Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer photographs the Henry Ranch

I feel so blessed to have been able to photograph Wyoming's Henry Ranch gathering of their Corriente cattle and calves! And create images like this!

Woot! Such an incredible family and their friends!

Can't wait to show the rest of what I captured of these incredible Cowboys and Cowgirls!

Amanda Smith Western Photographic Artist of the American West.
Wyoming Photographer
www.AmandaSmithWesternArt.com

This is Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer, Keeping you in the loop. Here's how we created Mystical Beauty.

This is Amanda Smith, Wyoming photographer of Amanda Smith Photography, and Editor of The Glenrock Bird Central Wyoming News, member of the Associated Press. The Bird Central Wyoming News, formerly known as The Glenrock Bird, brings you eight years of an incredible journey of reporting the news to you, the people.

I thought I'd log on here and give everyone a heads up as to where I'm headed and what I've been doing in my outside life.  Its still an amazing journey in the news world out there and I hope you are enjoying it as much as I have been.

So for my little jaunt off to the side of things, I've ventured into a great world of creating.  From candles to western photographic art, a rescue horse, a rescue pig and more.  My husband and I are having an incredible time on this venture together west.  :)    Speaking of my husband, I wanted to thank him profusely, and from the bottom of my heart for always being there to help myself and my staff report the news to Wyoming, and the emergency alerts throughout the entire state, and for the countless nights and early mornings he spends with me gathering information, getting that information validated for accuracy and facts, and in assisting in making sure it gets reported on time. Thank you so much, Professor. I love you with all my heart.

Here is a little something that my husband and I created together, and I'd like to share it with all of you!


Here goes:

Once upon a misty morning a few weeks ago, my husband and I ventured out onto the back property of our ranch in Wyoming, where a reservoir had filled up completely from the the night's previous rain shower.  The coolness of the Wyoming morning combined by the warmth of the night, and moisture from the much needed rain, created a mystic ambience, to an already gorgeous morning. And this photographer was ready to capture something amazing.
 
Grabbing my camera at o' early thirty, out we trekked.  Off in the distance we could hear the soft nickering of our four horses coming down off the sage covered hill above the reservoir.  It was a sight that moved both of us completely, and our creative juices began to flow.  Quickly my husband took off his red t-shirt and moved towards the inquisitive and slow moving animals that once worked these very lands as cattle movers.  Placing his shirt around the neck of Whip, his quarter horse, he gently walked him over to the island that sits just adjacent to the reservoir. The other three horses; Josh, Beggar and Blackie, all lumbered along behind Whip, lining up in sequence behind their faithful leader. It was as if each of them knew we were about to create a masterpiece, and in the early, beautifully diffused, sunlit light of this softly fog layered morning, we did just that.

With a quick removal of his t-shirt and a snap of the red material in the air, with no other sounds to be heard, all four horses moved into action running full speed ahead across the sand covered island. With Whip in the lead and all four horses heads held high, it was a sight to behold that absolutely took our breath away.  Across the island Whip ran, farther and farther away from the other horses, who, as if knowing, slowed down their speed while watching the beauty of the chocolate and marshmallow colored majestic being that is Whip.

I knelt down while simultaneously pulling my camera up to my eye in one fluid movement, and as I looked through the lens, following the majestic movements of this incredible animal, I felt that familiar emotion in my heart.  A wild beating as though someone had plunged a needle of adrenalin deep within me.  SNAP!  One shot... SNAP!  two shots... my breathing quickened as this beautiful animal made his way towards the edge of the reservoir and SNAP! I felt it... that "Knowing I just got the shot" feeling that only a photographer who shoots from the heart, can experience.

Hoofbeats drowning off into the distance of the sage prairie he ran on, Whip continued on his race towards the horizon, head high and black mane and tail whipping in the lightly misted, morning breeze. Josh, Beggar, and Blackie following lightly behind as though they too, were aware that a masterpiece had just been created.

wyoming, horses, fog, amanda smith, photographer, mist, morning, nikon, zoom
Mystical Beauty © 2013by Amanda Smith, Professional Photographer, Wyoming All rights reserved.

wyoming, horses, fog, amanda smith, photographer, mist, morning, nikon, zoom
Mystical Beauty © 2013by Amanda Smith, Professional Photographer, Wyoming All rights reserved.

