A rainbow appears over a neighborhood in downtown Columbia, S.C., on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, following a severe thunderstorm. (© 2011 Brett Flashnick/flashnick visuals, llc.)

Click “More” to see the technical details after the jump.

Technical Details
Camera: Canon 5D MKII
Lens: Canon 24-70 f/2.8L USM @ 24mm
Memory: SanDisk Extreme 8GB
ISO: 160
Shutter: 1/320
Aperture: f/4

The first  video comes from a blog post by Chase Jarvis.  Chase shared video interview from The Atlantic with National Geographic photographer Sam Abell (one of my personal favorites).  In the video he talks about taking an entire year to make a single image. Like Chase I have to admit I’ve never spent an entire year trying to make a single image, some have taken hours, and a few have taken days but never an entire year.  However I have had the experience of watching someone thumb past those images in a newspaper or magazine, and really wish I had handled it like Abell did instead of just hanging my head and walking away.

The next video came from facebook page of the South Carolina Arts Commission. In this piece edited by David Shiyang Liu, Ira Glass of “This American Life” (another one of my professional heroes) talks about the amount of perseverance that it takes to really become good at your craft. In his case it is telling stories through spoken word and moving images, but the same applies to photography. This is something I was told, albeit a little less eloquently, almost two decades ago when I started with photography.

If you are interested in watching all four parts of the original “Ira Glass on Storytelling” from Current_TV/PRI, I put together a playlist you should check out http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC85F217C182194FF.

I think the most interesting part about these two videos is that I am somewhere in the middle.  I’ve been doing this for long enough that a large volume of work has been produced, but not yet at the point where I can spend a year making a single image.  This is a good reminder of why it’s important that you don’t just persevere through creating a large volume of work at the beginning of your creative endeavor. The real trick is persevering through this process over several decades, just like Sam Abell has done.  Just like anything else, the skill of seeing and developing a story, whether its with photographs, video or words, can grow dull over time if its not kept sharp.  I will admit that I have fallen victim to this in the past when trying to focus on business, marketing, etc… It was easy to say to myself “ok I’ve got this photography thing down pat, now I have to focus on the business side of things to be successful.” Unfortunately thats not the case and what you are trying to get out there grows dull in the process.

I’m interested to hear what you think. Do you think you have this level of commitment and perseverance?  What’s the longest you’ve spent working on one thing? Please share your thoughts and comments below.

Here are a few of the outlets from Seattle on the west coast to NYC on the east coast that published my images last night.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nation/army-s-new-fitness-tests-add-taste-of-battlefield-1.2722013

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13028950

http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/armys-new-fitness-tests-857171.html

http://www.bakersfieldnow.com/news/national/117202543.html

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2014368274_armyfitness02.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/03/01/national/main20037925.shtml

http://www.tdtnews.com/story/2011/3/2/72813

http://www.pjstar.com/news/x1512110234/Army-swaps-sit-ups-for-combat-run-in-new-PT-tests

http://www.statesman.com/news/nation/armys-new-fitness-tests-add-taste-of-battlefield-1290144.html

http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2011/03/01/D9LMNSTO0_us_army_new_fitness_test/

http://dailycaller.com/2011/03/01/army-swaps-sit-ups-for-combat-run-in-new-pt-tests/

http://www.newstimes.com/news/articleGallery/Army-s-new-fitness-tests-add-taste-of-battlefield-1036257.php

http://www.kansas.com/2011/03/01/1741926/army-swaps-sit-ups-for-combat.html

For those interested, and not inclined to read the full story by my AP colleague Susanne Schafer, here’s the caption version. The new set of standards now includes two separate fitness tests, one which resembles the PT tests of the past 30-years which includes pushups and a 1.5 mile run, while adding new elements like wind sprints, long jump, and a hybrid sit-up/leg lift called the rower.  The new test requires soldiers to don full battle gear and take on a 400-yard run, then immediately complete an obstacle course that involves balance, agility and strength.  The latter of the two tests seemed more like an agility drill from the NFL combine, rather than an Army fitness test.  This all made sense when I spoke with Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, who oversees all training in the U.S. Army.  Hertling said that the goal for these exercises, along with new nutrition guidelines is to bring today’s soldiers up to the level of elite athletes.

Snow clouds pass over the skyline of Columbia, SC, during a snow storm on December 26, 2010.

Its pretty rare for us to get snow in South Carolina, its even more rare for us to get snow twice in one year, but snow on or around Christmas here in Columbia is pretty rare.  The only time I’ve ever seen a “White Christmas” was when my family took a trip to the mountains for the holiday when I was in elementary school.  Not sure when I would ever see snow around the holidays in Columbia ever again (even though it was minimal) I took my cameras out for a ride, and this is what I saw.  See more of my images from the day after Christmas below.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

I am completely humbled that I have been selected as the Columbia Regional Visitors Center ”Artist of the Month” for November 2010. Photographic prints will be on display and available for purchase throughout the entire month of November at the Visitors Center located inside the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center (1101 Lincoln Street).

