Everything has a season.

Post Oak Creek

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

[Sony A700 w/Minolta 50mm 1.7 | 50mm | f/3.2 | 1/80s | ISO 400 | pop-up flash -0.7 EV]

This day, I was hiking with one lens, a Minolta 50mm 1.7, prime.  For many years it was the only lens I owned and therefore the only lens I used; it enjoyed a long season.  As I accumulated more lenses, its use became less frequent.  It had been a while since its last use and I chose it this day because it is light, fast, pretty sharp, renders great color, and has a very nice bokeh.  Its only drawback is my legs are its only “zoom”.

When I made this image, I was on the return leg of a hike from the Treasure Lake parking lot to the base of Elk Mountain, just below the Apple and Pear.  I was following Post Oak Creek and had just passed Little Post Oak Falls.  The canyon carved by the creek is very narrow with vertical walls of solid granite on both sides.  It was late in the afternoon and the canyon was in total shade.  For whatever reason, the above seen caught my eye.  Without light the rich colors of the granite were very muted but I liked the composition.  The only light source I had was the pop-up flash on my camera.  I don’t care much for flash but it can produce very pleasing results if it’s controlled.  I dialed it down to what I thought might produce the desired result.  I think it turned out okay.

What struck me about this scene is the contrast between the grasses of summer, lasting only a few short months and the seemingly eternal granite wall.  However, the idea of granite being eternal is betrayed by the granite gravel that lines the creek bank.  Eventually, it will decompose into even smaller particles, becoming the grains of  sand washed farther down the stream.  This picture speaks of the irony of the short season that accompanies shallow roots sank in sand vs. granite, the rock of ages.  Yes, everything has its season; but some are shorter than others.

]]> http://www.okiedokiephotos.com/everything-has-a-season//feed 3 http://www.okiedokiephotos.com/coming-to-his-garden/ http://www.okiedokiephotos.com/coming-to-his-garden/#comments Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:24:26 +0000 Herbie http://www.okiedokiephotos.com/?p=519

I'm Never Alone!

My loneliest moments have not been when I’m alone; I’ve been very lonely in crowds.  I’ve had some wonderful times with friends and family; times I’ll always cherish.  But my absolute best times are when I meet HIM in HIS garden.  It’s not that he’s not with me at other times; HE’s always with me.  I take that for granted and that’s the difference.

Sunday afternoon, we walked in HIS garden, I felt HIS breeze on my face, HIS rocks under my feet, heard HIS birds sing, and the warmth of HIS glow in my soul.  I stood in awe of HIS artistry as HE painted the canvas of granite walls with HIS ever changing Light.  If he can paint hardened granite with HIS Light and create beauty, surely he can paint the hardest of hearts, too; maybe even mine.

Tomorrow, at 7:30 AM, I go for my third attempt to complete an MRI.  My lifelong battle with claustrophobia has beaten me twice.  How stupid is that?  Tomorrow morning I’ll remember our Sunday afternoon walk, think of the picture above and know HE’s in the tube with me; I’ll know no fear.

Parallel Forest

I love the Parallel Forest; I especially love it when I’m by myself!  The equal spacing and parallel plantings present a picture of calm, silence, and peace.  Planted in the the spring of 1912, the cedars are nearing 100 years old.  They’ve stood witness to many things now history and long forgotten.  They’ve stood and flourished through years of plenty and have withstood times of hardship, too.  The ice storm of January 28, 2010, was one that hit hard and left its mark.  Living in Lawton and seeing the destruction left in the wake of that storm kept me away from the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge for months.  It was April before I made my first trip there since the storm and I was heartbroken by the scene.  However, even then I avoided going by the Parallel Forest for fear of what I might see there.  Even though I have made numerous trips back since then, it was only this past Thursday that I was able to pull off Hwy 115, and into the small black-topped parking lot belonging to this grove of native red cedar trees.  I think the reason that brought me here now, was the reality of an approaching surgery and the desire to experience the peace and calm I always found here.  I needed that and I needed to slow down, be still, and know GOD.  This is a good place for that.

It was hard seeing tree tops broken, downward pointing, still attached to their life source though dead themselves.  Others had broken free and littered the floor normally open and clear.  The sun was now rising and I was walking directly into the ever brightening light.  Between me and the sun, three elk were bugling from someplace unseen.  There was a rafter of turkeys about 40 yards away to my left.  They knew I was there, and though cautious, seemed willing to accept my presence as long as I seemed uninterested.  I could admire them but do little else with the only lens I had with me at the time lacking the reach needed.  But what I did notice was a much greater amount of grass growing beneath the cedar canopy above.  The broken tops and limbs were letting the life giving light reach the ground allowing green grasses and purple flowers to grow.  Though I had been here many times and walked these well worn trails it was different this time.  I don’t know if it’s better or worse, or just different, but I know I kept wanting to sit my tripod and walking stick down, sit upon the ground, lean against a cedar trunk, and listen to the quiet.  The air was still, the only sounds being an occasional bugle from an elk, a gobble from a turkey, a chirp from a cricket, and a song from an unknown bird.  This is a description of ultimate boredom for some, but it’s paradise for me; I talk to my LORD and it seems he talks back to me.  I ask HIM to let me see:  the light, the beauty, what HE wants me to see.

