Dan's Daily Journal

Smoke, Snow and...

2009-12-10T07:32:00.000-08:00

So the temperature has been fluctuating from warm to cold, our chimney has been smoking us out, and well, there really has not been much activity on my part except for some minor jobs here and there. If only work were easier to find this time of year, I would be happily working on everything I can get my hands on.

Anyway, so, over this seasons wood fires in the house, we have been smoked out several times. Yeah, nothing to be happy about, and the first time was understandable, the chimney hadn't been swept. So, get it swept and then burn... Not in this chimney. After just a few short days, our chimney began to smoke again. This time it was worse than before. Well, this time our chimney had clogged almost completely. So, throw some chains down the flue and see if they can make it to the bottom. Well, we thought they would...

Where in a chimney can a length of chain just stop on its flight to the bottom??? We soon discovered it was really about half way down, right next to where the flue from the kitchen comes in. So, we reached in to discover a nearly 5 inch thick chunk of creosote. DAMN! So, take a hammer and a chisel and work at it bit by bit. Unclog the demon, and give it another try. Chimney burns for 3 days, and we get smoked out again, this time it was in the same spot, and just above the kitchen Flue. So, work at it again, and maybe we can fix it for good. Who knows. Well, as of this point, day three will be tomorrow, so maybe I will be cleaning it, yet again.

Anyway, lets hope the smoke stays out...

A Sampling of Summer

2009-10-02T04:52:00.001-07:00

HogFarm-OldStageRd
Originally uploaded by Dan Lovell Photography

Ok, So this summer I have been busy creating images, and some of these images have kept me very very busy. So, I wanted to take a few moments to share with you all a small part of my summer.

This first image, taken in Essex, VT, is part of a landscape series I am currently working on. I have been trying to press the limits of photography, making them border on the edge of watercolor painting, without much manipulation in Photoshop. So, some of these images are simply taken and lightly edited for print. Go figure, an image like this can be done so simply.

I traveled to the summit of Camels Hump to take a few photographs of the summit. Again, working with the same landscape ideas. This time I was successful in a great adventure. I enjoyed every moment of this trip, and plan on traveling there again, very very very soon. I would like to try and capture some fall foliage from these great perspectives. One place I want to travel to for the fall foliage, before it is too late, is the Green River Reservoir in Morrisville, VT. That lake is just gorgeous, and if any of you enjoy camping, kayaking or both together, that is ideal for you to kayak out to a campsite, either on an island or the mainland, and enjoy a weekend of fall water fun.

As for the rest of my summer, take a stroll through my images, and tell me what you think. Feel free to leave me comments either in this blog, or for each individual image on Flickr. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dglphoto/sets/72157622333983779/

Here is the entire Photoset - A Sampling of Summer

Senior Portraits

2009-09-25T07:39:00.001-07:00

_DGL6407
Originally uploaded by Dan Lovell Photography

Every year I try to bring in senior portraits, and this year I managed to take some family senior portraits. They came out great, but as always I cannot seem to find myself into the senior portrait market locally. Go figure.

We all have a need to continue finding ways to stand out, but how do you stand out when the majority of the market I am trying to target go for "Brand Names". It is very hard to compete with the competition when the competition barrages the market with images every where they shop. Go figure. How can I, mr little guy manage to compete with the large studios? Do I need a Large STUDIO??? larger than the competition? Or can I compete with my little portable studio where I meet my clients at their favorite place?

At this point, I have no clue how to compete, but I do know that I can take some great photos. Who knows, the season is not over yet.

FROM THE NEW WORLD

2009-07-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

So it has been a long week here in the Burlington Area. I have been a teaching assistant for Burlington Glass Studio and I have been documenting the rehearsals of the dancers for the "From the New World" which premiered last night. This was an absolutely stunning performance by a great group of people. They were a lot of fun to work with, and provided me with ample opportunity to photograph them in some very beautiful compositions. You can see all the photos, most of them unedited, at dglphoto.smugmug.com. Here are a few of my favorites from the week.

My absolute favorite image is of the lone dancer against the blue image in the background. To me, this image is very stunning, and dramatic. It is very beautiful. The rest of the images are favorites, for exposure and an all around great image.

Ok, The fireworks show last weekend was also entertaining. I had played with my camera and tripod, and was very excited to see a few of my fireworks shots. Makes you think of that famous song... the one that goes something like, " Oh say can you see..."

Let's hear what you all think about these images. Please leave me a comment on them, and let me know what you think.

FlickR and its amazing marketing abilities...

2009-07-02T16:54:00.001-07:00

Ok, so a few weeks ago I had gotten contacted by a representative from http://www.cleanfish.com/ to use an image I had posted to FlickR. Of all images that could have been used, it was of a good friend when we went fishing for cod and haddock, and was certainly not my best work. So, I hesitantly said yes to selling the image. I had offered a reshoot for the very reasonable price of $500 and could offer the images to them in a weeks time.

