A Shanty Hollow Morning Greeting

Fall seemed to greet Kentucky early this season...at least the weather seems to have shifted in that direction as soon as September rolled past day one.  Reluctance greeted me this morning when the alarm sounded off at 4:15am.  When I stepped out of the garage into the morning air, the chill that greeted me then removed most of the sleep still lingering around my eyes.

An hour later I was on Shanty Hollow for some down time and fishing...and of course some photo taking.  The dark-thirty overcast skies greeted the Old Town canoe and I as I shoved away from the bank.  It's a strange sensation paddling a canoe in near total darkness...one loses that sense of motion and movement.  Fifteen minutes later I rounded the bend that arched around toward the earthen dam.  It was still dark...the clouds obscuring most of the ambient light except just on the horizon above the treeline.  Time to cast a line before the light grew bright enough for picture taking. Three casts along the rip-rap than lined the dam and I hooked the first bass of the day...a little guy...10 maybe 11 inches long...still counts as one.  

I'm always amazed at just how quickly the morning changes from dark to light...even on an overcast morning. One moment you can barely see what's in front of you...the next, everything suddenly becomes visible.  I beached the canoe...slipped on the muddy rocks as I climbed out and nearly fell in...then carried the camera box to the top of the dam and more toward the middle area.  I setup the small tripod and attached the HD video camera...set it to 1 frame per second...adjusted a few more settings and pointed it toward where the sun was suppose to rise.  Wasn't sure if it actually would on this morning with all the clouds... 

waited a few minutes to make sure all systems were functioning then returned to my fishing duties.

Over the next 35 to 40 minutes I continued fishing and took a few morning shots with the still camera...right up until the unexpected rain shower hit.  Fearing the unprotected video camera would not function well if it got too wet...I pulled over and clamored across and up the slope of the dam and shut it down.  

Over the next few hours I fished and took pictures...fished some more and eventually just paddled around.  As I was moving from one location toward another I noticed some bait fish wildly jumping with two or three larger splashes right behind...I tossed my minnow imitating lure into the middle of the fray...one slight twitch...a single crank...boom!  Bass number two was added to my days count.

By late morning the sky was beginning to clear...and so I headed back to the Jeep...took my time...no need to hurry.  Met a young kid at the ramp who asked if I had a slip sinker I could spare...tossed him two.  I suppose it was a good way to end the day.

When I downloaded the time lapse video footage from the morning...I was not disappointed.  The first 30 seconds or so were a bit too grainy because it was still quite dark when I started filming...a quick edit fixed that.  A Shanty Hollow Morning greeted me today...I'd like to share it with you...(and yes...that was me..:])

Just me and the morning...it don't get much better than that.

One of the first things I learned about Kentucky when I moved here eight years ago was...when it's nice here, it's really, really nice!  One of those nice attributes are the skies.  I've lived in a lot of different places and photographed a lot of different locations...what I've discovered is that Kentucky has some of the best natural photographic light found anywhere.  I've not found a wider variety and more dramatic combination of light than can be found in this part of the country.  Not sure why that is...could be the atmosphere...weather patterns...or maybe just the right combination of location and terrain. Regardless of why...I am continually amazed at the variety and power of the light in the Kentucky skies.

A few weeks ago on one foggy morning, I stumbled across a large pond early one morning just before sunup and photographed it during the course of predawn through first light and for the first fifteen or twenty minutes after (Photographing Changing Light). During that forty-five minutes or so I witnessed more different variations of light than I've ever seen before.  All very subtle ranging from soft pastels to bold golden browns. It was a lot of fun to observe and capture.

One of my favorite locations to photograph and a location I recently began a year long photo project...Shanty Hollow Lake...has rarely failed to generate some amazing skies...and it seems like no two are ever the same...the variations just keep on amazing me.

One of my favorite times is on a Saturday morning just before sunup during the summer and into fall.  That's when I climb into the hammock and wait for the morning to develop.  The air is cool...the skies are...well amazing...and the sounds of the country certainly help to dissolve the aggravations and anxieties of the work week away.  I often will just lay there swinging gently and absorb the sounds, sights, and flavors of the morning...no camera...no TV...no music...just me and the morning.  I must admit...it just don't get much better than that.

For Having Done So - More to Photography Than Taking Pictures

As I have grown older through the years spending time afield fishing, I’ve learned to adhere to a wise old axiom:  There is more to fishing than catching fish.  One could read a lot into that statement or even look right past it.  But, if you were to truly read between the lines I’m sure most people would understand that the act of fishing is more important than the act of catching fish.  I suppose a tournament fisherman might argue otherwise…but, for most of us who do not rely on the sport of fishing to earn our keep, I suppose it makes more sense.

I went fishing once with a guy some years ago who for the most part just held the front end of my canoe down and grumbled the whole day about how bad the fishing was. By the time we pulled out…early I might add…his attitude was one of a wasted day and effort.  Between the two of us I don’t recollect that we caught a single fish…oddly enough, we came away from the trip with two different perspectives;  I loved just getting out…he complained about not catching anything and considered the time a waste.  Seems he missed the point completely and allowed a narrow perspective to ruin what could have otherwise been a great day.  Can’t rightly say that I ever went fishing with that guy again after that…it’s been a long time ago, even so, I’d venture a guess there was a good reason for not having done so.

In recent weeks as I’ve spent time canoe fishing and taking a few photos along the way, I began to reflect on that axiom again…seems my ability to catch fish hasn’t improved much over the years, so I tend to reflect more on the aesthetic values of fishing while casting a line.   Certainly catching a bass or two on any given trip adds to the flavor of the moment, but what’s more important is simply the journey…a journey that really has no end point, just a continuous reaffirmation of the emotional connection to what really matters in life.

