Blog

I learned to use a telephoto lens for landscape photography early on in my photography life. I was working at St Mary Lodge at the eastern end of Glacier National Park in Montana during the summer of 1970... yes, I AM that old!! It was the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college. (I attended Chico State College in California, in case you are curious!) I had my plastic Instamatic camera, the first camera in my young life, and I was walking along the shore of Upper St Mary Lake with some new friends in early June. Everyone working at the lodge (with a couple of exceptions) were college students from various cities and states, mostly the upper Mid-West. There was still a lot of snow on the mountains all around the lake, and it was my first experience in such a gorgeous mountain setting outside of my native northern California.

One of the guys had an East German camera, a totally manual mechanical masterpiece called the Praktica. He had enough knowledge to know how to adjust for the light, and he had a couple of lenses. One was a 200mm metal heavyweight, which he attached to the camera body. After he took a few pictures, he handed the camera to me to take a look through the viewfinder. What I saw changed my life!! It was my first look through an SLR camera, as well as my first look through a telephoto lens. What a revelation!!! He explained how the camera worked in as simple a way as possible for this awe-struck boy!! I was at that moment HOOKED on photography, even though I had no idea at that moment what my next step would be. What was presented to me by my new college buddy was a piece of a mountain range pulled up close by that telephoto lens. To me it was a dream and I was wide awake!!

The rest of this story will be revealed in upcoming posts, so stay tuned :)

Now, most photographers use standard to wide-angle lenses to capture landscape scenes. It's logical because our eyes see what the camera 'sees' at approximately 50-55mm. As we turn our heads to take in magnificent landscapes, we naturally see what a wide-angle lens would 'see'... and as photographers we want to capture that feeling in our images. And there's certainly nothing wrong with that approach -- I've been capturing images that way for many years. BUT, because of my early experience referred to above, I almost always look at any scene with a telephoto lens as well. If you look at the photo entitled "Cold Days Warm Hearts in Southern Oregon" referenced at the top of this blog (and linked to below), you'll see an example of a landscape captured with a telephoto lens; in this case with a full frame equivalent of a 600mm lens. (I say 'equivalent' because I use a Micro 4/3 camera system, which I'll delve into in a subsequent blog post.) In a standard view (50mm) the mountains would be a very small part of the overall image, and nothing special at all. But by attaching a telephoto to the camera, I was able to pull that mountain scene out of the overall view. A little work in the computer to sharpen and bring out certain details finished it for uploading.

Where I was standing, there was the sidewalk I was following flanked on both sides by streets, houses, trees, power poles, cars, and people. Yet by pulling out that mountain scene with the long telephoto, you would never know about any of the distracting elements all around me! Sometimes we as photographers have to create something out of almost nothing. This was one of those occasions.

I'll talk about the lens I used, as well as the system I'm using these days, in a blog to follow shortly.

Thanks for reading! Share this with friends if you're so inclined -- and stay tuned for a lot more personal insights coming this way soon :)

I really fell off the wagon regarding my BLOG!! This year I "PROMISE" to do at least ONE entry per week. I'll be discussing my camera equipment, my style, how I approach different photographic subjects, and reveal 'secrets' from my digital darkroom! So stay tuned for fun stuff!! :)

We're now in late winter, and spring is fast approaching. One of my favorite photo subjects is the SKY! I do a lot of time lapse because my new camera system makes it easy to do 'simple' time lapse sequences. The fun is getting the sequences into the computer and playing with them -- adding music, combining sequences, etc. I'll guide you to my Facebook page to see these as I put them up. Again, stay tuned!

Also, I love finding small vignettes of the season, no matter which season, to capture with my camera, then maximize on the computer. Such is the image accompanying this blog. The last light of dusk was hitting the cumulus cloud above me, so I captured it. A little digital magic enhanced the color and mood of the moment. I'll take you through my process in coming blogs. Maybe it will help you, or maybe you have processes much more evolved than what I'm doing!! If so, I REALLY want to hear from you! I'm a perpetual student of this craft, for sure!

