A Beautiful Place to Rest

 

The power of a name, a title - this is a still a concept I'm working on.  Yet assigning a few simple words to a photo can amplify its impact.

This photo was in the middle of the night right after a rain storm, the bright moon was shining through the trees.  I lay on the hammock and look through a perfect opening in the leaves to watch the clouds pass in front of the moon.  Then I stepped back to take the photo then sleep in a real bed that night...  I've named the photo "A Beautiful Place to Rest" for now... What would you name this photo?

Upstate New York - Life as a photographer in the Adirondacks

I've got a week and a half in upstate New York.  I've been looking forward to this time, but I've also been nervous about it.  There are a few reasons:  being away from my computer (I have a beautiful iMac with a second monitor that I edit all my photos on.  I spend more time with my computer than anything else - it's a huge part of the life as a photographer!), being so off the grid with no cell service and minimal wifi, and a little stress about family dynamics.  I love my family and I love seeing them!  I get nervous because I often become the 14 year old Whitney when we get together and the progress in becoming who I am as an adult goes out the window.  It is interesting to step back and observe this!  I am now Whitney, a professional photographer, and someone who loves learning, people, nature, and arts.

I’ve been here before, but I don’t feel like I’ve ever really SEEN it.  My goal in photography is to show people what a beautiful world is out there and how to open their eyes to it.  Well I’ve been here 3 times in the last 10 years and this week, I finally finally opened my eyes and saw it.  We drove in at 4 am and I was exhausted.  But I saw the room, the view of the lake, and the super moon that night, and I was so inspired that I couldn’t sleep, so I started hiking around with my camera.  This photo above is the very first photo I took here.  That's part of the magic in it for me.  I enjoy looking through 100 photos and finding the best ones (I have 500 photos from this night, and others that I think are prettier) but when it is the very first exposure, it feels different.  I often debate whether to post the photos that I connect most to or the photos I believe that you will connect most to.  Today, this one is impactful to me and I wanted to share.

I stayed out for 4 hours running around the lake, finding reflections, in awe of the fog, and taking photos the whole time.  It felt like a sacred space for me.  For miles and miles, I was the only one awake.  Except for a few animals - there were squirrels or chipmunks or something in the trees literally throwing pine cones at me.  The grass was wet from the dew, and the moon was so bright.  I lifted a beautiful old wooden canoe, much too heavy for one person, but somehow managed it and saw the sunrise from the water.  It’s a large lake with a couple little islands, but I was there in complete solitude.

I watched the sunrise from the middle of the lake on a beautiful old canoe with fog surrounding me.  Yes, I was brave and took my camera with me, just trusting that that the canoe wouldn’t tip. :)  And it was worth it -  The lake was golden, and I have never seen anything like it.

 

I feel I am finding a piece of myself out here.  The beauty, the connection with nature, the lack of connection to technology.  It's almost like a creative retreat.  I have much to be grateful for today.

In My Own Backyard

As you may remember, I've been visiting all the National Parks, with a plan to photograph all of them by 2020.  This has been an incredible adventure, a chance to prove the world is a beautiful place, to really open my eyes and share it!  But every time I travel, I am even more impacted by coming home.  I get to rediscover my own backyard, to see it as though I had traveled miles to get here.  I have mountains as a backdrop to my life!  How much better does it get?  

 

Well, this particular Sunday, I visited a place I knew well, somewhere I often shot for engagement photos.  3 or 4 years ago when I lived in Utah County, Utah Lake was one of my favorite sunset locations.  I had no clue it was a State Park at the time.  In fact, I had NEVER even visited or photographed it other than during an engagement or bridal session.  I got to explore somewhere I'd already been, but never really seen.  To discover something I already knew, but never acknowledged.  I sat on the rocks and wrote, I walked, dipped my toes in the water, watched the clouds move across the sky.  I even started singing songs!  It's inspiring to be surrounded my nature like this.

 

Valley of Fire SOC - Straight Out Of Camera

I've been to several inspiring landscape galleries this week.  What an amazing experience to walk through a gallery and stand in silence, full of emotion, and actually experience each photo in an photographer's gallery.  I'm inspired, I'm grateful, and I want to open my own gallery!  Soon!

