A bloody cold shoot in the mountains!

It having snowed the evening beforehand, I travelled into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, for my first shoot of the new year, and my first ever snow-shoot. The thermometer read 18 F (-7.8 C); relative temperature (or “feels like”) was 6 F (-14 C). It definitely was brisk but a good learning experience shooting snow.

"Three shapes of water." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f8 for 1/13 second at ISO 100.

 

"Shape morphing." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f32 for 1.3 second at ISO 100.

 

"Ice balls and tites." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f8 for 1/30 second at ISO 100.

 

"Balls of Moss." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f20 for 1/3 second at ISO 100.

 

"Roaring Fork bridge." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f13 for 1/6 second at ISO 100.

 

"Feel it." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f22 for 1/2 second at ISO 100.

 

"Resilience." Canon 7D with Canon EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f22 for 0.8 second at ISO 100.

 

"Globular." Canon 30D with Canon EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f18 for 1/4 second at ISO 100.

 

"Slick bridge." Canon 7D with Canon EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f11 for 1/80 second at ISO 640 (handheld).

 

 

Texas City Dusk – beauty in unusual places

My photography mentor, Wyman Meinzer, has encouraged me to see the beauty where I am. Here are some images from a quick evening shoot on the Texas City Dike.

"Trawler Tranquility". Canon EOS 7D with Canon EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f22 for 30 seconds at ISO 100.

 

"Painted Trawler" - light painting. Canon 7D with Canon EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens. f5 for 30 seconds at ISO 400.

 

"Shiny Refinery #1". Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f13 for 15 seconds at ISO 100.

 

"Shiny Refinery #2". Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f13 for 15 seconds at ISO 100.

 

"Shiny Refinery #3". Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L lens. f8 for 2 seconds at ISO 250.

 

"Texas City Twilight." Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 lens. f14 for 1.3 seconds at ISO 200.

 

"Shadow Paining." Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 lens. f6.3 for 30 seconds at ISO 200. This image is a light painting of the pilings and the refinery lights created these appealing shadows/patterns.

 

 

Pacific Dreaming

A very quick trip to Australia enabled some early morning shots (4:45 am for several of these). The location is on the upper NSW coast, late September, 2011.

"Sunrise and Norries Head." Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm lens and 1.4x teleconverter at ISO 800. 1/160 second at f/7.1.

 

"A Pacific Ocean dawn." Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 30 seconds at f/4.

 

"Pandanus, beach, and sunrise" over the Pacific. Canon 7D and Canon 10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 6 seconds at f/5.6.

 

"Boulders and waves 1." Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 1.3 seconds at f/14.

 

"Boulders and waves 2." Same boulders, different morning. Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 20 seconds at f/4.

 

"Boulders and waves 3." Norries Head, and Pacific dawn. Canon 7D with Canon S10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 1.6 seconds at f/4.

 

"A Pacific Ocean dawn 2." Canon 7D with Canon S10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 1/3 second at f/22.

 

"A Pacific Ocean dawn 3." Canon 7D with Canon 10-22mm lens at ISO 100. 1/3 second at f/22.

 

"Beach cusps." Canon 30D with Canon 100-400mm lens and 1.4 teleconverter at ISO 1000, handheld (it was rather windy on the headland). 1/500 second at f/9.

 

 

Blessed Rain: dusk from “Scenic Galveston” site, Galveston County

Ah, finally some precipitation – only recorded 1/2″ but the light was phenomenal as a band of clouds and associated winds caressed the evening.

 

Rain over the salt-marsh. Canon 7D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at ISO 1000 (the wind was absolutely howling, very nearly blowing the tripod, and me, over).

 

Wind and clouds over spartina. Canon 7D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at ISO 1000 (again, the wind was making it very challenging to stand, let alone keep the camera steady).

 

Granite, grass, clouds, and color... a glorious evening. Canon 7D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at ISO 500 (a little respite from the breeze).

 

Vibrant hues over Bayou Vista. Canon 7D with Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 lens at ISO 800

 

 

 

 

The “Roaring Lion” (Brazos River) is dry!

A southern plains dawn - radiating radiation above a wheat field abutting the Brazos riparian zone.


As the sun awakes
 and pokes its head out from under its bedcovers, caressing me with a startling, crisp, and clear light, I ponder and reflect on open spaces, friends, dreams, and the joy of a life intimately shared.

I recently travelled up to the upper section of the Brazos River to photograph it in its current very-low-flow regime. My host and guide was the fabulous photographer, and Texas treasure, Wyman Meinzer. This sunrise image was taken on our last morning shoot. I was very fortunate to test my latest lens, the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM autofocus lens for my 7D camera – I am delighted with it!

