The Great Blue Hunter

Shooting wildlife can often be tricky. You study the animals and their habits. You watch and observe for normal behaviors and travel routes. They might even get used to your presence (but ALWAYS keep a safe distance, for both you and the animals!).  But you also have to remember that animals don't read the field guides and books, and they seldom follow the "rules".

While you may be able to train a dog, cat or horse to stand quietly and patiently for a photo, wildlife has its own agenda. You just flat never know what they are going to do. You have to be prepared for anything.  It takes a lot of patience to be able to sit in one spot for what might seem like hours, just to get a single decent photo. It takes skill to know the proper settings on your camera to get the right exposure. It also takes a lot of luck.  

There are times when I simply stumble upon an opportunity. The photo here was one of those times. I was driving into a wildlife refuge and spotted the heron in the "yard" of an old historic house. Because I had already set up my camera before I entered the refuge, all I had to do was get close enough for a good shot. There were some large cottonwood trees along the front of the yard and I hoped it would be enough cover to allow me to approach more closely.

Great Blue Herons are ridiculously skittish, and I've never been able to get very close to them. This one however, was focused on something that I could not see, and it was pretty much oblivious to my presence.  That, and the fact that a vehicle being a pretty good blind (you just don't look like a human if you're in a car), I was able to get fairly close. As I started shooting the bird suddenly darted its head out and came up with his prize.  I was able to grab a few more photos before the heron flew off and left me with what was possibly a once in a lifetime shot.

My Wild West

For several years now, I've wanted to get into rodeo photography. I've gone to numerous rodeos in the area, shooting from whatever vantage point I could. Used to be they'd let you through the security gates, but only far enough to allow you to shoot next to the fence. No more. Liabilities and law suits have changed all that. Now you have to be a member of the rodeo association to get anywhere other than the grandstands.

I love shooting behind the scenes; capturing not only the camaraderie, but also those moments of preparation, anticipation, and tension. I had to find a way to do that!

Then I found the Northern Rodeo Association, which holds rodeos all over the state of Montana. Membership is a lot less expensive than the national organizations, so I figured this was a chance to break into a new and exciting type of photography, so I joined. I missed the first rodeo because I did not have my membership card yet, but looking forward to several more in the next few months, and hopefully some great photos!  

 

Dog & Pony Show

For longer than I can even recall, I've wanted to be a full time wildlife photographer. The problem with that is that photographers are a dime a dozen in many places, and wildlife photographers are probably more like a nickel a dozen in places like Montana. You have to be amazingly adept at your career choice, and you have to be able to spend countless hours stalking your quarry through every type of habitat imaginable, as well as the patience to just sit and wait for what may seem like hours, just to get a few decent photos.You have to have a niche - a good one. No, a great one. You have to be a marketing guru in order to get your photos out there for people to be able to see what you've done. That, or have a good agent who can do all of the leg work for you. Irregardless of how you approach your craft and the selling thereof, it takes time - lots of time. And unless you're working for an agency that pays you on a regular basis, you also have to have a steady source of income to pay the bills until the photos begin to pay off. You might live in your car in order to travel wherever and whenever you can, or want to, in order to get the photos. Those of us who have more roots sometimes also have to work a "grown up" job in order to pay the bills. Such is life, I suppose.

Some years ago, at a kennel where I boarded my dogs, I was told they were going to host a stock dog trial. In case you don't know, a well trained stock dog is a rancher's best friend, and his most valuable ranch hand. They herd just about any type of livestock, are as loyal as you could ask for, they work for kibble, and can be good company out on the ranch. At the trials the dogs herd cattle, sheep and ducks or geese. I stopped by to watch the first trial, and was impressed by the partnerships between dogs and handlers. The kennel owners knew I was a photographer and it was suggested I should take photos. They couldn't pay me to be there but I could offer photos for sale. Hmmm...  Events were a subject that hadn't occurred to me before, but what the hell - it was worth a shot.

