Photography

Good evening, Friends.

Camera's, Camera's, Camera's...

This baby here is a beginner DSLR camera that is no longer made by Nikon. It's a D3300. My friend, Jessica, offered it to me when she learned I wanted to get back into my photography. I absolutely love it. It's perfect for learning how to shoot in manual mode.  

Sure, the iPhone is great for many things, and it takes beautiful pictures. I want to start selling my photos or framing them for friends as gifts. A camera like this is needed for that. I'm excited to get started!

Here is one of the first pictures I took with the camera. Not bad...it's on auto, though. I will get away from that very soon.  

There is a lot of exploring and hiking in this vast area of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. I couldn't capture what AZ and UT have to offer in a lifetime. The challenge is to take photos that no other has taken, to have an eye that no one else has, to put me in positions that others will never have thought of (get your mind out of the gutter - it's been forever 👀😂), and capture shots that will captivate people.  

It's time to get dirty, cold, hot, uncomfortable, daring, active, adventurous, curious, snap-happy, and whatever else it takes to get that shot!

Stay tuned...and have a wonderful evening.

~SLH

What is Footloose and Monkey Free?

Good morning.  😃

I wrote my first blog entry on New Years Day and started it by jumping right into a post that brought a smile to my face from the summertime season. 

As most of you may know, I must have 18,000-20,000 pictures and videos on my phone (and growing) because I love to document everything. This doesn't include photos from my camera on my computer. Ha! So I have a lot to share from the past, present, and future.

The name of my blog came from a well-thought-out one or two-week process. I needed a title that:

1.  ...was catchy.
2.  ...was available on the three leading platforms I wanted to use for my blog.
3.  ...that did not constrain the subject matter that I wanted to write about.
4.  ...represented my life as an empty-nester with unlimited time on her hands.

Most people utilize their young adulthood to travel, go to college, have fun, make mistakes, and discover what they want to do in life. Mine was focused on raising my son. I have only entered my "20's" at the age of 43. Of course, my role in my son's life is different now. He is living on his own with his girlfriend in another state. My part is minimal but, in my eyes, as strong as it ever was.  

So, what will I write about? Anything and everything I can think of! I would also love suggestions from friends and family.  

Today is my Saturday, and I don't know what I will get myself into once I'm finished with my coffee. As for tomorrow, I am contemplating driving to Zion National Park and hiking Angel's Landing in the snow before the permit system begins in April.  

This is a very challenging and dangerous hike this time of the year - hence my  "contemplating" doing it at all. See the below image and picture it with snow and ice!

My coffee is long gone and the day awaits. Wishing you a spectacular day everyone! 

~SLH