How my feet survived our European vacation, and other thoughts

Four quick takeaways from a fantastic trip to Italy:NO BLISTERS: I can’t explain how much of an improvement it was on the vacation experience to not have any blisters on my feet. When we went to London and Paris four years ago, my feet were red and raw by the end of the second day.

Two weeks of pounding our feet on the cobblestones and slate of Venice, Rome and the little towns on the Amalfi Coast, and nothing this time.

I wore sock liners every day (except flying days) and heavy Thorlo hiking socks over fairly new (less than a month old) Teva low-cut hiking boots. Thorlos are expensive, but worth their weight in gold. Highly recommended.

CROSSING THE STREET: Our vacation experience went up 10 points by crossing Via Veneto in Rome – but it completely leveled up in Naples.

We didn’t see any streetlights in a six-block walk around the train station in Naples. The resulting chaos was beyond epic. Taking our lives in our hands, we walked out and waited for them to stop – amazingly, they did.

Luckily, the pizza we had at Da Pellone More than made up for it. If you're going to eat pizza, eat it where they invented pizza.

PHOTOGRAPHING THE ICONS: Some of my favorite shots are iconic buildings at night. With stops in Rome and Venice, there were more than a few opportunities for me to try cool night shots.

However, the hustlers shilling their colored light gizmos tend to wander in front of the camera during the long exposures, which can result in some interesting effects, but more often result in annoying crap and lots of time in Photoshop, if not a junked image.

However, they will usually – not always – get out of the way once they see what you are doing.

THE BEST VIEWS: This was a tough call. We had a great view from the top of St. Peter’s Basilica, but it was very crowded. Castel Sant’Angelo was less crowded, had a great view and we got a better sunset. Win.

A few thoughts about the 2013 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox

http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshtrudell/2844121229/

A few thoughts about your (and mine) newly crowned 2013 World Series Champions, the Boston Red Sox.

Hearing “Three Little Birds” being sung at Fenway by the entire stadium was awesome.

Big Papi will be the first DH elected to the Hall of Fame. It may not happen the first vote, but at this point, he’d need to get caught doing something very naughty indeed to not be included.

Jon Lester finally took that ace mantle and owned it. A big story next year will be if he can keep it up - Josh Beckett flamed out after being unhittable in 2007.

Speaking of 2007 (and 2004), I was intrigued by people saying that 2007 was the best team of the three championship winners this century.

(Pausing to let that sink in).

The general storyline seems to be that the 2004 team was good, 2007 was better, and the 2013 squad lags somewhere behind. Poking through baseball-reference.com, I sketched out a comparison of the three teams.

2004 98-64, 2nd in AL East Previous season: 95-67, second in AL East

Hitting Eight of the starters hit at least .264. Seven of them had OPS over .800. Six had at least 70 RBI. Two - David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez - had more than 40 home runs.

The Big 3: Name G HR RBI AVG OPS Ramirez 152 43 130 .308 1.009 Ortiz 150 41 139 .301 .983 Damon 150 20 94 .304 .85

Pitching Four starters threw at least 180 innings. A fifth (Bronson Arroyo) was within 11/3 inning. Everyone in the rotation - led by Curt Schilling’s 21-6 - had at least 10 wins. Derek Lowe was the only starting pitcher with a regular season WHIP over 1.4.

The Big 3: Name W-L K ERA WHIP SV Schilling 21-6 203 3.26 1.063 0 Martinez 16-9 227 3.90 1.171 0 Foulke 5-3 79 2.17 0.940 32

2007 96-66, 1st in AL East Previous season: 86-76, third in AL East

Hitting Seven of the starters hit at least .268 Five had OPS over .800 Three had at least 70 RBI. One - David Ortiz - had more than 30 homers (35). Jacoby Ellsbury made his debut.

The Big 3: Name G HR RBI AVG OPS Ortiz 149 35 117 .332 1.066 Lowell 154 21 120 .324 .879 Ramirez 133 20 88 .296 .881

Pitching Three pitchers threw at least 189 innings. The same three - Daisuke Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett and Tim Wakefield - each had at least 15 wins. Schilling only had 17 starts. Jon Lester made his debut, going 4-0.

2013 97-65, 1st in AL East Previous season: 69-93, last in AL East

Hitting Six of the starters hit at least .273 Five had OPS over .800 Three had more than 70 RBI. One - David Ortiz - had more than 23 homers (30).

