Bitter-Sweet

Today is bitter-sweet, I will be getting off work a few hours early, so I get to spend more time with my son, clearly that is the sweet part. We will be working together to take down my photography show that ends today at the Nashua Public Library. I hope that many of you were able to come by and check it out during these past two months.
If you are an artist in the Nashua, NH area, I would recommend checking into getting you work displayed at the library, its a great venue, and the people there are fantastic to work with Carol Eyman and Bruce Marks were both so helpful in making my show a success and neither can be thanked enough for there genuine caring ways, and commitment to helping me make the most of this opportunity. 
If you were not able to come by and check out the show, my work is always on display at my web home www,paulmangold.com and my Artists Websites home. when you visit, leave my a message and let me know what you think, you opinion matters, and I'd love your feedback. 

You Love Photography

You love photography! If you are like me, you absolutely love photography. You wake up thinking about it, you go to sleep thinking about it. Now do not get me wrong, my absolute favorite thing in the world is being a husband and father, and I would choose that over photography, hands down, no question. You do not have the wife and family that I have without feeling and knowing that there is in fact a God and he loves me very much. The fact remains, that I also feel like photography was also a gift form above, I know this because of the passion that I have for it. I "worked an event" Saturday, shooting the Adventure 5K with Capstone Photography , I battled ever changing lighting, contestants that had their Bibs covered (every shot needs to clearly show the Bib number), and all of the things that a sports photographer always expects to be challenged with, sounds like work, doesn't it? It wasn't, it was truly a blast, I felt a little down when the last runners passed, for the event, the opportunity, my adventure, was now over.

The fact is that if you wish to make a living at photography, or at least support your habit, by selling enough to pay for some of your equipment you will have to put a fair amount of non-shooting work into it. I manage 3 separate websites http://www.paulmangold.com/ , http://paul-mangold.artistwebsites.com/ , and my Zazzle Stores , for the purpose of selling my work. I also have my Facebook page , this blog, a Twitter page  , I'm also on Pinterest, Panoramio, Google +1, and LinkedIn all in an effort to market my art (my photography business). Although this side of my art is not nearly as much fun, I have to say that I am learning something new each day about business in the new online world in which we live. When it comes to selling your work, you will also want to try to get into your local library, coffee shops, and any other location that looks to display the work of local artists, after all, your getting your name, and your art out there, creating excitement and interest in your work. I hope that I'm not in anyway scaring you off, if you really want to sell your work, in know way do you have to do what I am doing, your tactics, your business plan could be similar, or far different from mine. The fact is that you should never do anything that takes away from the joy that photography brings you. Be true to yourself, be true to your art, be true to the blessing that you have been given.

Belated Saturday Post

Wow! What a day! Had another chance to shoot a running event with my friends at Capstone Photography, This wee we shot the Adventure 5K  sponsored by NH.com . Mike and his team really know how to capture an event and bring out the efforts that the athlete is putting into competing in the pictures they produce. I am truly honored to be a part of the team at Capstone and I hope that you will check out some of Capstones great work.  

Paul Mangold Images: Photography and the Cost of Gas

Paul Mangold Images: Photography and the Cost of Gas: There is no getting around the cost of gas these days, so what do you do as a passionate photographer, stop going out? The fact is that jus...

Photography and the Cost of Gas

There is no getting around the cost of gas these days, so what do you do as a passionate photographer, stop going out? The fact is that just as your using the internet to reed my blog, you can also use the power of the internet to narrow down or even pinpoint your next destination. 
I myself love the idea of discovery, going out and exploring , just to see what I might find,and though to my naturally cheap disposition, I found  $2 per gallon gas to be less than pleasant, the idea of $4 per gallon gas is simply painful. The simple reality is; at $2 per gallon I would bite the bullet and pay the price to explore, the fun and adventure, along with the end result of many sell-able images seemed to make it worth while. Today that is simply not the reality, at $4 per gallon, I either take fewer trips, stay closer to home, or figure out exactly where I'm going ahead of time (far less exploring). So what is the passionate (explorer) photographer supposed to do in order to get great shots in possibly remote areas, without wasting a ton of gas finding that ultimate destination? Simply put, the answer is to become a researcher. Today the internet affords us the opportunity to research just about everything, and with all of the people in the world today that love to snap and post pictures, many of the sites that you can use to research, also include pictures. One of my favorite sites to us is Google Earth. Google Earth allows me to virtually visit the area that I am interested in visiting, it provides pictures that others have uploaded, so that I can get a better idea of the terrain, the feel, and the attractions in the area, it literally allows me to take the trip before I get into my car. You can also research the area through Google or Bing,
key in the name of the area or town, research using the local chamber of commerce website, or the States tourism website. Last but not least, seek out other photographers websites, by using keyword searches that take you to photos of the area. By doing a little homework first, you can map out the shortest routes that get you to the destinations that you would have otherwise found, but at a much higher cost. I hope this helps you to save money, or allows you to get back out on the road, visiting the destinations that you had hoped to explore. I'm including some shots that I have been able to capture at a savings, thanks to research ahead of time.  