I photographed this incredible and surreal scene with my Nikon D700 using a Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 lens set at an ISO of 200, a range of 70mm zoom, 0 exposure (I just left it alone) at f7.1 and 1/200 of a second.  It was the perfect setting to capture this incredible moment.  I didn't want a lot of light to come in, as I really wanted to still be able to capture the details of the scenery through the mist.  So even though the morning was dimly lit and the light was diffused by the fog, I went with 1/200 of a second so that I could let less light in, and chose f7.1 to allow enough time for light to enter my lens while still maintaining a good amount of clarity (sharpness) in my image.  I do think I could have gained a bit more clarity (sharpness) had I set the f stop to 11 and the timing of light entering my lens at 1/100 of a second ... F11 would have allowed an even sharper image. But I was concerned about my shutter at 1/100 of a second being open too long to cease the movement of Whip as he ran across the sand (I could be wrong, its just my experience and my humble opinion, not any unwarranted advice.)

I think the final creation turned out excellent and the only thing I would have changed was to have been much closer (about another 25 yards closer) and backed off the zoom some, which would have allowed a bit more sharpness to the image once I blew it up to 20x16.  Either way it was a great shot, and studying the settings afterwards, and comparing them to what I could have done, was a great way for me to better understand a unique setting such as this dimly lit and diffused, early morning sunlight combined with a fairly dense fog.

And that my friend, is the key to becoming a better photographer. So let today's banter remind you that this is a great way for you to "study" what masterpiece you've just created, and understand exactly why it worked.

Doing so will ensure you are always at the ready no matter what setting you find yourself shooting in.

Consequently, as it turned out, had we waited another 15 minutes we would never have been able to create this shot the way we did.  And there hasn't been a foggy morning since.  And in this part of Wyoming, foggy mornings are few and far between. And therein lies the lesson that I learned this morning, always be ready because time runs out, and it runs out faster than you think. And as the old adage for me goes, a really good photographer can't recreate a really great shot, that was missed.

Happy Shooting and GOD BLESS!
Amanda Smith
Professional Photographer, Wyoming
www.amandasmithphotography.com
Shooting for Christ, Focusing on God ©

Does anyone really know how hard it is to rise above, and battle through the nay-sayers? I do. Took me awhile. Amanda Smith Wyoming.

Some people lack in courage to speak up, stand firm, or maintain their own opinions. They live and breathe to make sure they side with those who intimidate the most, so as not to stir conflict for themselves. Lest they too end up in the endless judgements of uneducated people conversing in small, but boisterous circles.

I mean, who wants to stand up for someone if it means they themselves might be looked down upon, right? Wrong.

You are allowed your own opinion, you do not need to make excuses for it, or downplay your own feelings just so you can stay within your comfort zone of the nay-sayers. They are not as strong as you think they are.

You do not have to distance yourself from people who are truly your friends, just because you fear being looked down on by the nay-sayers. They are not as loyal as you think they are.

You are not expected or even asked to forgive AND allow the forgiven act to continue to happen, and then forgive again and again and again. You, after forgiving, are allowed to distance yourself from that which you are continuously expected to forgive.

You do not need to let the expectations of others, weigh you down. You do not need to live your life for anybody else's approval but your own, and God's above.

If you are hiding just to keep the nay-sayers at bay, then climb out from behind your hiding place and raise your chin up to God, knowing that He is what matters, knowing that You are already perfect in His eyes, no matter what anyone else says, thinks or does. Come out from your hiding place knowing that He has your back, and start concentrating on YOU and the people around you who love you with consistency, loyalty, and without condition; and forgive (and then distance yourself from) those that can't, don't and won't.

Then take a deep breath, move forward with your day, and live your life!

