Dallas Photowalk, Hosted by Brian Braun!



While browsing the DFW Metro flickr group last week I came across a photo by local Dallas photog Brian Braun promoting a photo walk he was organizing. I'd been itching to go on one of these so I jumped at the chance of course! Being that it was January and the weather has been a bit dodgy lately, I wasn't sure if we'd get to hold the event or if we did, how many would even show up. With a light rain falling, I loaded up my gear and drove down to downtown Big D determined to take photos even if I had to wonder the streets by myself!

To my pleasant surprise, I pulled up in the parking lot to see a few other photogs already gathering. I quickly recognized "The Braun", organizer of the day as he flashed his friendly smile and a peace sign as I got out of my car. I then knew the event was on! Shortly after I arrived, quite a few others began to pull up and park. This was turning into a decent sized turn out and I knew it would be a fun day. Just as I had hoped.

With no real destination, our group first made our way to a multi-level parking garage with the idea of getting to the top floor and shooting some scenic downtown shots. A thick low fog made this difficult and most of downtown was engulfed in it. So after a few minutes we all headed back down to the ground floor. We were met with a surprise. The garage security gate had closed, trapping us inside! We were just about to all start climbing through the side of the gate, when a car pulled up and the gentleman had an access card. We were saved!

We continued our walk for another couple hours, moving to various location, stopping to shoot for a while at each. By the end, this group of strangers all felt like old friends. I guess thats not a difficult task when everyone has such a common interest like photography. From what ive seen, everyone came away with some really cool photots. One thing about photowalks which always fascinates me is how we all will shoot the same scenes, but everyone has their own take on it. Different angles and different ways they post process gives each photo a life of its own.

Big thanks to Brian Braun (http://www.flickr.com/photos/brianbraun) for putting this together. And a friendly shout out to all the great fellow photogs I met yesterday! I hope we have another one of these in the coming months as it warms up. It was definitely a blast!

Here's a few of the photo's I took during the event. Enjoy!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thorpeland/sets/72157625708366251/

Long, Dusty Road

Long, Dusty Road
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

I recently accompanied my good friend JB to the cross country race series he participates in. I always try to come out and shoot the action if they are racing somewhat local to me. This race was only about 30 minutes from me, so I packed up the gear and headed out for a day of dirt, 2-stroke fumes and race action.

Unlike the past events of this type Id shot, i wanted to shoot this with a bit of a different perspective. Not just shoot the riders going by and jumping. But this time include an artistic element into action photography. These past months Ive been inspired by an excellent professional sports photographer who in many ways I consider a mentor. His name is Ryu Voelkel and he truly is a master of his craft. In his words, he strives to "... Make sports photography more beautiful". I kept this motto in mind as I spend the day shooting the race event. Always looking for unusual angles and perspectives, breaking away from the ordinary and including more of the environment in frame. Ryu has really opened my eyes to a new way shooting action sports. And while he mainly shoots soccer (football), his photography philosophy really can translate to any sport. You can see some of his work here--> http://www.flickr.com/photos/ryusha/ . Not only has "toksuede" motivated me with his photography. But he's a super nice, down to Earth guy who has always been nice enough to respond to every email ive sent him, answering all my questions. You won't find many full time pro photogs willing to do that. So I am eternally grateful for his patience with me. :)

So, I spent the day laying on my belly shooting, hanging off of tree's to get more over the track, firing away with the camera up in the air trying to catch something unique and analyzing my photos in post for interesting crops. Its really changed the way I think of shooting action sports. I think everyone should find a mentor in the type of photography they want to do. It gives you new goals to reach for and helps you see things in a new light. And right when you think you've shot that same old subject to death and nothing can make it look anymore interesting, your mentors work will have you going back through all your old shots to see what you could have done different.

I can't wait to shoot other sports and apply this same type of thinking. I really believe it's the key to expanding my photography skills and opening the door to a new level of work. I feel a lot of great photography opportunities on the horizon for 2011 and many great photo's to come out of them!

Need a Lightroom 3 Kickstart?

xequals
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

I was recently asked by Brandon Oelling from Xequals to have a look at their new Lightroom 3 mini-guide and talk a bit about my thoughts. Sine I've been a long time user of X-Equals Lr presets and a reader of their website, x-equals.com, I was happy to ablige.