Well, that's all for now, but I'll be back with more 'stuff' in the very near future! Thanks for reading :)

Yeah, it's been WAY too long since I've contributed to my own blog! During December I had a 13-piece exposition of my Grants Pass photography on the walls of the Barnstormer's Theatre here in GP. It was well received -- and Sarine and I just finished putting up those same photos (done in metallic finish without glass in the frames) in our booth downtown. Sure makes for a great looking display!! Now we're just waiting for the doldrums to pass by and the spring influx of tourists and visitors to begin. I'm hoping I have predicted the desires of the public sufficiently to sell a few in the next month or two :)

Since it's now 2013, I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year. God Bless us all! Keep in touch... I certainly plan to :)

Yes, November is here, the cold weather is upon us... and the Holidays are approaching fast! Autumn is my favorite time of the year, followed closely by the Christmas season :) The colors, the food, the smells and the jolly attitudes of those I run into make this time of year really special! I just finished putting up a series of photographs called "Autumn Piano" that I hope you will take a look at. Music has always been a big part of my life, and now I'll put up a collection of music-oriented art pieces for your pleasure. Hope you like what's there now and what's to come.

I'm also preparing a group of 10 enlargements on metallic paper for a showing at Barnstormers Theatre here in Grants Pass during the month of December. The play is called "Our Town" and I will have a showing at the theatre during the show's run. My photograph also is on the cover of the program. If you're in town, come to the theatre and see "Our Town" -- I guarantee a good time at the theatre!! :)

Hey everyone! The Holiday Season is fast approaching! We went from high temps near 90 just a couple of weeks ago to our first snowfall on the hills around town last night... and it's doing it again tonight! We're getting a good start on our rainfall for the season :) At CareSource we're having out second art and craft sale later in November -- the planning starts tomorrow at noon. I'm about to put sale prices on my photography at "Special Creations" in downtown GP, and the most fun event to come my way this year will happen during the first couple of weeks in December -- an art show of MY work at Barnstormers Theatre here in Grants Pass!!! That's right, I get to put up 10 of my favorite photos depicting "Our Town" to go along with the play of the same name showing at that time :) My photography is even featured in the poster and program cover for this play -- I am so honored!! It's going to be a wonderful Christmas Season, and I hope you all can share in the fun, no matter where you are in the world!

Peace, my friends!! ~ Mick

I just learned that the Barnstormer's Theatre here in Grants Pass wants to feature my work -- specifically the Old Town -- in an exhibit to be held during the production of the play, "Our Town" later this fall. I am of course humbled and honored to be asked, and have accepted this call. I'll be studying the theatre with the director of the play this coming week to see what I need to do to prepare for this event. The plays generally run about two weeks, so that is how long the display will run as well. This will give me some much-appreciated publicity and perhaps drive a few folks to check out all my work online and in the store display at Special Creations. I sure hope some of YOU can attend the play and see the gallery :) I have more news in the works, so stay tuned!
~ Mick

Lots of new images have been uploaded... in fact, I'm well over the 500 mark now! Most folks who seem to be selling on FAA have at least 500 images to choose from. 1000+ would be better, but I'm not quite there yet! Even so, I have plenty of stock to work with to attain that level, so keep watching! New to my lineup at Custom Creations in downtown Grants Pass is my first photo book! It's an archival collection of photos from the Grants Pass area that is selling for $25, a real low price for a book of its quality. There's only one copy there now because two of the first three sold right away! If you're in the Grants Pass area, stop by the store at 6th and G and take a look! It's free to browse :) The artist side of me is gaining momentum... I'll have new pieces of original art on display in the near future, and photo copies of it online on FAA. Lot's going on, so stay tuned! And thanks for reading :) ~ Mick

Some local guys built rock cairns (balanced stones) in the shallows of the Rogue River just downstream from the Caveman Bridge here in Grants Pass just a few days ago. I ventured down to the river's edge to grab a few photos late Saturday and was rewarded with quite a few really nice images, some of which are now uploaded to FAA for YOU to see! Tell your friends -- these are really unique rock structures and there's a LOT of 'em in the river :) They are temporary -- the river (high water) and people (mostly kids and childish adults) will knock 'em down over the next few weeks until winter water arrives. If you live here (or near here), you ought to come down to the Caveman Bridge and take a look. Or, you can walk down to the river's edge at the south end of 5th Street where a path takes you right to them! A photo enlarged, framed and on your wall will certainly get a lot of comments!! :) [Tell your friends!!]

