photo Group.

The off camera lighting workshop is designed for beginners wanting to learn fundamental lighting principals and the practical applications of off camera lighting using a mix of lecture and hands on experience with an experienced model.

What will be taught is as follows:

The Laws and Rules around light
Light quality principals (light types, angles and colors)
Lighting equipment
Light modifiers (what they are and their use)
Working with models
Hands on experience shooting with a model

These are huge topics with a lot of opportunity for discussion and practice using various lights and modifiers in a realistic situation.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Icy Morning

2011-12-06T22:17:00.001-08:00

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Fog and low temps produced freezing fog this morning. It was astoudingly cold, even at 10:00 this morning. I happened to have access to a wetland... Wintery weather can be beautiful.

Freedom from Gloom

2011-12-05T20:04:00.001-08:00

A photo from last Saturday in the early morning, about a half an hour after sunrise. I had time to kill before Help Portrait kicked off and I decided to make use of the time. I have wanted to photograph these particluar trees for two years. Finally everything came together and made the scene worth stopping to shot.

I hope you enjoy it as much I did not only shooting it, but the anticipation of the perfect time for the trees to be shot.

Walking on the Sun

2011-12-03T19:19:00.001-08:00

This is what I imagine walking on the sun would be like. Golden hued arches of silky ribbons reaching above fluttery textured surface.

Willamette Humane Society Photography

2011-11-26T17:35:00.001-08:00

I am now the official volunteer cat photographer at Willamette Humane Society. I go down, every other Saturday, photograph kitties and then give them the photos to post on their site. I will also blog about each of the kitties.

Siren

Siren is an inquisitive kitten with a sweet affection for intereaction with people.

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Cookie is a playful loving kitten that is comfortable with other cats.

Splat

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Splat is Cookie's housemate... very affectionate and loves interaction with other cats and people.

Garris

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Garris is a wonderful male kitten, that loves to explore.

Rex[[posterous-content:pid___3]]Rex is a playful little kitten that is equally comfortable snuggling in for a quite nap in your lap.

Kiana

[[posterous-content:pid___4]]Kiana isn't on their site yet. She is a loving blue eyed beauty that doesn't like other cats much, but loves people.

Jacob

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Jacob is adorable and affectionate. A perfect match for those wanting the energy of a kitten combined with a great purring motor that loves to be loved.

Jillian

[[posterous-content:pid___6]]Jillian isn't on their site yet, but she is available. Jillian is a sleek classic black cat with a lot of affection

This weekend is a Black Cat adoption special. Come down and find a new loving addition to your family.

A horse of no color

2011-11-20T12:08:00.001-08:00

This is a reprocess of a photo I shot a while ago. I prefer this version to the previous.

Fall of the Fallen

2011-11-18T21:27:00.001-08:00

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The fallen have fallen yet again. Another season of cleansing so that spring can start everything anew.

In Medusa's Garden

2011-11-16T06:32:00.001-08:00

The littlest of beauties are turned to stone.

2011 Ladies of Photography - Salem Oregon

2011-11-13T17:55:00.001-08:00

This last year I was truly blessed to work some of the most talented and creative women in Salem, Oregon. It was an explosive year for me creatively. I have come into my own photographically speaking by partnering with many local creatives, from poets to painters to other photographers. Through these partnerships I have learned so much. Enjoy the photos.

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Fall in my Valley

2011-11-13T11:55:00.001-08:00

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It's my favorite time of year in the valley. The light changes. The colors shift from green to red, oranges and yellows. The trees begin to bare their souls by shedding their dying layers. It is a time to prepare for the season of renewal.

Lightroom Workshop Tomorrow - Openings Available

2011-11-11T17:34:00.001-08:00

This workshop is for members and non-members so if you have a friend interested in learning, feel free to add them to your RSVP. The workshop is limited to 15 participants to allow more personalized one on one time during the workshop. The club member price (members that have paid) is $35 and non-member price is $60. For each paying member attending the club will receive a portion of the money to help fund club activities. By RSVPing yes, you are committing to attending this workshop.

In this four hour workshop we will be covering the entire Lightroom application and basic workflow design. Topics covered in detail will include:

Importing images and file handling
Organizing images using catalogs, collections, keywords and ratings
Processing your images using Lightroom and External Tools like Photoshop
Exporting your images
Developing slide shows and web pages from within Lightroom
Printing from within Lightroom

What you will learn will include:

Basic workflow design
Image organization
Basic editing techniques (cropping, exposure, noise reduction, spot healing and red eye reduction, etc)
Advanced editing techniques (skin and eyes retouching, using graduated filters, presets, etc)
How to share your photos using the web, print and exporting features)

Each class participant will receive over 20 custom designed presets as a part of their participation in the class.

What you need to bring:

A laptop with Lightroom installed (Free 30 Day Trial is sufficient)
Some images to work with as we move through the syllabus
An eagerness to learn

I look forward to seeing you there.

Location:

Scottish Rite Temple 4090 Commercial Street SE, Salem, OR

About the instructor:

2011 Halloween - Halloween Photography

2011-11-11T11:25:00.003-08:00

On Halloween I was able to go to a haunted house, that is put on by the father of my friend, and fellow photographer, Liz Smith. Here are the shots...

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2011 Halloween - Halloween Photography

2011-11-11T11:25:00.001-08:00

On Halloween I was able to go to a haunted house, that is put on by the father of my friend, and fellow photographer, Liz Smith. Here are the shots...

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Happy Halloween - 2011

2011-10-28T11:58:00.001-07:00

This year's Halloween shot comes from the creepy doll girl at Clockworks Cafe...

For those of you that missed last year's shot... meet my youngest daughter...

Happy Halloween - 2011

2011-10-28T11:57:00.001-07:00

This year's Halloween shot comes from the creepy doll girl at Clockworks Cafe...

For those of you that missed last year's shot... meet my youngest daughter...

Don't Suck - Collaborate

2011-10-27T18:03:00.003-07:00

I attended a Kevin Kubota workshop last fall and the one thing from that workshop that stuck with me above all others was Doug Gordon telling me, as I was dancing with the group, "Sir, you need to get out more." By the way Doug, I am. Thank you.

The other thing that stuck with me was Kevin Kubota telling us, "You can't create in a vacuum unless you want to suck." That quote had the biggest impact on me and has shaped so much of who I have become as a artist over the last year.

The power of collaboration is truly immeasurable, but I am going to try and quantify at least a few aspects of its power. But before I do that I want to talk a little bit about how I have collaborating since that workshop.

The photography club I help run hosted a HUGE Help Portrait event. This included working with 30+ volunteer photographers, post processors, makeup artists, hair stylist, catering and a local hosting facility. Talk about collaboration.

I opened a studio downtown with four other photographers and a makeup artist. We hosted a few events, one huge event and several smaller events involving makeup artists, photographers, models and pets.

I signed up and took a photogrpaher's version of The Artist Way in which we as a group were shown in a gallery, each with two pieces.

I have assisted numerous photographers on selecting and producing their final products for showing.

As a result my own art has developed, grown and matured. I have developed, grown and matured. I see things differently. I approach things differently. I shoot differently. I write differently. I communicate differently. I am a different artist. I am a different person. In just one year I have completely transformed my approach to art and it all started with Kevin's little quote, "You can't create in a vacuum unless you want to suck."

The year hasn't been without its hard knocks. I have pissed off, scared off and even lost some friends as a result of this growth. I lost my studio partnership due to financial hardships.

The power of collaboration resides in the sharing of knowledge, ideas and shared experimentation. Everyone, regardless of skill level, has something to teach us. By opening ourselves up to this concept we are opening the doors to letting everyone's personal wikis flood our own with new ingenious ideas.

It is amazing watching the likes of Kevin and Doug work together. I always thought to myself, these guys know everything. But in watching them interact and watching them work off each other I was amazed that while each of them have their own distinct styles, each was able, and more importantly willing to use the suggestion of the other to get some stunning results.

Ego is one of the things that can get in the way of knowledge transfer. In my collaborations I found it really easy to check the ego at the door because I happen to be my own worst critic. Most people are nicer in their feedback of my work than I am. But ego can be problematic. If we have a "I can do it myself" or "Don't help, I want this to be mine" attitude then we close the doors to what is possible outside of our own little creative silo. Another way ego can be problematic is when we have the mindset of "I am better than he/she, therefore he/she doesn't have anything to teach me." Simply put... Ego sucks.

I am in the process of finding a small group of like minded people to work with, create with and grow with. This group would meet monthly and devise and execute creative projects together. The group would also provide honest feedback on each other's work. I would prefer to work with other arists who, like me, work in multiple mediums - Visual, Written, Audible and Sensory art. Anyone interested?

Don't Suck - Collaborate

2011-10-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

I signed up and took a photogrpaher's version of The Artist Way in which we as a group were shown in a gallery, each with two pieces.

I have assisted numerous photographers on selecting and producing their final products for showing.

The year hasn't been without its hard knocks. I have pissed off, scared off and even lost some friends as a result of this growth. I lost my studio partnership due to financial hardships.

A Day at the Park

2011-10-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

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Last weekend I was giving the opportunity to give back a community. Not my community, but a community none-the-less. I rode with Michael Conkey, of http://www.nine22.com/, Chris David of http://peoplephotos.biz/ and Nathan Smith of http://www.smithfineart.com/ to Bend, Oregon to shoot at Kevin Kubota's annual Photos in the Park event. He blogged about it at http://www.kevinkubotablog.com/kubota-blog/2011/10/17/275-families-photographed-in-one-day.html.

This was our second trip out there and this year was no different than the last other than we had a few more families come through this year. I know I can't wait to come back and do it again. It is a positive experience for everyone and a great opportunity to help Kevin give back to his community.

Thanks Kevin for the invite. I look forward to seeing you again next year.

A Day at the Park

2011-10-22T13:57:00.001-07:00

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Thanks Kevin for the invite. I look forward to seeing you again next year.

Natural Love

2011-10-14T16:59:00.001-07:00

Nature loves to be photographed and loves to be in black and white.

Ten Myths About Skynet

2011-10-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

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So what does Skynet have to do with photography? Some of you might be asking, "What is

Skynet?" I shudder at the thought of that. If you don't know what Skynet is, let me give

you quick update.