The Big 3: Name G HR RBI AVG OPS Ortiz 137 30 103 .309 .959 Pedroia 160 9 84 .301 .787 Ellsbury 134 9 53 .281 .781

Pitching Only two pitchers threw at least 189 innings - Jon Lester and John Lackey. Ryan Dempster led the team in starts with 36. Four of the top five starters had at least 10 wins (Dempster). Koji Uehara was insanely good. The Big 3: Name W-L K ERA WHIP SV Lester 15-8 177 3.75 1.294 0 Buchholz 12-1 96 1.74 1.025 0 Uehara 4-1 75 1.09 0.565 21

This is just a very rough sketch - I’m sure number experts can tear this apart. But I thought it made it interesting.

People seem to forget how ridiculously good the 2004 team was. The two 40 homer mashers led an AMAZING offense.

2007 was great - and there was a shadow of the 2013 redemption team by finishing third in 2006 - but I don’t think it stacks up quite as well.

The difference in 2007 was Josh Beckett - he was filthy in the postseason. Better than Lester this season (although not by much.

It’s hard to compare 2013 to those other two. The makeup of the teams is very different - the talent levels on this team aren’t as high, but the chemistry is far better than 2007, I think (he says from his comfy seat on the couch without being near the team all year).

2004 will always have the top spot in a modern-day Red Sox fan’s heart. But this team has made it a much closer vote than anyone expected.

Invent your own meaning

I've seen this bouncing around the Web for a while, and wanted to share it. Some words to live by - especially if you have or want to choose a different path in life.

Catching up: Photo show, Doctor Sleep, and Italy

Photo courtesy of FotoSeptiembre USA

So, we’ve gone from fireworks season to pumpkin season between posts. At least it is still baseball season (for the Red Sox, at least).

THE BIG NEWS: The opening reception for Point the Compass was August 28, and it was a rousing success. We drew between 175-200 people for the opening reception, and I sold several of the pieces in the show and some loose prints I brought with me.

The commentary was generally very positive, including random e-mails I received from people who visited the gallery and appreciated it.

I was having a bad day until I stumbled into your exhibit at Central Library. I have always dreamed of seeing the slot caves. Excellent work!

- one of the e-mails I received

There were some odds and ends and issues while putting it all together – I’ll detail those in another post – but in general it was a very positive experience. I’m not sure when I’ll try and do another show – it’s an expensive habit, and I’ve got lots of trips I want to take and camera gear I want to add to the toolbox – but it was definitely worth doing.

THE NEXT NEWS: Six weeks from today, we’ll be in Italy! Venice, Rome and the Amalfi Coast will be holding our attention for two weeks, and I can’t wait. Looking into photographing Venice, and I found this site, which is loaded with information. Great work.

IN OTHER NEWS: Currently catching up on Grimm, which I quite enjoy – it takes the fairy tale monsters and runs them through a dark strainer (Nazis – I hate these guys!) and keeps the cutesy to a minimum. Also watching the HELLYEAHAGENTSOFSHIELD…sorry, was I drooling? And Marvel’s holding my wallet? How’d that…oh, never mind, just take my money.

Stephen King’s new book, Doctor Sleep, is quite excellent. I read it far too quickly the first time – now I need to go back and savor it. The Shining was one of the books I grew up with, and to see Danny Torrance back is a treat.

So – another entry before the end of October? Why not?

Point the Compass update, and some thoughts on The Wolverine

The show. Theshowtheshowtheshowtheshow. That about sums up the progression in my head these days, with just over five weeks until the opening reception for my first gallery show. #pointthecompass #knowitloveit

I’m trying to squish every detail I can so it doesn’t become an issue later, and so far, so good. The prints are printed, and are currently being framed – with any luck, I’ll be signing them this week.

Among the interesting experiences that have come with this have been getting interviewed for the first time. It’s an interesting experience from the other end, I must say.

The Wolverine has come and gone, marking the end of summer movie must-see blockbuster season.  (Summer movie Netflix season just doesn’t have the same ring to it.)

I thought it started off very strong, dissolved a bit in the middle and rebounded fairly well. It benefits from comparison to the wreckage that was X-Men Origins: Wolverine and X-Men: The Last Stand. Not an adamantium bullet to be seen, thank goodness.

One of the bigger surprises was the effort made to tie The Wolverine into that universe – with all the ballyhoo about him being alone in this movie, the tie-in to his humanity was a very clear reference to the events of X3.