Stay tuned -- much more to come! Thanks for reading :) ~ Mick

I've just finished (for now) uploading old and unique autos, and am now concentrating on some of the historic buildings in downtown Grants Pass. Thanks to all of you who have visited the galleries on FAA -- keep visiting!! I promise a lot more in variety over the next few weeks :)

Also, I have just updated my selection of photo-art available at Creative Images at 6th and "G" in downtown GP! Stop by and take a look :) Keep coming back because a LOT more is in the works!! Have a great week, y'all! ~ M

Hi Peeps! I continue to add new images to my galleries here at FAA, and my latest offerings are abstract images of cars, trucks and automotive symbols.

Also, I'm adding more prints to my downtown display here in Grants Pass, Oregon. The ones going in now are metallic prints which I hope will spark even more interest in my art. Some really great frames are sitting in my garage waiting to be filled... and I have some nice prints to go in 'em!! A few more days and they will be on display :) [I have a week of vacation next week so I hope to get a lot done!]

Keep watching... you never know what I might bring to the table next!! ;) ~M

I'm finally getting the classic car photos up from the car show a couple of weeks ago! Finally! :) Along with the standard photos (which I hope you will agree are aesthetically better than the average!), I have thrown in some special effects to bring out the beauty of the car from the busy background. Let me know what you think!

Also, I have started printing and displaying my metallic prints in custom frames without glass at Special Creations at 6th and G in Grants Pass! Stop by and see the new offerings -- they are really special :) More "stuff" coming, so stay tuned!! ~ M

Well, it's Sunday the 5th of August... and is this summer going fast or WHAT?? :) We finally hit the 100 degree mark here in Grants Pass today, about 2 years since the last time we saw temps that high. I'm ready for a cool-down!!

I uploaded the file you see to the left just a short time ago. It is one of the nicest scenes I've seen above my house in awhile -- and after I played with it in Photoshop, it really took on a life of its own. What does it mean or say to you? Let me know in an email -- I'd love to hear from you! (mick@micksphoto.com) :)

Sales are beginning to pick up at Special Creations in old town Grants Pass, and after I update the photos in there with new metallic prints I think there will be another "up-tic". Also, I now have well over 400 photos and art pieces on Fine Art America. My first goal there is to have 500+ images in my galleries -- a goal now within sight. Thank YOU for sticking with me as I upload and refine and learn and get better at this!! Stay tuned -- more new ideas are comin' atcha in short order!! :)

Peace, my friends!! ~ Mick

Just an additional note for today... my original paintings are now coming online! Two are up for now, and more are on the way. Hope you like 'em! :) ~M

I've just gotten around to processing and uploading more barn photos from the Shasta Valley of far northern California. I'm particularly fond of a few of 'em!

The "Back to the 50s" celebration here in Grants Pass just finished up last night with the concert and cruise. What a great celebration this year!! There were so many more classic cars than in years past, and the band from Portland (the "Lugnuts") were really good -- even though there was a sound problem for a bit of time. Sarine and I watched from 7th Street this year and I took a TON of photos -- some of which I'm sure will end up online sooner or later :)

Keep comin' back and thanks for reading! ~M

Sarine and I drove south into California and ended up at the Shasta Lavender Farm near Montague a week and a half ago. A lot of those photos are up on FAA now, with more coming over the next few days. Also, the Back to the 50s celebration is in town here in Grants Pass this weekend -- and you can bet I'll be out there with my camera blazing away! I captured a lot this evening, and there's so much more to come tomorrow!! Even the skies cooperated this last week, and I have a few new cloud photos going up, including the one that accompanies this blog entry :)

More local interest photos are going up in the very near future, and quite a few of the same are going to appear at the gallery in downtown GP at the corner of 6th and G streets. What do you mean you didn't know? And why have you NOT been there yet? LOL.... well, come on by when you're in GP and you won't be disappointed!!

Stay tuned for more good stuff coming soon!! :)

~ Mick

My wife Sarine and I took a trip into the Applegate Valley this last Sunday afternoon. We found a nice lavender farm, a produce stand that will soon sport a nice place to eat a hotdog, and Pennington's Farm where we picked up a nice supply of apple butter, peach preserves and other delights! If you live in the area or decide to visit here, you must visit the Applegate :)

Of course new photos came out of that trip. Some of them are online now. More new items are on the way... and new art, too! Yeah, I've been saying that for awhile, but it's much closer!!

