Valley of Fire SOC - Straight Out Of Camera

I've been to several inspiring landscape galleries this week.  What an amazing experience to walk through a gallery and stand in silence, full of emotion, and actually experience each photo in an photographer's gallery.  I'm inspired, I'm grateful, and I want to open my own gallery!  Soon!

My favorite was Peter Lik, in Las Vegas.  If I ever have the opportunity to meet that man, I will cry when I shake his hand.  The power in his photos...  I cannot find words to describe it.

This week has also brought up some thoughts, and some questions.  Many reputable photographers show composite photos in their galleries.  This means two or more photos are taken, then combined in post-processing ("photoshopped").  There is a lot of skill involved in combining photos, or any editing, and it defines much of a photographer's style.  My clients know it takes an average of 3-4 hours at the computer for every 1 hour shooting.  And I don't often show the unfinished product - I take pride in my work and want the photo to be complete before delivered.  But today I'm going to make an exception and here's why:

  I believe the world is a beautiful place.  As a photographer, I get to prove that.  Life in this world is beautiful and we get to celebrate it - in its light and darkness, its joy and pain, in its changing seasons, night and day, large rock formations or small butterflies on a flower.  I can use photography to let other people see through my eyes, my lens, and what an amazing thing that is.  I hope that if someone feels inspired by something a photo, they also open their eyes to see it in the beauty of every day - or every night.

Now, if you are ever left wondering if these photos are beautiful because they are "photoshopped" then I have failed.

Photoshop does not create beauty in these photos - yes, it is important and it refines what is already there.  But the colors, the sky, the stars, the light, the textures, the crispness, that's all SOC - Straight Out of Camera.   So, today, here is an example of an unedited photos.  I imported this Vallery of Fire photo (from Valley of Fire State Park) to my computer and didn't do any editing before taking the screen capture.  This is a single shot, not a composite photo.  And it's all real.  None of it is photoshopped in, it's just the beautiful world we live in!

I look forward to sharing the rest of my Valley of Fire State Park photos next week.  I'm headed down to Moab today :)

Celebrating Beauty

  I had a wonderful conversation with an artist friend this week about photography, the purpose, and what really drives me.  Yes, there are times I get burnt out.  There are times when I want to give up photography all together.  But the people, the places, the beauty... That's what keeps me connected to my camera.  I have the opportunity today to show you why you are beautiful.  To let you see it through my eyes.  And the world.  This beautiful world we live in.  Every day, I see the mountains, I see a new sky - cloudy, sunny, colorful, or dark is dismal.  It's all beautiful.  And those moments of reality - tears shed, a crying baby, a playing child, the sun rising over the mountain, or even simply the way the light shines on the leaves of the trees.  Moments in weddings or families.  Moments in events or activities.  And moments of peace in nature.

Today, I am alive and that means I get to open my eyes and celebrate the beauty all around me.  As a photographer, my job and my opportunity is to show the beauty in the world as I see it.

Through my eyes, my lens, here are a few examples of the beauty in Turks and Caicos (Caribbean).  There's a story behind every moment, but today I just want to share the photos and let you see what you see.

 

Inspiration - A Winter Night in Park City

It can be easy for me to get stuck in a routine - get the camera gear ready, shoot a wedding, hope I got everything the clients needed, then spend hours at the computer editing the photos.  Please don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my job - I love the variety of people I get to meet, I love the emotions I get to capture - to freeze a moment forever.  I love how beautiful the world is.  Nature, people, buildings, light, all of it.  And I have an amazing career of showing people how I see the world.  Showing how beautiful the world is.  But still, photography is a business to me.  I'm working for clients, and even though I love it, it's still work.  Hard work.  So I am generally less inclined to pick up the camera unless I'm getting a paycheck.

A recent debate in my life is whether photography is art.  For me, the answer has been no.  I feel like I capture what is already there when I take photos, whereas music or other artistic pursuits in my life are creating something internally and finding a medium to communicate it externally.   However, I received quite a compliment this week.  And this helped me rethink my approach.  There was a comment on one of my photos that said: "...You have such an amazing eye. I'm one of those people who's always sort of thought that photography wasn't really 'art' but seeing some of the truly astonishing photos you've posted, has changed my mind. You really have a gift for framing scenes in a way that shows others the beauty in the world, which we might not see on our own."  Wow...   That one comment gave so much purpose to what I do.  It's beautiful.

Then I have a day like today.  Today, I saw the beauty of the seasons changing from Fall to Winter.  And I couldn't help myself... I pulled over on the side of the highway, put my camera on the car, and started taking photos.  It was inspiring to breathe the fresh, crisp air, to photograph a scene I knew (the famous Park City barn) in a new light.

It was simply beautiful.

And this is what I want the world to see.  There were dozens and dozens of cars that drove past me while I was taking these photos.  None of them stopped to see what I saw, and that's ok.  They were on their way to whatever night life was going on, or maybe headed home after a long work day. I don't know that any of the drivers were even aware that there were mountains with a beautiful field and snow covered barn... it was quite dark.  But I wanted to yell "The world is a beautiful place!  Open your eyes!"

