2016 Wrap Up

Well another year has come to pass.  Although this blog has been pretty quiet lately, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been out enjoying the world through photography.  In fact, I have been taking more photographs on more excursions than ever. I hope to post a few backdated galleries soon. Aside from having a busy year with cycling (MDH 100!), mural painting, traveling, and co-running a business, I have been enjoying the convenience of sharing photos on Instagram.

Below is a collage of my top 9 Instagram posts from 2016, which includes pictures from all over rural Burleigh and Morton County as well as a few from the Rocky Mountains.  To view recent photographs visit my Instagram account at https://www.instagram.com/mikerenner77/ .

With a new year comes new resolutions and goals.  With that said, 2017 is already shaping up to be a big year for photography.  I just finished shooting my first solo wedding in Florida, which was an amazing experience and I hope to do more weddings in the future.  In September I’m honored to be the featured artist at the Laughing Sun Brewery in Bismarck, where my photography will be displayed.  I have a project in the works that focuses on local artists.  I’m also reworking my rennerphotog.com website, which I initially launched back in 2009.

To any subscribers, other photographers, friends and family, and those few stray visitors from Mestia, Georgia (there have been a number of you lately), thanks for peeking at my shots.  May 2017 be an extended guitar solo fireworks show of amazement beyond comprehension.

Lake Sakakawea

Canon XSI, Tamron 17-50 2.8, 8-stop Neutral Density Filter, Cokin P-Series, P120 Graduated Neutral Density Filter

June.  The eastern shore of Lake Sakakawea.  After setting up my camp, I venture out to a nearby shoreline for the magic hour.  It’s just me, the camera, and a few birds in the trees.  In the middle of June the evenings are still cool, especially off the lake.  The sun sets for hours.  There’s no rush.  I look for light, for reflection, for compositions, for the “strongest way of seeing”.  Fallen branches and driftwood form abstractions against the sky and in the water.  The light changes in fine gradients.  Every so often a bird flutters in the brush.  The water laps the shore, almost imperceptibly.  All tallied, the evening is nearly silent.  The air tastes cool, fermented.  The sun is golden, subdued.  There’s a picture waiting in the water.  I walk around the scene, examining it as if were something expensive for purchase.  I secure the tripod, affix filters.  I survey through the viewfinder, the world miniaturized and vibrant.   I adjust parameters.  The gauges balance out.  Everything around is still.   I depress the button.  The shutter opens and snaps closed,  capturing the calm while at the same moment shattering it to pieces.

Montana Landscapes

It’s been awhile since I’ve last posted. As this is a photography blog, and not an online journal, I won’t stray too far from the theme.  However, some context might be useful.  Here’s a brief rundown of completely relevant information entirely specific to the pictures of Montana featured below.

– Moved back to the United States after a year and half living in Taiwan and New Zealand.
– My blog post New Zealand Landscapes was featured, or “freshly pressed” by WordPress.com, attracting a deluge of visitors, comments, new subscribers, and support.  I felt overwhelming excitement.  Thank you all who visited.
– During the summer I split my time between North Dakota (the homeland) and the scenic resort town of Big Sky Montana.
– I hiked at least 50 miles of trails around Big Sky.  I became exponentially stronger and more sunburned.  I video documented myself hiking to the top of Yellow Mountain, so I could show my parents what I do when I say “I hiked up a mountain.”  Intended as a documdrama, the film unexpectedly turned out as an awkward comedy.
– In what I consider a Facebook success story, I sought out a co-worker I worked with in Yellowstone National Park ten years ago.  Turns out, this summer he had returned for employment in the northern region of the park and invited me on an overnight backpacking trip into the wilderness of the park.  The two days of hiking through Yellowstone were the highlight of my summer.
– In September I moved to my current location, the country of Georgia, to serve as a volunteer English teacher.
– For the last two weeks I thought about updating my blog with some of the pictures from Montana, but all efforts were hampered by general distraction
– The sound of a rooster awoke me very early today.  Other animal sounds soon followed including squealing of nearby pigs, and a chorus of dogs, who bark at each other every morning.
– It’s raining very hard.  There’s thunder and lightening so I probably won’t go outside.
– There’s soup being cooked in a big kettle.
– The neighbors are distilling homemade whiskey, and wisps of smoke from their wood fire are drifting through the windows.  The smoke is calming and acts as a serum keeping me inside.
– There’s a loud television somewhere broadcasting Georgian soap operas.
– I drank two cups of coffee, before starting this cup of green tea.

Ahem . . . oh yes, Montana. During my time kicking around Montana I took thousands of photogrpahs.  Below are a few that I found interesting and worthy of sharing.

Also, I acquired the Olympus E-PL2 camera with the two kit lenses.  I also picked up a k-mount adapter and an old 50mm f/1.9.  In brief, I’m a convert to the micro four thirds format.  I intend to do a comprehensive write up of the camera’s features and performance, but, in truth, it’s unlikely to happen, unless it rains through the rest of the weekend.

Is anyone shooting with a M43 system or considering ownership?  What are your general impressions of the system?

[photography for the sake of photography]