Just Ahead

Have you ever been on a road trip and you see a sign for a place that you spontaneously want to check-out? Seems like a neat idea, right? After all, the sign says that such and such is "just ahead"? Won't take much time at all, right?

Umm, wrong! Ends up that gas station, McDonalds or other place of interest that was "just ahead", turns out to be MILES upon MILES ahead.

That's exactly what happened to me yesterday. I was out for just a casual drive in an area I had never been before and I happened upon a sign for a place called "Historic Brattonsville".

Now, I happen to love history. No, i'm not a history buff, but I do appreciate the fact that it's a good idea to educate oneself on this country's history when ever possible. Not to mention, historic landmarks make for great photography.

So, after about 15 minutes, I finally make it to this place that was "just ahead".

You know, it was worth the trip. If you ever find yourself in the Rock Hill, SC area, make a pit stop. Just make sure you have a full tank of gas. :)

Bogging It

Well if you didn't notice, this is like the 3rd entry in 3 days, which is for sure a record over the last 6 months. The reason? Well, at least for now, this is going to be the place where I will post the more recent pictures I take that I actually like. Another benefit, it will force me to write a little something about it. And you know, I actually enjoy coming back and re-reading what I wrote and correct all the dam typo's. :)

This shot was taken last week on a trip to Boston. For the first time I spent a couple of nights with my brother Derek and his lovely wife Lori.

A little about this shot. It was taken on the way back from Plymouth, MA. I was actually in a bit of a rush to get back to house as I had promised to make dinner. While driving along we passed a cranberry bog that was being harvested. Now i'm not totally sure "harvested" is the term for it, but either way, it looked interesting. From a photography perspective, the time of day couldn't have been better.

I quickly pulled the car over to a safe spot. Although the car was safe, you should have seen us trying to cross the street. It was a winding road with a speed limit of something like 55mph.

Well either way, the shot was worth it.

Bodypump 66

All of us are aware of the need of including physical fitness in our weekly routine, yet the priority it places varies by individual.

For me, for that last few years anyway, physical fitness has placed pretty high. I think the reason is that I have seen the benefits it brings, which for me, is as much mentally as physically. Of course, it's so much easier to keep a routine if it's something that's as much fun as it is work. That's why it is so important to find something that works for you, something you enjoy.

What seems to work for me is a combination of an individual routine I have developed in conjunction with group fitness.

A program that was offered at my local gym is one developed by Les Mills, which offers a number of different group fitness programs. The one I have stuck with is BodyPump.

I can truly say, no other fitness routine has quite worked as well and provided such amazing results in such a short period of time. Let me just say though, it does not come without some serious commitment and work. And I mean sweat-dripping off the elbows work.

Besides the obvious physical benefits, I have also met some great people at the gym that have become some really wonderful friends. And, it just so happens that they they are instructors, thus they are constantly correcting my posture and technique so I get the most from the investment.

Now the way the program is designed, every 3 months a new release comes out that changes both the work-out routine and music. Each launch is kind of a big deal, in that the instuctors have to train pretty hard for it, so there is a little bit of excitment around it.

So, we thought it would be nice to do some photography on the night of the launch to make it a little more festive. Let me say, some of the shots were just awesome, mostly because it is a venue you just don't get to shoot very often.

Fine Dining

Those that know me know I don't make a big deal out of eating out. Sure, I enjoy going out for a well cooked meal, but more important than the food, is the experience. The laughs and conversation that come from those you dine with, especially with those you truly care about.

Last week I spent some time in Boston and with the boys. We went out to eat almost every night, and you know, we could have been at McDonald's and it would have been awesome.

Well as it has it, we ended up as The Cheesecake Factory and it was truly "fine dining".

People Appreciation

First of all, I can't believe another year has passed. What makes me realize just how quickly they go is annual events such as the HP Hood Quarter Century Club luncheon. I am pretty sure I have blogged about this before, but basically this is the annual luncheon to honor those employees who have worked or worked at HP Hood for 25 or more years.

This year marked the 6th year that I have been the official photographer for this event. There are so many things that make this event special, but first and foremost is the fact that I get to see so many people I worked with for years all in one place.

There was a rather sad moment though. The odd thing is that what I am about to share seems to have bothered me more this year, although I am sure it is something I probably should have noticed every year I attended.

