So now I have the freakin’ “Memories” song going through my head because I was trying to think of something profound to write about memories! Ah well.
All day. That song’s gonna be bouncing around in my head all day!
The Attic
There’s a light on in the attic.
Thought the house is dark and shuttered,
I can see a flickerin’ flutter,
And I know what it’s about.
There’s a light on in the attic.
I can see it from the outside.
And I know you’re on the inside… lookin’ out.– Shel Silverstein
Spent some time in my parents’ attic this afternoon. Hadn’t been in there since high school. That was pretty cool.
Kite Fest
It was quite a day to fly a kite today. Thought I’d check out the FCPRD Kite Festival today in Sherando Park. A little nerve-wracking to fly it around all those kit strings!
The aerial camera is definitely a people magnet.
Wicked
Gotta get back into shooting every day. Slacker! <— Spoken in the best Principal Strickland voice you can muster.
I haven’t been consistent with my shooting these days and since I’m pretty much back to normal here at Cedarmeade Studios, I’m making that my goal moving forward. I may not post every day, but I’m going to shoot every day which will inevitably lead to posting more. At least that’s what I’m hoping.
Is that the “something wicked” that’s coming this way? | Order a print of this image.
Heights
No, I’m not afraid of heights. I’m terrified of the imminent probably of my death and/or dismemberment from the fall.
I want to say thank you to all the firefighters this weekend for making me feel welcomed to their training burn in Clarke County especially Chief Jason Burns who let me shoot all over the place. I was so concerned about being in the way and, at every turn, there was somebody allowing me to be right in close to all the action. They even fed me lunch!
I came away with some awesome images and footage for their recruiting video. I produced a recruiting video 5 years ago and this one will be a complete refresh of that one (in the same style).
A big shout out to Zayna Elhady for allowing me to buzz her with the aerial camera and also for letting me post the image here.
Compression
Before anybody gets too upset, the camera was really nowhere near the cupola. Photographers use compression all the time – it’s what makes objects in z-space look so much closer than they really are. A longer lens will make the objects’ relative size so drastically different and they appear closer to each other. I was using a 400mm lens (which, on my crop frame camera is essentially a 640mm lens). I was probably 40-50 meters away from it.
I always err on the side of caution. I quickly grabbed this shot and then got the heck out of there.
Waking Up
Every morning I sit at my desk and watch the sun rise from inside. It looks awesome, but today I wanted to do it properly. I also have to do some night shooting with the Inspire 1 to test its low-light capabilities. I’m thinking it’s going to impress.
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Pi Day
Did you have your pie today, we did. Blueberry – YUM!
The image has nothing to do with Pi Day – just thought the sky was awesome tonight. This is directly opposite the actual sunset! Order a print of this image.
I’m High
I know my pilot friends are gonna hate me, but I just wanted to test the limits. The whole flight took less than a couple of minutes. The Inspire 1 has incredible propulsion and it descends almost as fast. I was nervous the entire time (for what it’s worth).
Angle of View
My depth perception is always a little off when I’m flying this thing. Since it’s a pretty wide-angle lens, it’s really difficult to gauge where exactly I am in z-space. But it makes for some really cool angles and images when I can figure it out.
The iconic cupola at Handley High School
Look Harder
Can you spot the drone? It may be a little tough to see.
Did I make you look (come on…be honest)?
Daylight
Looking forward to the longer days! Yippee, we made it through the dark days of Winter!
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Fly
So I get this upgraded “toy” – I call it a toy, but it’s not a toy (not at that price) – and the weather has not cooperated with me one bit yet. It’s sitting in its case begging to fly.
Frustrated.
“Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away.”
– Frank Sinatra
Inspired
Just got the updated drone today. Not really enough time to put it through its paces. There’s an enormous library of learning videos they suggest I watch first. It makes sense that I’d need a pilot’s license for this stuff!
One of the first images from the DJI Inspire 1.
It’s Not OK!
We devote an enormous amount of time and effort to improve our craft. To develop our own style. To create art. We put ourselves out there, sometimes in very vulnerable situations.
When I say “we” I mean Creatives – anybody who creates. It could be paintings. Perhaps videos. How about crafts or wood carvings? For me, it’s photography.
And those “vulnerable” situations I mentioned have everything to do with this phenomenon called the interwebs. Internets. The internet folks.
For most Creatives, their art is their main source of income. It’s a business. It’s a job and a career. It was a choice. IT’S NO OK, PEOPLE, TO EXPECT US TO ALWAYS GIVE IT AWAY FOR FREE! You don’t expect to walk into your local grocery store/pharmacy/department store and walk out without paying do you? Why is it any different with photography? IT’S NOT. I’ll continue to consider freebies and I’ll make decisions based on my own business model and expectations at the time, but don’t get upset if I come right back at you with a link to purchase a commercial license to use my work.