Hugh Jackman continues to bring his A-game to the role, and the fearsome sidekick Yukio, a cross between Jubilation Lee, Hit Girl and Gogo Yubari,  adds some spice to the mix. I hope she makes the transition into the full-fledged X-Universe.

I could have used a little more berserker vs. ninjas, but it sound as if that’ll be appearing in an uncut version on blu-ray. And yes – the mid-credits scene was awesome.

It's going to be a really big shew...

It's been a month of Big Giant Scary Endeavors. Kind of like The Lone Ranger, but hopefully without as many plot holes. The biggest BGSE is the photo show. Or, as it's been clamoring in my head for the past month, "THE OMIGOD HOLY CRAP PHOTO SHOW!!"

If you've swung by my Facebook page, you know that I'm putting on a photo exhibit for the month of September at the San Antonio Public Library's Central Branch.

It initially was going to be in August, which induced a minor amount of freaking out when I looked at the calendar and saw it was already June. Then, it was pushed back to September (pause freaking out)...so it could be part of Fotoseptiembre.(freaking out recommences with extra sauce.)

Fotoseptiembre is an international photography festival held annually in San Antonio and the Texas Hill Country. (The international part is from exhibitions in Switzerland, Thailand and India, among other places.) So, kind of a big deal in the South Texas photography world.

My exhibit (titled "Point the Compass") is the library's entry into the contest. Add to that several other firsts - my first gallery show, my first opening reception, a few other odds and ends - and it's been a little crazy round these parts.

However, thanks to the awesome photo trip earlier this year with Ian Whitehead, (which I still haven't fully detailed here yet, but will), I'm really looking forward to this. I've got my files off to the printer, and things are *knock wood* coming together nicely.

There isn't much better than making your pro debut

Sometimes freelance assignments are a drag. People are bored, they don’t want to talk, you’re being a pain in their backside…it happens.

Sometimes, however, they are gold. This was one of those golden times.

In March, I was contacted by Beckett Sports Card Monthly and asked if I could follow the winner of the Topps Make Your Pro Debut contest around, documenting his day in words and pictures. (The resulting story ran in the July, 2013 issue of Beckett Sports Card Monthly.) An early shorter piece is here.

The winner’s prize was a day with the Corpus Christi Hooks – signing a contract, getting a uniform, working out with the team, and meeting team owner Nolan Ryan. I couldn’t say yes fast enough – I love baseball, and this sounded like a great assignment.

I met Tim, his son Peyton, and his wife Dani around 11 in the morning, and followed them through a tour of the park. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and the grin on his and his son’s face when he saw his jersey with his name on it was priceless.

After Tim got into his uniform, he started throwing with the team. This is when this assignment started really getting fun – I was asked by a Topps representative to photograph Tim for his baseball card.

Not a promotional gift thing – a real baseball card. The 2013 Topps Pro Debut Set will feature a card of Tim and Peyton with my photo.

Head. Explodes.

After Peyton threw out the first pitch and presented the lineup card, he and Tim stayed in the dugout for the first three innings. Then, they moved up to sit in the owner’s box with Nolan Ryan.

The Nolan Ryan. The same guy my father and I had talked about for years – he was Dad’s favorite baseball player, and he always wanted a copy of Ryan’s rookie card (which he finally broke down and bought when I was in my late teens).

Now here I was in a room with the legend, listening to him tell stories about his favorite parks (Kansas City, Anaheim) and his least favorite (Cleveland, Candlestick), the hitters he liked to face (big power hitters like Reggie Jackson and Jim Rice) and least liked (slap hitters such as Tony Gwynn).

Head. Explodes. Again.

After Ryan left, Tim and Peyton headed back to the dugout, where they stayed for all of a 19-inning marathon. I had to head back home – I had to work at the day job early in the morning – but I left with a full notebook, a full memory card, and a smile on my face.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Photo Contest Finalist!

 

Wow.

It has been a madhouse of a month, in just about the best way possible. I’ve got tons of photo-related stuff that I’m going to be blogging about in the next few weeks, but I wanted to get this one out there.

I’ve been shooting steadily for the last several years, but before I bought my first digital camera, my shooting was very sporadic. Once I got a tool that could handle shooting a lot without spending thousands on developing film, I started shooting a lot more.

The next question was – what do I want to shoot? With a full-time job, it can be hard to find time and willing subjects. Setting up a formal shoot can be exhausting.

