Hello from below the Equator!

Hello Friends!

A sporadic internet connection is allowing me to give you all a quick update on the trip!  I've been here for just over a week now and have had some very awesome experiences.  I've met and talked to a lot of people and have seen some of their customs and culture.  Their priorities, their culture, everything couldn't be more different from the hustle and bustle of the US of A.  It really puts things in perspective.  When I get back I will have to write a bit more about it.  Until then I will leave you with a little photo of my front yard. No, really, I look out my window and see this!

Cheers!
Linda

 The moon rises just below the Equator

Final Update, I leave tomorrow!

Hey gang!

Well, it's about 8:30pm here and I'm putting the finishing touches on packing my luggage.  Tomorrow morning I head out the door @ the crack of dawn 5am to begin my 18 hour long journey to Curia, Ecuador. There will be planes, a looooooong layover and a 3 hour bus ride to our final destination.  I'm excited, but I'm also a little scared because travel is very hard on my body now and also of the possibility of getting sick from the food or water.  We are drinking bottled water, but of course we do come in contact with regular water as well.  I'm prepared. I'm bringing a small pharmacy, my walker and my cane.  Neal will be taking me to the airport and dropping me off at the gate in my wheelchair so I don't have to walk all over the airport, but I've decided to leave the wheelchair at home and use the airport ones for the rest of my journey.  The teaching will be awesome, but my Spanish is not what it used to be so let's hope everyone will enjoy playing Pictionary with me all day!  I will be demonstrating some science experiments, but I really hope I will be able to get some supplies to have the kids do some themselves.

I want to give a big THANKS to all those who donated to help me fund this trip! I've raised $400! If you are reading this today (4 MAY) and you forgot you wanted to donate, tonight is your last chance! I'm including the link below and hope to raise a few more dollars in the 11th hour.

I don't have internet where I will be, so I'll be posting about my trip after I get back, so see you all then! 

Ecuador Fundraising Update!

Hello Gang! First off, I would like to thank the generous donations I have received thus far for my Service Trip to Ecuador next month! So far I have raised $250 $310 dollars! However, I need more of your support to make it to $1600.  My official deadline for submission of funds just passed, but I am still allowed to raise money to help pay back my expenses. So I urge you to donate, even if it is just a dollar! Anything will help! If you sent a check already, thank you, it should be here soon and will be added to the Fund Raising Thermometer to the right of this blog! As far as preparation goes I have received all my immunizations and will start my malaria pills two days before my departure. Consider donating by clicking on the PayPal link or by sending a check to the address below. f you have any questions or concerns don't hesitate to contact me directly! Cheers!

Checks:

Make them out to: GTCCF with "Linda van Rosmalen - Ecuador Service Trip" in the memo line and mail it to:

Ga. Tech Christian Campus Fellowship

P.O. Box 93662

Atlanta, GA 30377

GTCCF Mission Trip to Ecuador - Request for Help!

Hello ALL!!

Guess what? I'm going on a mission trip with the folks from the Georgia Tech Christian Campus Fellowship (GTCCF) to help the villages of San Jose and Curia on the Coast of Ecuador.  We will be finishing the rebuilding of a bridge and teaching kids English, Science and Sports.  Personally, my physical state prevents me from helping in the bridge building, but I most certainly can do the teaching.  I've suggested some easy science lessons and am really excited to see how these kids like learning about how the world works!  Now, before I go any farther I acknowledge that I am not a Christian. I don't want to be and I don't need to be one to help these people and kids in these impoverished villages.  I am participating in this service project because I truly believe in helping these villages and that I can make a difference.  I mean, SCIENCE!! Am I right?!! The trip lasts 2 weeks and we are departing on May 5th, 2013.  That is suuuper soon, but I honestly didn't find out about this trip until a little over a week ago.  This week I am scrambling to get my vaccinations and finalizing the financial arrangements for my trip costs.

This is where you come in.  I need your help.

