Light in a Box

Sarah's hands are full, one is clutching mine for guidance while the other is trying to hold back our charging goldendoodle, Lambeau. The sky is still asleep and the air sharp as we make our way through the darkness. We are holding true to the concrete beneath our feet, hoping it will deliver us to our destination. I am relying more on my gut than anything else until I see a few faint red lights in the distance. We exit the forest into a clearing where it's finally possible to see the ground beneath our feet. Sarah lets go of my hand but remains close as I follow the red lights looking for a gap. I step over bags and dodge chairs, following the chain until I reach a place along the water. Lambeau and Sarah hang back now as I set my camera up on my tripod. As the darkness is chased from the sky, the Maroon Bells emerge. The Maroon Bells are like Colorado's Eiffel Tower, everyone and their mom has a picture of the striped peaks reflecting in Maroon Lake. Dawn brings lig...

It takes a big man to admit his mistakes. You've probably heard that classic line once or twice, usually after you've made a mistake. It's true though, in order to grow we need to make mistakes and learn from them. You put your hand on the hot stove, that's usually a mistake you won't make again. You get a flat tire and in the process of changing it one of the bolts falls into the hub and you decide to drive with that rattling around until it shoots free and leaves you stranded on the side of the road in Oconto, WI. That's not a mistake I will make again. For this list of 10, I have compiled 10 lessons that I learned this year. 1. Know your equipment I learned a lot about my gear this year, usually after a frustrating shoot. I learned about hyperfocal distances which is a point of focus that will render sharpness throughout the scene and how to calculate it. I bought a new lens to replace a pair of wide angle kit lenses that were reducing my sharpness and l...

Wanted: unbiased critic. Ideal candidate must have an artistic eye with experience in photography preferably in the landscape field. You will be tasked with reviewing my work and producing a critique that will push my creative talents while finding a happy median between ego grooming and making me cry. Think you have what it takes? Apply today! All of the critics in my life are either family or friends, few are artists, and none of them see a fault in my work. Sarah gets the most exposure to my work and has yet to find something wrong with a photograph. I view my work much differently, I see maybe, maybe, a handful of solid images in my portfolio. I've started listening to a few photography related podcasts while working at my full time job. On one show the host was interviewing a writer who was describing his journey. The writer watched his friends take off while he struggled to get off the ground. The problem, as he describes it, was the standard for which he held his work. H...