Been quiet around here lately.....

 Okay.  I admit it.  I'm a bad blogger.

I started Tuscpics.com several years ago to highlight my work and post/share updates on things I was doing.  I also had a very active blog I kept for the "day job" too.  But with both cases social media took over and the days of the blog seemed to fade away.  But, I still see people are coming to the blog and checking it out, so I figured I would provide an update.

2020.....what a year.

I don't want to make light of it because so many people have been struggling with either themselves or a loved one fighting the pandemic or have lost someone to it or are dealing with all of the stressors surrounding this past year.  Since everything began in March I've taken the stance that I am going to do everything possible to avoid it and follow all the best practices laid out by medical experts.  But in doing so, I had to dial back the photography business.  I hadn't taken any appointments for shoots this year nor have I actively gone after them.  With the pandemic I found it's really difficult to be creative.   Photography has and will continue to be my own personal therapy on many levels, but getting out and not getting around people at times is difficult.  But I did keep creating.

I've continued forward shooting with film.  Also got some new glass for my digital camera.  So having the right equipment to do what I want with it has been a blessing.  But, not being able to share it at art shows or other events has hit the bottom line.  Fortunately, I have a full-time "day job" that provides for me to take care of my family so I am fortunate there.  So, if you are stopping by here to see what's going on, THANK YOU!  I appreciate you looking me up.  I'll try to pay more attention to this site moving forward but I invite you to stop by my Facebook page Andy Donaldson Photography.  There you will always find the latest work and things I'm up to.

I hope you have a fantastic and safe rest of 2020.  Here's to 2021.  We still have a long road ahead, but let's all do what we can to get us there safely.

For now, here's some work I created over the past year.  Enjoy!

The more things change.....

So it's been a hot minute since I sat down and wrote a blog post.  I actually was thinking about cutting a YouTube video to go over what I was thinking about recently, but after doing a test run through it and looking at it on the computer, I decided it's probably best just to type it all out rather than try to become the next YouTube sensation ;-)

So what have I been up to, you ask?  Well, film.

It's amazing, to me, that with all the digital equipment acquired that I have wanted, I still am drawn to grab a camera and a roll of film to go out and explore with.  Perhaps it's because I've always enjoyed creating black and white images in the cold months and save the colorful ones for when it's green.  

Well, that's not always the case.  But I really enjoy film.

That time my soul exploded and an incredible thing happened when I least expected it.

I don't know how other creatives feel about the work they do.  

At times, I have felt like a hack.  Like what I was creating with my camera was just....stuff. Noise. Snapshots.  I get compliments on my work often.  I'm not looking to get my ego stroked but when I do get compliments, it feels good.  But then the only thing that I can think is "catholic guilt" sneaks in and makes me feel like I shouldn't be feeling that way. That I need remain humble.  I'm sure others that create things feel that way too.  When I started doing this on a more professional level a while back the only thing I wanted for my work was that potentially 100 years from now an image I created would be hanging somewhere.  In a house, or maybe a museum or anywhere really.  I just wanted to leave my mark on the world.  Wanted to be remembered as someone who just didn't sit behind a computer all day making sure they kept working, but as something more.  Well, yesterday something happened that I was never expecting and I was humbled.  And I think now, I can feel a bit of pride calling myself an artist.

On Sunday the 20th of October, an event was held once again called "Art on the Alley" in the city near where I live.  It's a chance for local artisans to, affordably, rent a space and set up shop to show and sell your creations.  I've been fortunate enough have done 2 others before this and it's always been a great experience not just selling work, (which I did), but also talking with people about it.  Plus it's a great chance to spend the day with my wife who is also an artist and just get our art groove on.  As the day progressed yesterday, the crowds would come and go, stopping along the way to the vendors to see what they had.  Sometimes there would be many, other times just a couple, but with the beautiful mid-60's October day with clear blue sky and a young woman playing the violin nearby, it just was an incredible scene.  So I was in a good head-space.  Then, a person (whom will remain completely anonymous), came up to my table.  They introduced themselves to me and because of the noise I had a difficult time hearing them. The person went on to tell me that they have been following my work for some time now on Facebook and because of their condition, they can't get out much.  They went on to tell me how my photography gives them a lot of happiness and doesn't make them feel so isolated.  They are able to follow along and see what I see out there in the world.

