Michael Lesher 8/3/15 Michael Lesher 8/3/15

Go With the Flow

Here in Upstate New York, we are blessed beyond measure by the amount of nature preserves, state parks, etc. that we have available to us. I realize that while many other states have some pretty great things to see or do, the accessibility of forest areas or marshlands or whatever is one of the best things that New York has to offer...in my completely biased opinion of course.

Here in Upstate New York, we are blessed beyond measure by the amount of nature preserves, state parks, etc. that we have available to us. I realize that while many other states have some pretty great things to see or do, the accessibility of wild areas is one of the best things that New York has to offer...in my completely biased opinion of course.

One such gem is Stony Brook Park, located near Dansville and if you ever have the opportunity to visit, do yourself a favor and take the time.

Michael Lesher 7/27/15 Michael Lesher 7/27/15

Skate.

Skateboarding is one of those things that once it has it's hooks in you, it will never leave you.

Skateboarding is one of those things that once it has it's hooks in you, it will never leave you.

For years, I would skate daily and it was arguably one of my first passions. Over the years, I have picked up a board from time-to-time, pushed around and found myself loving it just as much as I did when I landed my first ollie or kickflip. It is strange because while it would be easy to confuse the old bike adage of "once you learn to ride a bike you never forget" here, but this is something completely different. It isn't about remembering the feeling or muscle memory, but something deeper. Those who skate(d), know what I mean. For no good reason that I can quantify, skateboarding is different. It is unique.

Of course, with any great, passionate activity comes great friends. My friend Dan is one such guy. For the past few months (years?), we have been plotting a few locations that we felt would make great locations to shoot a skate session. We would discuss tricks, angles, etc., but with our current passionate activity (running) taking up a considerable amount of time, we never seemed to be able to make the time for it. Over the past week, the stars aligned and we were able to take advantage of some free time to shoot a subject that we love and likely owe a lot of our perspective to. I brought my camera, Dan brought his board. We had fun.

Michael Lesher 7/13/15 Michael Lesher 7/13/15

Stateless

I don't particularly mind, but like everyone, I rarely have a minute to myself. What we define as "Life" has a way of consuming every last minute of the day. Whether it is work, family, or some other obligation(s), finding myself in a place of personal statelessness doesn't come around very often. Recently, I found myself on the Rochester Museum and Science Center campus with nothing pulling me in any direction. It was calming to not feel a need to be or do anything. I took the opportunity to play.

RMSC | FUJIFILM X100S

Michael Lesher 7/10/15 Michael Lesher 7/10/15

Wonderment

As a kid, I remember a time when the Fourth of July was lit up (pun somewhat intended) with excitement. Generally, the picnics and festivities before the sun went down were nice-to-haves, whereas the real experience started with the fireworks.

These days, I find myself far more interested in the time with family and friends during the day -- often considering the fireworks an afterthought a best.

In what has become a tradition, nearly every year, we find ourselves packing our bags and heading to Chautauqua Lake to spend time with family and friends. We also take some time to see the lake become wrapped in flares as fireworks fill the sky.

Naturally, the time with family and friends is great, but as this tradition continues and our boys grow, I am genuinely struck by how they take in the fireworks and late night as I once did. What I learn is that by simply watching their experience, I find the mundanity of my "adult life" wither away - being replaced by the reflection of wonderment in their eyes.

Make the time we have wonderful.

Michael Lesher 7/7/15 Michael Lesher 7/7/15

California On My Mind - Part 2

L ast week, I espoused the need to go back and review your work over time to see the progress that you have made, trends that you fell pray to, and how you can improve. This is a continuation of that assessment - focused on my time in California.

Last week, I espoused the need to go back and review your work over time to see the progress that you have made, trends that you fell pray to, and how you can improve. This is a continuation of that assessment - focused on my time in California.

With that in mind, here are a few more photos that I re-edited this week. This time, I chose to focus on San Francisco, Monterey and Highway 1. I hope you enjoy!

Michael Lesher 6/30/15 Michael Lesher 6/30/15

California On My Mind - Part 1

To me, a large component of being a photographer is simply reviewing the moments that you have captured.

Of course you can enjoy the personal meaning, beauty, and technical skill of your photos, but if you aren't inspecting critically for ways that you can improve, what's the point? Your photo catalog is an evolving time capsule that reflects the trajectory that you have taken in both your technical and artistic skill. Use it.