One recent Saturday morning, I managed to climb out of bed early and make it over to my fishing spot before the sun came up.  As I paddled across the mirror smooth lake, I spent most of the first hour or so just taking pictures in the soft pre-dawn light.  It was an amazing morning in many ways and when I arrived I had some hopes that the light, and fishing, would be great...but mostly I just wanted to reconnect with one of my favorite pastimes.  As the morning progressed, the light changed with every tick of the clock, and I kept framing photo after photo and between shots simply sat and enjoyed the morning show.  As soon as I would think the best light had come and gone…the light would change again and an entirely new moment would appear.  The colors spanned a range from pale blues and lavenders to bold reds and oranges…thru subtle wispy fog…across bold apparitions and silhouettes…through perfect lake reflections as the sun broke free of the ridge. 

I ended up with some decent images having worked the camera pretty hard during that golden stretch of early light.  When it was finally over, I sat the camera aside and started fishing in earnest again…By then my visions were not so much of catching big bass, they were of remarkable moments of having experienced a special part of God’s world at a time when 
most people are still fast asleep.

Photographs capture a single moment in time…being there at those remarkable times to experience a new day from its first moments of life generates a prolonged feeling that lingers well past the actual event. Every similar outing provides for a new experience…a new understanding of what is important. Being able to capture a few moments afield  photographically…well, it’s sort of like catching a bass while fishing...fun and rewarding, yet, that’s not the main reason why I traveled that journey...it’s simply the bonus for having done so.

Keith

Photograph What You Feel

I was the only person on the lake...somewhat of a surprise being it was Saturday.  The sun was a good thirty minutes from rising so the soft first light of morning outlined the treeline that undulated across the top of the ridge.  There was an ever so slight breeze...just enough to move the wispy fog that clung to the surface of the lake into ever changing forms and ghost like apparitions.  For August, the cool morning air seemed out of place...I didn't complain.  The only sound was the gentle report of the paddle as it propelled my Old Town canoe across the surface.  Two...three strokes on one side...then the other...and back again...someday I will actually learn how to do the J-stroke...but on this morning I simple zigged and zagged a crooked line toward the upper end of the lake.

A couple hundred yards from the put in, I slowed to a stop and turned to my right just a bit.  As I drifted and looked up at the last of the stars still shining I noticed hovering above the eastern ridge was a crescent moon glowing bright white against the blue of the morning light.  This was certainly one of those photo moments worth taking.  I knew it would require a long exposure in the low light...so I moved toward the west bank and found a slippery, but level spot to get out and setup the tripod attaching the camera in the darkness as I ducked below an overhanging limb.  Several long exposures and I shoved off again...no time to over evaluate the images...I needed to close the gap between me and the upper end of the lake before the sun climbed too high.

My fishing rod lay stretched across the starboard (right) side of the canoe.  Around me I could see bait fish jumping as predators hunted for a meal.  No time to cast a line...the morning was growing brighter.  Previous excursions taught me that the best perspective for morning shots on this little lake would be found on the upper end looking back to the east.  To my right I noticed the 'Big Rock' glowing in the dim light and reflecting off the perfectly calm surface...I had to give it a try...No time or place for a tripod...just have to bump the ISO and hold it steady...two quick shots (which turned out to be a bit too soft)...and I continued toward my morning rendezvous.

A few minutes later I rounded the point that stretched toward the earthen dam...connected a deep diving lure to my fishing line and made a few tentative casts as I kept one eye on the eastern ridge.  First light of the morning changes so rapidly that sometimes by the time you get the camera out of the bag (or waterproof box in this case) what was there a moment before is gone.   I put the fishing rod down and simply drifted and watched the performance reflect off the mirrored surface of the lake.

The wispy fog grew thicker as the air cooled and the gentle currents of air launched them into a splendid choreographed swirling dance set to the symphony of the sounds of dawn.  The horizon grew brighter and the glow began to build...pastels...reds...grays...blues...oranges...yellow subtle this time...not as bold as on previous trips.  It was a feast for eyes hungry for reflective moments afield.  True to its nature, what played out on this morning served to calm a tired spirit.

Over the next thirty minutes, I snapped about a 150 images...all the while keeping in mind what I wanted to capture was what I was feeling...less so what I actually saw...which was amazing in its own right.  To accomplish this I worked the exposure compensation button almost as much as I did the shutter release...applied the use of a graduated neutral density filter to bring the sky and reflections closer to the same exposure value and, most importantly I waited for that defining moment...a moment that can sometimes be elusive and chameleon like...constantly changing...ever moving...always calling and stirring the emotions.  The morning did not disappoint.

By the time the sun climbed above the ridge...the shoot was all but over save for a few random shots here and there.  The next couple of hours was spent mostly fishing and simply enjoying what I enjoy doing most...managed to catch a couple of bass in the process.  Not only did I manage to capture another amazing Shanty Hollow morning...I managed to rekindle that sense of adventure...ever so brief as it was...and when I find time to review the images from that morning...I'll always remember the emotion of the moment...because, after all...that was my mission all along.

Keith

The Golden Hour - Plan Ahead

Chasing the light can wear out a photographer, and it can get a bit expensive with near $4.00 / gal gasoline prices.  It's better to do less chasing and more planning.  A few years ago I watched a video by legendary National Geographic photographer Dewitt Jones where he advocated one very important piece of advise that has stuck with me ever since.  What he spoke about was not just for photographers...but for everyday living really, and it makes a lot sense.  What he said was...be willing to place yourself at that point of greatest potential.


Think about that for a minute and break it down...Point of greatest potential...be willing....place yourself.  When it comes to photography a simple philosophy such as this can make the difference between capturing ordinary photographs...or capturing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.  Visualize if you will some of the greatest images you've ever seen.  What was it about those images that captured your imagination?  The location...perhaps...the subject...maybe.  Odds are if you really thought about it, what really captured your imagination was how the photographer placed himself in the very best position to capture that particular moment in time.  In essence he was willing to do what was necessary to be in a position to capture the absolutely best light of the day.  Doing so requires planning ahead...doing your homework...anticipating the potential of a location and recognizing what kind of lighting conditions will best fulfill capturing the vision you have for your photography.

