Snowboarding Today

The nor easter forecasting 12+ inches of snow got myself and my nephew and fellow photographer Derrick up at 5am to make the trek to Mount Snow, Vermont today to catch some snowboarding. The roads were pretty slick, but we dropped the Jeep into 4 wheel drive and made it in about three hours.

I've been snowboarding since I was 15, and spent a few years pretty much snowboarding full time, so it is a passion of mine. Not as much snow as predicted, but the 6 inches we did get, made it worth while.

Last weeks 50 degree temperatures definitely put a damper on the base levels up north, but we are expecting another nor easter this week. So, hopefully we'll get the slopes back up to speed again. It was a great day. The snow was fast, but soft so we spent the day in the snowboard park hitting kickers, and riding rails. Definitely a great way to escape the computer, and have some fun.

WPPI 2008

I'll be speaking at WPPI 2008 in March in Las Vegas on the topic of lighting. I am doing a two hour Master Class titled "Think Outside The Softbox". The class is already sold out, and is probably the only speaking engagement I'll take on this year. Unless we give a workshop at our studio at some point. Which we are considering. For those interested in a multiple day workshop, that may be reading this, feel free to email us because our workshops sell out quickly and we'll put you on a first to notify list.

I am not surprised so many photographers want to know more about the use of light. In my past workshops lighting was one of the hottest topics. We will be shooting live with models the entire two hours and share ideas and tips along the way. The best wedding and portrait photographers can assess the situation and make a plan in their mind in a matter of seconds. My goal of the workshop is to share a wide variety of options for various situations so that photographers can handle even the most complex scenarios they walk into. For those that will join us, it is going to be a lot of fun and packed with useful information and a different way of seeing.

Also, make sure to catch Jennifer at WPPI in the "First Lady's of Photography" panel March 18th from 8:30-10:30pm. Nine of the top women photographers in the world share advice for balancing life and success.

The Harder I Work, The Luckier I am

2008 is off to a great start. I have been really been concentrating on balancing life and work. The days are long as I have been getting up very early, around 5am. I work until 10pm. Well, sort of... I make time to go to the gym, play with the dog, snuggle with my wife, and read. But, I feel in balance having these long days, and it is a great feeling.

I am so excited about the projects we are working on that I just don't feel tired. I love working. I was re-listening to a Trump audio book recently and the book quoted pro golfer Gary Player. He once said "The harder I work, the luckier I am." What a remarkable quote! I do believe that some people just have great luck. But, I also think that if you work with passion at being the best you can be then luck finds it's way to you. Loving what you do for a living is no doubt a gift. It isn't always easy, but a gift non the less.

Recently, a fellow photographer jokingly said to me "I wasn't lucky enough to grow up in the business like you did". It's true, I was lucky that my father was a photo enthusiast. I grew up with a darkroom at home and watched him develop pictures from the time I was 8 years old. I am lucky that I had that experience, as it has added 10 years to my knowledge as a photographer. Just thinking about it, I can actually smell the chemistry in the air and hear the radio playing. We would develop photographs all hours of the night, and it is one of my fondest memories growing up.

But I just had to tell him about how, when I first started, I had nothing. I would pull a hidden mattress out from behind a wall to sleep on at my first studio. I would clean a restaurant from midnight till 4am. Then go to the studio, sleep for a few hours and work hard to get the phone to ring. I worked hard, and with passion to succeed. It took me 15 years, 25 years if you consider the time with my father, to get to the level of photographic integrity we have today. There is no doubt, I consider myself the luckiest person alive. But, the truth is, just like the Gary Player quote, The harder I work, the luckier I am.