Happiness

    Pretty much I love my barn, I love the people there, they are amazing and we work really well together, I love teaching itty bitties how to ride and groom, I love seeing a girl who is crying terrified of being on a horse get off beaming because she had so much fun, and most of all I love the horses.
     I worked all day today. I got up at 6:15 and drove an hour to Misty, worked for 8 hours non-stop, then took pictures of our horses, and then drove another hour back home. Why do I drive so far for work you might ask, as gas prices are rising and I have to get up so early? Allow me to enlighten you.
    I love horses. I know I've said that before but being around horses makes me so incredibly content. I don't have to think about anything that is going wrong in my life, they are the perfect distraction for me. We had on little girl today burst into tears before she was even on her horse, just standing next to him, and by the end of her riding time she wanted to come back for summer camp. I don't know what it is but horses have a power over people.  She completely lost her fear because she had so much fun.
      Then in a later group of older girls one fell off. Keep in mind it was not the horse or rider's fault, things just happen. Now this particular horse, Spade, direct reins which means that the rider uses two hands to steer him and when Spade spooked the girl couldn't hold on to her saddle. I was at the opposite end of the arena when this happened and when I looked over at the sound of Spade spooking all I saw was this tiny little girl parallel to the ground without a horse under her. She landed and literally bounced right up again. And there she was up walking around wanting to get back on Spade. She was completely fine. Oh and this was her first time ever riding a horse. She was so happy to be on a horse that even falling off couldn't stop her.
   This is why I do what I do, the joy that it brings is worth every dollar I pay in gas to get there.  Also as I was walking around in the paddock after all the horses been turned out, I was so content. Like nothing that went wrong outside of that paddock could touch me. As I said in a earlier post that I had been lagging a little bit in my work, this is exactly what I needed to get me going again. I have found that thing that is going to kick my project work into high gear.
  Here is another one of the pictures I edited and one that I took today unedited.

Mentor Meeting 4/29/11

    So today I had my mentor meeting with Mrs. G. we talked about my progress so far. The one thing that has been my biggest problem so far is getting out of my comfort zone. I have talked about this before but I haven't really done a lot to address this predicament. So my assignment for this weekend is to get the contact information of two local photographers and then follow up and make appointments to meet with them and talk about photography.
   On the up side I edited four photos today, adding text and just making sure that they are ready for me to print. I should be able to start printing wednesday of next week. I cannot wait to have the actual pictures in my hands. Thats when I'll start getting excited!! Lauren also texted me asking if I could go up to the barn either Saturday or Sunday as Jodi, the owner of the barn, was gone next week. Sunday actually worked perfectly for me so I am planning on going to the barn and meeting Lauren and Jodi then. I can't wait!!
    I am at Misty all day Saturday and we have our first program so that should be fun. I can't wait to see my ponies again. Thats all for now, here is one of the photos with text that I edited today.

Questions Answered

   So I just emailed Jenna, who I used a picture from in an earlier entry, about her thoughts on setting prices, how does she set her prices and also framing, does she frame her pieces for a show?
   She got back to me and said she does tend to frame her pieces with a simple frame and mat border. In regards to pricing she said that it very much depended on the print, whether or not it was just from a shoot or if it was edited and more time put into it. I emailed her back with more information and details so we'll see what she says.
   Also I am going to talk to Judy more about how she likes to display her photos during a show. I also am going to ask her to critic my photos, I have been editing based off of what I like and what people have said but I really want an opinion outside of my friends to critic them.