Keep watching this blog as more items will soon be announced here :) ~M

I've loaded new photos to FAA... stop by and take a look! Invite your friends, too... the more the merrier!! More new stuff and some images from several years back are on the way, so stop by again soon :)

Happy summer daze! ~ M

Yep, summer has finally come to Grants Pass and the Rogue Valley! We'll top out at just under 100 today -- and we have not seen 100 degrees since summer before last, so it's a shock to the system! We're not humid so the feel isn't nearly as bad as what's going on back east -- and we don't have the devastating fires that are burning in Colorado and other places in the country. There's a lot to be thankful for here in the Pacific Northwest :)

The gallery in downtown GP is going strong. I've added new items to the walls and have a lot more waiting in the wings. During my vacation (a week away!!) I'll do a lot more with photography and art.

It's flower season in my back yard! The day lilies are in full bloom, and the garden is growing fast now that the daytime temperatures are up where they should be for the growing season. Stay tuned! Lots more good stuff is in the works here in the blog, on the site, and for display!! And new projects are in the planning stages :)

Later, Peeps!! :)

As you know, I have an artist display in "Special Creations & Crafters Corner" at the corner of 6th and G in Grants Pass. By request of the owner since she's been getting the requests from customers, I am now adding explanation text to specific pieces of photo-art and re-upping them to FAA and will print them for the artist display. Time and demand marches on! :)

Time marches on! My gallery is open within Special Creations and Crafters Corner at the corner of 6th and "G" in downtown Grants Pass. The grand opening will be within a few weeks and I'll let you all know here in the blog :) I have a full display there, and will be adding new items hopefully every week. Even my wife Sarine will get in on the fun by displaying a few of her artful items. Over time I'll expand to other venues around the western part of Oregon, but I need to build an inventory first. In the meantime, FAA will continue to see more of my art on display. I have over 300 pieces here so far, and will soon reach over 500!! I have a lot of history in photography dating back to the 1970s, as well as new items being produced almost daily.

We had a tremendous June rain storm last night in the Medford area, and one bolt of lightning caused a tall Redwood tree to explode! What a summer so far. I feel so badly for the folks in Colorado and other places where fires and heat are ravaging the land. I pray for rain there soon! Hopefully the summer monsoons will kick in earlier than usual this year.

Stay tuned! More news and fun stuff coming!!

The "booth" is now a small "gallery" in downtown Grants Pass (6th and "G")! It's really coming together since this last Saturday, and a lot more is coming! Also, I got to Pottsville this last Sunday afternoon -- got some new OLD frames, met some people, and got some really nice photographs :) A few are up now.

It's late at night and I tired, so I'll sign off for now! Stay tuned... :)

Welcome to another installment of my photo-art blog! I'm busy preparing to do some updates at the booth in downtown Grants Pass. Sarine has some ideas that I think will add a lot of class to the display. And I'm preparing a few more pieces for display, too. We'll be there on Saturday, so stop by and say hello if you're in town. If you're not close by, drop me an email at mick@micksphoto.com.

Future plans include metallic prints (no glass!) and paint-over Canvas prints. I might even throw in some calendars, cards and other items from time to time. What do YOU think? :)

Thanks for visiting, and keep coming back to see what's new around here! PS... updates coming to the website soon, too!

Until next time, take care and Peace be with you,
~ Mick

Hello all you photo and art affecianatos!,
I may not have spelled that correctly, but you KNOW who you are :) Well, as of Saturday afternoon, my booth at "Special Creations and Crafters Corner" at the corner of 6th and "G" Street in Grants Pass is officially "in business" :) I had a wooden sign made for over the top, which turned out very nice. With Sarine's help, I have hung a nice selection of photography. We even put a swag of velvet material across the back wall of the booth (Sarine's idea!) that looks really nice and sets the tone of quality. I put a floor in that really adds a nice touch -- there's only one other booth that has a floor in it instead of the carpet that covers the rest of Special Creations floor. The lighting is good, but it will be better when I replace the track lighting bulbs with ones that will show off the photo-art to a better degree. For any of you who venture into downtown Grants Pass, Oregon, either soon or sometime in the future, stop by and take a look! The address of 6th and G in Grants Pass is THE business address to have in our city -- if and when you see our town you'll see why :) I'll post a few photos one day soon.
Have a great week everyone!! Stay tuned for more surprises coming round the bend! ~ Mick

We had a rare opportunity to witness Venus in Transit today across the entire country. Sure, a lot of photographers and astronomers captured the image, but so did I :) This blog entry features one of those photos, and there are three additional images on FAA tonight. In other news, Sarine and I signed papers this last weekend for a booth in a new artist and crafter showplace in downtown Grants Pass, at the corner of 6th and "G", the very best address for any business in town!! I'll have photo-art on display by this weekend, and some really unique pieces will be displayed there in the very near future :) Keep track here at the Blog for more news!

