Caliente Creek Road Revisited

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A while back, Mark Graf wrote about photographs “Rescued from Picture Purgatory”. Periodically, I think about that post. For the last few days I have been under the weather with my crazy digestive system giving me fits. With little energy to get out and about, I spent time revisiting some old folders and tweaking images that I never had bothered to process. Sunday, I found this one in a Caliente Creek Road folder and enjoyed working on it, so I thought I would share it here.

Anniversaries

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Today I am marking the second anniversary of my blog. And, I haven’t a thing to wear. Actually, the problem is that I don’t have much to say about it.

I suppose it is worth a sentence or two to say that when I began my blog on July 11, 2007, I had no real clue what I would write about and why I was starting a blog. It seemed as though it was worth trying—after all, it was free. Unfortunately, my posting is as erratic as it was in the beginning, and I certainly wish that I had chosen a more original name for the blog, but I wasn’t willing to invest much thought in the experiment when I began—I was that unsure of my intentions. A couple of days ago, Andreas Manessinger shared fascinating thoughts about blogging and celebrated post 1000 in two and a half years. In my two years, I haven’t posted one-third that number. I could work on being more consistent. Still, I can’t imagine now allowing the blog to wither and die. I am grateful that I decided to explore the blogosphere.

The photograph of the doe was taken mid-June when higher ISO was on my mind. (I had just gotten the 50D.) The Husband and I took a drive up on Deer Trail to enjoy the view and spotted this gal beside the road. The light was fading quickly and this was taken at ISO 1600. I couldn’t very well bracket shots (she wasn’t still long) which meant the exposure for the dark background was less than ideal and showed some moderately unattractive noise. I experimented with a small amount of selective noise reduction in CS3. A down and dirty mask thanks to the Quick Selection Tool made the selective part easy and fast.

After shooting with the 50D for a little over a month now, I am comfortable with the battery grip. I still shoot occasionally with the 40D, even the 20D, and I continue to have moments of mental paralysis when shifting from one body to another. I know that I could only solve that problem by taking hundreds of photographs every day and regularly changing bodies. Not likely, I am afraid—except in brief periods of intense activity.

Black Cats and Distractions

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I am not superstitious, but after enjoying this sleek, black cat outside my window on the morning of July 4th, I did have another of those pesky sunstroke/heatstroke/ whatever episodes later in the day. And, this one in spite of thinking that I was doing everything right. Hmm. Maybe that black cat was telling me something. Nah. I’m still not superstitious.

I wish I could tell you that I have been doing all sorts of exciting things since I finished my book, but it would be a fib. Between some instances of just being under the weather, a little hung over from finishing SoFoBoMo, errand-running in Bakersfield and Los Angeles (each of those chews up a day), and distracted by some domestic projects, I haven’t had anything worth writing about. I was pretty certain you weren’t interested in my thoughts about those errands. I even surmised that you wouldn’t have nearly as much fun reading about The Husband and I putting together our new television console as we had completing it. Remember the old days when we bought all our furniture fully assembled?

It's Done

My book is now posted at the official SoFoBoMo site.

Twas the end of SoFoBoMo and all through the blogosphere, not many photographers were stirring—not uttering a peep.

Maybe a lot of us are tired. Or maybe it's the heat. Or, maybe I am just projecting. At any rate, a number of people seem quieter than usual. I think it was quiet last summer about this time, as well.

Now I have some time to enjoy all the other posted books. What a treat.

Problem at SoFoBoMo site

Has anyone else had trouble logging in at the SoFoBoMo.org site? When I attempt to log in, I get a page that is very long and filled with code. It's strange because I logged in yesterday. I wanted to be certain that I could get in and I wanted to review the instructions for upload. On that occasion, the log in was straightforward. However, for the last couple of hours, I have had no luck logging in. I haven't seen any mention of anyone else having difficulty. Maybe it's something going on with my system. Still, I have visited several other sites, logged into accounts at three of them, and had no other problems. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

Just Under the Wire

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I feel old and tired today—both in mind and spirit. After about four days of focusing almost exclusively on my SoFoBoMo book, I finished yesterday. Completing the book left me relieved, let down, lost, confused, discouraged, dissatisfied, inspired, proud—I need not go on. Yes, overall the enjoyment of the process overrides the negatives. Yet, this was once again an intense exercise during which I learned a great number of lessons. Clearly, some of those lessons will invigorate and inform my photography in the future and I am grateful for them. Nevertheless, I was regularly reminded of my weaknesses and limitations (spiritual, physical, and mental).

