Snowboarding Ski Beech - 1st Run 2008

Snowboarding Ski Beech - 1st Run 2008


Last week Shanti was off of work for her winter break which meant only one thing - let's get out of the house and have some fun! Typically, getting out of the house for us means a roadtrip of some kind with a few overnight stays. Take the spring of 2007 as an example. We both had some time off, a great destination is nearby, so why not take some time to go explore and have a good time?


Snowboarding isn't something new for us. Although after one day of snowboarding after a 10 year hiatus it might as well feel new. The bruises, aches, and pains certainly reminded us that time is moving our bodies along. Nah, we're not old...yet. I guess we're not adjusted to the challenges of a snow covered mountain is all.

Our destination of choice for our day outing was Ski Beech right here in North Carolina. Located about 2 1/2 hours northwest of Winston Salem, Boone offers the local Carolinian a variety of ski resorts. While none may rival those of Nevada or Utah, the terrain and mountain slope offer a nice little getaway from the daily grind. While Boone may only be a short drive, we get to enjoy snow-free roads right here in Winston. I think it's great that if I want the experience of living up north I can drive a couple hours and have it when I want it. This isn't such a bad place to live afterall! Just across from Ski Beech is another ski resort called "Sugar Mountain." If we wanted to travel to West Virginia we could hit up "Winter Place." If we *really* wanted the northern exposure feel of a ski resort complete with cabins and a small ski town, there's always "Snowshoe" in Virginia.

I think it's crazy that in a few short month it'll be t-shirts and shorts weather. Just 2 hours to the north and we'll have skiing or snowboarding. Or, if the day's weather suits a day at the beach, all we'll need to do is head eastbound for 3 hours and we're on the Atlantic shores. Ahh, life is good. For now, I will look forward to another opportunity to head northbound and visit another resort while the powder is still fresh. Before I know it, summer will be here and you'll be seeing pictures of water parks and spring gardens. Enjoy the views for now. Maybe you'll join us on our next outing.

Old Mill of Guilford

Old Mill of Guilford


Today I met up with Meetup.com's "Triad Photography Group" for an informative seminar in portrait photography, intro to Adobe Lightroom, camera white balancing, and some tips and tricks in Photoshop CS2. Although much of what was presented in the seminar was mostly familiar, I still enjoyed listening in and picking up a shortcut or two. Afterwards, we headed out to the Old Mill of Guilford for a group photo session. The day was cold and grey and the colors few. However, the folks that maintain the site make certain to keep the window frames and water wheel painted brightly red. I picked up on this bright accent and decided to put together a little collage.

Thanks to the Triad Photography Group for putting together an informative day. I look forward to future events and to contributing towards an evolving membership.

Winston Salem Winter Scenes

Winston Salem Winter Scenes


Winter 2008 - my second winter living in North Carolina. I remember last year's winter...well, sort of. It lasted for one day - one day of snow that is. I recall waking up to a light snowfall that offered about an inch of ground cover and a somewhat precarious drive to work. At the time, my car's "summer" tires were not rated for any sort of snow or other frozen precipitation. I barely got it back up the driveway after I realized that the corner of our street was the farthest I would drive it. Shanti (wife) was in Hawaii at the time enjoying the warm weather. Her vehicle - a rear wheeled Nissan Xterra - could surely handle one inch of snow. I took it for a brief test drive in the neighborhood. Being that I was already running late for work I decided to just extend the test drive to a four mile drive where the office was. Yes, I said it - I used to work 4 miles from where I live.

For a brief moment on that cold weekday morning in 2007, I briefly contemplated calling in sick. After all, neither of our vehicles were truly safe to drive in the snow. Of course, calling in meant that going home would put a camera in my hands and eventually the keys into the ignition for a trip throughout the city in search of photo ops. That could possibly have ended badly as the temptation would certainly have led me to a probable encounter with a ditch, guardrail, or parked car. The winter snowfall was surely going to be around for a few days I thought, so off to work I went. It took maybe a few hours until mid-day when the sun was in full effect. The snow was gone and there wasn't even a chance for me to take an extended photo lunch. I was astonished. Just like that - winter came and went.

Fast forward about 11 months to November of 2007. I got that familiar Email from my editor asking if I had any stock photos from the previous winter's snowfall. She was shopping for a double page spread for the December 2007 issue. Remembering the short day's worth of snow and my precautionary drive to work that previous winter, I painfully keyed my Email response which mentioned something to the effect of me being a stupid Floridian and assuming winter would last a week or so. This year I would not make the same mistake.


Yesterday morning the snow fell. The weather forecasters promised increasing snowfall throughout the day. The day progressed with very little of what fell sticking to the ground. Thoughts of global warming and conversations with locals about how disappointing winters here have been lately lingered in my mind. I took no chances and decided I would head out - frozen roads or not in search of stock photos for an image for a future December 08 or January 09 issue.

I drove most of the city passing through some of the more recognizable landmarks. The snow accumulation was a bit underwhelming and somewhat non-existent where I most needed it to be. I was thrilled to at least get the best of the day's snowfall. On the Wake Forest campus I found students playing a pickup game of soccer on a field dominated with white. The geese at the local golf course had no qualms about waddling through the heavier drifts. Late in the evening, at a park closest to home, I even stopped off to capture a bit of dusk a traces of white on tree limbs and walking trails.

