The sun shone on the last day of the month

What a beautiful morning for a drive / walk in the countryside. Joel, Hoover and I set out early this morning to explore a nearby area - scouting it as a possible photo location for the fall when my friend, Lauren, is here from Texas; AND scouting out a possible fishing location for Joel.

We found BOTH!

The Moosehorn Creek is within the designated Geo Park area - the only one of its kind in North America!

 Not only is it within a reasonable walking distance along the side of the Creek, but there's a well maintained path and ample parking. By October the foliage should be spectacular!

I am constantly amazed at the beauty that surrounds us here in tiny little New Brunswick - an area often ignored by tourists as they rush through the province in their haste to get to the better-known, but no more lovely, provinces of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

But, for those of us who live here and appreciate what we have, maybe that's not such a bad thing after all.

And then you can come home to an adoring friend who is ALWAYS happy to see you.

To borrow a phrase from the A&E channel, it's "time well spent".

I just read an article entitled "How to Set Smart Daily Goals" by Jocelyn K. Glei. It was recommended by Elaine Shannon, the self-styled 'Empress of Inspiration'. 


In it, the author offers a series of questions that, if you contemplate and answer them truthfully, will help you to focus your daily efforts in a more productive way. One that truly struck me was the need to set aside a specific period of time, up to 90 minutes a day, to focus on one important thing. 


The concept is to control your attention and avoid distractions. It's so hard. The phone rings. An email arrives. The dog barks. And poof- that focus is gone.


As a creative professional, focus is critically important to my success and the success of the projects I undertake. Whether I am writing or in a photo shoot - for myself or for a client - paying attention, particularly to the details, and getting into the 'creative zone' is the first thing I need to do.

Everyone has their own way of achieving that concentration. If I am trying to write something, I have to turn off my email, unplug the phone, turn off my cell phone, put the dog outside for a while, and turn on some baroque music. The steady rhythms that define that genre of music help me to concentrate and free my mind for greater creativity.

When I'm at a photo shoot for a client, I can't really 'zone out' because I need to interact with my subject(s). Instead, I will focus on some aspect of the intended photo. Perhaps a baby's facial expression...

or, the look of absolute adoration on the faces of a happy grammie and mother.

With horses, I'll sometimes allow myself to absorb the rhythm of their hooves hitting the ground as they trot by....

or even just the shape of the horse's body in motion.

Regardless of the techniques used, the author's message to 'focus' for an extended period of time on a daily basis in order to retain and further develop creativity resonated with me.

Try it sometime - you might surprise yourself.

Specials offered ONLY during the Equine Review

Thinking of having a family portrait done?

 Want to have your own "personal paparazzi" capture your action at a show or event?

Thinking of an image that will remind you of a special relationship for all time?

 Or a beautiful image to grace the walls of your home....

Photoshoots booked during the Equine Review week-end are eligible for a 25% reduction in the session fee. Drop by my booth and ask me about it. See you in a couple of weeks!

Lifelong learning

Yep - my name is Ceci and I am a lifelong learning junkie. I can't help it. I am compelled to continue learning things. The topics are irrelevant. It doesn't matter to me if they are work related, hobby related or just some new or revived skill (like knitting) - I need to learn as much as I need food, water and rest.

So, I try and set aside at least half a day each week that is for nothing other than learning something. Yesterday it was practicing new lighting techniques for my photography - using off-camera flash with an umbrella light modifying set-up. It took a while to really grasp balancing soft north-window light with a flash but after a while, I think I got it. Would you agree?

Thank goodness for my most patient model, Hoover.

Want to learn more about off-camera lighting techniques? Try the Srobist site at: http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html and check out the Lighting 101 series.

What are YOU learning this week?

No thaw in January

Baby, it's cold outside! According to the thermometer we hung in a tree outside the dining room window the ambient temperature has ranged from -15C to -27C in the last 48 hours. Add a wee breeze and we're talking cold, folks! If I'd wanted to live in the Antarctic, I would have! I am not a winter person. Period. Bundling up like the Pillsbury doughboy just to take the dog out to piddle doesn't make me a happy camper. I do try to make the best of it - but, admittedly, grudgingly. I much prefer the chair by the fireplace, cat happily ensconced on my lap.

