I Have A Favor To Ask…
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Hey everyone – Can I ask you a HUGE favor?
Here’s the deal. As some of you may know, we’ve been working on a new site, BackCountryGallery.com. This site features all of my best photography work and will be getting a LOT of my attention once it launches. In fact, I’ve gradually been turning over the day to day operations of WS to our office manager, Gary, for the last year or so in preparation for this.
Anyhow, the site is CLOSE to launch. In fact, it will be active by the end of the month. So, a couple things:
First, I’d love to have you follow me on over to BackCountryGallery. Although the site isn’t active just yet, we have started an e-mail notification list and you can actually sign up for that today! You’ll get updates whenever there’s a new set of photos posted, when new calendar wallpaper is ready (the calendar wallpaper is moving from WS to the new site), plus discounts, photo tips, and more. Just head to:
Next, I need to ask you a HUGE favor.
In preparation of the launch, I’ve been entering my photos in a number of contests and have several wins already. Now, the BIG news is that the shot below - Dead Horse Point Lightening Strike – was chosen as a finalist in the Outdoor Photographer Magazine 2nd Annual Great Outdoors Photo Contest! I’m super excited about it – there were only 60 finalists out of approximately 10,300 entries.
(Click photo for a larger version)
As a finalist, it’s up for voting for the coveted People’s Choice Award. Outdoor Photographer sent an e-mail to all the finalists telling us to ask all of our online friends to vote. So, if you like the photo above, would you mind running on over and slappin’ a 5 start vote on ‘er?
The only catch is you have to register with the site to vote. It’s free and they really don’t ask for much information. (Although, please be patient – their site can sometimes be a touch slow)
Register:
http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/registration/register/generic-top.html
Vote:
Right now, it’s less than a half star off from first place, and unlike most of the photos, it hasn’t had the benefit of lots of friends, family, and online buddies stopping by to vote.
So, if you like the photo above, and have a few minutes, would you mind giving it a solid 5 star vote?
Thanks SOOOOO much – and I look forward to seeing everyone over at BackCountryGallery in the next few weeks!
~ Steve
PS – The new site features what we call “Field Notes” for each photo. Here’s the notes for the photo above:
This photo was taken at Dead Horse Point State Park during an intense afternoon of thunderstorms.
We had just been out scouting around for new location in nearby Arches National Park and had decided to come back to camp for a break when these thunderstorms really began to pop (late afternoon). By the time we arrived at the Dead Horse Point, I couldn’t get to the overlook fast enough. We scrambled down the sandstone to a spot that I had scouted out the day before and started shooting.
The conditions were tough – high winds were busting in from the canyon, we had the occasional light spray from the rain, and of course the lightening (which was actually a lot further away then it appears in the photo).
Although my son was just about screaming for me to leave (he was low and under a small recess), I kept at it until I had a shot with some lightning action. I must have shot 20 or 30 photos before this came together.
It’s funny, after I showed him the final shot he was glad we stuck around long enough to catch the lightning too.
Tags: Steve
40 Responses to “I Have A Favor To Ask…”
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I would love to sign up and vote for you. My husband is a professional photographer too. He loves seeing how others view things. He had a few of his tornado photos published in National Geographic and Time Magazine a few years back. We really like how your photo has captured the feelings into the photo itself. Thank you for sharing this wiht us.
Thanks so much
As for me I’m not interested at all. There ar dozens of sites that do the same thing.
If you can’t say something nice, it’s best to keep snarky comments like that to yourself. Yeah, that was a snarky comment, but you deserved it!
Steve, I registered and happily voted for your wonderful photo. Good job!
Thanks – I really do appreciate it
I guess it is no longer allowed to give HONEST points of view unless they agree with you.
It’s got nothing to do with being honest…your comment was just uncalled for…if you didn’t want to do it, just don’t & keep it to yourself…Steve’s a nice guy asking for a little help & your remark was a snide one
That’s OK. Dozens of sites do computer help but that doesn’t stop us
Great picture !!! Looking forward to seeing tips that might help me take better pictures.
Good response, lol.
It’s a superb shot and I will go register and vote for it. Nice job!
As you can tell I live in England but I read your WS every day and wish we had something similar over here….I love your set up and am interested in photography and looking forward to seeing more photographs that people post on here.
Superb! I registered there and voted for it
Is it okay to make as my desktop background?? It’s a tad stretched though.
Thanks for the vote and YES feel free to make it your wallpaper – you can get a better copy here:
http://www.worldstart.com/wallpaper/
~Steve
You’ll definitely get a big vote from me. I loved the photo so much when I first saw it in your ‘Tips’ that I saved it for my desktop wallpaper. Will definitely follow you to your new site.