Skynet is the fictional supercomputer that becomes self-aware and launches armaggedon

against humans in the Terminator movies. The storyline evolves around Skynet sending a

machine, a Terminator T-800, back in time to kill the woman who would become the mother of

the man who would destroy Skynet. Now go watch the following movies, The Terminator, T2 -

Judgement Day and Terminator Salvation. You can freely skip number three, although

entertaining, it is not a requirement to gain perspective. Avoid the T.V. show at all

costs... it's like Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Melrose Place; sure it sounds cool, but

it wasn't and isn't.

Many people think that automation of their workflow is the best way to go, even at times

to the cost of creating inferior work. So I wanted to address this with an analogy of the

evil computer system known as Skynet, mainly because I am a fan.

So here goes:

Myth #1: Computers can out perform humans, faster and more efficient.

Response #1: While the answer to this is yes they can, a machine can't think. A computer is

truly a garbage in, garbage out system. It doesn't analyze a photo or know what mood or

feeling the photo conveys. The computer requires instruction and guidance. Without that

guidance what goes in as a nice image can come out as crap and in most cases even crappier

if the image was crap to begin with.

In the case of Skynet... Skynet's downfall has been its single objective; kill the human

resistance by killing John Conner. So as soon as a machine had its sights on John Conner,

or in the case of the original movie, his mother (kill the mother before the son is born

and you kill the boy paradigme), the machine got tunnel vision. The machine could not see

the bigger picture, just the main objective.

In the same frame of thought, an action in Photoshop may make part of an image look good,

but trust me when I say a skin softening filter applied to eyes is not appealing. You need

to take your time, analyze and interact with the computer to get the image right.

Myth #2: Computers can solve any problem.

Response #2: While it is true that a computer can solve Pi to the zillionth place, a

computer will never make a bad photographer better. No amount of layers, filters, actions

or presets will fix bad composition, lack-luster subjects, and poor light without

completely changing the entire image.

In the case of Skynet... Skynet thought it could eliminate the threat John Conner by

sending a T-800 back in time to kill his mother. That was an aweful plan. Skynet did not

consider that they had already sent a T-800 back in time and the T-800 wasn't successful

otherwise John Conner would have never been born and they wouldn't need to try to send

anther T-800 back in time. In T-2 they did the same thing, they sent another machine back

in time, this time the shape-shifting T-1000, with the same result because Skynet failed to

learn from the first event that if you consider sending something back in time and nothing

in the present changes, chances are it is because it failed. They repeated it in the third

movie... with the same result. What Skynet was doing was educating John Conner as to what

his role was going be in the future, enhancing the man he would become.

In the same frame of thought, get as much right in camera the first time because you can't

go back in time to fix it. While you can enhance it with a machine, the machine won't fix

fundamental issues.

Myth #3: Machines are the single biggest danger facing mankind.

Response #3: This is not true at all. While it is true that a computer making a decision is

making the decision based on logic, and without humanity or a concious, the fact of the

matter is that it is humans that have proved time and again to be the most dangerous force

facing mankind. Listen closely; It is decisions people make and don't make that leads to

disaster.

In the case of Skynet... Skynet deemed mankind to be its single biggest threat so it set

forth to eliminate it. So who made Skynet? Who taught Skynet that mankind was the threat?

Yup mankind did. Through our actions and inactions.

Okay so how does this relate to photography? Simple. Use the computer as a tool and stop

being the tool being used by the computer. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to

using technology. Take the time to make the image yourself and use technology as a tool to

get you there and not as a crutch to carry you.

Minto Colour Absentia

2011-10-09T00:10:00.001-07:00

Working with Animals

2011-09-29T22:29:00.001-07:00

Now I am not claiming to be Dr. Do-Little, but I do have a way with animals that makes all but the most abused animals of the world at least trust me, if not love me. This does not mean that I will jump into the tiger exhibit at your local zoo, that would be assinine, but I will venture into realms most other photographers steer clear of for one or more reasons.

One of my secrets of dealing with animals, is patience. This is particularly true if you are trying to do pet photography. Animals can be pinicky about who they trust. The type of instant trust needed for an impatient photographer is not likely in 90% of pets. That trust can take hours to build, and just seconds to destroy. Farm animals can take days or weeks to build this same level of trust and wild animals can require months or years of investment.

So the first thing you need to do is to be patient. A lack of patience on your part is received by the animals, particularly wild and farm animals, as a predatory behavior, such as; following the animal when it moves away, running after the animal, sneaking up on the animal like it doesn't see you or hiding in the bushes, again like it couldn't smell that fufu perfume or old spice you're wearing from the moment you walked out your front door.

The second thing you need is patience? Nope that isn't a typo. Once you have the animal somewhat trusting you, you need to make sure you don't violate that trust. Let them touch you, but don't touch them. The time where you can reach and touch will build to the point that they are constantly right up against you. Rush this step and you might very well being photographing with your long lens for a long time.

The third thing you need is to have a strong stomach. Have you ever had a cow lick you? Yeah, I said lick. Sure it's gross... but it's just spit and a little grass (freshly chewed and regurgitated for sure, but it's all natural). Most animals will investigate what you are in one or both of two ways; through smell and taste. So a cow licking you is much like a handshake to people, or a dog sniffing your crotch. They identify what you are and who you are. You being open to this type of repore building allows for you to get into a position to photograph animals in ways that might take months or years to get otherwise.

The last thing you need is spatial and situational awareness. It is difficult to understand what certain body language means with animals unless you get to know the animals. From afar,spend some time studying behaviors. Learn what it means when a horse's ears are back. Understand the signs that are the precursor to a llama spitting. Know what it means when a cow lowers its head, and it isn't looking to eat grass. Animal behavior is a lot like law... just because you didn't know doesn't mean you didn't violate it and you are the one who will pay the price.

Always be aware of what is going on around you, especially with pack or herd animals. This is spatial awareness.

In dealing with wild animals, not domesticated farm animals, frequency is important. The more the animals see you in their environment doing what it is that you want to do, the faster they will grow comfortable with you when you want to photograph them.

At my former employer, the office build resided on a wetland. Canadian Geese starting nesting in February. By mid April we had goslings walking in the wetlands. Every day, each break and my lunch, I went out into the wetlands to photograph. I hung out in the vacinity, within eyesight of a mated pair of geese each and everyt time I went out. I started by ignoring them, photographing other things. As time wore on, I began turning my camera towards the geese. They were alert to my actions, but I kept my distance and they never felt threatened; alert yes, but never threatened.

As time went on, I began moving a little closer, watching the body langauge of the nesting geese. If they showed signs of stress, I backed off, that is called respecting boundries, in this case nesting boundries.

Before you knew it, the eggs had hatched and I was photographing babies. Not just photographing them, but photographing them from a little as six feet away. I could do this because I was not a threat to these new parents. They knew me. They were used to me. Most importantly, I never posed a threat to them and therefore I was not a threat to their babies.

Now let me just say this, I have never been directly attacked by any animal I was photographing, but I have been caught up in a scuffle between two male geese who were of all things, fighting over a gander. This happened because I wasn't paying attention to what was going on around me. Thank god it wasn't a couple of bulls.

Never go photographing wild animals alone, even something as cute and cuddly looking as a fawn can have tragic consequences. Fawns have moms... a doe can weight as little as 125 pounds to up to 175. Bucks can get upwards to 300 pounds. If you have never seen a show like "When Animals Attack" let me just tell you bigger men than me have been hospitalized by critters smaller than a deer. Have someone go with you and stick together. Also make sure to commincate where you're going to friends, family and neighbors as well as when you plan to leave and arrive back, and stick to that. Don't deviate. That way if you get lost or hurt, people will notice when you aren't back on time and they will know where you should be and help can be on the way.

If you are in the woods, or even a wildlife preserve, wear hunter's orange. Poachers don't care about wildlife preserves except that they usually make for exceptional hunting grounds. Hunter's Orange is the universal color for "Don't Shoot". DO NOT WEAR White, the term White Tail has a meaning to hunters, brown, blue, green or a fur coat. Don't worry... the animals don't care about fashion, and animals don't see in color, so everything is simply shades of gray.

If you're going to be on a farm make sure to bring boots... cow patties smell even worse in a heated car than they do in the field. Always ask permission from the farmer before entering. Always get information about the animals, particularly ask if any are particularly aggressive. If the property is particularly large, bring a hunter's orange vest... hunters love hunting on large ranches.

One of the things that works for me is that I talk to the animals. I talk in a normal voice and say various things like hello, nice to meet you, thank you, what are you doing? The animals don't understand a word I am saying but I am accomplishing a few things; I am keeping myself calm as talking does that. I am familiarizing the animals with my voice and associating my voice with a my non-threatening behavior. Sure I may look and sound like a crazy man, but it works.

Have patience. Frequent the same locations. Keep your spatial and situational awareness in the forefront of your mind. Learn about the animals you are going to photograph. Study the animals from afar for some time before injecting yourself into their environment. Never go alone. Let others know where and when you are going. Always ask permission. Don't be afraid to talk around or with the animals.

If you follow these guidelines you might have a good experience and might even get a great photo.

Good luck.

Mistakes made working with people

2011-09-23T23:32:00.001-07:00

1. Don't Listen To Your Subject

Regardless of whether your working in a customer wanting a portrait or working with a professional model, they will always have some input into the art being created. And why shouldn't they? They are part of the art. You may be going for a certain shot, look, style, mood or whatever, but your subject might be able to contribute to that success and they may lead you to new inspiration as well.

Ask them quesitons and listen to the answers they give. Their ideas might inspire you and your work.

Meet with the subject and get to know him or her before hand. Learn about the boundries and aspirations the subject has. Learn to read people while they talk. A model might not come right out and say they won't do boudior, but might hint in verbal and non verbal ways to their dislike for the subject. Body language and verbal tones are huge cues. Listen with your eyes as much as you do with your ears.

2. Don't Talk With Your Subject

Silence is the leading cause of assumptions. Communication happens both through listening and speaking. And while listening may be the most important factor to communication, speaking might be slightly underated. Communicate the goals of a project and the needs you have the subject before hand can prevent some uncomfortable situations. You don't want your subject learning that this is a nude shoot after he or she is in front of the camera. Sit down, well in advance of the shoot and talk about the goals. Talk about yourself. Be honest and straight forward in your communicaiton.

Let the subject how you communicate when actually shooting. One of the things I learned while working with people is that when the light is dreamy and the shots are stunning I make funny noises. Giggles, chuckles and Mmmmmmm mean things are going well and the photos are turning out fantastic. But when a model is posing for body scapes and is in the vulnerable position of being nude in front my camera and I haven't communicated that, he or she may get the wrong message from those uncontrollable sounds I make if I don't communicate them before hand.

