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2013 – A LOT OF HOPE
I have a lot of hope for 2013 and in my world of photography, that starts with this blog. To find more info about this site, click here. I am very excited about it and plan on passing along some of the knowledge I have gained from many years of taking thousands of photographs. So many, that I have countless libraries of unedited photos that I will be sharing as I get to them. Those, along with the new images I create, provide a lot of promise for the new year.
As for my non-photographic hopes for 2013, I hope to see a more peaceful world. I know it is way over the top cliche, but seriously, people! I hope we hit a low in 2012. I am also hopeful that my children grow up. Two of them anyway. The other can slow down a bit.
WINTER FOG
A photograph really can tell a thousand words and for me, many more. Every image I make has a story behind it. From the journey getting to the location, to finding the best spot to shoot and then deciding on what settings to dial in so that the resulting image will end up looking like what I want given the constraints of the cameras, lenses and post processing software that I have. Follow that with the editing itself where the image can be finished in as little as a few minutes or as long as many days and a thousand words hardy seem like enough.
This image came at the end of a very long morning when I was out shooting nature photos on December 28th, 2008. It was a pretty bad morning for shooting, as it was a raining off and on and the light wasn’t very good. I managed a few decent photos in one location, but not much else. On my ride back home I passed this pond along the side of the road and saw the fog rolling in. I quickly turned around when I could. It is on a pretty busy road and I remember driving back and forth a few times looking for a place to park. The snow had covered the little parking area, so I had to guess and just pulled in hoping not to get stuck. But the mental photograph I had already taken as I passed by the first time was good enough for me to take that chance; I would deal with getting out after getting the shot, so I wasn’t too concerned. I also remember that the fog was moving so fast that almost every photo I took looks different even though they were seconds apart. In edit, I had a hard time deciding on my favorite, but this one won out in the end.
So you see? This photo was taken more than 4 years ago, and only it and one other from the morning shoot remained in my master library and yet I was able to remember all of that. I can’t even remember what I ate for dinner last week, but my photos reach a different place in my brain and hold endless stories within them. I hope you find some interest in them.
ONE LAST SPECIAL HOPE
A few weeks ago one of the most horrific events of my life took place less than 30 minutes from where I live. It was the shameless killing of 27 people. 20 of them, innocent as can be, 6 and 7 year olds, while they attended school. It has affected me more than I ever thought it would and during the week that followed, I had lost most hope for our world.
…and then I saw what Americans had in reserve and the love and outpouring has been amazing. A few idiots aside, the unity people showed over the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT was probably the most I have ever seen. It inspired me to do something to give back as well. I drove to Newtown and Sandyhook on four separate mornings to take photographs. Not of the thousands of items left at the memorial near the school – although it was overwhelmingly beautiful – but of the beautiful scenery in that area. I wanted to show people that Newtown is just an ordinary, New England town. One like most others that I have photographed all over the area. And that even though it may be banged up a little right now, the beauty is still there. Over the next four days I will be posting those images and a few of my thoughts and emotions as I drove around. Please come back, read, and share them with anyone you think might appreciate them.
So my one last special hope is that we never forget what happened in Newtown. That we try to make a difference and help our neighbors in any way when we can.
Cheers to a hopeful 2013.