Fishing Pier at Lake Quanah Parker

|Sony A700 | CZ 16-80 | 16mm | f8 | 1/320 sec | ISO 640 | 3 images tonemapped|

The winter sun rises south of due east creating low angles of light and many opportunities for dramatic lighting.  I was hoping for such an opportunity when I headed out to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge this morning.  I had a strong hunch that the sun rise at ESE 118.1°, would create interesting shadows and texture on the fishing pier at Lake Quanah Parker.  However, I have to admit my surprise at finding so much beach exposed, considering the rains we have had in December.  At normal lake height, there is very little, if any, beach.  As much as I was surprised, I was also excited because of the additional opportunities 20 yards, or so, of beach would present.  I parked just outside the entrance to the Quanah Parker Conservation Center and hiked to the pier.  I arrived well ahead of the sunrise and was able to get set up in plenty of time so I could just wait for the light and the fun to begin.

Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy have a unique sound.

Erin came to visit Mike and me over the Memorial Day Weekend.  Every Memorial Day Weekend, Medicine Park reverberates with the sound of Red Dirt Music during the “Mayor’s Red Dirt Ball”.  After examining the list of bands performing over the weekend, my bet was that the best music would be heard Sunday evening.  Two groups were were scheduled to perform, Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, 7:00–9:00 PM, and Brandon Jenkins, 9:30–11:30 PM.

We pulled into the old Medicine Park High School baseball field about 7:20 PM, and had no difficulty finding a parking spot.  From there, we only needed to walk the 300 yards, or so, down a blacktopped street and across the old bridge spanning Medicine Creek to be at Medicine Park’s “Main Stage”.  As we walked, we listened to the sound of music carried on the refreshing evening breeze. It was nice and I couldn’t help but think about how nice it was having Erin home, if only for a few days.

“Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy” was already on stage and playing when we arrived.  They are a band of six members from Wichita, KS.  Their brand of Red Dirt is rather unique and is sometimes classified as Americana, Folksy, Dixieland, Bluegrass, etc.  However, one thing is for certain…it is high energy!  When they add in the trombone and the trumpet, there’s definitely New Orleans French Quarter Jazz overtones.  Then on the very next song they may drop the trombone, add a banjo, and a washboard and cut loose on a bluegrass frenzy.  All in all, it’s entertaining, even if not what your usual Red Dirt.

(I need to insert a parenthesis, with explanation, into the content at this point.  This evening I am packing only a CZ 135/1.8 lens, a prime lens and not a zoom; my feet act as a zoom, in the old fashion way.  This isn’t the only prime lens I own, but it’s certainly the best, and as a rule, the optics in primes are better than zooms.  Even though I’ve had this lens for quite some time, I’ve not been able to push it to perform its best; it’s a better lens than I am a photographer.  So to find its “sweet spot” and to increase my understanding of its unique personality, I am forcing myself to carry only it and use it exclusively.  So, to create more distance between me and the stage so I could include all six members, would have a move that would have damaged the perspective more than getting a “better crop” of these four.  I include individual images of the other members in my Gallery.)

We listened for some time until our empty stomachs were making noises along with the band.  Erin had never been to the Winery of the Wichitas, and since it is located on a hill overlooking Medicine Park, I knew we could sit on the deck and hear the music really well, too.  With that in mind, we returned to the truck and drove the small distance to the Winery.  Imagine my disappointment when, “We’re closed, out kitchen closed at eight!”.  It was 8:30 PM, at the time.  Our next option was to drive back into the valley and walk to the “Old Plantation”, which was less than 60 yards from where we were standing listening to “Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy”.

Truth be known, the “Old Plantation” is probably my favorite restaurant, anyway.  It has such history in the area and the food is excellent.  I can hardly eat there and not order their rib-eye steak.  It’s delicious and cooked the same, everytime.