I can't do this alone.  The cost of the two week trip is $1600.  I already have secured enough funding for my vaccinations (~$300) and about $300 towards the $1600 trip.  That leaves me with $1300 to come up with.  I have been asked by the GTCCF to raise financial support for the remainder of the costs and am asking for your support. I need to raise this money in super double quick time, since I need to have it by the 8th of April. The money can be sent to the GTCCF(address below) or can be deposited into a PayPal account I have set up since I'm on such a very tight deadline. I would be more than happy to talk to you on the phone, over lunch or over a nice cup of tea about any questions you may have about this donation and/or the trip, just send me a message!  If you decide to mail in a check to the GTCCF and we haven't talked, let me know so that I can alert the people at the GTCCF and keep my place with the group.  If you are unable to donate please send me some positive energy to help me on the trip, I need that too!

Thanks all for reading this and watching my silly video.  Remember, any little bit will help! 

Cheers!

Linda van Rosmalen

Checks:

Made out to GTCCF with “Linda van Rosmalen – Ecuador Service Trip” in

the memo line and mailed to:

Ga. Tech Christian Campus Fellowship

P.O. Box 93662

Atlanta, GA 30377

Clough Exhibition

It's time for the 2nd annual art exhibition at the Clough! My work was accepted and will be displayed for a few months.  The show opens today, Febuary 8th 4-8pm.  Come by if you are in the area and who knows, maybe I'll win the contest that is running as well.

For this exhibition I printed my work professionally, including mounting. Last year I trusted the mounting to the jackasses people that ran the show and it was a disaster. Horrible mounting, horrible lighting. I wanted to cry and kick the people who did this crap in the face suggest better ways of lighting and mounting the art.  I spend a lot of time and money on my craft and if it going to suck, then it will suck on it's on merit thank you very much. This year there are apparently some actual art curators/directors and what-have-yous involved, so we'll see. Last year there was so much art that sucked on levels I hadn't thought to be real.  Like kindergarten suck!  Unfortunately, too much positive encouragement to the artistically unskilled leads to disaster. People, don't tell your friends they are good at something when they suuuuuucccck!! What was worse, in my opinion, was the fact that people seemed to be drawn to disgusting neon and bright colors that were super over processed and terrible, not to mention the old "crap in = crap out" adage . I wanted to yak.  Since I'm an educator I really really wanted to engage these folks and set them straight, to teach them art. I didn't. Even though the art of person X sucked unbelievably hard, it isn't right for me to embarrass the "artist" at an "exhibition" (using terms loosely because of overall ginormous fail)., but I wanted to sooooo badly that I actually had to remove myself from the area. I had visceral, violent daydreams about destroying the art work and yelling at the people responsible until blue in the face!  I honestly wish that more people were aware of my extremely large knowledge base when it comes to the arts. But they don't and I don't talk much about it other than on here, and only occasionally. Actually, come to think of it, I'm angry at the world in general for not using an extremely educated resource. It's not just art. It's science. It's language. It's military.. anyways, I digress.

Final words = I better %$#& win something.

2012 is over and top personal favorite photos!

Hello All,

The end of 2012 is upon us and the world didn't end! Who would have thunk? 2012 has been an interesting year with some highs and many many lows. Unfortunately 2012 dealt me a shifty hand of cards as I endured my 3rd back surgery and all the surrounding complications that followed. Recovery has been slow and major changes in my life's path are just around the corner in 2013. Complications aside, I traveled to the High Sierras in California to attend a wildlife photography workshop I was invited to.  Though the workshop was a great disappointment, the High Sierras are incredibly beautiful and full of photography opportunities for one such as myself. I even made it to the top of Mammoth Mountain with my camera gear via a gondola and my cane. Definitely a high, literally! October came with some lovely visits. One visit was from a fine art photographer looking for a night or two to rest her head while she participated in a showing and the other visit from an old high school friend whom I hadn't seen since.. well.. high school! She was honeymooning by taking a train to all the places she and her new husband were fond of and had friends in.  While here I dragged them out to the middle of nowhere to take their portraits as a wedding gift. Next, I produced my 5th annual calendar with the theme of "Feathers". (I still have a few available should any of you want one.. click the link on the right side of this blog) This year I was able to work with a new print outfit to try and meet my needs. Printing and color management will always be the things that drive me nuts and I learned just how cost ineffective selling my calendar really is. It is truly a labor of love and advertising more than anything else. While on bed-rest I was able to study the business of photography in greater depth and learned that when it comes down to it, it is next to impossible to make your living this way on your own. I shan't bore you with the details for fear of boring you. Let's just say that when you crunch the numbers in your calculator it makes you want to cry. So, I think that sums up the major happenings of 2012 for me.  I want to thank my friends and family for all their support this year.  I also want to thank Neal for helping me through this difficult recovery and for being there for me when I needed it most.