The 30 second version of the rest of my night - I met a pleasant crowd of people at a karaoke bar on Main St, sang several songs, then walked through the beautiful night in an area of Park City I had never been.  Inspired by beauty.  The people, the nature, the air, the energy, the little stream, the way the leaves sat on the pathway, the way the light hit that wall... I believe with all my heart that there is beauty everywhere we look.  If we are willing to look for it.

And now, goodnight!!  Sweet dreams to all.

The Cliffs of Moher

  I think there are four movies that define my cinema education as a child: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,  Cool Runnings, Dunstin Checks In, and The Princess Bride.  Oh, how I loved the Princess Bride.  As a teenager, I once found two friends as passionate as I and we quoted the entire movie from beginning to end.  Pathetic?  Maybe.  But really satisfying.  And it was fun.  So when I found out that the actual "Cliffs of Insanity" were in Ireland, I did a little giggly dance of excited.  "Really???  Are you sure?  I get to see them?" :)  And for those of you who have never seen the movie, that is your homework for this weekend.

They are taking a boat across the ocean after kidnapping the princess and discover someone following them.  Worried they'll be discovered, this is the conversation that follows:

  INIGO

             Look! He's right on top of us. I
             wonder if he is using the same
             wind we are using.

 VIZZINI

             Whoever he is, he's too late --
             (pointing ahead of them)
             -- see?
            The Cliffs of Insanity.

 VIZZINI

 Hurry up. Move the thing! Um ...

             that other thing. Move it!

             We're safe -- only FEZZIK is
             strong enough to go up our way --
             he'll have to sail around for
             hours 'til he finds a harbor.

And this is what they were talking about! I'm told it looks much more dramatic if you take a boat out on the water, but we didn't have time for that this time.  Next time, definitely.

It was VERY windy.  A little nerve-racking to be honest, the wind threw off my balance a couple times, and that's not exactly the best idea when walking next to a cliff...

 

Ok, this is funny!  This sign was at the end of the pathway, well, the end of the first pathway.  I got to the end, and there was this sign, a small rock wall, and something else about Danger or Do Not Enter, didn't seem important at the time.  It seemed that 75% of the people who walked there just hopped the wall and continued on the next path.  The next path had the best views anyway.  So, mob mentality got to me and I joined the masses. But I lived to tell about it, so in the end, that's the important thing.

At one point, I'm walking along the edge of the cliff and I turn to my right and see a cool rock formation.  Then I turn to my left... and see a field with cows.  I have no idea why someone had a field of cows at the top of the cliff, but I found it very entertaining.

 

Laurie trying to get as far over the edge as possible without taking the strap off his neck... pretty sure red flashing lights and warning sirens would go off if you did that and held the camera over the side...

And my view down from that same spot:

 

Well, what an experience!  That's Ireland, folks.  In all its glory and beauty.  Hope to be back soon.

Ireland - a sight to see

Travel for me is 98% about the people and culture.  But every once in a while I come across a breath-taking view, an unbelievable sight, something that looks like it belongs in a painting or a movie... and then I love to stop and sit, reflect on the beauty in the world, and try to show that the best way I know how - photography.

Annie and I took a bus tour from Galway to see the Cliffs of Moher (if you've seen The Princess Bride, these cliffs were featured as The Cliffs of Insanity) and today I want to post the views from the trip to and from the cliffs.  Tomorrow I'll post the cliffs themselves.

This is what I imagined of Ireland, why just staying in the city for the whole trip simply isn't good enough.  And our journey begins:

 

It was cold and rainy.  And WINDY.  Very windy.  Most of us fell over at one point unless we properly braced ourselves against the wind.  Now, when I travel, I often have trouble getting photos of myself and whoever I'm traveling with because I don't want to just hand my camera to a stranger walking by - "Here's a camera worth several thousand dollars.  You can try to take a photo of us or you can walk away with it while we pose here and let you get away.  And by the way, you know how to get this thing in focus, right?"  Ok, so that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. So I try to keep my eyes open for competent camera users I'd trust.  Sign number one - I saw this kid with a Nikon camera.  3 points in his favor :)  Sign number two - posture when he took pictures.  He actually created a tripod for himself and held still and all that.

Sign number three - his equipment was entry level (D5100 and a kit lens) but his composition and the photos I saw were phenomenal.  Showed me he knew how to use it, not just have it. And when I finally decided to trust him was when he stood in the middle of the road because that was the only place to get the angle he wanted.  Sound like anyone else y'all know??? ;)  I fully support risking your life for the perfect shot.  Anyway, handed him my camera so Annie and I could be in a photo together with the beautiful countryside behind us.  It was cold and rainy and extremely windy, so everyone else had gotten back on the bus and was watched us from my right.  Laurie struggling a little bit figuring out how to get the photo in focus with my d800, but I was so impressed that he recognized the difference and wanted to try again! Ended up with some of my favorite photos from the trip.  Annie and I are laughing because the wind is knocking us off balance and trying to steal her hat.

