photoLog 2007


photoLog 2008

photoLog 2009

Date: Sunday, December 9 2007 Topic: Christmas Greetings Photo: Duke's Christmas Portrait (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm Duke is almost a constant companion.  It recently occurred to me that, unlike some of our previous dogs, Duke has never appeared on our Christmas card.  Well, this is Dukes year and he'll be the first of our dogs to make a solo card appearance.  It takes a little patience to photograph a dog.  Sometimes it also takes a little patience to not photograph one.  Duke has a knack for discovering a smell somewhere within the camera's field of view--usually just when the wind has settled down and you are ready to release the shutter.  He has accidentally appeared in more than one image.

Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 Topic:  A Utopian Experiment Photo: Cape Cod in West Texas (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm In the early 1900s, C.W. Post, inventor of Postum and Post Toasties, developed a utopian colonization plan to bring settlers/farmers to Garza County Texas.  (more here)  Part of the plan involved furnishing potential settlers with a quarter of a section (160 acres) and a house.  As far as I know, all of the houses were of the same "Cape Cod" style design.   There are still some standing although most of them have been modified from the original design in various ways.  Very few of these houses are still occupied.  The original design included a domer. A dormer is a window for a room within the roof space that is built out at right angles to the main roof and has its own gable.  The removal of this dormer seems a common modification, most likely because of roof leaks.  In the house on the left, the dormer has been removed and the front porch has been enclosed to create an extra room.

Date: Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Topic: Photography Exhibit Photo: Souvenirs (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 50mm Eddie Jo and I will be part of a Caprock Photographer’s Exhibit at the Garden and Art Center in Lubbock during September.  The title is “Passions Photographed” and exhibit details and reception information are here. Eddie Jo always liked handtinting photographs with pencils and oils.  Unfortunately, a side effect of my switch to digital output was that I could no longer print B&W on regular photo paper for her to handtint.  So, as an alternative, she has begun trying her hand at using pastels on inkjet B&W images.  Blending colors is much more difficult and the look is different, but, I think, quite interesting.  She’ll be exhibiting some of her work: pastels of wildflowers on watercolor paper. Throughout the summer I changed my mind several times about my part of the exhibit and wound up having to work hard to finish.  I finally decided to do something fun and different (or, at least, something I haven’t done in some time): studio still lifes in color.  Sometimes a big change can help jump start your enthusiasm but I guess I forgot how much work a studio still life can be.

Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2007 Topic:  Searching for History Photo:  Bosque Redondo Lake  (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm Whenever we travel in western Texas or Eastern New Mexico,  Eddie Jo and I always keep an eye out for historical markers that might mention Oliver Loving, a famous relative.  In 1866, Loving and Charles Goodnight herded a couple of thousand head of cattle from Texas to Fort Sumner, New Mexico to help feed the Navajos the U. S. Army had interned at the Bosque Redondo Reservation.   The next year,  Oliver Loving was wounded near the present town of Loving, New Mexico, just south of Carlsbad, and was transported to Fort Sumner where he later died.  He was temporarily buried at Fort Sumner but was later reburied in Weatherford, Texas.   If  this sounds familiar then you may have seen the movie  "Lonesome Dove"  which is based on the two men. Since there are numerous markers mentioning Goodnight and Loving and the famous Goodnight-Loving trail scattered throughout New Mexico, it made sense to check at Fort Sumner while we were there.  However, no such luck. Fort Sumner does, however, have a lot of other interesting history.  In addition to the internment of the Najavos and Mescalero Apaches at the Bosque Redondo, William Bonney (Billy the Kid) was shot and buried here.  There are a couple of museums devoted to the Billy the Kid and local history as well as the Bosque Recondo Memorial.

Date: Monday, August 6, 2007 Topic: Digital Shake Reduction Photo: Mississippi Kite Fledgling (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 80-200mm Mississippi Kites, medium size hawks,  nest here every summer.   Each year it they increase in number and this year there seem to be young fledglings everywhere you look being watched over and encouraged by the mature kites.  The fledglings are easily identifiable by their speckled breast.  The adults are gray and white and and are sleek, graceful birds.  They are very protective of their nesting area and have been known to dive bomb people.  They don't seem to pay much attention to us.  but this year I have seen them attack some barn owls that also nest here on two occasions.  Although I like wildlife,  I'm not really a wildlife photographer.   However, since I had my camera with me I put on an inexpensive 80-200 zoom, zoomed it all the way out, turned on the "shake reduction" and gave this one a try.  It could be sharper but I'm not sure how much of the softness is due it being hand held and how much is due to a lack of quality at full extension.  On the other hand, without shake reduction it probably would be an image that I would have just trashed.

