Posts Tagged ‘Photography’

Contentment is wherever you can find it.

Quanah Parker was the last War Chief of the Comanche Nation.  This beautiful lake on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was named in his honor.  This image is a High Dynamic Range (HDR) image created by tonemapping seven exposures.  The breeze was very slight but it was enough to provide a sense of movement among the cattails and reeds.  I entitled this image “Contentment” because of the wash of peace I felt, first upon finding this spot and recognizing the opportunity, and then, even more when the image was captured and I had done my best.  For me, that’s contentment:  recognizing an opportunity and knowing I put forth my best effort to rise to the call.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

I visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge frequently; I’m somewhere on the WMWR most weekends throughout the year.  When I go, my Sawyer Snake Bite Kit is never far away and the photo above is the reason why.  Yesterday, I went to the WMWR late in the evening looking for two good places to make to totally different images.  One was going to be of the  sunset happening at 8:50 PM, and 293° WNW.  The other was going to be of the moonrise at 9:14 PM and 114° ESE.  My first thought was to check out Crater Lake for the moonrise so I entered the Refuge from Hwy. 115, north of Cache.  I parked in the parking lot and took a trail north up the west side of the lake.  There was a fisherman fishing off the dam and a family of geese swimming close to the western shore.  Every 100 feet, or so, I’d stop and use my compass to see just where the moon would rise in relation to the lake.  I had gone almost to the northern end of the lake before deciding I wasn’t going to get the picture I had in my mind.  It was only then I noticed the high number of dragonflies Read the rest of this entry »

"Hey Soul Sister"

My oldest son, Brandon, married a wonderful young lady, Leah, this weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas.  We just arrived home in Lawton, tired but happy, a couple of hours ago.  I wanted to get something up here quickly so here is a picture of Brandon and Leah during their first dance at the reception.  Earlier, Brandon shared with us that “Hey Soul Sister”, became “their song” as soon as it was released.  Here, they dance to their song as loving friends and family help them celebrate.  I’m pretty sure Brandon is singing the lyrics to Leah as they dance.  If not, you can only guess as to what he might be saying.

Please click the photo, or here, to view the photos I took at their reception.  There are 83 pictures on 5 pages so be sure and don’t miss any.  Please feel free to leave comments if you like, or dislike them.

Herbie

Sunrise on Crater Lake

During the months of March—May, when many different wildflowers are blooming in Southwest Oklahoma, the wind is blowing, too, making macro photography difficult!  Couple that with the fact I only get into the field on weekends and getting good images of these early Spring wildflowers can be almost impossible.  What I wish for is a Saturday morning weather forecast that it won’t be raining and the wind velocity range will not exceed 1—2 mph.  A wish like that in Southwest Oklahoma will draw questionable looks from the natives!  It isn’t the rain part, but the low wind velocity that gets the attention.  About the only time you can find that calm a breeze is sunrise or sunset.  And that doesn’t happen everyday for sure, let alone on Saturday morning.  Everybody knows the best weather conditions for enjoying your favorite pastime are during the week when you’re working.  Friday night’s forecast for Saturday did not make my wish come true, but it wasn’t far off.  At 7:00 AM, a little bit after sunrise, it was something like 70% cloud cover, 30% chance of rain, and a 4 mph SW wind.  Well, that’s about as good as I’m ever going to get, so I put everything together Friday night before I went to bed. Read the rest of this entry »

Clouds Through My Window

I’ve visited this cabin located on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge (WMWR) many times over the years.  I’ve always wanted to take pictures from the inside looking out through these windows but always knew the result would be very disappointing.  The problem was the darkness of the interior in contrast to the bright outdoors.  I would never be able to achieve what I wanted until High Dynamic Range (HDR) photography came onto the scene.  This time when I visited this great little cabin, I was exhilarated with expectations of the possibilities.  I learned some things from this experience and am sure I can make some technical improvements.  This image was made using five exposures.  I needed to use more, maybe seven.  I’m satisfied with what I have now, and await my next visit.

Andi sings smooth jazz!

A real treat for me was my first exposure to “The Right Mix Band” during Arts for All Festival last weekend.  I really enjoy smooth jazz as well as other types of jazz, but I have to buy it on CD, online, or use internet radio, because we don’t have a radio station in Southwest Oklahoma dedicated to that genre.  I have to tell you I was not disappointed in what I heard.  For one and a half hours I sat on the grass, swayed with the beat, and took pix with my 135/1.8, to my hearts content.  It was so sweet!  The band consists of Andi and Carlos Messina, Austin Box, Joe Cook, Jerhamy Bennett, and the drummer whose name I didn’t catch.  I’m definitely going to keep my eyes and ears open for another opportunity to catch another performance.  I strongly encourage you to do the same!

Clouds Reflected on Mirror Surface

Rare are the words, “There’s no wind”, heard in Southwest Oklahoma.  Even more rare are the times when it’s actually true, with nary a breeze astir.  The morning I came upon this scene at Caddo Lake on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge was about as close as it comes.  My timing was perfect, which is rare for me also, and I knew I would have to hurry to capture the scene as I found it.  My sense to make haste proved true, because within fifteen minutes, I could feel a breeze whispering on my cheek and see the delicate wildflower heads beginning to nod.