Well, they opted for the image at the right, and no reshoot for $150. Now, I have been asked about a photo with a haddock. So, I am delving into my image banks looking to see what I can find. Again, I offered the service over the images I might have on hand, but to no avail. It looks like from now on, if I am going to be using my camera, that I need to treat every photo opp as a professional shoot, because I will never know when someone wants to use my images...

Can you imagine, two images for $300, when they could have had an entire array of images for only $500. Go figure... Well, I am still open to reshooting, especially if they want to hire me to photograph salmon running in Alaska. Any takers out there? Send me to Alaska for a salmon adventure, I will guarantee some spectacular images, maybe even a grisly or two.

Go figure, and did I mention the fishing trip the photo is from was taken at my "bachelor party"...

Art Copy: Photographing Art

2009-07-01T10:22:00.000-07:00

So recently, work has been slow, but over the last week or so, I have been able to find some income. Now, I have begun tutoring people with their cameras, and am now pushing Art Copy work as well. I enjoy working with individual artists, as they are most often unique and entertaining individuals. I find I learn from them invaluable ideas, not to mention more about their technique and the process they use to create their works.

I try hard to satisfy all clients regardless of the job, and will continue to adjust light until it fits their vision uniquely. Since all artists have a unique vision that helps create their art, why can't they have that vision extend to the photograph that represents their work on the web, in catalogs or magazines. I discovered the uniqueness of my shoot on location style of copy work last friday when shooting for the Burlington Community Glass Studio, and Terry, the owner had seen the work I had done from the beginning, but was not 100% satisfied, and I asked her what her vision was for the pieces, and she began to chat about how the light hits them when they are in the window.

Instantly, I realized why her vision and mine had not met, and quickly turned lights on, off, and readjusted their location. Next image, while previewed on camera, Terry says, "WOW!" and was completely happy about our new representation of her work. How else can you get work done and your client satisfied in a more timely manner than to shoot for them in their studio, where they can see your proofing instantly.

Anyway, here are a few of her pieces. Her work is beautiful.

Just a few thoughts.

2009-06-12T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, business seems to roll in surges, and currently I am on a lull. I am at the point of seeking ways to add business, and would like to find anything reasonable. So, tomorrow I will try my hand at photographing then printing on location. A good friend of mine is going for this trial run with me, so we will use his booth location on Church St. in downtown Burlington.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a day of Corvettes in Stowe, but somehow it got canceled, and now I have a day to fill and hopefully earn something. We have thought up a few possibilities for making this work, and we now have a location and electricity. It is intriguing to see if this will work, or for that matter, if it is even worth my while.

For the future, I am planning to make a setup for inside my car to print and display images, and be able to setup at a popular location for tourists to offer professional portraits and landscapes of them while in VT. It is interesting, and seems that it could be rather lucrative. So, lets all cross our fingers and hoe that it does well tomorrow.

See you on Church Street!

Scammer Emails!!!

2009-06-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Ok, So I know we all get emails of this sort from time to time. I find them rather funny and entertaining, but they are always annoying to get. So, I thought I would post a rather humorous one for everyone to see.

Hello,

Hope you're having a nice time! I am getting in touch with you concerning our wedding taking place this year in Burlington VT , Rhode Island . My name is kelvin Jones from united state of American (currently working and living in London , United Kingdom ).
i just got a new job in Burlington VT , Rhode Island and we have both decided on moving down to the state.We will be getting married on the 29th of august, 2009 .
more so,i have made provision for transportation .......so you shouldn't bother about the location.
We will need a very good and experience photographer to take care of the picture aspect of our wedding occasion both ceremony and reception for our guests' convenience because we require the best for memories for our children and as a matter of fact we have made a good budget for an outstanding event. Please let us know if you can help plan a wonderful occasion.

Regards
kelvin Jones

It is rather entertaining to read of such a place as Burlington VT, Rhode Island, especially since the man is from the United States of American. I have played around with these posts in the past, and have gotten them to give me these pay numbers to call that according to google originate in some middle eastern or African country.

Go figure. It is interesting to see how far people will go to earn an extra buck. So, what is your take on the matter?

Wedding and After...

2009-06-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have now seen the world of weddings from three perspectives, as a photographer, as a guest, and now, finally, as the groom. I must say, it was very interesting watching the photographers work at the wedding. I had fun watching, and was very fascinated watching them work. I noticed things that I may not have picked up on as a photographer, and realized how important those photos of guests really are. Everyone always says that the wedding goes by in a heartbeat, and that is not a joke. I remember only a few things from the day afterwards, regarding the wedding, and the biggest was how fast it went by.

It is crazy to think about how weddings work, and then to think about how this new knowledge can apply to my wedding photography. Some major points I must keep in mind are simple, but very meaningful. First, what you do and say as a photographer really counts, it is crazy, but there were some comments that were made that left an unsettling feeling among my wife's bridesmaids. I cannot seem to think of a time when I would have made such an unsettling feeling among my clients, but none the less, it has made me think about what I say and do much more. Afterall, I don't want any of my clients to be upset with me, especially because of something I said.

