Auden Johnson's Blog, page 8
October 9, 2020
Hiking Adventures: Capturing Beautiful Fall Landscape Photos
Ever see those fall landscape photos of waterfalls, ones where the water is smooth like a sheet of glass? I’ve dreamed of taking those kinds of shots.
However, there’s an issue. You take those photos at a slower shutter speed. That setting allows a lot of light into your camera. If you’re trying to capture a scene at a slower shutter speed when the sun’s high, your photo will be so bright it comes out white. You can’t fix it in Lightroom.
Since I hike alone, I’m rarely in a position to capture my dream photo at the beginning or end of the day, when the sun’s not high. If I do, I’ll be hiking alone in the dark.
Then, I learned about ND filters which are sunglasses for your camera.
They block some of the light so you, ideally, can take photos at slow shutter speed on a bright day. I said ideally.
ND Filters come in a variety of strengths. The ones I got, apparently, weren’t strong enough. I’ve been carrying them in my hiking bag for weeks, hoping to use them on water.
Finally, I did.
Just reaching it was an adventure.
Several months ago, I shared the video below on Instagram. This waterfalls located at Madam Brett Park in Beacon, NY. You can walk to it from the train station. At least that’s what the directions said. When I first tried, Google took me down a street with no sidewalk. The second route took me here.
View this post on Instagram
October 7, 2020
Battling a Storm to Get Some Incredible Nature Photos
Planning hiking trips to photograph the bright fall colors got me thinking of all the things we do to get those incredible nature photos. Hiking several miles up a steep, rocky path. Waiting for hours until sunset. Waking before dawn to capture the sunrise. Often, I’ll go out in the middle of a snowstorm or shortly after to photograph the neighborhood, staying out so long my fingers and nose start going numb.
Oreo loves it. The snow’s taller than her and she dancing like it’s Christmas morning.
Some of my favorite shots came out of storms.
Like this one:
Unlike most NY snowstorms, I didn’t set out to purposefully take this photo. I happened to be in Coney Island during the blizzard.
I was running an unpleasant errand but something good came out of it. You never know.
“Sometimes the greatest storms bring out the greatest beauty” —Steve Maraboli
I mentioned this a while ago, but after I got my second master’s degree, I had trouble finding a job. I applied for anything, asked around, talked to job coaches and recruiters. Nothing worked. I went on public assistance about a year after graduating. I owed my landlord a lot of money and was about to get evicted.
HRA (public assistance) has a grant called the One-Shot Deal. As long as you prove you can pay your rent going forward, they’ll cover your back rent.
I got the One-Shot Deal and eventually, a full-time job.
I thought all that stuff was over. Then, months into my new job, my landlord sent another notice saying I owe about $5,000. I didn’t. The One-Shot deal took care of that.
I received this letter on a Thursday, the day before a major snowstorm would hit NY. You don’t let things like this sit for a few days. I had to take care of everything before the weekend. On Friday, I needed to visit HRA to get some proof they sent my landlord money for my back rent. I could do this by phone or email. HRA doesn’t work like that.
The snowstorm was bad by the time I woke on Friday morning. It got worse when I reached the office. It was still going strong when I left to stop by the HRA office near Coney Island.
The trains were a mess, roads and sidewalks hadn’t been shoveled. The snow was falling so heavy I couldn’t see much. But still, I pulled out my phone and snapped photos.
I was in the middle of the street taking this photo. Coney Island wasn’t any better. I usually get to the HRA center by walking the boardwalk. This time, I didn’t care about the ocean or the view, I wanted to get my documents and go home. But, as I mentioned, roads and sidewalks were buried.
However, the boardwalk was not.
These snowy Coney Island photos were happy accidents. I wish I had thought ahead and packed my DSLR but phones do all right.
I’ve been watching a lot of photography YouTube videos. The experts say go out in storms. Sometimes, that’s how you get those incredible nature photos. I’ve usually gone out in snowstorms. I’ve done fog but never rain. I’m going to, though. Wonder what kind of shots I’ll get.
See my Behance profile for more photos.
October 5, 2020
How To Write a Haunted House Story to Scare Readers
You visit a haunted house. Bad things happen. Either you’re scarred for life or you become one of the ghosts now haunting the house.
Haunted location stories have a straightforward storyline. I’m currently writing several and I’ve been struggling to make them unique. Yes, I know there’s nothing new under the sun but you don’t want your story to be predictable. How can you write a terrifying supernatural story?