A couple of  week after getting my new camera, I took it with me on a hike in the Hill Country State Natural Area. Monarch butterflies were migrating through the area, and I started shooting. Not fussing over shutter speeds, white balance or apertures – just shooting.

Many could have benefited from some technical know-how, but I also got this photo, which is still one of my personal favorites.

After posting them on Flickr, I shyly showed a few to some of my coworkers. Their kind words helped me get out and shoot again.

So – fast-forward a few years, and a lot of experimenting and shooting in the Texas state parks, and I’ve gotten a little better and a lot more experienced.

There’s still a long way to go, but I was confident enough that when the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department asked for entries for a 2013 photo contest, I didn’t hesitate to submit a few.

Last week, I found out that the top image of the two bison – shot at San Angelo State Park - was selected as one of 20 finalists out of more than 1,650 entries.

You can get up close and personal with the bison in San Angelo - they'll come up to a thin wire fence (under the watchful guide of a park ranger) and you can get close looks at them. Highly recommend it if you are interested in wildlife photos.

I’m thrilled by this honor, especially after seeing the other images in the competition. I can’t wait to enter again next year!

Cause I love that dirty water....

What a crazy week.

So much has already been written and said about the Boston Marathon bombings – eloquent pieces here, here and here, for example – it’s hard to add anything new or different. As a Facebook friend said, no one wants to wallow in grief porn.

I spent several years at Northeastern University, and many afternoons/evenings/nights on Boylston Street. It hasn’t changed much – the awnings on the restaurants and bars have changed, but the ancient cobbles peeking out from their concrete cover are still there, the strength Boston was built on.

When I moved into Boston as a freshman, it was only the third time I’d ever been there in my life. My little New Hampshire town is only 2.5 hours away, but then it might as well have been on the moon.  (This is pre-Internet, kids. Look it up.)

My first night at NU, a group of brave freshmen ventured down Huntington Avenue to Copley Square. On the way back, we saw a fistfight – not a high school scuffle, but a no-punches-pulled fistfight – break out when a group of guys crossing the street had an issue with a car that came too close. Fingers were flipped, cars were emptied, punches were thrown, and a group of little freshmen scurried back to their dorm.

Welcome to Boston.

My first photographs were of the Christian Science Center, a block away from Boylston. Digging through a box last weekend, I found the faded black-and-white negatives, still held in a red Northeastern binder with a sticker from the college radio station on the cover.

One of my first assignments as the newly minted, over-his-head photo editor for the Northeastern school newspaper was to photograph the end of the marathon in Copley Square. The results were predictably bad – I was more than a little over my head – but I remember the huge pressing crowds on every side, so close together we could barely move, let alone run away from anything.

I remember buying a pair of huge black boots at an Army/Navy surplus store on Boylston, and my girlfriend at the time laughing at me as the hard rubber soles slipped and slid in the snow outside.

A brilliant Sunday spring morning when all was right with the world, an editor at the Boston Globe tossed me the keys to his Mazda Miata convertible and told me to go do a weather story. The people eating ice cream at JP Licks on Newbury Street (since closed) were happy to talk about the spring weather.

Cruising up Boylston Street, the top down and the sun out on a May day – it didn’t get much better than that.

On a similar day this year, as thousands of Boston marathon runners churned toward the finish line, two bombs went off. Three people were killed and more than 150 injured. After a five day manhunt, locking down the city, one alleged perpetrator was killed and the other found cowering under a tarped-over boat in Watertown.

Boston is already rebounding – the last terrorist was caught Friday night, and by Saturday afternoon, David Ortiz was proclaiming “This is our $#&%ing city!” as 38,000 roared in approval.

Some wounds will never heal – the monsters killed children, girlfriends and brothers in their rampage. But the strength - #BostonStrong – carries on.

I hope Wolverine shreds this poster

In my day job, I’m a graphic designer. It’s one of those jobs that can be tough to explain – people either think I draw pictures or I Photoshop warts off people. Neither of those are true (Okay, occasionally they are true, but not usually.) In my case, I’m about organization and presentation of information.

I don’t consider myself an artist – I’ve got enough skills to fake it, but I know some real artists. Their skills can put mine in the shade. However, because of the organization/presentation skills, I manage to keep steady paychecks coming in.

One of my favorite things to design and see designed is movie posters. I love the vivid imagery of movies, and, in the right hands, they lend themselves to great posters.

Which brings me to something that is not a great poster.