I will confess that near the end, I was tempted to ditch the project. As I became increasingly aware of how little progress I have made as a photographer in the past year, the entire exercise seemed more futile. Ultimately, I knew that I was in no mental state to judge merit and had no business making a decision that I would likely regret. So, I persisted.

I suspect that if the book project were the only thing on my mind today, I would be experiencing mostly relief. Certainly, I would also feel pride in just finishing and a new burning desire to be a better artist by this time next year. After all, there is nothing quite like the pressure of collecting and presenting thirty-five photographs to the world to motivate one to dig in. If an exercise like this one doesn’t push you to improve your craft, I don’t know what would.

My general sense of relief, however, is moderated by other events. Yes, regardless of how single-minded I was, life did go on outside that narrow space in our office where I lived for those last few days. My sister’s recovery is going well, and that is welcome news. Still, her life will dramatically change. As a recent widow, she now lives alone and she is feeling a new kind of vulnerability. Along with her children, she will be facing life-changing decisions. She is my little sister, and I am concerned about her.

All that would have been more than enough for me, today. However, The Husband got home late yesterday, found me still chained to my computer in the final stretch, and discovered that our cockatiel had died at some point during the afternoon. Certainly, the bond I had with Lady Bird was not as intense as those I have had with more than one dog and with my horse. Still, she had been with us for about eight years, and I will sorely miss her singing—even her fussing when she saw a hawk and was certain that she was certain to be eaten. Her loss leaves me with one more bruise on my heart, and I have noticed that as I grow older these bruises leave me feeling increasingly fragile.

All in all, I am a bit of a mess. Nothing serious—no one is more aware of that than I. All I need to do is return to counting my blessings to remind myself that I am rich beyond compare in all the things that matter in life. My policy at times such as this is to simply proceed one thing at a time—take care of business, don’t fight the feelings, but don’t give in to paralysis. Therefore, after a couple more reviews of my project to see what gremlins may have crept in overnight, I will post my book at the SoFoBoMo site. I have come in just under the wire. Today is the 31st day.

Freshman Syndrome

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Last week, I found myself thinking that it would be nice to take a day off from photography. I looked at my file folders for the month of June and thought I might like to give the whole thing rest for a couple of days running. But, a funny thing happen on the way to the weekend. My schedule filled up and I find myself filling CF cards, processing, and reviewing as though there were nothing else in the world to do. Each day,there was something that got me out and motivated me to come straight home and review the “day’s catch”.

Now, I am facing a deadline for SoFoBoMo that looms all too close. Here it is the 22nd and I have only until Saturday the 28th to complete all my editing, processing, layout, and text. I feel like the college freshmen who has goofed off—perhaps partied—until the night before the exam, or the term paper is due. Only, in my case, I got stuck in the stacks in the library, or lost in the lab—deeply absorbed in other learning projects and forgot to focus on my assignment. I am learning about western style riding events and having an opportunity to photograph them frequently. Just last Friday, a friend called to alert me to a small herd of elk just a couple of miles away, and off The Husband and I scooted to spend at least half an hour admiring the five bulls so close to us. Too many opportunities, and so much to learn.

Of course, I don’t have to complete the book. It is, after all, a self-assignment and neither Paul Butzi, nor anyone else, issues failing grades for anyone who opts out. My problem is that I really want very much to finish this. It’s just that I want to do all these things—my SoFoBoMo project, the equine events in our area, and continue with all my other nature photography. I need fourteen days in my weeks.

What I am left with, is that I will complete my project in some form. It appears certain that it will not come close to my original expectations, but it will be a start; and, because I am very much attached to Oak Canyon Trail now, I will continue my mission in some form or another as time passes.

Tired, but Inspired

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I had a post all ready to go that included chatter about how bone-tired I have been every night from carrying my camera around so much, and how I have been having more fun than most adults expect to have except when on a vacation.

