Dog Days

Some people talk about the "dog days" of summer when it's to hot to do anything other than lay around. Well, it feels like I am going through the "dog days" of winter. I am well equipped to handle shooting in any kind of weather but sometimes it's just so damn difficult. If it's not the cold then it's trying to manipulate your camera controls under cover or with gloves on.....or knowing that a long hike IN means a long hike OUT which can be unpleasant in some weather conditions. There is nothing worse than being out in the (rough elements) and returning to find that none of your pictures live up to your standards or just didn't turn out how you envisioned them. I guess you need to be able to accept it for what it is and to just enjoy the journey. Like I have said before, I am not one to just shoot, shoot, shoot. I like to see and then think about how I am setting up to get the picture that i am envisioning. What are the alternative angles and how can I make the photo interesting. I want to see what others don't. I thrive on doing some of the difficult things that it takes to get interesting shots but sometimes second guess myself on whether it's going to be worth it. I have hiked an hour and a half into heavy wilderness only to find that there isn't much of anything interesting to shoot. The experience is great but the disappointment can be maddening especially knowing that time is limited.
I think that's what it all comes down to.......time and not having enough of it. This is not a casual hobby for me. I could spend 24 hours a day living this thing. The problem (that I am sure most of us experience) is the responsibility of everyday life. Jobs, monthly expenses for things you have but probably don't need and everything else that goes along with trying to survive in this world seem to take precedent. I am convinced that I could easily live in a cabin in the northern woods of Wisconsin. Having only food, electricity, heat and hot water would work just fine for me. Unlimited time to explore and photograph nature is what I am dying to have.
So, all that talk about dealing with the elements isn't really the issue, it's time. Time to be inspired, time to experience the wonders that nature has created, time to waste and not care about it, time to learn, time to do what you love and time to be who you really are. That is what I am looking for. Sounds simple.............right?

Devil's Lake

On December 31st of 2011 I took a trip to Devil's Lake state park. It would be my first of two consecutive trips to the park. The goal was to get there before sunrise, hike the bluffs in the dark and be set up and ready to shoot as dawn arrived. On my first trip I chose to hike the west bluff so that I could get the sun rising over the east bluff. Hiking in the dark and knowing that you are probably the only one in the park is a little unnerving but at the same time very exhilarating. The west bluff climb is moderately easy and doesn't require that you risk your life. I reached the top about 6:30, found a good place to set up and waited for the morning color to cover the horizon. It was a clear morning and not to cold so I was anticipating some nice opportunities. As the sun broke I could see a fog bank gathering over a valley at the base of the east bluff. This made for some great shots especially with the birds eye view that I had. I moved to several spots along the ridge during the next 45 minutes so that I could shoot different angles of the rocky bluff. I am not a religious guy but being alone on the ridge and overlooking the landscape as the sun rises is nothing short of a religious experience.
The crisp quiet morning, the white untouched snow, the different shades of blues, reds and oranges and the detachment from everyday life was an overwhelming experience. It's one that will stay with me for some time.
      About 7:45 the fog bank turned into a massive wall and filled the entire park within minutes. The big pines became shadows of grey and green and the lake disappeared. I took this as a sign that it was time to depart and head down to the lake front for another hour or two of shooting. As I hiked down the bluff I though about how lucky I was to be able to have these types of experiences. I have always loved the outdoors but having the ability to capture its beauty for others to enjoy has given me a second life and I will be forever grateful.
     A week later my middle son Jordan accompanied me on my trek up the east bluff. We arrived at the park around 6am, put on the headlamps and searched for the trail. This trail is a fairly steep hike and not for the faint of heart. It was probably a good thing that it was dark so that all I could see was the next rocky step and not the impending death that was two feet to my right or left. Both of us had recently seen the 60 minutes segment on a guy who climbs sheer cliff walls with just his hands and feet, no ropes, nothing. We laughed at our wimpiness of worrying about climbing a man made trail while this guy hangs by his fingers a mile above the ground. Jordan's a strong guy and very athletic so he brought up the rear in case I needed to be caught. I knew it was tough when he started to talk about how his calves were burning. He's a fitness trainer so you can imagine what my legs felt like. At this point all I could think of was what it would feel like to be dragged to the top. With the way my legs felt it was only a matter of minutes before that experience would come into play.
   Well, we finally reached the top and took a break. I enjoyed a bottle of water and a nutri grain bar that was in 7500 pieces. We found a spot and set up to shoot. As we waited for the sun to rise Jordan reverted back to his childhood and tossed stones over the side to see how long it would take before we heard them shatter against the rocks below. When we finished shooting we spent the next hour or so hiking off trail which usually led to "here, hold this while I jump from this rock". Finding the way back to the trail brought along a huge potential for ankle sprains and broken bones as we moved about the fallen rocks and dead trees. When we finally found the path you'd think that we had been out in the wilderness for 2 weeks. After the high fives and the water break we continued to the other side of the bluff and then down the icy path to the bottom.
   After some more childlike play of throwing big rocks on the icy lake and walking on thin ice we headed down the railroad tracks and back to the car. The shots I got on the first trip were 100 times better than this one but the company of my son was something I wouldn't trade for anything.