The experts say that you need to have a web presence these days. A social media presence. Ok. Done. That opens up a can of worms doesn’t it? So how do I keep people from taking my images and sharing them elsewhere? There’s no way you can catch everything. It’s a pretty vulnerable situation indeed. Here’s my thinking:
- I post an image to a social media platform (an actual image, not a link) – I expect people to share it if the desire hits them. That’s the way it works.
- I post an actual image to my blog (here at cedarmeadestudios.com) – I expect people to “like” it or share it. That’s the way it works. By the way, all the images on this site are posted with a Creative Commons License.
- I post an image to my online galleries (cedarmeadestudios.smugmug.com) – I expect people to purchase those images if the desire hits. It’s an online store people. This screen grabbing has got to stop. IT’S NOT OK! Just because an image is on the internet does not mean it’s “up for grabs.” IT’S NOT OK. Did I mention that already. Technically it’s stealing.
Like I said, I can’t catch everything. It’s impossible. I have, however, discovered multiple issues where an image of mine is being used (one from my online galleries) and I have no record of it being purchased. That’s stealing people. IT’S NOT OK!
But the latest issue (the impetus behind this post) has really got me heated. Angry. Downright pissed off! And I’ll be addressing the issue with the guilty party. I’m hoping that it’ll be a simple “Oh wow, I’m so sorry.” but I feel this goes beyond “simple.” Who knows, maybe this person will approach me after I post this – we’ll see.
I discovered one of my online gallery images imbedded in a Twitter feed. I have no record of it being purchased. And credit was given to someone else for having created it! WTF?!
IT’S NOT OK!
I’ve steered clear of watermarks, but perhaps I’m on to something with this one. Maybe you’d like to order a print of this image – the actual image with no watermarks.
Delay
Due to extreme temperatures and weather conditions, Spring will be operating on a 2-month delay.
I’m giving up Winter for Lent. Who’s with me?!
The Last Supper
No. Not that last supper. I know that’s the end of this season.
I’m talking about the meals that we’ve been receiving for the last couple weeks since I came home from the hospital. What an awesome outreach from my church. We’ve enjoyed some really great meals compliments of the Guardian Angels at First Presbyterian Church.
Last night was the last one and we’re so thankful to all those who brought us a meal in this frigid weather. Thank you.
In My Name?
The flowers in church last Sunday were in my name. It’s was a crazy overwhelming feeling. I’ve always heard them mention that the flowers were in other names, but this time it was me! Thank you.
On another note, it’s weird to hear what people are saying in terms of my recent surgery. On some levels it’s become a bit over-exaggerated. I think, in some circles, I almost died. It’s a bit Ferris Beuller-ish.
I can say, without hesitation, that the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.
Capturing The Cover
I’m always curious about what the scene really looks like in photographer’s scenes. Just going through some of my images as I prepare my year-long contract with Getty Images and I came across this one. This is the setup I had for capturing the cover image for Winchester City’s annual calendar.
Capturing the cover
Derailed
It’s been a week now since my surgery ended and I suppose I’ve made a good bit of progress. And although I’ve been slightly derailed from some of my early season goals, I feel I can easily get back on track. That track will forever be a different track though, now that I’ve faced a fairly significant life event. I know I’ll be much more motivated now to complete goals and to live an even more healthy life than I have been. Let’s face it, there’s always something more healthy we all can do.
I certainly have a changed perspective on various levels. For instance, I have a clearer grasp on how much pain my body can withstand. And this experience has certainly made me more focused on my physical health.
I haven’t had a real camera in my hand in almost two weeks and, believe me, I’m chomping at the bit to get back out there. I promise there will new images soon. Most of my Facebook Page followers have seen some of these images, but I wanted to put them here as well.
But more importantly, I’m focusing on my recovery and am thinking back on all the nursing staff that got me through it all. The care that I received from the nursing staff on the Step Down unit at Winchester Medical Center was just top-notch. What an intensive line of work that can really test one’s patience (ha!). Most of the time I really felt as if I was the only patient on the unit, they were that good.
So my sincerest gratitude goes out to the following nurses on Step Down unit at Winchester Medical Center:
- Danielle
- Stephanie
- Skylar
- Joe
- Annie
- Julie
- Dawn
- Amber
- Somer
I had never met any of them before and will probably never run into them again, but man it felt good to get the care I needed to get through this.
A thrombosed popliteal aneurysm caused my lower leg to start “dying.”
On the road to recovery.
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