Well, it’s done.  The 31 days of straight blogging for the month of October are finished.  To borrow a line from Rodney Dangerfield in  Back to School, “No more.  I feel like I just gave birth…to an accountant!”

Of course if a reader has followed this blog,  they know I have skipped a few days.  As I have explained before, I found that I have a hard time writing about subjects I have no interest in or excitement for.  Truth be told, on the days I have skipped, I have usually written a blog but sent it to the trash can.  Once I am done with a post, I always proof read before I hit publish, and if the blog is boring and pointless to me, it would certainly be boring and pointless to the reader. Move to Trash.

Here are a few observations about this 31 day venture of mine.

I started this journey into the blogosphere because all of the professional photographers say this is one of the ways to introduce myself to potential clients, to showcase my photography and to build the business.  And they, like me, have had those moments where they felt the only person reading their blog was their mother.   Blogging is recommended as one of the mandatory things to do to grow one’s business.  I am not convinced.

Since I started doing the blog, I have written 51 posts.  The most traffic I have had is 27 hits in one day.  The average is about 12.  I am pleased that one of my latest posts, a warning to brides about some of the pitfalls that happen with wedding photographers, was read by 10 people.   I am disappointed that a blog I really put all my heart and soul and writing skill into has been viewed to this date by 2.  Thank you Jessica and Ashley.

For those people that find blogging is one of the cornerstones of their photography business, I am glad it has benefited you. It hasn’t worked for me.  Not yet. As of today, I have not had a cat loving bride want to hire me because I am a cat loving photographer.

The 31 days are over, with mixed results for me.  How shall I proceed? I will continue to blog, because I like doing it.  I like writing.  I find blogging in someways to be therapeutic.  Plus I would hate to disappoint my 12 fans.

In the meantime, I am going to share a few of the pictures I took Monday night with the Photographers Adventure Club at a local haunted house.  Cue the music from The Exorcist.

The fog machine was on when I shot this.  I punched up the oranges and reds in post production to give it the “devil rising from hell” look.  I think of  Fire by Arthur Brown when I look at this photo.

I would like to someday shoot a bride willing to let me do some psychedelic effects on some of the photos.  Hey, I am a child of the 60’s.

Of course somethings are just spookier in black and white.

I kept trying to get the model to move totally out of the picture so I could get a completely ghosted image, but she would never move far enough.  Bad directions on my part.

Got the model to move a little more this time.

This haunted house had creepy music looped and this girl in a swing.   This place did a great job.

Probably my favorite picture of the night.  I love night shooting because it gives me a chance to experiment around with images.  None of these pictures were created through Photoshop, All of the images and effects were captured in the camera.  I did, however, do some cropping and editing for color, contrast etc.

Music of the Blog

The Exorcist (Tubular Bells) by Mike Oldfield

Fire by Arthur Brown

Timmy Note:  I read the book The Exorcist by William Peter Batty.  It is the scariest book I have ever read.  I had to sleep with the lights on at night for a week after I read it. I was 22 years old.  I have yet to see the movie.  No reason to scare myself to death on purpose.

It is hard for me sometimes to sit and write about the world according to Tim and offer my little ideas and talk about the little things in my life that might be bothering me at the moment when there are people with real issues and real tragedies and real sorrows going on in their life.  Of course I am talking about Hurricane Sandy.  I am sorry for those people’s troubles and their losses.  They are in my prayers.

At times like this, I reflect.  I reflect on my blessings, on how the pain in the rear problem I thought I had an hour ago is nothing compared to what other people are going though.  Let me share some of those reflections.

Now’s Your Chance

Remember the earthquake in Haiti?  Remember the massive cry for donations to help out that poor country in it’s time of distress?  Americans opened their hearts and their pocketbooks to the people suffering in that tiny country.  Then the critics (why is there always critics?) started saying it was a waste of time and money because charity should begin at home and we have starving people and poverty in America…etc.  Well critics, now’s your chance.  The people that gave during the Haiti crisis will no doubt give in the Hurricane Sandra crisis.  The charity is now in your backyard, critics.  I hope you drop a coin or two to help out your fellow Americans.

Just Doing There Jobs

Having lived with a nurse for 37 years, I am attuned to headlines about nurses.  This story here caught my eye.  Of course it was nurses, doctors, paramedics and other staff members that pulled off this miraculous evacuation.  I am sure more and more stories like this will come to light as the days pass.  It never surprises me, but it always amazes me when these trained professionals get in a crises situation and go into solution mode.

“Just Started Sweeping”

I was listening to the radio this morning and the hosts were talking about people in New Jersey coming out and helping clean out storm drains to ease the flooding.  They remarked there was a picture of someone helping using a ski pole.  This imagery reminded me of another crises situation that occurred in Los Angeles in April 1992.  This was the Los Angeles riots that occurred after the Rodney King verdict.  A few days into the riots, right before Marshall Law was to take effect, actor Edward James Olmos went out into the street with a broom and “just started sweeping”.  By the end of the day about 800 people were out sweeping  and cleaning up.  Olmos reflects on this event here.

I like to think these stories show us who Americans truly are.  Yes, things get broken in this country.  Sometimes we break things ourselves, sometimes the breaking is done by others, and many times things are broken by forces of nature.  But we always pull together after these incidents, even if it only seems like a brief time, but we pull together and help each other because at some point somebody brings out a broom and starts sweeping.

God please bless those people who are suffering with tragedy and loss and heartache because of Hurricane Sandy.  Your will be done.  Amen.