One of the very best times is what is known as The Golden Hour.  This can be defined several ways...but the way I define it is a combination of the first fifteen minutes before and after sunrise and the last fifteen minutes before and after sundown.  Together that gives you a full hour of the best light of the day.  I'm not necessarily talking about sunrises and sunsets...although most of us are naturally attracted to them for obvious reasons.  Try not to get mesmerized by the boldness of those moments, instead, look around and see what kind of effect that light has on the things around you.  That soft light...blue light...golden light...pastel light will often give a location or an object a uniquely different look and appeal.

Take for instance this photograph taken a couple winters ago in Kentucky.  It was very cold and the night before a winter storm had covered the landscape with a beautiful pristine layer of snow.  The clouds had cleared, the sky was brilliant, and a full moon was hovering over the western horizon not long from setting.  I was up before dawn and drove to a location I had tried to photograph several times before with little success.  Even so, I knew that location had potential...it was just a matter of being ready when the opportunity presented itself.  The sun was a good fifteen maybe twenty minutes from rising, but the pre-dawn sky carried a lavender glow which was reflected in the snow.  This was the moment I had hoped for...and it was rapidly moving toward its finality. Using a tripod, I made several exposures over the course of several minutes before the amazing light evaporated and the sky became too bright.  It wasn't until after I had downloaded the images that I realized just how amazing this photographic moment was.

Being at that place of greatest potential, being prepared, and using the first light of the golden hour all combined to created a wonderfully simply, yet powerful winter scene.  It was the glow in the sky that created the amazing light...the snow simply enhanced the moment.  Planning ahead...being prepared...understanding the impact the light of the golden hour has and then being willing to place yourself at that point of greatest potential will more often than not result in great opportunities.

Keith

Starting a Long Term Project

We pulled up to the boat ramp a little after 5:00 pm on a Tuesday evening.  From what I could tell it looked as though we were going to be the only boat on the lake.  Most of July and into August and indeed most of the summer had been uncomfortably warm and humid as is typical for this part of Kentucky during this time of year.  The previous few days brought a shift in the weather with unseasonable and refreshing cooler temperatures and lower humidity levels that stirred my need to re-aquaint myself with the joys of canoe fishing.   Only a slight breeze pushed a soft ripple across the surface…just about right for canoeing and fishing.  For the next three hours we drifted and paddled around the perimeter casting a line here and there.  The fishing was slow, but the experience was just fine.  I needed this about as much as I needed anything…seems it had been way too long since I was last here.

The past year or so I began to realize that I seem to have drifted away from my identity.  In years past outdoor activities became an important part of my life…one in which I have slowly allowed circumstance and situations deter me from participating at a level I once enjoyed.  I suppose there are a lot of reasons for that…work load…health…college expenses…the price of gas…getting older…need I say more.  As a result there seems to be a void created inside, a void that seems to grow larger day by day.  I’ve simply missed getting out.  In recent years photography has filled in some of that gap, but even that can fall short in restoring that need I have to experience God’s world like I once was able to do.  The trick I believe is to combine those two passions together so as to blend that sense of accomplishment with the desire for meaningful outdoor experiences.

Four or five years ago I started a long term project photographing Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie.  That project has been an amazing journey so far, at least as far as I’ve been able to follow through, unfortunately my time available to visit that location is limited to a week or so once a year…and this past year I was unable to even make that limited annual visit.  Distance being the primary culprit, over 700 miles, a distance that prevents me from fulfilling my dream of capturing this unique and amazing landscape in its full glory.  As a result I began to look closer to home for another opportunity for a long term photographic project, one that provides that blend of outdoors with photographic potential.  Oddly enough, virtually next door to me is a location I have visited and photographed a number of times, but never really thought of as a long term project potential. 

Shanty Hollow Lake sits tucked in amongst the hills that roll across the landscape just north of Bowling Green.  From my home it’s about a 40 minute drive…from my office it’s about a 20 minute drive. It’s a small lake originally constructed back in the 1940’s as a private hunting and fishing lodge, and was eventually taken over by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife in 1953.  Stocked with bass and catfish, and other various fishes, its 110 acres of surface area is one of the most scenic of lakes just about anywhere and is perfect for canoe fishing.  Hidden on the back end of the lake splitting a wide horseshoe shaped ridge is a waterfall that when the water is running after a hard rain can provide an amazing photographic moment.

A couple hours in, as I cast my fishing line toward the bank, the sun momentarily broke through the thin layer of clouds that hovered above the western ridge.  A beam of light highlighted a stand of sycamore trees along the bank.  Their lighter colored leaves and whitish bark stood in contrast against the darker green background and seemed to glow in the light as their reflection shimmered on the almost perfectly calm surface of the lake.  I had no camera to capture the moment…but, capture I did, an idea that will surely help me restore that lost sense of identity.   This is the place I need to photograph year round.  It is here I can capture the best of nature and find an outlet for that sense of adventure and desire for a meaningful outdoor experience…and so I committed myself to begin a long term project simply called Shanty Hollow. 

My intent is to photograph this area using not only the traditional still photographs, but to blend it with HD video as well.  Traditional photographs can only capture static moments of time…video on the other hand can capture the feel of the moment through movement and sound.  Blending the two should tell a unique story of this small but amazing location.  By next summer I hope to create a 15 to 20 minute video presentation using the footage I’ve captured the past year along with some of the footage I’ve already captured.  This will be a serious attempt to create a professional quality presentation suitable for showing to various groups and organizations.  It will be the most ambitious and important project I’ve ever attempted.  With any luck at all, this endeavor will help to fill the gap of meaningful outdoor experiences that I’ve recently missed in my life.  For the first time in a long time, I’m excited again about something I’m about to begin…I may even throw in a little fishing along the way.


Here's a link to some Shanty Hollow Shots... http://www.sunnysixteen.org/gallery3/index.php/Keith_Bridgman/Shanty_Hollow

Kentucky Sky - Kentucky Morning Series

I've lived in a lot of different places and one thing that I have discovered is they all have their own unique photographic potential.  Of all the places I have lived, Kentucky offers some of the most diverse photographic opportunities that I have seen.  Of all of those, the Kentucky Sky and Kentucky Morning's are the most amazing...and the two often compliment each other.  As a result I've started a new series that I would like to introduce to you.  Simply enough it is called Kentucky Sky - Kentucky Morning and they are a series of some of the most spectacular sky and morning shots I've been able to capture from this amazing land called Kentucky.  I am offering them as individual prints ($99.00 plus shipping) mounted on foam core.

