Staying Strong

Staying Strong

Sunrise in Red River Gorge

Welcome everyone, happy to be posting again. Today I am going to talk about something that recently happened and how to process disappointment in a way that you can stay strong and push through it.

I had an art show recently and I was super excited because my last couple went great and this was my first of 2023. The show was going great at first and then I had this wave of four or five people come to my booth and proceeded to make some of the rudest comments I have ever had said to me in my art career.

“Good luck selling any of your cheap work, I showed here once and couldn’t sell anything.”

“Why would I buy a photo of a location, when I could just go there.”

“Wait one second, I have a photo that looks just like that location”

“Had someone ask about doing a metal print and then starts ranting about how much I told him it would be.”

Now I had some great interactions and really enjoyed my time for the most part but those four individuals really brought down my mood a lot. Even the woman in the next booth next to said that the people had been overly rude to me and couldn’t figure out why.

I was visibly upset and just tried to shake it off. After the show I went and had some food and vented to friends who checked on me after words (Thank you by the way for listening to me.)

About five days after the show I noticed that I wasn’t feeling good and usually when that happens I have to figure out what is going on with everything. I realized that I was still upset about what happened which is something I think all artist go through. I did two things to help with this issue as it hit me. Talk to someone, anyone and make sure they will listen. Don’t get a person who will try to one up you with worst news, they aren’t listening if they do that. Find someone who will listen and help you through the moment. Then go through the statements that bothered you and tell proof them wrong but only to yourself. I will do mine just to show everyone this exercise.

STAYING STRONG EXCERCISE:

Take the statement that was said and proof it wrong. Then never focus on it again. This is something I have learned that will help with moving forward and developing a stronger mental capacity not only for your art but yourself.

“Good luck selling any of your cheap work, I showed here once and couldn’t sell anything.” I know my work isn’t cheap and this is why. The phone of Dog Slaughters Fall is already one of my most popular photos of 2023, already sell copies of it to people who loved the image.

“Why would I buy a photo of a location, when I could just go there.” When you buy a print of a location like the prints I create, it takes you to that exact moment in time, one that will never be capture like that again. Which is goes for the next one. “Wait one second, I have a photo that looks just like that location” No one has the same photos period. We are artist. You can stick 100 photographers in a location, give them all the same gear and everything. All 100 photos will look different and have a different approach because EVERYONE is different.

“Had someone ask about doing a metal print and then starts ranting about how much I told him it would be.” This is someone who tried to make me devalue my work and the process it takes to create everything. This was someone who wasn’t being serious.

Reflection is really big in development and growing. I hope this helps everyone and I look forward to sharing more with you in the future. I am going this weekend to shoot photos at a familiar location while working on some images for an art gallery coming up. I can’t wait to share the videos, reels, shorts and everything from my trip. Until next time IT’S SHOW TIME FOLKS!!!

Thanks for reading,

Jimmy

How to get Started.

How to get started in Landscape Photography

Welcome everyone, happy that you are here. Happy Holidays first and foremost and just a small PSA, please check on your friends who are alone or away from their families during the holidays.

Now today, I am going to talk about getting started in Landscape Photography. Disclaimer, these are things I am talking about in retrospect versus how I ended up doing things.

Training:

Invest time in watching videos and online courses. Attend a workshop or two. Get yourself out there and start learning how different things work. Don’t be afraid of failure because in photography, failing is just a way we learn to overcome in the future. Training is widely available in a large range of ways. You find a few you can follow and get going.

Camera:

Yes, the new cameras are amazing, but they are EXPENSIVE. To save on them, go find a good used camera with a good lens. This way you don’t get hammered on a camera going into the start of something new. ALSO do your research on them please. Not all cameras are the same but most of the ones in the last five years are built with the same spec range and have a wide range of lenses.

Tripod:

You need a good tripod that will hold up to wind and the elements.  But is also light and able to be carried because you will be hiking to locations and having that with you 99% of the time. Research these too and find one that gives you everything you feel will help. Invest in the L bracket too as they will change your life.

Camera Bag:

Find one that you like. I prefer backpacks with hard shells and a lot of space. When I hike, I like to pack snacks and such for me, and have the ability to carry all my gear in one location and keep things comfortable too.

Filters:

Last but certainly not least, filters. These are personal choice and can be very expensive. You can have slide in filters or the ones you change on the filter that screws on to the front of the lens. I have shot with both and have both in my bag. Each one can help in a wide range of situations.

This is a starting point for anyone looking to get into Landscape Photography. Side note, I have no brand loyalty as I have shot with every type of camera in my career. If you are interested in certain brands that I use and love, I would be happy to reply to them in the comments below.

Thank you again for joining me,

 Jimmy

The Future & Moving Forward

The Future and Moving Forward:

Welcome everyone, happy to have you here! Today I am going to talk about the future and how things are moving forward with my Landscape Photography.

What changed:

Simply put, I changed. I changed how I was looking at things, how I was focusing on the negatives of the past and not on my happiness in the future.