30 Days

   So there are 30 days left of my senior year!!! :D yay!!! But that means that there are even less until my show and presentation. :O eeek!! I have approximately one month until the art show that Avalon and I are doing and I have yet to start printing... Oh crap.
        That is what I'm thinking at the moment because while I realize that this is plenty of time to print all that I want I also need to finish my Healing series. The editing doesn't take that long so its just a matter of taking the pictures. My goal for next week is to have at least 20 pictures printed and hopefully 10 of those twenty matted. This shouldn't take very long because I have 3 free periods in a row that I can spend printing and editing in Judy's room. Once I get into the swing of printing it won't take long. Also I hope that I can go out to the barn in Freeville soon so that I can get different pictures. I'm trying to set up times to take pictures of my friends riding their horses but so far our schedules haven't worked out. Oh well I'm sure I'll have time soon. As I edit the new pictures I'll be printing and matting so that I will have enough for my series in June. In addition to the series I will also be showing additional pieces that are outside of the healing series.

Once again, more photos

    This is Dunkin again. Haha he moves very well and looks pretty while doing it so I end up taking a lot of pictures of him. He's also a goofball. I'm going down to Misty this Saturday so I'll be able to get more pictures then. Its our first program of the season so hopefully it will go over well. I'll also post some of the polo nationals photos that I took during the awards ceremonies.

     Once again this is Puddin'. When I go to Misty again I'm going to try to ride some of the different horses so that I can take pictures of the ones I was riding last time. We'll see how that works out. I'm just happy to be back riding again.

More Photos

    This is Puddin' again he was obviously exhausted after doing almost nothing on the first day back.


   In other news, Lauren and I have decided that we are going to wait to take pictures at her barn until the weather gets nicer. I'm really excited and I can't wait.

    Also I'm really shocked at how nice people are. I mean I know that people are nice and all but some of the people I have contacted have gone out of their way to help me or to give me other contacts. I guess I'm just kind of realizing that to get help or suggestions I really just need to ask. That was my revelation of the day :). Thats all for now.

More Photos and More Opportunities!!

    Here are some more of the photos that are in the running for the contest entry.

    This is Puddin' and for some reason I really like this picture. I can't quite put my finger on why but I like it never the less.











     This is Dunkin again, I love how the light catches his body here.

      So I might have another place to photograph some different horses. Susan gave me a contact for Lauren who rides at a barn in Freeville. Lauren is willing to show me around so that I can take pictures. I'm really excited because these are different horses. So they are something new to photograph.  Lauren asked for copies of the photos in return which I am very happy to give. Thats all for now. 

   PS. The polo national championship finals are tomorrow at 1:30 and 3:30. Cornell women play the UVA women first then Cornell men play the UVA men. You should all come out and watch!!

Back in Town

   So I'm finally back from visiting my grandparents and other relatives in Canada. It was really good to see them, seeing we hadn't seen them in a while. We also stopped in at Guelph :) and got lots of Guelph apparel.
    On to my project, I took pictures at Misty last saturday, however as it was the first day of riding and working with the horses there was a lot to do and therefore I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. Of the ones I got however there are definitely some that I love and are potential entries for the photo contest. Some of my favorites are below. Enjoy. Also I'm going to make it a goal to have at least one post a week have some of my pictures in it because I looked back at some of my posts and there are a ton without pictures. Seeing as my project is on photography I should include more photos.
        

   This is Dunkin, he is a 6 year old gelding and acts like a 3 year old. He is an adorable palomino paint with bald face. Basically that means that he has a yellow and white body, palomino paint, and a white face marking that goes all the way around his eyes, bald face.
   I love the way the dust caught the light in this picture.

    This is Puddin'. He is a chestnut gelding who used to do team penning and barrel racing I believe. I love how the motion shows in this picture.

Photo Contest

     Eeeeepp!!! So I have decided to enter Horse Illustrated's 2011 Photo Contest. The theme of the contest, in honor of Horse Illustrated's 35th anniversary is Celebration. Any photo that captures some form of celebration is eligible. The contest is open to amateur photographers only and one entry per person. This means that I have to figure out which one I want and be confidant in my decision. I will be putting up an album on facebook of pictures that I would consider and then I will have people vote. I will be adding to that album as I get more pictures. The last date of entry is June 1st however to put my mind at ease I will be entering by May 31st.
    I have no expectations going into this. yes I would love to win or be a runner up but this is a huge competition and while I'm hoping to win I do realize that it most likely won't happen. Oh well this is a good step in making my art public.

