Ready for the Spring Art Show

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I’m still in a bit of shock over having finished all my work for the Bear Valley Springs Art Show two full days before the deadline. This gets recorded in a journal as a first for me. Typically, I am frantically working until the wee hours the night before the event. The thing that really saved me was the rules for the show. Each participant is allowed only five pieces. Thus, when the five pieces were framed and ready to go, I couldn’t get any crazy ideas about adding maybe just two more to the display.

The thing I am looking forward to most of all is meeting some of the local artists and, of course, particularly the photographers here in the valley. I have met a couple so far at the monthly art walk. On the first Friday of every month, a group of galleries in Tehachapi host First Friday, an Artist Reception for member artists. Along with the art work, guests are treated to refreshments and, frequently, featured artists give demonstrations or special signings. Furthermore, local musicians are frequently part of the event. The Husband and I have made it into town for a couple of these events and enjoyed the festivities immensely. Last month, one gallery featured a sculptor who talked to anyone interested about her process and had some molds in various stages of readiness for the bronze to illustrate her comments. She was personable, eager to answer questions, and we enjoyed her immensely.

The show tomorrow is at the country club in BVS. I have not yet been to the country club, so there will be lots of new experiences in store for me.

Mining Caliente Creek Road

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I am a sucker for old structures—houses, barns, sheds, most anything. Imagine how happy I was to see a cluster of old buildings along the narrow road following Caliente Creek. I was drawn to the textures and colors in the building materials. When I revisited this folder yesterday, I became more convinced that I have to return and shoot there when I am once again more mobile. I hope to somehow learn more about the background on these buildings.

I’m not certain that the area would be my ideal SoBoMoMo project, since part of what appealed to me is the allure of the amazing colors there and those are not apt to last through May. Those greens won't survive the warmer temperatures when it becomes more clear where the caliente part of the name comes from. Still, I want to explore further and try to determine whether I would be as fascinated without the intense colors of the spring vegetation.

My clean-up-the-computer project (clearing out files and moving folders off the C drive has taken up most of the time that wasn’t devoted to getting ready for the art show tomorrow. I plan to begin late next week refreshing my memory on how to cope with my creaky old Pagemaker 7 and produce a couple of PDF’s so that part of the SoFoBoMo challenge is less onerous. Once again, I have a rough idea of the layout. But, I remember that last year I also had an image in my mind of how my book would look and, as the project evolved, it took on a form that I hadn’t anticipated. We’ll see what happens this time around.

Separation Anxiety

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Yesterday, The Husband took some play-time for himself and took Lancer out for a ride. We both knew there would be some fireworks, but we didn’t know how much. To begin with, Lancer hadn’t had a saddle on him in a couple of months and the Arabian racing blood coursing through those veins makes itself evident on a regular basis. The second consideration takes us back to the basic fact that horses are herd animals and the longer members of a herd are together without separation, the more dependent they become on that herd for a sense of safety. Since The Husband has been completely occupied with helping to install fencing, putting up the mare motel, doing the farrier duties, etc., he hasn’t been able to ride much. Consequently, Lancer and Night have been pastured together for over a year now and rarely separated even for brief periods.

Lancer was fine it turns out and, according to reports, on his best behavior. Night, on the other hand, went berserk as Jim and his buddy rode off leaving him behind. It was a great show, but I will admit that a couple of times, I was bit concerned for his safety. Of course, he survived the trauma, but when Jim and Lancer returned, it was Night who was all lathered up.

Love at First Sight

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Yesterday, The Husband offered to take me for an outing. By Saturday, my left foot had only two-and-a-half purple toes, rather than four. Moreover, I had reached the point of gingerly picking my way about for a few steps in one direction or another, using the walker only when I felt the need for additional stability.

Of course, I was elated at the idea of seeing something outside our house. In three weeks, I had developed quite a case of cabin-fever. Since The Husband loves to take drives and explore back roads, I was happy to let him decide on our route and just be along for the ride. As usual, the Sherpa knows. He elected to head West on the 58, then north off the freeway to Caliente Creek Road. I knew I would enjoy the drive regardless of what we saw, but I was especially eager because our route would drop us just enough in elevation to mean some different vegetation.

