Scattered Thoughts . . .

The other night, I went looking through old hard drives where I store old photos to look for something.  Instead, I was distracted as I came across a different photo that I found interesting.   I usually try to capture at least part of the eyes in my people photos because that is where emotion and the soul is typically found.  On rare occasions, however, a different approach may work.   In this particular photo, Lukey and Kenzie are turned away from me with their backs to me...  no faces, no eyes.  The photo still manages to tell a story and capture some feeling...  a feeling that they were cold...  huddled up close to the wood stove trying to get warm...  dressed in a way you typically only see kids under five years old...  in their underwear and shirts after a day in the water and on the beach...  the fire was just starting so there still were no open flames... their hands out in front of them feeling the little bit of warmth...   I can't believe it but I actually vividly r

I shoot a lot of photographs... I mean, a lot of photographs. If I were to guess, I'd say I shoot about 10,000 photographs each year.  Many of the photos are photos of every trip we take... hundreds of photos each day while out and about on vacation or around town. I could easily shoot a couple of hundred photos at a single family event. This adds up quickly and it also means that I have a lot of photos that I've never shared with anyone. Some of these photos are not the greatest because of poor timing... poor light... missed focus... or uncooperative subjects. Some are okay but are a bit boring. Many are exceptional though. Here are two photos that I've never shared before that fall into the "I love them!" category... both from the lake...  I like the warmth of this scene... the calm waters... reflected warm colors... the sun flare... the deep shadows of early morning... the overall softness... On another day nearing sunset, while we were out kayakin

This time of year, we are always wishing we had the time to head to the lake again. Actually, I have time... it is energy that I lack! Regardless, it would be nice to spend some time at the lake house again before the snow flies.  I like paddling around with my photography gear when nobody else is out on the lake... early morning is the most pleasurable for me. It is quiet and there are far fewer bugs than an evening trek at dusk!  When I'm in the mood for wildlife photography, I know I need to set aside a lot of time because most of wildlife photography involves being still and quiet while patiently waiting for a photo op to present itself. You just sit quietly and observe... you need to be aware of your surroundings to ensure the best backgrounds in your photos... you need to find the best location to take advantage of the angle of the light... you need to constantly and carefully jockey the boat around to stay pointed in the correct direction... and you wait... you carefully