So things got a little interesting yesterday as one of my photos got top spot on Flickr's blog (see it here:blog of flickr's) and I am getting a lot of exposure for my photographic art. It was really exciting to be recognized even for this minor little flickr friday themed photo challenge.I guess this just helps me to be more motivated to continue using my camera and making more more photos and videos...
Here's the picture they chose...

It's been an interesting few months in the year 2013. With the economy so low right now, all my efforts have been focused on making a living in a depressed automotive market, I haven't given my film much thought. Sure I'm taking lots of pictures, getting more familiar with my camera gear and settings, learning about lighting and sound, but not really pushing to get started on the main event, the movie. Lack of funds is the big problem, even bigger than when I started thinking about this movie project. So what can I do? Something! Anything! Just do stuff, that's right, don't sit there fretting about what might happen if the economy picks up. go out and do what you can with what you have. DWYCWWYH for short, lol.

My expectations have changed drastically over the past 6-7 months, from "I can do this" to "I'll never pull this off" to "If I'm careful and apply myself, this might just be great" and back to "This is just too much for a mere mortal like me to do". But have no fear, I'm not throwing in the towel yet. I still plan on pursuing the project, as well as a few side projects too. I just need to keep my priorities in order and schedule my time wisely. Huh, weird, I think that's what we're always supposed to do. Well it's time for me to do it, more.

I'm planning a small trip to NYC with my family in a couple weeks, I want to film something while I'm there. It's a great location with a lot of character, but I don't have a plan, any ideas, or even a clue as to what to shoot. There are plenty of video's with graffiti, buildings, crowds, Madison Square Garden, Central Park, and the list goes on. But what do I want to capture, what's special to me, in my eye's? I guess people, and maybe culture. The great melting pot has lots of both, but there needs to be a reason, a story, behind the captured footage, otherwise it's just pictures. There's lots of pictures already. I want to capture a story. and emotion, the why, the purpose behind the where and how. If my friends and family that I'm traveling with will let me, maybe I can interview some street performers, or a homeless person. Why are they there? We see what they do, and where they do it. But why? Why do they exist in that space, doing what they do?

Well that's my plan I guess. I feel better now with at least an idea in my head. Who knows what will happen, or whether I even get to record anything. But at least I have a goal, and I'll shoot for it. Life waits for no one, we need to just get out there and do something, even if it doesn't turn out the way we wanted. At least we tried, at least we did something. So don't just sit there, get out this week and do something. And next week too. No sense wasting our lives away thinking about what could have happened, we need to make things happen.

Wahoo, what a couple weeks it's been. Crazy life here in the Adirondacks of New York for a family of 6. Been doing a lot of research on photo and video stuff. Been taking a bunch of pic.s, and been spending more time with the kiddo's. Trying to put together a portfolio of work for a gallery (Lapham Gallery) to see how people like my work. Also doing more with light and portrait style photo's. If you want to help me out, just follow this LINK and let me know which ones are your favorite. I will be picking 10 for the final batch to put into a portfolio to offer to different gallery's and hopefully magazines and other clients. Here's one I hope you enjoy, and thanks for all the support!

So lately I've been busy with family stuff and still being sick, however, I have not stopped taking pictures or videos. I have started to get my adventure on, starting last week. To start the weekend right the family and I went to tour a printing facility in Walkill, NY. We were supposed to arrive by 8 or 9am and do a 2.5 hour tour, then off to Kaaterskill Falls or to Liberty NY to see an abandoned country club, buuuuttttt, we were strapped for time as our doggy was at the kennel and needed to be picked up before 6pm, we left a little late and ended up getting down there by 10:30. Tours stop for lunch at 11 and start back up at 1 so we split ours in half and ended up seeing more than we would have if we took the "normal" tour. It even included some hand made E-clairs from scratch at the on-site kitchen, a treat for sure. Then it was the 2 and a half hour drive home and get ready for the next days adventure.
The following day it was off to Shelving Rock to climb to the summit with my 4, 8, and 12 year old children. The four of us bundled up and drove over two other mountains to get to the trail-head around 2:30pm. My youngest made it about 300ft and decided it was time for a ride. I had planned for this so threw her in the back-pack carrier we've used for all our kids. And up we went in what was supposed to be light flurries but turned out to be more like... Snow. At the top we got out our jerky, trail mix, and drinks, lit a fire and played in the snow. Since it was late we needed to get going so down we went. This time she made it 100ft before wanting to take the "daddy elevator" to the ground floor. On the back she went and we hoofed it down the mountain in record time. Around half way down she fell sound asleep and flopped over to the side like a rag doll, what a pain, literally, as she was then off center in the pack and made it tough to balance in the fresh snow on the icy trail. At the bottom we loaded ourselves into the truck and waited patiently for our friends to try to make it up the hill we had driven down to get to the trail earlier in the day. Nope! They couldn't do it, so after many attempts, and then asking if we could make it up, they moved aside and we flew on up the... first set of hills. After running back down and driving their car up for them, we headed off for the next challenge. A long, steep, winding section of road covered in fresh snow which had a new layer of the days tire tracks frozen solid. I made it 3/4 of the way then slid gently off the road onto the wrong side. After backing around gently so we didn't go off into the valley below, I decided to "park" in a nearby logging path. Un-plowed of course. After making a few phone calls to get rides arranged, we were surprised to see traffic heading up the hill past us, and one of the nice gentleman stopped to see if we needed a hand. After explaining the fact that we only had 2 wheel drive and that we ran out of daylight and good weather, he offered to bring us up to the hunting camp he belonged to to wait for our ride in the warmth and comfort of a cabin in the woods... with a bunch of hunters... in the dark of night... Well it all turned out well enough as I had called my wife to come get us and when she got there an hour later, we all packed into our mini-van and headed home. It turns out we were treated more than hospitably by our outdoorsman hosts, and after filling up on crackers, cheese, and candy, the kids wanted to make sure we go back down that road again to do some fishing. Back home we headed but before we even got to the main road ,we did get to lose control on the iced over road and spin around into the ditch backwards. No harm done, and after a quick stab ot two on the gas pedal, we were back on our way and safely dropped everyone off and home to bed for a well earned night of sleep.
Day 3 involved a nice trip out to enjoy a 1 year anniversary party for a sweet young couple at their local volunteer fire company's rec. hall. An afternoon and evening of laughing, dancing, and visiting left us tired and content, so off to bed at the end of an amazing weekend full of fun, adventure, and quite a few scares.