Inhale Horror Stories
People often say my stories were too scary for them, even my fantasy books. I’d be stumped. I hadn’t written that story to frighten people. I’ve inhaled so many horror books, mangas, movies even anime that it comes when I write. You want to write scary stories, read a lot of scary stories. I listed a few books in Writing Chilling Horror Stories: Book and Poem. I’d also recommend anything by Junji Ito.
Write Real People
Horror isn’t just about the scares. It’s about how the situation affects the character. Don’t create cannon fodder stereotypes. Make them real people so we care when something bad happens to them.
That being said, I don’t remember the character names from many classic horror tales but the stories stuck with me. If you’re writing a shorter story, you may be able to get away with a flat character but not something novel-length. I’d still advise staying away from stereotypes unless you’re using them on purpose.
The Horror Needs to have a Purpose
A door opening by itself is scary but if you’re throwing them in just because, then it starts getting old. Why is the demon or spirit opening doors? Even if you never fully explain it to the readers, the horror needs to make sense to the story.
Pace Your Horrors
If you put too many scares, readers will become overwhelmed. If you put too few, they’ll become bored. Junji Ito is good at pacing, You should study his manga. His stories get to the action almost right away and never let up but you don’t get bored or feel like you need time to breathe. When studying other books, examine how authors manage pacing. Classic ghost tales tend to front-load their stores with exposition but they’re good when they get going.
Add Atmospheric Descriptions
Haunted location stories are all about that creepy atmosphere. How can you write chilling descriptions? Read stories like Bram Stroker’s Dracula, anything by Poe or The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Grab an anthology of classic ghost stories. Read it, study it, underline passages that stick out to you.
I usually don’t worry about adding atmosphere in the first draft. With my current story The Wailing Town, one character is lost in an underground city. She’s alone with two mutilated ghost children as companions. Scary things happen but mostly, I want the fear to come from her being alone in the dark, which means creepy atmosphere.
Hurt Your Darlings
Don’t be afraid to torture your characters. It’s horror. They’re supposed to be afraid. You don’t have to hurt them physically. Being haunted can be mentally crushing.
Tap into your Own Experiences
Some of us don’t know what it means to be trapped in a house with an enraged spirit but we do know what it feels like to be afraid. Whenever I experience a strong emotion, I open a journal or note app (after I’ve calmed down) and write down what was going through my mind, how my body reacted, everything I remembered.
I once got lost while exploring a cemetery. I roamed in the dark by myself until I found the exit. This wasn’t the first or last time I was in a creepy environment. I photograph everything to jog my memory later when writing a scary story.
Have fun. Sprinkling in those atmospheric descriptions puts a smile on my face. Giving myself the willies is strangely satisfying. Always have some else read your work. As a long-time horror fan, I pretty bad at judging what’s scary. It always helps to get feedback on your story.
Do you have any tips you want to add? Any questions? Comment below.
Happy Month of Horror.
How to Write a Supernatural Horror Story that Scares Readers
You visit a haunted house. Bad things happen. Either you’re scarred for life or you become one of the ghosts now haunting the house.
Haunted location stories have a straightforward storyline. I’m currently writing several and I’ve been struggling to make them unique. Yes, I know there’s nothing new under the sun but you don’t want your story to be predictable. How can you write a terrifying supernatural story?
Inhale Horror Stories
People often say my stories were too scary for them, even my fantasy books. I’d be stumped. I hadn’t written that story to frighten people. I’ve inhaled so many horror books, mangas, movies even anime that it comes when I write. You want to write scary stories, read a lot of scary stories. I listed a few books in Writing Chilling Horror Stories: Book and Poem. I’d also recommend anything by Junji Ito.
Write Real People
Horror isn’t just about the scares. It’s about how the situation affects the character. Don’t create cannon fodder stereotypes. Make them real people so we care when something bad happens to them.
That being said, I don’t remember the character names from many classic horror tales but the stories stuck with me. If you’re writing a shorter story, you may be able to get away with a flat character but not something novel-length. I’d still advise staying away from stereotypes unless you’re using them on purpose.
The Horror Needs to have a Purpose
A door opening by itself is scary but if you’re throwing them in just because, then it starts getting old. Why is the demon or spirit opening doors? Even if you never fully explain it to the readers, the horror needs to make sense to the story.
Pace Your Horrors
If you put too many scares, readers will become overwhelmed. If you put too few, they’ll become bored. Junji Ito is good at pacing, You should study his manga. His stories get to the action almost right away and never let up but you don’t get bored or feel like you need time to breathe. When studying other books, examine how authors manage pacing. Classic ghost tales tend to front-load their stores with exposition but they’re good when they get going.
