Happy Halloween...or Fall Festival, If you Prefer

As I get older, I become increasingly aware of changes and developments that occur in children at different ages and stages.  It is wonderful to focus upon the children and grandchildren and to be able to watch them arrive at places where I have already been.

Those innocent stages pass so rapidly that I fear I will be soon deprived of the "babies" until they are grown and produce their own. It is a melancholy transition for me, but I am glad to have the journey.

What to do? What to do?

Many camera owners are prolific shooters. Digital cameras have empowered them tremendously since cost outlays are limited. Many of us photographers are image hoarders. The challenge that we all face is what to do with the extra images when others share less devotion and interest in your photos than you.

This weekend, I got back negatives from a 36 count roll. There were few to toss out, and the subject matter appeals more to me than others. What do I do?

Extra shots from a client shoot often sit unused or unacknowledged in a file on the computer or in a cabinet. About all they are good for is use as sample or illustrations for blogs or advertisements.
Photos from personal events are equally without value if no one wants to look at them and "Oooh!" and "Ahhh!" So why even bother to capture them?

We take pictures because we are driven. We are moved by what we see. We want to remember. We want to share the beauty that we see and relate to. Fortunately, no one else lives in our head unless we are schizophrenic, so we must adapt.

If there is no historic or memorial attachment to an image, use them to make something temporal, like a calendar.Throw them into an album that can be used as an embarrassing present later in the recipient's life. Use them online to illustrate a point or capture someone's attention on paper or on the internet. Make postcards and thank you notes with them.

Even if a viewer rolls his eyes whenever he looks at one of the photos, at least it had a brief exposure outside its hard drive prison or cabinet lock-up. We are not looking for awards only giving you a chance to see something that we once saw and connected with.

Studio Renamed :Cactus Honey Studios

I have left this blog idle for some time. In order to be recognized more clearly and receive credit for the work that I create, it seemed best to turn my focus from the pseudonym "Rusty Tripod" to using my own legal name, "Alton Strickland". To further distance myself from the limitations associated with that name, I re-titled my working unit to be Cactus Honey Studios.

Rusty Tripod will in the future be a.k.a. Cactus Honey Studios. The goal of the name was to assign some regional significance and association to my photography work. Thus, Rusty Tripod Photography, a.k.a. Cactus Honey Studios, should surface upon a search for one or the other.

I do have a separate blog and Facebook page for Cactus Honey Studios. Thus, this one will become more devoted to my family events, photography, and experiences.

Feel free to contact me at altonst@cactushoneystudios.com. My work continues to be traditional, conservative, and documentary with a photo-journalistic viewpoint. My great inspiration is perennially the illustrator, Norman Rockwell, who captured reality with innocence and a playful sense of humor.

Examine my work at www.cactushoneystudios.com and decide to let me help you capture some memories.

AltonST