The Rise of Team Veritas II

     This is what I'm talking about people! Get out there...get uncomfortable...challenge yourself...do something you're not sure you can do...and DO it!

     This past weekend was the Mid-Atlantic Spring 2013 Tough Mudder. It was held at the Peacemaker National Training Center in West Virginia. For my brothers and I (save one), it was our second Tough Mudder. The first course bane was the seemingly endless series of monumental hills, while this year, the added challenge was the bone-chilling wind. This year we had the fortune of running the event with four green teammates...creating a 7 person fellowship that would forever be known as TEAM VERITAS II. We all finished! Our times? Who knows! 

     The spirit of the Tough Mudder has all along been a strong influencing factor in the driving force behind the Walkabout. The Tough Mudder is a challenging test of physical strength,  stamina, camaraderie, and mental grit....OUTDOORS! This is not your 45-minute lift session in the gym or your 3-mile run around your neighborhood (not that those are bad). The Walkabout, while so much lay on a personal/emotional level, will frequently tie into those same pillars forming the foundation for the Tough Mudder. There will be the physical aspects as well as the forging of a grittier mental fortitude...from ice climbing to battling intense loneliness.

     I think you probably get the idea. So I'll shut up and leave you with the Oath recited by all participants of last weekends event and some photos of the aftermath of Team Veritas II.

TOUGH MUDDER OATH
As a Tough Mudder, I pledge that:

I understand that tough mudder is not a race but a challenge.
I put team work and camaraderie before my course time.
I do not whine- kids whine.
I help my fellow mudders complete the course.
I overcome all fears.

Team Veritas II

Brendan Guilday

Caroline Johnson

Mike Dwyer

Gavin Hannan

Team Veritas I

Kevin Quine

Tim Quine

Yours Truly

I want you for next year's Tough Mudder

Shadows in the Night

First attempt at night photography. Lesson learned?....light is my friend! 

     You might notice I didn't really cover a lot of ground. The reason being is that so much time was spent at each place trying to learn better techniques for zeroing in on the right exposure with what little light was available. I did NOT want to use the flash because I wanted to practice capturing moments in their natural lighting by only adjusting aperature, shutter speed, and ISO (plus flash is a whole beast I'm not ready to face just yet). Frustrating at times but honed some skillz and discovered where more attention needs to be devoted. Perhaps the "run, shoot, ask questions later" mentality should be temporarily shelved, and more consideration should be placed into taking a class or reading up on photography tips/tricks. However, I think there is something to be said about actually stepping outside, making mistakes (or ALL the mistakes in my case), and learning from them. 

     Alright for a moment of personal hat tipping...I thought most of the pictures I captured last night were total garbage at first. That was until I got to the post-processing phase. At first, every picture had a rusty hue to it because the D.C. night sky was soooo orange (light pollution?). The remedy? Reducing the saturation of the orange hues! Duh, of course. Now you'll see that the sky looks like a night sky (albeit cloudy) instead of a rusty blanket.

     Another editing eureka moment was when I lightened the photographs' shadow saturation. Unexpectedly, the exposures for most of the pictures were spot on. But by being able to draw back the shadows a bit, the picture really started to pop (most notably, I think, with the WWII Memorial photos). Is there a way to compensate for this while taking the photo? Help?

     Blah blah blah....ok moral of the story? And this seems to be a reoccurring theme...but I have A LOT to learn. 

     A shameless plea...if anyone knows any professional or experienced hobbiest photographers that want to spread their knowledge through overly receptive ears...please let me know.

     Below are only a few of the actual exposures I took last night. The ones that did not make the cut are basically the same photograph compositions but they were the practice shots that eventually got me to the photos you see on here.

You can't tell but the flag was at half mast...Go Boston!

I ain't afraid of you...I'm comin' for you you!

I can't remember...this might be a half-arse HDR photo...?

AMURRICA!

Horrible focus....but I was using a remote shutter-release. Gotta figure out how to use that better.

Warbonnet....What Is It Good For?

Warbonnet's Blackbird Hammock

I woke up this morning and did not feel particularly well, but thought, despite my sunburn,  I could still use some Vitamin D for recharging purposes. Didn't feel much up to driving anywhere so I simply grabbed my hammock, out of the growing gear pile on my floor, and headed outside. I turned left out of my apartment, saw two trees roughly 20 feet apart from one another and set up shop. It took me a little under  5 minutes to occupy that 20 foot space with my would-be floating bed chamber. Once I got comfortable, it took less than half that time before I was counting the proverbial sheep. 

The pictures below are just random shots of different components of the hammock. Oh and of an inquisitive squirrel that was interested in the 5'9 being taking up residence in his neighborhood...not to be confused with the one picture of my ACTUAL roommate. Enjoy.

Camera shy...

Thats right people...this camera is FAST

A Walk in the Woods

     If you're wondering what I ended up doing instead of going to the Bauer ranch...it was none of the things I thought I'd do. Instead I threw my 4lb inflatable kayak (with oar in tow) into my backpack, straddled the Ironhorse, and cruised on down to Burke Lake. Ten minutes after getting there, I found myself in a "no shirt, no shoes, no problem" situation right smack in the middle of the lake. Stretched out, soaking up some much deprived Vitamin D, and without a care in the world. Not a single person in sight. The only sounds were those of the occasional goose call...probably flirting with all the other geese hotties. After three hours of laying out in the Lakes hinter regions, I packed up the bag and took my, now redish Lobster-hue, self back home.

Anyway...so the rest of this post has nothing to do with my Burke Lake boondoggle.

     So I was on the fence about posting these pictures onto the blog because I wasn't sure how these photographs captured anything to do with the Walkabout. But then I thought to myself, almost none of the pictures on this blog, so far, have anything to do with the Walkabout. I want to reiterate, perhaps for my own self-awareness, that any post leading up to the Bon Voyage date is essentially setting the tone for when the adventure begins. More so, each post should hopefully tie in elements of the outdoors, gear, preparations, or, in this case, photography (and nunchuck) skillz development - I mean if this blog motivates/inspires even just one kid or adult to go outside then its all worth while.

     Real quick, these pictures were taken during a walk on a trail, of which the name escapes me. I really wanted to get some more practice with the camera/lenses and this trail provided the perfect opportunity. I also wanted to get photographs of how we can interact in nature. There is no right or wrong way (well maybe there is a wrong way) to experience the outdoors. Below, there are also more than a few candid photographs of my lovely assistant, Christine, showing her simply drinkin' in the outdoor experience.

     I admit, now that I'm getting more into photography I'm taking much closer notice of my natural surroundings than perhaps I used to. Its lent a new perspective for how I absorb my environment. Nature and just being out in it has always had emotional, and often indescribable affects on me. However, photography has opened my eyes to focus, not only on the feelings evoked by vast landscapes, but also on the smaller and initially less noticeable elements.

One last thing....if you click on the pictures, you can see them all in a more full screen version...the way they were intended to be seen. Thats all.

 

 

P.S. Tonight I will be transitioning back to my nigh shift schedule and now that the weather is warm, look forward to some night time photographs soon.