When the Wind Blows

Winter to me used to be snow, snow and snow (and not necessarily in that order). With those three magical ingredients you could become occupied for hours making snowmen, quinzee shelters or pelting the city busses with snowballs. But for the last 2 years (and perhaps the next three) winter has taken on another meaning.

England is the second island I have lived on that is in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite being a 4-hour plane trip north of the Azores, winter here seems to be the same as it was there: windy and rainy. This morning just around 8am there have been wind gusts of 99mph reported at the Needles on the coast south of London. The winds here have picked up greatly and torrential rain squalls are frequent. Polar winds are to follow the storm but I'm not getting my hopes up for any form of wintery precipitation. In fact, if you were to peer into my head when someone says winter you'de likely see this image flash into my brain. Storm battered coastlines appear to have replaced snowmen.

Experiencing life around the world is part of the life we lead and because of this we can bring you such images. We continue to meet fascinating people and make great friends and often we both wax and wane about the "good old days" when winter meant snow. What will it be like when my kids are grown I wonder?

To view the image shown in various framing and matting options, click the link below to be taken to my ready-to-hang fine art print gallery:

Storm Sentinel


Cheers!

~James

How Strange Art Thou, oh Weather?

Is the weather crazy where you live? Well it is here in England. According to the folks who track the weather this is the warmest winter in a couple of centuries. Trees budding, bulbs springing and I'm having to contemplate getting that darn lawn mower out.

From the news it sounds like the "typical" weather of my childhood has reared its ugly head in the States with my mother-in-law reporting 7 inches of snow and -10F temps in Nebraska.

It may be hard to believe but strange weather can often give you fantastic results with your camera if you seek out the opportunities.

This image is from the forthcoming image gallery of amazing cloud images I have collected over the past few years. When strange weather happens at odd times the sun is often in a different position than it normally is when this type of system develops giving you a chance for a rare series of images.

And remember you can subscribe to the RSS feed of this blog simply by clicking on the post title.

Cheers!

~James

Products, products, everywhere!

NEWS

First, the blog you are currently looking at is going to now host the majority of the news happenings from my photography studio including new products and new locations discovered. Updates will continue to happen at the main website, fear not!

To subscribe to RSS updates, click the link above!

Speaking of locations I had an incredible trip to Norwich (for the Cinderella panto at the Theatre Royale) home to a Benedictine cathedral built in the 1000's (yes!) and home to the second-highest spire in England. Fantastic is an understatement.

The military aviation shop is now open featuring my military aviation images on ceramic coffee mugs and steins (what would go in there I wonder???) for both American and international air forces. As you know this was a particularly productive time in the Azores for aircraft photography so new images will be added regularly.

James O'Rear: Military Image Shop

Images of England are slowly coming on-line. As there isn't a huge backlog of them they will appear as a trickle at first, but know that with some long weekends coming up there are ample opportunities for the whole family to go who-knows-where!


Cheers!

~James

Oh, great joy of joys...

School is back in session! After 2 weeks off involving lots of rampant slothfulness (not me, them) the children are finally back and matriculating feverishly. At least that's what I tell myself. I'm sure they're rolling their eyes at the thought of engaging their little synapses again.

Good news is that it means I can get back to work! There's a nice little bit of sun streaming through the doors leading to the backyard and a 4-ship of F-15s from RAF Lakenheath just did a nice lazy fly-over. Ravens and pheasant are gleaning the winter wheat field behind us and songbirds and belting out their cheery tunes. All seems right with the world again...

Like you wanted to see more of me....

Apparently I have been somewhat remiss in connecting all of my internet "presences" with each other. So, for the sake of maintaining the sanity of the collective, below you will find where I am currently located.

Each is updated on a rotating basis (thank goodness for Outlook reminders) and there's a short comment on what the latest update for each has been and even what's coming up. Feel free to spread the word to whomever you think might be interested. (P.S. Jill says I look like I'm ready to bite someone in this photo taken just a couple of days before we left Lajes Field in the Azores at Forte de Santa Katarina built c. 1580. I think I look eager to get to a Taco Bell.)

The Main Webpage
The new website design is up and running. I interviewed myself last month (I'm a nice guy it turns out) and I'm almost finished with a "featured print of the month" page with me actually talking about the image, how it was made, what was going on at the time, etc. via a PODcast feature. Portrait photography brochures are available for download for those in the UK. Minor changes are planned but nothing major, just user-suggested tweaks (that means let me know how you like it via the Contact Me page if you have a minute).