A highlight of the event is placing the pictures out on a designated table of shots taken the previous year. Believe me, this is truly a highlight of the day. The very first thing that an attendee does, right after slapping on their name tag, is run (well walk, slowly) over to "the table" to look and see how many pictures they can find with them in it. Well, toward the end of the event, yet while everyone was having their dessert, I walked over to the table to look at what pictures could be handed out to those that may be in attendance but did not get a chance to pick up their picture.

As I glanced over the shots, I noticed some pictures of people and their name tags. I picked up one of the booklets for the event which has a page or two of names of folks who died during the last year. How sad it was to be holding in one hand pictures of people who's names where in that booklet.

It surely does put things into perspective. For me, it reminds me of one of the reasons I truly love photography.

World Traveler! NOT..

I am definently NOT a world traveler, but the last few years I have made my way to places that I would not have thought I would every get to.

Part of the reason I get around a little more is because I have become a little more savy with how to get a good deal on places to stay and how to get there.

To further finding tips on getting around, I joined a new site today, TripAdvisor. Here is the map of some of the places I have been.

So, where have you been?

1. Boston, MA, USA


2. Washington DC, DC, USA

• View my profile


• Create your own travel map or travel blog


• Travel Info at TripAdvisor

BodyPump

For the last year I have been a member of Lifestyle Family Fitness in Apex, NC. This is a fabulous gym with the latest fare at a gym, cardio, free weights and machines.

But the thing that really makes this gym, at least in my opinion, is the Les Mills Group Fitness program they host, of which BodyPump is one.

This is full top to bottom weight resistance training that is a 60 minute workout to music . It is awesome..... and more than anything else I have done, it delivers results!!

This pictures is a headshot taken for one of the instructors, Antoine. Now Antoine is in shape and dedicated to keeping it that way...

I hope he likes the headshot as I don't want to see him angry! :)

Yet Another First

This past weekend I attended my very first NASCAR race in Dover, DE. Now this is normally not something I would likely even think of attending unless it was very very easy too.

So, how did I end up there? Well, the company I work for sponsored the race and asked me to attend to do the photography stuff. You know, the usual type of thing, grab shots of the signage that could be used in promo material and newsletters.

Turned out though that I ended up having a wonderful time. But one thing is for sure, I probably won't ever be able to attend a race and just sit in the stands. I mean really, how can you go from having a press pass that pretty much allowed me access to anywhere on the track, including the roof when the F16's did the fly by. Heck, I even got pictures of the pilots the night before.. And no, they weren't drinking.. :), at least not as I remember it. :) I even got a shot of the mechanics. Now they WHERE drinking. :)

I have to say a special thanks to Mark Rossi of Dover Motor Sports. If it was not for him, I would not have been able to get the access to many of the shots I took. Mark, if you ever come across this blog, THANK YOU!



One frustrating thing was that I really knew no one.. I mean not even one driver. I have to say, it was slightly embarrassing.

I ended up with over 300+ usable images from the race, so, you can be sure that you will be seeing more..

Quinch Your Thirst

ya, ya, ya.... I know, it's been a long time since I posted any entries on the blog. Worse, is that since I changed my flickr account, which happens to be where all the old images where linked in from, most of the pictures that went with the text for the previous entries is now history. Someday I will spend the time and upload what is now missing.

Yesterday I spend sometime with my Canon 60mm Macro lens taking shots of some of the little critters hanging outside. Where I happened to be standing there were a lot of ants, black and red around.

Now you know ants, they don't stand still for even a second, so i had to come up with a way to slow them down, at least long enoght to get a shot.

What to do, what to do??

Not having any food handy I opted on pouring out a certain someone's Sierra Mist. Sure enough, that stopped this little red ant in it's track.

I have to say, I was very surprised at how much they like this stuff, but then again, with 39 grams of sugar, who wouldn't? Well, actually, I wouldn't.. I hate this stuff...

Now where is my Diet Coke? :)

Good'ole Local Fun

It seems to me, that some people, have a hard time with figuring out things to do, yet for others, they seem to have every moment planned.