I had also noticed how crazy things were when we were trying to get our photos taken. I hate to say it, but to speed things up, I am now going to request that there be no spectators photographing along side me. Yeah, everyone wants great photos, but I need my clients to be looking at my camera, not to mention if we finish 10 or 20 minutes earlier than expected, they will be happier to join up with their friends and families at the reception. Above and beyond that, I see the importance of an off-site location for wedding photos. I see it as being more relaxing if the bride and groom can enjoy their time with the photos rather than hearing their lively and energetic guests partying in the distance. I know it made us feel less friendly about getting our photos taken, and more anxious to go to the party. It is frankly amazing what little gestures need to be made for such an ordeal.

It is crazy how much things need to be structured for an event like this to work smoothly, and in a timely manner. Most of all, I have to say that a wedding can be a ton of fun from all perspectives I have of them. I love working with the great people at weddings, and I have enjoyed the great selection of food that accompanies them.

Weddings are fun!!!

Traffic is UP!!!

2009-05-15T12:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this may be a geeky thing to be bringing up in my blog, but I was looking at my websites' analysis of visits over the last month. I gasped when I saw the numbers... So I took a screen shot to share. Can you believe it, With the exception of my dglphoto.com, my web traffic to this blog and my smugmug have risen tremendously!

Wow, in the last month my smugmug traffic has exploded to an almost 300% increase in traffic. I am nearly receiving as many hits to my smugmug as I have to my portfolio site. So, then how do I bring this back around and turn it into business. That is the next challenge.

Well, the weather is nice, and I am still couped up inside... Time to get out.

It is almost here!!!

2009-05-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, the wedding is almost here. Just brought the Marriage license app down to the town hall... Hopefully we remember to pick it up next week. Still lots of wonderful things to take care of before the wedding. Looking forward to all of the last minute plans and changes.

Anyway, the table seems to be coming out well. It is drying from a coat of polyurethane, and will need another or two before I am done. It is looking good!!!

I guess I will have to post some photos as I finish the darn thing. And soon, there will be wedding photos to post. Well, just trying to keep on top of things...

On another note, last week I ordered one of those "el cheapo" ebay radio triggers for my flash and it still has yet to arrive. I am starting to wonder if I will ever receive the damn thing. I was hoping that I would get it and be able to modify it to play with before and after the wedding, but at this rate, it will be here next may...

Anyway, this is the model I hope to play with. I have found a few sites that give instructions on how to make it more reliable. We will see how they turn out. I would like to have something that I could throw behind a wall and have it fill from the side. Not to mention something that can effectively work in daylight.

Over the last few Weeks...

2009-05-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

I have accomplished a lot over the last few weeks. I have been working with in a group to establish a new company that will be shooting cars at in Stowe.

We will be working together to create prints for the owners of the cars, and help get them something unique to help them remember their time in Stowe. I am looking forward to the experience, but wondering how it is going to work out. Lets all hope together, that it becomes a fairly lucrative opportunity.

Worst case scenario, it will be an interesting venture, and we come out reasonably unscathed. Well, here are some of the images from the getting ready for the car shows...

2009-04-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, So it has been a long long time since I posted last. There have been way too many revisions of my possible logo, so I am contemplating the cutting loose idea and venturing forward with another logo designer. We will see, we are waiting a short bit longer, to see if we can get something. Anyway, wild onions (leeks) are in season and starting to get picked. I have been out three times now, and again tomorrow. They are DELICIOUS!!!

If anyone wants to come with me to my secret spot, wear some good shoes, and we will meander through the woods, to find these amazing and wonderful spring time treats. I have my favorite spot in Richmond, where it is an endless, well almost endless supply of them. You can stand there and see a ground covered with them as far as the eye can see. Let's pick leeks!

They are fun to photograph too.

Sunday was another spectacular day for photography. I met up with the vtphotogoraphers.ning.com group to have a meet and greet, plus the added bonus of working with volunteer models to help eachother teach one another how to better work with people. It was fun, informative for some, and, well, I had a blast. I took many great photos of the bunch I was working with. We played with different kinds of lighting, and enjoyed our company. We will be sure to have another shoot like this one again! Below is a collection of images from the shoot. Feel free to leave me any comments about them, or tell me what you would have done different.

For those of you who would like to view all images full size, here is your link http://www.flickr.com/photos/dglphoto//sets/72157617225261562

Possible New Logo AND More...

2009-04-09T07:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, So first and foremost. I have received the first draft for my new logo. It looks good, but none of the 4 are completely done for me. I don't care for versions 1 and 3, but I like parts of 2 and 4, but I just don't like either of them completely. So, where to go from here. Maybe some color changes on 2 or maybe a change for the "lens" of 2... How about a different camera for #4 or a different font. Not sure just yet.