Add Atmospheric Descriptions
Haunted location stories are all about that creepy atmosphere. How can you write chilling descriptions? Read stories like Bram Stroker’s Dracula, anything by Poe or The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Grab an anthology of classic ghost stories. Read it, study it, underline passages that stick out to you.
I usually don’t worry about adding atmosphere in the first draft. With my current story The Wailing Town, one character is lost in an underground city. She’s alone with two mutilated ghost children as companions. Scary things happen but mostly, I want the fear to come from her being alone in the dark, which means creepy atmosphere.
Hurt Your Darlings
Don’t be afraid to torture your characters. It’s horror. They’re supposed to be afraid. You don’t have to hurt them physically. Being haunted can be mentally crushing.
Tap into your Own Experiences
Some of us don’t know what it means to be trapped in a house with an enraged spirit but we do know what it feels like to be afraid. Whenever I experience a strong emotion, I open a journal or note app (after I’ve calmed down) and write down what was going through my mind, how my body reacted, everything I remembered.
I once got lost while exploring a cemetery. I roamed in the dark by myself until I found the exit. This wasn’t the first or last time I was in a creepy environment. I photograph everything to jog my memory later when writing a scary story.
Have fun. Sprinkling in those atmospheric descriptions puts a smile on my face. Giving myself the willies is strangely satisfying. Always have some else read your work. As a long-time horror fan, I pretty bad at judging what’s scary. It always helps to get feedback on your story.
Do you have any tips you want to add? Any questions? Comment below.
Happy Month of Horror.
October 2, 2020
Strange Tales about The Moon and How to Photograph it
The full moon rose to welcome October, the Month of Horror. Spirits crawled out to absorb its energizing light. Its glow revealed a monster’s true face. Did you hear their violent cry?
Yesterday, if you were outside around 5pm EST, you could’ve seen the Harvest Moon. I missed it. Though, with the clouds in the sky, I didn’t see the moon at all.
I’m drawn to all things creepy. If Green-Wood Cemetery was doing something on Halloween, I would be all over that. I love photographing the moon. It’s beautiful yet haunting.
It often finds it’s way into my stories. In The Sciell, one of the main characters, Shade, draws power from the moon. She goes a little insane when she can’t feel or see it.
Why does the moon inspire so many tales of terror and magic?
Paranormal activity increases during a lunar cycle. At least that’s what a paranormal investigator told AccuWeather. They saw an increase in calls about spirits around this time. The article was pretty fascinating. Some of the stuff could be used for a good haunted story especially this- “I think again it may enhance a ghost’s ability to physically manipulate stuff better or be seen better, if you will.” Paranormal investigator: Ghostly activity increases during lunar cycle, changing seasons
Did you know there’s a moon for each month? We get a Flower Moon, Snow Moon a Full Wolf Moon. The Worm Moon sounds like they pulled that straight from a horror tale. We need a wereworm story. Those names alone could get your imagination working.
During the Middle Ages, and even now, people blamed strange behaviors like sleepwalking, suicide, illegal activities and mental breaks on the moon.
“Lunacy” and “lunatic” come from Luna, the Roman goddess of the moon, who rode her chariot each night. 7 Unusual Myths and Theories About the Moon
People believed others were more likely to act odd, even criminal, during a full moon. It seems, at least from stories, the full moon also has the power to reveal someone’s true nature. At the very least, it gives power to the supernatural world.
Did you know those scars were made by the fangs of an immense creature? At least that’s what a legend from Siberia said. Alklha was darkness itself. This monster devoured the moon. But doing so, upset its stomach. Alklha threw up the moon, putting it back in the sky. Encyclopedia of Russian & Slavic Myth and Legend
The Harvest Moon returns on October 31, Halloween Day! Do you want to photograph it? I don’t know if you can capture it with your phone. You may. I was never able to photograph it with my phone. I know someone who got a clear picture because the moon was so large.
I have a Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens. It’s a fairly affordable entry-level telephoto lens. It doesn’t zoom into the moon as much as I’d like. I used a Canon PowerShot to capture those photos with more moon details like the one below. I don’t remember which model I had. I kinda wish I kept that camera instead of selling it. The PowerShot’s not a DSLR but it has an awesome zoom.
With my DSLR, I usually photograph in the early evening which means I don’t need a tripod. If I was doing a night photoshoot, I would definitely break out the tripod. As for settings, I shoot in Aperture priority mode with a low ISO (below 300). If your ISO is too high, the photo starts to look grainy. I use Manual Focus. Auto often struggles to get the moon in focus. Check out the links below for more tips.