But, last night I got a phone call from my niece telling me that my sister is in the hospital with a broken hip. Needless to say, my mood this morning is a bit more subdued. Nevertheless, this is mostly a blog about my photography and I will attempt to stay on course.

What with working three major photography projects, I have taken several hundred pictures in June. Let’s just say that I have had to learn to be much more rigorous in my editing process, filling the recycle bin several times a day lately. If I were not throwing away a lot of files, I would need at least half a dozen terabyte hard drives to contain all the experimental shots.

The three projects that I am combining are work on my SoFoBoMo project in Oak Canyon, testing my new 50D, and building my action photography skills. The time spent in Oak Canyon is a joy, and the more I photograph in there the more certain I am that I could work the canyon for a year and not exhaust its possibilities. A thirty-one day project seems so superficial now.

As I examine the pictures that I took yesterday evening, I will know more about how far I can push the ISO on this new camera without sacrificing all pretense to quality. I had wondered about the usefulness (to me) of the battery grip, and I am still not 100% certain about that. But, I would say that this is an indication: it hasn’t been off the camera since I tore into that B&H box and attached grip to camera. So far, I have no serious complaints about the camera. My one quibble is why on earth Canon took away one of the custom functions buttons for something called “Creative Auto”. Come on. When I picked up The Husband’s new point and shoot a few years ago, I might have loved with that feature; but, it is nothing more than an annoyance with this camera.

I am having a wonderful time exploring more action photography and I am chomping at the bit to share some of the photos here. I have not photographed barrel racers before. What a kick that was. Over the weekend and again on Tuesday, I spent hours lugging around the camera fitted with the 70-200mmL IS 4.0. I learned an enormous amount. In fact, on Sunday, I added a 1.4 teleconverter for more reach in the large main arena at the Equestrian Center. On Tuesday, I practiced on the team sorting. Talk about unpredictable action. Believe me, those calves don’t follow any prescribed course. Unfortunately, I don’t yet have the names of the riders I have photographed and want to get their permission before posting, but those pictures will eventually work their way into the queue.

My shoulders are a bit achy, but I have had a big smile on my face, and I am getting a crash course in photography.

Golden Poppies for a Cold Summer Day

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Since the poppies came into bloom weeks ago, I have had in mind how I wanted to photograph them. Foolishly, I fell into the old trap of stubbornly clinging to that image in my mind and waiting for the right time to get those photographs. Nature has had an entirely different plan—presenting us with an unseasonably cold June and an unusual amount of early evening clouds. Day after day, new roadblocks. When the light was right, the wind was howling. If the wind was not blowing and the light was nice, the poppies were not quite open or had already closed for the evening.

Today, I finally let go of the images in my mind and took photographs of the poppies we have: windblown poppies on a June day when the temperature probably never made it to 65 degrees. I experimented with 1/2500 shutter speed to see if I could get anything; and, even though I moved very little, the wind was blowing fast enough that I got several compositions within a few seconds. I ended up with one that was surprisingly sharp; but, in the end, it is the softness of this frame that feels right to me. Not the poppies I was waiting for, but the poppies I was offered.

SoFoBoMo Competition

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Okay, that title is a cheap shot. We all know that SoFoBoMo is not a competition. I confess that sometimes, I simply search for titles and, with a little wiggle room, this one does make a thimbleful of sense.

For a time, I thought I would finish my SoFoBoMo project way ahead of schedule (I started May 30th), but I am not so certain of that anymore. For one thing, I wasted some time foolishly clinging to expectations and slowed my progress. On a couple of occasions, I had been spoiled to especially nice light while I was on Oak Canyon Trail, then for several days now we have had cold, gray weather. That, along with all the other distractions during the past week, meant I have not added much to the stack of pictures worth considering. I woke up this morning cured of my blindness and resolved to embrace whatever nature offers.

Another of the blocks that I have put in my path is competing photography projects. I find at least two other projects equally compelling, and I spend some time repeating to myself, “Focus. Focus.” I have to resist the part of me that wants to bounce about aimlessly from one thing to another, constantly starting something new, yet finishing nothing.

Note: The young fellow above was close enough to call for a 73mm setting on my lens.