Creative: Los Alamos 30-Minute Book

I wasn’t joking about this 30-Minute Book thing. I’ve been doing this since I had software to do it. I see layouts while I’m working, in the field, that is. I said this before, but I’m not sure this is a good thing. It’s just something I do. These days, working means a fire drill of sorts. Pocket 3, drone, and a camera or two. Not to mention the notebook. It’s a mess, and not sustainable in the long run if ONE of these things needs to be done to the best of my ability, but the “content” world we live in, or at least the one I live in, is more about quantity than quality.

Shit light, limited time, and others in tow do not make for a good day of photography, but I was so happy to be out; it didn’t matter in the end. I was using a camera unfamiliar to me, which didn’t really impact me, as what I was shooting was static, with the exception of the image below. A kid returning from a fishing trip, sitting in the back of a pickup. Three frames. This frame would have been better an hour later when the rains came. Doing this kind of work is like a needle in a haystack. Because I’m a people guy, it’s that much more difficult. You gotta FIND the people first, do what they do, learn to say “Excuse me,” and instantly become part of them. This was the ONLY person I spoke to that day. (super nice guy)

Give myself thirty minutes and design. In this case, it also involved primitive Photoshop, which is the highest level of technical skill I have acquired: primitive. You know, when I’m shooting trees for texture, I’m out of my zone, but days like this, at least for me, are about being out. It’s the hiking, bear encounters, snake encounters, heat, storms, and incredible landscape that I’m after. The documentation comes further down the list. (To my credit, images like the burned tree are still viable as the world burns. On the way home from this trip, a huge fire started in the mountains in front of us. Now called the “Frijoles Fire,” which is 8,000 acres and 0% contained.)

I will admit, these 30-minute sessions are WAY more fun when you have the goods. When I don’t have the goods, like on a day like this, I feel a bit flat, so I focus on things I haven’t tried before. Experimentation. Tinkering. Moving things about till they feel right. I like the camera. It’s a bit slow, but the files are nice, and it’s smallish. It’s also very simple, and the app works great. I’m not sure when I will work this camera in, and I still need to use it A LOT more, but it’s intriguing.