Fun with Snow

I spent the day up north and while there wasn't much snow on the ground it started to snow during the day. I took this as an opportunity to head outside and try to catch some wildlife in the snow. Earlier in the day there were deer playing on the frozen river and birds everywhere. Well once I headed out with the camera there was nothing for wildlife. I took the time to have some fun and try some different shots. Most of course did not turn out great but I found a couple that I like. The first one is of a wreath on the side of our house with snowflakes flying around it. The second is just simple shot of a pine branch in focus with the background and snowflakes out of focus. Just some fun with the camera and practice, practice, practice. While I didn't get any masterpieces it was time spent behind the lens and I need to do more of that. A good day. I hope you enjoy the pics.

Greatest Training Ever!

Well for those of you who have been reading this blog, you know that I have been taking training classes through Lynda.com.  I highly recommend them and more details will come later but below is a banner to their site and classes for those who are interested.  I highly recommend them!!!  They have taught me more on post processing in two months than I learned in two years.

Wasting Away in February

Well after a very busy January, February has been disappointing.  We are already on the 20th in a short month and I have done almost nothing photography related.  I have added zero photos to my average port size and the goal of fifty seems really out of reach.  Income is trending alright for the month but my activity has been non-existent.  It's been a very busy month at work and home and I haven't been fighting through to be motivated to keep shooting. 

As I look at the remaining days of this month I am split between throwing in the towel or finding a way to fight for the fifty.  February is a brutal month here in Wisconsin.  Time to start shooting!

Super Bowl Sunday and January Wrap Up

Well it's Super Bowl Sunday and in honor of that and the mighty Packers, below is a picture of the Green Bay sweep displayed on a chalk board with a football. 

For those of you wondering how my January ended up for goals, well.... just a little short.  I ended up adding to my portfolio average 49 new pictures.  Just one short of my 50 goal.  I tried rounding and still came up just fractions short.  So technically I missed the goal.  I am still happy with the effort though and will now turn my sights to February, a short and challenging month.  I'll keep you all posted.  I've also been learning a ton in Photoshop and will expand upon that further in a future post.

Well back to pre-game preparation.  Go Pack!!!

A Little Behind the Pace

As this blog is still new, the topics are still just working their way out.  Sometimes the posts will be lots of new pictures of exciting new faces or places.  Other times it will be about what I'm into at that time in my hobby.  Sometimes it will be more stock or microstock photography related.

That's what time it is right now.  Microstock.  One of my goals this year is to add 50 new pictures to my portfolio each and every month.  Consistency is key here.  Well as I sit here on the 20th, I am half way.  I have added 25 new pics so far this month.  I need to step up the pace to hit that goal this month.  The problem is this isn't easy.  It's cold and white outside.  Not a lot of exciting topics to go shoot.  As a result they have to be indoor mini studio based.  Not as exciting and a lot more difficult to come up with new ideas. 

The good news is I still have 11 days this month to hit the goal.  Now back to work...

2011 Goals

Well I mentioned in my last post that I would post some of my 2011 photography related goals.  So here they are.  Some I won't mention as they are more personal. 

1.  Double my stock photography portfolio to 1400 images.
2.  Add 50 pictures to my stock portfolio every month.
3.  Learn Photoshop.
4.  Improve my skills (both photography and processing).
5.  Add posts to this blog on a regular basis.
6.  Try to take photos as often as possible, even if just for fun.

Well, those are my main goals.  The first two really will have me focused on my stock portfolio.  The next two are to improve my skills.  The last two are more for enjoyment so this hobby doesn't become a job.

What are your photography goals for 2011?  Add a comment and let me know what you think.  Now onto the Packer game.  Go Pack!!!

Welcome Photoshop CS5.

New year, new challenge.  Well it's 2011, Happy New Years to all.  I will be posting some of my photo related resolutions later but I have embarked on a new journey.  I finally jumped in the deep end and purchased Photoshop CS5.  While it is certainly an investment it is one I felt I needed to do.  Prior to this I was using PhotoImpact X3 and previous versions back to Ulead.  While I loved this program (and its early roots are tied to PS) it is not the industry standard.  While Photoshop is a beast, everybody uses it and all tuturials are on PS.  This is something I have been putting off doing due to price and the new learning required but if I am going to be serious I need to take the plunge.  I first needed a new PC capable of running this program and I took care of that need in the last few days.  Now I have a new pc and a new program that all require some time to learn and set up. 

This will keep me busy for awhile but should result in better post production pics in the long run.  I'll post more as I learn but wanted to get a new post out there.  Stay tuned for an exciting 2011!!