2013 In Review

[Runmonty]

Thanks for taking us on your inspirational journey with you. I admire your passion and agree that the journey (however one may decide to define that for themselves) is what is great.

P.S. Lovin' those roadside lightning shots.

[jjeling]

Thanks Monty. It is a difficult thing to wrestle with sometimes. Although I find myself happy with where I am at right now. I think I could push myself a little harder. I doubt that I am the first one to come to terms with this so I thought I would share some of what I've been dealing with over the past year. Maybe someone agrees with me, maybe some don't. Hopefully this opens up some conversation as to how people have dealt with it and how they feel they've overcome their struggles. In the meantime, it gives me a way to share what I've seen and experienced and perhaps it will open up some creative avenues or ideas for me.

[Marko]

Thx for sharing this story jjelling.
really liking the roadside lightning shots as well and those lovely road sunsets.

[Iguanasan]

And I agree, this is a great story and some wonderful images. "If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." - Jim Richardson, RICHARDSON PHOTOGRAPHY

[aubintbay]

Awesome photos and great story. Those lightning shots are great. I love the tail lights, lightning and reflected lightning on your car all in one shot....awesome!

[jjeling]

As the final stop before making it home, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is my favorite place to be East of the Mississippi River. It truly is a different world from the rest of every other place I know. In the winter, they receive over 20ft of snow in most places. The other reason, being on the south side of Lake Superior, it offers an uninhibited view north for an excellent view of the Aurora Borealis when the conditions are ideal. Unfortunately, having been up there half a dozen times now, Ive only witnessed the green glow and not the dancing light show that many of you in Canada might be familiar with. The thing about the Upper Peninsula is it offers a sense of serenity not found here at home, or even the lower peninsula of Michigan. They have some of the most beautiful beaches and scenery, it also has a plethora of waterfalls. With this being the second trip in less than a year where I traveled alone for over 4.5k miles in less than 10 days, I felt like my passion for photography was finally validated. Not that its necessary, but I've found that more than anything else, it gives me the ability to share my experiences in life that most people in the will not be able to experience. It seems as though we as photographers have that duty in general. I truly believe that photographers who do this specifically for their own enjoyment, see things in a different way than most commercial photographers. Its nothing against the commercial photographer, I wish I could do it for a living, but then the joy gained from photography would be severely diminished. Taking pictures for pure joy naturally lends itself to more creative images and images that can be enjoyed by more than the singular intended audience. Not everyone has the abilities that we have as experienced photographers to be aware of our composition and can afford to be a little more creative. But EVERYONE can look at an image and enjoy it in one way or another. So many thoughts are provoked while traveling alone for such long periods of time, and over long distances, but revisiting the trips and realizing how each one has impacted you has just as much power as the trip itself. Not everyone can do the things that we do, and its our responsibility to share with the world the way we view things.