2015 Calendars by Photographer of the West Amanda Smith

Texas Ponies

This photograph is by Amanda Smith. She is a photographer of the American West, from Wyoming. www.amandasmithphotography.com
Does anyone hanker for a calendar done by Amanda Smith of Wyoming? If you do, you can purchase yours at www.amandasmithphotography.com. photos of real life cowboys and Cowgirls, unlike models, the real Mccoy. Her 2015 calendars range from ranching, to cattle drives, and cowboys and Cowgirls. Amanda Smith of Wyoming also photographs antique tractors, old barns and all things of the American West.
You can purchase an Amanda Smith Western Photographic Art Calendars at: www.amandasmithphotography.com See more of her works at www.facebook.com/amandasmithphotographs www.amandasmithwyoming.com

South Dakota Least Chipmunk by Amanda Smith Wyoming based Photographer

http://amandasmithwyoming.tumblr.com/post/73726681316/little-south-dakota-chipmunk-called-a-least

Cadillac Cowgirl Amanda Smith Wyoming

http://amandasmithwyoming.tumblr.com/post/81803838561/cadillac-cowgirl-copyright-amanda-smith-i

Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer and her article in Automotive News

Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer was hired to photograph Wyoming's oldest car salesman, Derrell Alexander, who at 95 years of age, is still selling cars at Whites of Casper, Wyoming, and has been since 1949.  Wyoming photographer,  and photographer of the American West, Amanda Smith photographed an incredible man, with an incredible story about his incredible journey. I hope you enjoy reading this article as much I enjoyed photographing the man that it is about.   Here is the link to the story:

http://www.autonews.com/article/20100419/RETAIL07/304199960?template=mobile&X-IgnoreUserAgent=1

Derrell Alexander is 95. He works six days a week at a Chevrolet dealership in Casper, Wyo., and has sold more than 5,000 cars and trucks since 1949.

Photo credit: AMANDA SMITH WYOMING PHOTOGRAPHER

Amanda Smith Wyoming on Capturing Fall in the Cowboy State

"There is something to be said about 'capturing fall in Wyoming' and Wyoming Photographer Amanda Smith, seems to be able to do just that"  - pretty cool comment from published Author, Susan R. Stoltz.

I like to think that creating a piece of photographic art in the fall, comes with a feeling of calmness combined with cool "sweater wearing" evenings, a good pair of cowboy boots, a jug of lip burning coffee and a crispness to the air that only Autumn can bring.  So I'll start off my post today about "capturing fall in Wyoming" with a quick side-note that you don't "have" to wear cowboy boots when shooting in the fall, and you don't "have" to carry lip burning coffee, but I do.  :)

A Lazy Sunday evening drive through the hills of Boxelder Canyon in Converse County, Wyoming, provided for me quite the ambience in the setting of the September sun. There it was up ahead, a giant of a tree that I was determined to photograph in fall, even if I did burn my lips off while gulping down slurps of coffee on these winding Wyoming roads.

Wiping my mouth off on my sleeve, I pulled over to the shoulder of the road and crept my old dodge ram pick up over the cattle guard, pulling off onto the golden prairie I put the truck in  park and climbed out of the cab.  Stretching my tired back I grabbed my camera, twisting the strap around my wrist and quietly walked across the sage brush clumped ground to a spot where I could study what stood before me.  This giant of a tree, with her branches stretching out east and west and north and south, mesmerized me in her new coat of amber colored leaves.  I sat down on the cooling ground, and waited patiently for the sun to sink behind this majestic wonder.  Sometimes the key to a great photograph that you've already created in your mind, is patience.  Soon the rays of the autumn sun began to play across the branches of this old tree and as I brought my camera up to my eye, my breath quickening at the adrenalin that almost always races through my body when I know I am shooting from the heart, I began shooting.  And there it was, that old familiar and beautiful feeling right smack dab in the middle of my chest, depressing the shutter at the insistence of the beating of my heart, I knew I captured a golden moment.  A moment that completely captured what "Fall" is in my mind.  Leaves painted a hue of liquid gold that only God and Mother Nature can create. Continuing to shoot, because I wanted to be sure I'd actually created the shot I came for, the sun sank behind the tree and I could no longer see the beautiful rays shining through the leaves.