My problem , is that I wait to the last second to make plans. Now granted, being flexible by not having a rigid schedule has it's benefits, especially when a friend would call up and invite us to Cape Cod for the weekend. Guess what, we where usually able to go because we had no other plans that were definite. But, in most cases, I have learned it is far better to have something lined up. Because if you don't, well, the weekends go by very quick.

Well, I have really changed. I am a stickler about making sure I have something lined up each and weekend. There is nothing worse than to have a weekend go by and having nothing to talk about come Monday. For me, worse still is having no pictures to look back on.

So, this leads to how much one can usually find to do their own backyard. Personally, I have found a ton to do, both when I was living in Boston and here in North Carolina too.

Take for instance First Friday, which just happens to be the first Friday of every month. On that Friday there is a Art Walk in downtown Raleigh. Now granted, there is not a lot to photograph, unless of course you are into street photography, which I am..

For this shot above I held the camera at my side and went *click*. Trust me, there was zero skill to this one, it was pure luck, but, it paid off. Ya, I took others, but this was my favorite...

I think the next few post will be things I did recently local to where I live. Perhaps it just may give you an idea of what to do this weekend...

Oh, by the way, total cost for this night? Twelve bucks for dinner, beer included! :)

Ten Pin & Team-work

I just returned from attending our HP Hood National Sales Meeting, it was my first since moving into the Sales Department from IT.

Now, there is a lot I could write here, but I will keep it with-in the bounds of photography.

There is no doubt about it, no Hood Event has likely ever been better photographed than this event, from start to finish. If you want to see for yourself heard on over to candidcaptures.com and take a peek at the "In the Spotlight" section. Click on the very first event and take a look at the well over 150 shots I have posted so far.

Every moment of the 3 days was full of either meetings or other social activities. On Tuesday we where invited to Dave & Busters for some Team Building. I have to say, this was a lot of fun. As you can see, bowling was a part of it.

Now to be honest, I LOVE to bowl, BUT, I am from New England and in New England it is more likely you bowl Candlepin, not Ten Pin. For those that are not aware, Candlepin is a small ball with tall skinny pins that resemble candles.

So, you should have seen me with this 8 or 9 lb ball... Not so graceful, we will leave it at that.. The good thing, I was able to take a bunch of really fun photos..

This one here is likely my favorite of the evening.

People Watching

I don't take my camera with me as much as I should. A great friend of mine is so good, she takes heres EVERYWHERE and has wonderful pictures to prove it. I think I just get lazy.

One of these days I am going to get myself a another Lumix as when I had my last one I seemed to make sure it was with me at all times. But then again, I would get this great shot and because it was not taken with a camera as good as one of my dSLR's I would get pissed for not making the effort..

Well last night I went out for dessert with my friend and had the camera and took several shots I was happy with..

This here was at the CheeseCake Factory, a place I normally love.. BUT, they ran out of my dessert, Black-Out cake. Actually they sent a hostess over to me to let me know it was still frozen..

O well, it still was a wonderful night!

Runway of Red

Runway of Red
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

The blog has been very much a after thought lately as work has been very busy. There is surely a pattern in the corporate world. You can count on it being very quite the last week and a half of December and it even overflows to the first week of January, as everyone is likely using up their vacation time. But, after that, it just gets nuts.

Suddenly the things that you were supposed to do by the end of the year, requested by people that you had actually began to think forgot they requested it, now start DEMANDING it.... After all, the holidays are OVER...

So, because of this, things like photography and blogging get put on the back burner....

But it is Saturday and I am scrambling to finish a presentation for Nashville and I needed to take a break... Meaning time for 2 pictures and 1 blog entry.. .

Who knows when the next one will be...

Oh, and if you are wondering if this is a SP, no, it is not... Can't you tell by the hair? Or should I say, just the presence of it? :)

Vacation

2

A Good Time
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

This month I am spending a lot of time in Boston. The timing could not really be better with it being around the holidays because there is a lot of activity many people I know are off.

Because I gave advance notice that I would be heading into town, something I can't always do when traveling for business, I was able to plan several different activities.

Just so happens that I had mentioned to a friend of mine, Paul, who now manages a bar/restuarant called T-Bones in Plymouth, that I would be in town. He was a little excited as he had a Winter Wonderland Dance Party planned that he thought would be a great event to get some pictures of. Ended up that he could not have been more right...