New Direction

Well, I have one more show this year and then a much needed break....(13 weeks) until the new season kicks off for me in March. During the interim I have decided to take my work in a different direction. I am going to focus less on the landscapes and wildlife and put more emphasis on my creative side......hmmm..my creative side...that thought alone scare me.
I will be looking at old photos and taking many new ones with the intention of exploring a more artistic feel. I will be using in camera effects as well as filters and layers to bring a different end game to my work. My goal is to cross photography with painting and see what happens. Fine art photography.....it's all about how the photographer wants to portray a photo. There may still be some landscapes in my future but I want to add a dreamlike effect to them and for the time being i will be taking a more minimilist approach to my photographs. The fun part about this is that the possibilities are wide open. Without worrying about the realistic impact of a picture I can now experiment with creating a different type of art. I am very excited about this and will soon add a folder to my website called Fine Art. Some people will love it, some will hate it, but it's my interpretation and that in the end is what's most important. More to come....it's time to grow.   

Safety while shooting

Safety....I have to think about that a lot when I am out shooting. It's certainly not something to take lightly considering some of the areas and situations that I sometimes put myself in. I like to explore, I like to find places that many people don't see. Everybody has some type of camera these days so it makes it just that more difficult to find places and things that the average person wouldn't stumble across.
Prior to going out I have to think about the possible situations that I am putting myself in. I typically carry bear repellent and a hunting knife regardless of where I am going. I also have a first aid kit and always have a cell phone although I have been in many areas in northern Wisconsin where service is not available.
You may think it's strange but I am more nervous about walking the streets of Madison at night than I am being out in the middle of nowhere miles and miles away from anybody. Madison at night or during the early morning is a beautiful city to photograph but with the high volume of assaults and robberies you can never seem to relax. You may wonder why I carry bear repellent in the city.....if it can stop a bear at 35 feet just think what it would do to a person. You just can't afford to take any chances when you are carrying around a lot of expensive equipment, plus I am kind of interested in living a bit longer. It irritates me to no end to think that I have to be on the defensive all the time but better to be safe than sorry.
I have yet to have any bad experiences photographing around Madison, lets hope it stays that way.
Now, trekking out in the wild is a little different. I am not so much worried about getting mugged as I am getting stuck in a bog or getting eaten by the local wildlife.....although there are some crazy people out there so you always need to be on the lookout. I have considered a firearm for my hikes into the wilderness. I think it's the safe thing to do. I have stood 30 feet from a mother Black bear and her cubs, had a wolf run 10 feet in front of me and have followed fresh Mountain Lion tracks. I am not a hunter, never will be, but when it comes to protecting myself it is a priority.
I have also considered a spot tracker for those areas where cell phone signals don't exist. That would give me some piece of mind knowing that I could be tracked if I turned up missing.
The one thing that I am not very good at is letting someone know where I am going....the problem is that most of the time I take off I have no plan. I just go........

Monday October 3rd

Spent the weekend in Mt Horeb at their Fall Festival art & craft show. Had a great time and talked to a number of very nice people. Getting ready for shows can be grueling but it all seems worth it when you hear the comments on the work that you have done. I have been told that it's time for me to hit the big markets but i really like the small town atmosphere that places like Mt Horeb and Baraboo provide.
I have 4 shows left to do in 2011. It's been a very good year. I have learned a lot and met so many great people.
I am excited about next year. I look forward to finding new places and using new photography techniques. It's a never ending experience of learning and i wouldn't trade it for anything. It's time for me to get out of my comfort zone and move to the next level. It's a little scary but when i think about where i am today compared to two years ago there is no doubt in my mind that i can make the jump. 