Now, I’m admittedly biased. I’m a fan of Wolverine – I like Hugh Jackman as the character, and I generally like him in the comic books. X1 and X2 were solid movies, and let's just consign X3 and Origins to the "that didn't really happen" bin, okay?

That said. This pop-up Wolverine-in-the-box is ridiculous. The lighting is terrible. The interaction between the two forces is nonexistent. Why are the ninjas dark and Wolverine has two spotlights on him? The claws relationship to the knuckles is different on each hand. The head is obviously cloned from the same shoot as the international poster (and as others pointed out - why is Wolverine in front of the Dark Knight poster?) – it may be the same image. Some of the ninjas are cloned. I could go on, but I'd rather impale myself on those claws.

It’s a depressing start to summer movie season. I’m hoping the movie reflects the kickass teaser poster more than this badly Microsoft Paint-ed drivel.

Taking Steps

It’s official: Josh Trudell Imagery, LLC. Forming a corporation is one of those things that felt as if it was absolutely enormous and a huge commitment and OMIGODHOLYCRAPSCAAAAAARRRRRYYYYY – then I went through the filing and found it was about a 20-minute online process. I got the confirmation e-mail a couple of days later.

Not such a big deal.

But, for someone who has worked for the man his entire life, it is a big deal, or at least it feels like one.

It feels like I have something of my own – something to protect and work for - and that’s a good feeling.

I’m admittedly only dipping my toe in, compared to some – I’m not opening an office or buying lots of new equipment (at least, not yet). The work process is still ongoing – freelance travel and outdoors stories, photography, graphic design.

So far, this year has been a lot about formalizing ideas I’ve had in my head – forming the business and meeting with an accountant (another first). I’m hoping the rest of the year will have creative inspiration built on this foundation.

In other news:

- I’m happy Argo won Best Picture at the Oscars. I know, even at his lowest point Ben Affleck was getting paid $20 million a picture to make Bounce and Gigli, but the blowtorching he took for his personal life was ridiculous.

He earned his way back to the top of the Hollywood heap with hard work and smart decisions – I respect that.

- Red Sox 2013  -Cautiously optimistic they aren’t as bad as last year. Reserving further judgment.

- Counting down to a big photography trip in early May to the canyons of Arizona – that’s been a dream of mine for a long time. I can’t wait.

- I turned 39 this year. It seems as if that should be important,  but it doesn’t feel like it yet.

A conversation I wish I was having

Transcript of a conversation:Happy birthday, Dad!

It looks like you got snow for your birthday – just what you always wanted, right? I’m telling you – it doesn’t snow here. It’s got to be at least a little tempting…

Work is good – I’m keeping busy. The real job, working part-time at the newspaper, and freelance work on top of that. You know how it goes – I’ve got these expensive habits. This new camera I’ve got is pretty awesome, though. And I’m going on this photo workshop in Arizona in May – that’s going to be spectacular. We’re going into these narrow slot canyons where they get these shafts of light coming in – I bet you’ve seen pictures of it on TV.

What about you? (listens) 3 a.m.? Whew - no rest for the snowplow men.  Man - every time I think I'm getting up early, you tell me you're up at three to plow snow. Whew.

I’m taking care of the blood sugar, don’t worry. It’s actually been lower since the new year – I’ve cut way back on Diet Cokes and junk food, and I’m already feeling better. I still haven’t picked up coffee – I’m experimenting with these all-natural energy drinks. They aren’t bad.

How's your health doing? Ha! Slow and steady - all we can ask for, right?

I haven’t paid much attention to the Sox this offseason, to tell you the truth. I kind of like what I have seen, though. It seems like they got themselves some dirt dogs, Trot Nixon types. No, Youkilis isn’t coming back – he signed with the Yankees, can you believe it? Have you read Francona's book? Yeah, he wrote a book - I haven't read it either, but he takes some big shots at the Sox, according to the excerpts. Oh, he absolutely should.

Speaking of which – keep June 15 free on your calendar. This is actually your birthday present - we’re going to a game this summer. Yes, I know we tried that before, but I’m taking care of it this time. You won’t have to drive OR park in the city, I promise. We’ll have a car picking us up in Lisbon – yes, that’s both of us – driving us down, waiting for us after the game, then driving us back. What’s that? Don’t worry about how I paid for it – I told you, I’m working plenty of hours. It’s all taken care of.