The dance was on a Wednesday night, so to be honest, I just was not sure how "fun" it would be. Well it turned out it was awesome. And, it just so happens that not only did I have a great time, but I also brought my brother Derek with me. You see, my brother and I don't really ever get to hang out much. In fact, since Derek had his 2 children, he just doesn't get out that much. So this ended up being a pretty fun night for him.

Something else I learned that I just have to share is that even though a person has almost NO photography experience, it is possible to take amazing pictures.

How do I know this?

Well Derek did not really like standing around doing nothing while I shot pictures of pretty girls dancing. So much so, right in the middle of me shooting, he runs up to me and says "give me that thing... that thing is a babe magnet"..

Funny thing, in a way, he was right... girls like to have their picture taken, especially with their friends.

Part of my success with event photography has absolutly NOTHING to do with the ability to take a good picture, rather it is the ability to MAKE a good picture. The trick with event photography is to get people to feel good about having their picture taken. This happens to be something that Derek is VERY good at. He knows how to get a person to smile, laugh and do other crazy things..

So, the lesson learned: don't get too hung up on this or that feature of a camera but rather figure out how to get someone to relax and just be themselves... Do that and you will have some of the best shots you will ever take. That is how I felt after doing this event.

If you would like to see some of the other shots taken at this event you can visit my website at www.candidcaptures.com. Under "In the Spotlight" are the pictures from T-Bones.

When Things Just Don't Go Right

When Things Just Don't Go Right
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Well the time had come, time for that very extended trip to Boston at years end. At first I had planned to drive but then, as the trip got closer, the thought of spending that many hours in a car by myself round-trip was not all that appealing. Couple that with the thought of doing the drive in snow, I think I will pass, and I did.

What made the decision easy was that I had a 400.00 credit with Delta for a previous trip when I allowed them to bump me off a flight. So basically when yo factored in the cost of driving, gas, tolls, oil change, time, in exchange for the rental car I would need in Boston, it was all a wash. And, no wear & tear on my car.

BUT, there was one little problem. My flight in was on the day a Northeaster hit Boston and my flight was cancelled. They did rebook me for a later flight, but when I finally touched down at Logan and when to get my baggage, well, look at the shot. There were bags EVERYWHERE.... and worse, not a single one was mine. Yup, my bag, well, it was 'lost'....Fortunately not for long as I had it back by 5pm the next day.

Still, no matter, flying was by far the best option. Granted, the skies are not always so friendly but they sure are fast...

Working Remote

20D_121946_2160
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

For those that don't know, I have worked for the same company, HP Hood LLC, for a very long time. As far as employers go, you probably won't find one much better. Is it a perfect work environment, of course not, no place is.

Personally, Hood has been very good to me. I say this because when I started way back in the late 80's I started as a truck driver. The reason I took this position was prior to that I had worked for UPS as a supervisor on the early, and i mean early as in 1am early, shift loading the brownie trucks, as their called.

The job, delivering milk at the wee hours of the morning, allowed me to make a pretty good living for a guy my age, but more importantly it allowed me to be home in the late morning / early afternoon. This allowed me to opt to take overtime, which there was almost always, or to go out and enjoy the afternoons.

This proved to be awesome once Ryan came along because most days during the summer, while the average dad was still had hours left to the workday, we where probably already at the beach soaking up the sun and taking pictures of him running along the beach.

The real neat thing is that we have literally hundreds of photos like that.

So, you maybe wondering where I am going with this. Basically my point is this, that the company I have worked at for the last 19 years has really been a wonderful place. From the days when I started as a driver, then a logistics analyst to the Data Warehouse Manager, an Applications Manager and finally to my current position of Senior Business Analyst. All along it has been a rewarding ride. But not to go unmentioned is the fact that all along the way I have worked with truly awesome people, like the three in today's post.

Let me introduce them, from the left is Peter who I hired in 2006 to replace me as the Data Warehouse guru, Toni who worked in HR at the time when I managed our HR/Payroll application. She is a blast to hang out with! And Mike, who has grown to be a very good friend.

These three and many others like them, are one of the reasons that HP Hood is a success and a wonderful place to work. I realize this now more than ever since in my current position I work from a home office and am not surrounded by my associates to the degree I used to be.

What this means is that I appreciate them all the more..

