Doing The Happy Dance
Time to gloat.
Sorry, I can’t help it. For those of my blog followers not following me on Facebook as well, (we’ll get to the why on THAT in the future 
), I just had to share this. I have just received what I consider a glowing critique of one of my favorite photographs from one of my favorite photographers. Recently, Jerry Monkman, who writes regularly for Outdoor Photographer magazine, and others, and has many books to his credit, featured this photo, “First Light On The Auto Road,” for the image critique for the Week 5 Composition – Perspective, Depth, and Scale assignment. To have someone at his level in the “photography game” take notice and have, what I consider at least, nothing but good things to say about one of my photographs…
Well, I gotta go, cause it’s time for more Happy Dance! 
Thank Jerry!
FYI, following one of Jerry’s suggestions in his critique I brightened the road just a touch with the adjustment brush in Lightroom 3.
Jeff that is most definitely 5 Stars! I’d love it on my wall. Will definitely share it on Facebook. A really magical picture.
March 27, 2012 at 4:50 pm
Thank you. I have a 16″ x 24″ print on metallic paper, custom framed in a black gallery style frame with white matte, with your name written all over it. I’ll give you a hell of a deal. The shipping would kill you though I’m sure.
Not sure how it took me this long, but I just found your photo blog. I love your aerial photos, that must be awesome to get up there for those!
March 27, 2012 at 5:53 pm
Stunning shot!
March 27, 2012 at 4:53 pm
Thank you very much!
March 27, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Wow, you are so totally famous and you deserve to do the happy dance!!! That is an absolutely stunning photo, but then your photos usually are
. I am so glad that you got the recognition you deserve, and I’m sure there will be more to follow!!
March 27, 2012 at 5:37 pm
Thank you Cindy! A little more of this in front of the right people, buying people, and it’s good bye day job
March 27, 2012 at 6:04 pm
OMG, that would be like a dream come true – to be able to make enough money from one of my hobbies to able to quite my nasty job. I truly hope it happens for you!!
March 27, 2012 at 6:49 pm
You and me both. Although I do have mixed feelings about it. I absolutely love spending time outdoors making photographs, but having to create new work to keep a roof ove my head might make it a little les fun. I need to become a marketing machine like Peter Lik and sell a single image for a million bucks. That would certainly take the pressure off wouldn’t it
March 27, 2012 at 7:07 pm
It is well-deserved! Kudos, Jeff, you earned it. Brilliant!
March 27, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Thanks Karina. When I got the email from Jerry asking if it would be ok to use my photo for the critique I didn’t hesitate for a second. Even before I knew how much he liked it I was all in. My thinking was, good or bad, it can only help me grow as a photographer to have someone at his level pick apart one of my photos. I have very thick skin when it comes to my photographs and I told him flat out, “don’t pull any punches.”
I can’t lie though, the critique he gave was pretty darn awesome!!
I’ll take that kind of praise and publicity any time.
March 27, 2012 at 9:42 pm
Happy happy dance Jeff. You deserve it. Awesome photo!
March 27, 2012 at 8:55 pm
Thanks Suzanne! Sorry about the truck, I hope we can, cheaply, resurrect for a few more months
March 27, 2012 at 9:19 pm
I understand I will be able to pick up my truck after work today. My turn for a happy dance! Thank you!!
March 29, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Cool! Not sure if I could sleep the night after getting the notice!
Accolades!!
March 27, 2012 at 10:17 pm
Beautiful picture.
March 27, 2012 at 10:24 pm
Thanks Connie
March 28, 2012 at 5:39 am
You should gloat. Heck, I would have been doing the happy dance right after pulling off such a stellar capture, Jeff. Congrats on both the photo and the review. Well, well, deserved.
March 27, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Oh I did! When I saw what was happening to the sky that morning I was so excited. It made leaving my house at midnight o be there for the 3:30 a.m. opening of the road. Can’t wait for this summer to see what I can come away with.
March 28, 2012 at 5:46 am
I would hit LIKE like 100x if I could. A.MA.ZING… You deserve doing the dance. Congrats. WHOOT WHOOT!!
March 28, 2012 at 1:39 am
Thank you Laura. I can’t wait to go back again this summer. Even without a camera, witnessing sunrise from the summit of Mt. Washington is something I highly recommend. If you are going to get your “This Car Climbed Mt. Washington” bumper sticker, you might as well get to see a beautiful sunrise from the “Home of the worst weather in the world.”
March 28, 2012 at 5:55 am
Awesome! You absolutely deserve it! Here’s wishing all your dreams come true!
March 28, 2012 at 6:00 am
Thank you
March 28, 2012 at 6:04 am
Wonderful light, gorgeous lines and great perspective!
March 28, 2012 at 8:47 am
Thank you very much Lucy.
March 28, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Why so shocked my friend??? It is truly deserved.
Congrats ….
March 28, 2012 at 11:22 pm
Congrats, Jeff! Great work!
March 31, 2012 at 3:59 pm
Thank you!
March 31, 2012 at 7:57 pm
Great capture.
~Anne
April 2, 2012 at 8:47 pm
How do you get your signature on your digital photos, Jeff? I haven’t figured that out, yet. I use photoshop elements.
~Anne
April 2, 2012 at 8:48 pm
I actually have two versions, both based on my actual signature. One is the watermark you see on all the images here on the blog, the other is much smaller and is applied to any prints ordered through my website.
I will try to help as best I can. It is actually pretty easy, but since I no longer have CS2, and my Elements 10 trial ran out( I use Lightroom 3 and Nik plug-ins for pretty much all of my post processing), I won’t be able to give you the exact step by step.
The first thing I did when I had CS2, was practice my signature on a piece of paper with a sharpie. Then I scanned it into the computer. Once there I was able to create a custom brush, I don’t remember the exact steps (big help huh?). I could change the color to what ever color I wanted, set the size, and then apply it to the image where I wanted it. I did the same thing in Elements. I think I used the “smart selection” tool, but don’t really remember. I also made a larger version and used the text tool to add http://www.jeffsinon.com right under it for the watermark I use on all my shared photos.
I hope this helps. I wish I could remember the exact steps, but it was quite a while ago that I did it, and I haven’t had to do it again.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
April 3, 2012 at 7:29 pm
Thanks, loads, Jeff. I’ll give it a try.
~Anne
April 3, 2012 at 8:49 pm
This one is totally magical!
April 11, 2012 at 5:19 pm
You should have been there!
You can’t tell from the photo, but the wind was crazy, though not as crazy as it gets up there. The world record wind speed, recently broken by Typhoon Olivia, of 231mph was recorded on Mt. Washington. But as soon as I saw what was happening in the sky, I forgot how windy it was and how cold I was.
I can’t wait to do it again this summer!
April 11, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Certainly a winner. Nice capture.
April 15, 2012 at 6:45 am
Thanks Glenn, it was an awe inspiring morning that’s for sure!
April 15, 2012 at 9:14 am