Day 35

Day 21

Ugh! Am totally not feeling a post today, so check back later.

*Edit* This afternoon, on our way home from church (65 miles away), we decided to go check out a back road and signs that pointed towards a reservoir/dam/lake. We never found the reservoir, but we did discover some North Dakota landscape that we really hadn't got much of a chance to see yet. It was basically badlands and it was incredible! In the middle of all this prairie, we went off the beaten track and found a whole different set of scenic views- bluffs, ravines, draws, brush, ponderosa pines. It was pretty cool. And beings we drove about 15 miles off the main road on a windy, sometimes-almost-two-track, gravel road, it really felt like we were "out there". We crossed over 6 cattle grates (yes, we counted), drove through multiple cattle pastures, and saw 3 places of human inhabitance. It was great! And so beautiful!

And that, of course, is where I got this shot. In black and white it looks like it was taken 100 years ago. And, other than the fence line and the two-track going through the foreground, I doubt this land has changed too much since then.

This. This is what I love about the West. Or western midwest, depending on who you are. Wide open. Much unchanged. Lonely. Probably the same reasons a lot of people love the West. I'm just very thankful that not everyone who loves the West has moved out here. I mean, what point would there be? It wouldn't be the West anymore. Or, at least, it would lack a lot of what we love.

And without those things- without the wide openness, the raw naturalness, the loneliness- would it really be the West anymore?

Day 19

Yup, already been out and about this morning! At approximately 7:30 this morning, Hubby called and told me to get out of bed and take a drive while the light was still good. So that's what I did. We had some snow last night and the prairie was perfectly ethereal and lovely. Snow just makes everything look different, ya know? It adds a sense of mystery, silence, enchantment- you get the picture.

Plus, I'm not afraid to go poking around in tall weeds and ditches because I know that now that there's snow on the ground, it has to be too cold for any rattlesnakes to be out. I'm pretty much deathly afraid of rattlesnakes- actually, all snakes in general make me shriek and pull my feet off the floor. Even plastic ones. Even movies with snakes. Even a picture of a snake will give me the urge to shriek. Yeah, me and snakes? No bueno.

So I found this old farmstead this morning. Actually, I've seen it before, but I guess I never really saw it before. I would've gotten closer, but there was a 'No Trespassing' sign and a gate. Actually, now that I think about it, it may have just been a 'No Hunting' sign, but I wasn't gonna take the chance.

I love, love, love old farmhouses. If I could find an old farmhouse that isn't too far gone, I would totally buy it and fix it up. If we had the money. And if I really liked remodeling. I've been there, done that, and no, I don't like remodeling.

But back to the subject at hand. So often I wish those places could talk. Could tell me of the things they've seen. About the people who lived in them. What those people dreamed of doing. About their families. So much history that I will never know. It just intrigues me. A lot. I guess that's why I like shooting places like this. I want to preserve them, if only an image, before they fall apart any further.

Day 16

Here's today's photo for you guys! I was going to work on some night photography today, but on my trip out to the farm this evening, well, um, my battery died. So I guess you'll have to be content with this sunset.

*Edit* I had a whole blog post written up in my head to accompany this image but while I was posting last night, I simply drew a blank.

I was gonna write something about how I've been shooting completely in 'Manuel' mode. And it's an awesome feeling! When I first got my D80, I thought there was no way I would ever learn how to use all the settings. And I still don't know how to put all the great things in my camera to work. But the fact that I can actually shoot fully manual and know what I'm doing? That's totally, like, cool! Excuse me for sounding like a teenager. Being a teen actually wasn't that long ago for me, so you'll have to excuse me.

First I stayed in 'Auto' mode. Then I began to wander over into 'Aperture' land because I have this thing for awesome bokeh. But the high ISO (grainy pictures) started to rear it's ugly head, so I had to learn about that. And recently I've been working on shutter speed. So where does that leave me? Entirely manual, thank-you very much! And it case it sounds like I'm patting myself on the back- I am. Pure and simple. But seriously, this is such a huge step for me. Something I never thought I'd accomplish! But then, once you've managed to birth a baby, everything else is peachy easy.

And about my battery dying? Yeah, I know, "Bad photographer!" But I have always been told that letting the battery, in anything, go completely dead is better, even if you only do that once in a while, than plugging it in while it still has a small charge. So there. I did it for my camera.

And I forgot.

Day 7

Here's today's shot. Love the light that was going on!

Day 6

Well, I figured that ya'll might be getting tired of the macro-esque, still life type stuff, so I decided to change it up this morning. After all, I'm guessing part of the 50/50/50 challenge is to show how versatile a 50mm lens can be.

I caught this landscape shot as I was driving my hubby to work (his truck broke down a couple of days ago). I just loved the pink reflection of the rising sun of the clouds. In my opinion, cloudless sunrises (and sunsets) are pretty, but clouds just add some much more drama and a whole new dimension!

So I hope you like it! Landscape is not my strong point, but I'm working on it!

A SWEET truck!

Last night, while hanging out with my hubby as he was working, I came across something nice. Well, I thought it was pretty nice. I think it would be the coolest spot/prop

for a photo shoot- children, families, couples, you name it!

Check it out!

And the price I paid to get these pictures was about 1,588 mosquito bites! So, I believe I'll wait till cooler weather bring anyone here for a session!

Welcome!

Hello everyone! Welcome to my photoblog! I can't believe it- I'm starting my own stinkin' photoblog!

I'm starting this page so you all can see some of my work and get an idea for my photography style and taste. If you see something you like, give me a holler! And if you see something you don't like or could use some improvement, do the same!

If you REALLY like what you see and are interested in having a family, senior, children's, bridal, or engagement session with me, let me know and will see if we can work something out. It would help a lot if you are somewhere in the southwestern North Dakota, northwestern South Dakota, southwestern Montana, or even in the northwestern Wyoming areas.

And unless you really, REALLY like me, have complete confidence in me, and are very forgiving, I'm not offering my services for weddings at this time. However, I'm shooting my sister's wedding next month, so we will see how that goes and if I'm more confident about actually doing weddings on a semi-regular basis.

I hope you enjoy watching my journey from amateur to semi-professional photographer.