On the Cover Again

I shared with you a few weeks ago about a photo of mine that was going to be featured on the cover of a local magazine. It's certainly not Vogue or National Geographic, but I'm flattered nonetheless. In an age of the instant gratification that LCD screens, computer monitors, and the Internet can bring, there's something very special about seeing your work in print, especially when it's a stack of magazines. Jones Living is a publication of the Jones County News, my hometown newspaper. It's a great local newspaper and a really well done magazine, even if my photo is on the cover.

Opportunites for photographers to see their images in print magazines and newspapers have plummeted in recent years. Since 2008, nearly a thousand U.S. based print magazines have either folded completely or gone to a Web only presence. That's a tremendous number of product, glamour, fashion, landscape, and photojournalistic photographers looking for somewhere else to sell their services. One of the latest is U.S. News and World Report, once the third largest news magazine, which will cease subscription sales in December 2010. And since 2008, 166 U.S. newspapers have ceased printing.

But while more and more content has either gone online or dark altogether, I do think there is a place for print journalism to survive. Local newspapers and magazines offer unique coverage that metropolitan, regional, or national news outlets, whether print or electronic, will rarely, if ever cover. And personally, I enjoy the tactile feel of a magazine in my hand. And, of course, I enjoy seeing my images in glossy print.

Happy Thanksgiving

I’ve been unbelievably negligent in both photography and blogging in the last month. Things have been hectic in most every regard. It’s so amazing how life comes crashing in at times and creates frenzy and chaos that consumes hours and drives out opportunities to stop long enough to contemplate what we have. It’s Thanksgiving morning, and I had a chance to get out and walk the forest. I was alone but surrounded—squirrels and wild turkey were all around. As I stood in the falling leaves and soaked in the solitude, it was easy to realize what the noise of the last few weeks has obscured. I have a lot to be thankful for. We all do. A kind and generous God. A loving family. Great friends. A good job. God given talent to create. A country where freedom is still celebrated. And a group of soldiers I’ve never met still willing to fight to keep it that way.

I wrestled a Sunday afternoon away from the hubbub recently to go shoot some autumn leaves. And for the therapy of looking through a camera lens. One of my favorite places to photograph near my home is a giant slab of granite (think part of Stone Mountain big), a creek, and a series of small waterfalls. It’s out in the county, lost in hundreds of acres of forest. Unfortunately, the water in the creek was very low, so the usual waterfalls were minimal. To get this shot, I had to lower and spread my tripod as far as it would go and submerge it in the shallow creek, with only the ball head and camera above the water. It’s a 1.3 second exposure at f16. As you might image, I got wet and muddy. But with any luck, this shot will end up on a magazine cover in the next month, my fourth cover in the last two years.

For all of you who find yourself on this blog, Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you can find some quiet time to contemplate what you and all you have been given. And if you’re consumed by the photography bug like me, find some camera time soon.

Savannah Sunrise

I've often written about Savannah, Georgia. The place simply oozes history, charm, and character. There are many wonderful places to stay and an extraordinary array of great restaurants. But one of the most awe-inspiring scenes is the parade of massive container ships that navigate these waters. The Port of Savannah is a tremendous economic engine for the southeastern United States. Day and night, these colossal ships come and go, and the sound of a tugboat horn sends me scrambling for my Nikon. I'm just a sucker for the power of the river and these ships. And this behemoth could have just delivered my new flatscreen TV. After all, Christmas will be here before you know it.

I took this shot early one morning a couple of weeks ago while standing on my hotel room balcony. In fact, it was the morning of my birthday. Despite a very late night of music and "networking", I managed to rise early enough to see this container ship slipping out of port into the rising sun. Getting the image sharp was easy, as the sun was far enough up to force a quick shutter speed (1/500) while allowing a tight aperture (f11) to capture the industrial facilities on the horizon. The challenge was not overexposing the sky while trying to pull some detail out of the silhouetted ship.