Wondering why there hasn’t been a blog post here in sometime?
There are multiple reasons some good and some bad. First the good…
As you might have been able to tell from the photo above a new member of the family has finally arrived!
Blake, my first child, was born on June 8, 2010 (6/8/10 cool ay?). As of this post he’s now 12 days old. My wife went into labor the evening of the 7th and I’ve been up ever since. Ok well maybe it’s not that bad, but at times its seemed like it. Most importantly I am very relieved to report that Blake and his mom are in excellent health. We’ve been having tons of fun with him and soon enough I’ll be sharing some videos that were made for sheer goofy fun.
If you’re looking for good news on this Monday look no further. If you’re curious as to why this time turned out to be so trying click for more. Read more…
It’s that time of year again. July 24th I’m going to be leading a photowalk here in San Francisco as part of the Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk mega-event. Last years photowalk through North Beach was a lot of fun with lots of great photos taken, but this year I’m going to be sharing a favorite spot of mine… Sutro Baths and Lands End. Â We’ll be meeting in front of Louis’, a small restaurant, and then exploring the Sutro Bath ruins, walking on the Lands End trail for great views of the Marin Headlands and the Golden Gate Bridge and returning to the ruins for sunset dusk shooting.
If you’re in town on July 24th join me by signing up. Space is filling up fast. At last check the photowalk was half full after 1 day.
This past week was the first week I abstained from blogging while not on the road. The reason…
I had to regroup with my wife after receiving yet more bad news. As many of you know my dog Curly passed away 4 weeks ago this Monday. The following Monday a minor fender bender rendered my car a “total loss”, hardly a concern given the news we received a week later. This past Monday (the third Monday in a row with bad news) we had to rush our youngest dog Zoe (6 years old) into emergency surgery. Zoe had been in otherwise great health, but had to have her ruptured spleen removed along with 6 pounds of bloody fluid drained from her abdomen. She came out of the surgery like a trooper, but the next day when I picked her up I got devastating news that Zoe’s condition was the result of a very aggressive form of cancer.
Zoe 4 days after surgery (Note her shaved tummy)
While Zoe is quickly rebounding to her normal self we’re faced with a short window to continue to enjoy her company (without chemotherapy the prognosis is 2 weeks to 3 months and with chemotherapy 5-6 months). All of this came out of  left field, so it’s been a rough road to adapting to our world being turned upside down. I only hope we avoid more bad news as we ramp up to welcome our new son into the world in the coming month.
This past week has been a tough one. Last Monday while away on my shoot at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico I received word that my 16 year old dog Curly passed away. I am a huge softy for dogs and so I have no shame in saying that my week has been a teary one. If you’ll indulge me I’d like to share with you a brief tribute to a best friend I’ll miss dearly.
Selections were made randomly thanks to the use of the random number generator at Random.org. Extra comments or entries were excluded from the random selection.
Additional Specials & Announcements
If you’re on Twitter be sure to follow @Borrowlenses as they often announce specials and other discount codes.
Add a Comment to Show Your Support
Thanks to everyone that took part by entering the contest. I’ll be working with Borrowlenses.com in the future in the hopes of bringing you more of these giveaways. If you’d like to see more of these types of giveaways on the JMG-Galleries.com Blog be sure to add a comment here. The more interest the more likely I can repeat such a giveaway.
Borrowlenses.com has been kind enough to make available a free week long lens rental (excluding super telephoto lenses) to be given away here on the JMG-Galleries blog.
In order to be eligible you need to:
Contest open to only those in the US. Lens rentals cannot be shipped to other countries.
The lucky winner will place the order online at BorrowLenses.com and they request a credit card number to cover the risk of a no-return. They will not charge your credit card. BorrowLenses.com is a reputable business but if you don’t feel comfortable with this condition, please don’t enter
The offer excludes super telephoto lenses and pro camera bodies.
HOW TO ENTER
Peruse Borrowlenses.com to find something you’d be interested to rent. Feel free to let me know what catches your eye. I won’t hold you to this if you win. I’m just curious. Note: Available lenses are for Nikon and Canon cameras. Not a Nikon or Canon user consider their lighting and tripod equipment.
Add a comment to this post with the item you’d be most interested to rent. Note: Tweeting ” Win a free BorrowLenses.com lens rental. Follow @jimgoldstein & @borrowlenses for a chance to win http://bit.ly/b0BBl2 #JMGLENS” on Twitter is worth one entry to the raffle.
For an additional entry to the raffle…
In your comment here point me to a post on your blog, Twitter stream, Facebook, or Flickr photostream referencing this giveaway and Borrowlenses.com
Deadline: April 12th at Midnight PST
The winner will be randomly chosen and announced no later than April 14th.
On Flickr I’ve created a discussion for you to submit your best photo in relation to the theme “Rain, Mist or Fog”. Check out what your peers are photographing and let the fun begin. With a little luck not only will  you be able to see some great work, but you’ll have the opportunity to learn from the great community behind my blog.
On the JMG-Galleries Fan Page I’m adding additional content you might find of interest and some additional conversations are starting to sprout up. Check in and join the conversation.
Last week wasn’t the greatest week by any stretch. In anticipation of “Baby G’s” arrival we’ve undertaken a bit of remodeling. Much to my surprise I developed back spasms as a result of moving items from one room to another. With a little extra time to sit still I took it upon myself to setup a Facebook fan page while resting. If you’re on Facebook become a fan and check in often. I’m looking to put up some exclusive content on the fan page and welcome your participation.