The bitterness of the wind and temperature set in. Mother nature had already decided to go against the knowledgeable weather man and discontinue this year's offering of snow. I wonder what is left of this season and if we will ever get another chance at emulating a northern state. Perhaps a trip about an hour north to Blowing Rock where the Ski Beech Mountain offers slopes will give me the satisfaction of at least enjoying the season for longer than a few hours. For now, I hope you enjoy the scenes I have captured because it may not be until January 2009 until you see them again. Stay warm.

Making Memories of Marley

Making Memories of Marley


I have had a lot of time recently to spend with my dog Marley. I suppose unemployment opens up all sorts of possibilities when it comes to how I might spend each waking moment. Although most days consist of laying on the couch watching movies with a ball of fur keeping my feet warm, wrestling over a purple bear on the living room floor, or taking an occasional walk through an undeveloped part of the neighborhood, I realize daily that this animal will only live a fraction of my normal life. This is a tough concept to come to terms with, but a necessary truth one must come to understand when taking on the responsibility of adopting a pet. As a working photographer, I often neglect to aim the camera at things most important in my life. Today I took a moment to focus my lens on the incredible happiness this animal has offered me.




Photographing an animal has its challenges. Of course, photographing ones own pet offers the advantage of knowing the habits and routines. Today offered some great lighting conditions. The skies are gray, overcast, and show the promise of winter weather. This mixture of natural conditions offered terrific lighting. For whatever reason, I hadn't ever taken the time to follow Marley around the house. Maybe I was waiting for that next best camera, lighting equipment, or that latest lens. I am grateful to have taken the time, regardless of camera gear, to follow him around and just take photos of him as is.




Change has made the past 5+ years zip by. Somewhere along the way Marley came into our lives. I cannot imagine what changes the next years will give, or worse, when it is that Marley is taken away. I suppose it's still very premature to think like this, but life is short afterall. In the grand scheme, the next few years are nothing compared to the rest of this lifetime. For now, I am happy to have a pet like Marley. Life stands still when you stare at a photo. Life moves quickly when you experience the ups and downs with the people (and pets) you love. These photos have thankfully stopped this moment and saved them for a time when I will look forward to again remembering my happiness with Marley.

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Owen!

Happy Belated Birthday Mr. Owen!


Step 1: Eat Cake


"Mr. Owen", as my mother affectionately calls him, is my sister and her fiance Dave's baby boy - my first nephew. Born on January 6, 2007, Owen instituted a new hope, inspirational presence, and blessing for our families. On this first birthday, which is the first of many to come, I am grateful to have been able to spend time - albeit very short - to commemorate the event.

Midway through the cake eating, Owen generously began extending his arms with hands clutch full of cake to offer anyone standing nearby. In good fashion, we each took a turn being fed by a one year old.


Step 2: Open Presents


This picture made me wonder what my expressions as a one year old were when I first began tearing gift wrap and pulling on bows. I was very entertained, as most of us were, when Owen recognized his favorite Sesame Street character "Elmo" on a large gift bag. Not surprisingly, his attention was always on that bag.


Step 3: Take a Nap


After a belly full of pizza, birthday cake, and opening gifts, baby Owen sleeps in the one place he's most comfortable - with momma. It's funny, but in a few months I will turn 30 and I imagine my birthday to go exactly as Owen's. Eat cake, open presents, and fall asleep...on the couch.

Creating a Stock Photo: Goggles

Creating a Stock Photo: Goggles


Tonight was one of those rare occasions where I felt the need to finally replace an aging fall blog banner. Even though it's not quite winter here in North Carolina, I still must keep with the times and keep the top of my homepage fresh.

Despite it being January already, North Carolina is not feeling very much like a northern state. We haven't seen too many dramatic cold weather drops nor has any precipitation closely resembling snow fallen in this area. So, that being said, I haven't gone in search of a wintery scene for my blog banner. Instead, I decided I'd try something in-house and something with a little more eye catching appeal. I also wanted to continue my practice of creating product or stock photos.


As you can see by the above collage of thumbnails, it took me a few tries to nail the shot exactly as I had envisioned. Most shots start out with something in my mind's eye on how I imagine the end product to be. It can be frustrating often times to spend a significant amount of time only to be disappointed with the results. I am grateful to know that many professionals in the industry will go through the same trials I do before getting to their mind's eye photo.

In recent months I have gained a much greater deal of knowledge in lighting techniques and the use of wireless flash units. (Thanks Strobist.com!) Although I may never net a single penny for this photo, I feel comfortable knowing that I can accept work down the road that might include this exact type of work. Just like anything else, practice makes perfect.

So there you have it - a picture of some goggles and me in a nice comfortable warm pull over sweater. If the weather around here keeps up, I may not need that sweater for much longer. I hope you like the new banner. If not, I guess you'll just have to get used to staring at me acting cold until spring.

Take care all. And as always, THANK YOU for stopping by and checking out the blog.

- Eugenio

Draft from the Past, Looking forward to the Future

Draft from the Past, Looking forward to the Future


CLICK HERE!!! CLICK HERE!!! CLICK HERE!!!

For those of you out there aspiring to do something you only thought you could do in your dreams, follow me. It's out there and I found it. The above link takes you back to September 2007, an entry that remained a draft for a few months until this week. I started a post back then to remember a time when I had my first opportunity to photograph professionally at an NFL game and to share that moment with you. I enjoyed every minute of that day and still do. The thought is everlasting. Please visit the above link. Find what it is you want out of life, and pursue it.

A New Year's resolution? Focus on me. Focus on photography and continue to pursue those opportunities within my reach.

All the best in 2008.

Sincerely,

Eugenio