I was also thinking about a square shape rather than a round one. Maybe the camera should look more "L" shaped... Hmmm... well, what do you think?

Meanwhile, I have been working on building a few tables in the basement. While I have been working, I have set up my camera and have tried out my timed interval setting. This is ratehr fun, and I will certainly try it out another time. It is very cool to flip through. I highly encourage you all to try to speed the slideshow up and watch it like a movie...

It is an interesting concept, maybe an overflowing waterfall... maybe birds at a bird feeder, who knows. Birds are certainly a fun subject. I plan on working with them more regularly.

Yesterday I stopped down at Macrae's in Colchester, and watched some snow geese, and took a few photos of a Robin. The robin took a lot of patience and I plan on pursuing more. I want to take my waders out with me next time. I want to be able to meander wherever I want, without the restrictions of the damn puddles limiting me to the"dry" land.

A cool place to check out. I recommend anyone out to view a few birds, deer or any other wildlife to go check it out.

Have fun and Take a Lot of photos!!!

Not so do it myself anymore...

2009-04-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I have been the king of do it myself, but I have way too many things to focus on now. How do I keep up with it all??? So, I am in an attempt to re-brand myself. I would like to think of it as giving my business a well needed facelift. So, what does this mean? This means that I will be spending money to have someone design my look so that it spells DAN LOVELL...

Yeah, say it if you are thinking it too... Why would I go and spend money somewhere I don't need it. Well, I need to turn my 1% success rate of visitors to my website into something more economical to my wallet, and maybe jump to a 2% return, or even a 3% return. Would I be dreaming if I were to assume I might be able to get a 10% rate of new clients out of my monthly visitors?

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to have 20 people per month book me for their photography needs? I would certainly like it. That is what 10% would be from my current standing. Go figure. Wouldn't it be nice to increase my visibility in the process, to say we could get 500 visitor per month at a 10% rate of growth. Well, there is soon the possibility. So any of you that enjoy my wonderful rantings, follow along with me as I shoot for the stars. Let's become successfull together!!!

From Ringlight to Woodworking and more...

2009-03-26T04:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I have gotten off task, and have not managed to add any of my thoughts here in a a while. So, I have a lot to catch you all up on. Well, the first here is the fact that I have been building furniture in the basement. My shanty was blown over... and I finally managed to catch a few fish icefishing...

Well, I have been very busy lately, trying to get things done for the wedding and everything else. So I haven't really had much time for my journal. Anyway, I have built a table, a lamp, a ring light attachment for my flash, and started on a table for our wedding.

I have been out photographing many found subjects from landscape to people, and have enjoyed every moment.

I have even been photographing myself while I am unaware of it using a timed interval setting on my D300... Well, enjoy my photos.

A summary of my week

2009-03-08T05:34:00.001-07:00

This has been a great week for photography! I have seen some great light, and this morning is just incredible, but I slept in. So, I figured I would add what I have done this week, before I forget I had it. Anyway,Last sunday, I saw some beautiful shadows in the back yard. It was wonderful.

From shadows on snow to shadows on my work bench, I have seen some great lighting this week. I have been working in the basement a lot. I have been building furniture and other articles for sale and gift. While in the basement, I get the wood stove going and watch the smoke that seeps out of the stove when I stoke it. The smoke creates it's own forms and bodies.

I have also started working as a Math Teacher on Wednesday and will continue until March 23rd. I have to say, Trig is not as nice as I remember it, or maybe I don't remember it... I have the kids helping me understand, then when I do understand, I have to explain to them how to do it. So maybe I do remember after a little refresher. After coming home from school, I have been compelled to create at least one composition. They are getting more interesting, and I will post more as they turn out.
The sunflowers are all from this After school composition time. Take a peek at all of these, and stay tuned for more. I will most certainly have them.

Mardi Gras

2009-03-04T12:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so on Saturday I was down at the Mardi Gras parade in B-Town, for the first time ever. I was surprised t see as many people as there were, but even more surprised at how uninspirational it was for me. Yes, I still managed to hear my shutter clicking as fast as it could go(not very fast in the cold), but I wasn't happy with many images. I think I produced 3 images that I found to really sum up my pleasurable experience.

The most likeable image was of someone's dog. I really enjoyed this image. It came out well. Nothing more than a portrait of a dog though, but none the less interesting.

Next, I found playing with the lens flare to be a bit fun with the Dealer.Com bus. It was in a good position, and I found the fence to be rather more attractive than most of the floats. Anyway, this image looks great. (My opinion may vary from yours)

My last and final image that was presentable is the image looking up church street at the crowd. It was packed and the parade was about to begin. This image sums up the total crowd, and how warm it must have been to be huddle together hoping to catch a piece of something from the parade route. There are a few more images that would be worthy of mention, but I am limiting myself to 3.

You are all welcome to explore more at my Flickr site or in the following slideshow.

Winter Camping... Brrrrrr....

