It’s that time again…

And by that time, I mean Spring time!  The sun is shining again and the trees are starting to sprout buds.  Rose and I rode the Harley down to her parents house in Rhinebeck for Easter dinner, and on the way down I saw a ton of brilliant yellow blooms.  There were also seedlings growing in her parent’s backyard.  The birds are chirping in the mornings and insects are starting to come back around.  Here is a dragonfly I found one Spring trying to blend in with a stick.

Spring coming around is a huge relief to me.  I am sure I have mentioned before that I go into a sort of (self-proclaimed) “photographic depression” after the leaves fall off the trees and Winter rolls around.  It’s not until those first blooms of Spring that I get the urge to shoot again.  Seeing those first flowers and buds just starts to inspire me.  Here’s a shot I took last year as the flowers were just starting to grow.

But, here’s the problem – now that the weather is getting better, I get torn on what I’d rather do, go riding or go shooting.  Tough decision to make for me.  Between Thursday and Sunday, I put about 150 miles a day on the bike.  It’s been five months, so it was way overdue.  Now, I am ready to do some shooting.  I want to gather locations in the area that I haven’t shot before.  I’ve done Washington Park and Tulip fest a million times.  Been to Plotter Kill falls and Ka’aterskill falls is a favorite of mine.

What I am looking for are places that I can take my photography group, The Capital Region Photography Meetup Group, and have interesting subjects for them to shoot.  I would love suggestions in the Albany, NY area.  I don’t mind traveling, but would like to keep it within an hour or so of Albany because members will need to travel and carpool.  I appreciate any suggestions you can give me.  Thanks in advance!

See ya soon…

Wont be long now…

With the warmer temperatures we have been having lately, I am getting pretty excited for spring.  I mentioned before about how I fall into a rut with my photography during the late fall and early winter months.  I barely do any shooting for four or five months.  That’s all about to change very soon!

It’s been starting to warm up lately, and the snow is melting.  As I was going through some of my pictures, I found the ones I am going to use today that I took last  spring as one of the trees in the back yard was beginning to bloom.  It is such a beautiful time of year.  It makes me happy and motivates me to get the camera out again.

I am also adding a flower picture that I took last year.  Can you identify the flower?

Spring is in the air…

My Harley

Yesterday, this large bright thing appeared in the sky.  What was it you ask?  Well, it was the sun.  I sort of forgot what it looked like.  It’s been so gloomy for so long that I almost didn’t remember that warmth and the happiness that comes with it.  It’s like a natural high.

I was milling around the house for a bit and then I decided to go fire up the bikes to make sure the batteries had lasted through the winter.  I keep them on Battery Tenders that keep them on a trickle charge, but sometimes they still fail.  I moved everything out of the way and rolled them out of the garage and fired each one up.  They both started with no problem.  I let them run for a little bit to make sure everything seemed OK.  I was about to put them away, when I decided to take the Harley out for a spin.

I grabbed my helmet, gloves and jacket and off I went.  What a rush.  It’s like a little dose of therapy.  The sounds of the engine and the freedom of riding with no windows or doors is amazing.  There isn’t much that tops that feeling.  I only took a short ride, as there is still way too much salt and gravel on the roads, so riding isn’t all that safe.  Soon enough, it will be spring and much more riding will be done.  Until then…

Honest Scrap

Honest Scrap

My friend, Cassie, tagged me in a post the other day and I figured it would be a fun way to start off the week.  I have to post 10 facts about myself that you don’t know  and tag 6 other bloggers.  This is a great idea.  I would love to do it!

1.) Most people see me dressed up or wearing a shirt with sleeves long enough to cover some pretty big tattoos.  I have 5 tattoos, but one of them has been covered up with a new tattoo,  so technically 4.  The one on my left arm has a globe, eagle and anchor to symbolize the Navy and Marines.  It also has the initials of my father and grandfather in it as they both served in the Navy or Marines and have both passed away.

My tattoos

2.) A lot of people that don’t know me well don’t know that I love motorcycles.  I get on the bike and just ride for the day to clear my head.  It is the best therapy out there.

Our bikes

3.) I love a lot of different music.  Lately it has been leaning a little more towards rock, but for a large portion of my life I have been listening to r&b and hip hop.  I am especially partial to 90s hip hop.

4.) I created the Capital Region Photography Meetup group here in Albany to help others grow their passion for photography.

5.) Winter time is really rough for me.  I can’t ride the motorcycles, and I lose my desire to take pictures.  From late fall after the leaves fall until early spring when things start to bloom again, I get into a slump and don’t shoot much.

6.) I don’t drink alcohol very often.  Because of the migraines I get, I barely ever drink.  It’s not that I don’t like drinking, I just get headaches so frequently that I don’t want to give myself one intentionally.

7.) I am a LOST junkie.  I have seen every episode in Seasons 1-5 a minimum of 3 times.  Very sad to see it end this year.

8.) I am a huge Ferrari fan.  Actually, most high end sports cars.  I fell in love with them in the late 90s when I started visiting Lime Rock in Lakeville, CT.  I have been obsessed with them ever since.

Ferraris at Lime Rock

9.) I am a water rat.  Growing up, I spent my summers in the pool from morning til night.  I can spend hours in the pool.

10.) I have spent the last four years with the most amazing woman.  She treats me like a king, and she loves riding motorcycles as well.  I am very lucky to have her in my life.

Dozenroses13

Now, I have to tag six bloggers…

1.) Rose – Dozenroses13′s Blog

2.) Kat Cee- Katmasutra

3.) Trey Ratcliff – Stuck In Customs

4.) Chessie – 365 Degrees, Photos from each day

5.) Pam Lee – Pam is Trying

6.) Scott Bourne – Photofocus

Is it hot in here? Or am I delusional?

I must be delusional, because it is freezing outside.  This time of year is really tough for me as a photographer.  I am not a fan of the cold.  Not one bit.  Don’t get me wrong, the snow on the ground and the scenery is gorgeous, but I still don’t like it.  And you can’t make me.  You may tempt me if we get a somewhat warm spell,  which brings me to today’s photos.

A good friend (and the Co-Organizer of my photo group) Angela got me out on such an adventure last year.  We had fresh snow, and moderate temperatures, so I agreed to go out and do some shooting.  We went to a place called Rensselaerville Falls about 30 minutes from Albany.  It was beautiful.  As beautiful as an icy cold stream with snow covered banks can be.

I am including a few shots that I took that day.  I liked one of these shots so much that I displayed it at the TCRPMG gallery exhibit last month at our local library.  Imagine this – a fresh snowfall on a footbridge, untouched be anyone else.  No footprints.  Incredibly serene. I really like this picture.  I don’t say that about a lot of my photos, but every now and then I really like one.  I called it “Walk With Me”.  My thoughts were, walk with me as we make fresh prints in the snow.  When it was framed with a solid black mat on the wall, it looked like you could walk right into it.

Walk With me

I took quite a few more shots that day, but that one was my favorite.  Maybe shooting in the Winter isn’t totally horrible, but I am still not a fan.  Maybe in Florida…Until then, here are a few more.

Up Close

Icy Falls

Long Way Down