Lindsay, I am both proud and humbled by your work, and I know you will cease the fleet to live and love, at every door, along the way.

This is for you.

image: rus vanwestervelt, from photos taken at Gettysburg National Historic Site

RunSlamB r e a k

The doors I pass, all locked and sealed

with the rust of rush

of years gone by.

You, me, we as winds whip us through

so blindly we go

here, there, and every no-where.

But we–

we

RunSlamB r e a k

now

at every rush-rusted door

and live to love and love to live

and wash the rush with wishes made

here, there, and every-where.

Open doors, opportunities,

the sounds of suns sifting through red-yellow trees

seeping seeds of life and love made long to live. . . .

Carry the key always, Lindsay

and never let the rush of rust

push you by-and-by that once-opened door.

It was always meant for you.

For you, for you.

RunSlamB r e a k

for you.

The snow last weekend that just barely touched us in Baltimore but devastated the New England region was the best and most timely contradiction for me in all ways. Yesterday, over at Maryland Voices, our True Tuesdays prompt focused on Contradiction and the opportunities we are suddenly presented when such situations arise. What do you do when something goes against your routine, defies your everyday expectation?

The contrast existing between the old and brilliant autumnal leaves against the virgin white snow allowed me to get off this annual surge of creativity, just long enough to really appreciate what this time of year means to me.

Historically, this has been my most creative period, whether that be with a camera or a pen in hand. The touch of golden melancholy is just strong enough within me to stir the muse in wondrous ways, and I almost always emerge in December with a batch of pre-polished creativity that was as intense as it was joyful to make.

Seeing the reds and yellows sprinkled with white only strengthened that surge in me to write and create. But it was because I stopped and took the time to absorb it, let it play around inside a bit, work its most unusual magic in this most magical season.

We need to do more of this, this slowing down and taking the time to absorb the existing beauty around us. Our trains move too fast through this life, a shortened ride for many it seems these days, and I can only beg you enough to realize the joys and pleasures that await simply by slowing down, even just a little.

These contradictions in our lives allow us the chance to do exactly this. They are the hiccups that make us catch our breath, focus for a moment on something we did not expect, ponder a little color and splash of virgin white to spin the wheels in the other direction and make us see that we don’t need to wait until the end of the journey to realize glory and beauty.

It’s here right now, all around us, all the time.

Well, I did it again, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Not only did I leave Facebook and Twitter, I stopped my usual rounds of catching up on the latest football news, rankings, and predictions on the local news sites, not to mention ESPN, SI, Foxsports, and other national sports sites.

Finally, I feel like I can breathe again.

Not that I don’t miss chatting with my closer friends on Facebook, I do. But I imagine that, in the coming days and weeks (and it’s already started to happen with some friends), I will be finding other ways to catch up with them.

You know. In person. Face to face. Real time.

I don’t knock the social networks. They serve a purpose that can be both fun and meaningful for all kinds of relationships. But I know that, for me to be fully present for my family and still focus on my writing and photography, something had to give.

Already, I am writing more (I am here as well, which says a lot), my focus is better when spending time with others, and I am not glued to my phone or my computer.

None of these are any surprise to me. This is my third or fourth separation from Facebook, and each time I experience the same bliss.

Why even go back, then? Why return to the social-media time suckers that compromise the very things that bring me the greatest joy and allow me to live a most-balanced life?

I have no idea.

Maybe this time I won’t. I know that my book sales might suffer, and I might not have as many people see some of the photos that I have taken. As well, I know such a move goes against every marketing strategy that’s been devised in the last three years for artists who are trying to launch some kind of name for him or herself.

But my time with my family is too valuable to sacrifice for social networking and trying to “make it” as a writer and artist. I write and I take photos because it is in me; it is a part of who I am, and I cannot stop it any faster than I can stop breathing (thanks, Lacey, for that so many years ago). What is NOT a part of me is the whole selling of my work and playing some kind of game that gets me running with the creative consultants and gurus of the craft. Not when it comes at the cost of sacrificing time with my wife and children.

God bless the social gurus and network marketers. We need them, and they help so many undo the myriad blocks that have kept thousands and thousands from living a more creative, inspired life. I have family members and friends who are burning incredible new virtual paths in the connections they are making. These people are changing lives, and we are better off for their tireless energy and spirit.

Me, though? I need to do that networking at a distance. I will let my words and my images speak for me, and I will never turn down an invitation to converse about the things we love. But I cannot sell you me using social media as a device to further my passions. I just can’t.

