Busy Summer!

 Summer is always a busy time for me photographically, but this year has been the busiest yet. Photo shoots almost every single weekend, from May 1st through October 5th! Sure, a few of them are for me, but mostly there are a lot of horse shows, and the usual stock dog trials.

There are a few new events however, the annual Pet Run at the Big Sky Horse Park, which ended up not being very lucrative, but it was fun and I did make a few sales. There was also an unexpected but serendipitous event at the annual AKC dog show in June. Initially I was going to set up a booth to do dog portraits, but then found out that there was going to be a Fast Cat test, and asked my contact at the kennel club if I could do that instead. Her response was that she would have to check with the show committee. Ok, if not I had to photo booth as a backup. 

There were several emails back and forth between members of the committee, of which I was included in, but not a single confirmation or denial for photos at Fast Cat. In the meantime, I was contacted by a woman, who I am assuming was also on the show committee, who emailed me privately and said there would be dock diving dogs too, and they really needed a photographer. Say whaaat??  Dock diving?? I am SO in! 

Then she called me a few days later and said she was told that the dock diving folks contract the photographers and that they require ownership of all of the photos. Ok, that would be a deal breaker. We discussed it for a bit and then I said I would call them and check it out. She gave me their number and I called.

The woman who ran the dock diving said I was misinformed. They do not contract photographers, they use local photographers, I own all rights to the photos and I can sell them as I want. They only ask photos to use for promotional flyers and advertising. I told her I would be there.
 

Summer's Over!

Last horse show of the summer is in the books (ok, so it's Fall...). Four days of Working Equitation with some beautiful horses and amazing riders. Today is a holiday, and I took a vacation day tomorrow, because I'm going to need two days to recover!!  

Cirque Ma'Ceo

First day of Cirque Ma’Ceo, and I’m excited to be shooting photos for them!  I hope I can get some good ones. It will definitely be tough, because the tracking on their spotlights isn't working so they won't be able to follow the performers around the ring. But I have a new and faster lens that hopefully will help, and I'm going in early today while they're setting up the "big top", so I can get in some practice shots inside. 

Can't wait to get started! 

Day Two at the Bison Range

I had set my alarm for 5:00 this morning, but woke up 4:30 (that’s what I get for going to bed so early last night). I got up and peeked out the back door - still dark out. I went back to bed and lay there, not really thinking about anything in particular, and trying to go back to sleep for a little bit, but of course I couldn’t. I do have to say that this bed is probably the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in!

Once it started getting light out - within half an hour or so - I got up and got dressed, grabbed my camera gear and cooler and headed out the door. I hit the back road to the range and got there at 5:45. The gates were wide open, even though the sign says they open at 6:00, so I drove right on in. I hit the bathroom in the picnic area and headed up over the mountain.

I had run into a couple of young ladies yesterday, who said they had seen a bear with two cubs, just as they headed up the mountain road. One of them was there for the first time, and got video of the cubs, running and chasing each other. She said she was live on Face Book with it! Damn beginner’s luck. I looked like crazy but never saw them. 

As I topped the hill at the river overlook, there were five or six Mulie bucks on the road, and they walked down the road ahead of me for a few yards and then headed down the side of the hill. I stopped to see if I could get photos of them down the hill, but they were nowhere to be seen.

No badger this morning, but the bison bulls were still at Elk Lane, and at least I saw a few Pronghorn today, but not much else. As I got to the end of the road, I made a quick decision to go over the mountain again. Still nothing. I stopped at the picnic area and had some lunch, then headed back to the lodge.

On the way back I turned off onto the levee at Ninepipes Reservoir. Not much at all in the way of birds, and absolutely no shorebirds; the water is too high, and edges out on the rocks - no mud flats for the wading birds. I did however, manage several shots of a Red-necked Grebe, and a couple of them are even in focus! Further down the levee I spotted a Western Grebe and got some photos of it as well, including a few that are sharp enough to see those bright red eyes!

Back at the lodge I opened up the back door to let in some fresh air and to listen to the birds, and sat down to upload the photos onto my laptop. Before long I heard some commotion outside my back door, and got up to take a look. A guy was setting up a loudspeaker right off my patio, and I stepped out to ask him what was going on. Apparently there was going to be a wedding at 2:00. Great….   I asked him if he was going to be blasting music right outside my room, but he said no, it was just going to be a little music before the wedding, and if it bothered me I could tell him and he would move. There were kids racing around screaming, people talking and laughing - quite loudly - and some woman with a cackling witch’s voice, screeching - ok, laughing - but it sounded like screeching, over and over and over again. OMG, this is what I try to get away from! I closed the door and turned the a/c on high, but it didn’t manage to drown out the noise - enough.  So I shut down my computer, put away my camera gear, locked the back door and closed the drapes, and headed next door to the museum - thankfully they were open.  

If you happen to be up that way, check out this little museum. The cost is $6 for adults, not sure of a kids' rate. Lots of local history of the Salish tribe, and the early settlers to the area. Pretty interesting stuff, and a nice break if, you've been on the road all day. They offer guided tours, which are very informative, or you have to option of a self-guided audio tour. I've done both; it's just personal choice. 