I made a conscious effort not to check my LCD screen, and turning my camera off, I pulled myself up off the now cold ground, worked out the kinks in my body, steadied myself and began the walk back to my truck. Happy and satisfied that I was sure to love the photo I'd just created.

And I did.

© Amanda Smith Wyoming Photography
http://amandasmithphotography.com/amanda-smith-wyoming-western-landscape-art-photographer/

I call her "Boxelder's Autumn Tree" because that's exactly what it is.  There is no need for intriguing titles that may or may not move those that view this masterpiece. The title "Boxelder's Autumn Tree" says it all.

Have an incredible and very BLESSED day!

Amanda Smith

Western Photographic Artist

Professional Photographer, Wyoming

Editor and Publisher of The Glenrock Bird Central Wyoming News, an Associated Press Newspaper.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/AmandaSmithPhotographs
www.amandasmithwyoming.com
www.amandasmithphotography.com

Amanda Smith Blue Moon Photography Update on August 20, 2013 Blue Moon in Wyoming

Good morning from Amanda Smith Photography, Wyoming!

I thought I would update my Blue Moon post dated August 21, 2013 regarding my photography of Wyoming's Blue Moon on August 20, 2013.

I still have some more "studying" to do on capturing a blue moon in August.. in Wyoming.  As you can see, its not as sharp as I'd love it to be, and although I did add a bit of drama to the photo by tweeking the curve a bit to show that there is in fact a sort of tinge of blue to a blue moon, I still do like the photo.  The moon was actually a greyish blue in the original photo, more grey than blue.

The brightness of the moon, because blue moon's are so incredibly bright, made it hard for this photographer to grasp the idea of what setting would work best.  I opted to forgo trying to capture the clouds that surrounded this particular moon, and just go for the moon.

The reason I did this, was because shooting on bulb to try to capture the glow of the clouds around the moon, made it difficult to capture the detail in the moon. Even though I have been photographing professionally for over 20 years, I have never attempted to photograph a blue moon.  And I am happy to say that with all the years of experience under my belt, I still have more to learn, and am looking forward to more "studying" and more photographing of the moon and the skies and the stars that overlook the great Cowboy State that is Wyoming.

See my "Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer" previous post on more information on my experience with capturing this Wyoming blue moon. You can click here to go to that previous post:

http://amandasmithwyomingphotographer.blogspot.com/2013/08/photographing-wyomings-blue-moon-last.html

Have a beautiful and very Blessed day!

Amanda Smith
Professional Photographer, Wyoming
Amanda Smith Photography

Amanda Smith Photography, Wyoming. ©2013
August 20, 2013 Blue Moon

Photographing on bulb setting by Amanda Smith

This is an article written by Amanda Smith, professional photographer in Wyoming. The article is about photographing night skies in Wyoming, using your bulb setting, or using a longer exposure on your camera.

Here is a fabulous image of a Thunder Boomer over Wyoming that I captured just after dusk a week or so ago during a thunderstorm.  We discussed "discussing" this in my previous post, yesterday.  So here we go!

The beauty of this image, is that the skies were fairly clear, except for one lone and very large thunder boomer in the distant Wyoming sky.

Thunder Boomer and Stars over a Wyoming Sky.
Photographer Amanda Smith of Wyoming ©

I originally set out to capture the stars, which were in abundance already, even at dusk.  When I saw this boomer in the distance, and the lightning show that was happening within it, I quickly went from shooting stars, to shooting clouds.

I set my Nikon camera setting to a 20 second exposure, set my 70-200mm zoom lens f2.8 and an ISO of 200, and loaded her up onto a steady and sturdy tripod.   Making sure that there wasn't even a hint of wind, I was ready to shoot.  (You don't want windy situations when taking long exposure shots, the clouds move enough that the long exposure will capture the movement, and the wind will actually cause some shake in the camera.)