2009-02-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this week, I have taken some time for myself. Finally I have had time to get work done, and have fun at the same time. As crazy as we might have been, Charlie and I had tried a night of winter camping. We started our jaunt with about a mile X-Country Ski/snowshoe trek up into the woods. We figured we would stay close to home, on our first experimental trip.

We enjoyed the afternoon, the weather was nice, cold, but nice. We set up camp, dug the snow away to set the tent up, rolled out our bags and pads, and then began collecting some firewood. It was a good venture, but we did not realize how much wood we needed to keep our fire going for a few hours. So about ever hour we re-assessed the situation and ventured into the dark to find whatever dead wood we could.

We certainly were not having a leave no trace fire. As the night grew darker, we grew colder, and got the fire toasty warm. So warm that I was able to strip to my long johns to dry out my pants. Of course, I was the moron, that left the pants over the hot coals for way too long, and caught them on fire... Anyway, we learned a lot from this trip.

Around 9PM we headed to bed. We did not realize that it would be a good idea to warm our bags first, so we crawled into COLD sleeping bags, and began to chill down. NOT GOOD... We managed to get warm enough to be okay, and make it through the night. I managed to sleep for most of the night, but Charlie was too cold to get any sleep.

Around 6:30am, I crawled out of the tent, and rekindled the fire, to get some warmth and to "thaw out". Charlie and I both enjoyed the fire for about an hour before we packed camp and headed for warmth and nap time.
In all, the lessons we learned were to not be so dumb, bring more water, warm our sleeping gear before crawling into them, DO NOT forget that the fire will burn wet pants if you leave them over hot coals too long, and to plan better next time.

For those of you who care, my wish list extends out to anyone willing to buy the following items for my winter survival. I would like a vapor barrier liner as well as a fleece liner for my sleeping bag, 2 or 3 quart sized stainless steel water bottles, and anything else you think I might need on my next trip in the wintery woods.

Pricing

2009-02-22T09:41:00.000-08:00

So, a topic that always seems to be an issue is figuring out how to effectively price to meet the market, and your client's needs. I am always trying to figure out how to increase my rates without feeling like I am losing business. Currently, I make enough to call photography a full time business, but not enough to feel comfortable with my income.

I know that this is something that most photographers struggle with. So I thought I would add a little on how approach the topic and add any useful information on how others do.

Currently, I assess an event based on an hourly rate. A wedding for instance, I have figured out that for ever hour of photography, I typically have 2 - 4 of post processing, this includes printing and album work. So I base my rates on 6-8 hours of service, and include post processing in that equation. In the days of film, wedding photographers had it easy, they could just drop off their film at the nearest pro-lab, and ask for doubles. Easy enough, but now with digital, and the quantity you can acheive with digital, that would be over tedious. How many images should you allow to have printed, or more, should you even offer printed proofs. I don't, there is no need to have that kind of waste. If most people use their images on facebook, myspace, flickr, or any one of the many photo sharing sites out there, what is the need for printed matter, when only 10 or so images will get framed and placed on display. Let's price and assess our packages based on our modern typical use. Most of us no longer carry boxes of prints in our attics, but have folders upon folders of images on our hard drives. So, let's placate to the modern bride. Maybe an option we should consider is a digital photo frame, or a special wedding gallery site.

With all of my weddings, I offer free of charge a wedding gallery, but this also allows me to increase my income, when guests purchase photos from the wedding. This is helpful to pay for the fees associated with the online gallery, and to help purchase new equipment. Hmmm...

With the options of online self publishing out there, what do we look for within the companies? I look for quality of the printing, and cost. I want to offer a high quality album, but with the cost being $500 for the album, and the quality not that much better than LULU, MyPublisher, or Blurb, why should I go for the gold? Are my customers going to know the difference? How much is a wedding album worth to a client, $100, $200, $500 or $1000? If my cost is $500, then my price has to cover time and intellectual property. However, doesn't $1000 for a 50 page album seem a little ridiculous? Would it be worth it to the client? Maybe.

Anyway, these are all serious thoughts, and we all must consider what we are worth when working in any of the professional services fields. So, consider what your competetors charge, what the "people that think they are professionals, because they bought a consumer grade DSLR and downloaded photoshop or lightroom illegally" charge, and where you feel comfortable starting.

Anyway, I hope someone finds this interesting. An article worth the read is;
http://photo.net/learn/photography-business/freelance-photography-advice/estimating-fees/

Finally I Made another Entry...

2009-02-20T06:19:00.001-08:00

Ok, So now I am finally able to make an entry. I have been busy either working, or sick in bed wondering how to go about getting better...

I am glad to be feeling better, and ready to get back on track with the projects I have been meaning to work on. First off, about two weeks ago, I went fishing in the dark with Charlie, and we did not catch a damn thing. The next morning, we went on a hike on some trails at Niquette Bay State Park. A great walk, and we took our time to photograph eachother, and the park scenery as we wandered. So, here is a pic of Charlie showing us the aged limestone at the park. There is one of me here at this spot as well, but I don't nearly look as stoic here as charlie did... We took turns with the camera, trying to get some images of me and him.