I didn't know what to say.  I thanked them and wished them well as they moved on along the line of vendors and my wife gave me a "what's wrong?" look as I turned away from the table.  I told her I needed a minute until the table was cleared from someone looking at the prints.  When they left, I broke down.  I told Denise about it.  My work...the thing I do with my camera that I have a love and a passion for, has been able to give someone some solace and escape from their problems in life.  

No amount of sales, no amount of social media shares/likes, no amount of anything has ever impacted me more that that person stopping by and telling me that.

So, thank you, person.  I mean, I am sorry what you are going through, truly.  But knowing that what I do brings you some comfort and happiness, well, you just gave me a new drive with my work.  And importantly, the ability to finally see myself as an artist.  

You've lit a fire in my soul. 

I stole a line from another artist. When I go out to shoot, my prayer has become, "Let the creator of the universe, create through me."  I think that Creator sent that person to me to allow me to finally see that it's okay to feel how I feel about that work.  And taking that forward I feel will only make me better.

That time I fell out of love with photography

I've been telling myself almost weekly that I need to get back to blogging.  Years ago in my "day job" career, blogging was a very useful tool to network with others and share information.  But as time went on, my blog started to fade as Twitter and Facebook took off.  So, my apologies for not posting any new content as of late.  This post should make up for that.

So why the title, "That time I fell out of love with photography"? 

Simple.  Because I did.  

Well, maybe not completely, but I did get to a point where I found it hard to create.  All creators go through it from time to time, I'm sure.  But I hit that wall.  It got to the point where I didn't even want to pick up the camera.  But them something changed.  I picked up a camera, but it was a film camera.
My walk through the world of photography started 35 or so years ago after I moved with my parents from Detroit to a town called Hudson in Ohio.  One of the classes the school offered was black and white photography.  I learned how to take pictures, develop the negatives and created pictures with an enlarger; you know, the "old school" method.  Well, as I've written about elsewhere, with those skills, I wanted to become the next Ansel Adams.  But the lesson learned then was that the world already had one and I wasn't that good.  So, I put the film away and then some years later I picked up digital and I hadn't looked back.  That was until recently.  Over the past several years every now and again I would order some black and white film from the internet and ship it off to have it developed.  The results were fantastic.  With all the recent advances in technology with digital imaging, there's one thing I found that digital can't do.  Digital images look beautiful but sometimes are without a soul.  Film somehow has a way of showing that soul more clearly than digital ever can.  So in the summer of 2018, I bought a medium format film camera, a Mamiya m645.  It's the type of camera I always dreamed of when I was younger, but they were thousands of dollars back then.  But luckily for me I only spent $125 on a used body and a lens.  I of course bought a couple rolls of film and instantly I was transported back to the late 1980.  When you shoot film, it's the great unknown.  Did I hit the exposure correctly?  Is it in focus?  Lot's of "if's".  And of course, having the wait for the film to be developed at the lab and the digital scans to post online always seemed like forever.  When I saw the results, that old feeling and love for creating started coming back quickly.

Since those first couple of rolls I shot and sent out for development, I went ahead and bought a developing tank, chemistry, and a quality Epson scanner.  I'm now once again doing something I did many years ago in my parents basement in my own home.  And the results have been fantastic.  I'll go out and shoot some film, come home, load it into the tank and develop it in my kitchen sink.  When it's done, I hang it up to dry and then scan the images into my computer rather than use an enlarger and make prints.  Actually, since I started doing this technique again I have been very successful at some recent art shows with people wanting these images over the digital color ones.

So the moral of this story for another create who feels that they've hit a wall, keep going.  But, find another way to channel your creative juices.  You may just find it's the kick you need to get your mojo back.

I'm a (drone) pilot!

I realized on my drive home from work today, I haven't updated this blog in sometime.  Actually, I haven't blogged on any of my blogs in a while.  Seems like sharing on social media takes really all the wind out of my sails when it comes to sharing thoughts and work.  But I figured for this occasion, I would dust off my old (lack of) writing skills and sit down to write one.

In early spring I made the jump and purchased a drone.  A DJI Mavic Pro.  After spending years with a camera in my hand, I decided it was time to take creativity and soar....literally.  So, I went and made the leap.  I've heard someone describe flying a higher end drone as "holding a $1000 bill in your hand with it out the window driving a car at 60 MPH."  They are right.  I've spent a lot of time getting use to flying it, learning the controls, understanding how the camera works, etc.  So when it came time to look at adding it to my offerings for Andy Donaldson Photography, I found out that there was one really important thing I needed to do first.