Date: Sunday, July 22, 2007 Topic:  Fog Photographs Photo:  Hoodoo in the Fog (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 80-200mm Well, another early morning trip to the badlands ending up with me hoping to catch some great skies as the fog cleared.  Unfortunately, this trip ended the same as the last one (see June 19) with a heavy fog quickly turning to bright sunshine without any colorful transition Actually, what was a light fog just before sunrise turned into a heavy fog that lasted over an hour leaving little choice but to make fog images.   This is the same hoodoo as the one shown in the June 19 entry.  It was photographed from the opposite (downhill) side with about a 150mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 225mm).  Exposures in fog can sometimes be a little tricky, especially when the sky is included.  It is easy to underestimate how bright the sky really is and underexpose the foreground if you rely on the camera's metering.  It's best to take an incident reading if possible.  Here, of course, no sky was included and, since it was made with a digital camera,  I had the advantage of being able to check a histogram.

Date: Tuesday, July 3, 2007 Topic: Photographing in Southeastern New Mexico, Part II Photo: Meadow Below Monjeau Lookout (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm Ruidosa may seem crowded, but most people are here to cool off, relax, gamble or do things other than outdoor photography.  The adjoining White Mountain Wilderness area is not usually crowded, especially in the middle of the week, and has a lot of nice hiking trails.  For example, the forest service has a lookout on top of Monjeau Peak (elevation: 10,356) that is reachable by a maintained, but rough, dirt road.   The image on the right is a meadow just below the peak and is the trailhead for the Crest Trail.  The Capitan Range can be seen in the distance at the far left and there are equally compelling views in other directions.  Eddie Jo, Duke and I were the only ones there on a Thursday afternoon.  It's one of my favorite places. There are other nearby places nearby that might interest photographers.  White Sands (see March 23 post below), Three Rivers Indian Petroglyphs, and Valley of Fires (see Sotol in Lava) are fairly short drives.  Every outdoor photographer needs at least one sand dune image and I really like the possibilities offered by the lava flow although it doesn't appeal to everyone.  In both cases, the right light is critical and you can't just show up and expect to get great images.  The window of opportunity is pretty limited at the laval flow and if you are thinking about going there you might want to email me.

Date: Friday, June 29, 2007 Topic:  Photographing in Southeastern New Mexico, Part I Photo:  Fruit Stand, Hondo Valley (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm I love photographing the mountains and canyons of  the Southwestern US, but I hate crowds!  So, at least for the summer months, the popular destinations like the Grand Canyon and Zion are pretty much off my list.   If you feel the same way, there are out of the way places in New Mexico that have a lot to offer.  They may not be as spectacular and you may have to work harder for images, but they are certainly less crowded and might result in more original images Ruidoso and the mountains of southeastern New Mexico are a little off of the beaten path for much of the world, but they have been a popular destination for people in eastern New Mexico and west Texas for years.   My wife and I both came here when we were small children and we still make it back here every few years for a short break.  Going through the Hondo Valley was always an enjoyable part of the trip.  When my wife and I were children the valley was full of orchards with fruit stands on both sides of a winding two-lane road.  If you happened to get stuck behind a logging truck doing 15 MPH the trip could take quite a while. Today, most of the orchards and fruit stands are gone, there are no logging trucks and a four-land highway lets you zip right though.  The valley has lost some of its charm, but I still enjoy it.  If you like art, Peter Hurd's galley in San Patricio and a new galley in Hondo might be worth your time.  Since it was a too warm to leave Duke in the truck we decided not to visit either this trip.

Date: Thursday, June 21, 2007 Topic: Southern New Mexico Photo:  Church in San Patricio (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm Around 15 years ago I photographed this church with a Mamiya 645.  (see Church at San Patricio) At that time the church was obviously in a pretty bad state of repair.   While the building is of considerable historic value,  I thought at the time that it might actually be beyond repair or that repairs might simply not be economically feasible. I had heard since then that some repairs had been made and on a trip to southern New Mexico last week I stopped by and made the photograph on the right.  Not only does the church have a new stucco and whitewash, unusually generous spring rains have given new life to the grounds.  I was lucky enough to visit with Mr. Ray Sanchez who devotes  a considerable amount of his time doing what he can for this building as well as taking care of a newer (1967) church the congergation now uses.   This church is used only once a year around  St. Patricks day.