Hi Peeps! Well, Memorial Day is but a memory now. I got a lot of photos at the races, and I was fortunate enough to have the F-15 fly low right over my house! That photo is up on FAA as of tonight. I have more of the fly over and the jetboat races, but honestly... how many photos of that kind of activity do I need on the site?? :) I have a plethora of photos taken on our trip to Chico to see grandson Kevin graduate from Chico High School (my old school!!). I doubt if I'll put much up from that event, but the trip down and back provided many opportunities to practice my craft! The peak of Shasta with clouds blowing over the top is just the beginning... :) There is much more to come, and new adventures to announce in the near future! Keep reading :) ~ Mick

Hi Peeps! Well, the annular eclipse came and darkened the skies over southern Oregon last Sunday afternoon, late. I was out there with my camera and captured images far exceeding my wildest expectations! In fact, I had no idea what I was going to be able to capture since I'd never tried anything like this kind of photography before. The results are here on my site for you to see, so let me know what you think -- if you haven't already done so. I knew my eyes would be safe since my Sony a55 does not reflect sunlight directly into the eyepiece. So I set the camera in the manual mode, 1/4000 sec, f32, 300mm (450mm equiv. in 35mm terms), manual focus at infinity... then a lot of exposures!! The results blew me away! Then I got into Photoshop... :)

I'll be doing more with the eclipse shots; I have ideas.... :)

This is Memorial Day weekend which means Boatnik here in Grants Pass, a fun time indeed... and a LOT of photo ops! We will start the weekend in California at grandson Kevin's graduation from Chico High. Not to worry -- we have neighbors watching our home for us. (Nice to live in a tight-knit cluster of homes and families!) While there we'll visit friends in the area, then head back home to enjoy the remainder of the weekend. Expect a new collection of photo-art pieces to come out of the activities of the weekend :) AND, I have a lot of images from both the recent and more distant past to optimize for display.

I hope you ALL have a wonderful holiday weekend, stay safe, and enjoy family and friends! Keep in touch, Peeps!!
~ Mick

Hi y'all... Well, the craft fair was held at work today (Monday) and it was a successful venture! There were 15 of us employees showing our crafts, and I was the only photographer among the talented folks there. Sales of my photography made up approx. 20% of total sales -- not bad!! This gives me the push I need to prepare for future shows, and to get busy producing more sell-able items for the next event, whenever that may be... perhaps this summer. The biggest bit of news I kept hearing is that I priced my work too low! Well, the idea today was to SELL items rather than have people look and say "That's really nice!" -- then walk away. I think I got it right today, but the point is well taken. Presentations designed for high-end placement will be forthcoming. I have many cards yet to play, so to speak! :) Stay tuned, and again thanks for reading!! The best is yet to come :)

Tonight I just uploaded a few images for prints in a continuing effort to get ready for the craft fair on Monday. Sarine is going to help by manning the tables while the rest of us employees of the insurance company work. Yeah, we still have to work... If I sell a HUGE amount of photos online AND win the lottery I might be able to retire early. Somehow I don't see that happening! :) But what I do see happening is a steady increase in activity with the camera leading to a nice supplemental income when retirement does finally reach me -- about 5 - 6 years from now. Keep reading and watching because I have a lot of ideas to expand my business and passion that have yet to be realized. All it takes is time, and I'm working on freeing some time up to work on these new ventures :) Thanks for reading!! ~ Mick

This coming Monday I'll be participating in an Employee Craft Fair at work, Mid Rogue Health Plan/CareSource, here in Grants Pass. If anyone is around the GP area, stop in at 740 SE 7th St between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and take a look! This is the start of a new direction for me -- showing my work for sale in public. Most of the pieces this time will be older works with newer items appearing at future showings at art fairs and galleries. I will be showing a few select newer photos this time around, just not many :)

The rain is falling again today. This puts off any need to water the garden and lawn for a few more days -- I love it! Well, time to go to work. I'll update the blog again sooner, so keep watching and thanks for reading :) ~ Mick

Hey, it's Sunday! And it's warm and sunny outside... supposed to be around 85 today. Just a few high wispy clouds floating by harolding some cooler cloudier weather coming this next week, pretty much normal spring weather. My apple tree and cherry trees are blooming now, and the iris plants are budding. My lawn is so green and growing so fast that it's all I can do to keep up with it with weekly mowings!

