Annual Ski Trip to Winterplace, WV

We have an annual tradition of visiting Winterplace Ski Resort in West Virginia for a day of skiing.  the school calender usually works out for my son and a friend to leave on a Thursday evening and ski, crowd free, the following Friday.  Last years weather provided snow during the night prior to our ski day and the slopes were near perfect.   This year has been warmer, but the night are cold enough for the snow machines to cover most of the resort with the white stuff.  The conditions this year were great!   We arrived early enough to be among the first to make our tracks on the freshly groomed trails.  I have learned that my legs handle the crunchy, powder area much better than the frozen packed down areas. A few years ago the temps were so cold that the trails were iced over in many areas and maneuvering was tricky and required extra effort to remain upright. This years weather provided temps in the 40's and overcast skies.   I felt comfortable enough to velcro an iphone to my jacket to capture a video while skiing down a couple of trails.

 

We had very few mishaps and I was brave enough to try some more difficult trails with success.  I look forward to another trip back.

Winterplace Ski Resort

 

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography

Social Media Marketing 101

I have been using Facebook and Twitter for a long time and thought that I knew a lot about both.  During a Social Media Marketing seminar today I learned that there was much more to learn about these sites and the thousands of second tier sites sprouting up daily. 

It was interesting to meet and exchange thoughts with people from other industries. There were lawyers, physicians, photographers, sale representatives, municipality managers and new paper publishers present. Although we were from many different jobs our missions were similar.  Reach more people.  The presenter was a former ad rep and knew the difficulties of reaching new clients and retaining current ones.  I learned many uses for social media sites and how to prevent from overload while using them.

The seminar covered about 3 days worth of material into one.  I am still soaking in the ideas and experimenting with different procedures. Since I was out of town I had to take advantage of being close to some favorite businesses that I follow on Facebook.  Krispy Kreme and Carrabbas was less than two miles apart.  My brain needed some comfort food.

The photo above captured the first batch of doughnuts coming off the line and soon into my hands. :)

Getting dirty!

Ever since we purchased a 2000 Nissan Frontier 4x4 and making some minor improvements, I have wanted to test it off road.   I finally had a free day and found a close location to test out the truck.  The guys at Outback ATV Park in Laurinburg recently opened a set of trails on 700 acres of land. Currently, most of the trails and obstacles are designed for dirt bikes and 4 wheelers.  Our truck was small enough to maneuver through the tight trails and we got stuck just once.  When we were finished riding the trails the truck didn't look the same. Three car washes later all of the mud was removed and she looked like new again.  I am ready for the next muddin' trip.

Click HERE to view the process from the first purchase of the vehicle to removing old bumper, valance, replacing tires, rims, painting trim and adding accessories.  I have more work to do and may lift the suspension just a bit more.

Thanksgiving break.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year.  I usually get a nice break from work and there is food everywhere!  This year I decided to do some experimenting with the camera and play with a few subjects.

As I walked around outside with the camera, I decided to setup a tripod and shoot straight up to capture the various lines.  This image works great in black and white.

This image required some traveling in the area to find a decent leave.  most leaves had already fallen and been blown away.   I froze the leave in a baking dish to prepare for this shot.

I had a lot of fun with this shot because I knew that the faster that I finished, the faster I got to eat candy!   These M&M's are in a cup covered with a clear CD case cover dotted with drops of water. 

This photo wasn't planned liked the three above.  I had a couple of family photo sessions during break.  I dont stop work completely!! :)  The clouds were moving fast and the sun was also dropping out of sight. i barely got setup in time to catch the sun before it disappeared. 

We took a day trip to a place below Murrells Inlet S.C. called Atalaya castle.  Atalaya Castle, also known as Atalaya, was the winter home of industrialist and philanthropist Archer M. Huntington and his wife, the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, located near the Atlantic coast in Murrells Inlet, Georgetown County, South Carolina.

There were several other photo sessions taking place while we were roaming around the home. Since we were beside the beach we moved to the sand for a few additional shots. The weather was nice and warm for a November day and we captured some nice shots for the couple.

The mission for the day was to shoot engagement photos, grab some Krispy Kreme doughnuts and have a meal at Carrabbas.   Mission accomplished!

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography

Ocean Isle Beach - Oysterfest Weekend

I am always happy to add beach weddings to my schedule.  I enjoy all outdoor weddings, but I am very fond of the beach locations.  When possible I take advantage of the opportunity to spend some time on the beach and enjoy a restaurant or two.


Sharkys is a must visit restaurant when I visit Ocean Isle.  I've been to Sharkys before or after every wedding that i have photographed at Ocean Isle.  In addition to Sharkys, I have another new favorite place just across the bridge called The Causeway Gourmet.   Following the wedding we arrive at The Causeway gourmet just before closing.   The staff was very accommodating and prepared some delicious sandwiches for us.  

This particular weekend was also the weekend of the NC Oyster Festival.  I was a bit concerned about making trip between several destinations during the day because of the expected crowd. I am happy to say the the traffic control was on top of things and the crowd never became an issue for us during the day.

We had a wonderful day of food and wedding photography and were happy to retire for a good nights sleep.  Beside discovering an new restaurant I was very pleased with the accommodations provided at the Winds Resort Beach club.  This will definitely be the place I crash after future wedding gigs at Ocean Isle Beach.

The following day was just as beautiful as the previous and we spent some time on the beach as well as visiting the festival grounds to see tons of crafts and sample some food. 

Copyright - Jimmy McDonald Photography

Ocean Isle Beach on Dwellable

iPhone 4 - a.k.a quick camera.

After along wait and nursing my iPhone 3s the new iPhone 4s has finally arrived.   One of the most anticipated options for me is the improved camera.  There have been times when I needed a basic photo for posting and didnt have one of my cameras with me.  I made posts from the old iPhone bu the quality wasn't very good even for facebook.  The new phone will be of much use for shooting some quick pics in the near future.