Sneak Peek at Kim & Pete!

These two are so much fun to be around. When you are with them, whatever you had planned, just toss out the window cause they're going to reinvent your afternoon. This is exactly what happened for our shoot. We were supposed to go to a park and I was going to chase them around with my camera while they prettily rode on their bikes and made lovey-dovey faces at one another. "Meet me in front of Joyland" turned into "Let's go to Joyland."

The only other time I have ever brought a camera onto a roller coaster was two years ago when I went to the South Plains Fair. Yes, should have learned my lesson there, right? Wrong. Even after the epic bruises across my thighs and forearms I made from pressing myself as hard as I could against the restraints of the ride for fear of losing my camera, I just had to say, yes, let's do this again. (For the record, the bruises are totally worth it, as long as you keep that death-grip on your camera, you'll be good.)

Here's a sneak peek at what I managed to capture of the incredible Kim and Pete.

Levelland Rain

Lubbock has received quite a bit of rain and of course, the city floods and people suddenly forget how to drive. Being one of the more cautious drivers on the road, I wait for all the cars to pass before I drive circles on the highway to get the perfect angle on the shot. ;)

Tonight I was in the back of Justin's car to keep out of the rain with the window rolled down and shooting out into the night. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get to the storm as it broke before sundown, so I was stuck shooting in the storm. Joy.

Sun Spider

So the other day as I was getting ready to start studying for my Poetry class I came face-to-face with the ugliest, weirdest looking spider I had ever seen. I had no idea what to call it because from what I could see, it had 10 legs.

I later learned, after extensive Google-ing that it was a Sun spider. Harmless to man, these things can get up to 2 inches long. The one I found was only half an inch. Apparently the Sun spider has no poison to catch its prey, but they do have some of the strongest set of pincher of the arachnid family.

Upon catching the spider in a glass, I observed him race the edges with furious speed! He was so cool to look at! My first thought - "I have to photograph him." There was no way I was going to be able to with him running around like Speedy Gonzales though and he definitely wouldn't sit still and pretty on his own with my camera right in his face for me to photograph him. What was my solution? Death. I put the glass he was running circles in into the freezer, where he quickly fell asleep in a position that would be perfect for me to shoot.

And I did, a few days later I was in the mood, set up my camera and posed my little arachnid friend on top of his glass chamber. After 20 minutes he began to get soft and glisten so it was time to call it quits then. Good thing I managed to get some really great shots of him before he retired to the trashcan.

Enjoy.

Junction Final Thoughts

Junction was an absolutely incredible experience. I feel incredibly lucky to have had this opportunity to see so much of Texas that I would not be able to see without being a part of the Junction Group. Towards the end of the trip, as excited as I was to see the next place we were to photograph, I was ready to sleep in my own bed, spend time by myself, and spend a day doing whatever I wanted.

Finishing the Junction experience, I was overwhelmed from the amount and level of photography that was expected of me. Now that more that a week has passed since the class ended, I can objectively look at my experience and say yes, I learned so much about photography.

On Friday I went up to Armadillo Camera to pick up 13 rolls of film. I sat down at the light table, peered through a loop at about 500 slides. I threw away about half of those. Looking at the slides, I saw the progress through my trip, I saw what I need to still work on, and I saw again the beauty and magic of the trip.

1. My first day at Junction, I was terrified to screw up my film. While I shot digital and film the entire trip, the first couple of days I was so reliant on getting the exposure correct first with my digital and then shoot with my film. By the end of the class, I was shooting confidently with my film without the assistance of my digital. Going through the photos, the exposure was spot on and there was less bracketing in the slides as well from the beginning to the end.

2. My biggest issue was camera/subject movement. Granted, we didn't have many wind-free days, but one aspect of my photography that I still need to work on is patience. I know that will only come with time. In Junction I was just so excited, so anxious to get that shot, I wouldn't wait for the wind to slow, or my tripod wouldn't be as stable as I could have put it. Bugs are also hard to shoot. I shot a lot of pointless images of beetles on petals that I should have ignored altogether because beetles don't stay still. Butterflies and caterpillars and spiders do, but not beetles, especially ladybugs.

3. When I took Wyman's Special Problems class in the Fall of 2009, I threw away so many slides. In a 36 exposure roll, I probably had 2 really good images. I thought that was a great ratio. After Junction, and after looking at all of my film, I can see how much I have grown. In a roll of 36 I kept probably 15-20 shots and of those, 5 were great images.

4. I learned how to identify a good subject to photograph, and it truly showed in my film. I have so many subjects and points of interest. I moved around so much, constantly looking. Once I knew I had my shot, I moved on, I didn't linger. I found a new subject and once I got my shot, I moved on, again and again and again.