Date: Monday, June 19, 2007 Topic:  Hoodoos and Rattlesnakes Photo:  Hoodoo (click for larger version) --Pentax K10D, 16-45mm I made a trip to the badlands early yesterday morning hoping for some great light and dramatic skies.  Unfortunately, gray foggy skies turned quickly to bright, constrasty sunlight with only a short window of good light.   Every time I go there I check to see if this hoodoo is still standing.  I've photographed it with four different cameras and I don't think it has changed much.  It's on a steep slope and difficult to reach.  It's also located in a great place for rattlesnakes so I take my time and look carefully.   I wasn't quite as careful this morning when Duke and I took our early morning walk and I stepped right on a good sized rattlesnake.  That's a first for me after all these years.  Recent rains have produced so much vegetation that you really can't seen much off the road.   I'll probably pretty much stay on the road  until winter.

Date: Thursday, June 14, 2007 Topic: New Camera Photo:  Texas Theater, Bronte, Texas (click for larger version) --Pentax 67, 105mm I was sure that I updated the photoLog sometime during May.  I guess I was wrong.  Anyway, here is neat theater we ran  across in Bronte, Texas.   Like a lot of movie theaters in small West Texas towns the building is still being used, but not for movies.  I've finally purchased a "serious" (i.e., non point and shoot) digital camera--a Pentax K10D.  I expect it will pretty much replace any 35mm use and most likely will at least partially replace some of the Pentax 67 use.  So far I'm very impressed and still learning.  I also expect that I might be doing a little more color work although I'm working hard on doing B&W conversions from raw files.  Maybe I'll have something good enough to post in the near future.

Date: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 Topic:  More West Texas Weather Photo:  Spring Dusting (click for larger version) --Pentax 67, 105mm Well, we nearly have a sandstorm today, but Saturday we had a dusting of snow.  If you back at earlier photoLog entries you may begin to see a pattern.  There is an old saying here to the effect that if you don't like the weather just wait a few hours. This shot actually makes a pretty nice print or, at least, a nice small print.  I haven't had time to try anything larger than an 8 x 10.  I really wasn't expecting too much and it's nice when a negative exceeds your expectations.  The Pentax 67 is kind of an odd, quirky camera.  If you need an exposure longer than one second you have to put it on "B" and time it someway.  Because of limbs from another three protruding into the frame, I had shoot at f/22 @ 4 seconds to get enough depth of field.  The camera is large and heavy, but, on the other hand, I can set the shutter speed and aperture wearing gloves (and without wearing glasses). One frustration that continues to plague me is getting a decent web image of some photographs.  I guess this one is acceptable, but I'm not sure.  I think B&W is more difficult to do for the web than color, or at least it seems that way to me when you take into consideration the different monitor gammas of Macs and  PCs.  The brightness seems more critical for B&W than for color.

Date: Sunday, April 1, 2007 Topic: Rain Shortened Photography Trip Photo:  Train Cars and Tumbleweeds, Reeves County, Texas (click for larger version) --Digital Point and Shoot. The photography trip we abruptly scheduled last week to southern West Texas just was as abruptly shortened by rain.  When something is canceled in West Texas because of rain you just say "Great, We'll reschedule." Ironically, the trip started with me thinking about how much life here revolved around the availability of water.  Of course, life everywhere depends on water, but you don't think about it much until you are faced with the threat of a shortage.  Here, living with that threat is a way of life.  On the first part of the trip we passed through Reeves County, Texas.  Between Pecos and Balmorhea there are thousands and thousands of acres that used to be farmed.  The land is now pretty much infested with short mesquite and, judging by the photograph, lots of Russian thistle (tumbleweeds).   You'll pass by numerous abandoned cotton gins, irrigation wells that haven't been used for years and what seems like miles of concrete lined ditches or canals.  The train cars in the photograph were out in the middle of nowhere and looked as though they haven't been moved in some time.  In fact,  I couldn't tell for sure, but it wasn't obvious from the condition of the track that they could be moved.