We are kicking things off with a happy hour drop-in on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2010. Please join us for beer, wine and light hors d’oeuvres from 5:30-7:30pm at the Visitors Center in the Vista.

If you can’t make it to the happy hour, I will be at the Visitors Center all day, so feel free to stop by when you have a moment. These photographic prints make unique Christmas gifts. To help you get started with your holiday shopping all prints will be discounted 10-25% from 8:30am-7:30pm on the 4th.

My first fine art photography show Symbology, installed in the black box theatre at the Columbia Music Festival association.

As I sat on the porch where I currently live, listening to the water fall in the Koi pond, and trying to catch up on growing email inbox this morning, I ran across a facebook message from a few weeks ago that new friend and fellow artist Anastasia Chernoff sent, after visiting my photo show, the subject of that message was “The after-show glow…”  In her message she equated the emotions of putting your first show together, to giving birth to a baby (something I’ll never know about), and went on to say “…the opening night was all so beautifully surreal. An incredible high that, to this day, STILL resonates within me when I think about it.”  That last statement is something I can now completely understand though.  Now that I look back on the whole experience of my show which closed at the conclusion of the 2009 Artista Vista three weeks ago, it STILL resonates within me, and I’m sure it will continue to, for the rest of my life.  While my entire life has been a complete whirlwind for the past 3 months, filled with the stresses of work, travel, putting on my first show, and trying to buy my first home, I sit here this morning feeling the calmest, and certainly the most content I’ve been in the past 8 months, all thanks to the wonderful friends, and family who now share my life with me.

Five months ago I could never have imagined that I would find my voice as an artist in the midst of all the turmoil that was surrounding me, nor could I have hoped for the amount of support that I received in making this show a reality.  None of this would have been possible without those family and friends, both new and old, that I now treasure more than ever.  In recent months they have guided me, and supported me, through the process of this show, searching for a home, and the emotional stress of losing what I had come to think of as the most important thing in my life.  My long-term relationship with a person who I truly loved.  Now what they have helped me rebuild is even better than before.

For this reason I can’t thank my family, friends, and colleagues; Katie, J. Lee, Betsy, Chip, Lesley, Nicole, Natasha, Rich, Jay, Jody, Chris, Kim Kim, Gerry, Jeff, Meg, Jody, and last but certainly not least the Villanova crew, enough with any amount of words or deeds.  I could not have made it this far without you, and owe you far more than I could ever repay.  Also to those who found me and asked that I put this show on at the right time in my life, and offered more support and encouragement than I could have ever dreamed to help make my show a reality, the Columbia Music Festival Association, Susan & Steve, John Whitehead, Cindi Boiter, The Mouse House, The Frame Shop, Moses and the Ritz crew, everyone at Adorama Pix, for the amazing prints, thank you just isn’t enough!

A special thanks goes out to all of the following media outlets who helped me to promote the show and my work.

• Stir Magazine Vol. 5 – Click Here to read the PDF article by Cindi Boiter
• Be “Undefined” Art Blog
• Artista Vista: Views from the galleries by Otis Taylor: The State
• Renewed Energy at 2009 Artista Vista by Mary Bentz Gilkerson: The Free Times
• Art against the tide by Jeffrey Day: Carolina Culture
• Carolina Arts

A political protester grasps a confederate battle flag, outside of town hall meeting at Seawell's, in Columbia, S.C., for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.

The proceeding statement was the founding basis for my first fine art photography show titled “Symbology,” which contains 15 16×20 format silver halide prints, from editorial images which I have created over the past decade as a freelance photojournalist.

The show will run April 23-25, 2009, at the Columbia Music Festival Association located at 914 Pulaski St. in Columbia, SC. Click Here to View a Map. 

Symbology will open with a free reception on Art Night, Thursday, April 23, 2009 from 4-9pm.

The show will continue on Friday, April 24, 2009, with gallery hours from 11am-3pm, followed by a special performance from local rock band, All Walks of Life from 7pm-Until.  Tickets for the show are $5, and can be purchased at CMFA in advance or at the door.

Gallery hours will continue on Saturday, April 25, 2009 from 11am-3pm, and will conclude with a special talk, and question and answer session from 2-3pm.

For more information on Artista Vista, Columbia’s Premier Gallery Crawl, visit their website www.artistavista.com or Click Here to download a PDF gallery map.