What the guys over at X-Equals have done is taken a deeper look at Lightroom 3 and give us some insight into their workflow in this new version. Then, they've compressed it into this 52 page mini-guide with easy to follow screen captures and step by step instructions. Now, I've been an Adobe Lightroom users since pre-version 1.0, back when it was in beta. It's easy to say I use this program on a daily basis. So as I began reading through Brandons latest guide, I wasn't sure how much I'd learn from it. But surprisingly I found I'd fallen into a bit of a rut in my editing workflow, always doing things the same way from Lr version to Lr version. So this guide has turned out to be quite an eye opener to the many new options and ways of doing things.

As I said, the guide isn't too long at 52 pages in pdf form. Which is perfect for me since I normally have the attention span of a knatt...on crack... sipping Red Bull. But it not only kept me reading but taught me a few things. This really isn't a guide just for experienced Lightroom users. If you have the program or are thinking of trying it out, I can definitely recommend this program as a tool to give you a bit of hand-holding as you learn what is what. You'll go from beginner to novice Lr3 user very quickly with the help of this mini-guide. And being that it's in PDF format, you can quickly search it for what you're looking for. Now, this of course isn't a full length, in depth Scott Kelby Lightroom book. But it's not meant to be. This is the quick and dirty, get you importing, editing and exporting in the most efficient and least amount of time. And it accomplishes that goal very nicely.

The mini-guide sells for $7 over on their site. Considering most books on Lightroom run $30 to $50, this guide is well worth it for the amount of information inside it. Big thanks to Brandon for allowing me to review this guide! It's been an enjoyable and educational experience.

You can find and purchase the X-Equals Lightroom 3 Mini-Guide right HERE.

This Old Opera House

This Old Opera House
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

While taking a recent walk around the Denton town square, I was looking around the old Opera house/Recycled Books & CD's building, trying to find an interesting photo. It has just finished raining and the skies were a flat grey. Nothing I shot seemed to really be of any interest to me.

I walked around the square one more time looking for new subjects. But as I came back around to the Opera House building, the clouds began to break and cracks in the clouds began to let a little sun glare through. I immediately knew this might give me some nice ominous clouds as a back drop to this intriguing old building. I attached my Sigma 10-20mm and got as close and as low to the building as I could. Shooting almost directly up and almost on the ground, I snapped off several photos. I then looked at my camera's LCD screen to better see what i'd captured. When I came to this photo, I knew I had one I liked.

Now, of course it wasn't this foreboding in person. But after a little work in Adobe Lightroom 3, doing b&w conversion and quite a bit of burn & dodge, I was able to create what my minds eye saw.

After it was complete I did my normal routine of uploading to Flickr and adding it to a number of groups for viewing. A couple days later I was pleasantly surprised when I was contacted by the group admin Stephan Becker of KERA.org. One of the groups I had submitted the photo to, Art & Seek, is a sub group to the KERA Art & Seek website. They highlight art, music and culture in the Dallas and North Texas area. He notified me that my photo had been selected as Photo of the Week and would be displayed on their site. Oh, exciting! So go have a look. The photo should run on the site until Tuesda, Oct. 2nd.
http://artandseek.net/2010/10/27/flickr-photo-of-the-week-101/

Pull, Girl... Pull!!

Pull, Girl... Pull!!
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

This little ferocious pup is Zita. Most of you who follow my Flickr stream already know this. She appears quite frequently. She is after all my best friend. She follows me around the house, hangs on my every word, misses me when I'm away and goes berserk when I come home. She wags her tail when she licks my face or when I say "Zita, daddy loves you very much". She ignores most others commands to obey, yet *mostly* hears mine. She loves cheese and spaghetti sauce.... together or separate.

In this photo we are doing probably her most favorite thing... tug-O-war. She's had this two foot long rope for a couple years now. But it's still the first thing she runs for when she's let out into the back yard. The phrase "Get your rope!" means game-on for her. And every time we play this game, I end up laughing my butt off as she pulls with all her might... growling and snarling, trying to sound as big and tough as possible. Yet I know behind all that noise and teeth is just my little teddy bear.