This photo was shot at 1/500 of a second at f/10 with my telephoto lens.
How To Photograph The Moon (With 10 Great Examples)
How and when to photograph the Moon
How to Photograph the Moon for Perfect Results
September 30, 2020
7 Best Horror Podcasts to Scare You This Halloween
When ebooks first came out, I looked and them and thought, ick. Those aren’t real books. Then, I realized they were cheaper than paper. I became a believer.
You’d think I’d learn my lesson. I had a similar reaction when audio picked up steam. Then, someone, I knew kept talking about the podcasts they enjoyed. I gave it a chance and discovered a new love. I think I like a good story, no matter the medium.
Of course, I gravitated towards horror podcasts.
Here are 7 podcasts to get you in the Halloween mood. Some of these I’ve mentioned before, others are new, at least to me. If you’re a writer, some of are, or will be, open for submissions.
Scary Stories Told in The Dark
“A multiple story, horror-themed audio storytelling podcast. The show features master storyteller Otis Jiry, and the work of dozens of independent and previously-published contributing authors.”
Submissions
Haunted Places
“You’ve heard of haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, haunted islands…but do you know how a normal place can become paranormal minefield? Every haunted place on earth has a frightening, real backstory. Greg (Co-Host of Serial Killers and Cults) takes you on an audio tour of a new haunted place, and it’s haunted history, every episode.”
PseudoPod
“The Sound of Horror. Pseudopod is the world’s first audio horror magazine. We deliver bone-chilling stories from today’s most talented authors straight to ears.”
Submissions
The Magnus Archives
“The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team.”
Lore
“Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares.”
The NoSleep Podcast
“The NoSleep Podcast is a multi-award winning anthology series of original horror stories, with rich atmospheric music to enhance the frightening tales.”
Submissions
The Wicked Library
“The Wicked Library is a Parsec Award winning show featuring horror fiction stories from upcoming, new, independent and bestselling authors.”
Do you have a podcast to add? Comment below.
7 Best Horror Podcasts tO Scare You This Halloween
When ebooks first came out, I looked and them and thought, ick. Those aren’t real books. Then, I realized they were cheaper than paper. I became a believer.
You’d think I’d learn my lesson. I had a similar reaction when audio picked up steam. Then, someone, I knew kept talking about the podcasts they enjoyed. I gave it a chance and discovered a new love. I think I like a good story, no matter the medium.
Of course, I gravitated towards horror podcasts.
Here are 7 podcasts to get you in the Halloween mood. Some of these I’ve mentioned before, others are new, at least to me. If you’re a writer, some of are, or will be, open for submissions.
Scary Stories Told in The Dark
“A multiple story, horror-themed audio storytelling podcast. The show features master storyteller Otis Jiry, and the work of dozens of independent and previously-published contributing authors.”
Submissions
Haunted Places
“You’ve heard of haunted houses, haunted cemeteries, haunted islands…but do you know how a normal place can become paranormal minefield? Every haunted place on earth has a frightening, real backstory. Greg (Co-Host of Serial Killers and Cults) takes you on an audio tour of a new haunted place, and it’s haunted history, every episode.”
PseudoPod
“The Sound of Horror. Pseudopod is the world’s first audio horror magazine. We deliver bone-chilling stories from today’s most talented authors straight to ears.”
Submissions
The Magnus Archives
“The Magnus Archives is a weekly horror fiction anthology podcast examining what lurks in the archives of the Magnus Institute, an organization dedicated to researching the esoteric and the weird. Join new head archivist Jonathan Sims as he attempts to bring a seemingly neglected collection of supernatural statements up to date, converting them to audio and supplementing them with follow-up work from his small but dedicated team.”
Lore
“Lore exposes the darker side of history, exploring the creatures, people, and places of our wildest nightmares.”
The NoSleep Podcast
“The NoSleep Podcast is a multi-award winning anthology series of original horror stories, with rich atmospheric music to enhance the frightening tales.”
Submissions
The Wicked Library
“The Wicked Library is a Parsec Award winning show featuring horror fiction stories from upcoming, new, independent and bestselling authors.”
Do you have a podcast to add? Comment below.
September 21, 2020
Writing Lessons From the Trail: Walk Off the Beaten Path
I’ve hiked the Cornish Trail in Hudson Highlands State Park a couple of times. It’s a pretty chill walk with a nice abandoned building about 1 mile in. I spotted something different over the weekend. Maybe it’s new. More likely, I hadn’t noticed it.