My blog will continue next year and every year I promise to myself to write more, to post more photos, etc.. and every year that doesn't seem to happen. So, I'm not making any major promises on how frequently I will post.  Just enjoy the posts as they come along!

Now.. I thought I would share with you some of my favorite images of 2012. Some are pretty pictures, some priceless moments, some may seem like nothing special at all, but all of them have taught me something new this year and all have great value to me.  Did any of you take any great photos this year? If so, leave me a link in the comments, because I would love to see your 2012 in review!  Best wishes to all! See you next year!

This photo of an Osprey hover-hunting is currently my best "known" photo on the interwebs.

Georgia Sunset on a desolate road in the middle of nowhere.

Self Portrait done as part of a lighting test for future portraiture. Who wants their photo taken next?

This photo is an attempt at combining illustration and photography. This photo was part of an exhibition.

The California Ground Squirrel is sooper cute, here it is near a river.

Gismo was photographed as part of a lighting test using a home made modifier.

I love making creepy photos. This abandoned house was bulldozed a few weeks after this photo was taken.

Another shot of the Osprey that I love.

My Nikon Moose and a California Ground Squirrel are having a pow-wow.

This Gull at Mono Lake, California feasts on the millions of insects along the lake's borders.

Winding road in the mountains of the High Sierras.

Making a mini planet out of a 360o panorama I shot.

Basalt columns of the Devil's Postpiles

Mono Lake in California

Video Contest

This year's annual Christmas party in the Chemistry Department came with a call for videos to enter in their video contest. The videos could be almost anything as long as it had to do with Georgia Tech's Chemistry Department. So, I decided that I would enter. I'd never made a video before, how hard could it be? Yeah. Famous last words. Of course I don't have a camera that can record film (I wasn't about to use my cell phone) so I decided to do a time-lapse video. I love time-lapse videos. They often leave me mesmerized and dumb founded at the natural beauty this world has to offer, not to mention how the creator was able to capture this. Anyways.. I digress. I was going to do a time-lapse. I figured that nobody would likely spend this much time on a departmental contest for a Christmas party where most guests would have had a few to drink and where no prizes were even announced ahead of time. Fast forward. I won the damn contest. Take that Chemistry Department! *Waves fist in a determined fashion* Everyone really enjoyed the film regardless of the fact that it was short and riddled with errors that I didn't have time to go back and fix. Ever since, people have stopped me on campus asking about it. I felt almost famous for 3 seconds!

Details: ~6000 hi-res RAW format photos taken over a 5 day period of early mornings and late nights.
Editing: ~20 hours of rendering for video and another 10+ for basic compiling.
Learning Grade: 70% or steeper. Ha!
Software: Adobe Creative Suite for editing, audio and video. Lightroom 4.1 for organization.

I already thinking of making another one. I have been trying to learn the software better so maybe this time the overall product will look better. If any of you have tips of comments I'd love to hear them! Have you tried making a time-lapse video before? Do you have a favorite? Please share!

Toodles!

BEST IF WATCHED IN 1080P FULL-SCREEN!