3. Don't Intereact with Your Subject

There is nothing more boring than a photographer whose head is always behind the camera. Tweaking camera settings and adjusting lights and barking orders to the subject all of the time just doesn't create an environment where the subject feels engaged.

Tell the model when they are doing something right. Talk with the model while you tweek the lights or camera settings; ask him or her about their kids, their job, their hobbies, etc. If you don't know about their family, job or hobbies you failed to get to know your subject before hand.

Don't make small talk; small talk is a sign of lack of caring. Engage your subjects. Talk about substaintial topics that have meaning to them. Talk about your experience with the topic. Be genuine.

4. Don't Be Considerate Of Your Subject

My God, let your subject have a break. Being in front of the camera is tough work, whether you think so or not. It can get hot, uncomfortable and tedious. Let your subject walk around, use the restroom, get a drink or bite to eat and stretch.

If the shoot is scheduled to be several hours long, I have had many of those, have scheduled breaks in between sets, even if you are paying them. If you want your subject to have a good experience you need to do this. A dehydrated subject that has had to pee for the last two hours isn't likely to sign up to work with again. Keep the experience positive.

5. Don't Feed And Water Your Subject

I can't even tell you how many times I have gotten a model to come back and shoot for free simply because I fed him or her the first time. Ten dollars in food can go a long way to building a lasting relationship with a subject.

Keep water on hand and refrigerated. Hydration is 100% related to enjoyment of an event. Water is cheap, so don't be cheaper than water or people won't want to work with you.

Ask them frequently throughout the process if they are hungry or thirsty.

6. Don't Follow Through With Your Subject

If you schedule something with a subject keep the appointment. If you promise delivery of prints by a certain date and time keep that promise. Nothing is more aggrivating than being let down with missed appointment and broken promises. Emergencies happen. If this is the case make the subject the first phone call.

7. Don't Gossip With Your Subject

Don't talk smack about another model, photographer or friend. Nothing generates fear more than gossip. I mean if you are talking smack about what a Diva Sally can be, what is your subject wondering about what you say about her when she isn't there.

If the subject is the gossiper, gently change the subject and move on.

8. Don't Stay Calm With Your Subject

You may not be getting upset with your subject in particular, maybe it is lights not firing or maybe your just not into the shoot. But you must remain cool throughout the shoot. Getting upset will upset your subject and that will not only affect the results of the shoot, but it will affect that subject's decision to work with you in the future... and word of mouth can be very destructive to a reputation.

9. Don't Respect Your Subject

We all have boundries and those boundries must be respected if you want to have a long lasting relationship with a subject.

If they aren't into nudes, don't call on them for those types of shoots. If they are allergic to animals, do what you can you prevent them from having a reaction to an animal that may have been in the studio the day before.

To be able to respect the subjects boundries you have to communicate with them to learn what those boundries are. Communicate what you shoot and why you shoot it. Most times subjects will let you know if they are comfortable with something or if they have issue with it. If they have an issue, don't make a big deal about it, just say you understand and respect it and move on.

Toys are nice, but contentment is rewarding

2011-09-21T22:54:00.001-07:00

Megapixels this and aperture that and all those video and in camera features, addons and toys. It is interesting watching other photographers drool over toys. Don't get me wrong, toys are awesome. Toys are geek, shiek and not for the meek. But at some point, photography has to be more about the art than the tech.

When I first got into digital photography, without an ounce of training, I was completely about the next toy, gadget or gizmo. I drooled over other photographer's tripods, not because my tripod didn't work, but rather because it was new, cool and exciting. Lenses, filters, megapixels, remotes, shutter speeds, digital horizon lines... oh my. All of that used to make my lens telescopic; used to.

What I learned while I was learning photography, was that I spent so much time focused on what's new that I didn't figure out how to fully utilize what I had and my photography wasn't any better for having all of those toys accumulating in my growing collection of bags.

I had every filter imaginable, but still shot with kit lenses. I had toys I bought for foul weather shooting that turned out to be more time consuming to use and took up way too much room in my bag while my friends, with much nicer cameras than mine were using plastic grocery bag. I had bags of toys that I had no idea how to apply to my photography.

So I gave up my toy quest, for the most part, and focused on how to use what I had. This doesn't mean that I don't look for toys anymore, but rather I look for toys that I need to take me to next level, or to accomplish a goal I have.

Not long after I bought my first DSLR, an Olympus E-510, my quest began on what would be next... possibly an Olympus E-3 or a move into Medium Format and that was not long after my E-510 purchase; I mean a few days later. But as that dream came crashing down to reality, thanks in part to my wife's stipulation that I couldn't by any more toys for a long time (years), I learned to use what I had. I learned my equipment's purposes and limitations. I learned how to get the shot I wanted with what I had. I learned and I learned a lot.

As I learned and applied this knowledge, my photography made a sudden and swift shifts into the realm of interesting. It wasn't but a year later that I wanted to upgrade my camera, but for the right reasons now rather than for the simple quest of it. I was on the road to creative understanding and growth.

I spent a year pondering the shift between Canon and Nikon. Not because they were any better than the another or even better than my Olympus, but because of the one measurement I had on performance that would justify an upgrade; High ISO Noise Performance. Before I made my choice, I had a long discussion with my good friend Nathan and he argued for Nikon as my choice. His arguement wasn't because he shoots Nikon or that he had a bias for Nikon, even though he does in both cases, but rather because he and two other photogrpahers in my close knit group of photographers shoot Nikons and we could share lenses, flashes and other toys. Now this made complete sense to me.

Then I visited my local photography shop, Focal Point. Mike, the owner of Focal Point, knew that I was waffling between Nikon and Canon, and was hoping, I think, to convince to move towards the Canon 7D, which has great High ISO Performance. So he was a little taken aback when I asked about the Nikon D7000.

After some debate about my reasoning behind changing my mind... Mike broke out the Nikon D200. It was easily $500 cheaper than the D7000 and he made this arguement; "Pros were using this camera as their primary body for years. It was good enough for the pros a few years ago, and nothing about it has changed. Mike's arguement was take the money saved on buying this great performing camera and invest in some quality glass. I did just that.

I tell this story to accetuate my point... Had I walked into his store a few years before with the same agenda, I would not have left with the D200. I would have walked out with the D7000 and one lens of less quality. You might be asking what type of quality lens could I get with only $500? I got a Tamron 17-50 f/2.8 ($500) in addition to the Nikon 50mm f/1.8 ($100) and the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 ($500). I got the tools I needed to accomplish what I wanted. I didn't get get toys because my photography isn't about toys.

I have been asked why the 50mm f/1.8 and not the f/1.4. The answer is easy. As a portrait lens, I shoot at f/5.6 primarily. So what benefit do I get from spending an additional $300 for the f/1.4 when I wouldn't use those extra stops of light or shallower depth of field in my portrait work.

When your photography is about the toys, then your explaination of your photos shifts from the photograph itself, exposure, composition, subject, emotion and light, to what you used to get it. "I used my 85mm f/1.4 with a Hoya ND10 filter stacked on a B+W Multicoated Circular Polarizer sitting on my Gitzo Carbon Fiber Tripod using my Nikon Wireless RF/IR trigger." All I hear when people do this is "Dollars, dollars, more dollars and chaching for my camera bling." That is far less interesting to me than the work itself.

I have applied this to software as well. I used Photoshop 7 clear up to two years ago. I then got my fingers on a copy of CS2. CS2 was awesome, but it was around this time that I was learning the toys principal and I didn't upgrade to CS3 or CS4. It wasn't until this last year that I finally upgraded to CS5 and I only did it because the tools in the software matched what my needs were. I saved a ton of money, and according to others a lot of stress from bug related issues, avoiding CS3 and CS4 and focused on maximizing my skills on what I had and for that I have a stronger workflow, a stronger skillset and a stronger will to avoid the commercialization of art production.

So are you still focused on toys or is your focus shifting to gettting the most out of what you have? Let me know in the comments.

Toys are nice, but contentment is rewarding

2011-09-21T22:53:00.001-07:00

So are you still focused on toys or is your focus shifting to gettting the most out of what you have? Let me know in the comments.

And so it ends

2011-09-19T18:12:00.001-07:00

Much like it began it ends without much fanfare for celebration. My time with the fantastic crew at Studio 247 will be no more. Do to my inability to market myself as a photographer and recent changes to employment statuses I am now unable to afford to finance this dream for the time being.

This does not mean it is over, simply paused until things recover and I can figure out how to do this successfully. It may take a while to figure this out, but it will be figured out.

I want to thank everyone supported, encouraged and helped make this what it was. It was educational, enlightening, fun, exciting and emotional.

Farewell studio 247; farewell.

That is all I'm going to say about that.

On The Lake

2011-09-18T23:48:00.001-07:00

A shot from this evening down at the lake. An hour and a half of time was spent converting this to black and white to accomplish the vision I was going for.

Field of Flags - 9/11 Tribute

2011-09-10T01:03:00.001-07:00

So I went down to the Field of Flags tribute with my wife and Liz tonight, and of course I took my camera. I thought I would share a few shots and thoughts.

It was both beautiful and somber. The white flags list the names of each of the people's names who died during that horrible event. Seeing those names repeated so many times really let the impact of the massive scale of the loss of life hit home for me. I thought I would share a few of the photographs I shot while I was there.

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Making Food Porn with Becky

2011-08-07T07:04:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know Becky, you are missing out on having a wonderful human being in your life. You can follow Becky's little gardening and life adventure blog at http://spinninggal.blogspot.com/. So yesterday I met Becky at our local Saturday Market. Becky has wanted me to shoot some art shots of food and flowers for her for a while now, so we went to the market with the goal of making some food porn, well at least I did. I don't think Becky had a clue what she was getting herself into. After she shopped till she dropped, we had a little bite of lunch and then went back to my studio for a little shoot. We had some fun and I even got her in front of the camera for a few shots. Thank you for Becky for being part of a wonderful day. Enjoy these preview shots of things to come.

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Written in Stone

2011-08-04T19:04:00.001-07:00

Some images for a project I am working on...

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If given just one chance to write something in stone, permanently, what would you write? Would you express your undying love or everlasting disdain? Would you be pervrse, deep or sentimental. Or maybe your name so it could remain for eternity, never to be forgotten. What would you write? Let me know by leaving a comment.