Check them out...I think you will like them.

p.s.  I'm also working on a series of Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie images...but they will come later.

My Photography Bucket List

Sometimes I'll thumb through various photography magazines and see all sorts of interesting things I wish I could either purchase or places I wish I could visit.  Unfortunately, being able to do those things will probably not happen...not in the next four years anyway with college tuition to pay for.

Even so, I tend to file away those thoughts and wishes in my photography 'to do' bucket for another day hoping that when the time is right, I will be able to remove a few of them and actually turn them into a reality.  What I'm afraid will happen is that the bucket will actually get so full, I'll get tired of carrying it around and end up dumping the entire contents in the rubbish bin never to be retrieved or thought of again.  Before that happens, here is a short list of the most wanted from that list that I still hope to turn into a reality someday.

1.  To photograph all four seasons on Oklahoma's Tallgrass Prairie.  My desire here is not to just photograph it, but to document it in such a way as to create a video presentation that tells the saga of the Tallgrass Prairie in such a way as to stir the imaginations of those who see it.  I want to backpack from one end to the other during all kinds of weather conditions and experience it at those most important moments of light...and there are some amazing moments of light on the prairie.  This also includes flying over the prairie in a light airplane at dawn and/or dusk to capture that first and last prairie-light of the day from the unique elevated perspective.

2.  To purchase a high quality HD video camera.  I'm not talking about one of those palm size cameras found at department stores...I'm talking about the next level or two above that...something like a Sony HVR-A1 or V1 series of video cameras.  My intent here is to take my photography to another level and step into the realm of cinematography and capture places like the Tallgrass Prairie using the combination of still images and video.

3.  To upgrade to a new SLR...open to all possibilities on this one...but with my Sony background I'm looking at one of the A900 series of cameras...24 megapixels...full frame sensor.  My venerable A100 has served me well...way beyond what a camera like that should have been able to accomplish...but it is rapidly reaching its limits of capabilities with what I am wanting to accomplish.

4.  I could sure use a high quality wide angle lens...something in the 14mm range...again open to all possibilities on this.  The one I have is barely adequate...yet does a pretty good job...It is just time to upgrade to a better level.

5.  Number five is a long shot...but I keep dreaming about doing this someday.  To pack my camera gear, canoeing and camping gear (along with some hiking and fishing gear) and spend  summer into early fall exploring and photographing the American West.  Nuff said...it pretty well explains itself.

So there you have it, my short bucket list of things I'd like to do before I get too old to do them...I've still got a few years left before that happens...but, time is an easily lost commodity.

Keith

Photographing Changing Light

Here in Kentucky, the back roads tend to loop around in a seemingly chaotic chorus of twists and turns.  On numerous occasions, I've found my self well maybe not lost...just turned around and confused as to where I really was at the moment.  Drive around long enough and those looping roads will probably reconnect to a more familiar main road someplace.

On one such recent adventure that happened again...only this time it turned out to be a good thing.  The last few weeks a lot of foggy mornings had tempted me to an early rise and to head out to find a great photographic moment.  What I wanted was a high vantage point...but someplace I had not tried before...or at least recently.

Last Saturday morning I headed over toward Shanty Hollow Lake...a favorite canoeing place of mine...hoping to take advantage of the higher vantage points along the old highway 185.  Well, to get there I must navigate a series of lesser roads...roads I've traveled several times and know pretty well.  But, on this morning the fog was a bit thicker than usual and when I came upon a fork in the road where I normally take the left fork...I completely missed it and went right instead.

I drove about a half mile before I realized my mistake...by then I just decided to keep on going and see what I could find.  A few miles later I drove past a nice looking large pond that appeared rather ghostly out of the fog.  I turned around and parked on the back side of it down another side road and gathered my camera gear.

The sun was a good 30 minutes yet from rising, but with the subdued light and misty conditions the photographic value of the moment was very high.  I spent the next 45 minutes shooting as the light seemed to change every couple or so.  It went from gray to blue to lavender to golden and back to gray.  The only filter used was a graduated neutral density filter to blend the sky with the water reflections.

Before I pulled out that morning shoot turned out to be one of the best of the summer and a prime example of how light can rapidly change...and all because of a wrong turn.

Here's a link to see more of the mornings shoot:
http://www.sunnysixteen.org/gallery3/index.php/Keith_Bridgman/Kentucky-Summer---2

One of a Kind

One of my favorite photographs is one I took a number of years ago while I was still shooting with film...slide film actually.  It is one I have featured a time or two already...maybe you've seen it...It is a photo of a common Queen Annes Lace silhouetted against a setting sun.  It is a very striking image primarily because of its simplicity and I have used it to illustrate that concept numerous times.

Oddly enough, I've never been able to duplicate that photo with my digital camera...trust me I have tried.  That fact proves a number of points...one in particular being that each photograph we take is a unique capture of time and place.  Odds are I will never be able to duplicate that shot exactly primarily because digital images tend to be a bit different in their technical merits than images taken with transparency film.  Slide film has a different richness and depth to it that digital just can't quite catch up to.  I'll probably never go back to shooting film because of the cost factor more than anything and because digital images provide so many advantages over film that the slight technical differences between them is not enough to warrant that kind of retrograde switch.  Even so, I have often felt that shooting transparency film will make a better photographer out of someone than digital.

There is a story to how I captured that one image, a story that illustrates the need to understand how to see photographically and how as a photographer you do what you have to do to get the shot.  It was a typical late summer day in Kentucky and I found myself driving over to an area I had visited several times.  In this area one can find multitudes of photo opportunities all within a compact area.  There are fence rows, high vantage points, a small creek, rolling hills, and country flavor all around.  On that day I had been shooting for several hours late in the afternoon and was reaching the end of my film stock.  It was late in evening and the sun was a few minutes from dropping behind the ridge that stretched across the west end of a pasture that spread out across a shallow valley.  Along the old road and fence were hundreds of Queen Annes swaying in the gentle breeze.