What I hadn’t planned on was a dizzying variety of gorgeous trees (some already in full foliage), steep canyon walls, and stunning wildflowers. It was an intoxicating preview of what we will see here in a few short weeks. I am completely smitten. This is another of those occasions when I wish I were 6’3”, the size of an NFL linebacker, and capable of a nasty snarl (and worse) that would make people think twice about messing with me. Instead, I am a puny, 5’3”, little old lady who wouldn’t scare a rabbit. If I were that linebacker-type character, I would take off on my own and be back in that mostly wild canyon exploring every two or three days. I would love to make the canyon my SoFoBoMo project.

What added to the fun yesterday was that a couple of times I was able to get out of the car where we parked beside the narrow road and take a few steps in one direction or another. I have reached the point where I trust the ankle wrap to hold my foot and ankle steady for short trips. The right foot is messed up, but not nearly so badly, and it felt reasonably secure in some lace-up boots. By picking my way carefully one step at a time, I avoided inflicting any new damage and had a marvelous time shooting—even if I could not do any climbing about, crouching, or belly shots.

SoFoBoMo Considerations

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It’s not that I haven’t been thinking about SoFoBoMo, but since I can’t get out with the camera, I am still thinking only in broad terms and don’t have any specifics to talk about. Some people are excellent at determining in advance precisely what they will shoot and how their project will look. I can't fit myself into that mold. I will have to start shooting and discover the theme as I go.

All I had committed to was that I would shoot outdoors in Bear Valley Springs possibly as far away as Tehachapi and mostly landscapes with a few macros. Furthermore, I had thought that I would include some of our local critters. Beyond that I had planned to let my discoveries in March and April lead me. I am living in a place that still has many surprises for me, and I look forward to a great deal more exploring.

It turns out that I may have to rethink even my vague plans depending upon my healing time; but, since I had not made a firm choice, that means no major disappointment. Besides, I firmly believe that limitations promote creativity. Whatever physical restrictions I have to deal with may prohibit some things that I want to do; still, those restrictions are likely to force me to try things that I might not have thought about without the boundaries.

I had hoped to start May 1, but it depends now on how mobile I am when I get out sometime next month for a test run. If I have to wait for a June start, that can work, of course. But, I confess that I will be frustrated. On the other hand, I have never lived here in either May or June and maybe June will be a better month for shooting. I will know soon enough.

What it all comes down to, is I know only that I will shoot a project one way or the other. But, I probably won't have even the beginnings of answers to any more of my questions for at least another week.

Hobbled

Because the twisted ankle and foot has taken much longer to heal than I expected, I have been hobbling about on a walker up until a couple of days ago. You can probably guess that I haven’t had many new adventures in the last couple of weeks. The photo above is from last November. I am reaching back into the archives looking for something to post here.

Hobbling about didn’t make it any easier to get ready for the local art show next weekend. Because all the things that I had already framed are on display elsewhere, I needed new pieces for the community show. Fortunately, I had a couple of things that were at least matted, I only needed two new pieces. So far (one piece framed), no disasters to report. (When framing, I always think of Paul Butzi and his colorful descriptions of preparations for a show.)

Surely, by April I will be able to take the camera out. March has been a bust. Oh, well, I cleaned out some old files. I should have gotten more done, but it was a start.

In the meantime, the fence builders have been most productive. The horses have already been using the back pasture for several days, and now the front pasture is fenced. (It would sound more impressive to call them the south pasture and the north pasture, wouldn’t it? They would make them sound much larger than they really are.) Yesterday, the groundwork was laid for the dog fence. That means in the near future, we can get serious about adding a dog to the family. I’m looking forward to that. It would have been nice to have had a dog to keep me company while I moped the last couple of weeks. Heck, I was reduced to watching television. Now, that means I was desperate.

Horses and Fences

By the end of a long day yesterday, the mare motel and the fence were functional. The gates were balanced, hay was in place and all we needed was horses. This morning, The Husband hitched up the trailer and drove over to pick up our guys. It was finally time to set them up in their new home. Upon arrival at the place where they were being boarded, he learned that Lancer and Night had had one last adventure in their temporary quarters. They had managed to push down some fencing, yesterday, (did I tell you?!) and free themselves to roam. The fence they took down was an interior, not exterior, one, and that was fortunate. At least, they were not able to get out on Cumberland Road and cause a major stir. They did create a bit of havoc, however.