Get certified by the FAA!!!

Okay, how hard can that be?  That was the thought I was going with.  But then I started looking into it and I was amazed at what the government wanted you to know.  Don't get me wrong, I feel it's important that if someone is going to be flying something in the air with the spinning blades of death attached to it, it's important that they understand the rules.  After several starts and stops with studying, I finally cracked down on myself and hit the books.  Well, just not the books, but also the internet.  Seems like the business of training want to be sUAS pilots is a big one out there and there are a couple of places willing to offer you training for a price. But I took this route:

1.  I watched this video several times

Very good video with LOTS of information and took a few times watching it for everything to start to soak in.  If you're looking for a good free guide to what the FAA is looking for, I highly recommend this one.

2.  I bought this book on Amazon

Remote Pilot Test Prep - UAS: Study & Prepare: Pass your test and know what is essential to safely operate an unmanned aircraft – from the most trusted source in aviation training (Test Prep series)

Really comprehensive guide that covers just about everything you need to know for the test!   It also includes the chance to take 5 practice tests from their website.  But then I found this.....

3.  The authors of the above book also created an app for Apple and Android devices for $4.99!

Absolutely LOVED this app!  Covered EVERYTHING that was in the book and the practice questions pretty much matched the questions that were in the book.  No need to make flash cards!  Really helped me prepare.

So with those three items, I spent a lot of time studying.  When I started scoring 90%+ on my practice tests, I knew it was time.  To take the test for the 14 CFR Part 107 test as it's officially known, you have to register and go take the test at an official testing center.  Just like back in the days when I got certified in IBM collaboration technologies, you have to call the service, pay $150 dollars and schedule an appointment at a testing center.  Being where I live, it was a coin toss as either of the places closest to me where an hour away from home.  So, I picked the one closest to where I work and went.  You can learn all about it from the FAA's official site by clicking here.

Okay, I will warn you.  Studying the information is one thing.  Understanding it is a complete other thing.  I got so use to remembering the answers of the practice tests, I got lazy on the theory of the questions.  So when I sat down to take the test, I noticed that hardly any of the questions matched the practice guides.  That's a good thing, really.  But I calmed myself down after a few questions and I started to get in the flow.  Long story short, it took me about 30 minutes to take the test, (you're given two hours) and felt pretty confident.  In the end, I scored an 82%.  The test shows you quickly which questions you got wrong, but doesn't show the right answers.  The sheet the testing proctor gives you has the codes you can check on the FAA site to see what area you did wrong in and as expected for me it was airspace.  But, 82% is higher than the required 70% so I'm pretty happy with it.  My advice for someone looking to study and take this test, really understand the concept of each practice question, just not the answer! 

So now, all I have to do is wait for my certificate to show up in my inbox and I can begin utilizing this investment in my offerings.  Finally.

That's it for now. Stay tuned to my Facebook page as more information will follow!

Anatomy of a shoot: How the 2017 Travel Guide cover came together

For the past several years I have had the pleasure of working with the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau as their photographer.  Through my tenure as their photographer I have had the opportunity to visit many sites throughout the county as well as many events capturing what makes them unique with my camera.  Every year a decision is made on what the next years travel guide cover should be and what photographs would be included on it.  Normally that's a process that involves the staff at the bureau and they choose different shots from over the past year to fit the theme.  But for the 2017 cover, the director of the bureau wanted something different that would stand out and tell a story.  Something we've never done before.  And we had a big story to tell.

Located in the south-east side of Tuscarawas County is a town called Dennison.  In Dennison is an old rail station that has stood for years until being turned into a now nationally registered historic landmark and museum.  During WWII, the station was used for as a stop for troop trains traveling east filled with soldiers heading off to war.  But something special happened at this stop.  Members of the community began coming out in force, giving what they could, to supply a little bit of home style comfort for the troops heading off to the unknown.  For the 4 years the canteen was in operation, 1.5 million US servicemen visited Dennison for some coffee, donut and a smile.  So for the 2017 cover my boss wanted to capture that.  Luckily, I had an ace up my sleeve for this.  

One of the things I wanted most for this shoot was authenticity.  I didn't want to just have some young guys dressed in what looked like GI attire for the shoot.  Luckily for me I knew some people.  I've gotten to know historical reenactors over the years from taking pictures at several events and I have gotten to know that these folks strive for one thing.  Being as authentic as possible.  So I put out a call to one of the leaders of the group and explained to him the story that we were wanting to tell. He was all for it and put out the word to the group.  With people lined up and a date set, we were ready for the shoot!