Second Pass

Empty
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

So you bought a digital camera and you are now clicking away at rates you have never dreamed possible. After all, it is now virtually "free" to take a shot, so you might as well take 4 of everything. Right? Right!

Well 4 may be excessive, but sure, go ahead and take two, after all, thats what the pro's do just in case an eye is closed our you caught someone in a quirky smile.

The thing is, with all the clicking that generates more pictures, that means you have to sift through each and every one, and quite frankly, just because you can take more pictures does not mean you will have any more good ones than you did before.

I too am have a bunch of photos to sift through at the end of a day when I actually take my camera out and about with me. Sometime, yes sometimes, with all the pictures that I have on my hard drive, little gems get mixed in with the really bad stuff. So a habit I have gotten into is to go back and do a "second pass" to revisit older shots and see if there is anything I missed that may be salvageable but missed the first time around.

This shot here, with the swing, is one I nearly missed the first time around and once I posted it has become one of my most favavorite shots this year.

Lesson learned, don't DELETE and give a second passto your photos.... you just may be surprised at what you find.

Weekends

Taking Aim
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

Is it really Monday morning, but wasn't yesterday Friday? Gosh the weekends go by quickly.

Maybe it is because I had company come in this weekend or because I actually feel like I got things accomplished and at the sametime was relaxed.

It all started Friday night with company and I going out to a nice local bar for dinner in a rather trendy part of Raleigh. Saturday we went to Chapil Hill then to my favorite mall, The Streets at Southpoint.

Sunday, made breakfast at home then, well, more shopping; of course. Now normally I don't do this kind of malling, but with my cousin Juli visiting, it was all about her. Juli is from Newport, NC and apparently they just don't have the selection of stores we do so she was like a kid in a candy shoppe... :)

Nothing to do? Then Meetup.com!

I am not one to really have a problem figuring where to go or what to do, I am about as much of an extrovert as you will ever meet. In fact, I totally "thrive" on meeting new people. A little known fact; for the longest time I had a daily goal; meet 2 new people each day. I don't mean just "meet", I mean MEET, actually get at least their first name. You know, I met that goal most of the time.

The problem is trying to meet people in a totally new place where everything is so spread out is tough. Now, add to that the fact that I work out of a home office and work a pretty long day. Well, it does not give much of a chance to even bump into someone, except at Panera, which by the way is a GREAT place to meet folks.

So, the solution, MeetUp.com. That's right, MeetUp.com. This is a site where you can search for groups of people who have commmon interests. Water skiing? there is a group. Knitting, yup, there is a group for that too. Like to go hiking, join your local hiking group.

Each group has organizers who take time out of their busy schedules to figure out things to do and plan it. In most cases all you have to do is show up. What a concept!

Now based on the area that your live, there may be more groups and activities, but I would be surprised if there wasn't something near you.

So, I joined 4 different groups and since doing so my email box gets hit everyday with a new event being planned. In fact, there is no way I could EVER keep up with all the events, heck, I would go broke!!

This past weekend I attended a Singles group dance party. To be totally honest, I am single and have no intention of dating right now, I just wanted to be out and have some fun. As you can probably guess from todays picture, everyone had fun. The group was looking for people to do the photography, so I volunteered. What the heck, it would give me something to do, right? I even got to hide behind the camera all night. Meeting people was no problem at all, in fact, I met more goal of 2 a day and am covered for the next 2 months. :)

So, if your Saturdays come and go and you have not had any fun, or you are missing out on your favorite activity because you don't know anyone else that enjoys doing the same thing, check out MeetUp.com...

If you do, or you have used this, leave a comment, I would love to hear your experience.

Want to see more pictures? Go to Candid Captures and enter the Client Proofing area. Enter in "meetups" as the password.. By the way, the music playing will be the band that played that night..

This is why!

DO NOT SIT HERE!
Originally uploaded by :shawn:

So now I know why people go south. Today it was in the 20's here in Boston, in Raleigh, 50... So what does this mean? Well, the white stuff is pretty and all, but driving on ice covered roads, especially black ice, is a pain in the a**.

Plus, EVERYONE I know has a cold. In fact, I can't tell you how many years in a row I have been sick around this time, yet, no one I know in NC has a cold.

This may just be the reason to stay the winter in North Carolina.