Last Polo

     So I just got back from my last Wednesday night polo ever, well at least until I'm back on  breaks next year. Speaking of polo, the national championships for men and women's intercollegiate teams are being held during my April break which is next week. This means that a huge bunch of teams are coming in from around the country, most of them with their strings (usually 2 horses per person, 4 people per team, men's and women's teams) I have no idea how many horses that is but its a lot and we try to fit them all into the barn or trailers in the parking lot. Pretty much the back of the barn is complete chaos. I mean chaos! At any given time there are twenty people back there shouting and trying to get horses ready for the next game, two playing strings (3 horses per playing team so 6 total per chucker), multiple coaches trying to talk strategy before the game and our high school team running around attempting to keep the barn in order. Then in the arena there are 8 horses and people in the ring playing a chucker (7:30 minutes with stoppage for a walk break ie. the horses walk around to cool down and catch their breath and any fouls or injuries) there are four chuckers to a game and if there is a tie the game goes immediately to shootout I believe. As this is happening all of next week I'm hoping to get a lot of pictures, not necessarily of the games them selves but of the chaos in the back. I am gone Monday through Wednesday so I will miss those games but I will get to see the finals and some prelim games.
      Also happening in the near future is the barn I work at getting all of our ponies and horses in for the summer. This is super exciting because it means that I will have many different horses to photograph as well as extended periods of time to take pictures. A lot of my healing series will be done here at Misty.
    I think those are all the updates for now.

"Out of the Rut"

       So here is the list I promised. I think that I am going to do one of these lists per week for the rest of the year well at least I'll try.
  
Planning: 7 Things I want to accomplish in the next week.

1. Fully plan the healing series for the art show
2. Start printing and matting photos from ones I already have taken (won't get alot of these done because of break next week)
3. One entry per day
4. Start photographing for the healing series. Lots over break!
5. Start the poetry for my healing series
6. Finish/Confirm dates and info for show with Avalon
7. Get Judy's input on my photos (why didn't I think of this earlier? oh well)

Recording: 4 ways my project has changed thus far.

1. I will no longer be doing the collage. I'm a little disappointed because I was so excited about this at the beginning of my project but I have decided to focus on the healing series.
2. I am going to do a public art show! This will get my photos out to the general public instead of just people I know
3. I'm going to try taking equine therapy photos if I'm allowed to
4. I'm adding words to a lot of my photos

Ideas and a Community Contact

     So I have finally nailed down my series idea: Healing. It works with the whole Japan earthquake, hope in the aftermath theme that Avalon has and it also works with my project because horses are able help us heal in so many different ways. Therapeutic Riding is a growing occupation that is helping more and more people in need each year. Here is a list of some of the conditions and challenges that NARHA (North American Riding for the Handicapped Association) helps with. 

• ADD or other Hyperactivity Disorder
• Amputation
• At risk-youth
• Attention deficit disorder
• Autism
• Cerebral palsy
• Developmental delay
• Down syndrome
• Emotional, behavioral difficulties
• Family counselling
• Grief counselling
• Learning disabilities
• Muscular dystrophy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Paralysis
• Reactive attachment disorder
• Spina bifida
• Spinal cord injury
• Strokes
• Substance addiction and abuse
• Terminal illness
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Visual and auditory impairment
• Weight Control Disorders

(www.narha.org)


    Horses are also able to just listen. Somehow they know exactly how and when to make you smile. No matter what. And a good ear that can never tell your secrets is always better than a gossip.
   I got an email address of a woman my mom works with whose daughter goes to a therapeutic riding center near Cortland. I am going to email her to ask about the center as well as how her daughter likes it. I'll also ask for the contact information of this center to see if I could come and take pictures for my project.