After an hour and a half of wandering through the many displays, I went back to my room. The reception had moved into the private dining room, but there were still lots of people outside, and being too noisy for my liking. So I loaded up and headed back to the Bison Range. Only took the short road this evening, as it was already almost 6:00, and I knew I would probably not be off the mountain road before 9:00, and did not want to get locked in!

The short road was a good choice this evening however, and I rounded a bend in the road just before the corrals, and found a herd of around 30 elk, grazing in the field just above the river! Mostly cows, but a few young bulls as well, and got some great shots! 

 

Free Weekend Road Trip

Dropped the dog at the kennel last night, and took off at 0'dark:30 and headed out of town. Because I could not check in until 2:00, I spent the entire morning and most of the afternoon at the Bison Range. There had been reports of a couple of bears with cubs that have been seen on a regular basis, but it was not in the cards for me today.

Pauling Creek

My first photos were of Pauline Creek, a favorite spot for bears year round, but mostly in the fall, when the many chokecherry and service berry bushes provide hoards of berries for the bears to fatten up on for winter. Unfortunately I saw no bears.

American Badger

I did however, cross paths with a young badger!  She came out of the grass just as I rounded a bend in the road, but scurried back into the grass when she saw me. I stopped the car and shut off the engine, so as not to spook her, and sure enough, she came back out. She stood and stared at me for a few minutes before deciding it was safe to cross. Looking at her much closer in the photos, it was evident that she had kits somewhere. I sure wish she would have had them with her!

Bison Bull

Not much else out this morning, but as the road continued upward toward the top of the mountain, there were several very large and impressive bull bison, grazing alongside the road. I drove very slowly, passing most of them, but had to stop and wait for one large bull to decide he needed - or wanted - to get out of my way. He was facing away from me and at one point turned his head back to me as if to say, "What?"  I respected his space and waited for him to bide his time and slowly move off the road.
 

Chipmunk

Almost to the top of the drive I noticed a tiny chipmunk, feasting on dandelion seeds, and spent probably around 20 minutes just photographing it. Don't laugh, chipmunks are wildlife too!

Where the Forest turns to Prairie

Just past the the trees where the bison and chipmunk were feeding, there is a small swale with just a few pine trees, where the terrain begins to change from woodland to prairie. I don't know why, but this particular spot is one of my favorites, and I finally captured it in just the right light.

Going down the other side, there is a steep grade for about 100 yards. Use the lowest gear you have and don't ride your brakes!  Pumping them slowly keeps your car at a good pace for this hill.  You'll also see a sign that reads; "Lake Missoula at its highest point". Lake Missoula is an entirely different post. Stay tuned.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot

Teasel

The downhill side of the mountain road is a series of switchbacks, where you can see numerous wildflowers, dominated again by the Arrowleaf Balsamroot. Another very common plant is the Teasel, which was introduced to the US, and cultivated for the textile industry. Like many other introduced species, it spread quickly and is now considered an invasive species. Native Americans, being very adaptive, quickly took advantage of the hard, dried seed head of this plant for combing their hair! I've tried it, and it does work fairly well. But don't pick it here, everything on national refuges is protected under federal law! 

Western Meadowlark

The Western Meadowlarks were everywhere in this location, singing loudly to proclaim territories and attract a mate. I took many photos of them, and finally got the photo I've been after for what feels like years! 

At the bottom of the hill, the switchbacks end, and there is a turnout where the winter road stops. From this point on it's two way traffic. This is one of my favorite spots to stop, shut off the engine and get out to stretch my legs. There are a number of large rocks/boulders there, and they make a great place to sit and take in the absolute quiet of the prairie. From this spot you can just sit and listen to the silence. All you'll hear is the breeze blowing through the prairie grass and sagebrush, birds singing, and an occasional cow mooing from a neighboring ranch. No cars, no radios, nothing but pure peace and quiet. I could sit at this spot for hours. But keep a sharp eye out; and don't go wandering out into the grass. This is also badger territory, and you don't want to run into one of these critters. There has never been a reported incident of a badger attacking a human, and seriously they'd rather avoid you, but if they feel threatened they can get quite nasty, and it's better to be safe than sorry. You don't want to be the first victim!

Blue Copper Butterfly

While sitting here I also noticed some small, blue butterflies. I've always known them as Mountain Butterflies, but officially they are called Blue Coppers. I watched them as they "Puddled"; butterflies take in nourishment from mud. Really! All butterflies do this; there are many minerals in the soil that they need to sustain themselves, and today this spot was a good feeding ground.  

At this time of the year, the wildflowers are in bloom all over the range. Right now it's mostly Arrowleaf Balsamroot, and the hillsides are covered with them. There is also Shooting Stars, Wild Hyacinth, Monkshood, a few Scarlet Paintbrush, among others that I can't identify..