Anyway, I also had to play with the camera from time to time, and here is one of my results. A dead tree with snow. This came out very beautiful, I think so anyway, and I think this may make it to some of my alternative methods studies. I want to print this in Talbot's Salt methods, and see how it looks. Maybe I will also continue to print it with kallitype as well... Not sure, but I like the image. Anyway, check back soon, I will post it when I get a decent result worthy of posting.

Along the path we had also come to the point of a bridge crossing a small wet land. This bridge looked like it would be treacherous on x-c skis, but it looked as though many had take it. hmmm... I also noticed that the conditions were perfect to see thousands of Snow Fleas in this area, I guess the reason you're not supposed to eat snow. If you have never seen them before, take a peek at how many are in the photo at the left. They tend to gather in the shady areas of snow on warm sunny winter days. There are literally hundreds of thousands of them that blanket the snow on a regular day. What fun, a walk in the woods... err... fleas...

So, I would recommend to any of you a walk at Niquette Bay State park. It is a dog friendly place this time of year, and probably a good place to deer hunt in the fall. Who knows. I will have to check back there this fall. As usual, we expected Charlie to find some place where the ice was weak, and as we approached this little open water area, we thought for sure Charlie would once again fall through. However surprising it might be, Charlie did not manage to fall through. WOW!!! Anyway, regardless, this was a beautiful area, and a great place to wander on the ice...

A Few Days Later

So, this week I managed to land a gig photographing some ceramics. This was part of the reason I did not have time to enter any postings, as I was busy editing these photos. Part of the reason it took so long was that my damn MAcro lens needs a f#$%$#$%ing cleaning. Damn lens, how did you become so dirty on the inside??? You can see pieces of dust in ever damn photo. Anyway, now I have two lenses in need of a cleaning. Fun fun fun...

Besides that, Dan Siegel has a great hand for pottery. I enjoyed working with him, and all of his work. You can see more at www.danmade.etsy.com. Be sure to check out his stuff. It is surely worth it. Here are a few of my favorites from the shoot. The coolest thing about this shoot is that my photos may show up in Ceramics Monthly, or a photo book about 1000 vases. Exciting... Let's wish Dan some luck, I would really like to see these photos show up there, not to mention, his work could wind up some place like that.

Another artist that does great work, that I admire is Lucy's uncle Mike and aunt Janet. Below is a painting that Mike had created. What a beautiful landscape. I love the colors, and the fact that it rings so true for me and many other Duck Hunters. I can remember countless days sitting, standing and walking in iceflows like that to retrieve ducks. It can sometimes be a scary place, as these ice chunks seem to have a lot of weight to them when you push them away to get by. This piece definately captures the feeling of the cold, and reminds me of a good time in the Duck Blind. Not to mention, Mike told me the mound in the middle is a duck blind for Ducks Unlimited. What a great place. You have got to love it.

A few days out...

2009-02-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Ok, so it has been almost a week since my last post, and I do have a lot to add, but I have been busy with work first, then sick in bed since thursday. So, I haven't had much time to add another post. So, I would like to add that I am feeling better, and will soon be posting more. I have lots to talk about, so be ready for some very long posts in the next few days.

In the dark, no tripod, no flash...

2009-02-08T05:55:00.000-08:00

Last night I had an enjoyable time fishing out at the cowbanks. However, we once again did not catch a single fish. I found it fun, after dark, to take the camera out and begin taking photographs without a flash or tripod. I was rather intrigued at how well they came out, and was even more impressed that the photos in the shanty came out. I enjoyed playing with my mag-light as a candle, and used it as a primary light source for most of the photos. I was fascinated with it enough, that I had the urge to actually show up in a photo, well, my hand at least.

Certainly it was not daylight outside, but the progression of the evening left a clear delineation as to what the light inside the shanty vs outside was like. There were lights in the distance that shone out our way. They seemed to provide an interesting light as it hit the window of the shack. It provided for some nice silhouettes. Charlie was nice enough to pose for me here. Not sure if you would call it posing, maybe more like allowing me to take the photo without moving too quickly.

As the night progressed, I noticed my photos took a more and more abstract feel. It was well worth the 5 hours we spent on the ice. It was a good evening.

Window Light

2009-02-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

Photo.net's current weekly project is window light. I don't think I will submit anything, but saw some nice light this morning coming in the windows in the basement. I found that it was very beautiful, so I grabbed my camera and hit it hard. It was a wonderful way to wake up in the morning. I played with it a bit, grabbed the tripod and a reflector and added to the photos a bit.

I then used a few of the images to create some digital negatives, and brought them along with me to the firehouse darkroom today. They printed well. I tried a few variations of digital negatives, and found a few results worthy of trying again. Certainly, the negatives produced images that were more than worth the effort... I hope this doesn't mean the end of film for me now. Hmmm...