For two or three years I went to every trial they had (three per summer), but it was painfully slow going. I had no website and couldn't afford the cost of one. I had only dial-up internet, which was too slow to even work with a website. I took my laptop and put the photos on a 12 hour loop, for people to see. I sold a few, but it hardly seemed worth the time. Then I found web host I could afford, and set one up. I could not  however, load photos to it and had to go to  local restaurant with my laptop to use their wifi so I could upload the photos. And of course I had to purchase a meal. Well, I guess I didn't have to, but to just use their internet and not buy something didn't sit well with me, so...

Within another year or so, people began to order photos. Not a lot at first, but because I was at all of the trials, the dog owners and/or handlers and I got to know each other and I started to build up a good relationship with many of them.  I ordered business cards and passed them out to everyone there. The person in charge of the trial offered to put them into the entry packets. Business started picking up. Now, fourteen years after I first started, these trials are my bread and butter!  I have made friends there, and business is good.

Last fall I broke my leg and ankle. It was bad and I was off work for four months. While I was laid up I had a lot of time to think about my photographic life. How far I'd come and how far I want to take it. I woke up on New Year's Day with an overwhelming sense of "this is the year! Now is the time to start making changes and take my life in a direction I want it to go!" I made a huge decision - for me at least. I went in to work and made my pitch. They already knew I was a photographer, and I explained how passionate I was about it, and how I wanted to eventually make this my full time career. I told them I wanted to cut back to four days a week - 32 hours (still considered full time, which would allow me to keep the health insurance), so I could focus more (no pun intended), on my photography. I told them that I had been asked to go to other trials in other towns, but that I had to decline because I had to work. I wanted to be able to do that They agreed, as I suspected they would, they had no problem with cutting someone's hours. Then I dropped the bomb: the dog trails and shows I've been asked to shoot - are all on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Boom. They hesitated at first. Then I said "Look, this could be the worse decision I've ever made in my entire life, and it could all come back to bite me in the ass. But even if it does, at least i can say I tried." To my great surprise, they agreed!  I made myself unavailable on the schedule for those three days - permanently.

Shortly after that I received an email from a lady at the local Equestrian Club. She was the new secretary and while cleaning out some old files she came across one of my business cards (I had given it the former president of the club several years earlier, with no positive results). She stated that she had looked at my website, liked my work, and asked if I was interested in photographing their horse shows. WOW...  It was kismet. Of course I said yes!

So far I've photographed Dressage, Hunter/Jumper and Obstacle Challenges so far, and looking forward to several more shows, including a Cross Country event, where - I think - I'll be able to be out on the course where I can take advantage of several visible jumps.

Needless to say, I've been busy with photo shoots this summer!  So busy in fact, that I haven't had any time to go out shooting for me. I get antsy sometimes, to just wander along the river or by a pond, to get some wildlife photos, but the dog and horse shows are building my business, so it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. And there are other events I can still go to, either to photograph or just to sit and enjoy. But I still take my camera with me, because how much joy is there if I can't shoot photos???

Photo Processing

People often ask me why it takes so long to post photos for the dog trials and horse events, so let me put it into perspective.

First of all, what you see on my website is the end result of many hours of work. Sometimes I get really lucky and get a few photos that are “perfect” Typically however, what you see is NOT how the photos come off the camera.  

When I process photos, I do three edits. The first is to delete any obviously “bad” photos - blurry shots, or ones where a dog ran behind a sheep or cow, or a horse throws in a crazy posture. I also eliminate the “butt shots”, when an animal has turned away from the camera. Personally I’d rather see the dog or horse’s faces, or at least a reasonable profile. With the second edit I look more closely to make sure I didn’t miss anything the first time, and to determine the best photos for YOU. The last edit is to make any corrections to exposure, color, add meta data, and add my watermark.

While processing photos for the last two events, I set the stopwatch on my cell phone to see exactly how long it took to edit the photos from start to finish. I timed the processing on each folder (that being all of the selected photos for one animal), for numerous files with varying numbers of photos in each file, then divided the total time by the number of photos in that file. On average, it takes 3 minutes and 15 seconds for EACH photo.  