My First Attempt at Time-Lapse

Help Portrait

The thing I love about photography the most is making people happy, making people feel, reflect, think and discuss. Each year since it's inception a global movement called Help Portrait helps brighten the days of those in need. I've been with Help Portrait since 2009 and I know I've seen some smiles every year! Every year I've taken a portrait or given away my services to someone in need. If you know someone who would love for me to come by and take their portrait, a portrait of them and their family or of their pet or any combination of the aforementioned please contact me and I will dispatch myself this Saturday, the 8th of December 2012!  Even if we can't make it happen on the 8th, I will make it happen! Come on community, who will it be?!!

You may ask yourself who needs photos?! (List below taken from Help-Portrait Website)

Anyone who wouldn't normally have access to or be able to afford professional photography. We suggest the following groups of people for starters…

• the homeless
• orphans
• single moms (and their kids)
• single dads (and their kids)
• sick children
• sick parents
• the elderly
• army vets
• underprivileged families
• your neighbor?

So, let's come together this year for someone in need! If you would like to help or donate to this cause to help me offset my production costs I've set up a Paypal button below! Thanks and Happy Holidays!

The Woes of Short Run Printing

Hello Gang,

Thought I would update you all on the production stages woes of this year's calendar. For the last few years I've been using an online printing service that doesn't meet all my needs. I really don't like the paper, I don't like that they print some info on the back of the calendar that I can't eliminate, I don't like not having a physical proof (without paying through the roof for it) and I don't care for dealing with color management problems as a result of not having this physical proof. So this year I swore that I would do something about these issues. I scoured the web and the local print shops in town and have come up mostly empty handed. Short run off-set printing on a budget doesn't exist, unless you consider 1000+ copies short run. A local print shop has offered to work with me and I will be using them for my printing needs this year. However, with my budget I just can not afford the photo quality printers and materials. The costs associated with the production of this calendar the way I would like it are much more than what I sell the calendar for, unless I sell more than 1000 of them. Even selling 1000 of them would not net me a profit. Not to mention the "hidden" costs behind the production of the images themselves. There are costs for postage, Paypal, Etsy, travel, transportation, equipment, education and not to mention even paying myself for my time!  So, what's a girl to do? The realities of running a small business and having an even smaller clientele base are that it isn't feasible as a form of income. I'm getting a second set of proofs this week before the final run and hope that the images speak for themselves in terms of quality. One day I will have the fine art paper, the wider physical dimensions and the perfect binding, but until then you can rest assured that at least the images themselves are beautiful all on their own AND that you'll be very happy with the calendar because I am just super picky picky picky!

If anyone has some input or is feeling particularly philanthropic please feel free to leave me some input, buy a few calendars or make a donation. The bottom line is that these calendars are a labor of love and will never make me a profit. Knowing this does help curtail a certain amount of stress and should indicate to you that the quality of the paper and materials will only go up if I make profit elsewhere in my business.

Maybe I have just called attention to a non issue for those of you that have enjoyed my calendars in the past and maybe I have just shot myself in the foot by even mentioning the problems. However, I believe communicating these issues will resonate with other small studios that suffer from the same problems. Perhaps some of you already have found a solution and perhaps some of you will share your ideas.

2013 Calendar - Feathers

Well gang, it's been a good long while since I have posted anything to this blog. Back in June I had a complicated back surgery, one that I am still recovering from. Don't worry though, I am still hoping to make a near perfect recovery! Fairly early during my recovery I was able to travel to California to spend a week in the High Sierras at a photo-workshop led by Moose Peterson.  The workshop was all about short lens wildlife photography and was right up my alley since I lug around my trusty Nikon 300mm F4 lens to take all of my wildlife photography. Soon I will post a separate blog about my California experience, but for now let me stay on target.

The 2013 calendar is here!!! This year the theme is "Feathers" and I'll let you guess what that could mean for the contents!  I highly recommend you buy this year's calendar because I have a new print shop doing my printing this year and things are looking pretty darn awesome! It was a MAJOR chore to figure out which images to include, but I finally managed to decide and I think you will be happy.  If you would like to get your hands on one of these bad boys, click on the "Buy Now" button below, or the banner above and you will be directed to Paypal where you can finalize your purchase.  So, what are you waiting for? GO GO GO GO!

ps. The small images above are just a preview! The real images have much more going on in them! ;)