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Evening Experimenting

2011-08-02T20:42:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I took myself on a photowalk. But I did it tonight and I had a good time. Just me, nikon and the light. Some samples of what I saw...

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Family of Artists

2011-07-30T16:37:00.001-07:00

Today we spent $1.60 on sidewalk chalk for the sole purpose of decorating our retaining wall in the back yard. Here is what our little family of artists came up with.

Mine:

Kim's:

Rachel's:

Hannah's:

Hannah at work:

We Have Babies

2011-07-30T12:03:00.001-07:00

It was a long wait, had the egg since March, but it finally happened. My daughter walked in and said the Praying Mantis Egg was hatching. We counted about 40 babies. The egg coupld produce as many as 300 babies. How awesome will that be. Here are a few photos of our new borns...

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Majik Silver Bullet

2011-07-23T17:13:00.001-07:00

Wonder

2011-07-15T00:48:00.001-07:00

If I were a molecule in a mass of flesh would I have influence on the body?

I wonder.

If I were a grain of sand on a little blue planet would I still be important?

I wonder.

If I were a little planet in an enormous galaxy would I still have impact?

I wonder.

I am a single person in a never-ending, expanding universe and I touch lives.

I, Wonder.

Parkour in Motion - Sabotage

2011-07-10T18:46:00.001-07:00

parkour_sm.wmv Watch on Posterous

This is a video of the Parkour event. Enjoy!

Parkour in Motion - Sabotage

2011-07-10T18:27:00.001-07:00

This is a video of the Parkour event. Enjoy!

Parkour - not just a fad

2011-07-10T15:35:00.001-07:00

It is a way of life. Recently I went to a Parkour gym in Portland with fellow photographer Chris David. These athletes are amazing. Enjoy the photos.

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How I Spent My 4th of July

2011-07-06T03:58:00.001-07:00

It may appear that I was on acid, but the reality is I only imagining how the whole event would be experienced if I was on acid. The results were exactly what I was going for.

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An Evening At The Pit

2011-07-03T11:57:00.001-07:00

A fun evening at the pit with friends Liz, Caleb and his girl friend. Playing with all sorts of things to shoot.

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Broken

2011-06-30T17:51:00.001-07:00

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When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

Tears stream down on your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I...

Tears stream down on your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And on your face I...

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

An Afternoon With Keshia

2011-06-26T12:30:00.001-07:00

World, Keshia. Keshia, World. Now that the introduction are done, let me tell you a little about Keshia. She has personality pouring from every inch of her. She had Nathan and I laughing from get go. Keshia is from Brittian so she says fun words like hooligans and mum which just sounds so cool when she says it. Keshia is also a ball of energy and that energy is catchy... in a big way.

This was Keshia's first time in front of the camera... but it didn't take her long at all to get comfy and just be herself and when she did the magic just happened. Take a look for yourself.

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Thank you Keshia... I look forward to working with you again very soon.

Air

2011-06-24T12:40:00.001-07:00

Sometimes air can be felt. Sometimes air can be smelled. Sometimes air can be heard. And sometimes, if you look real close, air can be seen.

Dealing with Creative Disappointment

2011-06-10T16:30:00.001-07:00

Last night, I was prepared for an amazing shoot with a new model that Nathan arranged to have come in. I had shots planned in my mind and ideas for setting up shots that could be expanded on in future sessions. 6:00 came and went. The model didn't show up. Nathan made a phone call and learned that the shoot wasn't actually scheduled until the following week. Talk about disaapointment. But it happens and there is no need to cry over spilled milk. Move on. Some times that can be harder said than done, but it is simple when you have Nathan around.

We went in the studio and played. He posed and I shot. That little mini-session made it so much easier to cope... I still got to experiment and create some fun images.

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When we walked outside, near sunset, Nathan I were greated with the most amazing sky.

The above image is nearly out of camera. So rather heading home, Nathan and I piled into his truck and headed to the hills to capture the amazing sunset that was about to happen.

Using the blue graduated tint built into his truck's window this too is nearly out of camera, meaning very little post processing. The sunset was gorgeous. How could one not recover from creative disappointment when you have such inspiration distracting you.

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Yeah... by the time I got home I was more focused on the excite for next week than the date goof. Disappointment? What disappointment.

Then when I got home, I found some love in my dropbox from Nathan from a play date we had a few weeks ago.

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In the end, the day was never a disappointment, but more of a delay followed by a series of alternate opportunities. Big weekend coming... looking forward to a full day of various activities tomorrow.

Another Evening with Christina - How It Works

2011-06-07T22:18:00.001-07:00

It is amazing when you get to work with someone who knows what they're doing, even if they're not sure they do. Christina is a natural. She knows her body, knows her limits and is amazing in front of the camera. Her stamina is astounding as well, as you are about to learn.

It all started at 6:00 PM. We arrive at the studio and Christina breaks out two bags of costumes and props. She shows me all of the outfits and props she brought with her, and that number is in the upper double digits.

At 6:30 we start with simple; goggles and a hat. Head shots are the focus.

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You'll notice that the first two images look similar, that's because they are. I shot the second image with intent of producing it into what became the second image. At this point in time, Chris arrived at the studio and joined in the shoot. We kept her busy until 7:30 with the hat and goggles. After that we took a break and discussed the rest of the evening as Nathan showed up.

The sun began coming into the studio and it was time to take advantage of that golden light.

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I fell in love with this mask the minute she pulled it out of the bag. So I took advantage of the natural golden sunlight and the mask... What I was seeing was simply stunning. I made lots of noises as I shot these. Now just to clarify... when things are going well, I don't usually speak, mainly because I can't. Instead, I make noises, like gutteral-animal sounds. There was a lot of these sounds as the mask shots were happening.

After Nathan and Chris took their turn in the light, we took another break.

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At 9:00 we moved into the studio with a fresh new costume. I took my turn behind the camera. Then Nathan and Chris took their turns. And then I had an idea...

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I like it when I have ideas and Christina liked the results as well. I bet you can imagine... even more sounds were coming from behind the camera.

At 10:00, Christina changes into another costume for a couple of shots.

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Yup... That is a skeleton costume and that is a back bridge... something she showed me she could do the very first time we worked together. At 10:25 one last costume change and Chris David took over the shooting role. He had waited all night for this costume which I didn't shoot, but I did paint a mask on Christina's face for it. Let's just say... Wonder Woman would have met her match.

At 11:00 we packed up and headed home. Christina was, with the excption of the frequent breaks we took, posing the whole time, hell she was even posing during breaks. I will just say... this young lady can out model three photographers and still have energy to keep going. The best part of working with Christina is that she is so comfortable with herself and she is generous with her time. The fact is that all of the poses you see, that look so good, is just her being herself. When she is forced into a pose, it doesn't look natural, it looks forced.

I have learned through working with Christina that some models have to be posed sometimes to the point of micro managing each and every one of their body parts, but when working with someone like Christina, if you let them do their thing, the magic is natural and free flowing and it shows up in camera. Don't restrict the magic by micromanaging like some cubicle dwelling ass-clown. Let go. Let it happen. When you do the results will come.

Happy birthday Christina. I can't wait to work with you again.

Inspiration at the Abby

2011-06-06T18:18:00.001-07:00

My photo group went to the Mt. Angel Abby on Sunday. I shot less than 30 images on my digital camera. My intent with this shoot was to shoot film. A friend of mine, Merlin, was heading back to Afghanastan and he left me his Pentax K1000 with a half a dozen rolls of film. One of the rolls is an ISO 3200 roll which I am saving for a special undisclosed purpose. My lens choices on the K1000 are limited to a 50mm prime and a 70-120mm macro. I love prime lenses so I doubt that I will ever snap the zoom on.

One of my intents with film is to gain an appreciation of shooting with intent, thanks to Nathan. Don't snap it unless I mean it. In an effort to understand the cost of shooting film and shooting digital, I did some research and found that with my digital camera, it costs me $0.02 per shutter click over the lifetime of the camera. That $0.02 includes body cost (150,000 rated shutter actuations), memory card cost (assuming I lose one, or drop in the toilet), lens cost and the cost of charging the batteries. It was very scientific calculation and while $0.02 per click of the shutter doesn't sound like a lot, especially compared to film, it can add up. So if I shoot 10000 "Not Good" images over the course of a year that equates to $200 per year thrown away. I know there are better things I can do with $200 a year, how about you.

Anyone not familiar with the K1000, I will say this... it is full manual. Manual aperture, shutter and focus. I spent a lot of time focusing on making sure the exposure was right. I spent a lot of time making sure the depth of field is what I wanted. I spent a lot of time making sure my focus was dead on. I spent a lot of time prepping for the shot and ended up only shooting 15 exposures. Next weekend I plan on shooting an entire roll of film and no digital. I want to slow down and film is going to help me do this and help me be a better photographer. I did have to laugh at myself that day. After each shot, like I do with any new camera I work with, I looked at the back of the camera to review the image. Laughter came after each shot as I re-realized, looking at the back of the camera, that this wasn't digital. Yup, I laughed outloud each time... and it was frequent all the way to the fifteenth shutter click.

So I didn't burn through the whole role of film, which means I have more to shoot before I can share those image, but once I shoot through the roll, I will get it developed and then scan the negatives with my new (used) negative scanner I got from Michael of nine22.com.

Inspiration was abundant as always at the Abby. This time I was more reserved with what I actually shot than my previous trips. In previous trips, I was so overwhelmed with the plethora of subjects to pick from I was intent on shooting everything. Thanks to a seed my good friend Nathan Smith planted a while ago, this time I went with an intent... textures, minimalism and perspectives. This shot incorporates both texture and perspective... gotta love those clouds.

I have always loved this door, but I just now figured out how to shoot it and more importantly, how to process it.

I am so tired of shooting flowers, but alas, this is my first Lily.. so I had to shoot it... and I chose to go minimalist on it. I was pleased with the results.

Again, film results coming soon so stay tuned. My goal is make Merlin proud... but not with this first roll. This was a test to get acclimated to film again and I truly don't expect the results to be anything but haphazard chaos theory put into practice. But I am still hopeful.

An Evening on the Bridge

2011-06-04T21:37:00.001-07:00

Last week, my photo group had a shoot on the Union Street Walking Bridge. It was amazing.

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Yup... my shots are a little abstract, but that was my intention. Like them or not, this is what I meant to create.

