Tuesday, September 22, 2009

A Looming Storm


A Looming Storm
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland
This is a photo from the archives. Lately I've been quite busy and the weather hasn't been the greatest. So I started going through older shots that didn't make the cut the first time around. I had completely forgotten about this photo. Which is one I did like after returning from this road trip to the Wichita Mountains in Southwest Oklahoma. I had been wanting to work on landscape photography and knew this wildlife refuge would be the perfect place. After returning from the trip, I chose a series of other photos and filed this one into the archives. Im glad I got the chance to go back into them. With a little work in Lightroom and Photoshop to get the exact black & white tones I wanted, I was pretty happy with this. It seemed to give it an almost surreal feel to the scene. The crisply focused boulder in the foreground, the soft mountains in the background, with menacing gray and black skies over head. It was a really fun day of shooting. I really need to go back soon!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Another Year...


Another Year...
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland
I swear i just had a birthday last week! I tell ya, these things go by too quickly. This past year literally flew by. Its been full of highs and lows. It has taken me on travels and opened my eyes in many ways. Through these past months I have discovered a lot about myself... about my past... current life and future to come. But overall it was a good year, so I can't complain too much.

And so it goes. Today, September 12th, 2009... I turned 38. Thats odd. I don't feel 38. I don't think I look 38. But, I am. I guess I have to accept that and move on. As a very good friend has told me many times in the past, "Dont worry about age... age is just a number". I have to agree with that. I often joke with my friends that while I may be 38, I have the mind of a 17 year old. Ha! Id rather spend time laughing, playing practical jokes and hanging out with friends than worrying about real serious matters. Life is too short to be stressed all the time. You've gotta have fun!

So... what will the next 12 months bring me? At this point in time, its very hard to say. But being the eternal optimist I am... I can only say the glass is half full and this time next year I'll sit here making a post on flickr... with a smile on my face. Im sure I'll travel somewhere, meet new people, take some incredible pictures and do my best to enjoy life. (knock on wood!)

A big thanks to everyone who visited my flickr stream to wish me a Happy Birthday. Its really great to see my real and online friends stop by and take the time to leave a comment. I smile and laugh at every single one of them! I consider you all, my friends. Thanks!!