Rediscovering Photography

Everyday life and the commitments you have are constantly demanding your time. But a break for a photo trek can give you new energy and insight about your hobby. And today was a day when I think it was worth it. I am surprised how much more I have been enjoying getting out and taking shots after changing how I have been approaching my planning for the times that I can get out with the camera.

Paco road along with me this afternoon on a trip up to Crow Wing State Park and the Camp Ripley area. It was a lot of fun having him along. And I have quite a few shots that I will be sharing with you. But time is of the essence and hopefully tomorrow morning I will be able to try some sunrise photos. Plus they are having a maple syrup demonstration at Lake Maria State Park and I’d like to check that out if the clouds stay away for the morning. So you will have to wait for some really dreary or rainy weather to give me a chance to keep the blog updated. So many photos, so little time.

Food for thought: Can a person take an art-worthy photo of people drilling holes in trees to make maple syrup? If you have the answer, let me know.
(Update 3/30/08: The weather didn’t cooperate yesterday. We’ll try again next weekend.)

Did I ever tell you I could hit a golf ball over a mile on level terrain? No, I’m not kidding, it’s true! I just need to find the right frozen lake with no snow and a little wind at my back.

Which brings me to my first subject, ice. And particularly, ice fishing. I have to admit that ice fishing is not a pastime (I hesitate to call it a sport) that I am exceedingly fond of. But taking a photo of a dedicated ice fisherman sitting on the lake (for hours at a time, usually) gives me the chance for a late evening shot to see how things turn out. (Click on the photo for a larger view.) I had to set up the tripod to take this since it was actually darker out than it seems in the photo.

Again, this is not a wall hanger shot, but another in my series of photos to add to my photo education. There were quite a few problems with this shot and the final result. At first glance, this looked like a good opportunity that could have been a great shot. But I stumbled upon the scene on my way home from a photo outing. The light sitting on the ice caught my eye and I thought, “why don’t I take a picture?” (I think that a lot.)

But I didn’t know the guy on the ice, and it really was rather dark so we couldn’t see each other. I walked out fairly close to him and told him I saw him and his light and wondered if it was OK if I took his picture from ‘up there on the shore’. He said go for it, so I did.

But I rushed this a lot and really didn’t have time to compose things. That’s a lesson learned right there. Don’t waste your time trying to take a ‘good’ picture if you don’t have time. And it took enough time setting up the tripod and fiddling around. I didn’t want the guy to think I was some kind of nut job so I took a couple of different exposures and skedaddled.

I can think of a number of ways to try this type of shot again in the future. The obvious ones are to get down on the ice, or maybe really low down rather then going back ‘up on the shore’. And a close up of the fisherman with the lantern accentuated would have been a nice shot. But as I have said, I at least took a shot that will give me food for thought for the future.

If it wasn’t snowing like crazy today and tonight, I would be camped near this tree taking a long telephoto shot of it and the full moon. But it’s totally overcast and they are forecasting the same for tomorrow. Maybe on Easter Sunday the clouds will break in the evening but the moon won’t rise until 10:03 PM, so that will probably be a bust since this silly tree is 20 some miles from home. But we’ll see.

I was looking back at some of my older photos this evening. It seems that I still have trees on my mind from my previous post. I came across this shot from two years ago. There is something about an individual tree in a photo that appeals to me.

We might have to start a tree page. How about remembering to watch for majestic or interesting single trees when you are out and about. Find 12 of these and as the seasons change get 12 great shots for a tree-mendous calendar next year. What a great gift for your erudite friends in the wood working or construction business.

And the more I think about trees the more I remember trees from past photos. This is probably my favourite tree. I took this shot while on holiday in London, England a couple of years ago. Best tree to date by far. I think the castle (actually St Albans Cathedral) in the background is a nice touch, don’t you? Serendipitous. When it comes to finding cooperative subjects that don’t mind standing still for a long time while you fiddle around getting that perfect shot, you can’t beat a tree. And for the kinder and gentler group of photographers reading this, you may want to (re-)read Joyce Kilmer’s timeless tribute to trees. It makes my lens fog up.