5. Velvia Film. In the Special Problems class I don't think I truly appreciated the film as I do now. Then again, I was shooting "Contrast of the Llano Esticado" in Lubbock, not the entire southwest of Texas. I can't get the color from Mason Mountain out of my head, how right after the storm the sky just opened up and the ground was rich with water and color. The color... I just can't get over it. I don't think I will ever find something so beautiful again in my life, but I won't give up the search to prove that statement wrong.

6. I learned exactly what it takes to get that perfect shot. I was on my hands and knees, my belly, chest deep in water, straddling cactus, and so many more, but after looking at the shots I got from the positions I put myself in - it was worth it. It was completely worth it.

I learned a ton about photography and if you are in any way interested in photography, Junction is definitely the class to take.

Junction Day 15

The last morning together, we all head out to the flower farm. We have had such great weather for flower photography because there was barely a breath of wind out there. The flowers were gorgeous as well. There was an abundance of wildflowers, grouped together, which made for incredible wide angle shots and macro.


We ate cereal and then headed back to campus. When we got back, we showed our best 10 images to Wyman, who was very critical on all the shots. I love hearing real critique of my work from someone who know what they are doing, because then I can improve and further my photography.

After packing and loading all of my stuff into Erin's car we headed out to La Familia to have our last lunch together. It was OK. Honestely, I am burnt out on mexican food from this trip. It was delicious the first go around, but by now my stomach just wants something else.

The five hour car ride back with Erin goes surprisingly fast. I keep her entertained with stories and by holding iPod duty. Jason and little Erin follow us the entire way, little Erin making her way to Amarillo. When we get to Lubbock, we head straight for Armadillo Camera. The whole film thing got screwed up so we dropped off our film to be processed there. Sometime next week I'll go pick up all of my slides and so I'm guessing next weekend I'll just have a field day bent over a light board.

Junction was an incredible experience for me.  I got to see some incredible things and meet some pretty amazing people. I learned a lot about myself. I'm not as hesitant about crossing a river, or swimming in a pond, or walking through thorny brush. Before Junction, I didn't even realize I had those hesitations.

Texas Tech, thank you for allowing me this opportunity. It has been fantastic!

A. Lubbock
B. Junction
C. Del Rio
D. Langtry
E. Sonora
F. Sheffield
G. Fredericksburg
H. Utopia

Junction Day 14

I like waking up early and getting a lot done in a day because then I feel productive and my life has meaning. This morning, I did not want to wake up. We left at 6:00 a.m. Nick was passed out and I had to call him to get him to the van in time before we left him. I am amazed by how hard this boy sleeps. You can move him around and touch him, yell at him and get no response. That's why you have to be mean with him, rough him up a bit and then he'll wake up and get moving.

I finished my book on the way to Mason Mountain. Good read, unfortunately I unknowingly picked up the second book in a trilogy, however it's kind of like Angels and Demons and the Da Vinci Code, you can read them in whatever order you like and you still get the idea of what's going on.

When we arrived, the place was just gorgeous. All the rain we had received the past couple of days had made the flowers just bloom like crazy! I think I got some pretty incredible macro shots from it.

One problem we have run into is the bus system with film delivery. One box of film with 60 rolls was apparently just chilling in a back room of a bus station in San Antonio. That means, I'll have a lot of film to pick up in Lubbock, and a lot of film to drop off in Lubbock because it's just been crazy trying to track that one box down. It sucks. However, Armadillo Camera is going to honor the processing purchase made and I can either use the rest as store credit for camera equipment or as processing. Since I have 7 rolls of film left from the original 25, I think I'm just going to shoot as much as I can in the morning and after until Lynsey wants her camera gear back.

Breakfast of cereal and granola bars, our usual meal when we head out early in the morning filled up my tummy and really got me in the mood to shoot. I was in more of an exploring mood since this was the 3rd visit and I wanted to see what was beyond the roads I had already traveled. I found so many cool things to shoot. I've really pumped up the amount I shoot and the variety of subject matter. I find little things everywhere and I have fallen more in love with photography with each day.


After we got back to campus, we had lunch of catfish, popcorn shrimp, cornbread and black beans. I didn't get the beans, didn't look tasty to me and the cornbread was dry, but damn those popcorn shrimp tasted tasty dipped in ketchup.

Earl Nottingham, photographer for Texas Parks and Wildlife and good friend of Wyman spoke to the class after lunch and what he had to say was pretty information. More about the business aspect of photography. He really stressed marketing yourself. Well, now that I have me a fancy logo I can do just that!