Lightning was striking within this huge cloud about five to ten seconds, its was surreal to say the least, so in knowing this was happening every five to ten seconds, and there was no wind (so not much of a chance of much cloud movement) I set my exposure to 20 seconds.  BAM! two lighting shows later, I had a beautiful shot of the stillness of this majestic and powerful cloud.  To my delight, above and around the clouds, in the deep blue dusk colored sky, were a plethora of stars, that at such an early time, and only a 20 second exposure, looked pretty close to "still" for this photograph.

It has won National attention already, happily touting my name Amanda Smith as the photographer, and it went viral when I posted it on my facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSmithPhotographs

I couldn't be happier with a night sky image, as I am with this one, and I encourage each of you to "keep your eye on the skies" and right around dusk, get ready to take some breathtaking shots.

Play around a bit with you exposure length of time, especially if there is any wind at all.  Stay as close to f2.8 as you can (depending on the fastness of your lens) and use a tripod.  Use a zoom lens no less than up to 200mm if you really want something fantastic, a shorter distance lens just might not give you the pizazz you are looking for in most cases like this scenario.

Have fun shooting and please feel free to email me if you have any questions on your next photo venture!  Be sure and check out my website for new photos uploaded weekly at: www.amandasmithphotography.com

and if you haven't already, and if you feel so inclined, please feel free to visit my Facebook page and give me a LIKE.  :)   https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSmithPhotographs.

Happy shooting!

Amanda Smith
Professional Photographer, Wyoming
Professional Photography Instructor
info@amandasmithphotography.com

Shooting for Christ, Focusing on God.

Photographing Wyoming's Blue Moon on August 20, 2013 by Amanda Smith Photography, Wyoming.

Photographing Wyoming's Blue Moon, last night, August 20, 2013.

By Photographer Amanda Smith, Editor of The Glenrock Bird newspaper, Owner of Amanda Smith Photography (formerly Shooting Stars Photography.)

I have to say that photographing this "Blue Moon" was a little more difficult than I thought it would be, last night.

This was not your ordinary bulb setting or long exposure situation. Those ways simply won't work with the moon.

I started out by setting my Nikon D700 on my tripod, and attached an f2.8 200 zoom.   I then set my camera up on a tripod at around 10pm when the blue moon was extremely bright, realizing quickly that it was too bright to photograph on a bulb setting, a well known way to shoot night skies.

I initially set my camera at f8 with the lowest ISO setting my Nikon camera would allow and set the timing of my light at 1/80 of a second.  This actually allowed too much light in because of the brightness of the blue moon, although the exposure was for correct exposure for the clouds, this exceptionally bright moon was completely blown out. In other words, the clouds and sky looked amazing, but the moon was completely blown out, there was no sharpness to the moon, at all.

I changed my settings to f22 for a sharper image, hoping to capture the unique markings of the moon, and set my timing of light to 1/160 of a second, and the moon looked great and the clouds, though a bit darker, were certainly still illuminated well enough (by the blue moon) for an excellent and very clear shot.

Amanda Smith Photography Wyoming. Blue Moon on August 20, 2013

Photographing the moon can be difficult, and sometimes people forget that exposure is perfection. If you want to see the "man in the moon" you've got to get your exposure dead on, and never settle for a moon so bright, that you can't see the green cheese.  ;)

 Have an awesome and very blessed day, folks! We'll see you tomorrow!

God Bless!

Amanda Smith
Professional Photographer and Western Photographic Artist, Wyoming
www.amandasmithphotography.com
Shooting for Christ, Focusing on God (©)

P.s.

While we are talking about night shots, check out this little morsel I created lat week using a bulb setting.  More on this shot below, tomorrow!

Thunder Boomer and Stars over that big Wyoming Sky!
©Amanda Smith, Professional Photographer, Wyoming. 

