Jump for Peace One Day

Who would have thought that taking jumping pictures would lead me to meet such cool and interesting people. Not me :) But hey, I figure anyone who jumps for pictures, or takes them, has to be an interesting person.

Not long ago I ran across one of the sweetest jump shots I've ever seen, and I bet you can pick it out from the ones I posted here. I hadn't noticed any photos from Miss Construed on Flickr before and then a short time later I found a post she had left on the Jumping Project about a jumping blog she was starting. Meet Alex McGlinn who is behind this endeavor. Well there is no way I could pass up on something like that so I started submitting photos to her. Boy am I glad I did because I've had the chance to get to know someone who is passionate about her life and her feelings. She is a runner, a soccer player, a teacher and a wife who lives on a little tiny island called Kwalajein in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. By her description it is teeny tiny and has a population of about 1,200. You really need to google it to appreciate how small it is.

She and her 3rd grade class have set aside September 21st as Peace One Day and put out the request that people take jump pictures wearing red to symbolize peace and submit them to her blog. I thought that was just plain cool and the result was very good. Alex pulled it off and had a variety of shots from around the world. I hope it grows each year for her.

Some very good news is that the Wall Street Journal has contacted her to do a feature article about her blog, jumps and Peace One Day. She is hoping it is published around the end of October so check back for a final date! I have a permanent link to her blog Jumping Pictures Will Save the World over on the right hand side of the screen. But you can click right here to pay her a visit. Go check it out and see the interesting variety of jumps from around the world. And she would love for you to submit a picture of your own along with a brief write up of what's happening in the photo. Come on you can do it :)

And Alex, you rock, thanks for your efforts!!

Labor Day Weekend at Elevation

I think I enjoy Labor Day weekend more than Memorial Day weekend. Cooling temperatures make me happier than rising temps and nothing quite equals the start of football season. I don't even feel guilty lurping around for 3 days by the time September arrives. The past few years we've loaded into the old Suburban and headed up to the top of Skyline Drive above Manti. We've been lucky enough to have great friends to visit over the holiday weekend and that just makes the family bigger and better.

Yesterday took us to Skyline Drive and a real adventure. I've wanted to get jumpshots with a forever depth of field and that requires light in the foreground and good backlight so I can crank the f stop to 22. Conveniently I bought some pocket wizards a few months ago and they provided the magic touch I needed. Mother Nature did the rest :)