Shuford Gym’s 50th
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
Shuford Gymnasium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne College is celebrating its 50th birthday this week. The events will end with the Bears' game on Saturday against Catawba College.
Signs Still Rolling
Signs of the Times: Linda Mayo
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
My "Signs of the Times" project is still rolling forward. I posted my photo for week #6 today. The photo here is one of my outtakes in the collection I shot today.
I spent about two hours this afternoon down at Glenn Hilton Park. I carried the camera bag and dry-erase board with me. Instead of me searching out people to approach for this project, I sat out at the end of the elevated walkway and just waited for people to stroll by. I would simply ask how they were doing and, if I got a response, I would tell them who I was and explain my photography project. Linda Mayo (pictured here) was the first person I asked to participate. She thought it was an interesting idea, so I photographed her with her Party Poodle "Buttons". The next couple that strolled by wasn't interested in participating, but they did talk my ear off for a while about politics :) The next group of people who came by wanted to participate, and the following group did not. I was rejected twice today. The rejection isn't much of an issue. I just thank them for hearing me out and wish them a good day.
This project is developing into more than a Photo-A-Week project for me. I'm going to be spending a lot of time shooting sports this week, so I may carry the dry-erase board with me a few nights and get some extra photos.
The Final Resting Place…
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
The Unites States Navy decommissioned the F-14 Tomcat on October 4, 2006. The Sabre Society of North Carolina acquired the actual LAST plane to fly in service. This Tomcat was part of a squadron on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. This aircraft has become part of a museum in Hickory, North Carolina along with several other fighter jets that span the jet age in the US Military.
Newton-Conover Advances
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
The Newton-Conover Red Devils wrestling team advanced another level in the Dual Team State Tournament this evening by defeating Mt. Pleasant and Mitchell.
The first match against Mt. Pleasant was really the best of the evening. Newton-Conover trailed nearly the entire match. The Red Devlis were down by 5 points with only the 215 pound match left to go. They needed a pin to win the match, and they got it for a one-point victory over Mt. Pleasant...
Mt. Everest
The Catwaba Valley Camera Club enjoyed a special visit this evening from photographer Jeff Botz. On several occasions, Jeff has made the trip into Nepal and Tibet to make photos of Mt. Everest and the surrounding mountains from the base camp at 18,000 feet. Jeff is an expert printer, so I can't really begin to describe the beauty of these majestic prints.The significance of this exhibit goes beyond the photography. When you think about it, the trip itself to Everest base camp is a major undertaking. It's a real trial of human endurance just to get that far. I have seen shows on the National Geographic channel recently about Everest base camp and those who ascend to the peak. It's not a good idea for fat people like myself :) So, once you get an idea of the journey and its difficulty, imagine the added burden of carrying an 8x10 view camera, tripod, and all the associated gear along with you. It adds up to over 70 pounds of equipment in addition to your survival gear.Jeff used a term in his lecture tonight that has stuck with me...
"Ecclesiastically beautiful..."
As I think about this phrase, I also think about how insignificant one could feel while standing in this landscape.
So you wanna buy me a gift?
Here is my Christmas / Birthday / Cinco de Mayo / St. Patty's Day / MLK Day / any other reason you can think of to buy me a gift wishlist. I have included items that will fit into any budget :)
Canon EOS 1D Mark II N Camera - $3,449.95
This is the camera I really need to be using for sports photography. It shoots at 8 frames per second and won't let me miss the action because I'm watching something I shouldn't be.
Canon EOS 5D - $2,799.95
This is the camera I would prefer to use for my artistic endeavors. It has a full-frame sensor and 12 megapixels for making larger prints.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS Lens - $3,750.00
This is the lens I need for most of my outdoor sports shooting. This is the primary piece of equipment that separates my images from those shot by the real photographers :)
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L Lens - $1,749.00
This is probalby the sweetest lens on the market for shooting portraits, and various other things that I shoot regularly. These two lenses I have listed here are the only lenses I want that I don't already have.
Canon ZR-850 Mini DV Camcorder - $329.00
I would like to expand my horizons slightly by shooting a little video and doing some video editing.
Adobe Premier Elements v3 - $99.95
I need this software to get started editing video after I get the video camera.
