just BUCKETS of karma coming your way

So here's the deal, lovely friends.  If you read my last post, you may have seen that I'm on the lookout for some fundage to go to the Leukemia Lymphoma Society for a 1/2 marathon I'm running in June.  I'm actually already 62% of the way to my fundraising goal (WOO!) but most of that is from my awesome family, so now the tough part begins.  I'm hoping to sell some photos and put the money towards the LLS, since I'm at a loss of other ways to heap on the cash....  too cold for a car wash, no bake sale product would make it our of my kitchen, and if I keep re-posting my shpeal on facebook, I will soon lose all of my friends.  


Check out the photos on this blog (they're just grouped in threes to make it easier to upload and organize) or check out any other photo on the site...  If there's something you dig, toss me an email with which pic you want and where you'd like me to send it and I'll take care of getting it made and shipped out.  Payment can be made directly to the LLS fundraising site at this link where you can also get more info about the LLS and my super-awesome Gram (who I'm running in honor of) if you are interested.


So, not only will you be throwing some money at a really fantastic cause, but I'll feel kind of awesome that someone actually wanted to buy a picture of mine :)

5x7 Print:  20.00

8x10 Print:  25.00

11x14 Poster: 35.00

12x18 Poster: 40.00

There are also a bunch of other cool stuff that I can get made that's not very expensive - Coffee cups, mouse pads, etc.  If something floats your boat, just shoot me an email and I can probably get it made!

Thank you!

• Someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer every 4 minutes.
• Every 10 minutes someone will lose their battle with a blood cancer.
• The good news is that the survival rates for blood cancers have more than doubled since 1970.

Because You're AWESOME, that's why

You've gotta admit- my Gram is a pretty cute lady.  And now that you're in total agreement with me, you'll click this happy little link right about here and go check out a fundraising link for a run I'm doing in her honor.  Yeah, that's right, I lured you in with my cute Gramz in order to hassle you for money.  But you should do it.  Karma and warm fuzzy feelings await those of you that toss some dolla dolla bills to the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society.

Plus, you'll lose 5 pounds, get a pay raise at work, AND spring will come sooner for those that donate. 
It's science.

WOO!

7&7

I took a computer art class in high school in which one of our assignments was to make an image using one of the seven deadly sins and one of the seven heavenly virtues. The information learned in that class has long since become obsolete (oh, silly computers,) but I remembered being mildly entertained by the assignment- so I decided to dig through my pile of pics and assign an image to each of the sins/virtues.  As for the sins/virtues, I think peeps partake in far worse (and far better) behaviors than those listed, but I figured I’d just role with what was in the books. 

It also probably would have been a lot cooler had I gone out and taken new pictures to fit the theme, but it’s cold out there, dude. 

“Nothing makes one so vain as being told one is a sinner.  Conscience makes egoists of us all.”

-Oscar Wilde

THE SINS

PRIDE
Rexi knows he's damn good looking.  But could possibly spend less time ogling the mirror.

ENVY
I don't doubt that this dude is pretty envious of everyone not fenced up with him.

GLUTTONY
How many marshmallows does an announcer need?!?  Sharing is caring.

LUST
This speaks for itself.

ANGER
Life is so hard for a cat!!!  YAROWLLL

GREED
Commercialism and whatnot.  I guess I could've been more creative on this one.

SLOTH
Lazy frickin' nature.  DANCE FOR ME, CAT.

THE VIRTUES

FAITH
Maybe there's a drink just up above me that I may partake in...

HOPE
Not reaching too far here.

CHARITY
My kiddos helping each other out without my having to ask...  Which was great, since I couldn't speak enough Swahili to ask anyways.

FORTITUDE
My version of the flower growing out of the concrete.

JUSTICE
If The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles don't stand for justice, I don't know what does.

TEMPERANCE
A puppy laying still is the best representation of temperance that I know of.

PRUDENCE
What shows "careful management of resources" better than my friends doing such a great job sharing Paul's candy necklace?  I'm so proud :)

for no good reason other than it's good tunage

A little Hush Sound love on this chilly Saturday

they don't ever say cheese.

I decided to try and pick who I thought my three favorite photographers were, and two popped in to my head right away, and for the third I totally copped out.  Truth be told, I wish that I had some really super obscure photographers to list that represented some intelligent and deep understanding of the art… but unfortunately, what I know is what most people know.  The big names.  I’ve seen BEAUTIFUL pictures, by people that I’ve never heard of, and unfortunately the names drifted out of my memory with only the awareness of seeing something incredible sticking with me.  But I guess there’s a reason the super big names are super big.  Because their stuff is SUPERFANTASTIC.

Photographer #1: My total copout... because I have chosen basically EVERY photographer from National Geographic.  When I was a little dude, I was convinced that I was going to work for NG one day...  The idea is still pretty awesome- getting to travel all over and get totally involved in really unique cultures.  I don't know if I could pick one photographer in the magazine that I would single out as my favorite.  It all just makes me uber uber jealous.