Memorial Day Outtakes

2011-06-03T14:25:00.001-07:00

Here are some fun little outtakes from our happy Memorial Day roadtrip.

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If you're sitting at home feeling uninspired, I highly recommend filling your gas tank and getting your butt off the couch. You aren't going to inspiration on your couch. Get out and find it.

Military Appreciation Day

2011-06-02T22:56:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to photograph the State of Oregon's Military Appreciate Day. It started early in the morning with a Blackhawk helicopter landing at the Capital Mall. I arrived early, 7:10AM, and asked which direction the helicopter was coming in at. I got into position and waited. I wanted a shot of the blackhawk flying low, directly over my head. Then as I could hear the helicopter coming in, I was told I had to move because I wasn't allowed to be in the flight path. I tried to say that was the shot I wanted, but was told I HAD to move to under the trees.

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So I moved under the trees and got some cool shots, but not the shots I wanted. The rotor wash shook the trees so violently that I was actually hit in the head with a branch, hard. I looked over at the guy that told me to move and said, "Safer huh?" He just laughed.

After the Blackhawk was on the ground I shot some photos of the cannons.

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Then at noon I made my way back in anticipate of the F-15 fly over of the capital. I got to listen to the governor make a speech...

After the speech, I got in position for the F-15 flyover and caught a couple of great shots.

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Then at the end of the day as I was walking to the studio, I ran into my good friend Merlin, was freshly back from Afgahnastan, literally landed the night before. It was a great day over all. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Our Memorial Day

2011-05-31T16:10:00.001-07:00

Our memorial day was a beautiful day of friendship, travel, photography and BBQ. The morning started at 9:00AM when our friend, and fellow Studio 247 resident, Liz Smith, showed up at our door. We loaded some lunch, camera equipment and our tired butts into her car and headed down the road. Our desitination? The top of the Oregon Coast Range.

Welcome to Mary's Peak.

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]Mary's peak includes some beautiful water features. Run off from the spring melt creates some amazing water falls and creeks.

[[posterous-content:pid___1]]The top of Mary's Peak was socked in with clouds creating a sense of gloom. And while we never had the chance to see the bounty of beautiful views of the valley as can only be had on top of Mary's Peaks, the view we were presented was stunning none-the-less; it was beautiful.

As we headed back towards home, we stopped for some lunch. After a tasty meal, we hit the road back to Salem. When we arrived at our final destination, I cam across a treasure throve of imagery. Starting with fire.

[[posterous-content:pid___2]]The came the machinery...

[[posterous-content:pid___3]]And finally came the view and surrounding object.

[[posterous-content:pid___4]]My wife finally got some use of her new camera as well.

[[posterous-content:pid___5]]It was an amazing day. Thank you Liz, and Kirsten, for having us out that beautiful day.

A Evening with Nathan Smith

2011-05-30T15:25:00.001-07:00

Yup.. that's right, photographers are not excluded from being in front of the camera. How else can we make our subjects comfortable in front of the camera if we aren't. So here a small set from an evening at the studio with Renowned photographer and lighting expert, Nathan Smith.

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A new boom was tested this evening at our studio, and the results are simply amazing. I am loving the light once again. Thanks Nathan for being patient as we worked through the light angles.

An Evening with Savannah

2011-05-27T15:36:00.001-07:00

My many thanks to Nathan Smith for inviting me out to assist him with this shoot, and of course for letting me shoot.

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I am truly in my skin when I am creating art, even if it is just helping others with their projects. Nathan knows this about me and even joked last night that he was doing community service in that by getting me out of the house and creating he was preventing a previously unimaginable amount body count. I laughed and acknowledged that he was probably right. So I would to say a big thank you to Nathan for getting me out of the house and keeping me sane.

So anyone have a project that they want some help on?

An Afternoon with Lyndsey

2011-05-26T18:56:00.001-07:00

I spent an afternoon at Crendo Studio for a social mixer they hosted for local area photographers, models and makeup artists. It was an great networking opportunity that was a welcomebreak from the mundane existence I tend to normally dwell in. During the mixer I met Lyndsey Love, a local area model, and when she got in front of my camera we both worked a little magic.

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I hope to work with her again in the near future. Thank you Lyndsey for working with me that day, and thank you Bruce and Tamara at Crendo for being such gracious hosts.

An Evening with Christina

2011-05-25T05:59:00.001-07:00

I got to spend an evening photographing the ever fun and always lovely Christina in the studio.

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She truly knows how to work a space, and is a natural in front of the camera.

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Even after five solid hours of work, she was willing to keep going. Thank you Christina for being the free spirit you are and for working with me so freely.

Night with the Monsters

2011-05-24T19:18:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of joining Nathan Smith and Liz Smith (of no relation) on a shoot in a haunted house called the Nightmare Factory. What an awesome haunted house. Put on in the basement of the deaf school, by the staff and student body of school. This haunted house was put on in celebration of Friday the 13th. If you have never been, do yourself a favor and check them out this Halloween.

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Again, make sure to check them out this Halloween.

Recovery

2011-05-22T13:55:00.001-07:00

It has been a while. And while I haven’t been alone, by definition of the word alone, I have been in a form of solitary. Not sharing, not being a part of things as I had been in the past. To be honest, it has been good for me, but I have missed it. I have spent considerable time holding myself accountable. I have been putting myself through “Bad Things” day in and day out for nearly a month now. Yeah, I have been particularly rough on myself, but that is who I am.

During this time I also observed the world around me. I observed the people around me. But my most important observation was of myself.

In observing the world around me I saw dark days. I saw the apparent collapse of my network of creative contacts as many of them pulled away. Rightfully so I am sure. I was a scary person for a while. I wasn’t able to hold myself up, so how could I support them. I saw very little beauty in the world around me. I felt very little emotion towards my world. I was cold in my frigid isolated world.

In observing the people around me I saw people that were repulsed by me. I saw people who had very little compassion for me. I saw people who viewed me like a spoiled little brat. I saw people who looked past my were compassionate, supportive and concerned.

I looked in the mirror yesterday morning and I saw a middle aged has-been-wanna-be. Yup, that’s right. I am a has-been and a wanna-be at the same time. And yes I am middle aged. See I am a has been, because the prime of life is behind me. By all standards I have accomplished a majority of what I will accomplish in my life. I am also a wanna-be in that I want to accomplish more but am not sure if I have the ability to do that.

I also saw a man who has a passion, drive and determination to accomplish whatever I set my mind to, which is what made the recent downfall so much harder. I don’t fail often, so when I do it is hard and I am very hard on myself. I know failure is supposed to make you stronger and wiser, but I never learned that lesson in life.

During my time away I found out who my real friends were. My real friends stood by me. My real friends, while they might not have understood, showed compassion. My real friends, while possibly perplexed at my response to the change, listened and took action to get me doing what I needed to be doing, even if that meant I needed to be left alone. My real friends challenged me by keeping me active. My real friends did more for me than they will ever know.

So what has changed? Not a lot, but some important things did. I am still deeply saddened by my failure, but I have developed a few tools and activities for coping. I am working on a blueprint for my future and how I achieve my goals. I can’t count on people valuing art, let alone my art. So, I am not going to count on my art selling, regardless if it is through portraits, weddings, fine art prints or some other tangible art.

Times must and always do change. If you don’t change with the times, then you become an antique which is pretty to look at but useless for practical purposes.

I have evaluated my business savvy. My personal marketing skills are a vacuous dismal disgrace. I don’t know how to fix that because my “suck” is at varying levels. My main problem is I can’t say no. This is why I have new desk job. I wanted to say no. I could have said no. In the end I couldn’t say no. Much in the same way I couldn’t say no to all of the free work people wanted me to do. My confidence was not where it should’ve been. My follow through was lacking. I was under the belief that if Kubota, Arias or Bianci could do, I could do it. I believed that they don’t have any more talent than I do. I believed that I was equally creative as them. What I didn’t do was look at the difference in our market demographics and geographic locations. Salem isn’t Atlanta. Nor is it Los Angeles. Nor is it Bend. That was a failure in understanding the market. I lost a paying gig with a “friend” to a much lower bidder because my initial prices were 3 and 4 fold greater than the other photographer. I became bitter at that point and that was in December. I felt betrayed. I felt kicked in the face. My attitude was fuck you, I will prove you wrong. I didn’t lower my prices and I became more bitter as time wore on. I messed up.

I made myself dependant on others for my personal success, and this lead me to be lazy because I could just blame the others when things didn’t work out. Did I blame “the others” when things didn’t work? Nope, because I knew all along that I was my own undoing. I owned it. My failure was my own. They were simply an attempt at having a patsy, because they had absolutely nothing to do with my failure. They were and still remain true friends.

So what does the future hold for me and my attempt at providing for my family with photography? I don’t know, but I do know that photography won’t be the only avenue I pursue. I will be writing, painting, drawing, playing music, photographing and even might try my hand at acting. I doubt I will share much more of my written work since that seems to create more issues in my life than I can handle at this point, but I will start sharing my other works.

The future also spells out that I am going to be much better at saying no to working for free. This does not mean I will not help out my true friends or organizations in need. My true friends deserve so much more than I can give them and organizations that contribute to the well being of the community deserver all the help they can get, so they have my services available to them any time I can, but everyone else, get ready to hear “no” a lot, especially when it comes down to working for free. I deserve to be valued and those that don’t value me don’t deserve to reap the rewards of my talents for absolutely no cost.

This may sound selfish, but it really isn’t. It means that I will continue helping others in need. I plan on volunteering my services to several organizations that not only need it, but deserve it.

The future also means that I surround myself with co-supportive people. This means that I support them as much as they support me and I am not talking financially. If the support isn’t mutual, then the relationship is not healthy for me.

“Hope and fear are both phantoms that arise from thinking of the self.” ~ Lao Tzu

The future also means not fearing and not being just hopeful. I will not fear being successful. I will not fear being praised. I will not fear my confidence. I will not fear the unknown. By facing my fears I will take their power away. When the unknown becomes the known, there is nothing to fear. When you don’t fear praise, praise can lift you up. When you don’t fear confidence, then moving forward becomes easier. When you don’t fear success, it will find you because you won’t be hiding from it.

Hope without action will result in failure. My actions will always be focuses on success: success of someone be it another or myself. As long as a party is benefiting and their benefit benefits others then action is worthy.