I stopped along a wide spot in the road hoping to capture one of those amazing Kentucky sunsets, but the sky was very hazy and the conditions just were not going to develop the way I hoped for.  I was down to my last shot on that roll when I noticed a single Queen Anne standing straight and tall on the other side of the barbed wire fence.  I bent low to take a look and realized that if I could get into the right position I could line up the flower head against the glowing disk of the sun as it hovered above the ridge...but I'd have hurry to catch it just right.  I only had the one shot left, so I made a quick evaluation of what I needed in exposure value and bumped the compensation factor up by somewhere around a +1.0.

I'm always amazed at just how fast the sun sets when it gets close to the horizon and I really only had at best less than a minute to get the shot lined up.  Problem was I couldn't get into position quickly enough without crossing the fence and by the time I might have tried I would have missed the opportunity.  So, I quickly disconnected the camera from the tripod and leaned through the barbed wire fence and stretched as far as I could to line up the shot.  It turned out I just could not quite lean far enough to center the flower head on the suns disk.  I was straining so hard to maintain my balance I was about to fall and or get a cramp...so I lined it up as best as I could and fired off the shot.

A few days later after I picked up the processed slides, I thumbed through all 36 exposures and frowned at most of the results...then I came to the very last one...my Queen Anne shot...and I knew at first glance that my days work had not been in vain.  It was the only image from the batch I did anything with.  After scanning it I placed into Photoshop...made a few minor tweaks...and the rest is history.

Close...but not the same.

Seems the fact that I was unable to center the flower on the sun proved to be a blessing disguise as the actual image proved to be much more dramatic being offset the way it was.  Over the years, it has become one of my favorite shots of all time.

As I mentioned previously, I've tried to duplicate that shot with my digital camera...to no avail...but in doing so I have come to the realization that sometimes we just get lucky.  That one quick shot proved to be one of a kind and any attempts to duplicate it could never really surpass the effects of the original.  Maybe someday if the right combination of circumstances presents itself, I just might be able to come close...but until then, I'll just enjoy the original.

Keith

Thru the Lens - A Life Lesson II

Over the years I've discovered that photography often lends itself well to teaching life lessons.  Most of the time they may seem simple on the surface, but when you begin to look more deeply into the possibilities, then it actually makes a lot of sense.

One thing I preach when it comes to photography is that 'Quality of Light' is much more important than Quantity of Light.  Being able to recognize the difference comes with experience and more importantly, is more often found by simply slowing down.  But, the term Quality of Light also carries with it other connotations.

Living in the country, Kris and I love to sit on the porch in the rocking chairs on a summer evening when the heat of the day is beginning subside and the air becomes cooler.  We enjoy listening to the sounds of the evening as the night critters begin their symphony.  Across and up the road a little ways is a small pond that is filled with pea-frogs who with their high pitched chirping fills the evening with their song.  As the glow from the day fades into night, so fades our stress levels and a calming, peaceful feeling begins to prevail.

From my own experience and talking with friends we hear how chaotic lives become.  Although all of us experience chaos from time to time, my wife and I have come to realize that you just have to make time to slow down.  If not by choice, then sooner or later circumstances or health will slow you down...usually when you least want it to.  Case in point being my coming down with shingles a few weeks ago...still fighting some of the effects of that even now.  Guess I just let things chew at me inside longer than I should have and my body said it's time for a rest...if you're not going to do it yourself, then I'm going to force you to...and it did.

From our dining room a large window opens outward to the front porch and we often turn on the light in that room then dim it to a soft light so it will cast a warm glow into the night as we sit outside.  It's just enough light to break the darkness without creating much of a glare.  it provides a soft, calming atmosphere to our evening.  It is also what I call 'Quality Light'.

If we were to turn on the porch lights we'd have plenty of extra light that would flood the area...but we'd also have an excess of glare.  Within a few minutes hundreds of flying bugs and other critters would invade the area and before long what started out as a quiet evening would become an annoyance.

Life I suppose is a lot like that.  More than likely because of 'Glare' we allow into our lives, we miss out on opportunities to enjoy the stillness that we need.  The more 'Glare' we allow to flood our lives...often mistakenly believing we need it...the more 'Life Bugs' tend to come around and mess things up.

I think it is much better to tone it down...use the soft subtle light that God's presence in our lives gives to us that glows from within to light your way. There would be much less glare, more than enough light, and a lot more peace and quiet.  When the warm glow from inside the house casts its light across our porch all things benefit.  We are able to not only see more clearly the things near us, but it adds to the peaceful atmosphere of the moment.  When we allow God's love into our lives, that warm glow begins to shine from within and spills over to the world around us.  It does so softly, without unnecessary glare and by doing so calms not only our lives, but the lives of those who are near to us.

Taking a photograph during the middle of a bright day will generate a well lit snapshot...but will rarely create a photograph with artistic appeal.  Running around looking for something to photograph will more often than not result in not much return for the effort.  But, sit still for a while...just wait and watch until the light is low and soft...that is when the mood changes...the scene transforms into a image that presents itself from the realm of perfection.  'Be still...and know that I am God...'words that will serve us well if we only take time to apply them to not only our photography...but to our lives.

Just sit'n 'n Look'n

There are times I often just sit with my camera in hand and not move from one location.  Sometimes it's on my front porch...sometimes the swing in the back...other times I may be off someplace.  The reason I do this is to help hone my photographic eye.   When you sit in one place long enough, and start looking for something to photograph just from where you are at that moment, then it forces you to look for subtle details and focus in on simple things that you might otherwise overlook.

Photography is, after all, 90% seeing (or looking).  Many novice photographers will often neglect to look for smaller, more subtle things to photograph and instead concentrate on the big obvious things.  Certainly, big obvious things can make for some dramatic photographs, but my take on it is all those things are made up of a series of smaller things...which in many cases are actually more interesting and more importantly, more simple.