Three months ago, I was having something call to me as I was working through some stuff and dealing with some personal issues. My DAY job is filled with me talking to a lot of the older population of the United States and during the end of August and start of September I kept having the same conversation happen and they would always tell me to chase my dream because when you get to their age, you living that dream is what helps you get through the times.

At the same time, I was very fortunate to come across a very powerful quote that I still read daily and believe is something that helped change my mindset. That quote is as follows:

“Believe that you are one new meeting, one new relationship, one new contact, one new action, one new decision, away from shifting your life to a totally different place.”- Ed Mylett

Honestly, I’ve never really listened to motivational speakers but something about that just hit home and, well, it changed how I started to see things. I wrote a five-year plan to shift from full time day work to full time Landscape Photographer.

I started planning things. I was invited to a couple art shows. Art galleries showing interest in 2023. Traveling to shoot photography again. Editing older images that I never touched due to me feeling something was lacking. Reigniting my artistic mind and it’s been an amazing three months. I would say I have accomplished more in the last three months than I have in 7 years and that says a lot. 2020 pandemic aside, I had a great year, but this feels different now. I mentioned in my Art Show and Goals blog that on November 18th, 2022 I closed the door on my past and only saw the future. That is where I feel things have changed completely.

I write all of this to tell you that if you are planning a YouTube channel, planning to teach or putting yourself out there more, know this, and believe, YOU CAN DO IT!! Go chase that dream and remember this, the people who want to help you and support you will do that without hesitation or question. They will push you and motivate you to be a better person and photographer. I know this because I found my people and I am blessed to have them.

Future Plans:

Starting next year, I am going to be focusing on my YouTube Channel and growing it. Also growing on social media more with videos, reels, etc. Finally, I am going to focus on article writing and trying to get into some national or international publications with my work and talking about locations. I also want to teach more photography to people. I would love to teach a workshop at the Lighthouse in Michigan City, Indiana. That is something that I have been planning in my head since I was there. I have a lot of work to do but will get it figured out and hopefully do that in the fall next year.

Lastly, I am going to be changing up the print portion of my online store. That includes pricing, types of paper, etc. Lots of new changes are coming soon and lots of exciting things for people to see and enjoy.

Thank you for reading and until next time,

Jimmy

Tips for Landscape Photography

Welcome everyone, happy you can join me. Today I am going to write about something a little different but something I feel will help everyone get to know me better as a photographer. Now I will start off I am not going to go over all the rules of Composition with you because honestly that is something everyone does, and I feel that it’s been repeated enough that I don’t need to worry about really rehashing what everyone says but what I want to talk to everyone about the top 5 Composition points that have helped me over the years become an effective Landscape Photographer and storyteller.

Create Depth:

Depth is something I see that lacks in some images. Either this is caused by focusing on one point in the image and everything else is blurred out with a shallow depth of field or they just lack having something to walk your eye through the image in creating the depth that helps tell a story that is going on in the image. Depth will also create something visually to please the eye and evoke emotions.

Framing:

This is a key point in some images of mine but not all. Using objects to frame the main subject. You can use a tree or rock that is in the area, but you can also use different things like a pier, a road, or even train tracks to help lead through the image and frame the subject that is the star of the photo.

Framing can help your viewers see images more clearly and what your focal point is in the story you are trying to create. Before you shoot any images see what your subject is about how you can frame it.

Leading Lines:

 Art is all about lines, curves, direction, and visually moving your eyes through any form of art. The same can be said about Leading Lines. A line can help move your eyes through the image and help visually tell your story. They can also be used to lead to the star of the photo. This also can be used to connect the foreground and background together to create a fluid image.

Layers:

 Layers can be used to create depth and to frame images. This can be done in multiple different ways including the use of a wide range of things including clouds and fog. Layers can visually enhance a photo and create mood and storytelling to the image.

Reflect the Beauty:

 This is something that I live by with my work. Showing the beauty of the natural world around us. Landscape Photography isn’t the most glamorous job with hiking, the conditions, and even the hours (early morning for sunrise) but the one thing that Landscape Photography holds over all other genres is the beauty you see. From the rising suns in the mountains, storms rolling through, and the beautiful sunsets in the distances. All of this makes up for those not so glamorous conditions and we will always remember the beautiful scenes that we have captured and shared with everyone.

What are your rules or points that you have learned that helped you become a better photographer? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next week,

Jimmy

Art Shows & 2023 Goals

First Art Show in 7 years:

Welcome everyone, happy you are here.

On November 18th, I finally did something that I had be itching to do for so long. I was able to present my Landscape Photography in an art show in Indianapolis and after 7 years of not being able to show my work in front of people. I can honestly say that was worth EVERY MINUTE.

I truly missed these little intimate events in the art community. I was able to show my work on a huge wall. Framed images hanging for everyone to see. Talking to new people who have never seen my work to friends who have only seen my work in person who came to the show to show me support where so blown away.

I had 20 framed images hanging on the wall and each image carries such a different story. Here are some of the things that where said and honestly I was so humbled and amazed by everything.

“The contrast between the foreground, middle, and sky is amazing.”

“Are these real, they look like paintings.”

“I get some serious Ansel Adams vibes from looking at your images.”