My favorite was Peter Lik, in Las Vegas.  If I ever have the opportunity to meet that man, I will cry when I shake his hand.  The power in his photos...  I cannot find words to describe it.

This week has also brought up some thoughts, and some questions.  Many reputable photographers show composite photos in their galleries.  This means two or more photos are taken, then combined in post-processing ("photoshopped").  There is a lot of skill involved in combining photos, or any editing, and it defines much of a photographer's style.  My clients know it takes an average of 3-4 hours at the computer for every 1 hour shooting.  And I don't often show the unfinished product - I take pride in my work and want the photo to be complete before delivered.  But today I'm going to make an exception and here's why:

  I believe the world is a beautiful place.  As a photographer, I get to prove that.  Life in this world is beautiful and we get to celebrate it - in its light and darkness, its joy and pain, in its changing seasons, night and day, large rock formations or small butterflies on a flower.  I can use photography to let other people see through my eyes, my lens, and what an amazing thing that is.  I hope that if someone feels inspired by something a photo, they also open their eyes to see it in the beauty of every day - or every night.

Now, if you are ever left wondering if these photos are beautiful because they are "photoshopped" then I have failed.

Photoshop does not create beauty in these photos - yes, it is important and it refines what is already there.  But the colors, the sky, the stars, the light, the textures, the crispness, that's all SOC - Straight Out of Camera.   So, today, here is an example of an unedited photos.  I imported this Vallery of Fire photo (from Valley of Fire State Park) to my computer and didn't do any editing before taking the screen capture.  This is a single shot, not a composite photo.  And it's all real.  None of it is photoshopped in, it's just the beautiful world we live in!

I look forward to sharing the rest of my Valley of Fire State Park photos next week.  I'm headed down to Moab today :)

The World of National Parks

  Each day I wake up I have the opportunity to discover beauty newly.  It's not enough to simply remember what I discovered yesterday, I get to actually open my eyes and experience it.  Today.  Now.  In this world I live.

I live in Utah and when I truly open my eyes and see - not just look at, but SEE - the mountains and the nature around me, I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  Many drives through canyons and I want to yell out the window "I GET TO LIVE HERE!!"  A photographer's paradise.  So much to see, so nearby.

A couple days ago, I took an impromptu trip to Vernal, UT to visit a great friend, Mark, on his birthday.  We found a decent restaurant to eat (one of half a dozen restaurants in Vernal!), had a bon fire, and then went to Dinosaur Land National Monument for night photography.  It was cold, dark, scary, I whined way too much about the temperature, but still... it was absolutely beautiful.

This photo below is a 30 second shutter speed, flashlights to light up the background and a speedlight to light me on the rock.  We had a lot of fun "painting with light."

One of the most inspiring aspects of photography for me is the beauty of nature at night.  The way the stars light up the sky, I find such a sense of wonder and peace.  It is awesome - in the truest sense of the word.  Awe-inspiring.  While at DinoLand, I made a commitment: This summer, I am committed to visiting at least one National or State Park each month!  I am beyond excited to take this adventure on.

The photo above is no lights, the photo below is the result of walking around and using several speedlights from different angles (same location).

  Then, just today (a few days after my trip), on a dusty bookshelf, I found an old book I'd forgotten about called "America Wide - Panographs by Ken Duncan".  It's a book of photos of National Parks and other iconic views across the country.  A close high school friend, Matt, gave it to me as a present for my 17th birthday.  This was long before I had an SLR, before I had even CONSIDERED photography as a job or even a passion.  I was focused on music at the time, but have always had an appreciation for nature.  In the front of the book was a letter, and what an amazing thing to read through it and see where life has taken me from then to now.  Here's an excerpt I'd like to share:

"I want to present this book to you as a gift of encouragement not only for your 17th year, but also for life beyond. We all have trials and tribulations of life set aside for us to overcome and defeat, but if I can get you to remember one thing; about this archetypal battle, it's that you can't ever shut your eyes to the world around you, even in the midst of utter despair. Once you do that, you close the gate to a rejuvenating source of beauty.  Take this book... look at it... comment on it... then set it down for a long while. Force your eyes wide open to the picturesque beauty in your own world, and be amazed at the seemingly therapeutic results. Don't forget to open your eyes before the scenery whips by."