To me, a large component of being a photographer is simply reviewing the moments that you have captured.

In fact, every once in a while, I feel inspired to reset and re-edit some photos with the new perspectives, skills, and tools afforded to me. With non-destructive tools like Adobe Lightroom, it has never been easier to experiment. The trick is to find a catalyst for experimentation.

This past weekend I had the good fortune to spend a few hours with my good friend James from The House of Bogue who had just returned from a photographic trip to California. After hearing James' stories about shooting his way around San Francisco, I felt the need to go back to my photos from our last time in California to experiment with the images I had captured.

To start, I decided that I would look at a few of my favorite spots in the world: Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, as well as Muir Woods and Muir Beach.

I am working through a few other California locations that I love and plan on posting them as a "Part 2" soon, so stay tuned....

Michael Lesher 6/9/15 Michael Lesher 6/9/15

Dark Work

As I am sure it is the case with nearly everyone, there are times when I find myself unwittingly at a complete creative standstill. Typically it is when there are too many things going on and I find myself focused on "things that matter", which sounds ridiculous when I say it because without the ability to create, not much else really does matter. But I digress...

As I am sure it is the case with nearly everyone, there are times when I find myself unwittingly at a complete creative standstill. Typically it is when there are too many things going on and I find myself focused on "things that matter," which sounds ridiculous when I say it because without the ability to create, not much else really does matter. But I digress....

When I find myself in this state, I generally consider that turning toward the path less traveled helps bring me some focus. It doesn't always work as planned, but it often does create new and interesting ideas that I can build from.

Lately, I am finding myself lost in the woods of my mind and having a hard time navigating my way back to something resembling a spark of creativity. It's somewhat dark. In order to kindle a bit of flame I decided to play around with some images in black and white, which isn't something that I do frequently. I like the results so far, and for now, I am actually finding myself enjoying the simple process of experimentation.

Hope you enjoy!

Michael Lesher 6/1/15 Michael Lesher 6/1/15

2015 Ontario Summit Trail Races

This weekend I was able to spend a few hours out shooting the Ontario Summit Trail Races, which seemed to be both a great challenge to all participants and a landscape showcase for the upstate New York trail system. Both of these things combined, in my opinion, to be a very successful inaugural event for the boys over at Goose Adventure Racing.

One of the things I enjoy the most about shooting these types of events is the solitude that it provides. When a marathon or half marathon covers the type of terrain the Ontario County Park trail system does, the field naturally becomes fragmented. During the lulls I am able to simply remain silent within the woods and I recharge. In these times I am reminded of John Muir.

"The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness."

Michael Lesher 5/15/15 Michael Lesher 5/15/15

A Constant Companion

A few years ago, a friend of mine described what he referred to as "The Arc of Life". Upon this Arc, half of our life was spent in receipt of wonderful things that Life had to offer before Life started to take away what was once given.

At the time, this concept resonated with me personally, as I had just lost my mother to cancer and while the pain was still fresh, I was reflecting on all that had been given prior to losing her. The core lesson, to me, was to pay attention to the details and take nothing for granted. Life has a way of becoming a noisy and distracting thing, where...

This past week was one of the hardest of my life for many reasons, but the most obvious was because we lost a spirit in our lives that was small in size, but mattered on so large a scale that I still am trying to get my head around it.

For the past 11 years, our Boston Terrier Dottie, was a core component of our family and indeed our first child. Getting her was one of the first things that Christy and I did as a couple and she was there throughout nearly our entire relationship. She was family.

Anyone who ever met Dottie would be hard pressed to say that her personality did not exceed her size ten fold, as she was loud, full of energy and boisterousness that rivaled any dog - any size. It was through her personality that people came to remember her and love her. She gave to all, until she couldn't.

The seizures were a surprise to all of us. One day, she was acting as normal as could be and the next we noticed a small seizure. Yet Dottie gave her love. The seizures increased in frequency, her medications increased, and still Dottie gave her love. In the quiet moments, she was still nothing but love and a constant companion. We did all we could, while she held on - and together we gave to one another.

After a few days, it was clear that despite our best efforts, there was no return, no recovery for Dottie. So, Christy and I gave Dottie peace, while Life took.

I can never be thankful enough for the Arc of Dottie's life. Looking back now, the pain is fresh and just writing this is difficult, but I am forever grateful for our time together. Throughout the better part of my adult life, Dottie was there. She was constant and she was a friend that has left memories and a void behind her that far exceed her small stature.