James' Fine-Art Prints
Currently there are 6 galleries up and running, more will be loaded next week. They use the same large-format printers and inks I do (except bigger by far) and only use high-grade fine-art papers (my favorite is the Somerset Velvet Fine Art paper). As they are affiliated with the Northwest's largest framing company they offer over 5.5 million combinations of mats and frames. You can pick 1,2,3 or no mats, select widths, suedes, etc. and encase them in a fantastic selection of wood, metal and composite frames. Incredible folks to work with so far, they're out of Seattle. Currently APO/FPO orders should be phoned in or conducted via e-mail. They are aware of military customers and are working on a solution.

The Long-Awaited 2007 Calendars! I currently have 4 calendars up for sale: Alaskan Eagles, Alaskan Northern Lights, Flowers of Terceira (Azores) and my proud baby Fly Azores (In Action!) containing both civilian and military aircraft in action at Lajes Field (as well as a verion each for US, UK and Portuguese holiday dates). Pre-production is nearing completion of a photo book containing many of my favorite images and accompanying commentary about each one. World-wide shipping options make ordering easy for all!

Check out my Squidoo lenses! Currently I have 2 "lenses" going with 3 more in the works. I'll be dispensing helpful hints about various aspects of maging as well as giving book and product recommendations relating to each article.

Azores Photo Collection! A collection of prints specific to Terceira Island are located here and this e-commerce vendor easily ships to APO/FPO addresses! I am still working on a couple of panorama of Lajes but I'm not happy with the results yet so don't hurt me (Ron).

At the moment that's got everything up-to-date. But, things change almost daily around here. If you're a previous client of mine and you wish to see a specific image on a product, please e-mail as I'm sure I could work your request into my schedule (you know how accomodating I can be).

Cheers to all!

~James

Busy, busy, busy...

Well the holiday season is behind us, wrapping and (excessive) packaging all disposed of so I can finally get to work. Well, get to working more.

Exciting news again! I have just released 4 2007 calendars filled with my images. One of them, Fly Azores, is offered with 3 holiday dates (USA, UK and Portuguese). I can also confirm that there is a photo book in production as well. These products are available here.

Also, like there isn't enough going on with the new e-commerce partner imagekind I have a new home that will focus on dispersing my wealth of photographic knowledge at Squidoo. I'm in the process of selecting topics from the mini-classes I gave while president of the Lajes Field Photo Club for posting so be on the lookout for those in the days ahead.

No snow, lots of wind. Thinking about buying a kite. ;-)


Cheers!

~James

ImageKind update

Great news for you APO/FPO customers!

I just got a message from customer support at ImageKind and they told me two important pieces of information:

1) Thay are actively working on a way to ship using USPS mail, thereby opening up the APO/FPO/PO Box customer base, and...

2) If you e-mail or call them with your purchase request they can arrange for a USPS shipment NOW.


I love this company.

Why Didn't I (or you) Think of That?

One of the things I have always hated about e-commerce and my images is that I always get asked about framing options. To tell you the truth, having been in the contest world for some time I'm of the mindset that everything belongs in a black frame with a white mat.

My lovely wife disagrees with me. And she's right.

As usual.

I have wished there was a simple, one-stop-shopping way for my customers to select an image, pick out a nice frame and then select the mat colors to suit their homes. Wouldn't that just be the coolest thing?

Well, our wishes have come true! IMAGEKIND has apparently picked our collective dreams and done exactly that. They spent quite a bit of time in my brain as they offer a LOT of things that I have always wanted as well: the ability for me to caption my images, their use of EPSON gilcee' printers using EPSON archival inks and EPSON papers (all things I firmly believe in), rag and suede mats, metal AND wood frames, single/double/triple mat layers, acrylic or glass glazing options and the big one for me:

PRINTS ON CANVAS! IN TWO OPTIONS NO LESS!

YES, I'M SHOUTING!!!!!!

My brain is literally buzzing with excitement about FINALLY being able to offer my images with a partner that allows YOU to select what holds my prints. Listen, you can hear the buzzing I swear, even from here in England.

The only downside is they don't currently ship to APO/FPO addresses but I've already started begging them to figure some way to help the military folks out. If you'd like to see that as an option, kindly let them hear your voice in a quick e-mail.

