Early morning silence

I cherish the quiet hours of the very early morning.  It is a mysterious time when the night time darkness is overtaken by the first awakening light from the sky.  There is a feeling of newness and hope during this peaceful time.  The quietness lets the mind think and reflect before the rush of noise and busyness invades our lives.   For most of us we pack as much as we can into each day thinking that our lives will be more complete with numerous accomplishments.  Most of the time we are surrounded by a blaring fast moving world that is harsh when compared to the quiet moments of early dawn.  Sadly our culture has become a maddening rage of who can scream and protest the loudest to be heard above the noise of others.  Nobody is really listening because you can't hear when everyone is talking.  I quote lyric from an old Buffalo Springfield song, " Nobody is right, if everybody's wrong".   Give me the quiet of the early morning before the air is filled with the blare of the world.

 

Living my memories through photography

 

      

 My many years of travel are never far from me.  I live my memories through the images I have taken over the past 50 years of photographing.  When I first started photographing I never thought that later in life I would be able to vividly recall so many days and events in my life through my photography.  Our current home is like a gallery with the images I have made all over the world in our travels.  The wonderful thing is when I view an image I can recall much of the day when I made the image.  In this image I remember my wife and I traveled out on a cold and rainy day in northern Iceland.  We found a road that dead ended at an old farm house with sheep and other livestock running around.  In the distance I could see a small church down behind the farm house.  I parked our vehicle and walked through the mud and up to the house.  I was greeted by a lady and an older man at the door and asked if it was possible to take a photograph of the little church on their property.  We were granted permission but were told we had to walk to the location. I remember the feeling of excitement with finding a new subject to photograph as we packed up my gear and made out way down the muddy cow path to the church.  The wind and the rain was blowing in off the ocean with a damp chill to the air.  It was a mood I wanted to present in my finished photograph and knew that a black and white image would do this best.  After making the image we proceeded to travel around the small villages and stopped in a little restaurant in the fishing village of Stykkisholmur  (pronounced like- Sticky-shoe mer). The cold rain was coming down hard as we sat with the locals and listen to the talk of the fisherman while having a wonderful meal.    Photography has blessed us with the ability to recall the special times in our lives.  No other medium is able to freeze a moment in time like a photograph. It is simple yet so powerful.

Bit Dean

 I am going through some of my old people pictures and sorting them out. I have created hundreds of images of people I have come across in my years of photography.  I am basically a landscape photographer but I always enjoy the challenge of photographing people I meet in my travels. I am amazed with the friendly bond that is created with the individuals I come in contact with. Most of them are true characters with an independent quality about them. My people pictures are some of the most rewarding images I can make. It is a bit awkward to approach a complete stranger and ask to photograph them. Honestly I can't think of a time that I have been turned down with my request. I usually strike up a conversation and get to know them a little bit before asking to take their picture.  I usually get their address and send them a completed photograph few weeks later. Many of the people I have photographed over the years have certainly pasted on and I hope some of the pictures are still around with a family member. 

 I love traveling the back roads because I come across unique individuals.  Such was the case in northern Florida in the clamming town of Eastpoint.  This area was an active community of clam fisherman until recently. Florida had to shut down the clam fishing in this area because of the reduced fresh water flow of the Apalachicola River entering the Gulf of Mexico. For clams to survive they need a balance of fresh water mixed with salt water, The source water of this river originates in the Georgia Mountains and flows down through Georgia into the state of Florida,  With the growth of the Atlanta Georgia area much of the water is being used and diverted to the metro area. This has caused the clams population to diminish in the Eastpoint area. Over fishing has also contributed to this shortage of clams and the state has set new regulations with hopes of bring back the health of the clam population.  As we travel more, consume more, with an ever increasing population we can expect that nature cannot keep up with our demands. Hopefully the clamming industry can return someday to supply the area with good fishing jobs and restaurants with plenty of tasty calms for the demands of the of the market.  This guy was a peanut vendor nexts to the docks that the clammers would come in after a long day of fishing.

I miss the days of travel

 I have been going through some of my old files of trips we have taken in the past looking for some images I may have overlooked.  Really it is more about remembering and thinking back to when we lived a normal life and the world was a bit more relaxed place to live.  How we have all changed is the past year or so. We have hopes of returning to what life was but in reality that will never happen. We have been conditioned by a prolonged state of FEAR, a strong motivator that can change your brain chemistry and prevent you from returning to your previous state.  Personally I don't like the direction the world is going with big brother having so much control of our lives.  We all bought into the new fast spreading technology of computers and internet thinking it was free and an added convenience to our lives, when in reality we were selling our souls to this beast that will control us. Without knowing we gave up our personal freedoms and information to be connected through social media. Now these giant media platforms will control our news and information filtered through their lens to sway social and political views. Blessed were the days when I went out my backdoor without being tethered to technology and was free from concerns of staying connected.  This image was made in Iceland on a cold and dreary day. I made a long expose to calm the waters and soften the sky. After making several images we found a warm cozy restaurant that served up fresh fish caught from the sea that day.  Wonderful memories and some nice photos to take me back, if only in my mind.

On a Winters day

The stillness of a winters day out in my little boat repairs my soul and refreshes my spirit.  The world around us moves fast and everyone has an option as to how they choose to deal with our current situation and the challenges of the past year.  We know longer move around others comfortably and our cultural differences are strained to nearly a breaking point.  I have lived over 70 years and question how we as a people have trampled on our core fiber that bonds us together as a people.  Sadly we are reaching a point where we will look back and wonder was it really that simple to just live and enjoy our lives independently and free. We have been ensnared by a web and and we really have no way out of it. Technology has eroded our personal freedoms, and as it encroaches on our lives we will have less happiness and more wanting.  If you have ever been a part of any social media platform you know how these public forums can change your thinking and consume your time.  I lived most of my years without the concern of having a cellphone or living with the internet. I try to think back to those days and how I lived my life and compare it to now.  The pace of life was slower and the personal relationships were deeper.  The wisdom found in the Scriptures can be helpful in putting our life concerns in perspective. “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away”  James 4:14.

 

Cypress on the Santa Fe River

 I had the chance to get out on the Santa Fe River in my kayak this fall to make some photographs. I like to start out early just as the first light is coming on in the morning. The kayak let me get into shadow water and access some areas that a larger boat couldn’t get in. When I find an interesting location, I park the kayak and wade around in the swampy areas looking for a nice grouping of cypress trees. The early morning stillness and the cypress trees create a special moment and being there is always a satisfying experience.