Photographer at the Wheel Use Caution

I'm a firm believer in obeying traffic laws, to include and especially speed limits. However as a disclaimer to the aforementioned belief system; I am a photographer, therefore I must be prepared to get the shot on the drop of a dime. As for the driver of the vehicle behind me, please do not follow too closely, I will stop without notice, make sudden turns, possibly even break the no speeding rule that I proudly and strictly adhere to (usually). You see, sometimes (many times) as a photographer, you see things that others may overlook, The lighting changing in a very interesting way, something interesting just off of the road, etc.. At the end of this entry, I will include some examples of images that I have captured because I bent the rules of driving just a bit. I have mentioned this previously, but is does warrant mentioning again, if you are a photographer you already know this; When photography truly becomes a part of who you are, and is part of your very being, you begin to see things that many others would otherwise overlook, or not even notice at all. Just as a truly great surfer can anticipate a great wave, even before it has manifested itself, a photographer can anticipate a great photographic opportunity, sometimes (many times) we are not sure ourselves how this phenomenon actually works, but If asked my opinion on the matter, I would have to say that we get the gift of pre- visualization from the same source that drove us to become photographers in the first place, for me I believe that photography is one of God's greatest gifts to me. So irregardless of where you believe this ability comes from, the one thing that you will find to be true is that you will need to be still within yourself, let that inner voice speak to you and guide you. If you can learn to be still (quite within), you will find that you are able to notice, and anticipate great shots, even before they happen. The following are just a few shots that I have, well lets just say, bent a few traffic laws in order to capture.

Mt. Washington Hotel @ Sunset (had to make a sudden U-turn)

Great Effects of the Sun Setting (just a little above the speed limit)

Milk Weed (the angle of the light was perfect, forcing me to make a abrupt stop on I-91)

The Nubble Light (Just 15-20 over the speed limit)

The Margaret Todd (A little fast, and a couple rolling stops)

     

Photography - A Part of Who Yo Are

 If you have been considering taking up photography or just finding great joy in taking pictures consider the following. Once you take up photography seriously, and especially when it starts to really become a part of who you are, in other words, you find yourself thinking about it regularly, you will start to notice that you seem to be seeing the world through a camera lens. Its almost as if everything you see either is or could be a great picture. Another phenomenon that you will notice is that you actually start seeing more, and with more clarity, the world becomes a more detailed and beautiful (or not) place, depending upon your vantage point, and the subject in front of you. The camera really can add great depth to who you are, it can empower you to share the beauty of our world with all who know you, and through the power of the internet, many who don't. The camera can aid you in the spreading of a message, whether it be about a natural disaster, or global warming. Photography can become a calling, though for many it is simply a source of great peace and zen; either way it is a gift, one that I personally give thanks for each and every day. I encourage you to follow that calling that is photography, or at least let it become a part of your life, the world is truly a beautiful place, with much that needs to be shared, and stories that need a story teller. If you have the bug, roll with it, it could be an opportunity to find peace and zen, or it could truly be that part of your life that you always knew that you were missing, but never really knew what it was that left you felling that something was missing. Below you will find stories that needed telling.      

Hurricane Irene's destruction in Vermont

Hurricane Irene's destruction in Vermont

Southwest Harbor, Mt. Desert Island ME

Sunrise in Acadia National Park

Relaxing in Bar Harbor, ME

Twilight on Mt. Desert Island

A Fading Part of Our Past

Starting a New Life

The Joy of Life

Even a grueling triathlon can be fun

Trying to hold onto a lost loved one

Learning about the sacrifices for our freedom

American Pride

White Mountain Boat House

The Mount Washington Hotel

The Basin in Winter