Date: Friday, March 23, 2007 Topic:  Digital Dilemmas 1:  A Plea for Image Management Photo:  Sand and Clouds (click for larger version) --Mamiya 645,  80mm The digital revolution has been great for photography.  I’d be willing to bet that more people are making images on a regular basis than any time in the past and that more people are interested in photography as art than any time in the past.  While most people used to have a snapshot film camera it often didn’t see much use; the Easter egg hunt, forth of July picnic, and the Thanksgiving gathering often wound up being on the same roll. Digital cameras are relatively easy to use and can make very good images with relatively little effort.  And, they are only going to get better.  There are, however, a couple of problems that worry me.  Consider the following: A couple of days ago I scanned and printed a negative that was made around 15 years ago.  It had been inserted in an archival plastic sleeve and placed in a notebook along with a contact sheet.  Basically, all I had to do was not lose the notebook.  I could be lazy for 15 years and then pull out the negative a make a print. If you think organizing and archiving digital images will be as easy you are wrong.  For one thing, there will likely be many more of them (many, many more) and if you don’t stay on top of it the job can quickly become overwhelming.  Don’t be too smug if you have put them on CDs--that’s just a short-term solution.  Do you think we’ll still be using CDs 15 years from now?   How many times will you change computers in the next 15 years?  In other words, all digital image management solutions should probably be considered as short-term and some people aren’t even doing that.  There seems to be something about organizing photographs that encourages procrastination.  Archiving your images is something you will just have to stay on top of and it won’t be easy.  I don’t worry too much about someone’s wildflowers or sunsets, but it pains me to think of them losing family photographs.  Unfortunately, I have no doubt that many digital images will be lost

Date: Saturday, March 17, 2007 Topic: Fort Phantom Hill Photo:  Guard House and Cistern, Fort Phantom Hill (click for larger version) --Pentax 67,  55mm,  #8 yellow filter If you think the name "Fort Phantom Hill" (1851-1854) sounds too cool to be the name the army would choose for a fort you'd be right.  This fort was never officially named. It was pretty much a mistake from the beginning and I doubt that any general wanted his name associated with it.  The lack of water was a continuing problem.  Water from the Brazos Clear Fork tended to be brackish and the amount supplied by cisterns and a well was unreliable.  The post probably provided little real protection from mounted Commanches since the troops stations here were all infantry.   It was used as a stop on the Butterfield Stage Trail after the military left. It is, however, a neat place to visit.  As you might guess, it is not a large post and only three buildings--the guard house, commissary, and power magazine--were built of stone.  Only a dozen or so stone chimneys are left to indicate the location of the other buildings.   The fort is located on private land, but you are welcome to walk in and look to your heart's content.  I doubt it is ever crowded.  We enjoyed our visit immensely. I didn't have high expectations, photographically speaking, for our short "fort trip".  The guard house in the image shown here is not something I would normally (i.e. seriously)  photograph, but the light and the unusual sky were compelling.   I have learned to shrug off photography trips that were unsuccessful because of bad conditions; that's just something beyond your control.   On the other hand,  I still get  frustrated when something nice presents itself and I didn't have the foresight to bring a camera.

Date: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 Topic:  Photographing the "Traveling Jail" Photo:  Jail in the Flats (click for larger version) --Pentax 67, 200mm, #8 yellow filter Fort Griffin occupied the top of a hill.  On the bottomland between the fort and the Brazos River the town of Fort Griffin, Texas grew up.  It was commonly referred to as "the flats."  It was truly a "wild and wooly" western town populated by off-duty soldiers, cattlemen, cowboys, buffalo hunters and all kinds of undesirable characters.  "The Flats" might have been a model for some the towns you see in western movies. I couldn't resist at least taking a record shot of the jail.  It's probably the only remaining original building.  In doing a quick bit of research I discoverd that it had once been moved to the nearby town of Albany.   If fact, I came across a photograph of it in the city park there.  I guess they decided to move it back.  It doesn't look all that portable to me but it is obvious by comparing stones that it was moved intact.  Weird, but maybe not as weird as putting bird baths in front of a courthouse that that has been vacant for 50 years.  (see March 9th entry)

Date: Monday, March 12, 2007 Topic: Ruins at Fort Griffin Photo:  Ruins, Fort Griffin Administration Building (click for larger version) --Pentax 67,  105mm,  #8 yellow filter Unlike Fort Belknap, I think Fort Griffin (1867-1881) is more interesting, photographically speaking, since most of the buildings still exist as just ruins or foundations.  I would have preferred to have been there in the early morning or late afternoon, but I couldn't resist the beautiful mid afternoon sky and decided to give it a try.   It's not like I expected this to be a really great image anyway--just one I wanted for myself.  I doubt I'll ever make a large version.  Overally, there is nothing spectacular to see at Fort Griffin.  If you are interested in history a visit is worthwhile, if not, then I wouldn't bother unless seeing some longhorn cattle turns you on.  (I wouldn't walk across the street to see one.)