Went to their site, registered and gave you a 5 star. Also, it is now my wallpaper!
Looking through the outstanding selections, yours deservedly stood out
Be happy to. Great photo
5 stars from me! Great shot!
Superb picture! Was more than happy to vote for you.
Done and done Steve. Happy to.
WOW! Went out to dinner and wanted to thank EVERYONE who went and voted! I can’t tell you all how grateful I am for your taking the time to do it. It really and truly means a lot to me.
I saw a few of you made it your wallpaper and I wanted to thank you
If you used the one on Outdoor Photographer’s site (or in this blog post), it’s probably not as good as the one we have in our wallpaper section. PLEASE feel free to grab it for your desktop (it’s currently in the first row below the featured images of the month)
http://www.worldstart.com/wallpaper/
I also want to thank those who signed up for the newsletter. Based on all the fantastic comments, I think we’re going to have a blast at the new site. I’m planning to be a LOT more “hands-on” with my visitors (something I’ve lost a bit with WS and really miss). I’m looking forward to getting to know everyone a little better over at the new site.
Thanks again for all the kind words, comments, and votes.
Thanks
Steve
Thank you,Steve, for providing the wallpaper site. I am one of those fanatics of digital jigsaws puzzle programs that allow one to add their own photos from the web or wherever. I really wanted to use your competition shot for a puzzle, so I am happy to be able to download it as wallpaper and thus get a nicely sized one. I saw a lot of potential puzzle-type photos on the Outdoor Photographer’s site, but they are not capturable as wallpaper so I can’t convert them for my puzzles. But at least I now can capture yours. Thanks!
Great photo I’m heading over to the site right now to register and vote 5 stars for ya thanks for sharing your photo with us it will be my desktop wallpaper
Awesome does not come close!!! I was more than happy to vote on this !
YO STEVE.
YEP, THAT WAS A STEVE”JAW-DROPPING” PHOTO. CONGRADS. I WILL BE SURE AND GIVE YOU A THUMBS UP……………TOMMY
yes I will definitely head on over to give that a 5 star Steve,,,as i just ,in past few months have purchased a Canon EOS Rebel XS and still trying to get
used to it…so any clues you could throw my way…i would greatly appreciate.
best of luck and can’t wait for your new site to be up and running !!!
Stupendous image. Wow!
I visited http://www.backcountrygallery.com and left my email address. After getting the confirmation email, I clicked on the link provided, and all it did was send me back to the registration web page. Will I get an email when the site is up and running?
Yes – hopefully that happens next week
And thanks for signing up
It’s late, and I’m really tired, but I will certainly try to help you out!
Pat
Wow…this is absolutely Breathtaking! Great job and I hope you win many contests!
I also want to thank you for all the great work you do on WS. Your orders are always shipped in a timely manner and I can’t even begin to figure out how many of your tips have helped me learn all sorts of new things.
The best of luck to you on launching your new site.
Done, done and voted.
Beautiful shot! Good luck to you.
A beautiful picture, great composition and treatment of light.
Hi everyone –
Just wanted to say thanks again for all who voted and signed up for the newsletter. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting a response of this intensity – I can’t tell you how grateful I am. Just really wanted to say thanks again to everyone
~Steve
Great Photo, Steve. I love your work. Best of luck.
Hi Steve,
I don’t know much about photography, however, I do have a deep appreciation
for beautiful photography…which, in this case, your entry. Off course, I
will take the few minutes to vote for your magnificent work. After all, I’ve been very fond of World Start and have learned a lot from this site.
A simple vote is not much compared to what I’ve learned from you.
Keep up the good work.
Betty
Wonderful Picture…Will sign up and vote, as you ask!!
May I ask of you, now… When you give notes on the pictures, could you please give the locations of the shoot…I know you gave the name of the Nationl Park, and I’m sure many know where the Park is, but not ALL of us… Just a thought…
Keep up the Photography….Love it…
Steve, you may not realize that this comment is from Sri Lanka. Although our country has beautiful landscapes all over, we do not have such lovely landscapes as you do in the US. You have taken a lovely and difficult photograph (I know how difficult to catch a lightening scene for which you have to be double quick) under trying conditions and you deserve to be the Winner. I am going to register and definitely give you the 5 star you deserve. Good Luck!
Picture looks great. Minor problem in the presentation of comments … the photo place holer or personal picture sits on top of the name and time obscuring parts of the name and date.
Done! Great collection of shots from you.