Most people when they meet me don't understand the bond I have with Zita. Through happy times and tough times, she has been there. Always. No questions asked. No looks of judgement. No wavering feelings or doubt. No change of heart. I am her world as much as she is mine. Ive grown up with dogs, cats, horses, goats and other pets my entire life, but never have I had such a close bond with an animal.

We truly are, best friends.

Heroic

Heroic
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

It's that time of year again. Cool weather rolls in, leaves fall from the trees and the State Fair of Texas goes into full swing. I finally got down there to it on its last weekend. My friends and I had a perfect day for it weather-wise and the crowds weren't horrible. We had fun taking photos, eating the classic fair junk foods and seeing all the sights.

For those who have never been, the State Fair of Texas is a HUGE deal as far as fairs go. Its a month long event held in Fair Park near downtown Dallas. You can see everything from livestock, new expensive cars and ride all kinds of crazy rides. And then of course there's the food. The fair vendors pride themselves on coming up with new things they can deep fry. Most if it I cannot stomach. Deep fried bacon is just too much. If they can think of it, they'll deep fry it. Its interesting for sure.

Needless to say the State Fair is a photographers play ground. Everywhere you look there are interesting people to photograph and exciting scenes unfolding. Kids on rides, people trying new foods, the Fair Park architecture around the stadium or the animals in the livestock exhibits. The creative eye will have a feast with the camera lens.

I hadn't been to the fair in about 4 years. I hope to make it again next year and shoot even more photos. In the past I'd taken my full camera/lens bag on my back. This year I limited myself to my camera and the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens id rented to try out. This turned out to be the perfect combination and all I needed for the day. Its low light abilities and "normal" field of view were perfect for walking around and shooting what caught my eye.

Overall a very fun day at the fair. We were exhausted by the time we got home!

8\100: Nife

8\100: Nife
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

My 100 Strangers Project slowly rolls onward. This past weekend I met Nife, a University of North Texas Engineering student from Morocco. I tend to be an opportunist when it comes to shooting my strangers. Some i have done cold walks up's to and explained my project. Others are people who have engaged me in conversation for some reason. While I have their attention, I use that as an ice breaker to grab their portrait. This was the case with Nife. He was introduced to me by another friend at the bar and I knew he'd be a great subject. He was very outgoing, friendly and very willing to help with my project.

We were all at the bar that night to watch a Burlesque show. Now, Id never been to one before but I knew what they were about. Nive didn't really know what to expect. I think he was a bit taken back at the amount of skin exposed that night. haha He also asked if it was normal for women in this town to dress as they were that night in the bar. What he meant by that was the 1950's era clothes they were all wearing. I explained to him, no... that's just kind of the theme of the night. He was amused. It was a fun night, everyone enjoyed.

The Long Road Ahead

The Long Road Ahead
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

Sometimes you find a photograph where you didn't expect one. This photo is a prime example of that. I recently went for a photo drive, which is where I get in my car and try my best to get lost out in the country. Hopefully to find interesting photos along the way. I had been driving for about 45 minutes not finding anything that peaked my interest. The sun was dropping fast and I knew I probably only had 25 minutes or so of good "magic hour" lighting left in the evening. As I drove I kept my 7D camera with 24-105mm lens attached, sitting in my lap. Id followed this dirt road for about 15 minutes and was about to turn around. Then, I crested a hill top and saw this scene infront of me. A pickup truck had just sped down the road ahead of me kicking up all that dust. I slammed on the breaks and thought "whoa", this is a shot! I was still parked on the top of the hill in my car as I snapped away. I took several shots as the dust cloud slowly drifted away like a morning fog. Everything seemed to just fall into place... the hill top, evening lighting, tree colors, dust. Everything to make my drive that evening worth while.

Photo-drive = Success.

The 100 Strangers Project

1\100: Collin
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

After a few months hiatus from blogging, I'm back. Ive finally found a project I feel is worth posting about. It's called the 100 Strangers Project. The goal is simple, yet very challenging; meet and converse with 100 strangers, then take their portrait. Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. One of the reasons I've taken on this project is to help conquer my fear of talking to strangers and taking better street photography of those I do not know.

Those who follow my photography over at my flickr stream know I've completed the 52 Week Self Portrait Project. This was to help me get over my fears of being in front of the camera. It did really help me. I now can take a decent self portrait without looking like a complete dorkus. Hopefully this project will give me the confidence the 52 week project gave.