There are a couple other photos I liked from this trip, but my wi-fi is struggling, so I'm going to leave it at this for now and come back later to add a few more.  It's interesting going to McDonald's more than ever before in my life - in Europe, that's one of the best places for internet connection, but I still find it difficult to want to spend that much time there.  Oh well!  Enjoy the photos, and watch for the cliffs tomorrow.

Where I've been...

  Wow, what a month!  I apologize for my absence from the blog, as the weather got warmer, I started spending more of my time outside experiencing life and less of my time inside telling people about it online :)  So here's a quick update, then I'll jump into the photos!

First, I've become obsessed with rock climbing.  I love learning about it, doing it, and photographing it!

Still lots and lots of photography!  I've done several family shoots, several engagements, a few weddings, many stock photography shoots (I'll tell you more about those later!), some corporate photos, and quite a bit of travel photography.

The travel is one of the things I've been most excited about recently.  See, when I started to get into photography, I dove in head first and it became a business.  I didn't even take the time to decide what kind of photography I liked, to learn about all the different options.  I just started working and jumped into weddings.  While I love weddings, this point in my life is a time of discovery.  It's time to see what else is out there, what else I can learn.  Here I am, 3 years after my first wedding and now I'm taking the time to learn about the art of photography - to discover why I really love it.

Most recently, I went on a road trip with my first intern, Justin Workman.  He's done an amazing job with his own photography business since he worked with me, and it was a great experience to shoot together and see a new perspective.  We left Salt Lake and drove South towards California (the jobs paying for the trip were in San Diego and Los Angeles).  First stop: Zion's National Park.

I have very little experience with landscape photography, in the past I used to say "that's nice... but can I put a bride in front of this view?" It was a challenge to go through the park and just see the photo - I can't pose a mountain, I have to move myself.  Can't make the rocks laugh, I only have light and angle to change how they look.  But what an experience!  I think I'm finally catching the vision.

 

One of the things I loved about Zion's was the road - the asphalt was a dark red color instead of black.

 

 

^ And there's Justin.  Whatever you have to do to get the shot, right?

Next stop: St George Temple at sunset!

Denver: The Trip Home

  Life is about the journey, not the destination.  I have always believed this, but it's hard to apply when focused on academic or occupational success.  At many points in my life, I've been so focused on where I'm going, I forget to stop and smell the roses.  When I went on the Caribbean cruise with my sister, my perspective changed dramatically.  Yes, we went to Jamaica and Haiti, but the experience was just being on a boat with no cell phone and no computer.  No work to do, nowhere to go (unless you REALLY like to swim!)  So I learned to slow down, to breathe, and just to be.  What an amazing feeling that is!  To enjoy the moment, not worrying about the future.  If I wanted to be really cheesy, I'd bring up the quote I heard as a teenager.  Ok, ok, here it is.  "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift, that is why we call it the present."  In trying to live this principle, I decided to take the 14 hour train ride back home from Denver to Salt Lake.  Yes, an early morning and a later night with no where to go except the train car, the observation car, the dining car and the other train car... haha.

And I LOVED it.  I met so many interesting people.  An older woman who doesn't like to fly but travels the continent with her husband by motorcycle or train.  A man who had 24 hours before entering a monastery.  A man who sings for a band but hasn't had his big break yet, so he works in a restaurant until his musical career can take off.  A girl born on February 29th so her dad wanted to celebrate with a trip - she was technically turning 5 years old, even though she'd been alive for 20 years :)  A chef moving from Colorado to Washington to start at a new from-scratch kitchen.  And a National Geographic photographer.  Everyone traveling the same journey for a completely different reason.  Absolutely fascinating to me.  14 hours of talking, eating, looking out the window, and taking pictures.  I couldn't be happier!

And what amazing views we had!  One of the cars, called the observation car, had big windows everywhere so you could sit and enjoy the landscape (not like those little airplane windows!)

It wasn't easy to shoot through the windows, but after the plane shoot, I had become a pro! (ok, not really.  But I did have some practice.  It was a challenge.)

The seasons seemed to change as we traveled, too.  Started out in winter...  then spring, and finally ended in summer.  Then the sun went down and when I got off the train in Salt Lake there was a snow storm.

 

There were 5 or 6 stops along the way, but we had only 3-5 minutes at each stop.  While some people hopped off to take a smoke break, I usually took a couple seconds for a photo break!  On the left here is the other photographer I had the chance to shoot with.  Learned a lot from him!

 

aaand.... back to my favorite views from the train.  Last 30 minutes of sunlight.  The way the rock got so orange with the sun going down was gorgeous.

Of purple mountain majesties...

 

People tease me all the time because when I see a beautiful scene like this I never take a picture of it.

It's not that I don't think it's beautiful, I'd just rather take a picture of this amazing scene with amazing people in front of it. But last night, I just couldn't resist. So here's proof that I do sometimes take pictures of the mountains!