07-30-13 Photographer At Work

A concern I have about retirement is that as I transition from my "normal" public self to my retired life, some people will start to think about me in the past tense. An even bigger fear is that I might show up somewhere and someone without proper social filters might say, "I thought you were dead!"

Well, I'm alive, though this blog has been on hiatus. So today, like the mythical Phoenix, it rises from the ashes. At least for a while.

And is it any surprise that I return with a photo of our amazing grand daughter, Glenyce? And there are more where this one came from. Do you have a few minutes? There are only 600 or so . . . .

07-18-13 Prickly Pear

Anyone driving along the forest service road I used to get to this photo location would have wondered why a man was lying prone near an old, dead tree at 5:45 am this morning. But nobody else was likely to do that. In fact I could lie prone for the whole day and not be seen.

My mission this morning was to photograph rocks and trees in an area I hadn't photographed before. But in my quest for the perfect shot, I discovered a small colony of prickly pear cactus growing by a weathered tree. And so my mission changed.

Fortunately, I had my 100mm macro with me and I was able to get up close and personal with a plant you wouldn't think would thrive in the Black Hills National Forest. What I liked about the subjects in this photo were the rich, monotone textures of the weathered wood and the spiny, crisp edges and lines of the cactus. I also liked the vibrant green of the cactus juxtaposed against the dull, gray tree branch.

Canon 5DIII 1/6s f/18.0 ISO250 100mm

07-17-13 Aspen Stand

This blog has be AWOL much of the summer but I guess I have been, too. As of the 17th of July I think I have been home for a little more than 10 days since the third week of May. I have also had little access to wifi. So that's my excuse.

But given that I am only two days away from the start of the July Black Hills Photo Adventure, I'm thinking I need to post something - especially of the Black Hills

So here's my selection: a grove of aspen trees that has appeared before in this blog. But, as I've said many times, I like to return to places I've photographed before largely because they are magnets to my eye and camera but also because I feel I am a little wiser: I see better, I understand my equipment better and I am better at processing images in my digital dark room.

Ansel Adams never talked about "taking" a photo. He said that he "made photos." I like that and now that I know the art and craft of photography better, I would say the same thing: true photographers make pictures.

07-08-13 Into the Light

My brother in law Scott took my son Brian and me to the Ingersoll Mine, not too far from Keystone, SD. I'm not exactly comfortable prowling around in mine shafts and photographically is not a great location - there's no light to speak of except for beam of a flash light.

But here Scott and Brian precede me out of the mine and I happened to have my camera ready.

07-07-13 A Sacred Moment

Our grand daughter, Glenyce Jane, was baptized today in front of many friends and family at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Rapid City, South Dakota. I must say that though I am no doubt a bit biased, it was a beautiful ceremony. And since I have designated myself the Official Photographer of Key Events in the Life of Glenyce Jane Shephard, I took many photos. But the one you see here is a favorite of many. See more here.

07-06-13 Two Bridges (HDR)

I was back along Iron Creek scouting locations for the upcoming Black Hills Photo Adventure when I saw these two trees forming an interesting sort of "bridge" across the creek. Of course, neither was make for transportation but they were made for the photographer.

07-05-13 Glenyce Times Two

This is the doting great mother and namesake of our new grand daughter, Glenyce Jane. And GJ is worth doting over. :-)