As soon as he finished speaking to the class, we filled out evaluations and then filed out to take a nap. Oh that nap felt so good too! It was either shower or take a nap and I think I chose well this time.

We left at 4:00 p.m. and headed to Utopia, Tx where the Sabinal River ran through. Absolutely beautiful. We first stopped at the Jones Cemetary and then headed to the river. The water was cold but the imagery was incredible. I feel so lucky to have had this experience.


We got back to campus at 11:30 p.m. and first thing I did was take that shower. Oh blessed shower! After all the water I've been walking through and tall grass the cuts on my legs have just been itchy. Another thing that really irritates the cuts too is those damn biting gnats! They just really piss me off - always flying into my ear or my eyes. I was about ready to slap someone from the frustration. The gnats are probably the biggest reason I am ready to go back to Lubbock.

Wake up early again tomorrow for our last shoot as a class. We're going out to the flower fields and leaving at 6:45 a.m. I just know it's going to be gorgeous.

Junction Day 13

I am so ready to fall asleep and wake up in my own bed. At 8:00 a.m. Dave made rounds of waking everyone up. I was already awake though, having woken up with every toss and turn there was. All I had to keep me warm at night was my jacket and to sleep on was a bouncy mattress and a musty pillow. Not fun, but it was much better than sleeping in the van. I was glad to wake up and get out of there.

We had breakfast at a Mexican restaurant in Mason, Tx on our way back to Junction. I didn't have my wallet because I wasn't expecting to have a sleepover at Mason Mountain. Derek was kind enough to buy me a coffee and some toast. Good thing I'm not a big breakfast kind of person, that kept me fueled for a while.

We got back to campus and I was all ready for a nap, getting ready to blog about my adventures when not 20 minutes after getting to campus, Wyman rushes over, pounding on our door to exclaim that there is a flash flood headed down the Llano river and it's a "Once in a lifetime opportunity" and we need to get up and shoot it. My first reaction is "Shit." My second reaction grew on me and then became overwhelming when I put my shoes back on and grabbed my gear and we were all speeding out of campus like a bat out of hell to catch up with this flood as it barreled down the Llano.

The flood was moving at approximately 2 mph but it was about 10 feet of water. HOLY COW! I had never seen water rise so quickly and so much water! We started off at the crossing by campus, waited an hour, went to get lunch at Sonic, came back, decided to chase it upriver, missed it, and drove back down to campus, waited another hour and then it happened! It began to rain. Again. And not just a little rain, no a heck of a lot or rain was just dumped on us. But then.....The water slowly began to rise and then it got dark and muddy, and suddenly the water was over the bridge, bringing with it all kinds of debris. We got the heck out of dodge fast and then drove as fast as we could up to 377 Falls.


We were a few miles ahead of the flood so we had plenty of time to scout out the area. There was a break in the sky and the sun stuck out like a sore thumb, scorching all of us. It was welcome and so nice, and since we had plenty of time, Jason, Nicole and I went swimming in the river. I was tired of smelling myself (2 days or hiking/river frolicking/everything) and I was hot from the sun. Lucky me, I had my swimsuit on. After a mini photoshoot with photographer Nick, we had about enough of swimming and all got out. Just then...... the water began to rise.

FLASH FLOOD. We weren't there shooting but for 20 minutes and the water rose about 6 feet. the place I was swimming you couldn't see anymore. But with the dark clouds, everything was so perfectly exposed. I'm sad I didn't shoot that film, but running through cactus and thorny brush really was making my bare legs angry and torn up. The shots turned out gorgeous though, and the flood was totally worth chasing.


We get back to campus at 5:00 p.m., just in time for dinner at 5:30 p.m. so I grab a shower. Best shower ever! After all that running around I was starving too. I got a full plate and an apple and finished it all. Chicken breast, rice, vegetables. YUM! It was so delicious.

At 6:30 p.m. we headed out to Fort Mckavitt to paint the old buildings. The place was absolutely amazing. So much history. Wyman filled me in on a bit of it and it was just fascinating. I want to learn more about it.


When the sun was going down, this gorgeous ray of light hit the run down fort and with the dark storm clouds behind it, it was breathtaking. How amazing that our luck on shoots has just turned around! Good timing too! Especially since we're almost done with the class.


I'm sad it's almost over, but at the same time, I'm ready to do things my way when I want, how I want and whatever I want. I miss my friends. I miss my sweet boi. Thursday evening I'll be back in Lubbock. I am going to miss the beauty of this place though. Never could I again be so lucky to be with the people I have been with for the past 13 days and learn as much as I have.