Explored

I'm an avid Flickr user. I love the communities that can be joined to receive comments and critiques. One of the most fun attributes of Flickr is the Explore page. Based on a photo's "interestingness" (which no one really has a great idea of how it's determined) a photo may be lucky enough to make it to the Explore for the day. I was lucky enough to get one of my newest posts onto the Explore for November 11th. As of this post, this image was ranked #37 out of #500 for that day, and I'm honored and humbled by it.

Fall Road -- ©2009 Ian Lacy

Honored

I'm honored to have been chosen first place for the KC Rivermarket portion of the Scott Kelby Worldwide photo walk! There were tons of great entries, and the experience was really eye opening. Living in Kansas, and not really finding this place interesting, I had become a little complacent in my surroundings and fell into a lull when it comes to finding new places to shoot. This photowalk helped remind me that Kansas City is FULL of beautiful and unique places -- I just have to get out and explore! Note to self: I will.

Here's the shot that took the cake:

A Sunset to Remember

Good deeds and good rewards go hand in hand.

I battled the Kansas City rain and traveled out to Lawrence on Wednesday night with a mission; it's finals time at the University of Kansas. I remember all too well what it was like slaving away at review packets and old tests for hours on end without stopping-- the rumbling in my stomach growing louder and louder, and my concentration waning with my gut writhing with hunger. Yet I could not leave. Leaving to get food would render my parking space obliterated within seconds, my study desk swept up by the vulturous crowd of fellow engineers studying on the floor, and my concentration left at the door for good. Not to mention my rear having to re-mold itself to the chair I've been confined to for half the day. No, leaving would have been the worst idea. So instead, I would get up, grab some water, and scour the almost empty vending machines for any morsel that would satisfy my hunger. Oh, I remember it well. My mission was simple. I was going to drive to Lawrence and buy food for all of my friends stuck in the engineering library like I would have been just a year ago so their studying could be as uninterrupted as possible.

Good deeds and good rewards go hand in hand. The rain I had experienced in my first half of the journey out to Lawrence had diminished by the time I reached my destination, but the clouds were still hanging in the sky like anvils full of water, burdened by their task. I made it to the library, took orders, and set out to continue on this epic quest when I noticed the brilliant, fiery orange from the sunset. I knew I had to find a way to photograph it and my lazy tendencies really paid of when I found my tripod still in the back of my car from the weekend shoot. It was perfect.