“Always without desire we must be found for if desire is always within us its outer fringe is all we shall see.” ~ Lao Tzu

There are few things I actually desire, but when I do desire something, I get tunnel vision. Yup… I see nothing except for what is right in front of me, my virtual goal line. That means I miss critical road bumps, and even other opportunities that might have been critical to my success in another arena. I need to remove this limitation from my life.

I am a student by nature. I love learning new things, but in my learning I have taken much of the mystery out of the world, and therefore I have taken much of my appreciation of the wonder of the world from me. I need to regain the awe I once had about the world around me. I miss that.

In addition to being a student by nature, I am a teacher as well. My ways of teaching are different than many I have experienced myself. I teach through passive methods. I teach by giving what is needed and letting the student discover the most important things. I find that through this type of discovery a person feels a connection with the new found knowledge. So when teaching a software or camera technique I teach the mechanics (how and why it works) and then I send them down their path to discover what it can do for them. The results of this are usually amazing.

My dog killed a squirrel yesterday. It took her two months of stalking and hunting in the backyard to do it, but her patience and persistence paid off. She never got mad. She never resigned to herself to failure after failure. She persisted day after day, until her day. I had assumed that our dog was simply playing a game. I assumed that if she ever caught a squirrel she wouldn’t know what to do with it. I thought I knew my dog. But it turns out that she knew herself better. She knew what she was doing and knew what to do when the time came. It was her instinct.

People do the same thing. I can teach the mechanics of drawing, photography, music or painting, but it won’t be until they can take those mechanical aspects and blend them with their own instincts to come up with something unique. That can’t be taught. If teaching it is attempted then the student is only taught how to work like the teacher does and the awe of the moment is lost.

In much of the same way I can’t be told what to do, otherwise I won’t have my “aha” moment of discovery. I can be given some basic mechanics, but then I have to be released to work with it. It definitely makes the process a longer, but it is the way it has to be with me.

There is a lot I have to work on still, but I can only do one thing at a time. I am not anywhere near close to being fixed, but I am working on it. I am going to have good day and bad days. If you don’t want to know the truth, don’t ask me about my day job, because although I may have found a way to deal with it, I am not happy with it and I won’t lie or beat around the bush.

So I will begin blogging again, but my posts are going to more about art and less about me. So I return you to our regularly scheduled program.

The Newest Edition To Our Yard

2011-05-08T14:42:00.001-07:00

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Just a quick post to let everyone know I am still kicking. I am still checked out and offline, so don't expect much from me in the near future.

And Now, I Disappear

2011-05-03T01:35:00.001-07:00

I am going for a walkabout. I am disappearing. I don't know when I will be retuning. It might be a week, a month... maybe longer. I am not sure. I have obligations and I will fulfill them with all of the gusto that is expected and I will provide the best possible service to those that I have promised. This will be part of my recovery.

Life has been like a freight train dragging me along the tracks here of late. I guess it is more like my reaction to life has been more like me trying to stop a freight train with the open palm of my hand and a deep resonating voice commanding it to stop. Needless to say, it doesn't work. The other day, I nearly made a dear friend of mine cry. Now why would I do that? My friend asked me how my job was. I was honest with my friend. My friend's response was a callous, "Cry me a river. I wish I had it that bad." This was in reference to the fact that my friend's job is in retail and my friend would give the soul of their first born for desk job. For some odd reason, my friend's response pissed me off beyond belief. Pissed is too light of a word. It enraged me. Maybe it was because it was the umpteenth time I had heard that type of response. Maybe it was because everyone seems so happy that I am caged in a box, wasting away in a tomb eight hours a day. But I felt like telling this friend to go slowly fuck themself in the ass with a ginsu knife while gargling with a liquid drano and razorblade cocktail. That is not like me, normally, to react this way towards people I actually care about, but that was my honest reaction in my mind. I am just lucky that I held back that I actually controlled myself (it was so difficult it literally hurt), and stuffed that reaction because I do value our friendship. But this tells me that something is definitely wrong with me.

I don't know how to explain how the day job makes me feel other than bad. I don't know how to express the depth of failure I feel, other than I am in a deep grieving morn over it. I don't know how to accept that things are the way they are other than to give up trying. I feel defeated. I don't have the answers my wife wants from me on how to fix myself. I acknowledge that this has been very hard on my wife, I know. I haven't been a happy person in a long time. I haven't been able to smile an honest smile in over a month. I haven't been able to enjoy a single day without a feeling of remorse, regret and utter disappointment in my failure. I spend each day wondering what i could have done differently. I spend each night thinking ugly thoughts.

A short while ago, I wrote a poem called Bad Things and I was asked by an artist friend at one point following that post, who I wrote the poem about. I didn't answer the question then because I didn't want to freak anyone out. Well, I think it is time I answer that question now. I hope that my wife might actually read this, although I doubt it, she doesn't really care about what I write and is so tired of my "art"... she doesn't even pay attention anymore. I don't blame her. So to answer the question that was asked. Bad things was a addressed to me, written to reflect on my personal feelings about how I feel about letting myself, my wife and my dreams down. It was written to review how I felt about my failure. Yes, Bad Things is violent. Yes, Bad Things is disturbing. Yes, Bad Things is brutal. But it reflects honestly about my self-image and self-worth. Bad Things is what I do to myself mentally with each and every day I have to step into the death-cage known as my cubicle. Writing it was theraputic to a point, short-termed, but the self-loathing has not stopped or became magically easier since I put Bad Things on paper. I actually lost a friend over Bad Things. Another friend lectured about the inappropriateness (if that's a word) of having minors a friends on Facebook who might have read it. Bad Things did a lot, but heal me it did not.

What I can say is that the jobs feels like a vampire. Sitting in my gray walled cubicle in the white walled office space under the crappy quality lights all day sucks my life from me from the moment I get up in the morning until several hours after I get home. I spend each and every day regretting my attempts at follow my dream and this makes each moment in my cavern of dispair a constant reminder of what I did wrong. 1/3 of my lief during the week is spent in a repeating loop of recalling each failed step I took over the last six months. Imagine that. Eight hours a day, living a real life "Ground Hogs Day". Reporting to five bosses each and every day is like having all my teeth pulled, put back in and repeated five times each day. I won't go into too much detail into my mental state, but I think the above "Bad Things" admission says enough.

It saddens me that those that are closest to me, like my wife and non-artsy friends don't understand this about me and can't seem find an ounce of compassion for what I am experiencing. The lack of compassion definitely helps hold me in this dark and damp tomb I initially put myself in. This is definitely much like something that started as a self-induced exile and now it is being enforced by those around me. This is a very dark and lonely place, but alas it is a place I have created for myself. Therefore I must find a way out of it myself. So for now, I disappear. I am off to walk the scorched Earth of my mind to see if I can heal. If I can, I will be stronger, I am sure. But I don't know if I can at this point, but I will try. See that is how I am. Even if I don't if it is possible, I will try.

So now I walk away. I take my leave. There will be no music. There will be no T.V. There will be no photographs. There will be no blogging. There will be no short-stories. There will be no poetry. There will be no drawing. There will be no distractions. Just me and my thoughts. I will allow my mind to execute Bad Things, as written. I deserve it. We'll see what happens on the other side. I need to find myself again. I need to find my passion. I need to forgive myself and that means first being openly angry wtih myself and I shall do that.

For those that need to reach me (those that I have commitments to), you have my phone number and if you don't have my phone number, email me yours and I will call you back. I plan on fulfilling my commitments to each and every one of you, because you deserve nothing less than that.

[Fade to Black]

Protesters coming to the state capital

2011-05-02T11:33:00.001-07:00

We want rights.... seems to be there slogan.... education... moving on

Sunrises, Balloons, Flowers and Trains

2011-05-01T22:04:00.001-07:00

Today has been an amazing day. I got to spend the day with several artists at some of the most beautiful and inspiring locations; Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm and The Oregon Garden. With my camera in hand and my creativity aching to express I was able to do something fun, with people who have an understanding of what it means to need to create.

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May your tomorrow bring at least one ounce of creativy my today gave to me.

My day at OSU

2011-04-26T14:42:00.001-07:00

A little something from my day in Corvallis

Stuck at Home

2011-04-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

What's a boy to do when he's stuck at home? A boy must experiement and play otherwise the boy might get bored. Boredom for me is never a good thing. So I experimented...

See... this is what happens when I cook. Yup, that's right, I set off the smoke detector cooking breakfast. Breakfast was yummy, and I got these sun rays captured coming through the window.

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Squirrels are becoming my favorite subject on a day where I am stuck at home. We have half a dozen of these little guys that just roam around the yard asking, no begging, to be photographed. How can I say no to a face like that?

Yuppers... My neighbor fixed his birdbath. If you recall from a few weeks ago I blogged about my neighbors and photographed this birdbath laying on the ground. It has since been fixed. I wonder if my neighbor reads my blog?

This is what boredom really looks like. Two turn tables and a microphone. My many thanks to The Whiffenpoofs for their help in getting this shot off.

Now it is time to wrap so I can go enjoy an Easter dinner with my lovely and patient wife and my two wonderful daughters. I hope that your holiday was filled with family warmth and love.

Untitled

2011-04-23T12:03:00.001-07:00

It is amazing that from October until the end of March I was able to make a run at being a professional photographer. I got to live the dream, and then watch it die a quick death. I was on the brink of several huge opportunities, but because nothing was guaranteed and I was forced to a make a decision that affected my families homeless status. I was had to take a job, temporary or not. I did the right thing, but that doesn't prevent me from being deeply saddened by the loss of my dream.

As I make the transition from career to hobby, I would like to look at what I accomplished during my six months as a professional photographer as well as what went wrong. So let's start with the negative and document what went wrong:

I failed at marketing myself and getting my pricing in order early on. This is my failure. I own this. By not executing, following through and pushing myself further, I failed myself.
I couldn't focus. All of the professional seminars I watched and attended stated one thing in common; "Pick one field, be it wedding, portrait, food, pet, senior or other, but pick one and push it. If you can't focus yourself into one field, you stretch yourself too thin and will never be successful." This is another one I own. I get bored easy so I pushed myself to defy what everyone was saying, and I paid the price.
Salem is full of people who want everything for free. Call it the economy, culture or something else, but everyone wants everything for free. You can see it in Craigslist ads, I want a professional photographer for my wedding, but I don't want to pay a dime. You see this in ads like "We want professional photos from someone who wants to build their portfolio." This translates to I want it free. This is not me complaining about the jobs I did for free. I did the work I did for free because I was building a small portfolio of photos to help market myself. But then when it came time to book paying gigs, the people never came through with the payments or backed out. I own part of this as well, I should have required half down up front. This is a lesson learned and will not pose an issue moving forward.
My life as it sits now is not condusive to running my own business. Child support, visitation schedule, sharing a car with my wife and Fibromyalgia, while alone are not completely hindering, but combined are far too restrictive to do what is needed to become successful. So unless I can find a way to correct these situations I won't be successful in any endevor.