“Breathtaking”

Simply amazing that I would have these things said to me. I felt so good after hearing all of this from everyone. I truly feel blessed that I could do this and show everyone my work in person. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, talked, and bought prints. Nothing means more to know that my work is going to be hanging in someone’s house for everyone to see.

Special thanks to Bill, Kristen, and Shelby for helping with set up. Ashley helping me with getting some stuff for the show, and to everyone who purchased prints, ordered stuff, and listened to me during the build up and helping me keep my nerves down. I appreciate you so much and can never mention it enough but THANK YOU!!!

2023 Goals:

After my one show it opened my eyes and made me realize how good I truly and how proud I am of myself. I haven’t done goals in a long time but a couple months back I wrote out some goals in a 5 year plan to move from corporate work to being a full time Landscape Photographer and Educator.

2023 Goals:

5 + Art Shows

3+ Gallery Shows

1+ Solo Art Exhibition

10 Magazine Publications and at least 2 articles

3k following on Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/jimmymcrobertsphotography

2k following on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimmymcrobertsphoto

1k following on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBf8uQESR1gV8kj8ZxGXnSw

Also I want to create between 25-50 new images and possibly start doing limited edition print runs of certain images.

Last but not least, weekly videos on YouTube, teaching, educating, also showing various places that I have traveled to and creating images. I also want to talk about things that I see in the community.

See you next week,

Jimmy

Shooting a Year Later

My last Landscape photo I took was September 2021 then my life took a change and I moved to a new area, then end of 2019 I was in a horrible car accident that destroyed my car and literally changed so much. I spent some time mentally recovering while also having my full time job take over. Then I got to the point where I was missing everything that came with shooting Landscape Photography.

I started planning a trip to Cataract Falls with my friend Kat who is a nature lover. We planned our trip for this past Sunday which was 10/2 and it was a huge success even after being rushed with a lot of feelings while shooting, I got composed and finally got some amazing images of the area.

Cataract Falls State Park, Indiana

My first location wasn’t the greatest which was the lower falls across on the shore line but the weather and sun wasn’t really being my friend at the time and I couldn’t really capture much from it but when I walked down and got to standing on the lower falls, I was able to capture some amazing images.

This is only my 4th trip out shooting Landscapes with a brand new setup and still learning to capture images with it but photography and becoming good is all about practicing and learning how different things work. I will say one thing I want to do is go back soon and capture some video of the area and start working on making videos too with my shoots for people to see.

One of the fun things on top of the lower falls was all the different little falls plus rushing around. After looking through the images I found a lot of variety of areas that I can focus on different detailed shots too that I didn’t get to focus on this trip but I will definitely start focusing on them more.

I didn’t get anything from the upper falls because it was way over crowded for my liking with people because it was an amazing start to fall. I want to definitely get the upper falls captured with the covered bridge in the images too. Always another trip in the future.

Coming up in the future will be some editing tutorials and how I finish my work and prepare it for print and web display. Also I will be talking about some upcoming art shows I have coming up and possibly a future gallery show. Lots of stuff to work on and also to give everyone to read too.

Thanks for reading,

Jimmy

I’m Back

Hello everyone and I can officially say I am back and honestly I am already back in a big way.

My last year and half has been met with ups and downs. Lots of what ifs and a lot of self blame but honestly I believe that everything happens for a reason and gives you a way to see things differently. I started working in Healthcare after moving back to Indiana in November of 2021. I started shooting portraits first and really enjoyed it but it wasn’t the thing calling to me. I spent the summer talking to members of my job and I could feel myself being told stories and constantly I was getting signs of what I needed to do and where I belonged.

10 days ago, I started to finally realize what I wanted in my life and I think it would end up making me happier then I have been before. Then I was flipping through reels on Facebook one day and randomly a real came up of motivational speaker and I watched it. That one video started to help me change how I was seeing and looking at things. This is what he said:

“Believe that you are one decision, one relationship, one meeting, one thought, one something from a completely different life.” Ed Mylett

I watch this reel and video at least 3-5 times a day and every time it lights a fire in me and makes me start looking toward the future. 3 days after seeing this I sat down and typed a 5 year plan for my shift from working in corporate America and living my dream of being a full time Landscape and Nature Photographer.

After this I started to just get my name out in the market some more and see about getting into some local shows. I sent three emails one evening and the next day I got one email saying that they had no space for artist for the foreseeable future which was fine because it wasn’t really a no just not at this time. The next one was an acceptance into 2 art shows, one in November and the other in December. This is something I haven’t had in over 7 years. My last art show where I sat and showed my art to people was September 2015.

The last email I got back was for a future juried gallery show for my Landscape work. I haven’t had a physical gallery show since September 2015 when I had my only solo exhibition.

After this I started to work on getting a professional logo made and rebooted my website.

Now I am planning trips and ideas for places to take photos of in my area. Then I am also planning on some more shows and ways to expand how my photos are seen.

It is time I start creating my chances and to show people that MY PHOTOGRAPHY is amazing and that people want to see it and want to display it.

This is a HELLO and this is a new start. The future is bright and its time to take the reigns moving forward to a wonderful life.

Thanks for reading

Jimmy