Thank you, Matt, for the example and encouragement of living an awesome life, full of awe for the world around.

 

Dan and Whitney's Excellent Adventure - Day 4 (Arches National Park)

Soo... Something strange happened when we left Lake Las Vegas and tried to go to the Grand Canyon.  Siri didn't know how to get there.  Really.  I had no information about the Grand Canyon and it was the middle of the night.  The internet wasn't helping much with direction either!  We twiddled our thumbs for a bit, then I said "I've never been to Arches, want to try that?"  And Dan, being the perfect travel companion, said "Yes.  Let's!"  A midnight stop at Walmart to try and find camping gear failed... and we got on the road anyway.  7 hours later, we showed up at the park.  We drove the loop, hiked around a bit, tried to sleep in the car without much luck, I took a nap in this arch:

Drove into Moab when I realized 30 minutes asleep in the arch was picturesque, but not particularly restful and I got a hotel to nap through the afternoon.  A 6 o' clock wake up call (pm... 6pm wakeup!),  I threw on both lightweight jackets and whatever I could scrounge up for a hike, then headed back into Arches for the beautiful evening light and (once again!) night shots.

The destination: Delicate Arch.

The discovery of an Arches virgin:  Here's the deal.  I thought for photo purposes, we would want the lower or the upper view.  We walked to the lower view, then hiked to the upper view, and soon realized there wasn't much possibility for variety from either perspective.  Which trail to hike?  Yes, apparently a photographer must actually hike TO the arch to get a view worth shooting.

The Challenge: 20 minutes to make it to the top by sunset.  (We had wasted some time doing lower and upper views and the sun was on its way down!)  I had a shoulder bag, bad shoes, a tripod, two lightweight jackets, a couple handwarmers.  I was completely ill-equipped for hiking to Delicate Arch.   Most people were already up there, but I was going to try it.

Now, apparently Moab in March is, uh, well, cold.  At least much colder than Vegas and California (for which our wardrobes were catered...).  While Dan wrapped himself up in a huge blanket and looked like a homeless guy walking up, I was determined to get there by sunset!  Aaaaand, I discovered just how out of shape I was.  My thighs started spasming, I almost threw up... And (here's the best reason to carry a camera when you hike) sometimes I would stop and pretend to take a photo just so people wouldn't judge me for having to stop.  But I was found out.  A little 7 year old girl stopped me and said "you're going to want to take a lot of pictures at the top.  It's really pretty up there."  A 4 year old boy saw me having a tough time and threw out a "you're almost there!"  I'm still not sure if it was encouraging or humiliating, but either way, I MADE IT.  Yes, I made it to the top... about 5 minutes after the sun went down.  I finally turned the corner and saw this:

I found a spot on the rock next to a few other photographers and I almost cried (commitment to self: I am working out enough and will be in shape enough to make any photography hike I want this summer even with all the gear!)  But a few breathtaking photos and everything was worth it.

 

(yes, Dan made it to the top too!)

One of the most interesting parts of Delicate Arch was the culture of photographers hanging out and practicing techniques together.  If one person uses lights, it will affect everyone else there, so we work together.  This photo was painting with light - a huge flashlight!

This is with no lights (just the glow of the moon on one side):

  Then everyone cleared out except one other photographer and we took turned playing with speedlights Strobist style.  Here's the winner of the night:

Yup.  Arches is a 5 star photography resort in Whitney's book.  I will DEFINITELY be back this summer.

We grabbed breakfast at a delightful diner and drove back in the morning!  An inspiring trip, I'm excited for all the photography adventures coming up in the next couple months.  We live in a beautiful world, don't we?

See the other blog posts from this Road Trip:

Day 1: Las Vegas

Day 2: Red Rock Conservation Area

Day 3: Lake Las Vegas

Dan and Whitney's Excellent Adventure: Day 2 (Red Rocks Conservation Area)

Day 2: Las Vegas

Early morning wake up call to do a video interview.  Dan was behind the camera, and I just sat and talked to this amazing artist for a few hours.  We laughed, we cried, we talked about stories, purpose, and art.  I could have stayed there all day talking to her!  Quite inspiring.