One of the things I always try to do before a big shoot, and this one was no exception because of the scope of the project, is to visualize how I want the shot to look.  There were a lot of variables to take into consideration.  First, we were shooting outside.  Second, it was morning so I had to be concerned with harsh lighting from the sun at an angle.   Third, well, just about everything else that could possibly go wrong.  I knew lighting was going to be a problem because the area of the train car we were using was going to be in the shade so I packed up my strobes and extension cords.  I also knew I had never produced a shoot like this before, so I packed just about all the other equipment my had and we headed down to the location.  

When we got there, (myself and my always ready assistant and daughter, Molly), we got the light set up and started taking some test shots to try and zero in the lighting as best I could.  We didn't have clear skies, but we didn't have heavily clouded ones either, so the lighting was a little "muddy". Meanwhile, the director and the graphic artist responsible for the cover design showed up and we went over a few last minute ideas.  By that time, the reenactors showed up and it was go time.  The museum also a few staff members dress in period clothes representing the locals that would come down to the stopped trains and provide the treats.  I wanted to get this shot from several different perspectives and in the end the wide shot was used.  Below are the images I took.

  In the end, I was very happy with how these turned out.  For me, I've never put together a shoot like this.  Now it was time for the post production and that was handled by Dave Ramsell at Grantstreet Creative.  Dave took the images I shot and did the final magic to end up with this:

Since the sky was so murky, he replaced that and then modified the image having it go from the modern in color image to a more sepia/black and white.  In the end, getting the authentic nature of the people in the shot really paid off.  Of all the images I've taken over the years, this truly is the most special to me as a photographer.  I hope you find it that way too.
My deepest thanks to the 502nd PIR, Company B - 101st Airborne Reenactors for getting up early and coming out to help support this. Thanks to the staff of the Dennison Depot for their assistance with the space and the portraying the local volunteers.  A huge thank you to Dave Ramsell for giving the image that extra magic to make it as awesome as it turned out.  And of course, to Dee Grossman, Executive Director of the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau for giving me the opportunity to help mold her vision into reality. 

Still chasing stars

Now that I have more free time on my hands thanks to the non-existent day job, I thought I would try some more rounds of going out under the stars to capture some star trails recently.  I love doing night photography like this.  It's an interesting process really.  You spend upwards of a couple of hours outside at night after dark in hopes that your focus is set right, the exposure and f/stop you decide on using is correct and also the environment plays nicely with you as well.  Recently I started using a new shutter release, a Neewer LCD Timer Shutter Release Remote Control, that allows you to set the desired shutter speed you wish.  It's nice because the Canon will only go to the maximum of 30 second exposures and I've been wanting to try longer.  But what I found out is while doing 60 seconds can give the same results, and much fewer images to have to smash together when stacking them for processing, things burn in harder on each image so if there is light pollution like I usually have where I do star trails, the highlights really get burnt in hard which makes post a little harder to do.  I don't have an area where I can go that's completely dark.  I'm still holding out hope that I can making to northern Michigan to a park up near the top of the lower peninsula that has some of the lowest amounts of light pollution around, but that's in the future. For now, I'm going to continue to stroll down to Zoar and capture the timeless beauty of the building framed in front of the timelessness of the universe.  I've included some recent examples below with details, but if you want to learn more on how to do it yourself, I created a "cookbook" that's available here.

I love how this image came out.  The Garden is Zoar was designed to have a large tree in the center of the garden that is meant to represent Christ with 12 trees surrounding it which represents the apostles. All the time, the stars quietly circle of that. This was 30 second exposures, 800 ISO for about 90 minutes. I wanted to go much longer but a cloud deck started to roll in and lost the stars quickly.

Here's an example of a 1 minute exposure taken over a period of 2 hours at 800 ISO on a 40mm lens. It was rather troublesome to get the detail on the side of the hotel to come out properly.  There is a lot of light in Zoar both from a streetlight right to the left of this image and all the traffic along the main road.

Here's an example of another 1 minute exposure per shot at 800 ISO.  There is another street light at play here, but it actually adds a nice mood to this image.  The only thing that bugged me with this shot was the light pollution from Canton, but others that have viewed it felt it added some nice qualities to the image.