What that all means is that if I have 1,600 photos to go through (the exact amount of photos from the last horse show), it takes a MINIMUM of 75 hours to get what you see on the website.  That does not include the first two edits, and that’s working around a full time job, meals, housework and making time to work with my own dog.

It is very tedious work, and admittedly, somewhat boring. It’s not my favorite part of photography, but a necessary task, and after several years and much trial and error, I finally have it down to an artistic assembly line.

What To Do... What To Do??

I have the entire weekend off this week, and what to do???  Temps are supposed to be in the 50s , cloudy to partly sunny on Saturday and sunny on Sunday with no rain in the forecast!  I’m itching for a road trip!!  

Tomorrow morning I have a photo shoot at the Equestrian Park, and there is a powwow tomorrow evening.   

But Sunday...

There are Whitetail and Mule Deer fawns, and Bison and Elk calves at the Bison range. Ducks, geese and other water birds are putting on quite a display of mating rituals at Ninepipe Wildlife Refuge, and the cranes are beginning to dance at Lee Metcalf. But yesterday someone told me of a spot just southeast of here, where there are Burrowing Owls!!

These birds are typically only found east of the Rockies, in open prairie where they utilize the underground burrows of Black-footed Ferrets. But this pair arrived in the western part of the state last year and moved into a ground squirrel burrow. There were questions about whether or not they would return this year, and apparently they have. I'm told it's the first time Burrowing Owls have been recorded west of the divide!  

So many options! Which one do I take??? 

Come On Spring!

After last year's long hot summer with wildfires that lasted from June until October, and then being cooped up in the house all winter with a damn broken leg, I am SO itchy for spring! It seems as though it will never arrive!  Still snow on the ground and more in the forecast. It warms up for a day or two (not enough to keep the snow away), but then Old Man Winter jumps out from behind a tree and yells, "GOTCHA!" 

I have so many ideas for photos now, and I also want to start shooting some photos for fun, using “props”: toys, household items and a crystal ball (which I ordered and received a few weeks ago).

I signed up for four photo classes!  Mastering Manual Controls, Shooting in Any Light; Photographing the Moods of Water; and Wildflower Photography Workshop. The first two I desperately need for shooting the dog agility trials, as they are held in a large barn with little lighting. The other two just sound like fun. 

I love taking the photo classes at the Lifelong Learning Center. They are reasonably priced and lots of fun. There is also one called Photographing Garnet Ghost Town, which I would so love to do, but it's the same weekend as the July stock dog trial - damn. Too many things going on at the same times!  Maybe next summer... 

The Ball is Rolling!

Things are beginning to fall into place!  I have been approved to have Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays off; I’ve made sure the Manager at work knows that I have to have a minimum of 30 hours a week (32-34 would be ideal); the stock dog trials are already scheduled; I’ve scheduled photo shoots for the Equestrian Club; I have three projects with the Downtown Association; approximately 250 business cards have been dropped off to the Equestrian Club; 1000 business cards have been received; 1000 tri-fold brochures have been ordered & shipped; and I have prints and note cards ready for the Spring Market!  

With the help of a friend I am working on shooting dog agility and rally for the local kennel club, and possibly some dog portraits. 

I need to find a company that will print my note cards inexpensively, with no minimum order. Someone gave me a web address several years ago, and they were very reasonable, I lost the address when my old computer crashed.

Getting Ready for the Market

Spent all day Sunday and last night, matting all of the 4x6 & 5x7 photos, and they look amazing!  The backer boards on the 5x7 mats give them a nice, finished look, and I placed a return address label on the back of each one, with my business name and address on them. The clear sleeves make them look absolutely professional!   I think they’ll be a hit at the markets - at least I certainly hope so!  
 

A Lucrative Deal??

Years ago I had contacted the Missoula Equestrian Park, to find out about shooting photos at their events. The response I got was basically, “sure, go ahead”. I did go to a few of their events but nothing panned out, so I bagged it.  