So, this is my first Stranger portrait, Collin. I went with some friends to Lee Harvey's in Dallas to watch a very interesting band perform. As I was shooting photos of the band, I noticed Collin also taking pictures. He had just the unique look to convince me he had to be my first Stranger portrait. I approached him as the band was still playing and screamed "Hey man can i take your picture!?" Yeah I know, kind of insane. He looked at me with a half smile and said Ok. We worked our way through the crowd, over to the bar where the lighting was better. I explained the 100 Strangers project and introduced myself. I had him pose in front of the bar and I fired off two or three photos. I was most happy with this one. I then handed Collin one of my cards instructing him where he could see his photo. A quick hand shake and we were both off into the crowd to continue our band photography.

Big thanks to Collin for helping me out!

Just People Watching

Just People Watching
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

Ever since buying the 7D ive been so caught up in mastering the new photo advancements in the camera. Its amazing how far camera tech has come since I bought my previous camera, the Canon 30D, just 3 years earlier. While the principals of photography remain the same... shutter, aperture and ISO, the advancements on what you can do with them have come a long way in the 7D.

The one feature I had been ignoring was the camera's ability to shoot full HD video. I started out as a video guy. Coming out of college my degree is in Broadcast Journalism. I spent hundreds of hours in the editing bay and with the video equipment. I enjoyed photography at the time, but dreaded film developing or the expense of it all. Digital photography just wasn't affordable like it is now. Anyhow, i enjoyed working with video and figured thats where id stay. Funny how a decade can turn that around. So I found myself with some free time last night and decided it was time to give the 7D's video a good test run.

I headed down to the main square in Denton, knowing it would be buzzing with activity. There's always people out shopping, hanging out, going to the coffee shops, playing music or just people watching. Like me. A perfect scenario for a little street videoagraphy. Using a variety of lenses ranging from the 70-200 f/2.8 to the 50mm f/1.4 I walked around the square capturing people, un-noticed. After a couple of hours of gathering footage I came home, unloaded everything into Sony Vegas 9 and started piecing it all together. The music I used was called "Vale of Plenty" from the soundtrack of Blackhawk Down. I felt it gave the scene a relaxing mood, yet put a slight tension in it, showing the scene is alive and could change at any moment. If that makes any sense? haha

So here it is, my very first video made with the Canon 7D. I think its a good start. I'll probably do a few more just for the fun of it.

December Racing

December Racing
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

One of my favorite events to photograph has to be moto-cross or enduro off-road racing. Recently my friend JB asked if Id like to come out and take some photos of his upcoming race. Being that it was early December, it was cold, rainy and very muddy that week. Of course i wanted to come out!! I knew the weather would make for some excellent photographs. Its these tough conditions which bring out the drama of the day, the emotions of the riders and look awesome when frozen in the right moment.

There were several places on the track where I could tell would be perfect for what I was looking for. After a bit of a hike along the track, I came across this large flooded area in a field. The course took riders directly through it, no way to avoid it! I setup where I could shoot riders as they approached me and went past. As they began to notice me, some would hit the water with extra throttle to show off a bit for the camera. This kid was one of them. But as he nailed the throttle, he almost lost control and bit it. haha He did recover and rode out of the mud. But when i saw this shot on my camera LCD I knew i had a good one. This is probably one of my favorite shots of the day.

Stand By For Lift Off

Stand By For Lift Off
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

Finally, getting a chance to add some posts to the blog. I'll start with this November shoot I had for my friend Paul. He recently bought a 2010 Chevy Camaro and approached me about getting some photos done of it. Id always wanted to do add some automotive photography to my portfolio, so this was the perfect chance to shoot a sharp looking car.

I had him wash it good and show up at a local rail yard in town. I felt this made the perfect backdrop for this car. I think it seemed to work well, adding a gritty, tough feeling to the images. The car looked great and was fun to shoot and later edit. I learned a few things and realized a few things I wish id done differently during the shoot. But overall im happy with the results. And so was Paul, which is what counts since it is his car. haha It wasn't difficult to make this car look mean and lean. And the photos really showed its color and body shape off well.

New Gear!