Well, I hope you all enjoy the photos.

Let's see if you can tell which image is digital and which was scanned from a silver gelatin print.

Right or Left

Hole in the Ice

2009-02-05T12:18:00.000-08:00

Last night I went on a 3.13 mile snowshoe trek. I carried my camera and other equipment, but never managed to pull it from my bag. Go figure. Anyway, I enjoyed a nice long trek, which took place, half in day light, half under moonlight. It was great. One of the highlights of the walk was when Charlie managed to find a weak area on the beaver pond we crossed. Charlie, has now managed to fall into water on two out of two snowshoeing trips we have taken. From now on, maybe I should lead. Anyway, it was cold enough that there was no time for Charlie to get wet, it just sort of froze. Charlie is fine, and we managed to get back around 6:30 last night. It was a great hike.

There are many great potential camp sites up there, and some possible fishing holes. I am anxious to explore as soon as the snow starts to disappear. I know all of that area will be amazing for wood ducks and mallards, come October. Hell, it may even be a decent area for snow geese, this spring. Well, take a peek for yourself, and tell me what you think about the possibility of snow geese up there.

Above is a rough idea of our hike with miles according to Google Earth. Also note the large marshy areas, and wet areas. There are several ponds up there, that would be more than worthy of a good waterfowl hunt. It was a great day.

Digital Negative Curves

2009-02-04T05:44:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was working diligently on creating my digital negatives. While I waited for them to print, I cleaned an area in the basement for me to start my work. I made a table space large enough to coat and dry close to 20 or 30 sheets of paper at a time. My next goal is to create a drying rack, or find something suitable for the job, so that I can dry the papers without any worry of fogging. I am enjoying the experimentation and would like to get to a point where I feel comfortable with the processes again. It has been at least two years, maybe three since I worked with kallitype, and know I will probably be looking at a few dead prints before I get anything of any value. However, my first attempt at creating a digital negative was not so good, but my attempts last night were more than satisfactory. I am yielding something that looks like it should print very well. I am growing very anxious to get out and start printing, but I have a lot of needs to meet before I get to a point to start with the chemical process. I may start printing some of these on traditional silver gelatin paper as a test, and see what they produce for results. Regardless, I am very intrigued to see what gets produced.

On another note, today I broke from the lesson plans provided to me by the teacher I am subbing for. I have been getting so frustrated with the book these kids are learning from, so I have now started on my own lessons in web design. I am now treading where this school has never tread before... Well, maybe not, but at least I can feel good about teaching these kids something that is a little more up to date, and I feel that I can accomplish something more than just guiding them along through the book. Maybe I am creating something that is not good for this class, but we will see what I can accomplish in a short manner of time. I have a few weeks left with these guys, so I would like to make the most of it. Anyway, Wish me luck.

The Alternative juices...

2009-02-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

Now that I have been reading more about alternative methods for creating an enlarged negative for contact printing, I am getting more and more interested in working again with the Kallitype. I have been exploring other artists' web sites and galleries, getting some ideas on how others use their "Alternative Minds." So, one that I found very interesting was Karen Molloy, who layers images to create books and other interesting image collages. Karen even works on creative display ideas.

Projects like this one make me dream about creating a 1'x20' digital negative for printing in vandyke or kallitype. This may only be a dream now, but it certainly intrigues me. Maybe my idea might be on too large a scale, but there is always an option to go smaller, but still produce my ideas.

Anyway, we will see. Until then, I will continue my explorations and come to some greater idea.

Over the Weekend

2009-02-02T13:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this weekend was nothing spectacular. Cabin fever was at an all time high, causing Lucy and I to head south earlier than expected. The tension of the house was just too great. Anyway, we enjoyed our leisure drive, we even drove out to Kingsland Bay with the thoughts of skiing or walking out, however, upon arrival, we decided it would be nicer to just continue our drive.

After playing a little Mario Kart, we began to discuss our wedding plans. It now looks like we are going to be planning a Jack and Jill party for April 18th or 25th. So if you would like to stop in for a party, stay tuned.

As for Sunday, we went for a 3 hour ski in the Green Mountain National Forest. Fun, I even took a few photos. Skiing is one of those things that you never know what you will be running into, so I was sure to bring my camera bag along, but nothing of not showed face. Better luck next time I guess. Anyway, no fishing this weekend, so maybe this week. Who knows.

I have begun my reading of Dan Burkholder's Making Digital Negatives for Contact Printing. I am interested to see if this will yield a decent set of results for adding to my collection of tools. I will soon be posting results as I begin to experiment.

Busy, Busy, Busy...

2009-01-31T07:33:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been off the wall crazy. I feel like I have ben running around everywhere. But a few of the highlights were going to see Brendan and Kayla's play about Lewis and Clark, trying an 8mm f2.8 Circular fisheye lens, snowshoeing to a very spectacular spot that plans are currently starting for a winter overnight, and visiting with Steve and Ally one last time before they are gone from VT for a while.