Are you and Mom going anywhere this year? Nova Scotia? Cool – Tapley and I have been talking about going there. Ha! Yeah, pretty much everywhere. Italy this year, New Hampshire next year, then Australia. Yeah, we’ll be up for about a week next year. I’m sure I’ll be up in the meantime for a weekend here or there.

Yeah, I can hear my sister talking about cake – must be that time. Have a great afternoon, and give Mom a hug for me. I’ll see you guys soon, I promise. Okay. Bye.

---

My dad would have been 63 today. He’s been gone for a little more than two years now. Happy birthday, Dad. I love you.

New Camera, New Zoo

Some people have work-related hazards such as ergonomically incorrect keyboards or desks that leave them bent in uncomfortable positions.

Others are Iike Maricela, the nice lady at the San Antonio Zoo in charge of the parrot cage. While most of the streaking rainbows buzzed around the cage, Snowflake sat on her shoulder, nibbled on her shirt collar, then finally nestled into her hair.

Finally, Maricela was forced to swing her head side-to-side to shake the nesting bird loose.

The parrot, dislodged but unruffled, promptly hopped back onto her outstretched hand and headed back toward her shirt collar, nibbling on the button hole.

The parrot cage, and the zoo as a whole, is my go-to place for testing new camera gear. In this case, it was my new Sony A99.

My initial verdict is very positive. The images are very, very sharp. It's a little disconcerting to have the LED viewfinder show the image I just shot before going back to live action, but I was getting used to it by the end if the day.

The manual focus option is also different - it can be locked in through a menu, or if you just want it for one shot, hold a button on the back of the body and focus. Take your thumb off the button, though, and it snaps back to auto.

I found the light sensors to be a vast improvement over my A-350, which is forgiving in its own right. Having a sunny day helped, but on shots in dark shade, I was getting good results at ISO 100.

It had been at least two years since I had been to the zoo, and I was more than a little impressed with the number of improvements and additions it has made. The interactivity has increased a lot, especially in the birds area - I nearly stepped on a couple of tiny birds on a walkway through one of the cages.

Zoos are always a little sad after a while - I like to see animals in nature rather than behind steel mesh. But in comparison to other zoos, San Antonio has one to be proud of. The rest of my zoo pictures can be seen here.

My Favorites from 2012

Choosing your favorite pictures is like choosing which Avenger you'd rather be. One or two get to be in the movies - the rest are stuck with sly nods in the TV shows and maybe a cameo in Iron Man #1 in Marvel Now.

Without further ado - some of my favorite pictures from 2012.

A Photo Story: My New Camera

I've been saving for several months to buy a new camera body. On Christmas Eve, I was finally able to pull the trigger on a new Sony A-99. Full-frame, 24.3 megapixels, various and sundry pieces of awesomeness. (If you're a camera nerd like me, you can read up on all the specs here. Instead of writing a lengthy blog post extolling its virtues, however, I thought a little iPhone documentary would be a little more fun. Hope you enjoy.

So there it is - my new A99. New Year's Resolution is to learn to use it in time for the big fall trip. Stay tuned, and Happy Holidays!

Some thoughts about In$tagram

Realizing that it is already mid-December makes me want to go find a big blue call box. When the hell did this happen? It is that time, though, and a good time to take a minute. I can look at this year as one that has been generally pretty good on a professional level, if occasionally confusing.

I started out with a site that wasn’t active and was difficult to update (and for a buyer, to use). Now, I’ve got my own site (version 2.0) which is much easier to use and buy from. And, I had my first public photo show. Things are improving.

Part of marketing my photography more has been figuring where and how to show it.

There are SO MANY options: Flickr. Picasa. Facebook. Twitter. 500px. Coroflot. The list goes on and on.

Which means, in a way, it was good news that the news came out this week about Instagram’s change in policy (which was made after Facebook’s purchase of the company).

In their own words: "To help us deliver interesting paid or sponsored content or promotions, you agree that a business or other entity may pay us to display your username, likeness, photos (along with any associated metadata), and/or actions you take, in connection with paid or sponsored content or promotions, without any compensation to you."

In my (admittedly blue) words: Get fucked.

Now, I’m not an Instagram user. Never have been (and now, never will be). I’ve got no real use for an app that makes photos look like my mother’s 1970s Polaroids.

Everyone has their own ways of making photographs. Speaking just for myself, I don’t believe that the effects that make the picture. Sometimes they can bring added dimensions. But if the photo sucks, no filters are going to save it.

