Bill Gass wrote:
Darn Ray! When I played(at) basketball, intramurals--class to class) I was lucky if I could reach the bottom of the net! Now these giants tower over the rim!!!!!
Wow!
Dan
As I fell asleep last night a feeling came over me that made me realize, once again, how Blessed my life has been. Yesterday was a long day, 12 hours of non-stop, on my feet composing/lighting/shooting. There is a particular feeling that wafts over me when I have successfully completed a challenging assignment, moved it from the "worry about it" column to the "it's a wrap" category, just a satisfied peacefulness. Yesterday's shoot was delayed by weather/Thanksgiving for about 10 days and I knew that the client was chomping at the bit to have images for marketing, so I got home last night and dug right in, by 11:30 I was uploading the tweaked files to OneDrive.
This morning I had an email from the client with an urgent request for photography on two more models that they are styling, and I have a new hospital outside of Memphis that is looming in the next few weeks. Kind of gives me a hopeful glimpse of the future, and a fond memory of what life was like, pre-covid/"supply chain"/burn the country down...............
JWilsonphoto wrote:
As I fell asleep last night a feeling came over me that made me realize, once again, how Blessed my life has been. Yesterday was a long day, 12 hours of non-stop, on my feet composing/lighting/shooting. There is a particular feeling that wafts over me when I have successfully completed a challenging assignment, moved it from the "worry about it" column to the "it's a wrap" category, just a satisfied peacefulness. Yesterday's shoot was delayed by weather/Thanksgiving for about 10 days and I knew that the client was chomping at the bit to have images for marketing, so I got home last night and dug right in, by 11:30 I was uploading the tweaked files to OneDrive.
This morning I had an email from the client with an urgent request for photography on two more models that they are styling, and I have a new hospital outside of Memphis that is looming in the next few weeks. Kind of gives me a hopeful glimpse of the future, and a fond memory of what life was like, pre-covid/"supply chain"/burn the country down............... ...Show more →
I am delighted to hear that someone, many here on MA2A, are thriving! At least some part of the economy is working well.
While in Memphis Jim, check out the BBQ. I keep trying to get in touch with my nephew at Baylor(staff) to send some Texas BBQ. He is in a new job there so his Uncle is on the lowest rung of the ladder!
The FAA/NTSB dismantled the plane that crashed into the electrical and cell tower power lines and have trucked it off for diagnosis. Sunday night was a very foggy night and that air park is in a highly residential and industrial area. Be interested in what the feds come up with as the cause.
Stay safe and keep supporting the economy brother!
RD
JWilsonphoto wrote:
As I fell asleep last night a feeling came over me that made me realize, once again, how Blessed my life has been. Yesterday was a long day, 12 hours of non-stop, on my feet composing/lighting/shooting. There is a particular feeling that wafts over me when I have successfully completed a challenging assignment, moved it from the "worry about it" column to the "it's a wrap" category, just a satisfied peacefulness. Yesterday's shoot was delayed by weather/Thanksgiving for about 10 days and I knew that the client was chomping at the bit to have images for marketing, so I got home last night and dug right in, by 11:30 I was uploading the tweaked files to OneDrive.
This morning I had an email from the client with an urgent request for photography on two more models that they are styling, and I have a new hospital outside of Memphis that is looming in the next few weeks. Kind of gives me a hopeful glimpse of the future, and a fond memory of what life was like, pre-covid/"supply chain"/burn the country down............... ...Show more →
I know that feeling!
When I took over the aircraft maintenance production job they were scheduling 320-340 sorties a month for F-4s, this includes scheduling aircraft flying schedules, aircraft inspections, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, supplying aircraft for munitions training and aircraft alert deployments. The problem, when I took over, they were only achieving 200 sorties/month of the 320 promised. I found out no one on the base knew how to schedule aircraft production effectively. I went up to Duluth, Minnesota the week before Christmas to train with a guy I met who did know how to effectively schedule maintenance. I came back and created a plan that irritated everyone in the unit, including the base commander. After he read my plan I called for a meeting with him, the Deputy Commanders of Operations and Maintenance to discuss the plan. After the base commander spent 30 minutes chewing me out for lowering the scheduled sorties to 212/month, and the DCO chewed me out for 15 minutes, I pointed out I was not cutting the effective sortie generation for the month, I was actually promising to raise it by 12. After everyone was satisfied they had vented all their steam they accepted my plan. They were amazed I had a 3 year maintenance plan, a one year maintenance plan, quarterly plan, monthly and weekly plan...they had never seen that. I always remembered what Ike said about planning and plans, something like "a plan is useless, planning is critical". I experienced that to the nth degree. The nights I went to bed realizing the planning was changing the paradigm of the unit in the right direction gave me a calming of satisfaction that we would get to our goals and quickly fell asleep.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Thanks Dan! This is one of those many times where you look back and wish that you had the equipment we have today. We had been up for an hour shooting stills and I had gotten everything I could have dreamed of and more, so I decided to wing it and do a little handheld video. That was probably with the 5DSR so HD with zero stabilization. We were at 11'000' on top of that deck so it was fairly smooth, but when we let down through it it was pretty bumpy. No complaints, but when you spend an hour, or even 30 minutes twisted up in the B25 tail, especially at the temps at 11,000', you are not real agile. The P51 was just an afterthought, we saw Stuart in the hallway of the FBO and we were headed into our brief so we asked him if he wanted to come play with us. It was pretty dismal underneath so we climbed up on top, always an incredible sight, but from the open tail it was even more mesmerizing....Show more →
And then he came down and had to do it again or was that second flight scrubbed can't remember, I think it went on but it was with the last light of the day but it was good.....
Well, I spent several chilly hours at the grid iron. Will this be the last home game? They have won two playoff games and are now headed to the semi-final game. They lost the first quarter but came off with a bang following this catch and run. They got the fans into the game and shut down Bethel University.
I was asked to video a meeting this morning at a church north of Dallas. This was a closed meeting of 24 movers and shakers who are forming a faith based non-profit to work with cities and businesses helping the employed and un-employed get a leg up. The whole premise is to create system where the people involved, people who are gifted in different areas, mentor and share their gift with someone who needs a hand. This is way different than many of the "give them a coat, or a meal" organizations, the goal is to teach people who want to better themselves, how to do that by sharpening their skills. The goal of this group is to go state wide, country wide, and international. The room was filled with heavy hitters (and one videographer), the presentation was impressive.
I noticed a little guy running around the church, the son of a church member who works on staff, took one look at his smile and this image was stuck in my consciousness. When the smoke cleared and I had accomplished my task I ducked out too the car and grabbed the R5/70-200/2.8 RF and went in search of his Mom to ask permission to shoot a portrait of him. She was excited about a possible Christmas portrait coming out of the blue so I tracked my little subject down and spent five minutes with him. I think we nailed it..................
-WTH-
