Interesting times

It's been over a week since I last posted here and a month since I started the course. Life is a combination of learning, practicing, and observing... and living. I'm sure I'm working harder here than in my old job but it just doesn't seem like work. The weeks seem to merge into each other since I'm out and about taking pictures for much of my spare time.

We aren't even restricted to daytime. Over the past month I've been out with 5 fellow students and a toy duck doing ghost shots in a graveyard till well after midnight. I've been out taking star trail photos till well after 1 a.m. I've been doing my own ghosting pictures in the kitchen here till 2 a.m. with flash and coloured gels. We've set off at unearthly hours to photograph the sunrise and stayed out late to take sunsets. I do sleep, by the way.

Sunset at Ninepipes

Today has been a catching-up-on-things day. I've caught up on sleep, laundry, cleaning, and grocery shopping. I've made great strides on cataloguing my photos. I'm even catching up on my blog.

Swan Lake... mozzi heaven! 

Summit Lake

The scenery in Montana is rather nice... awesome is the word most often used. The weather is  pleasantly warm pretty much all the time now... very warm by UK standards but I've adjusted to it. I hope I continue to acclimatise because it will get hotter as the summer progresses.

It hasn't all been about admiring sunsets and scenery. There was a hot rod gathering in Missoula last weekend with the main street blocked to normal traffic as some mighty fine cars paraded (or in some cases almost drag-raced) past the crowds.  I've been into shops taking photos of things... knitting yarn is colourful stuff when you look at it closely. I've photographed a neighbour's yard... he makes sculptures out of scrap metal. Mostly though I've been photographing one particular building in town as part of a project I'm working on.

Then there was the small matter of a rodeo. The Augusta Rodeo was something of a revelation to me. You can get a really close view sitting one the ground right next to the fence, lens poking out into the arena.  You also get showered with dirt when the action gets too close. The first thing I did before uploading photos next day was to get the vacuum cleaner out and clean all the dust from my camera and camera bag.  Luckily I followed advice and did not change lenses at the arena!

Panning shot during barrel racing

Barrel racing

Man tries to stay on... horse tries to throw him off

Clowns... not just for fun, these folk are there for rider safety too

When you've been riding since age 3 you can do this kind of trick

Getting ready to ride

Staying on is no easy matter

RMSP students getting ready to shoot 

In contrast to the wide open spaces, this week has seen the start of studio photography. The school has a studio area with 7 separate shooting bays and a pile of high quality equipment. I had a great time experimenting with the different lighting techniques we have started to cover in class.

More than learning to use a camera or light an object in the studio, this week for me has been about learning to be a photographer as much anything else... even about just learning to be.  With so many talented photographers about, both students and staff, it is easy to fall into the trap of comparing your work with others. I'm not the only one who is treading this path of self discovery and it's not something anyone can teach you, so it's good to help and encourage each other when we can. But once the penny drops and you become comfortable in your own skin, so to speak, it is very liberating and brings a greater freedom creatively.

Star Trails over Missoula

(This post written on 3rd July but posted, it seems, on UK time... hence 4th July date stamp)