The most effective photographs are the one that retain that element of simplicity...not so much lack of complex details...but a simplicity that defines the most important elements that caught your attention to begin with.  Instead of the big complex sunset...photograph the effects of the soft warm light of a setting sun on objects around you.  Look for shape, form, and texture...and the interplay of light and shadows...color and contrast...line and angles.

It sounds simple and that's because...well it is.  You might be surprised at what subject matter will catch your attention and just how something that you might otherwise never give a second thought just might provide a really great photo op...

Keith

Above and Beyond the Call of Duty

Seagulls are about the most irritating birds known to mankind.

Back in the mid-1970's I spent four years in U.S. Coast Guard...most of that time was spent doing search and rescue stuff at the Umpqua River Lifeboat Station out of Winchester Bay, Oregon.  Two and half years into that mission an opportunity arose where I could become part of the very first ANT Team...(Aides to Navigation Team)...operating out of Charleston, Oregon.  After some pondering, in 1976 I decided to take the offer and within a few weeks I mustered away from Winchester Bay and settled into my new job of helping build and establish this new concept of an aides to navigation team.  As best as I can make out, I may have been the very first person selected for this team...or at the very least one of first two...We eventually ended up with a crew of about six.

ANT Coos Bay Station

This new ANT team was responsible for all the navigational aides for over a 200 mile stretch along the Oregon coast from Depoe Bay to Brookings and included maintenance of an array of lights, ranges, buoys, beacons, small boat warning indicators, and most fun of all...three lighthouses.  It required a lot of travel and I even spent two weeks at Governors Island in New York City at the CG Training center for some in depth technical training on exactly how to maintain all that high tech gadgetry.  Unfortunately, one thing they did not train us for was how to deal with seagulls.

There was this time we had to change out the batteries for a channel marker light/beacon in the middle of, if I remember correctly, the Newport estuary about a hundred miles or so up the coast from Charleston.  This was no easy task as this particular light was located well out into the channel atop a 40 foot tall flat bed tower.  These batteries were about the same size and weight as a large car battery but only produced 1.5 volts as opposed to 12 volts.  Because of their size and low voltage, they retained a long service life, but had to be hooked up in a series so as generate enough voltage to the work the beacon light.  Each light as I remember took around 8 or 9 of these batteries.

Well, we had to haul all that stuff up the coast along with our Monarch service boat, then load it all, and motor a couple miles out to the tower.  There were three of us assigned to this particular task on that day.  Our plan was for two of us, me and one of the other guys, to climb to the platform 40 feet above the water and lower a rope.  The third member was to then tie off each battery, one at a time, and we would then pull them up by hand.  They were quite heavy by the way and it was a difficult chore to do this eight or nine times.

Well, as we began our climb to the top we noticed an unusually large number of seagulls gathering around us...circling and squawking.  When we reached the top we discovered a pair of juvenile gulls sitting on a nest atop the battery box.  I never thought about it before then, but I guess I never knew seagulls built nests like that...even so, it was quite large as were the juvenile gulls.  They were about the goofiest looking things I've ever seen...all fluffed up and dirty gray in color.

Apparently momma gull and poppa gull didn't take kindly to us being there and they began to dive bomb us with very menacing swoops coming quite close to our heads.  It sounds funny, but it was actually quite dangerous being so high up on a small platform one could easily lose balance and take a tumble, plus once we started hauling those heavy batteries up, we could not let go of the rope without placing our partner below in jeopardy.  When we got too close to the nest, they would attack us even more...and the hundreds of other gulls swarming around us made for one very loud and precarious situation.

The only way we could haul the batteries up was for one guy to stand guard and wave his coat at the attacking seagulls to keep them at bay.  In time we finally did get all the batteries up to the platform...only now we had to replace the old ones.  No easy task as the nest was on top of the box...and the two juvenile gulls got rather agitated once we approached them and began to strike out at us if we got to close and momma and poppa got even more agitated.

Apparently gulls are protected by some federal law or something for some reason...I can't imagine why...there are millions of them...about half of which by then were swarming around us...and they were not to be injured or molested...but we had to change out those batteries or this rather important navigational aide would go dead in a matter of days.  We radioed the Newport Coast Guard station and informed them of our situation.

After the laughter at the Newport Station died down, we were told to move the nest without disturbing the juvenile gulls as best as we could.  Now we were laughing as they clearly didn't understand the situation as we were experiencing it.  Oh well...not for us to wonder why...but for us to do or die...or some cliche-ish thing like that anyway.

By this time our third crew member had climbed up to see what all the fuss was about.  And being the highly trained Coast Guard sailors we were, we formulated a plan.  While one stood guard and waved a coat at any attacking gulls from the air, the other two were to slowing slide the nest off the box...it did not go well.

Mom and pop gull got really agitated which only further agitated the little gulls in the nest and they began to strike out at us...they got sharp little beaks...and they started to flap around like the devil was after them.  Both fell off the nest, one flopping around so violently, he fell off the platform and landed in the water 40 feet below...so much for the not to be molested thing.  The other ended up sulking in a corner...which suited us just fine.

We hurriedly disconnected the old batteries...reconnected the new set and tested the hook up...all the while being protected by the flailing coat overhead.  With that completed...our third member climbed back down to the boat, and we lowered...one by one...the old batteries.  We replaced the nest and captured the one remaining juvenile gull by throwing the coat over him and replaced him back in the nest.  Then came the scariest part of the ordeal...we had to climb back down that tower all the while having hundreds of gulls swarming and diving at us. Having successfully completed that maneuver, we made a hasty retreat.

I've always thought we should have been rewarded some kind of medal or something for performance under fire above and beyond the call of duty for what we went through...at least some kind of commendation for valor.  Alas, all we got were mere chuckles, chortles, and down right laughter once we returned to home base and relived the events of the day with the rest of our crew....Oh...and by the way...that one juvenile who fell off the platform...he was last seen swimming away none the worse for the wear...I'm sure he fathered many dozens of other obnoxious seagulls in his days...telling them all about the time he had to fight off those two legged intruders who threatened his home...I bet he even got a medal for it.