Pavilion -Side
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

For those who know me, they know photography is a huge part of my daily life. Most of my college buddies remember me as the guy who had some type of camera always with me, taking pictures, (some incriminating) of our daily lives. It's ingrained in me.

Well for the past 3 years I had used a very reliable Canon 30D. As time wore on I began to outgrow it. Not to mention camera technology began to really make it look dated. It was time to upgrade. For the past 6 months id been watching rumors of a new line of camera from Canon. Then it was announced, the Canon 7D was real! I pre-ordered mine as soon as I could.

Well finally after almost two months of waiting, it arrived! What a beast. Thats the best way of putting it. I kind of feel like someone who had been taken from the 1970's and dropped down in 2009.... in terms of camera tech. haha I know, that's a bit of an exaggeration. But people who had been shooting with more recent models, like the Canon 50D, might just think "ok the 7D is cool and all". But to me, its a massive jump in every aspect of photography. Everything I had wished the 30D could do, the 7D does. It man is it fast. For example, a long exposure shot of say... 30 seconds, would sit processing in my 30D for at least another 30 seconds. So i would sit and look at the little dark screen, watching the red buffer light flicker. With the 7D, the shutter of the 30 second exposure closes and in roughly 1 second the image appears! Thats the dual DIGIC IV processors doing their job. Sweet!!

Its body feels very similar to the Canon 5DMKII. Those who have one will feel like their holding their 5D when holding the 7D. Even the controls are similar. Its very comfortable to grip, feels solid, but not too heavy. Ive got the BG-E7 battery grip on mine, which does increase the weight a bit, but I'm so used to shooting with a grip I don't think I could go back to not using one. Its really nice.

One of the first things I noticed when taking the 7D out for some night shooting is its sensitivity to light. Its SO much better than my 30D was. I was shocked. I can shoot at a slightly lower ISO than I could with my 30D to get the same result. This is good because it means less "noise" from a long exposure. Im also in love with the large view finder. I didn't realize how much the 30D was cutting off from the eyes view. I look through the 7D's view finder and I feel like im suddenly looking through a full frame camera's view. I know im not, but I can see that much more! Its really.... eye opening. hah Another feature new to me is Live View. My neck likes this feature. As now I can take low to the ground shots without having to either lay flat on my stomach or painfully bend my neck to see through the view finder. Its real easy to look at the bright 3 inch screen and compose my shot.

Anyhow there are so many bells and whistles on this camera its mind boggling. I could go on and on about it, but I'll just close by saying I have zero buyers remorse over this baby. Its an investment in my photography and has met all of my expectations. If you're on the fence about getting one and you don't mind shooting with a 1.6x cropped sensor, get this camera... NOW. Oh and dont worry about digital noise. Its even beating the Nikon D300s in noise tests! Really kicking it in the nuts at ISO3200 and higher. I love it!

As you can see, im happy with this camera. :-)

Gouls, Goblins and Cross Dressers!

Friendly Skull Dude
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

There are few places I could go which would fit that title. In this case it was the Oak Lawn Halloween Block Party! If you're into people watching, this was THE place to be. I would have to guess there were at least 10,000 people packed into a 6 city block radius. In the epicenter of this mass of humanity was the center attraction... the runway. On the Runway, participants line up and take turns having their character introduced to the jam packed crowd on each side of the barriers as they make the walk down the path. The crowd in this area is crushing to say the least. It wasn't easy to move even a few feet and trying to do it while wearing camera gear was that much more difficult!

While at the block party I think I saw every type of costume there possibly could be. And even some of the most creative ones id never thought of. It was my first time this event. Id been invited a few times in the past but never made it. I'll definitely have to go again next year. Big thanks to Craig and Bex for the invite. It was a blast.

So, until next Halloween Oak Lawn... I'll be back!

It's a Parade!

It's a Parade!
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

On Saturday October 17th I headed up to Whiteboro Texas to catch the annual Peanut Festival. This small North Texas town has held this even for something like 70 years (from what im told). It had been about 10 years since I had been and I had a free Saturday, so I packed up the camera gear and drove north.