We love you Dottie and are forever thankful for our time together. Enjoy the next adventure!

Michael Lesher 4/20/15 Michael Lesher 4/20/15

2015 Muddy Sneaker Trail Race

This past Saturday marked the 16th running of the Muddy Sneaker Trail Race in Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Once again, the crew at Goose Adventure Racing didn't disappoint. Between the great Saucony and SmartWool sponsorship, the solid turn-out and, the perfect conditions, you couldn't ask for better -- and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head down and shoot the event.

This past Saturday marked the 16th running of the Muddy Sneaker Trail Race at Hi Tor Wildlife Management Area. Once again, the crew at Goose Adventure Racing didn't disappoint. Between the great Saucony and SmartWool sponsorship, a solid turn-out, and perfect conditions you couldn't ask for better--and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to head down to shoot the event.

Because I know the course, being able to shoot the handful of sections that I wanted to capture was a challenge. Given that some of the spots were as far apart as possible via challenging terrain, simply running my way around the course didn't seem feasible. So, for the first time, I decided to use a mountain bike to traverse sections of the course in order to get to my locations and set up before the runners did. I am not sure why I hadn't thought of that before, but I will certainly do it again!

I consider this race the kick-off event for the season, and with how fantastic it was I am really looking forward to what the rest of the year has in store.

A few of my favorites from the day.

Michael Lesher 3/10/15 Michael Lesher 3/10/15

Frozen in Time

Despite previously lamenting the Winter's late onset and how much I missed it, when it finally did arrive, it really was excessive. The past month or so has been lost. Each day presented a stark, frozen landscape that brought life to a crawl.

Within the past few days, we have started to see the pattern shift to one of sun-filled skies, warmer temperatures and life beginning to stir. With this new air blowing, we begin to start exploring. An obvious first choice for exploration was the Letchworth State Park, where we were certain the falls would be frozen. They did not disappoint.

Michael Lesher 3/2/15 Michael Lesher 3/2/15

The Master of Arts & Science

No one would argue that Leonardo da Vinci is anything but a Master. To me, he embodied the spirit of exploration, in every sense of the word.

Much to our pleasure, the Rochester Museum and Science Center...

No one would argue that Leonardo da Vinci is anything but a Master. To me, he embodied the spirit of exploration, in every sense of the word.

Much to our pleasure, the Rochester Museum and Science Center is hosting an exhibit dedicated to his work, which features examples of his inventions, art and research. Additionally, there is a thorough study on the Mona Lisa. Naturally, we had to go.

Michael Lesher 2/16/15 Michael Lesher 2/16/15

Winter Continues

It would seem that Winter means to give us the past few years' worth of snow that we've been missing in the past few days. We have been receiving snow nearly every minute of the day. While it could be tempting to sit back and complain about the bounty of frozen flakes, it seems far more productive and adventurous to bundle up, get outside and take it

Michael Lesher 2/4/15 Michael Lesher 2/4/15

Winter Arrives

Despite our best wishes, Winter was off to a slow start this year. Our household loves the winter and routinely we look forward to spending time outside on sleds, skis, snowboards, etc.

By this time each year, we have a solid base of snow...

Despite our best wishes, Winter was off to a slow start this year. Our household loves the winter and routinely we look forward to spending time outside on sleds, skis, snowboards, etc.

By this time each year, we have a solid base of snow coating the ground and brightening the mood of the cold, stark days. Not so this year...until today. Finally, Winter has arrived and with it the snow that we have been anticipating. Rejoice.

Michael Lesher 1/20/15 Michael Lesher 1/20/15

2015 Winter Fest Trail Race

I love trail races. Always have, always will. The trick for me these days is which I love more: running them or shooting them. I don't know that answer yet. The benefit is that there is no downside, as far as I can tell - so, it is best to just take advantage of them when they occur. In any capacity. Today's race, the 2015 Winter Fest Trail Race, which is hosted on some of my favorite trails within the Upstate NY Region.

Michael Lesher 1/12/15 Michael Lesher 1/12/15

Winter Retreat

Waiting for Winter to arrive is tricky. Most of the time, you hear those around you complaining about the cold, the conditions, etc., but for us, we look forward to it. What is tricky is the phase leading up to Winter, where the weather is cold and dreary, but the snow is nowhere to be found. No one is happy.