Keith

When You Can't Get Out

Just finished up a photography workshop a couple weeks ago and it went pretty well with some help from our local photography club.  Had about 25 people participate plus 5 or six from the club who helped out with some technical support...much appreciated as well.

Similar to what I am suffering thru.  Mine are more Prevalent along the side and ribs

A few days later I noticed some pain in my side...it felt like I had either strained something or had been kicked in the ribs...neither of which had any basis for having occurred.  The pain progressively grew worse over the next few days and by the next Monday morning I was hurting pretty badly.  By that evening I noticed a rash developing along my ribs and middle part of the left side on the back.  Shingles...that was my first assumption which was verified the next morning at the clinic. Shingles are caused by the chicken pox virus that most of us get when we are kids.  It lies dormant in the nerve cells for decades sometimes and then get trigger when your immune system gets compromised for some reason.  When they surface the rash or blisters follow the nerve lines that radiate from the spine and wrap around to the front.  The result is  a very painful experience with not only the burning from the blisters and rash, but severe pain deeper down in the tissue and nerve paths.  This causes that kicked in the ribs feeling. Shingles can cause a lot of problems if not care for properly, plus you can pass chicken pox to anyone who has not had them, which would not be a good thing. For the rest of the week they grew progressively worse and more painful...so much so I had to stay home and try to work from home...it was a hopeless cause.

In order to control the pain I had to take some powerful medication which produced numerous side effects like dizziness, wooziness, sleepiness, and assorted other complications too numerous to list.  It was bad enough to suffer through the effects of the ailment, but what really hurt was seeing these amazing mornings go to waste because I just was unable to get out.  Some of the best morning light yet for the season with fog and hazy mist hanging in the air and the first light of day being filtered through this mixture.  Man it really hurt in more ways than one.

But, I suppose that is the way life goes...you win some and you lose some.  This week I lost, but there will but there will be other morning like these to come and I hope to make up for lost time.  I am still hurting from this out break, but they are starting to subside some now and hopefully in another week or so I'll be well enough to get out and enjoy these marvelous Kentucky mornings.

Keith

Buster

Recently a friend of mine had to put to sleep a very dear pet dog.  She was visibly upset at having had to do such a thing as she and her family were very attached to this little dog.  It brought back memories of my own from some years ago now when I faced a similar situation.  The only difference was my little dog graced our home for only three days...but those three days were as trying as any I've ever had to face.  Here is the story I wrote shortly after having to endure a very difficult situation.

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I must be getting softhearted in my old age, because what transpired over that Labor Day weekend stirred emotions I thought long ago dormant. It was a tough lesson to endure, but one learned only by gazing through sorrowful windows into the lives of the most innocent.


I named him Buster, a fine looking Brittany pup, with his floppy ears and freckles across his muzzle. He was plump and fuzzy, bright-eyed and clumsy like most puppies with paws too large for his body. My wife and kids fell in love with him right away. Complete with hunting genetics, the odds were excellent he would become a fine birddog and hunting companion.


I picked him up in Tulsa on Saturday, the first day of Labor Day weekend. He appeared unsure of himself on the two hour drive to my home in Edmond, Oklahoma. By the time we arrived, his puppy nature took over and he started to survey his new surroundings. 


Our other dog Sadie, a mixed breed of gentle temperament, wasn’t quite sure what to make of this intruder, but she quickly adjusted and accepted Buster as a new playmate.


The next morning was opening day of dove season. My brother Ken, and long time hunting partner Rocky, made the drive over and were eager to try out my new dove location. That evening as they admired the new pup, I beamed with pride like a new dad.


We left early the next morning figuring we would return well before noon, so I didn’t worry too much about Buster having run of the house. My wife, who was still in Tulsa, was not happy about that after she found out Buster had left a few calling cards...oops.


Not long after returning from our morning hunt, I realized Buster wasn’t showing the spunk of the day before. I thought it was just a reaction to the vaccinations. I tried calling our veterinarian, but getting hold of him was difficult on a holiday weekend. I wasn’t all that worried and by that evening he was acting like most puppies, romping and stomping and playing with the kids. We had a little fun that evening after I discovered one of the doves taken that afternoon was still alive, so I hid it in the flower garden and called Buster over. His hunting instinct kicked in and he became extremely birdie with his stubby tail buzzing with excitement as he worked his head from side to side trying to lock in on the scent.


He slept without a peep that night on an old pair of my pajama bottoms he took a liking to, and when I awoke the next morning he was sitting beside my bed looking up at me floppy-eared and wide-eyed. We made a quick run outside and he did his business. He was obviously a fast learner. By mid-morning things began to change. He started to vomit and his diarrhea became more pronounced. I noticed some blood in his stool and immediately called our veterinarian. He told me to give him Pedialyte every hour or so in small amounts and not to feed him anything, then bring him in the next morning.


It was a long, difficult night. I slept beside him, so I could monitor his activities was my excuse, when in reality I was worried about the little feller. Hour by hour his symptoms worsened and by the time the veterinarian saw him, Buster was seriously ill. It didn’t take long for a diagnosis. Parvovirus; a serious infection that attacks the lining of the intestines. Buster had more than likely contracted the virus the week before I picked him up, but the symptoms only became prevalent a day or so later, but he was not yet in critical condition, so there was a chance, slim as it was, that he would recover. After an I/V of glucose and a shot of penicillin to combat secondary infections, we took him home with the hope he would show some improvement by morning.


That evening as I lay beside him and stroked his neck and shoulder, my heart ached each time his emaciated sides would heave. He was so helpless and so frail and was so sick. I wanted to make it all go away, but could do nothing except give him fluids a tablespoon at a time and gently pet his now painfully thin shoulders. As he lay on that old pair of pajamas, I extended my arm along his side. He lifted his head and placed it across my hand as though he found comfort in knowing I was there. By 4:00 AM he took a turn for the worse and began to vomit more regularly and his stools became a stream of blood. My heartache turned into heartbreak. We rushed him to the veterinarian the next morning and right away he said it did not look good. Further treatment would only prolong his suffering, and as difficult as it was, we all knew what had to be done.