Now on to the positive. What did I accomplish during the last six months? I made some amazing friends. I tested a concept that I might be able to work I became connected with creative self. I worked with some amazing people and I created some amazing art.

People

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Art

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And finally I learned a lot about myself. This is attributed to my experience with the Artist Way. I found in that group a new family of caring and giving people who although undeniably different than I am, a so similiar in their fears and frustrations. There was a lot growth and healing that happened to me through the artist way and through the relationships developed. This is possibly the most important experience I had over the last six months, and while I have light years to travel still, this was the start of an important journey for me.

So while my professional photography career appears to be cut cut short, it is a short termed delay. I have bigger plans for Salem and I will soon be in the face of those that have ignored me recently. Get ready Salem cause here I come.

Birds, Books and Boomerangs

2011-04-20T12:09:00.001-07:00

We have such an interesting collection of wild birds that hang around our house. I have no choice but to break out my 200mm lens to try and capture them. Sure I bait them, but it is for mutual gain. I get their photograph, they get fed and you get to see the results. Everyone wins.

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Last night I was given the gift of creative collaboration. Rick and Paul came by the studio to so something creative. Paul brought a cool collection of books from 1926. Beautiful gold leaf pages and textured black bindings. I have a great appreciation of old books and I did my best to capture the beauty and craftsmanship put in to books.

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Paul also brought a wonderful boomerang. It wasa functional and decorative piece that had definitely been used.

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Thanks Paul and Rick for a great evening of fun and creativity.

Sunny Delight

2011-04-19T13:54:00.001-07:00

This is not about the sugary juice drink but rather paying tribute to a long lost friend... the sun. Welcome home my friend. Welcome home.

Sunny Delight

2011-04-19T13:42:00.001-07:00

Nope this isn't the juice drink but rather me displaying a little love and respect for my long lost friend... the sun

Move On

2011-04-16T21:21:00.001-07:00

Move On

You don’t approve of my mind, move on

You don’t approve of my wife, move on

You don’t approve of my art, move on

I am not alive to seek your approval

But I am doing the best I can do

I have only the God has given me

If that isn’t enough for you, move on

You don’t approve of my way, move on

You don’t approve of Fibro, move on

You don’t approve of my life, move on

I am not here for you to approve

But I do my best to do what’s right

If that isn’t to your taste, move on

To be like you means not being me

To meet your standards means failing me

To live your life means ignoring mine

I’m not here to be a clone of you

I am here to be me, who I am

If I am not good enough, move on

Hate my voice of expression, move on

Hate my need to heal what’s broke, move on

Hate passion that comes from pain, move on

Embrace me or not, friend or un-friend

I do not apologize for me

Chose a path of your own and move on

Just passing through

2011-04-13T16:53:00.001-07:00

I had to capture the sky.

Bad Things

2011-04-12T00:19:00.001-07:00

You shit on my face and I let it go

Then you lit a match and burned down my soul

Stole my money, I turned the other cheek

You destroy me like a meth-head-ass-freak

And now there is nothing for me to do

I just wanna do some bad things to you

You fist fucked my head and I turned away

There was nothing I said, could do or say

You kick me when I am down when I cry

Punch my bare face, with disdain you do sigh

I am all out of places to run to

I’ve no choice but to do bad things to you

You berate me and weaken my spirit

Then you looked me in the eye and spit

Lobotomy, mind sodomy your choice

Fucking me brutal with more than your voice

I am done with being fucked, hell yeah I'm through

I have to do really bad things to you.

Made me dependant then took you away

Face in the mud, on the ground I once lay

Neck in the noose, missing what I must lack

Eyes are now open, bitch now I am back

Pick up all the pieces, was much to do

I'm about to do some bad things to you.

On my feet again, and all on my own

Swinging with both fists, you'll reap what you sown

Tub full of acid, knives and razor wire

You made me what I am, hit man for hire

You'll pay the piper, a turn of the screw

It’s time to do some real bad things to you

A Day at the Park

2011-04-10T16:12:00.001-07:00

Today we walked to the park for a relaxing picnic and some much needed fun out of the house.

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There was some fun at the playground.

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There was some fun with a scooter while the bike sat unused.

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Even Baby Girl has some fun, after she got in fight with another dog. The other dog started it.

This is my favorite shot fo the day. A picture perfect example of how Baby Girl is almost all of the time; On the move.

Seasons

2011-04-10T11:35:00.001-07:00

Colors change as the light shifts in the sky

My deepening melancholy darkens my mind

Storms in my heart develop at thunderous rates

My soul grows dark as my thoughts fall in the gutter.

Light changes as the leaves finish their descent

My heart grows cold to the touch

Ice forms in my veins, crimson icicles of despair

This restrictive mortal coil I long to shed

Colors change as green starts its approach

My heart begins its thaw as the ice begins to melt

Days in the sun warm more than my skin

Flowers lift more than their petals to the sky

The light changes and the thaw is complete

Dwelling in the despair of the blue never more

Golden wheat and blue skies enrich my days

Basking in the sunlight of more enlightened moods

But the color will change again and evermore

The cycle of life will not stop its relentless pursuit

Moving forward through the seasons is all I can do

Because the alternative is a black lonely place

20 minutes at the Capital Mall

2011-04-07T20:24:00.001-07:00

I decided that I would 20 minutes at the Capital Mall today. I an interesting person and saw some cool scenes.

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The Cubicle Farm From 9 to 5

2011-04-06T23:28:00.001-07:00

Cluck like the chicken you are,

Sitting in your coop.

Oink like the pig that you are,

Rolling in your own poop.

Cluck your orders with false authority,

You’re just full of shit

Oink your disdain with false sincerity,

Laughs abound, you’re a hit

Old McDonald had a cubicle farm

And in it is you.

The animal sounds you bray and bark

Can’t hide what is true

E-I-E-I-Ohhh it’s such a sad state

You don’t know or care

You want to farm, to change your fate

But you’re just a skank-old mare

Moo like the cow you are

Milked for all your worth

Nay like the goat you are

Eating your own shirt

Moo your sense of security

As false as it be

Nay your willingness to sell out

Keep it away from me

Old McDonald had a cubicle farm

And in it is you.

Regurgitating your stomach contents,

Cuds of lies to chew

You can’t be the farmer

Man can’t be saddled

You’ll never be the farmer

Cause you’re the cattle.

Something a little lighter

2011-04-04T17:39:00.001-07:00

So I have been sort of down in dumps mentally now for about a month, but that is just who I am from time to time, you know I can't see the glorious beauty of the forest because all of those damn trees are blocking my view. But as a result I have had some very theraputic moments of clarity.

Yesterday I decided that I would walk around my house photograph some of the unique scenery and neighbors going about their daily routines. I ended up shooting a dozen or so shots and thought I would share some of them with you.

That's right folks, I have my own, less annoying, Woody Wood Pecker as a neighbor.

My backyard.... Yup my backyard is actually in black and white... I now know what it would be like live in the 50s... at least that is what the TV has taught me... Color vision was invented shortly before I was born. Is everyone finally upgraded?

I have no idea what this is, but it sure was pretty. I love my view.

Now this guy is part of triple threat of squirrels that my dog believes is part of a neo-nazi-demon-hybrid-government-conspiracy to aggravate the living hell out of her. Yes, my dog told me this, only she use much fouler language. These beasts from hell (from the mouth of my dog) come to the windows and peek in, climb down the trees just out of reach and stare at our dog, taunting her, just out of reach. But aren't they cute? Oh and yes, this is on our front porch, a mere two feet from our front door.

While this might look like a photo I might have taken the day we moved in, it is not. Rather it is our neighbor's backyard. Oh my neighbors are going to hate me; the human neighbors at least. All animal neighbors will love me, simply because I can make them famous. It says so on my business card.

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Now these two shots are of our property line fence. Fences have always had a strong attraction to me. I am not sure if it is the lines, the personality or the something else, but I love fences... almost to the point of an obsession. If I had my way I would have nothing else in my backyard but rows and rows and rows and rows and rows and rows and rows and rows of different fences. Don't tell my wife please she would never let it be. Fences short, fences tall, stand upon them until fall. Fences wire, fences wood, more fences than I should. Fences high, fences low, all my fences in a row. Sorry that was ode to Dr. Seuss. I guess that tells you how excited I am about being able to see my creative family again, huh. I am pulling Dr. Seuss-esq rhymes out of my ass I am so excited.

Letters - A Poem to my Family

2011-04-03T10:19:00.001-07:00

You say I don’t care cause I left you at the train station.

The fact of the matter is, you don’t understand my situation.

While I.B.S., F.M.S., O.D.D. and ICD aren’t such big hits

I say I suffer from C.R.S. cause I can’t remember shit.

So you say that I have letters, you’re damn right I do

I’m a verifiable alphabet soup, and all thanks to you.

Hello Kettle, how are you, this is your son pot call’n

Here’s a shove to your pedestal and now you're fall’n

You hate that I’m not involved and I’m always tuned out.

But the fact of the matter is you’re not tuned in no doubt.

While P.T.S.D., E.L.P., B.E.D. and G.A.S. aren’t so cool, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3

Am I down with O.C.D., hell yeah, don't you know me.

So you say that I have letters, you’re damn right I do

I’m a verifiable alphabet soup, and all thanks to you.

I am not making fun that would not be very strategic

That’d be like a quadriplege making fun of a paraplegic

You call me fat and lazy, a useless consumption in this life

But the fact of the matter is unfulfilled dreams bring me daily strife.

It’s not my P.D., S.A.D., or P.E. but it’s all on my T.D.S. and M.E.D.

Yeah it’s all about the little blue pills for everybody

So you say that I have letters, you’re damn right I do

I’m a verifiable alphabet soup and all thanks to you

Here’s a few final important letters, a big cup of S.T.F.U.

And two more in case you missed my message one last big F.U.

