I made it (:

Well I have some news to tell everyone, I really need to write on this more than once or twice a month. I tend to write one big long blog when I could do it short and sweet if I would update it when I got the news..
Well anyways, back in February I wrote that I had sent a picture into a contest that started off in Nashville, where it won a Gold ADDY, and moved on to Louisiana where it won a Silver ADDY, it is now in San Diego California where it has won a NATIONAL ADDY AWARD. I am not sure if it is a gold or silver; but I will be heading out there the first weekend in June to find out. I would never have thought that it would make it this far, but I am more than thrilled that it did.
When I took the picture, I knew it had a powerful impact especially when it was blown up to an 11x14. Everyone just loved the picture, or they studied it forever, and asked many questions about it. If it wasn't for Donnie (a teacher) telling me to enter it in the ADDY competition I never would have thought to enter it. If you know me well, you know I second guess myself on so many things. It could be the best decision ever for me and I would go back and fourth weather it was right or not. I now know where I get this from and that would be my father I have recently seen him do this to himself. (Thanks dad) I look at that picture every night, due to the fact I blew it up and my father insisted it go in the living room where everyone can see it as they walk in, and trust me they do. I took the picture off the wall the other day to take it somewhere and show it off. His exact words "Make sure you bring back MY picture because those are MY hands."
Everyone has asked me the same question.. "Where did I get the idea"?
It was one of those days I was out shooting on the farm for my theme that I have been working on for about a year now if not a little longer. I knew I wanted a picture of his hands, I tried several idea's and just didn't like them. They didn't show the true character for a farmer who is constantly using his hands. I wanted people to see how rough they were, how many scars were on his hands, I wanted to show it all off. I tried different grains from ground corn, to regular corn, I had him hold things, nothing seemed to work. I was finally going to give it up for the day, I was going to get chicken feed to feed the chickens for the night when I noticed that it was brown and smaller. I called my dad back asked him to get a big hand full and slowly let it drop out of his hands and well this is what I got.

If you were to ask me would this win a national ADDY I would have said I doubt it, they are just my daddy's hands nothing special. Now I can tell you, I am glad and thankful this won, I want people to see that farming is no easy job and it most certainly isn't for everyone. It was for my dad he loves what he does, even after having a stroke that should have killed him June 2010 he still won't give up his farming. He likes getting up in the morning and feeding all those animals, he likes sitting on a tractor all day planting corn, bush-hogging, cutting hay and all that goes with it. He says he doesn't care to do tobacco, but he won't give it up either so there is something about it that he likes.. right? It may just be that he is crazy for not wanting to give that up, who knows? I have asked him in the past when will he ever give up farming? His response was, " The day you bury me is when I will give up farming."
Needless to say I am glad Donnie encouraged me to enter this picture, because I am more than proud of those hands. Those hands are a dying breed, the farmer. That is a life of hard work, those scratches and scars all have a story that goes along with it. Don't believe me? Just come ask him one day about scars and scratches on his hand he can tell you where each one came from and how he came about getting it. Trust me, I have done it several times in the past!
Make sure to keep following me, I am working on SUMMER SPECIALS and you won't want to miss them trust me!!!