Canon PowerShot G7 Digital Camera - $587.95
I need a small point and shoot camera to take with me when I don't want to lug my big camera bag.
Epson Stylus Pro 4800 Inkjet Printer - $1,819.95
I want to upgrade my printing capabilities to the larger sizes that this printer handles. I currently have to mail order printing for sizes over 12x18.
Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Meter - $259.00
I need a light meter for metering flash in my art photography efforts.
Sandisk 4GB Ultra II Compact Flash Memory Card - $102.95
I need a larger memory card for my camera so I can keep shooting before I have to download to the computer.
B&H Photo Gift Card - Any Denomination
B&H Photo in New York is my favorite place to buy camera gear. Their service is outstanding, and their prices are great. I have spent a small fortune with them in the last four years.
Subscription to Sports Illustrated - $47.60
I enjoy browsing Sports Illustrated. I never read the articles, but I do look at the pictures :)
Subscription to Camera Arts Magazine - $22.00
This is one of the magazines that inspires my artistic photography efforts...
My shipping address is:
John M. Setzler, Jr.
1089 19th Ave. Pl. N.W.
Hickory, NC 28601
828-234-3557
Happy shopping :)
Personally Expressive Art
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
My favorite photography magazine is LensWork. I have been a faithful reader of this magazine for about four years. The magazine is a wonderful journey into the realm of creativity through the examination of brief collections of photos. I am continually inspired by what I see and read within the pages of this bi-monthly publication.
Brooks Jensen, the editor of LensWork Magazine, publishes a great podcast as well. "LensWork - Photography and the Creative Process" is available on iTunes (free) and it's one of the regular podcasts I listen to each week. Brooks spends a few minutes in each podcast commenting on photography and the creative process behind it.
In a recent podcast entitled "Photography as a Personally Expressive Art," Mr. Jensen digs into the ideas that seem to form barriers between certain groups of photographers. Some photographers want their results to show the world exactly as they see it while others choose to take creative steps towards making a photograph into what they want it to be rather than the reality they see before them. One particular quote in this podcast sticks with me:
"But if photography is art, it's not about what's in front of you. It's about what's inside of you."
Instead of trying to expand on this, I think I'll just leave it as is...
Global Warming
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
I have a photo assignment tomorrow from the newspaper that seems a bit odd, and quite difficult at the same time. They are running a feature story on Sunday about the issues of global warming since it has been in the mainstream news a lot lately. One of our reporters did some man-on-the-street interviews asking people around town how they felt about global warming. I’m sure Local Joe’s response is going to be part of this article.
The same reporter cut a photo assignment which tells me to go out to one of the local parks tomorrow and photograph people out enjoying the weather… maybe jogging or walking their dogs. It’s supposed to be somewhat sunny here tomorrow. The problem is that the temperature won’t be above 40 degrees. This is the coldest week we have had here all winter, but it’s the week we are going to do a story on global warming. In fact, we just had our first snow and ice of the season yesterday morning. Any people I find outside tomorrow aren’t going to look warm enough to represent any idea of global warming.
In this situation, a photo illustration might be in order. The problem is that time is limited. The photo is due in about 20 hours…
I guess we’ll see what can be done in short time….
Hot Stove Banquet
Originally uploaded by John Setzler.
As a brief carryover from yesterday, I did get a snow day out of school today. We have an ever-so-slight dusting of snow and everything shut down. All the local schools and probably most schools in western North Carolina east of interstate 77 took the day off... Now I have extra time to study for a Spanish and Anatomy & Physiology exam that I was scheduled to take today...
I was invited to the Hot Stove Banquet tonight by the Hickory Crawdads. The 'Dads welcomed a new manager. Gary Green will be holding the reigns of the shellfish this season. Gary came from Lynchburg's high-A affiliate (Pittsburgh Pirates). He sorta swapped places with Jeff Branson in Hickory. Gary discussed some of the potential players we will have in Hickory this year. I'm a bit concerned, but we'll see what happens starting in April...
The highlight of tonight's banquet was our keynote speaker, Kent Tekulve. Kent was a relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Kent was also a member of the 1979 World Series Champion Pittsburgh Pirates. Kent told some intriguing stories about his baseball career, and talked about how important the Hickory low-A franchise is to the Pirates organization. The current Pirates roster has 25 members who started out in Hickory.
The food was good too :)