This past weekend, I looked them up again online, only to discover that their website has been changed from Missoula Equestrian Park, to Missoula Equestrian Club.   Hmmm…  I took a shot and contacted them again. I received a reply the very same day from Rachel, who is the secretary of the club. Her reply was as follows:

           

            “Good Morning Vicki,

            I looked at your website - your work is beautiful - very excited you want to come

            photograph our equestrians! Please see BSHP calendar for all event dates.

           

            For the Mini's and the CMR shows - packets are given out to all who enter. I'd

            suggest you provide fliers for us to include in the packets, as well as display at

            the  show office, or even a banner too if you have one.

           

            The BSHP (Big Sky Horse Park), Board is happy to put a link from their website

            to yours to promote your service, and asks that in return, you provide 5-6 digital

            images to the Park, per event shot, for promotional purposes. These shots will of

            course include your photo credit.

            I've cc'd all the other BSHP show managers so that they can contact you for their

            specific events.

            Thanks so much for reaching out to us - look forward to seeing you this Spring!”

WOW!  This is very exciting news!  I’ve checked out their website before, and they usually have at least two events per month. If it all pans out, this could turn out to be a very lucrative contact!  

Originally my thought was to go back to work full time in the winter, but if I can find other events during the winter months I would make it permanent.  Maybe I would just go back full time between Thanksgiving and Christmas…  four weeks of chaos. I could handle that.  Maybe…

Ideas

I signed up today for a Spring Market in a small town about an hour south of me. I've done their holiday markets for the past four years, and do quite well there, but they decided to move it to spring to avoid as much holiday competition as possible.  There are far too many many markets around the holidays! 

I opted not to make new cards, but to just try and sell what I currently have to clean house, so to speak. I did go through them all and brutally edited out ones that I really liked but had not sold well in the past - if at all. Those went into the discount basket; $1.00 each. The price alone should sell them. 

I decided to try and sell prints for the first time. I picked out my very best photos and ordered 100 5x7s and 100 8x10s - mixed and matched. I also found a place that sold white beveled mats with backer boards and clear sleeves at a very reasonable cost. I ordered enough to cover all of the photos I ordered. I can't wait to see how they look!  

I also called the Downtown Association about information regarding the signal boxes around town. These large, ugly, gray boxes have been commissioned to local artists, who have painted wonderful scenes and designs on them, and have turned them into beautiful works of art!  I've been very interested in photographing them, and the lady who answered the phone was so very helpful in showing me where to find the locations of all of the boxes.

We discussed three other possible photo projects as well - one that I want to do and two that she suggested. She said there is a good chance they will pay me a stipend for copies of the photos, and will make sure my name is on each one they use. I agreed wholeheartedly!  

Nope, sorry - I'm not going to reveal what these projects are just yet. You'll have to wait until they are done and ready to be shown to the public. Really, I'm not certain anything will come of it, but if nothing else it will be great publicity for my business! 

The Plan

Ever since the first though of cutting back hours at work popped into my head, I’ve been struggling with how to make things happen. What do I do??  Where do I start?  I have been able to think of nothing.

And then today, while I was at work, a flood of ideas raced through my mind!  I wrote them all down and have already typed up two pages of ideas!  Locations, events, group photo shoots, contacts, markets…  more ideas than I thought there were out there! 

My first point of business however, is to get the written proposal to the Assistant Manager at work, and have it signed by her, as she is responsible for making the schedule. She was the one who told me to make myself unavailable in the system.  

I’ve already sent emails to the Native American Center at the local university, as well as the local Equestrian Center, asking permission to take photos at their events.

I need to get more business cards!  I need to get photos printed! I need to make more cards!  I need to go online and find more events to go photograph! I need to submit photos to contests, and calendars, and magazines! 

On those weekends I don’t have anything going on, I need to take more photos, edit them and repeat the entire process (or maybe just sleep all day…) 

Most importantly - I need to pace myself!  The worst thing I can do is to get everything moving to fast and then not be able to keep up with it all.