We only had about a ten minute wait before we were shown to our table.  I wasn’t happy with our table, but what can you expect on a crowded evening.  Erin ordered the “chicken fried” chicken with garlic mashed potatoes.  As usual, I ordered the 10-oz rib-eye steak, medium rare, fried okra with instructions to fry it a little longer so it’s extra crispy (their fried okra is already fried the crispest you will find anywhere, but I still like mine even crispier).  While we waited for the food we talked and munched on the homemade rolls and honey butter spread our waitress had already delivered to our table.  Once the main entrees’ arrived, we discovered everything prepared to perfection.  It was, “Oh so good!”  After enjoying a hearty and delicious meal, we were on our way out when I spied a friend, Doug Kemper, dining alone at the bar.  Doug is a very interesting person and if I had spied him earlier, I would have certainly invited him to join us.  Erin would have enjoyed the conversation.  Doug is a herpetologist and designer of aquariums.  He designed the aquariums in Seattle, San Antonio, and Tulsa.  He is also quite an adventurer and has been to Africa, South America, and even Antarctica.  Anyway, we walked over to say, “Hi”, and I introduced Erin.  He was delighted to see us. He and Erin bantered back and forth about North Texas Softball for a few minutes.  We didn’t want to take him away from his dinner any longer so we bid him, “Adios”, and headed back to the bandstand to hear more Red Dirt artists perform.

We reached the stage just in time to catch the first song by the group I thought would be the highlight of the Mayor’s Ball, none other than Brandon Jenkins, himself.  After the music began, it didn’t take long to confirm I was right.  Brandon Jenkins is 100% Red Dirt the way we like it in Oklahoma.  He is a Red Dirt legend among people who really know and appreciate the sound.  The crowd had grown considerably and proved we weren’t the only ones who thought that way.  Cameras and cell phones were busy taking pictures, texting, and uploading.  Dancers were finding their way into the space between the front row of lawn-chairs and stage.  All ages of people were represented and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sound filling the Medicine Creek valley.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer with an Oklahoma breeze and a sky full of stars above and a stage full of stars on earth.  We stayed and enjoyed the show as long as we could.  Next time, I must bring chairs.  Aching knees on both of us urged us to call it a night and head for home.

It was a “Good Time” and will be remembered with “Good Memories”.

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 darting about around me.  It was still almost an hour before sunset so I took advantage of this opportunity and spent a few minutes stalking dragonflies.  I was really appreciating the fact I had my Sony 70-200mm, f2.8 zoom mounted on my A700, because of the working distance it allowed.  I was able to get a few shots and then decided I needed to get back to my Toyota truck and set about locating a spot for a sunset image.  Because I had wandered a bit stalking dragonflies, my first move was to locate and get back on the trail leading to the parking lot.  I quickly located the trail and was on my way back.  I was trying to keep distractions to a minimum so I could get back as quickly as possible.  This is difficult to do because photo opportunities are so plentiful on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.  Anyway, I trekking down the trail, eyes straight ahead, thoughts focused on where I’m going next when I hear a faint noise that catches my attention.  I stop, listen, and at first think it’s an insect.  I cock my head in the direction of the sound, twisting to the right, bending down all at the same time.  As my face turns toward the ground I see the noisemaker and my heart skips a beat!  There I am staring right down at the Western Diamondback Rattle Snake pictured above!  And there it was looking right back at me!  I had already passed it by about a foot, so I quickly, very very quickly, skipped on down the trail out of reach of any impending strike.

Now, standing a safe distance away and both eyes and ears tuned in as rattlesnake detectors, I scan the surrounding ground making sure there aren’t any other Diamondbacks lurking about.  It took less than a minute to regain my composure and then my photographer’s need to “capture the moment” kicked in.  A plan was devised to circle back around to the west so the sun would be at my back and shining on the snake.  This plan took me off the trail, but I couldn’t go back up the trail anyway because that would have returned me into its striking range.  I circled around until I was casting a shadow across the snake and then I moved just enough to allow the light to fully expose its position.  I estimated the Western Diamondback to be about 20—26 inches long, so I maintained a distance of a good 6—7 feet.   Again, I was so glad I was using the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.  Because the grass in which it was lying was so tall, the sun could not shine directly upon it so I found the best results would result from using my pop-up flash.  I was concerned the length of the lens would block some of the flash so I removed the lens hood, first.  Even then, I was surprised the lens did not create a shadow in the picture.  I was able to see the buttons on the snake’s tail and counted four.  I didn’t want to disturb the snake or cause it any stress so I did nothing more than take pictures.  After making several images, I knew I needed to return to the reason I came in the first place so I found the trail and hurried on to the parking lot.  But I tell you thing, for sure, my rattlesnake detection system was locked “on” for the rest of this trip!

