I travel quite a bit for work. Occasionally, I get the opportunity to stop and shoot something spectacular. The Wild Horse Reservoir in Northern Nevada was one of those spectacular places.
I opted to drive from Portland to where we were filming in Elko, partly to save the company money, and partly because I felt like I needed a road trip. The original plan was to drive east to Twin Falls, then head south through Jackpot and on to Elko. Google Maps preferred this route, so why shouldn’t I? Oddly enough, when I punched the address into my GPS, it ended up taking us south at Mountain Home, through some absolutely incredible country. The trip probably took a bit longer–there were quite a few 25mph curves. But it was well worth it.
If you ever have the opportunity to drive through Owyhee and the Humboldt National Forest on Highway 225 through Nevada, do it. Just make sure you have plenty of gas–there isn’t much along the lines of civilization between Owyhee and Elko.
I missed a week this year. Last fall I got so caught up in everything else that was going on, I actually had a week without a photo. I don’t even remember the last time that’s happened.
Won’t happen again.
I hope everyone had a great New Year’s, and I encourage you to make 2010 your best year ever.
Ever since I got my first camera, I’ve been using photos to document my life. I know I’m not alone on this–people have been making vacation albums, school albums, etc. as long as there have been cameras.
You may have run across mention of the Project 365 somewhere–one photo a day for a year. I tried that a few years back, using self-portraits, but found that I often forgot to shoot my ugly mug on a daily basis. Apparently, I wasn’t alone, because I stumbled upon the 52 Week project.
I decided to skip the whole self-portrait thing and just go for one photo a week that was indicative of the week in which it was taken. Now I can look back through the 52 pictures and each photo jogs my memory a bit to help me remember events throughout the year.
As a bonus, it forces me to remember to bring my camera everywhere. I generally do, but now I’ve got this project in the back of my mind all of the time. It keeps me motivated to take photos, but doesn’t register as overwhelming like the Project 365 did.
I would definitely encourage anyone who likes photography to create their own 52 Week project. Make it your own; 52 flowers, 52 photos of your dog, 52 sunsets… There are endless possibilities. Just keep it fun, and in a year, you’ll have a great collection of photos that help tell a story.
Last year, I joined a group of fellow Portland Flickrites at the Wooden Shoe Tulip Farms to shoot around. I hadn’t really expected much–just a bunch of flowers in a field. I figured if nothing else, it would be good practice, and an opportunity to hang out with other local photographers.
In reality though, it was an incredible experience. The fields were saturated in colors, the sky was filled with hot air balloons, and the possible shots were endless. There are a few standard shots–the tractor seems to be a favorite subject of most photogs, and macro photos are endless.
I’m going again this year. If anyone is interested, I’m going to try to get down there for sunrise on the 18th of April. Don’t worry about your equipment. Bring whatever camera you’ve got–it’s all about the photographer behind the camera. Use your imagination, use the colors to your advantage, get creative.
