Best of ‘08

I take thousands of photos each year. Litterally, thousands. There are some images that just stand out and others that seem run-of-the-mill to me. The images that do stand out for me stand out for different reasons. Some images are are technically superior, some are artsy, while others are just memorable. Oh, then there are the ones that make me wonder what the heck happened there?!

Besides running a portrait and wedding photography business (that’s where the majority of the thousands of photos come from), I also participate in several photography groups. Some are virtual online groups and a couple of others are actual local Meetup groups.  The virtual groups can be quite large – the Flickr Wedding Group has over 12,000 members from ALL over the world! Great source for information and ideas and there are some very talented people on the site. We’re not really virtual – it’s just that we only meet online and never really actually see other. Okay – so maybe that is the meaning of virtual? Whatever.

My local Meetup group is having a social year-in-review kind of gathering in January. The group meets at least once a month and finds local sites and/or events to go shoot. These aren’t mandatory – some folks go to all the events while others may only attend one in a year. There are probably close to 300 people in the group. GREAT bunch of people in this group of photographers! We’re getting together this time to socialize, pot-luck style, at a local photography gallery in Sacramento. Viewpoint Photgraphic Art Center.

Here’s what got me thinking about what I’ve done this year. One of the things we’ve been asked to do is to bring an 8×10 print of our best Meetup photo for 2008. I don’t think I’ve ever looked though what I’ve shot in a year and asked myself which is the best one. This could be a tough task. At the same time I am also entering a travel photo contest and I need to pick another shot for that. Time is running out for that one – I only have a few days left in the year for a proper post-mark on the envelope.

I thought I found a perfect picture for my 8×10 print contest. But alas, it was from 2007. In the words of Charlie Brown…ugggg. I’ll keep looking. Most likely it will be an image from our Meetup in Reno, Nevada at the Great Reno Balloon Race. I’ll keep you posted.

There are so many things I did this year – how do you figure out which is best? For my travel contest, I walked on the Great Wall this year! How cool is that? I used up several memory cards on our China trip alone…and there are over 1000 photos to go through. I’ll pick something soon – I better, the clock is ticking. There’s a $1000 prize at stake here!  

I’m already looking forward to 2009. Waikiki, Denver & Boston are already booked on the calendar!

Michelle & Sean

There is really something special about this line of work as a photographer. Well, besides the obvious of just playing with all the latest and coolest photo gear, there’s the whole thing of being a people person. I guess if you’re not a people person and you still want to be a photographer, then you probably just sit out in the woods by yourself with your camera and wait to take pictures of a sunset or a wandering deer. But, I love people. All kinds. I think that is one of the most rewarding things about this kind of work. The people. And, it’s really a passion for me instead of work.

My recent assignment took me to an area known as Apple Hill in the Mother-lode area of Northern California. The California gold rush was sparked not too far from here back in 1849. I was in the foothills of the Sierra’s and it’s dotted with rustic gold mining towns with antique shops and houses so far apart that their residents probably don’t even bother locking their front doors. I love it here – it’s so much different than my suburban condo lifestyle.  

I met Michelle a few years ago. She was my lab partner in an Anatomy/Physiology college class (…don’t ask). Michelle had contacted me through my web site and reminded me what I once told her; if she ever got married and needed my services, look me up. I’m glad she did. A few weeks before her wedding I had the pleasure of meeting her fiancé, Sean. (There’s that whole fiancé vs fiancée thang. See blog post below.) Great people! But it just started there. Meeting and talking to the rest of the family was just as good! They have some very proud family members! These are military, law-enforcement, fire fighting, patriotic family members. Fantastic – I was loving every minute of it. Even the bride is active duty U.S. Air Force. 

Good people must draw other good people to them. That’s my theory anyways. I think good people make other people around them also do good things. Do you beleive that? It’s like that TV commercial for some insurance company. One person picks up some trash, and the next person helps a lady accross the street, and in turn the lady holds he door open for someone else, etc. etc.  Here’s what I’m getting at…I was taking a few pictures of Michelle and Sean outside the reception hall. The family was there too. We were at the Apple Mountain Golf Resort (outstandingly beautiful, by the way). Then out of nowhere, this total stranger walks off the course and hands the bride and groom a hundred dollar bill. With his congratulations, of course. Took all of three seconds and he was gone again. What a deed of kindness. Pay it forward!

Michelle and Sean haven’t seen their pictures yet and I can’t wait ’til they do. It was easy for me to capture the joy and passion of their wedding day. I can’t wait for them to pick out the photos for their wedding album.