A day with sunshine

2011-03-30T17:23:00.001-07:00

Who knows what other wonderful surprises will come to me today.

My thanks to April for allowing me to be a part of a wonderful shoot last night. It was exactly what my soul needed. My mood was noticably improved afterwards. Thank you so much April.

Now on to the fun part of my day. Time at the studio... chillin with friends.

A Serious Topic

2011-03-26T15:21:00.001-07:00

Before I could no longer do it, I used to volunteer as our local animal shelter. I did this for over two years, the last six months were after we moved 25 miles away. I took both of my daughters to help as well. Our Saturdays, for two years, were all about cleaning cat cages, emptying litter boxes, cleaning dog kennels, scooping poop, washing pet dishes and pet linens. We purposefully chose the jobs that weren't glamorous because they were the jobs nobody else wanted to do and the jobs that most needed to be done. Most volunteers just wanted to walk the animals for a few minutes and play a little catch.

We got do the fun stuff as well, but only after the three hours of other chores were done. It was hard work which started at 9:00 AM sharp. It was disgusting at times. It was rewarding all of the time. We did this for the animals. The animals need more than walking and play time. They need fed, watered and their little shelters kept clean so they can remain healthy during their stay. Many of the animals need medical care and many of which take months to place in a new home.

Baby Girl, our lovely dog in the photo above, was rescued shortly after I could no longer volunteer. She was emaciated (about ten pounds under weight), scarred (physical scars that can still be seen today, as well as some missing teeth), a victim of obvious abuse. She has since become a happy, loving and playful girl and brings us so much joy and happiness.

So… here is where I ask you to help.

Go to the link below and vote for Baby Girl. Her photo has been entered into a little friendly competition for the cover of Willamette Humane Society’s Magazine. Here is the deal. A minimum of five votes can be bought for a mere $1.00 each. 100% of all of the money goes directly to providing quality care to the 9000 animals they rescue, nurse and place every year. Every dollar helps.

Willamette does great work in not just placing animals in new homes, but also offering education training for owners, which is just as important. Please, consider helping support this organization. It will only take a few minutes of your time and only the same amount of money you might spend at McDonalds for lunch tomorrow, if not less. I thank you, the animals thank you and your waistline will thank you.

http://www.360photocontest.com/83

Thank you for showing your support for this noble cause.

Move Day Bliss and Horror

2011-03-24T00:02:00.001-07:00

So we are officially moved. All that is remaining is cleaning our old apartment, a simple task as we are not horders and while have the usual clutter, we are clean people, and turning in keys and we are officially done with apartment living. We are so excited. Our heart felt thanks go out to all of the wonderful people that helped us move from the apartment to the new house. These people are, in order of their arrival that day; Joel, Michael, Leah and her two nieces. Without all of your efforts and support our day would have been sooooo much longer and much less blessed. Thank you each and every one of you. You are angels placed on this Earth and Kim and I vow that if any of you need anything and we are capable of helping, we will be there.

We officially started loading the Uhaul truck saturday afternoon, our plan was to move an initial, small load over and setup our bed and spend our first night in our new home. It was a simple and dreamy plan. Just before we picked the truck up we were blessed with the most brillant double rainbow, this was a sign of things to come in our minds.

See every time we have moved, which has been 3 times, 4 including this move, it has rained. Each and every time we have moved it has made our lives better. When we moved to Wilsonville it was fresh start in our new relationship. I had just landed a new position in Beaverton and we were preparing to get married. Life was great. When we moved back to Albany eight months later it was for survivial and to be closer to family and friends. We got to see my daughters more frequently and I landed a dream job at Kettle Foods, a position that literally fell into my lap which wouldn't have happened if it weren't for the move. When we moved to Salem it was to improve our mental health and to be closer to both of our jobs, which it did in a big way. As a result I found all of my new friends and we prospered. This last move was an opportunity of a lifetime for us. A beautiful house in a gorgeous and safe neighborhood. We were both finally able to move into a house. Awesomeness!

Now before I get into the rest of of this post I want everyone to know that our new landlord is a wonderful woman with a wonderful family and a huge heart made of gold. She has a beautiful soul and is doing everything possible to help us improve this situation. This does not reflect on her at all... this is 100% reflective on the previous tenants.

We were supposed to be able to take over the home at 6:00PM (ish). But weren't able to make our initial run until midnigh because the previous tenants were not done moving out yet. When we arrived they were still packing some stuff and there was trash every where. They left at about 1:30AM, leaving behind a ton of stuff. They told us they would be back at 7:00AM to finish moving everything out and cleaning before we returned with a full truck and our wonderful moving crew. We off loaded the first items that night, set the bed on the floor of the bedroom, made the bed and went to sleep. It was 2:30AM. This is what we woke up to the next morning at 7:00AM in the den:

The above image was the den that morning when we woke up. We called the previosu tenants and they let us know that they would be out by 1:00PM, our estimated arrival time. We ate some breakfast at Shari's, fuel for the coming day, and then headed over to the apartment, finished packing the last few boxes of stuff and began loading Uhaul. We recieved a few texts and calls from people backing out of helping us move. Kim started to panick and I started to get a little overwhelmed knowing what we were facing at the house and knowing how much we had to load and unload again. We continued loading, starting in the storage unit. Joel showed up right on time. My wife was almost brought to tears by his arrival, tears of relief and joy. Michael showed up soon after. Kim and I found renewed energy knowing that it was going to be possible. Leah and her nieces showed up a little after noon and the next thing we know, the truck is loaded. These people we rock stars.

We arrive at the house and found that they kept their word, sort of. They were gone, but a large portion of their stuff remained, including their trash, mostly trash and they left the garage door open. We moved all of their stuff to one side of the garage with the expectation that they would return for it, and begain unloading. Pizza arrived about halfway through unloading and we took a break to eat. A half hour later we were back at it, and it wasn't long and the truck was unloaded and all boxes were placed in thier labeled room. To top it off, nothing was broken. Not a single piece of glass, electronics or furniture. I am here to tell you... we had the very best help possible and we cannot thank them enough.

So after everyone left, we got to organizing a few things and then collapsed for the night.

The next morning, we got busy cleaning. Crayon drawings all over the walls, bathrooms uncleaned, a kitchen in complete disarray, damage throughout the place and absolutely filth everywhere. Kim started in the Kitchen and I started in our bedroom. My goal was to get all of clothes unpacked and to create a little oasis in the mess. Our friend Krista showed up to help clean for a few hours. She is a cleaning rockstar. Thank you Krista. Kim got some of the worst of it though in the kitchen. Oh and we had the power shut off on us. Our fault, for not placing the call sooner.

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Yes those are real images from the mess that was the kitchen. The entire Kitchen looked like that. Kim rocked it though and today she finished this kitchen and we got all of the kitchen boxes unpacked and put away. Now just to let you know, Kim worked on the kitchen for over 16 hours, just cleaning it. That is 16 hours of hard labor getting all of that crap off. Pictures that you don't see from the kitchen is of the refrigerator which was equally gross. Absoultely disgusting.

Today started with another wonderful person coming over to help us. The landlord's brother came over to help organize the trash in preparation to get it hauled off. He was here for nearly two hours, hauling garbage from the back and side yards, from the garage and from under the crawl space in which there was 50+ boxes that had spent the entire winter decomposing in standing water. Oh the smell. I helped him all the time and he was a freight train in clearing the trash. In the end, this image is all of the trash from around the house and in the garage.

Afterwards we went to take him home and poof... car doesn't want to start. So off to the mechanic I go, see my previous post.

After coming home, I sit my wife down and talk to her about my current state. I am exhausted, spent, and my pain levels are at max level. Yup all of the stress and work caused me to go into full blown flair. For those of you that don't know, I suffer from Fibromyalgia. I won't go into it here, but you can goolge it to understand what it is. I let her know that I want to completely unpack the kitchen and together we rocked it. I got this text message from the previous tenant at 9:03 tonight in response to my text to him asking if they were going to come back for the remainder of their stuff:

Basically since we paid a deposit that is to be used to prep and clean the house she [our landlord] should have allowed time for that work to be done before the new tenants moved in. If she wants to give us our deposit back, I can take care of it tomorrow, but if not I can recommend a cheap haul-off business to take that crap off to the dump. sorry man but be need to get our apartment safe for the kids. the $300 deposit we paid her should be used to clean up she should have enough to haul the leftovers for the entire house and have enough left to put some finishing touches on the house... sorry man but we paid the deposit for a reason.

It's funny that he thinks he can get away with that. I know for a fact that the apartments he moved into, apartments my wife used to be a leasing agent for, will run their butts into court in a heartbeat. By law, any damage, cleaning and removal of garbage that exceeds the deposit can be, and in this case should be, billed directly to them (the previous tenants). This include busted door knobs, pealing plaster, permanent marker on the side of the building and crayon markings over all surfaces, not to mention the destroyed carpet. They moved a three bedroom 1600 sq' house loaded to the hilt with crap into a 1000 sq' apartment. The trash pile you see in the image above is only 1/5th of the total stuff they had in the house, and no, they didn't get a storage unit (the wife told me that the night they were here after midnight).

In the end, we finished the kitchen together, no arguing or bitterness and we finished it today. We worked as a team and we kicked ass. This is what makes me and my wife such a perfect couple. We know our limitations and what we need from each other. I knew she had to have kitchen unpacked today, for her own well being. She knew I could not do any more than that. So that is what we did.

As a reward, we spent 20 minutes in the hot tub which helped with the flair a little. I start my new day job tomorrow, and still need to finish unpacking the house, but we are making progress. Our landlord is making arrangements to get the garbage hauled off, and is hiring a cleaning service to help us finish the cleaning and a guy to clean the carpets. We love her so much for understanding and doing everything in her power to help us get things in order.

It has been a rough four days to say the least. But the help, love and support of everyone who stepped up to has been a huge blessing and made the ugliness of this move managable. Things are looking up all over. That rainbow promise is being fulfilled. Thanks again everyone.

Another Day in the Garage

2011-03-23T20:58:00.001-07:00

Yup... more car problems, same problem, different source. At least this trip only cost me $80. It's amazing how much joy hearing your car start can bring. Of course I had to get my money's worth. Yup that's right it's another edition of Photos from the Garage.

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In addition to this collection of photographs, I have new project idea to work on, and the project idea in and of itself is reward enough. Coming soon... a blog post detailing our recent move. :) Until then enjoy the photos above.