Date: Monday, March 12, 2007 Topic:  Photographing Texas Forts Photo:  Fort Belknap (click for larger version) --point and shoot digital During the period from about 1850 to 1880 a chain of forts was founded to protect the Texas frontier.   While some of these are virtually in my backyard, I've never taken the time to visit any of the ruins.   I wasn't sure if there would be anything I'd want to photograph, but I loaded up the equipment just in case. Fort Belknap (1850-1867) is at the northern end of the the chain.  It's an interesting place with historical value,  but there wasn't much there that I wanted to photograph.  The buildings have been restored and the fort is primarily a recreation area for the citizens of Young County.  You can, however, get some idea of what the fort looked like in its heyday.   If you like history, there is a unpretentious museum with some friendly hosts that is worth visiting.

Date: Friday, March 9, 2007 Topic: Still a Ghost Town Photo:  Clairmont Courthouse and Jail (click for larger version) --point and shoot digital About 15 years ago I made a photograph inside the jail at Clairmont, Texas.  I pass through here every few months in a hurry to get to Dallas or back home and always take a quick glance to see if anything has changed.  Yesterday, on a more leisurely photography trip, I decided to stop for a closer look.   It looks as though the courthouse roof has been replaced.  I could be wrong, but it looks as though a couple of bird baths have been placed out front.  At least I don't remember them being there before. ( Bird baths?  Your guess is a good as mine.  Anyway, it made me smile.)  Otherwise, not a lot has changed.  Clairmont is still a ghost town. The jail is the small building to the right of the courthouse.   It used to be unlocked, but idiot graffiti artists have undoubtedly caused someone to change that.  That's sad.   Every year there are fewer places where the public can take an unencumbered look at history.  Places are either off limits or there are signs everywhere telling you what you can and can't do and the place loses all of its charm. Buildings like the jail and courthouse present a dilemma.  How much can you afford to spend of keeping up buildings that are only of (minor?)  historical value when budgets are tight?

Date: Thursday, March 1, 2007 Topic: West Texas Weather Photo:  Sand Storm (click for larger version) --point and shoot digital I should have known better than to complain about a little ice storm.  It had been a long time since I can remember a sand storm this bad.  Here, visibility was probably 1/8 of a mile or less.   In areas next to open fields visibility probably approached zero with wind gusts up to 60 MPH.  Some major highways were closed temporarily.  It most likely would have been safer to  drive in the ice storm. Obviously, photography in this kind of weather is pretty much out of the question except for a quick, protected snap with a digital point and shoot.   While the wind is not usually this bad,  photography during the spring months is a pretty iffy thing in West Texas.   Despite forecasts you never know what tomorrow will be like; you just have to take it as it comes.  When there is much wind I pretty much forget about doing large format work.  My Pentax 67 is a beast of a camera and, when sitting on a heavy tripod, can weather a fairly stout wind without camera movement being a problem.  Of course, you need to be able to shoot a fast enough speeds to stop subject movement.

Date: Sunday, Feb. 25, Topic:  Bad Weather Photography Photo:  Iced Cholla (click for larger version) --point and shoot digital Sometimes in July or August I look back at images made in the snow and ice and wish that I had spent more time trying to get some good ones.  (This image and the previous one were made with a point and shoot digital.)  The idea has less appeal in January and February.

Date: Saturday, Feb. 10, 2007 Topic: Crappy Weather Photo:  Ice Storm (click for larger version) --point and shoot digital I wouldn't mind a little snow for the moisture it brings, but I'm not sure that an ice storm helps at all. This is our second one.  The weather forecasters were sure of snow.  I shouldn't complain since we were without electricity for only part of a day while some others were without power for days.

photoLog 2008

photoLog 2009