I've added some new photo-art pieces, including the one at the left. And I have a LOT more to upload in the days and weeks to come, including some brand new art unlike anything I've ever done before. I'll be introducing it slowly over the next few months -- so keep coming back!! Also, I'll be getting out to the coast and the mountains for some new photo opportunities this spring and summer. I'm looking forward to charting some new territory photographically.

Thanks for stopping by and reading. Tell your friends to stop by and browse my galleries! Have a great day and week -- talk to you again soon! :) ~ Mick

Hello friends...

I took a walk on a trail that was new to me here in Grants Pass on the east side of town. Those photos are on the computer now, but I haven't done anything with them yet. However, I went back to a photo of yellow flowers I had posted on FAA earlier and ran it through a combination of filters to see what I could do to make it really pop... and the result is now up on FAA. I hope you like it!

The weather here in Oregon is finally beginning to turn into normal spring weather. The sun was out today after a cool cloudy start. But, of course, by evening the western sky was again beginning to look murky as another Pacific storm began its approach to the coast. I expect rain again by Sunday evening. It's all good for our summer, so I won't complain too much!

Last Sunday morning, just after the sunrise service to commemorate the Resurrection, I was lucky to see images of Grants Pass in early morning light. The fog was still hanging in parts of the valley just west of town... and made the photos that much more special. I look forward to catching a lightning storm from this same vantage point one day. Dangerous? Probably!

Besides putting up a series of photos from my garden, and a really exotic photo of Stargazer lilies, I just joined Pinterest at the coaxing of my friend Kathy. With all this going on you could possibly see my photos just about anywhere! And I'm not even close to finished getting my work "out there"... I have another venture that ties in perfectly with my photo-art in the works, so keep watching, my peeps!! :)

Another rainy day here in Oregon. Compared to all the fires and heat I've been hearing about all across the country, I feel really quite blessed to be experiencing rain! My blooming fruit trees didn't fare so well due to all the wetness, but all-in-all not too bad so far this spring. If you are in one of those areas that are experiencing the heat or storms or fires or "whatever", I really do feel for you. Hang in there! Better days are ahead ...

It's "hump" day... now we're on the downhill slide toward the weekend! Yay! ~ M

The weather refuses to warm up! There was snow, hail, rain... and a little sun today. Hopefully Spring will try to return tomorrow -- Easter is just a few days away and traditionally one of the nicest days of the year to take the camera out for bright, colorful "Spring" photographs. I'm going to a sunrise service and I'd really like to see a sunrise!! But, you know, things always seem to work out the way they are supposed to, for I always see and experience new and wonderful things every time I get up early to meet the day! Last winter I took in some fantastic fog and sun scenes. Recently I've seen snow when and where there shouldn't be snow! Crazy, but really neat!!

I keep getting comments on my photography, and in return I seek out and comment on other's work. That kind of give and take is so much fun and inspiring for me... I learn so much from others!

Hope YOU have a grand Friday -- chat with you all very soon! Keep shooting :) ~ Mick

The weather is crazy around here! This is April and instead of bees buzzing around pollinating my fruit trees, we're dealing with possible snow flurries, hail, rain, clouds, ... well, you get the picture. Most of the U.S. is warmer than normal and dealing with all kinds of stormy weather. We certainly have the weather, but we went to the cold side. The weekend is supposed to be quite a bit warmer and drier. We'll see...

I did get up on the roof this evening and take some shots with my long telephoto of the mountains just south of town. The snow and hail was falling, the clouds were dispersing, and new clouds were forming on the cold wind coming in from the Pacific. The scene was very interesting. After a little work in Photoshop, I posted the results -- and got two comments on it within a very short time. I really appreciate comments -- let's me know I'm doing something right :)

Have a great evening and an even better tomorrow! And let me know what's going on in YOUR life :) ~ Mick

Hi Peeps!
Well, they say that "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile", and I feel so fortunate to have scored my first photo sale on FAA. The print will be hanging on a wall in northern California in a few days, and I couldn't be happier to see this progression! It's the start I've been looking for to kick this photo-art business into a higher gear. Thank you all for watching my growth! Your comments, suggestions and questions have all been helpful :)

I traveled to Cave Junction today as part of my work at CareSource to visit with some folks who are new to the plan. All of us in the Marketing Department are doing these visits, but I'm the one elected to go to the "boonies" -- the homes in locations the rest of the gals in the department don't want to try to find. Too bad for them because I have the nicest experiences! The point is that I had RAIN today from the time I started until just about the time I got back into Grants Pass. How can a guy stop to get a good barn photo in pouring rain?? LOL... and now the weatherman says there's a possibility of SNOW on the valley floor tomorrow... it's APRIL for crying out loud! Sarine and I want a few warm dry days for the bees to work on our fruit trees. Well, if the blossoms last until the weekend the weather is supposed to cooperate! We'll see...

