Monthly Archives: January 2016

After years of driving Divide Avenue, I couldn’t take it any more

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The life of a freelancer does not jive well with sleeping normal hours (or at all, some days).  The past month and a half has been insane and, while I’ve been buying a lot of gear and software with the proceeds, I haven’t actually gotten to use any of it for my own enjoyment.  Yet.

You know how I say, “The best camera is the one you have with you!” ad nauseum?  Well, in this case I took my iPod Touch out to snap a quick pic with some Photoshop in mind.

winger_aptsEvery time I drive down East Divide Avenue and pass the Winger Apartments, I can’t help but start singing “Seventeen” or “Down Incognito”.  I’m not a Winger fan, but I’m aware of the body of work.  So in this case I dug up a photo of Kip Winger, threw it in the foreground, and while it is not my finest work it at least got this out of my system.

If I was a renter here I’d get a cardboard standup of Winger and put it in the window.  How many folks do you think would get it?

No free rides

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decal_removal_36349I know you’ve seen them: those vinyl letters pasted on the back windows of almost any vehicle sold in Bismarck-Mandan, proclaiming the URL (website address) of the dealership which sold the vehicle.  Often they’re very large, almost always they use a rather unattractive font, and they’ve been a pet peeve of mine since they started popping up.

I’d figured that when I found myself in the position of buying a new vehicle, I’d propose that the dealership either remove said decals before I take the vehicle or give me a $300 payment or credit on the vehicle in exchange for leaving the decals on the car for one year.  After all, advertising has value.  Dealerships pay radio and TV stations to advertise for them.  But as a long time advocate of “if you want something done right, do it yourself” I decided not to do so when buying my wife a vehicle recently.  Also, the sales person is a friend and I didn’t want to dump that kind of conflict in his lap.

This reminds me of the occasional “offer” I receive – and others in the creative and technical fields receive as well – of doing something either for free or for a ridiculously low fee.  Invariably it comes with the promise that “you’ll get your name out there” (without actually saying where “out there” is) as a result of donating my time and work to said offer.

Right.  My name is “out there” plenty, and I have more than enough side work (mostly video, sometimes photo) to keep me busy – especially when juggling kids, a new house, and (from 2013-2015) serious health issues.  I think I’ll pass on such a promise.

In our photo club people who engage in photography and other pursuits for a living urge up-and-coming photographers to charge what they’re worth.  I like to hammer four little words into every such conversation: Your work has value.

So does someone driving around with your website emblazoned across their car window.  In fact, there are places that will pay you to put decals on your car and drive around with them. The car dealerships are well aware of what the product on their lots and in their showrooms is worth.  They’re not afraid to tell you and charge you accordingly.  Therefore they should not be offended if, no hard feelings, you take that new purchase home and promptly scrape off the uncompensated advertising as soon as is convenient.  That’s exactly what I did.  No hard feelings, but nobody rides for free.

TEN YEARS and 3,500 photos later, still playing all the angles

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capitol_2006This is the photo that started it all on January 1st, 2006.  Ten years ago.  Wow.  A lot has changed since then. Not only am I much more occupied with work, freelance work, and being a husband and Daddy, but I’ve also had to ride out some major health issues and lots of moving: moving my family into a new house, moving my studio/office at work, and moving my church.  So I don’t post daily anymore, but I do share what I can.  I keep thinking that soon enough I will be able to get out with my cameras more.  Meanwhile, I took some time to chase down even more photos like the one above:

 

2016_capitol_36268-70_hdrThis angle looks so straightforward, doesn’t it?  The fact is, I only recently discovered it.  This is actually taken from down Sixth Street a little ways.  That’s the best way to get the NORTH DAKOTA CAPITOL sign in the shot without having it dominate the photo.  Getting farther away gets a perspective that matches it in size with the pioneer statue, and allows both of them to grow in relation to the capitol tower.  It’s a fun shot to get, but not when there’s a lot of traffic whizzing across the frame on Boulevard Avenue.

 

_MG_36217Here’s what I’m talking about.  If you just go to the bottom of the mall and take a photo from the road, this what you get.  The capitol sign is large, the tower is small, and the pioneer statue is all but indistinguishable.  I don’t know why I didn’t think to venture farther away and set up my shot down 6th Street before this, but I’m thankful for this year’s epiphany.

 

2016_capitol_36191-3_hdrThe parking lots on the north side of the capitol were redone a year or two ago, and that opened up this shot from the backside of the legislative wing.  Previously this angle was obscured by trees, and I’m sure it will be once again someday as newly planted ones grow to adult heights, but for now I have a brand new perspective on the capitol that was not possible when I first started doing this bloggin’ thang.

 

2016_capitol_36308-10_hdrThis year I had a clear sky at sunset and decided to try something a little different.  I’ve had a blast taking shots of the entire capitol complex from the northeast hill and posting it as my blog’s Facebook cover photo.  That’s fine, since it’s such a wide angle shot that it crops very nicely into the 851×315 dimensions required by Facebook.  But what about a traditionally framed shot?  Well, rather than worry about the DOT / Heritage Center buildings I opted this time to pan west toward the sunset and include only the judicial and legislative wings of the capitol along with the tower.  It worked great with the peachy sunset colors, too.

Well, here’s to another ten years!  It looks like I’ve posted in the neighborhood of 3,500 photos so far.  I sure hope I have plenty more photos and musings to share!