But the larger issue is this: No one has the right to use my work for free, especially when they are using it to pimp their own stuff. And I’ll never start using something that thinks it has the right to do so.

Do I put photos on Facebook? Yes. Now, that would seem to be a different opinion on the same subject. But – my photos there are heavily watermarked and low-resolution. They aren’t much use for anything other than decorating my fan page and pointing people to my home page.

I don’t expect everything on the web to be free – I pay for my site hosting, my Flickr Pro account and my Photocrati theme. I have taken advantage of things online that were offered for free – sites such as dafont or the Green Bulb Gang.

But I’m not offering – and certainly not for corporations who could buy and sell my photo gear without thinking twice.

Photography is my passion, and I spend enough time thinking about my photos to consider them – if not children, certainly close friends. People who think they can abuse them piss me off and make me start calling lawyers.

John Scalzi recently posted some thoughts on the subject when someone asked him to write for free. I highly recommend them, but to sum it up: Fuck you, pay me.

EDIT: Apparently it didn't take long for Instagram to figure out that this posture is a failure. They released a statement today saying, in part:

The language we proposed also raised question about whether your photos can be part of an advertisement. We do not have plans for anything like this and because of that we’re going to remove the language that raised the question.

and

Ownership Rights Instagram users own their content and Instagram does not claim any ownership rights over your photos. Nothing about this has changed.

Interesting to see them back down so quickly  - but I wonder how things will go once they are completely under the Facebook umbrella.  I expect it will take some time for them to rebuild consumer trust.

Rebooted, and it feels so good...

Already? Yes, already.

I built this site in the spring of 2012. Here in December (actually, it launched in November, but tempus, it fugits), I’ve rebuilt it.

Why, you might ask? (God knows I was asking at some points.)

Because I fell prey to some designer-hubris – I’ve got a million ideas and I want to implement them all, without stopping (or at least slowing) to figure out what worked and what was too much. Who has two thumbs and needs a good editor? This guy.

So, after the glow of creation wore off (it’s kind of a gamma-ray green that often results in HULK SMASH), I was able to see it for what it was – a somewhat disjointed mishmash. Some things worked, and some things didn’t – at least in their context.

Between life and, y’know, life – it took me some time to get back to it. But that also gave me time to figure out what I really wanted it to be able to do:

Show my photos, sell my photos, blog, and show graphic design work and published written pieces.

After some research, I went with a Photocrati Wordpress theme. I learned HTML and CSS for the first site, but if I’m going to be able to spend more time updating, I need to spend less time coding.

I had been working with SmugMug to sell prints. Nice people, but it’s not the easiest site to use in the world. I consider myself pretty tech-savvy – I swim in the Adobe Creative Suite all day long – but getting what I wanted done without hiring someone was not easy. Frustration led to wanting to spend less time on it. Counterproductive, to say the least.

I stripped off a lot of the geegaws and widgets - yes, the photo rollover trick is fun, but I don't need it on EVERYTHING - and got back to basics. Words. Photos. Speak for themselves.

Now it’s very much plug and play, which is great. It's easier to shop, it's easier to use and it's easier to add to. I’ve got a local lab lined up to make prints, and I’m off and running again.

Buckle up, buttercup.

Big Bend VI - Shaking the Dust From Our Boots...

Just in case you didn’t know what you wanted for Christmas – this fine item is available, posted on the wall of a store in Terlingua. Congratulations to the couple who got engaged at the top of the Lost Mine trail while we were hiking. We saw them coming down, and they looked gloriously happy.

Thank you, again, to FedEx and SuperFriend Dana, who saved my bacon.

Hey, gas station guy – you might want to try civilization for a while. You’ve spent a little too much time in the company of your own thoughts.

How big are tarantulas? Big enough that when you’re driving 60 mph on the highway, you can see them crossing the road. Think about that.

The kids on our rafting trip were a lot of fun – but I’m glad I didn’t have to drive them home. Mud EVERYWHERE.

Okay, lady – we get it, you wanted to go to Santa Elena Canyon. We all did. But after the sights and extra time we got on Colorado Canyon, you can’t think we got a bad deal. Oh wait…you still do.

“Planting a flag” in Mexico is definitely a euphemism. Thankfully, not one I had to endure.

I can’t wait to go back and have breakfast at India’s Café again.

Hearing the stories from the river guides about bureaucratic border nonsense makes me want to bang my head against a wall. Or a margarita.

One of the prettiest sunrises I’ve seen was an early morning at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. Glorious.