That said, last week-end I did brave a nasty winter storm to head up to Fredericton and participate in the annual "January Thaw Equine Expo". Despite the snow, lousy driving conditions, high winds and blustery whiteouts, approximately 50 exhibitors managed to get there and get set up in time for the 9:a.m. opening on Saturday.

Saturday dawned clear, but it was the beginning of the current nasty cold snap. Nevertheless, several hundred horse enthusiasts managed to dig out and get down to the Capital Exhibition Centre to attend the Expo, say hi to old friends, make some new ones and take in the many displays and demonstrations offered throughout the day. The event, now in its fourth year, was organized by Karen Thomas of Northstream Tack and Brenda Noble of Holiday Ranch Ltd. As usual, the two ladies did an amazing job of pulling it all together. The $2 admission plus funds raised from various on-site raffles garnered over $3500 for the area chapter of the NB Children's Wish Foundation.

I offered a few photo shoots as prizes. Linda Clark of Norton won the draw at my booth, and I'm still waiting to find out who the winners were at the Children's Wish Foundation booth and the Earth Spirit Horse Rescue booth.

Shows like this are a lot of work for the exhibitors too. It takes a long time to decide what to put in your booth and how to decorate. Then there's the set up (and the tear-down when you're exhausted). Finally, the visitors come through the door and you stand, and stand, and stand some more oh hard cement floors - smiling and greeting customers and potential customers with as much enthusiasm as your aching legs and back will allow. And after it's all over, the decorations taken down and packed up and the long drive home on a cold winter night has ended - there's nothing like a good hot bath and your very own bed to restore life to aching muscles. And on we go - gearing up for the next show - the annual Equine Review in Sussex on the week-end of May 1st. See you there?

Illusive waterfalls

Slow shutter speed

Faster shutter speed

We three adventurous photographers (Hetty, Sherry and I, and Hetty's daughter Isaline) set out to find waterfalls to photograph - with little success. We traversed the road, following the directions, back and forth a few times - unable to locate the necessary landmark that would lead us to the woodland road that would take us to the foot of the waterfall. Buried under snow, the old graveyard on Keirstead Mountain was nowhere to be found.

Undaunted, we headed to the other side of Sussex to Waterford where waterfalls can be seen from the Cedar Camp Road bridge. Of course, to get truly dramatic photographs you need to be at the bottom of the waterfall. New Brunswick hasn't experienced the truly bitter January temperatures (yet) so as a result, the streams and rivers are still open, and the waterfalls flowing - but the paths to the bottom of the falls are ice-covered and too treacherous to chance without proper climbing gear.

So, we contented ourselves with a few shots taken from above the falls on the bridge. Despite our lack of success in nailing those waterfall photographs, it was a good outing for a sunny afternoon in winter.

It is winter, after all

Hoover knows it's winter. He revels in the newly fallen snow - leaps and bounds about chasing snow flakes; plays fetch with snowballs that vanish when they hit the ground; and generally exudes an amazing amount of joy when the door opens on a fresh snowfall.

The rest of us, however, seem to have a tendency to gravitate to the fireplace, soft music and low light, book in hand, blanket artfully draped around the supine body. While this image is good for the soul, and perhaps even the intellect, it does little for the rapidly expanding posterior or for productivity in the sphere of work.

To counteract at least some of this winter lethargy (oh yes, I am among those who loathe being cold), tomorrow I will bundle up and sally forth with a friend in search of waterfalls to photograph - running waterfalls, frozen waterfalls - it doesn't matter - just waterfalls. I am psyching myself up now to look forward to freezing my toes, nose and other parts off and trying to keep my camera warm and dry while trudging over ice and snow, lugging 40 pounds of gear, to find these marvels of nature.

In reality, I probably will enjoy it. Or, if not the actual hunt, the creation of the images at the end of the trek. In the meantime - lining up the clothes. For those who know me, and fail to recognize me tomorrow, I'll be the one that resembles the Pillsbury Doughboy.

Thirteen of Thirty: Dogs are good for the soul

Every morning someone has to take our dog, Hoover, out for his morning 'constitutional'. Normally that's a quick tour around the yard - a quick 'scoop' - and back to the house  with the longer, more athletic perambulations happening later in the day.

This was a beautiful morning. As the sun rose slowly on the horizon, Hoover and I set out taking a new route. Walking with a dog brings new meaning to the term 'saunter'. Dogs have to closely examine every blade of grass, rock and poo pile (left by less considerate dog walkers) to catalogue who has passed this way before.