It seems that the folks there have a gelding who never has bought that business of no longer being a stallion. Yes, it happens. (Paul L., re. your comment a couple of days ago: take note.) The slow-to-get-it gelding has a herd of mares, and he guards and manages them as would any self-respecting stallion. Of course, Lancer and Night thought it a capital idea to race up and down the fence surrounding the would-be stallion’s pasture harassing him and his mares. It must have been quite a scene. Since Lancer has a badge of courage in the form of an impressive bite on his back, we assume that he got it during the fracas. Night, on the other hand, walked away from the mischief unscathed.

At any rate, they are now on our property munching away at their hay. We’ll see how long it takes these two to find new mischief.

Shelter

We were tremendously disappointed when we had to abandon our plans for a barn. From the beginning, The Husband and I had our hearts set on something smallish and modest, but we knew how we wanted it to look and it was to have been an important part of our new home. The downturn in real estate put that dream to rest. We are keeping it in perspective. As losses go, it may smart; but, it doesn’t rank very high.

Still, we knew it would be necessary to build some type of structure that would provide shelter for the horses. Yes, horses survive in the wild without protection from the weather, but these two guys have lived with shelter all their lives and it’s late in their lives to change that now. I think that I have already mentioned that they will have what is called a mare motel. (They are both geldings—do you think they will mind?)

I haven’t been up to hobbling around with the camera for the last several days, but I managed the snapshot above that demonstrates how far along things are. When it’s done the structure will have walls (on three sides, I think) in addition to the roof. They will get protection from rain and snow in winter, as well as some defense against the wind and some relief from the sun in the summer.

They probably won’t spend much time in their motel. They would much rather be wandering around in one of their two pastures nibbling on grass or leaning against the fence. Horses lean against fences because they know that eventually they can destroy the fence by doing that, and remember the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. But, the best part is that leaning against fences costs horse-owners money, and if there is way to cost you more money a horse will find it. That’s just how horses’ minds work.

According to the schedule, Lancer and Night will finally be here tomorrow. For them, the transition from Los Angeles to our property in Bear Valley Springs has been a long drawn-out process. It will be nice to be greeted in the morning by not only the sunrise, but the two money-pits, as well.

Shutter Speed at 65 MPH

Recently, Bob Wong asked if I would share a few thoughts about what I have dubbed drive-by photography. Unfortunately, Bob, I’m not your go-to person for technique. But, I’m willing to share further thoughts about my quirky habit.

The first time I started shooting through the windshield, then sticking my head and camera outside the window of the vehicle in which we were traveling, The Husband was incredulous. “What are you doing?”, he asked (the tone of voice said it all). I told him that I was preparing to enter the aerial photography field. He just chuckled and shook his head. In case you have the same reaction, I do have some reasons for this behavior: a. I love taking pictures; b. it helps me practice basic skills without interference from that nasty inner critic; and c. It is a better way to spend travel time than playing the license plate game.

Not surprisingly, most of the shots I take from the car end up in cyberspace. The point of shooting from a moving vehicle was never about making the best possible landscape pictures. (I have my eccentricities, but I’m not that far out there.) I use the time to acquire a better command of camera controls and train my eye to more quickly recognize pleasing compositions.

Partly as a result of starting to squander all those pixels a couple of years ago, I acquired the confidence to shoot in Manual mode. To most people that may not sound like much of an accomplishment; however, in the beginning, I was totally intimidated by that much responsibility for setting exposure. As a relative newcomer to photography, I have too-fresh memories of shooting exclusively in the Auto mode. Later, I continued to use the drive-by sessions for the exploration of other camera functions, including Canon’s focus tracking mode, (AI Servo) and the A-DEP mode.

Those sessions worked for me, because they freed me to step outside my comfort zones. For instance, I couldn’t take a lot of time to think about a shot. The moments were flying by and the circumstances forced me to quickly commit to choices. From the beginning, I had the sense to pursue these exercises with minimal expectations of keepers and all that experimenting, then deleting, toughened me a bit to see shots that didn’t work as just part of the learning process, rather than failures. Early on, I learned that the more I invested in a shot, the more the disappointments hurt. Sometimes the pain would be enough to temporarily shut me down. In other words, after viewing my results, I would put the camera down for a while and fritter away valuable time while my wounds healed. By shooting wild and loose, on the fly, I tricked myself into exploration rather than chasing success.