The wooden gazebo sat atop the hill a little off the beaten road. I’m reluctant to call the path to it a trail, but it led to the structure. You would miss it if you weren’t paying attention. Even as I examined the path, I doubted it was something walkable. It was narrow, almost completely overtaken by grass. But, this state park doesn’t discourage you from walking off the path, at least not in certain areas. I tired it and made it to the top.
It reminds me of the writing world.
I love fantasy but writers seem to default down the well-trodden path to certain locations, time periods and races. I often fall into this category as well which is why I like to collect images of unique fantasy landscapes, buildings, characters and animals designs. Fantasy is awesome because of the freedom to create almost anything.
I’m currently writing a couple of haunted location stories and it’s been difficult to not walk down the beaten path with them. I’ll talk about that in a later post.
Fortunately, I am seeing more creative fantasy worlds as the genre opens to more diverse voices. Self-published authors are experimenting with world building.
If you like dragons, why not create your own instead of relying on established lore. How about making elves who aren’t pretty and wise? How about making dark-skinned elves the good guys, not just one of them as in the Drizzt series. I do like that series, though.
Traditional fantasy stories are fun but I do enjoy it more with authors walk off the beaten path.
September 15, 2020
Journey to Other Worlds with Stunning Nature Photos
Writing was my first love but, since college, I’ve also gravitated towards photographing architecture and landscapes. Then, one year, I broke my camera and I didn’t have the money to replace it. For awhile, I was stuck with my phone. I’m about the date myself, but back in my day, camera on phones were irritating. As soon as I had the funds, I got a Canon Powershot camera. Then began my photography passion.
You’d think writing and publishing a book with little text and mostly images would be easier. It wasn’t. Probably because I was using IngramSpark for the first time instead of Amazon. The headache was worth it. The hardback came out so pretty. I can’t stop looking at it.
To Other Worlds is different kind of photo book. On this blog, I started a series like this one: Story and Photos: Alone in the Sky. To Other Worlds is just like that. A short story inspired by nature photos.
A natural scene can conjure tales of magical fortress, fairy tale houses and treks across colorful terrain in search of a mythical object. Imagination is a funny thing. It seems so much easier to grasp as a child. Then, reality sets in and it gets in the way. You have trouble just letting your mind wonder. You can’t see the castle in the cardboard box. Nature’s magic can revive your imagination. It can inspire a story.
Journey to other worlds with full-color photos that will make you feel like they were captured on an epic fantasy quest. Maybe some of these photos will ignite your imagination.
Now Available
September 13, 2020
New worldbuilding map: Creating a Fantasy Town
If my computer could talk, it would be cursing me out. Recently, before the pandemic, I bought a Surface Laptop 3 with an AMD Ryzen 5 processor. It sat right at the top of my budget. The laptop does what I need and I can start getting into 3D graphics. This map pushed my laptop and Photoshop to the limit. I’m wondering if there’s some Photoshop setting I can change. I only had issues with this map.
I talked about making Shida’s map for The Wailing Town in this post. Here’s the first map.
Shida is a historic place for Others, non-humans. Its isolated location was a perfect safe haven for them in the early days when all humans wanted to do was destroy them. It’s built on powerful, rare, wards that are maintained to this day. Now, the town’s mostly a vacation spot. One on side of the river are the cabins for tourists. On the other side, is the small mountain side town for shopping. It’s where the permanent residents.
The above map was supposed to the final version. But, I wanted to fill in the forest, make it look thicker. That’s when I realized I didn’t like the mountains. So, I replaced them.
Funny enough, I didn’t change the document size all that much but this looks so much larger than the original.
As I mentioned earlier, Shida’s known for the magical protection wards built into the land. Visitors and residents can’t see them but I thought it would be interesting to add magical circles to the map. For some reason, that led me to changing the grass texture to parchment paper. I wanted to see how it would look.
This is the final, final version. At least it was until I realized the parking lot was far too big. Perspective was probably one of the the hardest parts. Mostly, I put houses and trees near the mountains. If they’re half the size or bigger, they’re too large.
Resources
Here are some resources I used to make the map. I got them all from Shutterstock.
Have any questions about world building or map making? Comment below.
The Wailing Town drops next month, just in time for Halloween. It’s book 2 of The Other Investigator series. You don’t need to have read Book 1 to enjoy this. Be the first to know when it’s released. Sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get a free book when you do.