Jimmy Smith Western Artist joins Amanda Smith Western Photographic Artist in Creating a Work of Art

Jimmy Smith of Arizona painted this still image, photographed by professional photographer Amanda Smith of Wyoming. It is absolutely beautiful.  See the link below:

http://www.imagekind.com/Amandas-Saddle-art?IMID=ca1a1bbc-d9c6-44b3-82b4-386bb3891a3f

Jimmy has been painting a multitude of western art in oils and acrylics and his work is absolutely stunning.  Currently wrongfully imprisoned, he makes it through his days by creating these master pieces, and uses the money he makes from his sales, to assist him in his fight for freedom.  I encourage everyone to check out the above link.  His work is truly unique, amazing and will take your breath away, and so will his story.  The link above will show the beautiful rendition of an award winning piece that I created, and the artwork below is of Robert Duval as his character in Lonesome Dove. It is one of the first paintings Jimmy created.

I hope you'll go to Jimmy's bio and read up on his story about his fight for freedom, and the judicial system in Arizona and how he believes that he was wrongfully imprisoned.  Its a story worth reading, and its a story worth praying about.

Amanda Smith
Professional Photographer and Western Photographic Artist
Wyoming.

Amanda Smith Wyoming Photographer Specializing in western photography

Amanda Lee Smith started out her career in Photography in Bay City, Michigan in 1992 where she created photographic artwork for CD and Album covers. Growing up around the agricultural world of some parts of Michigan, she, like most young women, found her love and passion in horses.  Cowboy boots and jeans were and still are a not so ordinary part of her wardrobe, and her love of the west began to bloom.

Traveling to California in 1994 she began shooting for the Bulls Only Rodeo, and the Western Circuit of the PRCA through 2005. Early on in her rodeo photography days she realized that something was missing in her world of "Western Photography"... Art.

She created her first piece of Western Photographic Art in 1994 called "After the Ride" and gained nationwide recognition for her piece that placed first in the National Color Awards.

Smith shot rodeo on the professional circuit in the western states for nine years, winning several awards and gaining excellent recognition as a premier rodeo photographer.  During those nine years, Smith also opened her own photography studio in California creating portraits for people from all over the country, including PRCA Rodeo contestants on the Western Circuit.

In 2004 she was invited to several ranches in Arizona, California and Wyoming to create an incredible documentary called "The American Cowboy" where for three solid and very wonderful months she captured real life photos of real working cowboys and cowgirls and turned them into works of art that won numerous awards both nationally and internationally, and have been published in numerous publications, books and newspapers.

Her artwork has been collected by Corporate entities, utilized in nationwide fundraisers including the American Heart Association and Cancer Relay for Life, and has been highly collected by both private and public collectors from the East Coast to the West Coast and everywhere in between.

In 2005, Smith relocated her studio and her photographic art, to the great Cowboy State; Wyoming, where she still resides today.

During her career as a photographer, and Western Photographic artist she published an award winning, Associated Press Newspaper for eight years. Spreading the news and circulating statewide with excellent articles and incredible journalistic photography, she made history when she became the first woman owned non-daily newspaper in the country, to launch on the Kindle and iPad, and the first woman owned non-daily small newspaper to launch on the Kindle and iPad in the world. She was a pioneer in being the first news source in Wyoming to deliver live news and alerts to the people of the state of Wyoming, paving the way for other news sources to provide immediate and accessible real-time news in the Cowboy State, something that had never been done before. Smith won numerous photography awards over the years with her newspaper including First Place with the National Newspaper Association in the Best Local News Photographer category, nationwide.

Smith now holds photography classes in her studio, and teaches both photography lessons and western photographic art lessons to students from all over the state of Wyoming. She spends the time in between, chasing her passion, creating real Western Photographic Art, for the world to enjoy.

Smith lives on a working cattle and sheep ranch in Wyoming with her husband, who is as crazy about her photography career, as she is about him.

You can view more of her work by going to her facebook page: 

https://www.facebook.com/AmandaSmithPhotographs

or her website:

www.amandasmithphotography.com