I’ve always enjoyed looking into the light.  Things seem to glow and colors are brighter when light shines through them rather than reflected upon them.  It’s a lot different than reflected light.  Almost everything reflects light, but not everything allows the light to pass through.  People are that way, too.  Some people reflect the LIGHT, some don’t, but a few glow as the LIGHT passes through; you can see it in their eyes; you can see it in their aura.  This morning I walked farther and farther into the light looking for a special glow.  I walked far enough I knew it was wrong to continue.  I turned and began my return trip.  Everything was reflected light, and seemed dull to me and disappointment was growing within.  After reaching the point of my beginning, I sat down on the ground, reluctant to leave.  As I sat there, looking back into the forest, the light rose higher in the sky ever changing the patterns of light that danced across the forest floor.  I began to see what I was supposed to see as the light began to crawl toward me.  Finally, I’m lying flat on my stomach stretched out upon the bare dirt, my tripod spread out before me.  I’m seeing familiar things with a new perspective.  I’m seeing old things in brand new ways while breathing the earthiness of the dirt underneath me.  I call the images I made this morning, “A Rabbit’s View”.  I hope you enjoy this one.

Sunrise Reflections

The Sun Rises Early!

I never know what I’m going to get with a sunrise.  I’ve enjoyed countless sunrises over the years:  the majority from getting up early, not coming in late, although there’s been a few of those, too.  For the past decade, or so, the sun risings I’ve witnessed follow on the heels of simple planning.  But in spite of the planning there’s no way I can know what scene will unfold in the eastern sky.  I’m always in the dark on that and leaving home at dark-thirty doesn’t help, either!  Sunsets are different and I can anticipate and see the event unfold;  I’m waiting on it to happen.  Sunrises are so different!

Best Made Plans?

It’s an easy matter to catch the nightly weather forecasts to get an idea of what the weather is predicted to be five to seven days in advance.  But gee whiz, I live in Southwest Oklahoma where moist warm air rising from the Gulf and dry arctic air sweeping down the Plains from Canada can ruin the best meteorologist’s forecast in a matter of hours.   Experience has taught me to check the forecast late the night before and then don’t bet any money on what it’s going to do.  It’s also easy to get the forecast for things like the times for Nautical Twilight, Civil Twilight, and actual time of sunrise, percent of cloud cover, probability of precipitation, direction and velocity of wind, and temperature at any given hour.  There are also plenty of simple software programs that will tell you the precise degree from North that the sun will actually rise on the horizon based on your geographical location.  I use a free one called “Ephemeris.  I plug in the angle of declination for Lawton, or any other location, and then every time I open it I have the time and angles for the rising and setting of the sun and moon on that particular day.  It’s very handy.  Now, with all that in hand a reasonable person would think it’s just a matter of getting out of bed.  “Not so Sherlock!”

Serendipity Happens!

What I’ve come to realize is the only thing I have control of in this situation is the time I get out of bed and the time I leave the house! I’m amazed how far weather predictions made only a few hours ago can miss the mark.  I’m probably expecting too much, but when I’m planning on taking macros of wild flowers and the forecast calls for winds to be 1-2 mph at 7:00 AM, and in reality it’s 5-6 mph, that’s a big deal!   Or I’m trying to catch reflections off lakes and the slight breeze is causing too many ripples.  Sometimes, the 10% cloud cover happens to be on the horizon and totally blocks my sight of the rising sun.   Or, I’m hoping for the predicted cloud cover to create one of those absolutely incredibly beautiful scenes that color the entire eastern sky in hues of pink and blue and it winds up being cloudless, small, orange orb.  What I’ve come to realize is that I’m in the dark in more ways than one when it comes to making photographs in the early morning light of a  sunrise.  I’m surprised every time, without fail.  Only GOD knows how He wants to begin a new day and I’m quickly reminded how little control I have over the situation; a NEW DAY is dawning and I am only a witness.

However, having learned this, over time, doesn’t mean I’ve thrown my planning and preparation out the window.  Oh no, in fact it means I’m must be prepared for something better.  When my intentionally planned goal falls short and the image I’ve created in my mind never materializes, I don’t leave the field and head for the house full of disappointment.  Oh no, no, no!  I say a quick little prayer, “Thank you LORD, now show me what YOU want me to see.  What’s here that I’m missing?  Please, help me to see it!”  An eagerness replaces any disappointment and my eyes are open to all possibilities.  Sometimes it isn’t where I’m at, and I have to leave that spot to search in another.  And there’s always an urgency because the early morning light doesn’t last long and this tends to heighten all my senses.  I’m looking for that next great opportunity!  Sometimes I need to turn around and look behind me.  I can’t tell you the number of times the best light and the best image was when I looked back!