The tug-of-war rages – with this jewel of a park, I want the Big Bend area to succeed. But if they become too successful, the area could lose the remoteness that makes it special.

The walls of Santa Elena Canyon could double for the Wall in Game of Thrones – without the ice.

Big Bend V - It's getting dark out here...

One important lesson was reinforced during our hiking trips in Big Bend – always ask the park rangers before you believe any printed material. According to our guidebook, Balanced Rock was an easy hike. And the flyers in our room claimed it is a wonderful place to watch the sunset.

Um, no...and oh wait. No.

With the sun heading toward the horizon, we bounced over six miles of rutted road, headed for the trailhead. The rented SUV proved its worth here - my gas-efficient Matchbox car would have been beached more than once.

We pulled into the parking lot to find a trail leading through a narrow valley, with steep hillsides already growing dark.

It was our last night in the park, so we started double-timing it along the trail, hoping to catch the sunset. Hustling along the trail, which switched from gravel to sand and back again, we reached what looked like the end.

Or not.

A small arrow pointed us up a rock wall to a goat path of rock outcroppings. Stretching and reaching from one spot to the next, we monkeyed up the path, winding our way across the rock on little more than a hiking boot's width in spots.

After about 15 minutes of this, with the light dimming all the while, we reached Balanced Rock. The rock is balanced on two other boulders, and the mountain rises behind it.

On the west side.

Where the sunset was.

We had a nice view to the east, and in 12 hours, it would be a lovely sunrise. And if we stayed out there all night, we'd be rattlesnake snacks.

So down the hill we went, feeling our way along in the quickening dark from rock step to rock step. Finally, we got to the bottom and trudged back to the car in the dark. One turn nearly led us out into the desert, but we made it back without any mishaps.

A much more relaxed and pleasant hike was up the Lost Mine trail. The trail, starting from the road leading to the Chisos Mountain Lodge, winds up into the mountains encircling the lodge.

It's a walk with a little challenge to it - the mountains are steep and there is altitude - but it was a gorgeous day. Recent rainfall had the mountainsides covered in yellow blooms.

There are benches along the path, and you can stop anywhere along the second half of the trail for gorgeous views of Casa Grande - a huge rock formation looming over the surrounding hills.

The cool breeze at the top felt like it came straight from the Rocky Mountains. The trail immediately leapt into my top five hikes I've been on in Texas.

Next up - a few odds and ends...

Big Bend IV - Or, A Little Banjo Music

When we walked into the Starlight Theater in Terlingua after our rafting trip, I thought they’d play both kinds of music there – country AND western.

Then the cowboy-hat wearing guitarslinger behind the mic started playing Cole Porter songs. The stuffed goat with a Lone Star in its jaws seemed unimpressed.

Terlingua is one of the more interesting small towns I’ve ever visited. As it was described by one person, it’s where the hippies from Austin came after life started getting too intense there.

Bikers, tourists, river guides and others hung out on the porch connecting the Starlight with the Terlingua General Store, a small town scene if I’ve ever seen one. Strangers five minutes ago, we chewed the fat with another transplanted New Englander who was attracted by my New Hampshire t-shirt.

After a steak, we sat on the porch for a bit as the sun started to set behind us, lighting the Chisos Mountains in golden tones. A pickup band of banjo pickers brought back the country sound, with classic Willie and Waylon tunes.

Terlingua was originally a mining town, and the ghost-filled remains of ruined stone huts sit in front of the general store, covering the slope down to the graveyard.

The scattered piles of stones glowed in the evening light, the yellow and orange rocks keeping their warm hue. Fresh wood and plastic toys showed that a few huts are still being used, even with roofs held down by tires and rope to keep them from blowing away.

Rubble sprawled across the ground, spraying in worn and weathered lumps. Walls yawned from fatigue, getting a little closer to joining those on the earth. The rocks leaned downhill, as if all they wanted was to roll off the hillside and down into the cinnebar mines.

The wear of desert wind and weather is visible on every surface. Some of the older graves are as featureless as if they had endured decades of New England winters, but here they’ve been wiped clean by the sand. Splintered and shattered crosses lean defiantly – others lie broken, their post lost. In the fading light, it’s a mournful vision.

And yet…the banjo notes float across these tombs, calling the workers to come up from the mines and out from their huts, calling the children to laugh and run and play, calling us to dance, to love, to live.

Next up: Climbing the peaks