Working on a series

This is part three in the RMSP series. After we got down to classwork one of the first big assignments that we received was to build a slideshow. It had to contain 25 images. That is a lot of images when you are looking for quality!! I worked on a couple of prospects and actually built two different slideshows. This is a series on plantlife. I don't think that they were expecting a perfect slideshow from anyone, all they really wanted to see was that you were willing to spend the time on a personal project. As photographers, we have to be working on projects as much as possible. I can always go out and take one picture but, being able to put them together into a cohesive theme or story is ESSENTIAL. Instead of selling one picture, I can sell a series of four or five for a lot more money. Also when a client gets more options they are usually happier. This group of images really doesn't have any story or narrative since we weren't required to do that but, if you can do that it always helps!

A Quick Update

So last night at the ASMP meeting, I found out the results of the 8x10 Juried Exhibition and I am extremely happy to say that my lighthouse image now named "Coastal Dream" won one of the three awards of merit! I was very excited to have my work accepted let alone win. There were a lot of great images and I am honored that the judges thought mine stood out enough to win.

All of the images will be shown at West Photo 21 University Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413. The show begins on March 20th and runs a month. Stop by and see!

The price of comfort....29.99

I don't know about anybody else but, my laptop gets really hot. I actually worry about it. I mean all of my other equipment fails, sooner or later I know my laptop will also. I just picked up a Belkin cooling pad and I really like it.

I grudgingly purchased a cooling pad and I have to say I am SO happy with it. I don't have temperature readings so there is no precise measurements here but, I bet it has dropped my computers running temperature by 15-20 degrees. I just wanted to share with you. Belkin also makes some other models. I just got the cheap one. Have a look if your legs or palms are burning in the future.

My first trip around Montana

The last day before class began, Wayne (also another RMSP student who I lived with over the course of the summer) and I decided to see Montana. Thinking back, I'm really glad that we did this. It was the last time of going out and just being myself. For the rest of the summer anytime my eye was behind the camera I was thinking about everything that I have been taught. While this is great, it also got in my way creatively.

We decided to walk around town first and then we proceeded to Garnet Ghost Town. I mean we are in Montana aren't we?? Garnet became a source of inspiration to a lot of the students this summer. I only got out there once and I really regret that. I would have loved to go out there after my skills got a little more polished off.

The Indian pictures are from Missoula while we were walking around. It is a statue that is made out of an old car in front of the University in town. The artists in Missoula are so creative everywhere you look there is something else that makes the city unique.

Welcome to the mountains...

The last few weeks I have been looking through a lot of my old pictures. I've been doing this for a couple of reasons. 1.) There is a lot of cleaning that I have to do on my laptop. 2.) There is a lot of work that I have to do with old pictures. 3.) The weather here has been depressing and I need to see some color again!

Every time I look at these pictures I notice how much work that there is to do so it got me thinking. I am going to start a series that shows much more in depth what I was doing while at school this summer. I don't know how long or short this series is going to go. My goal by doing this is so that after I am done with this series of blogs, I have my computer cleaned off and all the files in proper working order. The bonus is that I know some people are curious what I spent all my time doing since they have only seen a small portion of my pictures from this summer.

Let me say that I went to RMSP to get better so this will show you the progression of how I did this. A lot of these pictures are not portfolio pictures. They are a record of what I did and how I got to where I am now. If there is any prospective RMSPer's out there who end up reading this I hope this helps and I wish I could have found something like this before I headed West.

These were a few of the pictures that I took on the way. We didn't stop much due to the weather. It was a dreary trip to Montana from Minnesota. We stopped at Mt. Rushmore and the weather was so bad you couldn't even see it. I mean nothing. Kind of depressing as we drove a couple of hours out of the way to go there when we could have been sleeping. Since the weather was so bad, we really didn't stop to take any pictures. Not that I didn't take any.... Let me tell you it isn't smart to photograph while driving but, it is really hard to do when I had never seen the mountains. I mean I have to take the picture for prosperity's sake right???

The second is from right when we arrived in Missoula, MT. There was this big M on the mountain and everyone was walking to it so...we did to. Let me say that this was very humbling, as I thought I was in good shape but I had never hiked up a mountain and this wasn't even a real mountain hike. I was sore the next day. After killing ourselves we wanted to see downtown. As we were walking in I got my first glimpse of Brennan's Wave. Always a good place to photograph if you are into taking pictures of kayaking. My wife and I spent a little while here as we both had never seen somebody kayaking and were amazed at how graceful it is. I was down taking pictures and talking to the kayakers when I met Forrest Woodward. He is the one in the yellow kayak and he is a great photographer who happened to be an assistant as RMSP and I would have class with him the next day.

That's the first days, not as many pictures as I would like but more importantly, a lot of good memories to hold onto for us, as my wife headed back to Minnesota right before school started.

30@8x10 Juried Exhibition

I just wanted to share some images of mine that I was lucky enough to get accepted to the 30@8x10 Juried Exhibition that is sponsored by the local ASMP chapter here in Minneapolis. This competition is a best shot competition, so all the entries didn't have to have any specific theme besides being 8x10 in size. I submitted five images that I thought might stand out as different in comparison to the other local photographers. The panel then chose their favorite 30 and I was extremely happy when I found out that four of my images were chosen. I'm quite honored as this being the first time my images were ever accepted to a juried exhibition. The great part about these images is that they all have special meaning to me as each one was taken at one of my favorite moments from this summer.

The final judging will be later this month, where the panel will choose their three favorites. Keep your fingers crossed I know I will!