Class Notes 4/11/11

       So today we were given an assignment in class which was to read a classmate's journal and respond to it. We also had to write a list of things to improve upon in this last bit of school. I will be posting this in a little while. I am reading Paul's blog for the partner share. I really like his blog. I sing and do musicals but I've never really learned all the chords and keys and stuff like that so to read a blog that is about music and explains it for people who don't know the structures. The only thing I think he could add is maybe putting up a copy of the music he is writing. I think it would be really cool if the people reading his blog could see the actual music he is creating.  Overall his blog is really good.

I have a life again :DD

     So "The Wiz" is over and I am not heading straight into anything which means that I have soo much time now!!! This is great because now I will have a lot of time to work on my project. The horses come to my barn on Thursday!!! I'm really excited  because I get to ride a lot more often now and I get to see all of my friends more often. Having 12 horses that I see regularly means I have many more opportunities to take pictures. Last year during photo class I took pictures at my barn and most of the pictures turned out really well. I can't wait to start working the horses again because I get to ride and take pictures of the horses I love.

Wow. Inspiration

      So I just read Avalon's latest post and I am in absolute awe of her right now. She decided to create three series of pieces, all revolving around Hope. You need to read it to understand how cool her idea is!! I am soo inspired by her idea that I am going to do a similar one not exactly the same but I do like the idea of a series that has a purpose instead of just being a series. I want to do a play off of her idea that is distinctly mine but has a same common theme.
    I haven't had a lot of time to hash this out yet, so there aren't many details, but I'm excited about this and once "The Wiz" is over I'm going to have a lot more time.

      If you haven't seen "The Wiz" yet it is an amazing show and you should all come see it!!!

Mentor Meeting 3/31/11

     Wow. Its the end of March already. This means that I now have less than two months to complete my project. :O Today Mrs G and I talked about my coming week. I have tech week for "The Wiz" and I will not have any time what so ever to take pictures so in leu of taking pictures I will be doing a lot of research. So far I have read two books that I will elaborate on at a later date and I have started looking through my huge book of horses. We'll see how much actually gets written about in a timely fashion. Thats all for now.

WISE Notes 4/4/11

      So today we finished up the show and tell that we started last week. John played a recording of him playing five of eight parts  to his piece. It sounded so cool and it was kinda weird to think that every part was him playing. Dana also played one of his songs that he created and it was really good. I'm a little surprised, not because I didn't think that Dana could produce a good song but, at the fact that most of the people involved are in high school. I guess I never really realized the talent we have outside of the theatre people. We were then threatened with a lap around K in the pouring rain because we were all so dead to the world.
   Once again I will remind everyone that "The Wiz" is going to be amazing!! And that everyone should come see it!!

BUSY!!!!!!

      So "The Wiz" opens on Thursday. ON THURSDAY!!!!!! Oh my gosh that is soon, so this is what we theatre people affectionately refer to as hell week. Meaning that we pretty much get up for school in the morning and don't leave until the end of rehearsal at 10pm that night. We have food delivered to us by our loving parental units or by a delivery guy, change out of costume, eat, get back into costume and continue with the show. Up to this point we haven't teched, figured out the lighting and sound cues and scene changes, the entire show. We have made it half way through act two. That thought is a little nerve racking. This week is spirit week so you will see all of us in the show walking around in crazy outfits. How does this relate to my project you might ask, well you see, seeing as I will most likely be spending almost every waking hour at the school this week I can't go to polo to take pictures or anywhere else for that matter. This means almost no hands on work this week, which is somewhat disappointing. Oh well, it just means that I will be able to get a lot of research done, which is good because I haven't really done a ton of research up to this point or posted the research I have done. So please do not expect many pictures from me this week, I may put up some older ones but there won't be any new ones :(
   If you are reading this you should come to "The Wiz" on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm in the newly renovated Kulp Auditorium. It is going to be an amazing show and you would be supporting a WISE project, Casey W. is doing this show experience as his WISE project so come see it!!