Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category

Ali Harter performs in Lawton. (click picture for more)

Ali Harter

Red Dirt, Country Blues, Country Folk, Outlaw, or whatever you want to try to tag her with, Ali Harter must be tagged as unique, talented, pretty, and Okie through and through.  Last night was my first time ever to hear her music but it won’t be my last.  I bought her CD titled, “No Bees, No Honey”, released on March 13, 2010.  I ‘ve already listened to it three times and have my earphones on right now listening to a fourth time through.  Unique is the best word I have to describe her music; it is definitely her own.  She is only 25, yet her sound is so much more mature than that!  Visiting with her afterwards she told me her early childhood idol was Bonnie Raitt.  I’m a huge Bonnie Raitt fan myself, but not once during her live solo performance did I ever say to myself, “Self, you know what?  She kinda sounds like Bonnie Raitt!”  But,that could just be me.  But the connection  I do think exists between Ali Harter and Bonnie Raitt is each Read the rest of this entry »

Turning to the Light

There are times when we cannot see what waits around the bend, because we are unable to see things ahead in time.  The images I made of Quartz Mountain Flyer’s railway is an example of that.  Two days earlier I was traveling from Mangum to Hobart on SH 44, which passes by the Quartz Mountains State Park in Greer and Kiowa counties of Southwest Oklahoma.  The highway skirts around the southern end of Lake Altus-Lugert as it makes its way north to Lone Wolf.  Glancing toward the lake at every opening between the trees, I was captured by what I thought would make a wonderful HDR (high dynamic range) image under the right lighting conditions.  Due to the recent and abundant rains, the lake was full of deep blue water creating islands of several ancient granite peaks.  For me this has always been a mystical scene but on this day, at this time, it was magical, too.  I wanted badly to stop, if only for a minute, but couldn’t because my time was very short and I still had to drive on to Anadarko after stopping in Hobart.  However, I did begin plans to return on Saturday.  Saturday was two days away and difficult to see, much like things around a bend. Read the rest of this entry »

Sonny Nevaquaya plays at Medicine Park's 102 B-Day Bash

“59 & 102″

What do they have in Common?

Medicine Park and I both celebrated our birthdays on Saturday, July 10.  For Medicine Park it was their 102nd, having been founded on July 4, 1908, and for this Baby Boomer it was my 59th.  Well, since I consider my “birth day” as the most important day of my life, I make it a personal celebration whether anyone else gives a hoot, or not!  Since it occurs most often during the work week, I always take leave on my birthday.  This means I nearly always spend the day by myself, but that’s okay because this is something special I do for myself; it’s a gift to myself.  However, when my day falls on the weekend and there’s a big celebration going on somewhere, I’m not opposed to glomming on and letting someone else help me celebrate.  Well, with Medicine Park celebrating its 102nd Birthday Bash, six days late,  on Saturday, July 10, and Sherry offering to take me out to dinner for my 59th, I couldn’t let such an opportunity go to waste.  (Oh by the by, did I mention the best birthday gift I’ve ever received was when my son, Brandon, was born on my birthday in 1978?  I mean, after that everything else falls short… right?) Read the rest of this entry »

On Solid Rock

It isn’t usual to have rain on the Fourth of July in Southwest Oklahoma but the past two have been soggy.  This year we received an abundance of rain as a result of hurricane Alex in the Gulf of Mexico.  Erin brought a friend, Christin, home with her over the Fourth.  Erin loves fireworks and hiking in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.  This time she wanted to trek to the “Forty Foot Hole” to see how much water was rushing through the area via West Cache Creek.  Normally, there would be very little rain, but since we’ve had so much in the past few days, we were all eager to visit the rapids.

I left before home before Sherry, Erin, and Christin this morning because I wanted to be prepared for taking pictures as they came down the trail.  It began raining heavily on the trip from Lawton to the Refuge and rained throughout my hike to the “Forty Foot Hole”.  I was dressed for it with my Redwing boots, Tilley hat, and poncho.  My camera gear was protected in a Lowepro 300 AW camera bag.  By the time I reached the area the rain had stopped so I unpacked my Sony A700 and 70-200 mm f/2.8, and waited for ladies to arrive.  I know the above picture is a little soft on the focus, but I wanted to use it anyway.  In order to get the rushing water to look this way, it was necessary to shoot at 1/4 sec., f22, and ISO 200.  I’m hand holding the camera and zoomed all the way to 200mm.  Taking this into consideration, I’m pretty satisfied with the result.  Being able to do this, at all, is a tribute to Sony’s anti-shake (image stabilization) being built into the body of their cameras.  It really makes hand holding workable in a pinch at some ridiculously slow shutter speeds.

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