August 28, 2011

Spent this weekend at the cottage. Wanted to focus on experimenting with panoramic photos and the color changes during sunrise and sunset. The panoramic shots turned out pretty good and I was just practicing for when the leaves turn. During Fall there will be great panoramic opportunities on some of the lakes around here.

I did find a small lake with a protected shoreline. It is totally wild, no cottages, no boats, nothing! We don’t have enough of those around here. Sat in the woods overlooking the lake for about an hour on Saturday as the sun rose. I took 11 photos at different angles and then merged them together in Photoshop to create a very nice panoramic view of the entire lake.

I enjoyed watching a couple of Beavers swim around while slapping their tails on the water. I am pretty sure that their home is on another nearby lake as I did not see any wooden structure. Their tails must be incredibly strong as their water slaps sounded like gun shots.

One thing I did learn this week is that there is no mosquito spray that actually keeps mosquitoes away from you. I have tried several and have had no luck. I even tried one that smelled so bad that even I wouldn’t come near me……yet they still swarm.

Two warnings that are probably on the cans of repellent (I don’t typically read, I just spray and go) is to not spray near mouth or eyes. I can tell you now that Deet does not taste good and will also make you cry if you happen to rub your eyes after you have sprayed your hands. Lessons learned.

I have also learned to live with the deer ticks but I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to do the same when it comes to mosquitoes……especially when you are trying to focus on taking pictures. You just can’t rush it sometimes.

They truly live up to the classification of a bug.

No real mis-adventures to talk about although I did manage to put two barbed hooks through my hand while fishing on Friday. I had just caught a Northern pike and was attempting to take the lure out of his mouth when he shook and drove the backside hooks into the area between my thumb and forefinger. One of the hooks went completely through and popped out on the other side. The barb does not make it easy to slip it back through so I had to:

1. get the hook out of the fish’s mouth
2. cut the leader off of the line
3. drive the boat back to the cottage
4. cut the barb off the hook
5. slip the hook out of my hand

It looked worse than it felt and I lived to tell about it. Four lives down, five to go…

Anyway, after taking about 300+ photos this weekend I was incredibly disappointed by the results but that’s the way it goes sometimes. There is always next weekend…..

Monday August 8, 2011

Spent this last weekend at the cottage. It's located on beautiful North Sand lake near Webster, Wisconsin. Got out early on both Friday and Saturday morning, did a lot of driving but not a lot of shooting. Came across a cow pasture off of Blackbrook road on Friday morning with an old Chevrolet car sitting on it's side. The field was enclosed with barbed wire and considering my track record with photo shoot injuries I decided to bypass the opportunity. Not happy about the decision because I really wanted to have a look at the car. Got a nice shot of the sunrise overlooking the Yellow river but not much else......other than finding out that there is a strip club called Misty's on hwy 70.....who knew???
Could not get that car photo opp out of my head on Friday so I brainstormed on how to get over the barbed wire fence without having to make an emergency visit to Spooner General Hospital. Friday night I took the ladder out of the garage and placed it in a spot where I would see it when I headed out on Saturday morning. Figured that I would use the ladder to climb up and jump over the fence, then haul the ladder to the other side to exit out when I was done shooting.
Brilliant idea except that I forgot to grab the ladder as I was leaving on Saturday....somebody must have moved it??? Got to the fence before sunrise and found a corner where the top was made out of  weather beaten wood so I climbed up the barbed wire with plans to catapult myself over by stepping on the wood and pushing off. Note to self....weather beaten wood is not stable.
As I stepped off the wood the fence piece broke but by then I was in mid jump and landed safely......a 9.5 on effort but a 2.5 on form. Grabbed my tripod and camera from under the fence and took off for the old Chevy. Spent 20 minutes shooting HDR shots and even found the license plate dated 1961. I attached it to the car, took a few more shots, wondered if the howling hunting dogs that I heard in the distance were heading my way and decided to go. The return trip over the fence was a little trickier as I had to climb the fence and straddle  the barbed wire so as to not....well you get the picture. Success......feeling a little like a cat, 3 lives down, 6 to go.