Then we met up with one of my past interns, Kristen, and went shooting (with cameras, not guns).  Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area - it's my second time here, the first time I had driven up in the middle of the night on my own intending to camp but had to sleep in the car in a Costco parking lot because the gate was locked... it was a crazy story, but in the morning I saw the sunrise in a peaceful, peaceful park.  Only 4 of us in the entire area.  It was beautiful.  This trip, however, we got to see it for sunset!

These next two photos were taken within minutes of each other - it was only the camera settings that makes one look like day and one look like night.  Kind of fun to compare them side by side.

 

And for these next two, Dan was driving, and I was shooting out the window!  I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so I'll take any chance for a small thrill :)  He specifically wanted a photo of the one on the left because it looked like a different world, one to write stories or films about.  I love traveling and doing photography with different people because I have the opportunity to see the world through another set of eyes, another perspective.  Some say walk in their shoes, I think I prefer the analogy of seeing the world through someone else's lens.

 

Oh!  I forgot.  Before Red Rock Conservation Area, we got a notification that the artist in LA wouldn't be able to do the interview.  So that left 3 days with particular destination in mind.  At the beginning of the trip, Dan's said "aside from work, my one request is to go to a beach.  We'll have plenty of options in LA, so that will be awesome."  (We decided it may not be worth it to go all the way to California for a beach and instead we'd... go to the Grand Canyon - I'VE NEVER BEEN, can you believe it?)   But like magic, a sandy beach appeared at Red Rocks.  I put my toes in to say we checked that one off the list.

 

Dan on the left, Kristen and Trevor on the right.  Red Rocks and the Vegas lights in the background.

 

Well, we stayed WAY past closing time and I kept looking over my shoulder scared a ranger would show up and chastise us.  I can be rebellious, but I'm still scared of getting caught!  We saw headlights coming around the bend and leapt into the car.  This was our "high speed car chase" for the trip.  You know, where you have to drive just fast enough to get away from the guy chasing you, but not too fast in case he's a cop and will pull you over.  Ah, the joys that sleep deprivation bring.  Take a normal evening and turn it into a dramatic story!

But after we barely escaped our attacker (yes, some sarcasm included... it turned out to be another late night visitor casually exiting the park and completely unaware of us)... just outside the gate we stopped for another hour of photos after the sun went down.  It was so rewarding to see Dan's face light up as he discovered the joys of night photography.  Tripod, long exposures, lights - and STARS!   I love teaching and watching that lightbulb go on, so it inspired a plan to set up a workshop later this summer for Las Vegas Photography at Night.  Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you'd like details when we get it all set up!  We're thinking Red Rocks, Lake Las Vegas, The Strip, and Valley of Fire.

That night included a Latin band and me learning how to Salsa and other dances that I don't know the names of.  Bachata or something?  A lovely Cuban lady introduced me to everyone and got me on the dance floor every song with a new partner.  And before the Latin band, we stopped by a jazz trio - THIS was one of the highlights of the trip.  Dan wouldn't dance, so I danced alone for a few minutes, then felt awkward and sat down.  At the end of the song, the guitar player pointed to me and said "we're going to dedicate the next song to you, because we can tell you want to dance!"  (Now, it is true that one of the masks I wear is a dancer.  I learned traditional jazz dancing back in 2006.  Lindy hop, charleston, blues, and I still dance about once a week!  But it still made me a little bit uncomfortable because I didn't know what to do!)  It only took a couple moment, as if it were rehearsed, everyone cleared the dance floor for "my" song, and I walked up, closed my eyes, and let the music move me.  Wow.  It was such a surreal and emotional experience.  I traded back and forth with the saxophone player - he'd play a phrase holding eye contact with me, then I would imitate the sound through dance in the next phrase.  It was solo dance, all improv, expressing whatever I happened to feel in that moment.  And the music was great!  Afterwards, I snapped back to reality as people came over to talk with me about the dancing and give compliments.  I'm still a little speechless and overwhelmed when I think back to it.  Such an art-filled day with the painter, interview, video, photos, then music and dance.  I love the exposure to so many creative expressions!

And of course, my self portrait for my "life as a photographer" gallery.  With the look on my face here, I feel like I should be wearing a "life is good" shirt.

See the other blog posts from this Road Trip:

Day 1: Las Vegas

Day 2: Red Rock Conservation Area

Day 3: Lake Las Vegas

Day 4: Arches National Park