I’m nervous, I’m scared, and I’m very excited! 

A Leap of Faith

Today I made a leap of faith. 

For several years now, I’ve wanted desperately to put more time into my photography, and shoot more events around the area to try and drum up more business. But because 99% of the events are scheduled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I can’t go because I usually have to work on Fridays and Saturdays. 

I woke up on New Year’s Day with an overwhelming sense of “this will be the year!” This year - 2018 - will be the year to really get serious about it and DO something to make it happen!  That feeling has been so terribly strong that I’ve just been aching to jump and run. I’ve been dreading going to work and hating it more and more every day.

I had an appointment with an investment rep to discuss my retirement fund, selling baseball cards, and putting my photography plan in place. I’ve been hesitating because I just don’t know if I can make it work, financially. But as she pointed out - I might as well go for it now, while I have financial assistance for food and medical. I guess if any time was the right time, it is most certainly now.

So I stopped in at work to talk to the Assistant Manager about it.  Both she and the Store Manager were there so I proposed it to both of them.  I told them that I wanted to pursue more photography, and to shoot at events around the area, and that I wanted to cut back to four days a week. I knew she would have no problem cutting my hours back, but the big issue was getting the days off I wanted.

I explained that I needed Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays off because that is when all of the events are scheduled. The Assistant Manager said “of course”, and then became very hesitant about it. I told her that this could be the stupidest decision I've ever made, and it could all come back to bite me in the ass, but I did not want to look back in five or ten years and kick myself for not jumping on an opportunity that was literally placed right in my lap, and I really did not want to look back and say, "I wish I had". That must have been the comment that persuaded her, because after thinking about it for a few minutes, she said, “Well, I guess make yourself unavailable in the system then.”  I took that as an ok, and jumped right onto the computer to make myself unavailable.  I also handed her a typed proposal with my "plan" on it, and the days I needed off to put my plan into action - two sheets; one for them and one for me, both signed and dated. 

I also told the Assistant Manager to call me if they need extra help on the weekends, and if I was not scheduled for a photo shoot, I’d be happy to come in and work. She said she would be calling me every weekend, to which I said that was fine. She also asked if I would be willing to work nights. Damn, that was my ace in the hole if she balked at this, and I really didn't want to play it, but I told her that as much as I hate night shifts, I would be willing to do that to make this happen - BUT that I won’t work Thursday nights, because if I have an out of town shoot, I’d need Thursday evenings for travel. 

I was very surprised that she agreed to it - and so quickly. I truly thought she’d put up a stink about taking every weekend off, but I’m sure as hell not going to question it - I’m going to RUN with it! 

I am so nervous about this, but so very excited at the same time, and as I drove out of the parking lot, I had the biggest smile on my face that I’ve had for a very long time! It's very possible that it may turn out to be the worst decision I’ve ever made, and it may come back to bite me, but even if it does, at least I can say I tried.

Right Foot, Left Foot

Photographically, I’m not starting out the new year on the right foot - or should I say the left foot. I broke my leg in September and am still recovering. after a second surgery to remove two pins in my lower leg set me back a couple of weeks, it is healing nicely. I’m walking in a boot, and using a walker, but I expect to be out of the boot and back on both feet again by the end of this month.

The real downside to all of this is that I have not been able to go out and shoot photos, and it’s been driving me crazy! After four and a half months of smoke from forest fires we had a most beautiful Autumn and it just killed me not to be able to take advantage of the great weather. I can only take so many photos from my front porch…

I did however, get a ton of work done on the computer.  For some time now I’ve been wanting to scan all of my slides into digital images, - seven, three inch, three ring binders, overflowing with slides. I figured it would take me weeks - maybe months to get them all done. I had them completed in five days. Amazing how much you can get done when you have all day to devote to a project.

On top of that, the week before I broke my leg I had purchased a 4 terabyte external hard drive, and spent countless hours editing all of my photos and transferring them to the new drive, and deleted everything that was unusable. Note to self: be sure and edit all of your photos before you send them to the external hard drive!