Always Go for #1

#1 photo in the Post Standard.

Anything is possible.

Reach for the stars.

If you can dream it, you can do it.

There are so many little phrases and sayings out there that encourage people to dream big and to do big.  Look at Walt Disney!  He was the one who said "If you dream it, you can do it".  Do you have something you want to do that you consider impossible?  Have you truly considered the possibilities, though?  Think back to when you were a child and everything truly seemed possible.  How many kids have a goal of becoming president?  As a child, there are no limits, no one shoots you down for dreaming and imagining.  Why does that have to stop?  Yes, as we grow older we develop the stronger ability to reason, analyze, comprehend, etc.,  but why don't we use these abilities in our favor more often?  Why don't we use these abilities to help us reach for the stars?

The fact remains, however, that in order to reach our goals, live our dreams, we have to invest time.  Time that might not always be available.  I encourage you to think of it this way: each minute that passes is a minute you will never, ever get back.  Take a look at how you spend your time...is there a lot of time in there wasted complaining about life, messing around on Facebook, or doing things that just don't have a positive effect on your life?  If you said yes to any of these, try spending that time figuring out how you can achieve one of your dreams...and then make it happen.

One of my dreams is to be a famous nature photographer...and to be famous before I die.  I have no idea if that will actually happen, but I do what I can from time to time to make it at the very least a possibility.  I am going to share a few things with you that I have done to help me take a few steps in the famous direction.

Lost in Thought
This is a photo of my sister taken at Buttermilk Falls State Park in Ithaca, NY.  I submitted this photo several years ago in a competition sponsored by the New York Institute of Photography. It was voted into the top 20 by visitors to the site.

After the Rain
I took this photo a few years ago after a rain storm in Cortland, NY.  It was taken at the Cortland Water Works under this gorgeous and huge maple tree that had just shed it's leaves.  I submitted it on News Channel 9's website as part of a Autumn photo gallery.  It was then selected to be a part of a competition where viewers voted for their favorite.  Mine was voted to be #6 out of 10 photos.

Untitled

This is one of my most famous photos.  I have gotten a lot of mileage out of this one.  This is the same waterfall as seen above in "Lost in Thought".  It's along the trail at Buttermilk Falls.  This photo was Explored back on October 21, 2007.  What does this mean?  On Flickr, one of the most honorable things you can receive is to have your photo chosen to be on Explore. Thousands upon thousands of photos are uploaded to Flickr every minute. Flickr highlights 500 of the most interesting photos daily, and this photo was one of those!  The most exciting thing that has happened with this photo involves some national exposure.  Back in the summer of 2008, I submitted this photo as part of a series that Good Morning America was doing about the Seven Wonders of the World.  They asked viewers to submit their Hometown Wonders, so I chose this one!  I received a phone call a few weeks later telling me that they wanted to use my photo on the show and actually do a phone interview with me!  So here is my photo, my name, and my voice on national television!!!

Untitled

This photo was a winner in a competition last year sponsored by the Syracuse Post Standard.  The Home and Garden section asked readers to submit their photos of all the spring flower popping up.  I submitted a few selections and this one was chosen as the winner out of over 50 submissions!  The prize?  A perennial care book that I gave to my mom.  I don't have any gardens right now, so I rely heavily on her beautiful gardens to fuel my hobby of photographing flowers.  I figured her having the book could only improve those gardens!





Crocus
This photo was one that I submitted on News Channel 9's Photo of the Day.  Every night, they choose a few submissions to highlight on their evening news, and mine happened to be chosen!  I had the news on that night and wasn't paying much attention.  All of  a sudden I heard my name!  Thank God for the invention of the DVR, I rewound it, grabbed my camera, and recorded the video which you can view below!



What do I want you to get from this post?  Exactly what I started with.  Think: "anything is possible".  I want you to reach for the stars.  I want you to remember that "if you can dream it, you can do it".  Maybe I won't be a famous nature photographer before I die, but I am certainly doing little things to make it a better possibility than what it would be if I just went, took my photos, and left them on the computer.  I enter competitions.  I made a Facebook Fan Page.  I sell my photos at local craft shows.

When you have some down time, think about those things you want in your life, what your dreams and goals are.  Once you've got those figured out, start thinking about what little steps you can take to get there.  And never forget, Google can be your best friend...it can help you figure out what those first steps are.


Anything is possible.


Reach for the stars.


If you can dream it, you can do it.