A Winter Wonderland

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.  

See the full gallery on Posterous

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

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

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.