Month #6 - Retrospective of Daily Photos posted from 5/04 to 12/09 (most viewers for the month)

10/04 - I had just accepted an invitation to be a volunteer photographer for the National Park Service at Shenandoah NP (or as NPS calls it, a VIP - volunteer in parks - which sounds more impressive). Hey, since Ansel Adams was an NPS volunteer, maybe I found the right career path. This image in two different forms (this horizontal and an equivalent vertical) were my first images to *make it big*. A 6' high version of the vertical has a prominent position in the Shenandoah NP's Byrd Center, the main visitor center. This horizontal version caught the eye of Bob Ryan, the local NBC weatherman, and he featured it on a broadcast (which I missed). This taught me the importance of shooting both orientations and shortly thereafter I invested almost $150 in my first L-Bracket (all three of my cameras now have them). This version was thrown out almost without comment at a competition BUT was juried in to a big nature photo exhibit - so go figure. Anyhoo - the attention over a short span of time was enough to get my juices flowing and to keep me at this new hobby (& fast growing obsession)of mine over the next 5 years. Watch out, Ansel...

The scene is at Buck Hollow overlook on Skyline Drive where, over the intervening 5 years I've shot 100's of shots and found better compositions. It's also the spot where I stop to eat my breakfast at the start of regular trips to the park (probably close to 150 during my VIP time). The new park director is supposedly redecorating the headquarters lobby & conference room with some of my images made during that time. Ah - fame & fortune :-)