Frankieboy Photography Blog - Francis Spontelli

Frankieboy Photography Blog

All these images have their own story, adventure or journey, slowly I'm getting around to telling those tales.

Snowshoe Indian Peaks Wilderness - The Outbound Network
I submit an adventure to the Outbound network on winter hiking in Indian Peaks Wilderness, Ward, Colorado -- below is the full hike write up: A long but extremely scenic hike tucked in Colorado's Indian Peaks wilderness. Due to winter road work and road closures this will add 4 miles to the normal 2.3 mile trail. This portion of the hike is frustrating because you are walking along a closed road, exposed to wind and conditions for 2 miles before reaching the trail head. • Park at parking lot outside Indian Peaks entrance gates • Walk 2.1 miles to reach trailhead for Long Lake • During beginning of walk we used spikes / also optional snowshoe trails • Locate Long Lake trailhead • Snow packed trail (you will need microspikes or as winter continues snow shoes) • Once you reach the trailhead you can either keep walking on the road through the campground to access to the lake trail or start when you see Long Lake trailhead sign (which will come first) • Long Lake trail is 2.3 miles moderate-traffic trail (we have seen moose and other wild life back here) • Trail is out-and-back route • Conditions are usually blisteringly cold at the Lake's edge so time up your sunrise or sunset photography as you won't be spending much time here • Exit 2.3 mile trail back on to Brainard Lake Road (currently under construction) • We used the micospikes almost all the way back to the car and logged a total of 7.1 miles of hiking for the day • • —— Be warned - the winds in this area can be extreme so check weather, twice before heading out to do this hike. • Warm hiking clothes / double layers • Face protection from high wind • Hiking Poles • Mico-Spikes or snowshoes or cross country skies -- check conditions for snow levels first • Warm coffee • Camera / Tripod • Plenty of water • Trail snacks • Gloves / Hats / Full winter gear needed
Gain traction using your photography
Today’s tip is all about gaining traction and creating momentum for your freelance photography business. Something that has helped me create more traction for my freelance business would be saying yes to opportunity. No matter how you apply your camera for various work projects there is a good chance there is someone out there willing to pay you for your work and your time – it’s a matter of finding those individuals. As soon as I started to say yes to more random opportunities I immediately felt like more connections were made and other opportunities began presenting themselves. When i say Random I will start with my story in which i was reached out to for two images for the cover of magazine features for Parker and highlands life style magazines. As messed up as this sounds there is already someone doing your job for free whether they have a smart phone or an expensive camera; people are already out there giving their work away for free (and it absolutely kills me too). However; when a local magazine reaches out to you to use two of your images on the cover of their magazine I highly recommend saying yes — IF and ONLY IF they promise to credit you for your work. Because I opened myself up to this opportunity and said “Yes” instead of “No” it has opened the door to many other photography projects for me. Because I was personable and easy to work with the magazine editors approached me to do six other PAID photography shoots plus meeting leads for new photo work. This takes me back to my original point about how important it is to remember to say Yes and consider any opportunity as it may open the door for more work. There are many ways to make money using your camera, this is just one small example about how I turned one unpaid opportunity into more consecutive paying photography gigs.