"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.

I hate the sound of my alarm clock regardless of the time, but at 5:15 am on Saturday morning it’s a lot more than annoying.  Sunrise would be at 6:30 am, so I forced myself to get up after I had hit the snooze button twice.  I had gotten the coffee ready the night before, so all I had to do was hit the button to get it going.  A few minutes later, as I was getting my daily medications together, the wonderful smell of fresh brewing coffee came wafting through the air.  My clothes were already laid out, so all I had to do was rub a “Deep Woods Off” soaked towelette over my bare legs, arms, neck, and shoulders and finish getting dressed.  I really do hate Deet, but not as bad as I hate ticks and they must be the most abundant form of wildlife on the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.  Since that was where I was heading and most of my time would be stretched out prone on the ground, I had to just buck-up and take it.

Finally dressed, cup of coffee under my belt, camera gear, thermos of coffee, and bottles of water loaded in my 1993 Toy truck, I’m off to the WMWR.  Well, I have to make a quick stop by McDonald’s at 31st and Cache Road for a “sausage and egg biscuit, but then it’s up 38th to Roger’s Lane then westbound and down.  Yahoo!

Heading west on Quanah Parker Trailway, eating my biscuit, sipping hot coffee, and the fresh morning air filling the cab through the driver side window lowered about six inches, I can’t help thinking, “Life is good and I am Blessed!”  In less than 20 minutes I’ll be driving across the cattle guards that stretch across Hwy. 115, north of Cache.  Using this entrance onto the Refuge was a choice I made only after noticing the day was well into Civil Twilight and the surrounding pastures and the low hanging heavy cloud cover were becoming easier to see in the increasing light of day.  It was only then that the idea of possibly capturing an interesting sunrise surfaced.  I thought there just might be a chance of the sun showing itself just as it climbed above the horizon.  In Southwest Oklahoma a view of the horizon is one of the easiest views to position yourself for; finding something to use for an interesting foreground is not!  As I turned north onto Hwy. 115, I began to glance every few seconds to the east checking the sky for the rising sun’s progress and also considering every hill, tree, and fence post as a foreground possibility.  I’ve done this so many times before knowing I wouldn’t find anything, but still trying thinking maybe I would notice something, this time, I’d never seen before.

“Brrmp, Brrmp”, was the sound the tires made crossing the cattle guard as I entered the WMWR.  By this time I was certain the sun would be on the verge of topping the horizon, if it hadn’t already.  I also knew the first chance I would have to tell for sure wouldn’t be until I reached Crater Lake.  I always respect the 45 mph speed limit on the Refuge, so I just had to control the butterflies of anticipation and relax.  I swivel-headed from side to peering into the darkness for glimpses of elk, bison, deer, turkey, or maybe even a coyote or wild pig.  Even though it would be too dark to take any decent pictures, I still look every time because I’m fascinated by all living thing on the Refuge and I’ve seen them all, many times before, along this same stretch of highway.  Even though I had restrained my urge to speed ahead, I was not able to curb an eagerness to scan the eastern horizon currently hidden by granite hills.  I knew if there was any chance to include the sunrise in an image, it would be at Crater Lake.  I also knew the sun would rise at 60° ENE because I had checked last night.  Finally the hills ended and the turnoff to Crater Lake was just ahead.  I could see an orange glow on the eastern horizon and I knew dawn was ready to proclaim a new day!  I was going to have to move quickly, my options were limited,  one, maybe two chances were all I’d get, but I was ready for “the first thing” this morning.

HDR photograph using 3 exposures (-2, 0, +2).  Sony A700, Carl Zeiss  16-80 f3.5-4.5 ZA (16mm, f22, 1/40s), Manfrotto 055XPROB w/3030 head, 1000s remote release cable.

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.