I Just Discovered Greeblemonkey

Occasionally, as I wander the blogosphere, I stumble upon something that really fits me. I was enjoying my friend Sarah's photos when she mentioned she was entering a contest. I'm competitive. I'll admit it. As an uncoordinated clumsy kid I knew sports were not going to be my thing, so I grabbed onto other outlets, speech, poetry, writing competitions, you name it. I grew up. AND I CANNOT GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM. Now it is more about the process than the outcome (it is, it really is).

So long story short, Greeblemonkey hosts a monthly photography contest, so... When I read the word "Inspirational" as her theme, I knew I had to enter. One photo came immediately to mind for me. There was no hesitation.

My brother spent nine months training for Ironman Wisconsin. He didn't just complete it; he did it with a smile almost the entire distance! He was inspiring, as were all of the finishers before and after him. Such pure determination required, both physical and mental.

17mm | ISO 200 | f/5.6 | ss 1/100

Seems competition is a family trait.

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Taken with my wide angle, 17-40mm lens in fading sun. I shot in Aperture Priority mode since the light was fading quickly and I didn't want to miss the moment while I fiddled with my exposure. I saw him round the corner literally three seconds before I shot this! In Lightroom I made tiny adjustments to Blacks, Fill Light, Contrast, Clarity and Vibrance (in that order). Added a Vignette and called it complete!

The Unedited Moments

Watching 2,500 people swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles is an inspiring experience. Watching through my lens was AWESOME. Not in the overused word way but in the truly breathtaking way. I found myself shooting people I didn't know because the emotion was so raw and real and present.

I found myself playing with light and angles because the moment needed to be remembered.

Last night we had friends over to help celebrate my brother's achievement and I showed them all 558 photos I took. Unedited. None deleted. Just put them out there for the world. The blurry ones. The badly composed ones. Everything.

The pictures captured the moment. For me they help me relive the inspiration and emotion I felt at the time. For others they were able to experience the event from my angle, including the people who stepped in front of the camera as the shutter clicked and the blur of runners in front of the lens.

They didn't care. No one was there to critique the moment. They were there to relive it. Enjoy it. Revel in it. And that's what we did.

What are the moments of your life that can be left unedited?

I'll Time You!

Growing up my little brother had a lot of energy! We used his energy to our advantage, asking him to get things for us or do things for us paired with "I'll time you Justin!" We would then count very loudly and he'd run like crazy. On his return he'd ask, "how much?" I remember often answering 6. Not minutes, not seconds. Just 6. He didn't know how much was how much anyway. He was happy as long as we added, "that was really fast."


He grew up, but his energy didn't go away. He continued to run. The distance just kept getting longer and longer. And today I realized something. I'm still timing him! I've watched him finish short races, marathons, triathlons and on Sunday his crossed the finish line of Ironman Wisconsin -- 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 run. He finished looking strong and happy.

And I timed him!

I'm so proud of his accomplishment. So proud of his dedication. And so proud he will finally be able to spend more time with us!

Photos to follow soon as soon I return from Wisconsin!