Photographer #2: Mario Testino.  A fashion photographer isn't exactly what I'd really like to ever be, but I saw a show of his stuff in Edinburgh and enjoyed it more than I thought I would.  It reminded me how people themselves are impressive works of art, and fashion photos aren't always cliche and terrible...  Some of them were pretty cool.

Photographer #3:  Ansel Adams.  I know, I know...  I'm really not reaching too far here, but really- his stuff is amazing!   Another photographer whose stuff I had to see full size at a show to fully appreciate.  I have a favorite shot, but I couldn't find it in my 5 minutes of google image searching I put towards this post...  But they're all pretty great.

 In silence and movement you can show the reflection of people.

Marcel Marceau

Another style I strive for in pictures is movement.  I describe frequently how much I don’t really like posed group shots (yet still take them often,) and how much cooler I think candid action shots are.  I think some of my favorite photos by superamazinglytalented artists are ones in magazines that manage in one small square to sum up a person’s life or a small chunk of the world.  I’d love one day to have that ability, and try to take shots with that same feeling in everyday situations.  I try to keep the flash off and will rarely forewarn the subject, which can sometimes turn out pretty cool, or on occasion, can embarrass the hell out of people J

Nothing is more revealing than movement.

Martha Graham

I had so much trouble getting a picture during this performance...  I don't know enough about my camera to be able to glide from situation to situation, so I played around with settings and timings and ended up with quite a few crappy pics.  But in the end, I really liked how this one turned out.

I would have really liked if at least one part of this picture had been in focus, but it seems like a pretty good representation of a Wednesday wings night in Wisconsin.  EEEAAATTTT.

Coming into shore from a slalom pyro.  I don't know if I like this pic for the pic, or the memories of show skiing and the feeling of success when you make it back into shore.

Take pictures on the dance floor, and sometimes you end up with some gems.  Or in this case you end up with one as off as this one.

bar lighting.  I just love it.

My friend took this when I was visiting La Crosse one weekend during a flood.  We donned garbage bags to move cars out of the rising water...  then on higher ground (the Chileda play yard) had a little fun sliding in the mud.

Kids dancing.  Always makes me smile.

At the dance studio in Bagamoyo, TZ.  These guys were so patient trying to teach me to dance...  but it was always much more fun to just sit and watch them be superawesome.

Performance on Zanzibar.  I like how it looks like the dude has two faces.  And it's a good thing I didn't wear my flaming viking horns hat that day too.

nose grab!

Zawose tribe.

Cave man drinking style.  This gives me a headache.

Un-possible!

What?!?  Why did nobody ever inform me of this atrocity before?  There's people with more talent than ME?!  Oh, crap.  Upon hearing this (and being sent this amazing link) I have discovered that in fact, there are tons and tons of people out there with amazing stuff that I would be STOKED to ever be able to copy in any way. 

Okay, so maybe I've been aware of this for awhile, in fact- anything I've ever taken before that at all resembled a good picture was in some way influenced by another photographer's image running around in my brain.  What I love about the picture above, is that it doesn't involve a lot of screwing around on photoshop, but still manages to look like a mirror image of some kind... Like if MC Escher was a photag guy.  I want to be able to snag a pic like this at some point.

And I hope to continue to stalk, steal, and/or copy other (more talented) artist's work...  and blog about it, so you friendly peeps can creep right along with me.

just can't wait to get on the road again.

I really CAN wait to be on the road again.  The road part anyway.  While traveling is my absolute favorite thing to do, I usually prefer the trips that involve lots of flights, not understanding the local language or customs, and generally spending my time craving diet Mt. Dew.  These pictures are pretty much all taken from the car…  while I was driving.  Which may have not been the safest decision, but resulted in a few random pictures that I couldn’t entirely remember why I had taken, but I remembered thinking while taking them “what a stupid decision.”  And there you have it.

Oh, wait.  I lied.  One of these is from a plane.  It was fun to be a nerdy traveler again. 

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead.  ~Mac McCleary

Oops.  Right off the bat it's my only non-car photo.  But isn't it fun?  No, not really.  sunnnnssseeet.

I took this one on one of my many 12 hour stints driving between Roc and Sconnie...  I don't know if I've ever seen an uglier stretch of road.

This one's already been in a blog...  Chi-town you never fail to add hours on to my trips.

Bed decision to be taking pictures while driving in this pea soup?  You betcha.  

More from outside Chicago.  It would seem I really enjoy shooting on my extended time spent on the road there.

This one was just on my color blog.  From a train in Sconnie...  I like the movement.

I would have liked to actually get out and try for a better pic here- I thought it was another classic Sconnie scene, but I'm not sure I could've figured out the for realz camera skill needed to get the right lighting.

The ice storm this year in Minneapolis.  The SCARIEST drive I've had in awhile...  I'm pretty sure I drove by half of teh 370 accidents that night.  Obviously I didn't take a picture of them, because that's just twisted.  and I was trying not to go off of the road.

This was from safari in Tanz.  not the best picture, but the only one I remember taking from a moving vehicle while in Africa, and I wanted to mention my trip on this blog.  Africa!  Woo!

Minocqua.  I'm getting a little bit teared up right now...  Can I go back now?