Preparing

Well this weekend wasn't very eventful but I did get a chance to go out to Lake Ontario and check out the scenery. It was extremely cold out Sunday and actually made me breakout all of my Arctic gear just to walk the edge of the lake . But once again I am back in preparation mode and getting ready for my first trip to the Adirondacks for the year . My first plan of the season is to hike up to Marcy Dam.  I would like to spend 2 or 3 days camping at the dam and exploring Mount Marcy and Algonquin. Starting in August the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has decided to tear down the Marcy Dam. It won't be a quick process, as it is scheduled to be taken down in stages over 4 years. So to me it's kind of important to get up to the dam  to get some images of the dam as it sits today because it won't be long and it will only be a memory, so I have some ideas of some creative shots I would like to take well I spend some time on the mountain.

Harsh winter and bad timing

Well I guess the post says it all this winter has been a harsh one with so many ups and downs. I've been really wanting to get out and do some serious shooting but I feel like everytime I want to the conditions aren't or I just can't find the right time to get out there this is Ben a special year for the snowy owl and all I can think about is getting out to get some pictures of your beautiful creatures I've been hearing about them being everywhere near my area. My only problem is I work 2nd shift and in order for me to catch these creatures I need to be there early morning work early evening to catch a glimpse of them. I try to get out on the weekends but it seems lately I've been working on Saturdays. And something always seems to come up on Sunday . I know my time will come and one day I'll have the opportunity to shoot all the wild life that I dream to shoot just right now life tends to be very busy and will lack of vacation time its just not feasible for me . I do have big plans to go to the Adirondack Mountains this year and do some hiking in the high peaks area, this year I might actually attempt to climb Mount Marcy. It is a long hike by here the scenery all the way to the top is absolutely beautiful I plan to take my GoPro and do some videos along the way.  This year when I start my journeys and expeditions I would like to start trying to do one image a day to share with the world , I know a lot of people think 1 image de can't be that hard, well 1 image day in itself is not hard but to get one image a day that's worthy I'm sharing with the world photogenic enough and creative enough can tend to be hard especially when I feel as if I've taken all the pictures I can in the area that I live and I don't really want to repeat sure the same images just in different views. Right now I'm going to leave you with that note and I'm going to proceed with going into work, the one thing we all have to do to be able to become anything in life thats even if its to work until we're able to follow our dreams. No matter how far fetched people might think it is because I am a man with a family my dream is still to travel the world and photograph all of the nature and wildlife I can possibly photograph. It doesn't have to make me rich or famous its just a passion I have within myself to travel the world and capturing moments not everybody gets to see and share them with the world.
So until next time and I'll hope that it won't take so long for me to post again.
I wish everyone well and hope everyone has an opportunity in life to follow their dreams.

Namaste,
Steven Wilson

Where it all began, the dreams of a young boy

I have been thinking allot lately about where my passion/ obsession for photography came from. More than likely it started with my father and grandfather, who were both avid outdoorsmen. That was just the seed that got me going, grandpa was the " family photographer" as he was the one that was always hiding around every corner waiting to get shots of anyone and everyone during family events regardles weather they wanted there pics taken or not. And I always said to myself, I wanted to be that guy, the one behind the camera taking shots and helping preserve memories. But then again my father worked for Kodak in Rochester,NY back when they were in there prime, I took pride in the fact that my father worked there. Now even though my father worked for Kodak, he was a Nikon guy.. I can't remember what camera it was that he had, but it was a SLR and  something that  had my attention. I guess its all part of the classic tale of a son/grandson wanting to be like grandpa or dad, in my case it was a little bit of both. Grandpa showed me how to appreciate rivers and lakes as he always took me fishing with him, dad showed me how to appreciate nature in the woods. I remember him telling me, when you can sit here long and quiet enough to take a picture of a deer, then ill let you bring a gun... Well, I never got any pics... Lol
    Now to ad to my obsession/ passion, my father had his shows we watched, and my favorite which still sticks in my head is " The life and times of Grizzly Adams", I grew up wanting to live like he did, do what he did and be the man he was but with a camera to capture the sights of nature. That's when my dream was born to want to become a photographer for National Geographic. It was calling to me so loud that I remember being home from school with chickenpox, and I was just about better, well I took off to Fays drug store to look around and came across a camera and really wanted it bad as my father was very conservative with his money and didn't believe in paying allowance to us kids. I was determined to have that camera, so I picked it up and tried to walk out the store with it, mind you I was just about 10 years old and never ment to be a menice, just a boy with a dream and one that was willing to do anything to attempt to achieve that dream. Well you know it, I got caught. And got in a ton of trouble over it. My father was a strict man and if you know old school upbringing you can guess what I got.

So for awhile that dream was crushed because I didn't have the money to buy a camera and shoplifting wasn't the answer either. But at the same time I still had the burning desire to travel the world, explore, and take beautiful images to share my experiences with the world. I have ran into many roadblocks in life, getting caught up in the now and putting my dreams on hold for "life".
Right now I'm 33 I have a beautiful daughter, and a beautiful woman who knows about my dreams and is trying to support me with them the best she can. I now have a Nikon DSLR and lenses that were bought and paid for by me and my lovely woman. Lol.
Now days I have my dream back in my sights, and I'm not letting go.. My better half paid for me to take travel photography classes and start truly start to pursue my dreams. We both understand the the initial sacrifice we will have to make, but its the long term benefits we are focused on. And that would be to eventually travel the world together as a family and experience all the beautiful places and things this world has to offer.
I used to worry, " maybe im too late". Well weather it is or isn't, I'm looking at it as " Nothing ventured, nothing gained".

I guess what it all boils down to is, never let life get in the way of your dreams and if you do always hold on to them tight. Its never too late. I'm not what you would call a successful photographer yet, but I know deep inside my heart it is still within my grasp.You see people everyday that are in their 40s, 50s, and even 60s going back to school to make something better for themselves and their families.
So if you believe in what im doing and would like to watch me grow feel free to follow and like my blog, as well as my facebook page facebook.com/stevenwilsonphotography, I'm also on Google+ which to me is better than facebook.

Before I go I would like to share a couple of my latest images that I took with the new Nikon D7100 which I plan to review on here soon, just so you know I'm very pleased with this camera.