Pronghorn Doe

I saw a few Pronghorn on this side, mostly does, none with fawns that I could see. But if they did have fawns, they are most likely staying hidden and safe. I must say that I was a little disappointed with what was, or was not there today, but such is wildlife photography. You just never know what will show itself for photos. At around 2:30 I headed off the range and toward the lodge. I was ready to relax for a while!

The Patio at My Room

The Ninepipes Lodge is a small, locally owned hotel, with a restaurant, clean and comfortable rooms, and the best service anywhere!  The food is exceptional, and a lot of locals go there just for dinner. My room had a back door with a semi-private patio, and a view of the Mission Mountains that was unbeatable!  The restaurant overlooks a small pond and the Missions, and has an outdoor dining area, although it had been raining for some time and it was a bit too wet to eat outside. But I spent a considerable amount of time in the evenings, just standing by the pond, photographing the birds that were there, along with a few turtles that were resting on the logs placed in the water just for them.

Cow Elk

 At about 5:30 or so I headed back up to the range, but only took the short winter road. The gates at the range close promptly at 9:00, and I knew I would not be off the mountain by then!  But I was not disappointed, for about a mile or so into the winter road, there was a herd of about 30 elk, grazing in the late afternoon sun! Mostly cows, with a few young spike bulls tossed in for good measure. I got a ton of photos of them before heading back to the lodge, where I spent the late afternoon and early evening, just sitting by the pond and enjoying the view. 

The View from My Room

Free Weekend!

I had planned on going up to the National Bison Range this Friday, as there are babies everywhere! I also wanted to go to Ninepipes Reservoir, which is only about fifteen minutes away from the Bison Range. The problem is, in spite of their close proximity, I can't do both in the same day.

The Bison Range opens their gates at 6:00 am this time of year, and I'm typically there by 5:45. My reason for getting there so early is to be the first one on the range. No other vehicles have been out there yet, scaring off the wildlife, and I always have a much better chance of seeing more animals and getting some good shots. I drive painfully slow there, looking not only ahead of me, but on either side, looking up, looking down, and even keeping an eye on what's behind me, because you never know when a bear will wander out from the bushes along the creek once you've gone by. The sign at the beginning of the mountain road says to allow two hours for the driver over the mountain, but I think they need to add a disclaimer that reads: "Photographers allow a minimum of four hours." Seriously. If you really want to get some good shots, you have to take your time. It makes me crazy when someone goes blasting past you on the road there, doing 35 miles an hour in a 15 mile an hour zone and never stopping or even slowing down, and then gets back to the visitor's center and complains because they didn't see anything. I just want to smack them upside the head. So yes, I take my time, I drive slow. I will pull over and let you pass if you absolutely must. But the animals are certainly not in a hurry, so why should you be? By the time I get over the mountains and back to the visitor's center, it's darn near 2 or 3:00 in the afternoon. By then I'm tired and can't even imagine spending more time at the reservoir; I just want to get home.

This weekend I also had an all day photo shoot scheduled on Saturday, and I really did not want to drive all the way up to the Bison Range on Friday and the drive all the way back up to the reservoir on Sunday. Then I got a call that the event I was supposed to shoot had been cancelled. While normally I would be disappointed at the lost income, this time I hung up the call and said "SCORE!", and booked myself for two nights at the Ninepipes Lodge!  My last two summers have been very busy with photo shoots, and I was excited to have an entire weekend to shoot photos for ME.

When I made the reservation, they only had one room left, on the west side, which faces the highway... ugh!  The sound of the trucks rolling through late at night would keep me awake all night. But, I took it because I had no choice. At least it was also facing the lake, and that couldn't be all bad, right?

Eight days and counting!

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!   

Winter Photography

If you’re thinking of putting your camera away for the winter - don’t!  It’s one of the best times to get out and shoot photos. Cameras are far more tolerant of the cold than they used to be, and especially if you live in the northern latitudes where there is snow and ice, winter offers an entirely different perspective on the world around you.

In many areas up north, we often get “hoar frost”.  Simply put, hoar frost is caused by fog combined with freezing temperatures. According to weather.com, “with more moisture in the air, the interlocking crystal patterns of frost become more intricate and much larger, building up to a greater depth on tree branches, signs, fences, anything. This is hoarfrost.”

This frost clings to anything and everything: trees, blades of grass, wire fences - anything exposed to the air is a target. Anytime I can, I head out with my camera in the dead of winter, to get photos of hoar frost.

The photo of the pine tree was taken on top of a hill that overlooks the river near my house. This tree was naturally "flocked" with a thick layer of hoar frost. No need for a Christmas tree when there's a forest full of them practically in your own backyard! 

 

The second photo was a strand of barbed fence wire that enclosed a pasture. Talk about frost!  This is a great example of what hoar frost can look like when conditions are ideal.

The last photo was taken along the river near my house. It was taken on a whim, with no special results expected. But as often happens, the photo I expected to be a “throw away”: ended up being my favorite of the day.

So now that winter is here, bundle yourself up, grab your camera, and start shooting - the results can be amazing!