This weekend, thankfully, we got our first taste of some decent snow, so we decided to head to one of our favorite sections of trail around for a hike. While not nearly enough for snowshoeing or proper sledding, we made due with what we were given and still had an adventure.

Michael Lesher 9/24/14 Michael Lesher 9/24/14

Tap & Dye

Over the years I have tried all kinds of camera gear. My office is filled with bags, straps, filters, cases, lenses, etc. As with any passion I not only enjoy the primary aspect, shooting photos, but also the ancillary benefits such as playing around with new gear...

A year or so ago I came across a fantastic boutique that created handmade straps, Tap & Dye. I immediately purchased one of their LEGACY neck straps and loved the attention to detail, as well as overall quality. I felt that despite the somewhat steep cost I got my money's worth.

Today, I am happy to have received my second strap from Tap & Dye, which frankly is somehow even better than the first. This time I opted for a simple black wrist strap, accented in hand-stiched red thread. Every detail of this strap exudes quality.

If you ever have a need for a simple, hand crafted, and exceptionally detailed camera strap I couldn't recommend Tap & Dye more.

Michael Lesher 9/16/14 Michael Lesher 9/16/14

Project 365: A Recap

One year ago I was bored and in seach of a challenge. I felt that I needed to be a bit more purposeful with my photography and hone my skills in a more scientific manner. To my mind, I had the basic concepts of photography down and while I loved it, I felt the rut of a well-worn path developing. In order to break the complacency I decided that I needed a new challenge to keep me growing as a photographer.

The Setup

Over the course of a few days I searched high and low for what I considered to be an interesting enough project to invest time in without it pressing me into areas that I didn't feel compelled to explore...I am looking at you "100 Strangers" project.

Thinking in broad terms and after some consideration around how I could logistically support the idea of shooting daily, I decided that I would shoot enough to create one "usable" photo, every day, for a year. This provided me the flexibility to purposefully experiment within a framework of a project, without being too narrow in scope.

Project 365 was under way.

Shooting the Project...or How I Learned to Love the X100S

To get started, I had hoped to keep things pretty minimalistic regarding camera gear. Of course, I could carry around my large DSLR (Canon 5D MKII) with lenses, but to me, that just didn't seem practical on a daily basis. Of course I would use the behemoth many times over the course of the year, but portability would need to be considered.

Enter the Fujifilm X100S

Besides the small size, what the X100S brought to the table was discretion, a high quality sensor and fast auto focus. It was the perfect rig for street shooting and proved to be just as good at nearly every other type of scenario that I threw at it.

What surprised me was, from a feature perspective, there wasn't one particular thing that stuck out as a reason to love the X100S, but I found myself really enjoying the experience of simply using it. The entire package really engaged me in new ways of viewing potential photo opportunities.

I have never felt more earnestly that a camera was an extension of my vision, than when using the X100S.

My time with the X100S was so enjoyable that I honestly can't imagine a day where I don't own a Fujifilm X-Trans camera, but I digress....

Expanding the Scope

After a few months of taking photos and really enjoying the process, I settled into a nice rhythm. It was around this time that I realized a parallel growth opportunity was to become an expert with Aperture and so the project's scope was expanded to include, "...or creatively edit an existing photo."

I found that as much as I needed to be shooting, I also needed to explore how I treated and processed the images. This direction prompted an entirely new avenue for the project--diving into my old library of images to find new creative ways to view old photos. Constructively criticizing and re-imagining past work can have a profound impact on how you view your creativity when compared across the arch of time.

A Slight Change in Direction

As noted, I had been working with Aperture for a few years, so it was a natural fit to dive deeper into its functionality. Then, after months of speculation it was shelved by Apple. I then started evaluating several different software options. After reading a great article on laroquephoto.com about Patrick's transition from Aperture to Lightroom, an echo of my experience with Aperture at that point, I decided to switch to Lightroom and delved into its features.

Now That it is Done, What did I Learn?

As I reflect on the daily challenge of creating an interesting photo every day, I am struck by a flood of thoughts. I ask myself right now, "What did you learn?" and it is hard to narrow down a take-away.