When I was shooting through the windshield or hanging partly outside the window, it didn’t matter so much if I stank at framing. It was okay to blow it on the exposure. It was no big surprise if I set the shutter speed too slow and the shot was a mess of a blur. I could experiment and toss the results with wild abandon. When shooting from the passenger seat, I wasn’t taking pictures; I was playing. Later, I could get more serious about shooting.

Clearly, I’m not saying that my approach is right for everyone, but it was beneficial to me. I needed a means of dealing with my personal blocks, and this was one of the things that helped me. (I wish I could say that I had totally stifled the voice of that inner critic, but I can only plug away at it.) The bonus of this playing is that, periodically, I am surprised by a shot that I like quite a lot. (Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while, right?) Occasionally, a shot serves primarily as a reminder of a location that I want to revisit and photograph under better circumstances. (The photo above falls in that category.) More often, even the best of the losers are nothing more than pleasant little reminders of the scenery we have enjoyed while traveling. Still, even that is not entirely worthless.

Since I use drive-by photography for experimenting or playing, I don’t have any rules, but these are my general guidelines:

1. I only shoot when I am the passenger. Come to think of it, that one is a rule for me. I know some photographers shoot from the driver’s seat, but I know my limits, too well.

2. I always remind myself that I will discard most of what I shoot from a moving vehicle.

3. I frequently shoot through the front windshield. (This is a great motivation for keeping that windshield clean.) Yes, the windshield is another contributor to degraded image quality. But, shooting out the side window means you have to be more careful to avoid anything close to the vehicle. Even at high shutter speeds, you risk getting shots that are a partially blurred mess. (That being said, if you like the blur effect, you can have a blast shooting this way. On a couple of occasions, I played with this and got some fun pictures not to mention some great material for backgrounds.

So, there you have the confessions of a drive-by photographer. A woman who unashamedly squanders pixels and abuses digital shutter releases to selfishly shoot experimental photos destined for destruction. Just one more sad, but true story.

Out of this World

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Would you believe that I just returned from outer space and needed some time to readjust to the earth’s atmosphere? No? Uh, how about I climbed Everest and needed a couple of days to recover? I have been on a top secret assignment with an organization that I cannot identify in a country I cannot name? Shoot. I was a finalist in the state skateboard championships? I took up bull riding and was out on the circuit?

Rats. I wish I had something exciting to report that would explain my absence. The truth is just plain dull. My doctor put me on an additional medication to even out my blood pressure. (I have been lucky. After years of listening to nurses marvel at my blood pressure readings when I went in for check ups, or whatever, the numbers went up. That didn’t happen until quite late in my life, so I can’t complain. What the heck, I just might, yet.) At any rate, the new medication produced some periodic wooziness that resulted in an opportunity to test the relative hardness of the carpet and the tile segueing from office to hallway. All I ended up with was a sprained ankle and a few aches and pains, but it certainly has cramped my style.

How much has it cramped my style? I have been watching television! Believe me, this is a profound change for me. Mostly these hours spent with the tube has reminded me why I don’t ordinarily spend much time in front of it. I think we have 250 channels with our Dish package, and approximately 240 of them are utterly useless. Channel surfing is clearly a male sport and I have never discovered its appeal; therefore, I am stuck with trying to find something that will distract me for a bit of time. But, hey, what are you going to do when you have trouble mustering thoughts that hang together? Reading? Out of the question. Sometimes, you need something to do the thinking for you. And, isn’t that what television is for?

Besides, I suppose watching the flickering light on the box is relatively harmless. The best part was getting to see one of my students in a rerun of NCIS that I happened to catch. Today, my brain seems to be working again—in spite of all those episodes of and House and NCIS. I am fairly certain that I detected the firing up of a neuron or two. It could be a false start, but I am hopeful. At any rate, I am willing to contemplate tackling something more demanding than a two-sentence comment on someone else’s post or comment.