Brendan and Kayla's performance in their school musical of lewis and clark was a great show. I loved it. They seemed to very much enjoy what they had been doing, and I got a few great photos. The South Hero School seems to have a very good organization of their students to be able to have them all perform in a role, from kindergarten all the way up to 4th grade for a great performance, that was both entertaining and educational. The fisheye lens would not have made much sense for such a show, but may have made some interesting photos.

Yesterday I walked into Lezot's on Chruch street with the intention to see if they had a replacement dome diffuser for my sb-900. The guy at the register said no one enjoys those damn things, and that I should buy a different variety, but how does he get to tell me that I don't like what I was asking for. Anyway, needless to say, I guess I will just have to order from the web, rather than do business with them, but while I was in there I had to ask and see if they had any Super wide angle lenses, something that is rare in VT on the used market. Of course they had an 8mm F:2.8 cirular fisheye. This is a massive piece of glass. So large that my camera is almost completely hidden behind the lens. It was beautiful, but when I discovered the $3500 price tag on a lens that was almost 20 years old, I was then rather glad I hadn't a need for a fisheye. It was interesting, but I am not impressed with the circular portion... It would be a great special effects lens, but what would I use it for? Anyone have any thoughts? What would I use a Fisheye for other than the fun of it, and a very few wedding photos per year? I will still have my eye set for the 14mm F:2.8 rectilinear wide angle, which is a little more my taste both in price and aesthetics.

After a day in Burlington, I went for a quick snowshoe with Charlie. It was great, we discovered a spot that we would like to do some winter camping at, and potentially a spot for me to photograph and hunt Wood Ducks next fall. I am excited, and am looking forward to it. WOO HOO. It may wind up being a very cold night in the woods if we camp, but it would be interesting. Then, after a long day, to wrap it all up, last night I went down to the VT pub and brewery for a little bon voyage gathering with Steve and Ally. Steve got a cool job in DC working as a legislative correspondant or something like that, all just fancy wording for secretary. It was a great day, and I hope to have another long one soon.

Oh yeah, Mary I didn't forget about you. I know you are in there with your wonderful silver trap. Here is one of those enjoyable photos from the assemblage of the silver trap...

Lot's of snow and finally a few more bites...

2009-01-29T06:48:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I might be crazy to do so, but the fishing was better yesterday in 20 minutes time, than it has been in the previous 10 times I had been out. We had quite a few good hits, even more small bites, and we actually hooked two tiny perch. The weather was a beautiful heavy snow, making the driving on the ice difficult, as some of the snow drifts became deep enough to lift a truck off the ice... This view of the Shanty, usually yields a nice view of Mt. Mansfieldm but yesterday it was just plain dank whiteness...

Tomorrow looks like it might be a decent attempt in the morning. "Warm" weather, no snow, maybe I can catch myself a salmon. Who knows. Anyway, wish me luck, and hopefully soon, I will add an entry that isn't about icefishing.

Ice fishing... Brrr... No fish

2009-01-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

Ok, so far this year, I have not caught anything worthy of bragging about. I caught three tiny perch, that barely fit the hook in their mouths. I have nearly frozen, and then nearly cooked myself, not to mention my shanty was nearly lit on fire. So, one of these days, the fish are finally going to bite. I am going to try every chance I get, and eventually a salmon, will bite. I have seen two on the ice, one from a distance, and the other I got a photo.

We had a great party this weekend, out at the shanty, and had quite the gathering of friends. Even with the temperature dropping steadily, and a stiff wind out of the north. We managed to keep the wood stove going, and created a wind block with a tarp. I plan on getting out again tomorrow after school for a little bit, even if it is snowing horrendously. I am not afraid of a little snow. Maybe we will actually catch something.

We will see.

Saturday, Dad said he will come up and fish. So that means that Saturday could be our lucky day.

This is a quick peek in the shanty during the lunch hour. As you can see, there really isn't much room in there.
Everyone gathered on the downwind side of the shanty, out of hte wind, with our wonderful wind break that we fashioned out of metal conduit and a tarp.
And here is the guy who caught the salmon. He was fishing within spitting distance of the shanty. He was a nice guy, his name was dave. He was nice enough to share his genny light with me. what a guy. Anyway, he quickly determined the fish was not large enough for him, even if it was barely a keeper, so he released it.

Salmon surely would have been nice for dinner.

Welcome to My Blog

2008-09-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here goes. I am starting my very own Web Log. To start I am posting a portrait of me, stitched from three images. I am not the cleanest of people in this photo, but I am who I am. I am looking forward to seeing how many people actually stop in and view my blog, so send me a message, maybe even sign my guest book, if I can figure out how to create one.

Check back often as I plan on adding to this blog on a regular basis. I will post notes as I progress through new ideas within photography, or old ideas as they become new to me.

Take Care,

Dan

p.s. if you have not already done so, please check out my website at http://www.dglphoto.com/