I know that I've changed. I feel it. The passage of time, however, has faded my memory to what I didn't know--if that makes sense. I suppose that a better way of saying it is that I may not have learned many "new" things, but rather hardened concepts that I already understood. I certainly am a more sophisticated photographer with more purpose now. That is something. Outside of that, I suppose that I did learn or refine the following:

Even though digital photos cost nearly nothing to shoot, don't shoot everything. Make your shots count for something and be proud of them.
On the other hand, because digital photos cost nearly nothing--EXPERIMENT. Try new things often.
Never underestimate the power of other peoples' perspectives. My photos that were most popular on Flickr, Instagram, Facebook and/or purchased were ones that I was proud of, but would not have necessarily considered to be my favorites. I was regularly surprised at which photos people loved the most.
Have a strategy for how you will shoot. Specifically, I found it interesting to shoot outdoor events. So, I would always plan on the type of gear that I would need, the weather conditions, where and when I wanted to be at specific locations, etc. Preparedness is critical.
To that end, being prepared to shoot at the right moment and knowing how to capture the shot with the "correct" exposure is 99% of the battle.
In an age of Instagram and filters, post-processing is an art in-and-of-itself. An easy trap to fall into is over processing images.
The claim that RAW is the only way to shoot is blown out of proportion.

Speaking of Experiments...

Some additional experiments and techniques that I rolled into this project were:

Shoot for a continuous month with only one camera (X100S & 5D MKII)
Shoot for a continuous month with just one focal length (35mm & 50mm)
Shoot for a week at the same aperture setting (f/2.0)
Shoot for a week in Black and White only
Shoot only JPEG for a few months
Shoot only RAW for a few months
Long exposures
Star trails
Lunar photography

Ok, Besides Learning, What else Happened?

A year is a relatively long period of time and things naturally change. On the back of this project, the following things all changed for me:

As mentioned, Aperture went belly-up, so I switched to Lightroom.
I figured out how to sync multiple Lightroom catalogs across multiple Mac computers via cloud storage--which proved to be incredibly valuable when traveling abroad.
I had enough interest in my photography that I started up this blog and ultimately my IAMLESHER Photography business.
I sold a bunch of photos!
I developed a strategy for social sharing that worked for me.
Through that strategy, I grew my Instagram, Flickr, and Facebook followers.
I made a ton of great friends and contacts.

Observations from the Data Nerd

Lightroom Statistics

Most Used Camera: X100S (250 photos)
Most Used Non-X100S Lens: Canon EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM (55 photos)
Most Used File Type: JPEG (Shocking! 261 photos)
Most Used Aperture: f/2.0 (68 photos)

Most Popular Photo on Instagram

Most Popular Photo on Flickr

Take Away

It wasn't easy doing this project every day. There were days, however, when shooting was one of the best things going. Times when I would get out with my camera and just know that there were going to be great photos taken. Those times were like searching for treasure and finding it. Invaluable.

I am positive that as I digest what this project meant to me over the next few days or weeks it will solidify into a specific take away, but at the moment, there is a sense that what I have learned is not very tangible, but at the same time was transformative. I approach photography differently now. I think about situations differently. Photography may have morphed into a dependency at this point, who knows? I like it though.

A Few of My Favorites From the Year

Michael Lesher 9/3/14 Michael Lesher 9/3/14

A Sudden Expansion

I still remember the first day that I went to kindergarten. I didn't like that experience. The sudden, immediate expansion of my world from the safe walled garden that I had been living in was now thrust upon me. I felt unprepared and overwhelmed...

As a parent, I have now seen this same experience thrust upon my two boys and it has been interesting seeing it through their eyes. On one hand, my oldest echoed my feelings for the experience, while his younger brother remained calm and, as he put it, "brave" in the face of a new world. It could be many things that fuel his differing perspective, but I love the idea that it is his little spirit that is in fact helping his older brother.

There will be many more dramatic world-altering expansions in their future, but I find solace in the fact that they bolster one another--where the anticipated big-brother saves little-brother characterization is not necessarily how they will define their relationship.

This world is big and at times feels insurmountable, but knowing that no matter what, these two have one another gives me a profound sense of hope, pride, and love. I cannot help but feel that my world just expanded a bit more as well.

Michael Lesher 8/25/14 Michael Lesher 8/25/14

A Light Shines Through

I have been reading several of John Muir's books lately and reflecting on the nature of things in general. I find that his writings help me observe more fully how I exist within the context of the world, as well as how Nature influences me as an inhabitant of this planet. That is all to say...

While shooting the Dam Good Trail Race this weekend in the Letchworth State Park, I was hiking my way through the woods and watched as the dawn broke through the canopy and began to tear away the morning fog to make way for the day--all in perfect balance as I observed.