The situation I’ve described happens to me more often, than not.  Because of this, I pack my backpack with every lens and accessory I think I can carry because I don’t know what I may need when I discover the image I’m supposed to capture.  The above image was made on a morning that began with another failed attempt to photograph a sunrise.  The sunrise just didn’t work; it wasn’t there.  The day began several miles from Jed Johnson Lake as I was waiting for an image to materialize that never did.  When my sunrise expectations flopped, I said my prayer, and the real fun began.  I reached Jed Johnson Lake almost 30 minutes after sunrise and the light was changing rapidly.  I quickly swung my backpack into place and secured the straps feeling the weight of the pack settle into place.  With tripod over my shoulder and walking staff in hand, I started down the trail from the parking lot.  This was not the first image I made.  In fact I made several others from different spots and different perspectives.  They were okay, but none seemed to satisfy.  I kept looking for the next best picture.  I knew I hadn’t found it yet.  Finally, I stepped out on this sand bar and knew this was the picture I was looking for this morning.  This was the reason I was there.  With tripod splayed almost flat on the ground, my 16-80 mm set at 20mm, f18, and ISO at 160, I took seven images 1 EV apart beginning in 1/40.  Later, at home, I combined six of the images into one for tonemapping, continued with some post processing to put some finishing touches and wound up with the above image.  I hope you enjoy!

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!

"In Your Own Backyard"

Early spring is certainly one of my favorite times to live in Southwest Oklahoma.  It is especially so after the very destructive ice storm we had on January 28th, 2010.  Evidence of the damage from the massive ice storm is still very visible around the area.  Because of this, I was delighted to see the first sign of Henbit sprouting amidst the dead brown leaves of the bermuda grass and the green leafy curlydock.  I patiently watched as both the henbit and wild lettuce grew taller and taller.  The curlydock began providing a wonderfully rich green background and, already, I was making plans to capture images at the first opportunity.  An opportunity when the wind is not blowing too strong for macro work is rare during a Southwest Oklahoma spring day.  It’s even more rare when one occurs on the weekend when I can actually take advantage of it.  East Sunday was such a day, and rose before sunup and actually waiting patiently in my backyard to begin just as soon as it was light enough.  For the next 1 1/2 hours I had a great time, but even then, as time passed the breeze was gradually becoming more troublesome.  I had a great time in my own backyard until I finally conceded to the wind.

Snow and Ice at Osage Lake

It was the day after Christmas 2009, and two days since the biggest blizzard in over 20 years blanketed Southwest Oklahoma with amounts of snow varying from 2 to 8 inches.  Throughout the area, thin layers of snow lay alongside deep snow drifts, the results of 30-40 mph winds.  There was barely a breeze stirring today; the sky was blue and clear as far as one could see, and warmth from the sun felt so good!  The family had come to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge primarily to get out of the house but also to see the snow on the Refuge.  It was already mid-afternoon so we weren’t expecting to be the first footprints in the snow.  However, we were soon to be disappointed when we discovered that areas such as Boulder and Sunset had not even had their gates opened for access.  We may have been disappointed, but our intent to have fun was not thwarted.  Since we were in two vehicles, I led the group to the Treasure Lake – Post Oak Lake Area because I was confident we could get up the road and there were no gates to be closed, anyway.  Soon we found ourself out of the cars, enjoying the fresh air, the young bison grazing nearby on Indian Grass poking through the snow, and throwing snowballs at each other.  After a good time was had by all, and hands and feet were becoming uncomfortably cold, the family decided to drive to Mamaw’s house for a visit.  I opted to remain in the WMWR in search of interesting photo opportunities.  I was certain I could find some.After the family and I separated, they went one way and I went the other, I turned my thoughts to finding something that would capture this winter wonderland on the Refuge.  As I approached the turn-off to the parking lot at Osage Lake, I questioned whether I really wanted to make the near half mile hike on to the lake.  The first thing I noticed, after parking and exiting my truck, was that I was the first person put footprints in this snow.  I became excited about the prospects of being the first person to travel this trail, to be the first to see the beauty of GOD’s virgin snow on this landscape.  I estimated there was about an hour and a half of daylight left, as I took the first step down the snowy trail, backpack loaded with camera and survival gear snug against my back, my Sony A700 hanging off my right shoulder, and my tripod balanced over my left.  Wow, was I shocked when my  left boot disappeared from view as the snow rose to just below my knee.  I was glad to see this drift was narrow as evidenced by the bare trail visible only 10 feet ahead.  I gathered my balance together and trudged on.

After correcting a bad choice regarding which fork of the trail to take, and expending more energy than I wanted getting back to the correct fork, I finally approached Osage Lake.  The sun was beginning to get low in the western sky, casting long shadows and warm glow across the snow.  The banks of Osage Lake are primarily granite cliffs with limited access to the water’s edge.  The western cliffs were already casting long dark shadows across the thin layer of ice sealing entirely the surface of the lake in a thin layer of shimmering light.  Since my intention was to be making HDR (high dynamic range) images, I was excited by the prospect.  As it turned out I would have preferred more sunlight across the ice, but I’m not disappointed.  I like the overall result and I’m absolutely positive, I am the only person who saw was blessed to see this winter wonderland on Osage Lake.