The following images are a sample through which the severity of this historic drought can be partially comprehended. Seeing the river in this state illustrated that these natural systems are indeed “living”, and not a static, benign, undepletable featureless feature.

Please note: the water shown in these photos are actually isolated, shallow, and unconnected “pockets” of very hot, highly saline, and by my estimation hypoxic/anoxic stagnant water. The river no-longer (for now at least) cuts a swath through this gorgeous red land. Instead of a red load we see a red-bed caked and crusted with concentrations of organics and crystals of salt – this is gypsum country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Despite the dry
I am reminded that nature possesses a resounding resilience; natural processes and time, along with selection pressures and genetic diversity, allow adaptability, specialists and generalists, transition, recolonization, and succession – the river system still sustains life.

 

 

 


Someday
(hopefully very soon as many fine hard-working folks, along with flora and fauna, are enduring challenging times) the Brazos will rear up and roar again; at that time the rust colored strata will cease to be dust, instead, renewed by glistening life-flows, the southern plains shall be resuscitated and exuberant in the water of life.

 

 

May 11-22, 2011: The Junction experience with Wyman Meinzer

Two weeks based out of the Texas Tech University campus at Junction, Texas, shooting with Wyman Meinzer and others. Conditions are very dry yet beauty abounds. What follows is a sample of the images captured from various locales visited.


Day 1: 05/12/2011

Started out up nice and close with a western diamondback rattlesnake.

 

Then off to “paint” a Church at night. Wyman does all the work and we just compose and shoot the image. This image was actually taken pre-painting, as there was a pretty sunset and the “street” light (on left, out of frame) was providing sufficient light on the left to balance the sunset light on the right.
Day 2: 05/13/2011
Morning shoot of rapids on the Upper Llano River.

 

Evening shoot on the Llano River.

 

 

 

Day 3: 05/14/2011
More Llano River images – this time from the gorgeous property of artist Bill Worrell.

 

 

These next few images were taken with moonlight – a wet and chilly shoot.

 

 

 

This next series is from a different location on the same river.

 

 

 

Day 4: 05/15/2011
Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area – a very dry though still magnificent location.

Three looks at prickly pear cactus:

 

 

 

Dusk

 

And then it was dark…
another “painting” – Wyman was running back and forth in the dark and somehow didn’t fall whilst painting.

 

Day 5: 05/16/2011
The following flower images were captured at Native American Seed company.

 

 

Church at dusk – another splendid paintjob by Wyman Meinzer.

 

 

Day 6: 05/17/2011
Independence Creek Preserve is a holding of The Nature Conservancy. The artesian spring contributes significantly to the Pecos River. The riparian area is truly in contrast to the desert region surrounding it.

The following two images are of a Round-tailed Horned Lizard.

 

 

Here is a Black-chinned Hummingbird:

 

and here are some black-tailed prairie dogs:

 

 


Day 7: 05/18/2011

A typical scene at Independence Creek.

 

and another:

 

This scene is a result of a beaver dam on a seep that feeds into the main creek:
Day 8: 05/19/2011

More “typical” views:

 

 

 

Day 9: 05/20/2011

Back at Junction. New bridge leading to the Texas Tech at Junction campus painted by who else but Wyman:

 

Another night shoot so captured these oaks at dusk:
Day 10: 05/21/2011

Back to 377 Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 11: 05/22/2011

Sabinal River near Utopia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 12: 05/23/2011
A morning shoot – Portrait work – in a feedstore warehouse with natural light.
“Wild Dave” was the first model:

 

 

Then Maddee:

 

Then back to Bill Worrell’s property on the Llano River for an evening shoot:

 

 

 


Day 13: 05/24/2011
This morning we visited a ranch to image more western diamondback rattlesnakes:

 

 

Evening shoot at Fort McKavett – time to ponder the past and the lives of folks back then:

 

Then another “painting” by Wyman:

 

After the shoot Wyman and “Wild Dave” wanted to refine a shot they had planned of Wyman “painting”. As they were practicing the shot I grabbed an opportunity shot which changed the approach of the final shot. Here is that first “inspiration” image:

 

After Wyman and Dave saw the image, we three, along with Trevor White, began to discuss how to create the final image. What follows is the image we decided on shooting (all light painting by Wyman Meinzer):
Day 14: 05/25/2011
Back to Native American Seed farm – the breeze came up making macro work very challenging so I switched to capturing zoom-blur images instead:

 

 

 

We ventured back to Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area for our last evening – a time to shoot, visit, and enjoy our last evening as a group. Frienship abounds.

 


Day 15: 05/26/2011
The final shoot was an opportunistic one of a water moccasin and patchnose snake:

 

 

 

So long from Junction.