Life: The Final Frontier....

Wow…What have I been up to lately! 9 weeks of this quarter have flown by and I can say I don’t miss it much!

I was ambitious….I was determined….I was STUPID….I took way too many credit hours this quarter and sleep and free time have become an illusion. I enjoy my classes for the most part, however, there is just sooo much to do and when I get caught up I feel further behind.

During this quarter (while feeling ambitious and brave) I signed up for a Scuba Class….well…I now refer to it as my weekly brush with death. The beginning of the quarter was awful and I seriously almost drowned several times…I also thought about drowning myself a few times…LOL…It has been easing up, though, and I’m well on my way to being certified–I can say that I enjoy it now! Hopefully this will jumpstart some underwater photography.

And for the record….I heard that the groundhog in Pennsylvania saw it’s shadow….I love animals and all….but KILL IT!!!

I have been working really hard on new marketing efforts and with the help of http://www.getaviking.com (My Uncle and NEW Aunt) have been making some new updates for my website….expect this SOON!....I’m really excited about all of this and can’t wait to share more!

Into the depths of this 10-week quarter there was a glimmer of light that shined through all of the paperwork and snow….and snow….and more snow…. I had received a notice that I was a finalist for Photographer’s Forum Magazine’s annual contest. Out of 14,000 entries I was in the top running….First through Fourth place would be named Nikon Top Emerging Photographers…I was happy to be chosen out of such a large number…but I was thrilled when I found out I PLACED 4^th!!!! (And yes…I did scream a little…but who wouldn’t) The image that placed is above (top). This was a much-needed moral booster and I couldn’t have been happier. And it’s Nikon which all of you know is my weapon of choice…so wooot!

I also have posted some images that are more recent. One is of glass artist Marco Jerman. I was asked by Ohio Magazine to photograph her for this months issue. She was an awesome person to meet and I had a blast photographing her while she worked. More and more lately I’ve been getting more assignments…this year is off to a great start so now all I have to do is….yes….GRADUATE.

The time is nearing. Just one more quarter…..just 20 more credits….just a few more breakdowns and I’m there! I can’t deny that I’m excited but there is a little anxiety involved….what to do from here?....where to go?...what jobs to look for?...The real world has officially caught up to me and it’s frightening. So I guess all I have to say from here is “Bring it on!”

1 Quarter Down....2 to go!!!

It has been forever since I last wrote. This time, I have a pretty good excuse, though! This is my senior year of college and I just finished my final photography course…the hardest one to date.

During the course we had to think of…and execute 4 projects. The first was a test run….but the other 3 were hard. Audio and pictures had to be created….edited…then morphed into a print layout and a multimedia piece. Below are links to the multimedia pieces….let me know what you think!

Rhapsody Restaurant

http://alexsnyder.com/clients/Rhapsody/

Hocking Hills Canopy Tours

http://alexsnyder.com/HHCT/

All of this is kind of sad though….Undergraduate College is ending….4 years has flown by….I feel older….and I just turned 22….so there is confirmation of my older-ness….and WHAT’S NEXT!???

I’m definitely considering Graduate School and leaning toward Bio-Science. I think a quarter or two off will do me some good though…I need time to breath a little. This year has just started and I feel done already.

On a lighter note…next quarter I will be in Scuba diving course! I will more than likely drown but for Christmas I’m asking for some scuba-oriented items. After the course is over I will become certified and hopefully I can start doing some underwater photography.

My sister Allison has also celebrated a birthday as well. She is now 11 and almost as tall as me. She shares a birthday with our Grandpa Steve as well–I share one with my cousin Alison. November is always a busy month…The pictures above are from her party.

Christmas is already looking hectic…and I guess Thanksgiving is coming first…I really dread the Holidays…mainly from all of the traveling I have to do. Within the month of December I can put about 1,000 miles or more on my car!!!

Just recently I’ve placed in a photo contest sponsored by OhioToday. After looking through my submission they also want to publish 5 other images! This came as a surprise to me…I have been too busy to think about the submission and when I got a phone call yesterday about it….I was rather amused.

I’ve got a few other things in the works as well…but with time I can give you some more information and updates!

Happy Holidays!

Alex

Shocking Start to a New Quarter!

Well what can I say…I’ve been busy and I know some people in Seattle are needing a blog update.

Well the new school quarter has started with both great and bad weather…I think we’re expecting snow tonight…and we had a 70-degree day yesterday.

Spring break was great…I got to kayak and just relax for a few days…which was much needed.

The new quarter is shaping up pretty good. I have a full class-load but all of my courses are interesting.

I also am now a SENIOR!!! I just found out the other day that I have credit hours that qualify me to be one. Hopefully I’m almost done with my undergraduate work….but then I’ll have graduate school…what I’ll eventually become is undecided.

Some more good news is that last night we had an awesome lightning show! I was driving back from Kroger in Athens when I noticed the storm moving in. After some contemplation, I decided to go out shooting….the picture I got is above!!!

Until Next Time!

Vintage

I was scanning some slides this evening and came across these two. It took some time to clean them up...dirt and all....but here are some pics of the girls before they became terrors!

...kind of amazing how fast they've grown.

PS...there's no vintage Cooper....you have to be at least 5 to have old pictures shown!...ha ha

I stood on a lake....literally....

Well...look at me post. It's becoming more frequent lately, but then again I have been out shooting more with the weather being like it is. 

Sadly, today marked our first day above 32 so all of the snow and ice are gone...and the mud and dirt are back...(YAY OHIO!!!) 

I did manage to go out to Lake Logan the other day and actually went out on the lake. The ice was several inches thick and I was terrified...none-the-less...I took some pictures! 

I also wanted to get my favorite covered bridge in the snow and I think I did a pretty decent job. The road that it is on was pretty hard to travel, so most of the snow around the bridge was left untouched. 

February is now here and I can't wait for the birds to start migrating back...and this school quarter to be over!!!...I barely survived mid-terms!!!

More Winter Pictures

I went out shooting yesterday and took my mentor student. I pretty much just drove around the area that was drivable...nothing too dangerous....we had fun and got some pictures. Here are some more stitches that I did. 

The White Death has and evil cousin....Ice...

Well...if you live in my general area, or any of the Northeast for that matter, you more than likely don't have power and are up to your ankles in ice. 

For the past 3 days I've been living with some friends on campus loving the fact that Ohio University still has power...unlike the rest of the outside world...The Athens campus did close on Wednesday, however, which has me prepping myself for the end of the world...I think it's been about 8 years since OU actually shut down...maybe longer!

I went out on Wednesday and took a few images and I am also planning to go out tomorrow. Here is a sample of what I've been working on...nothing too special, but something neat to see.

Cheers

Alex