Dad

Dad c. 1964. If you were wondering, he is still an expert frog catcher.

Soldier

This is Grandpa's uniform from 1947. I shot this for an art assignment, and it's also the first project done with the 40d. I'm liking the camera, although the screen will take some getting used to. I'm thinking of taping over it with some gaffer's tape for awhile so I can get away from relying on the screen to tell when I'm in focus. I need to know that I know what settings I should be on.

Second to Last

This is the second to last photo I took with my Canon Rebel before it died on Thanksgiving Day (the last photo is unremarkable). Ironically, I had bought my Canon 40d that morning. So here's to the good ol' Rebel for getting me through high school and most of college.

Columbus

A Plant? Really?

Shooting plants is usually on the very bottom of things I like to shoot. Plants, for one, are cliche. It's like that flower photo on your mom's bathroom wall... it's pretty, but who cares (that's the journalism bias in me)? I took this photo for Art class, and while yes, it's a plant, I think the fact that there is a hand in the photo elevates it some, but I fear that it is still cliche. The bird photo may be more interesting. Look at those raptor like talons.

edit** After looking at the photos again I am drawn more to the plant photo... the way the hand wraps around the soil somehow works for me.

Self

Anytime I walk past a mirror this ends up happening. After a summer of shooting hundreds of photos every day, I find myself shooting much less, but thinking about photography more. I've been thinking a lot about what is after college and whether or not I'll actually make a living doing photojournalism. Looking at the current state of things... I probably won't be. But I'm very okay with that. Maybe it wasn't meant to be my day job. Nevertheless, I am very thankful to have the journalism skill set. I still have a love for documentary photography.

More Water

Justin. For ART-297d. Art is strange. You don't wait for hours for a good moment, like in that other endeavor, photojournalism. You make something happen. In this case, I had one brother dump a bucket of water on my other brother. To be fair, I did buy Justin some delicious ice cream afterward.

The Ripple Effect

Here is a snap from a few weeks ago. After a massive escalating water war involving super soakers, buckets, the hose, and crazy antics I retreated to my bedroom where I saw Lauren and her friend outside. She started spraying the window and I saw this photo.

Road Trip

When I flew out to Colorado I didn't buy a return ticket. I banked on the fact that I was bound to meet someone that would be driving back to the Midwest. I did, and it worked out perfectly. I got to spend quality time with good friends as we navigated detours, drove past countless cornfields, and searched desperately for a gas station when we were down to .19 gallons of gas in Roundhead, Ohio (my fault). The good people of Ohio gave us directions, but it took me a couple stops, several more miles and two sets of instructions to get it. Maybe I should listen next time, eh? :) So thanks Lyd and Killer K, you made it a great adventure. We'll have to do it again. Maybe to Alaska next summer?

This to this...

I left the grandeur of Colorado last week for the Midwest's more subtle beauty. There is nothing like coming home.

The Black is Black

I spent a lot of the summer shooting in the riding ring. Here is one of my favorites. I darkened the image down in levels, and I wonder. How far is too far? I like the contrast this image has in black and white. But do you think it looks too photoshoped?

Cooper

I shot whitewater rafting last week for the first time this summer. I split my time between rafting and shooting. Here is Cooper, one of the campers that sat in front of me on the bus.

When not at work...

...we go to town, do laundry, and find someplace to eat. The photos aren't the strongest compositionally, but these photos are from my story, whereas most of the photos I make are of other people's lives. Top down: Lydia, Kenny, and Lee.

Camp

Dan Stewart told me I'd get sick of camp photography. You were right Dan, in part. I don't enjoy taking "canned" photos of 11-year-olds smiling, or having to meet a daily quota. And I'm not consistently shooting photos that I'm happy with. But I can't blame that entirely on the job. I'm just not making the time in the business that is camp. I am loving Colorado. And there are a lot of good moments here. The camp environment is great, I just wish I was out there more, and in here (the office) less. I need to work harder on scheduling my time to make that happen.

Saw Me a Bare

Tonight Kyle, James, Chris, Brennan and I made a trek to the "bear pit." True to tradition, we saw two monster black bears. Brennan and I stalked them through the woods taking photos. I could be a nature photographer yet.

The Roommate (summer edition)

Brennan Metzler, nature photographer. This is my roommate and one of my coworkers for the summer. We work well together, and complement each other with our skill sets. For instance, he shoots landscapes (see brennanmetzler.com) while I focus more on moments between people. He also does a sick job with sports action. Maybe it has something to do with his winter job as a snowboard instructor at Keystone.

Canada Two

Last weekend I climbed Long's Peak (a 14er) with Eric. In high school, we climbed peaks in the Wind River Range and went canoing in Canada. It's only natural that we should find ourselves working at camps in Colorado just 10 minutes apart. He's leading trips and I'm taking photos. Go figure, eh?

History

Well, to be more specific, my history. Mom was going through old photos to put together a slideshow for my grandpa's 80th birthday party and these photos turned up. They are my grandparents. I wish I had a good photo of mom and dad to complete it... I'll have to search around. Oddly enough, I don't tend to take pictures of those I'm closest to.


Grandpa Whitmore May 14th 2008


Whitmores


Blakes

2:05:59

I ran 25k yesterday. It was the culmination of these long months of training... and I don't have any photos to show from it. I was runner 2884, with a time of 2:05:59, and I loved every second.

Post and Promise

Here is a snapshot from a week ago when we went climbing in Kentucky. That's Jon on the overhang, and I believe Ryan is instructing some climber above on a move. More to come...

Anathallo and friends

...from the Anathallo concert in Lansing. I hadn't been to a show in awhile (okay... a REALLY long time) and Nicky was gracious enough to invite me. It was a great show and I even got a few pictures out of the deal. Although, someone needs to teach me photoshop. I can't get seem to make my photos to look, well, good. Black and white I can manage, but what's with this color stuff?

ode to winter

Backpacking. I love getting out in the backlands. Here is the soundslide of the trip.

Saturday several of us got together after our WFR graduation to relax, jam, and celebrate surviving the most intense spring break in recent memory. It was worth every minute. And I made some new friends along the way. Oh, and the cake is from Justin's 21st. Happy birthday. I can't imagine a better present than passing the course.

A Beginning

So this is the third or fourth time I've started this photo blog. I wanted to get the settings right so I could display nice big photos. And with Brett and Ryan's help, here it is. Here is a self portrait I shot last week.