As the veterinarian shaved a patch on Buster’s forearm to expose a blood vessel for the injection that would end his suffering, Buster lifted his head one final time and looked at us with hollow, but trusting eyes, not comprehending what was about to happen. I gently stroked his back and scratched his ears just before his last breath left him. It was a hard moment. My wife sobbed out loud as we left the room, and I discovered that growing softhearted in my old age is not such a bad thing, and I unashamedly broke down, fighting back the lump in my throat and wiping blurry images from my eyes.


That nine week old runt of a puppy captured my heart like nothing else could, and to watch him suffer stabbed at my emotions exposing a softness and compassion I never knew existed. Maybe it was because he was a puppy with that unbridled exuberance found only in innocence, or maybe it happened during those few hours before he fell ill when he pounced and romped, and stole forever any ability to look upon him as anything but a family member.


Our life together could be measured in hours, but what I learned from him will influence the rest of my life. Through all of his suffering, he never once whimpered. Through all of the discomfort, he took it in stride and demonstrated through hurting eyes that he still trusted us. Maybe it was because he did trust us that somehow we felt in our hearts that we failed him. Many things in life are difficult to deal with, but such a thought adds additional weight to painful memories that even time will find difficult to remove.


I left his tiny body in a grave surrounded by late summer wildflowers that were caressed by a gentle breeze rolling across the Oklahoma prairie. It was a quiet, peaceful place where we would have hunted had he lived.


Through his courage, I learned a great deal about myself. Through his suffering, I understand, more clearly now, about the bond between a hunter and his dog, a bond forged by adversity and tempered with grief. My two sons learned a valuable lesson as well, one about trust, loyalty and compassion, and that some lessons in life are difficult. 


Another bird dog will come my way someday, and with him, a lifetime of memories, but only one little pup named Buster will retain that special memory. As difficult as some memories are, good things often come from them, like rekindling dormant emotions and growing softhearted in the face of misfortune. By experiencing such things, I am no longer an ordinary person poor of spirit, but a transformed individual rich in understanding.



Keith R. Bridgman 

My Top Three Favorite Photoshoots

Photography lends itself well to a wide variety of activities.  Most of us will over time migrate our photography toward the things we enjoy doing...I'm no different.  I've tried a lot of different kinds of photography but tend to focus in on nature photography as it more closely follows the kinds of things I enjoy doing anyway and so it became a natural extension of those activities.  Even so, I can name three distinct photo shoots that I probably enjoyed the most...and all three of them were different.

Number three on my most favorite photo shoots list involved oddly enough photographing a local event...Bowling Green's International Festival that occurs late in the summer every year down on the circus square area.  It's a great venue with all kinds of people and performances...and a target rich environment photographically speaking.  There is a lot of energy, lots of color, tremendous variety, and actually a lot of talent...some of which is quite unique.  Take for instance the belly dancers.  Yeah...yeah...I know what you're thinking and it ain't so...but I did find the performance quite entertaining and very tastefully done.  The young ladies were very talented and very expressive...and that made for an interesting photo shoot.  But, the festival involved more than belly dancers...there were the Flamenco dancers...wow talk about intense energy...the Chinese dancers...bands of all kinds...Indonesian dancers...even a Native American dancer...a lots more.  I have really enjoyed the festival for the last three years.

Number two on my list is the Tallgrass Prairie of Oklahoma.  This involves a series of shoots really, not just one shoot as you could never fully capture this place on just one visit.  Just thumb through my blog long enough and you will find several articles relating to this location.  It is perhaps the most underutilized resource photographically that I am aware of...and that suits me just fine.  It is an amazing location with a rich and diverse history...the largest protected area of original Tallgrass Prairie that remain in North America.  I have hiked dozens of miles across it rolling landscape...dodged angry buffalo (American Bison to be more precise), got caught in thunder storms, and photographed it from sunup to sundown...and I've still only touched a small portion of what it has to offer.  There have been days I believe I may have been the only person on the 38,000 acres except maybe the caretaker staff.  It's a big place with a big sky and amazing landscapes.  I love this place and will continue to revisit it again and again.

My number one favorite photo shoot of all time though was a shoot one of the members of our local photography club organized which involved several models.  I had never done that kind of shooting before.  Michael was his name, and he is an amazing photographer in his own right and does a lot of model shooting both location and studio.  He was able to convince two of his regular models to join several of us from the club so we could get some practice doing some location shooting.  It was amazing...the young ladies were amazingly delightful...Michael was amazing at how he easily directed and interacted with them.  Two other young ladies also joined us that day and they also did a remarkable job and added a lot to the days events.  I've never had so much actual fun while on a photo shoot.  I learned a great deal about location shooting. It was by far the number one most enjoyable photo shoot I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of.

Honorable mention Second team members on this list include a return trip to my old Coast Guard unit in Oregon a few years ago and the annual Balloons and Tunes in Bowling Green.  Another third team member would be the local Civil War re-enactment down at Lost River Cave.

Okay...so there you have it...my top three favorite photo shoots of all time plus a couple of honorable mentions thrown in...no extra charge.

What camera took what Photo?

Here's a little game for you.  Four photo's...each taken with a different kind of camera.  One was taken with a modern era digital SLR camera, one was taken with a late model SLR film camera with average electronics, one was taken with a 35 to 40 year old mechanical film camera that included a type of first generation exposure metering, and one was taken with a $5.00 plastic disposable film camera.  Can you tell me which one was taken with what camera?

I won't tell and no pixel peeking...You gotta guess.

June 22...Okay..give up?  The top photo was taken with the late model film camera, the second picture was taken with the $5.00 plastic disposable camera, the third picture was taken with a modern era digital camera, and the bottom picture was taken with the 35 year old vintage film camera....Kind of hard to tell isn't it.  Just goes to show that it matter less about what camera you use and more about how you understand the capabilities of the camera and how it will react to the lighting conditions.