I now have about 220 images up on FAA. My short-term goal is 500, then I'll start "phase two" of my master plan to build a business for my retirement, 6 years off as it stands right now. Wish me luck!

Have a good rest of the week, my peeps! Talk to you again very soon :)

Today I loaded more photo-art pieces taking my online total to over 200. Also, I updated my website (www.micksphoto.com) to include links to this blog. Hopefully a few more of my friends and acquaintances will follow my ramblings! I discovered at work that my vacation time has accumulated to just over 40 hours. Yay!! A week of vacation has been earned :)

I've noticed that I get a lot of views from someone or some group from New York City. I wish I knew who they were so I could thank them for watching my progress! I also saw someone from Newport, Oregon, looking today... and I KNOW who that is!! (Hi Wendy!)

Have a great week everyone!

Hi Photo-Art fans...

I just put up a collection of classic and hot rod car photos, and I hope you'll go see them. To accommodate them I created a new gallery and will add to that gallery as time goes on. I might even put in some newer auto photos from time to time. The rain has finally let up so perhaps I can get some "clearing" photos which always challenge me as a photographer. Also, I will link to this blog from my micksphoto.com site later today. Sarine has asked me to create some small flyers for our wedding and high school senior photography, so I might get into that later today as well. When those are finished I'll post PDFs of them on my micksphoto site. And lastly, I'm preparing to start my photo-paint project which will ultimately end up here at FAA as well as local galleries here in southern Oregon, or perhaps on the coast. Not sure yet on that...

OK, peeps... have a great day and week! :)

Hi photo fans! Today I added a lot of photos from my travels on the Oregon coast and in California -- both the coast and the Sacramento Valley up through the Mt Shasta area. Most of these photos were taken within the last couple of years. Now it's time to look into the past a bit... watch for new "old" stuff soon :)

Sure is raining a lot here in southern Oregon! I really feel for folks living in fire-prone areas and tornado alley. All we have to worry about here is possible flooding! Take heart everyone -- spring and summer are almost here!

I have so many images captured over the years... and the last few weeks! And all the times in between, too. I'm uploading the best of what I've taken here in Oregon, both in the Rogue Valley and on the coast... and elsewhere in the state, as well as photos from California's Mt Shasta region, the Sacramento Valley and the coast from San Diego to Crescent City. Some are uploaded now, and more are ready as soon as I have a few minutes, so keep coming back.. please! :) ~ M

The rain is approaching fast here in the Rogue Valley. By the time I got home from work the sun was faded to nothingness in the west and the clouds were getting lower and darker. I managed to mow my lawns, front and back, before it got too dark -- and it was lightly sprinkling the whole time. Now let it rain! Most people don't photograph outside when it rains, but I'm going to experiment and see what I can come up with that's new and different from my usual fare. If it works out you'll see it here :)

Hope your week is going well. ~M

I added a new Gallery for California coast photography this evening. In my continuing efforts to expand my selection for YOU, I've also added about 10 more new images, mostly panoramas. I hope to continue to expand my selection, including some neat new abstract and "non"-scenic items sure to surprise you! Keep watching :)

Good evening all! As of today I've opened up the artist website that is part of FAA. I hope everyone takes a tour of the site. It will be linked in my Mick's Photography website in several places. Since most of my sell-able photos are now on FAA, I'll be slowly taking those photos off my Mick's Photography site to eliminate confusion.

In addition, as new and interesting events come along, I'll be letting everyone know about them here as well as on the home site. So, thanks for reading! :)

3/23/2012: Ok, I think I've loaded up as much as I have prepared for the moment. My next move is to create the personal FAA website that is part of the membership. I'm looking forward to completing that task and linking to it from my www.micksphoto.com site. Hey, does anyone read this stuff besides me? If you do, let me know, ok? :)