Hoover and I have a deal. On the way out we walk briskly, ignoring what Cesar Milan calls the morning newspapers of the dog world. On the way back, Hoover gets his way - sniffing and exploring, poking and prodding the detritus left by those who've gone before.

While he checks these things out, I have time to look around and make note of places that might make interesting photographs another time (when not accompanied by 'the nose'). I found three this morning.

In a distant field we sighted a herd of white tailed does, seven I think, grazing in the morning frost. It is hunting season right now, so they were skittish and some slight sound sent them bounding into the nearby woods.

I love those early morning walks with Hoover. But I dearly wish others would refrain from tossing broken glass, cigarette butts, empty beverage containers, soiled clothing and god-knows-what-else onto the roadside. There are better places for such things!

Ten of Thirty: Freelancers are underpaid and undervalued

I, and many friends and colleagues, eke out a subsistence living as freelance writers and/or photographers. For those of us who supply content to various publications, the rates of pay (per word, per piece or per photograph) haven't changed in LITERALLY decades. Many publications, especially niche ones like equine magazines, frequently pay as little as 15-20 CENTS per word or $150 per article. They also pay anywhere from $10 to $25 per photograph.

Yet, these same publications charge THOUSANDS of dollars to their advertisers for space to promote their goods and services to the readers of the magazines.

Think about this. Why do YOU buy a magazine? Is it to peruse the ads? I think not. Most of us buy magazines in order to read interesting or informative articles about topics of interest to us - such as hobby related, home decorating, cooking, animals, sports, history, religion, and other special interest publications.

Publishers cry about diminishing returns, higher production costs, fewer advertisers, competition from other sources such as websites, e-zines and so forth. Yet, they never stop to consider the quality and quantity of the content in their magazines. Yes, ms. editor, you DO get what you pay for. Good, well educated and experienced writers, do their homework. We research our content for accuracy and authenticity. We write well. We know grammar and punctuation and will provide finished pieces that require minimal editing time.

Good photographers deliver high quality images that will augment articles.

But instead, many editors now seek out inexperienced (read 'cheap') writers and photographers, offering them a pittance in remuneration and the 'glory' of 'exposure' in a regional or national publication. Exposure doesn't pay the bills, folks.

But, as long as there are people out there willing to provide articles and photographs in exchange for ethereal rewards, publications will be happy to use the material, driving more and more professionals (i.e. people who make a LIVING from their craft) out of business and into other lines of work.

I find it laughable today when someone says to me, "you're so lucky. You work for yourself and can take time off whenever you want", etc. What that person doesn't realize is that, if you are a freelancer, you work 24/7. When you don't work, you don't get paid. If the level of compensation is too low, you can never afford to set aside money for a vacation, sick days, or even a normal couple of days off a week. There are times when working for someone else really appeals. Oh, and benefits? Whazzat? Medical insurance? Employment insurance? Not bloody likely.

So, being a freelancer is not for the faint of heart. Only the brave will go into the abyss hoping to survive and thrive.

Eight of Thirty: Considering taking up ark building

It is STILL raining. Perhaps it will be the 40 days - 40 nights routine? There is a lot of flooding throughout the region and some people have been evacuated from their homes.

We currently live at the top of a hill, well away from rivers and lakes. Nevertheless, the ground is a sodden mess, super-saturated and unable to absorb another ounce of water.

For children it's a lot of fun, although patently unsafe, running through ditches filled with up to two or three FEET of water. Several kids wait for the school bus in front of our house where there is a very deep ditch. This morning I made myself very unpopular by refusing to allow them to play there - but it is dangerous and these are very small children. Should they be standing out there on the corner of a busy road unsupervised? I don't think so. But apparently their parents do.

This photo was from three years ago at the farm where we used to live. It was taken just after the crest of the "flood of the century" where the rushing river hid an entire 4' high fence line. I'll try and get back there today and see how it looks after this period of record rainfall.

Littlest Heroes

Perhaps one of the most difficult things a photographer can do is to participate in a program like Littlest Heroes. Our job is to capture moments in the lives of very ill children and their families, giving them the gift of priceless memories in the form of images. It's also one of the most rewarding things we can do.

I'm heading out shortly to do my first Littlest Heroes photo shoot for 2010.