I was surprised to see how much the festival had grown since my last visit. Back when I last attended, the booths' filled Main Street and that was really about it. Fast forward 10 years and the festival now fills Main Street and extends 2 street deep on each side. Not to mention the crowd, it seems, has about tripled! But this was a good thing for me as a photographer. With the parade, the old west gun fighters show and plenty of people to observer and take pictures of, I knew it would be a good time.

I started out the morning by taking my spot on the parade route on Main Street. I had to really jostle for position with a bunch of cub scouts, but I found a spot! As the parade vehicles rolled by, I was able to get a number of really fun shots. The photo in this post was one I really felt captured the day. An old war vet riding in the back of a pick-up truck waving to the crowd. The Peanut Festival and Whitesboro are really classic Americana and this parade showed it. I think if anyone from another country was to be visiting here and attend this parade they would be thinking "this is what I picture when I think of small town USA".

After the parade I walked up the street a bit and found my seat again for the Old West Gun Fight. It was really entertaining to watch the 6 actors dressed in the old west theme act out a dispute, settled with riffles and revolvers. Ah.. America!! ;-) Watching the reaction of the people in the crowd as the guns went off was almost as interesting as the gun fight itself.

I continued to walk the street after the fun fight and found myself infront of Eye of the Storm Photography. It had been so long since Id last been to Whitesboro, I didn't even realize someone had opened a photo studio right on Main street! That someone turned out to be a friendly fellow photog named Mike (I can't remember his last name!). We immediately started talking shop as he showed me around his studio. It was a real treat that I didn't expect to find up in "the boro". Mike's a super nice guy and a great photog, so if you're ever up in the Whitesboro Texas area, stop in and say hi.

I left the festival around 2pm with a memory card full of photos. I had a pretty good time, better than I thought Id have. I may just have to venture up there for no real reason at all. There's some great photo opportunities!

Summers Last Gasp

Summers Last Gasp
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

As I pulled into the garage last night while coming home from work, thunderstorms were really building up and rains were coming down heavy. But it was odd because the sun was still shining through the north end of the clouds where the storm had not reached yet. I looked out over the back yard with the sun shining towards the house, I got the idea for an interesting shot. Even though it was fall season, it felt like a warm summer shower. I grabbed my camera and laid down on the kitchen floor with the back door open. This allowed me to shoot slightly into the sun and the falling rain, using some un-mowed weeds around the back porch as a subject. I really thought the glow of the sun through the cat tails with streams of rain coming down really captured the feel of the moment. It was nice.

The Night Shift

The Night Shift
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

This past Tuesday night, with nothing going on after work, fellow photog buddy Rocky and myself decided to head North out of Denton and into more rural parts. Our original plan was to experiment with some light painting techniques and see what kind of interesting photos we could come up with. After about an hour of trial and error, neither of us were getting anything we thought worthy of keeping. We began to wander around in the dark shooting anything that captured our interest. Across a crop field and the distant high way was what appeared to be a cement mixing station for some local construction. With a full moon over head and the glow of big Dallas on the southern horizon, I had the idea for this shot. A 15 second exposure to fully capture the feel of the night. I liked the tilted horizon, as the telephone wires lead the eye across the scene. Anyhow, it was a perfect night for shooting. Cool fall temps, barely a breeze blowing and great weather. I'll be doing more of this for sure. And maybe I'll even get a light painting shot im happy with.

Last One Out...

Last One Out...
Originally uploaded by Thorpeland

Sometimes the weather here in Texas just doesn't cooperate. Or sometimes im really busy. Or... sometimes im just not in the mood to load up my gear and go out shooting. So, I dig through my archives for favorite photos that I never made public at the time I took them. This would be one of those photos. I liked this one the moment I took it. But for some reason or another, it got shelved for other shots from the day. This old shack sat on the back side of the abandoned farmhouse property. The summers sun was dropping in the background casting long shadows across the grown up weeds. This was a fun location to shoot. It was remote, silent and interesting location. My buddy Rocky was shooting with me at this location as well. He and I both enjoy finding these forgotten, rural locations and capturing the feeling of abandonment they leave behind. I called this photo "Last One Out", because my eye was drawn to the front door of this shed. Laying in the grass in the same place it had fallen when its old rusty hinges gave out, it made me think of the phrase "last one out, close the door". Well, it was easy to say the last person out left that property at least 30 years ago. No one is returning to close that door.

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!

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!!