So, you’ll see me around here more frequently. I’m still writing for Write Anything, I’m still working hard with my creative partner Cara Moulds at Cool Blue Souls on our daily Smash365 prompts and book reading club, and I’m wrapping up my book Cold Rock for release before the end of the year. I am looking for new venues for my photography, and I have a full line of competitions and deadlines for shorter writing submissions that I’m sending out on a biweekly basis. All of this is possible with the focus that is returning, thanks to my break-up with social media.

I’ll see you here and other places online and in print as well, but most importantly, I’d like to see you in person. Let’s hold on to the very things we should never stop cherishing: the embracing of life’s fragility, hand in hand, as we go along our way.

My drive home from school today took less time than I expected, and I had exactly ten extra minutes before I had to pick up my oldest daughter to take her to the gym.

Given the fact that I was still five minutes from home, that left me with exactly five minutes of spare time. What could I possibly accomplish in such little time?

I stopped at Goucher College (near my home), went in the direction of the pond on campus with camera in hand, and remained receptive to what might present itself to me. I was struck immediately by the brilliance of a single fruit dangling from a dying tree. After shooting five frames in under a minute, I wandered further down toward the pond. I disturbed a grasshopper in the tall weeds, and I followed him to a blade of grass (below). Fired off another 8 shots (took two of the tall grasses blowing in the wind), returned quickly to my Jeep, and headed home.

I was a little disappointed. I arrived home a minute early. I wondered what else would have presented itself if I had spent that minute at the pond?

photo: rus vanwestervelt, goucher college, towson, md 9/26/11

Chances are, your camera allows you to adjust the settings to get a better shot.

As a default, most digital point and shoots (and even some of the digital SLRs) are programmed to underexpose your pictures. That means that the shutter is clicking a little faster than it should be, and less light is getting in to create your image. As a result, your pictures are slightly darker, and there is less definition in areas with shadows (including details on individuals). This is not usually an issue, as most pictures have a balanced variation of light contributing to the overall picture.

The problem with shooting pictures in the snow is that most of the light coming into the camera is bright white from the snow, and it tells your camera’s shutter speed to go even faster, letting even less light in for a balanced picture.

This can be easily corrected by manually changing the exposure settings. First, two examples:

The picture below was shot without any exposure compensation. The shutter speed was 1/2000 of a second.

A little dark, but overall not a bad picture.

When we increase the exposure time by one full stop (1/1000 of a second), the shutter is open for twice the time, allowing more of the details in Madelyn’s face to appear.

There are three easy ways to do this manually.

First, most cameras will tell you what the shutter speed is going to be when you are in auto mode and you depress the shutter release button halfway. This information may be displayed through the viewfinder when you look through the eyepiece, or it may appear on the back of your camera on the LCD panel. Whatever that reading is for the shutter speed (let’s say it’s 1/500), switch to manual mode and increase its length by one step (change it to 1/250) and take the picture.

The second way to change this setting is if your camera has an Exposure Compensation (EC) mode. Most digital SLRs allow you to adjust your exposure in 1/3 increments. Simply find the setting on your camera and increase by as many increments as you wish for a better exposure. Most of these cameras also allow you to “bracket” your photos by taking 3, 5, 7, or even 9 photos in succession, each at a different increment (some cameras also allow you to change your increments from 1/3 of a step to a full step). You can then look at the different exposures and determine which might be best for that specific photo. Generally, though, if you are taking pictures of the snow, it’s best to increase your shutter exposure time by at least 1/2 step.

The third way is to get close to the subject you want to shoot and depress the shutter release button halfway to get an exposure reading. Then, when you recompose the shot, make sure you change your shutter setting to that original reading. That way, the exposure will be correct for the subject, while the rest of the picture will be slightly overexposed.

What makes all of this tricky is that the terminology seems contradicting. We increase our shutter exposure time, but the actual number seems as if it decreases (1/500 to 1/250). Underexposed means that some parts of the photo are too dark, while overexposed means that some are too light. Also, adding a full step means that you are slowing down the shutter.  It’s all very confusing.

The bottom line is this: In snow pictures with subjects, slow your shutter speed down. Take a few practice shots at different settings and see which ones you like. It just takes a moment to adjust your settings to get a better picture, and it opens up endless possibilities as you begin to experiment with the settings, making the pictures unique and artistic!