Stop by the site and give it a good look-through, images are being added frequently so check often. If you know of an image you want seen on the site, drop me a quick e-mail and I'll see what I can do!

~James

The Codetalkers

You might think I'm referring to the Navajo tribe members who, literally, saved many a life during WWII using their language as a code to deliver messages in the Pacific theater. I'm not, but if you get the chance, read about their exploits and how despite being maltreated for decades answered the call of a nation during war.

I'm talking about all the gobbledy-gook known as HTML or HyperText Markup Language. That's the stuff that makes up websites. I like to think of myself as a fart smeller, er... smart feller, but this stuff makes my head hurt. Reminds me of the headaches I get when reading stuff by Ansel Adams and he launches into how film grain consists of the visible structure created by silver halide crystals... blah blah blah. Serious Excedrin territory here.

I decided that the website needed a new look and after careful consideration (not really) thought a FLASH based site would be cool. You know, music, moving images, stuff like that. So, I delved into the exciting world of HTML code.

ICK!

Don't get me wrong, I'm pleased as punch with the new website! Several folks have looked at it and given it a virtual thumbs-up. I think it's much easier to navigate and looks pretty stinking good, but holy cow did I spend many a night trying to figure out what strange demon monster would emerge from my monitor when I edited things like:

id="index" width="740" height="520">





Scary, isn't it?

Anyways, with that off of my chest, please take a look at the site if you get a minute. Some neat stuff there and some exciting news coming up before the new year.


Cheers!

The Apostle Paul and I: Brothers in Suffering?

***WARNING***

If you get squeamish at the mention of the normal/abnormal processes of the human body, TURN AWAY NOW!

I'm fairly certain that when the Apostle Paul asked the Lord to remove the pain from his side he was referring specifically to a kidney stone. In his second letter to the church at Corinth he says in part:

"... there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me..."
2 Corinthians 12:7 NAS- Revised

Those of you who have had the sad experience of this malady are nodding your head and yelling "Preach on brother!" Paul suffered many painful challenges during his travels across the lands preaching the Way, but this pain had him asking God three times to takes it away. Obviously Paul was a much stronger man than I as I asked/pleaded/cried/screamed at God a hunderd times a second to take my pain away! If I am stong in my weakness I must have been Superman many times over...

During one of my many careers I was a registered nurse and had the honor of working at Auburn Regional Medical Center in Auburn, Washington. Part of my duties were monitoring patients as they had their kidney stones broken up using a fancy semi-trailer sized maching called an ESWL (electro shock-wave lithotripsy). Despite my lengthy training I couldn't help but think "it's a little bitty grain of sand, how bad could it be?".

Well I certainly found out while living in the Azores and Jill was gone to the States. Weird stuff always happens while your military spouse is gone TDY so I should have seen what was coming down the pike when I began a course of hematuria. Blood in the urine.

"Hmmm. That's funny."

What a dumb-ass. that night I was struck by what I could only describe as a cramp, a charley-horse of near Biblical proportions in my right side. Having 2 blown lumbar discs I have experienced pain before but HOLY COW this was something else alltogether! To make a long story short (I know, too late) it took a butt load (literally) of narcotics to get me to where the pain was "freaking ridiculous" so I could get home. thankfully Team Lajes was there to help me and friends and neighbors helped me through it all.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago when I'm standing in the bathroom and my urine exits with a familiar color tint to it.

"Hmmm. That's funny. Ohhhh, crap."

Website re-design. Image cataloging. Slide scanning. Book publishing. Things I was in the midst of doing, events that had finally been gaining hard-sought momentum all came to a screeching halt. The worst part is that I'm now experienced and know the course of events to follow. I'm also no longer 3 minutes from the base, neighbors with most of the medical personnel who could assist me. I have more pheasants than heighbors for crying out loud (and I was)!

Finally, last week, the pain migrated from my side to my groin and I knew that THE EVENT was coming soon: expulsion. It happened during Emmalea's nap thank God and I knew for sure that as it was happening I would soon see an 8-pounder pop out (baby, bowling ball, small mouth bass, whatever) but in a miracle of matter transformation I soon found a little grain of sand in the bottom of my toilet bowl.

Funny. Felt bigger than that. Well, time to try and gain some momentum.