Author Archives: Michael

Crunch time

View from Mt. Magazine

Sorry for my absence this week but it’s been hectic to say the least. I’ll (hopefully) appease you with another weather shot from our stay on Mt. Magazine in Arkansas last weekend.

While we were away, the sellers lowered the price on the house we had had our eye on. We already knew about the lower price and were supposed to take another look inside as soon as we got back in town but now the whole world (okay, maybe an overstatement) knew about it and we were worried that someone would put in an offer before we had the chance.

Anyway, long-story-short, we got home and saw the house again on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon we were putting in an offer and by Wednesday we had ourselves a deal. Things still hinge on the results of a few inspections — Friday’s sewer scoping was lots of fun — but it’s looking good. It’s great news but it has made a busy week even busier.

Still haven’t had a chance to even look through the Arkansas shoot yet. Once I do, I’ll post a few more here.

Storms moving in

lodge lanterns

trees in fog

All during dinner I was watching the weather outside the windows of the dining room of the Mount Magazine Lodge as the clouds descended. Storms are moving past to the north and tornados have been spotted in the area of Ozark, Arkansas. It looks like the most severe weather will miss us but it’s still a bit rough out there. I’d just about given up on getting any twilight shots tonight when the mist cleared just enough to show the trees across the road from the lodge. I grabbed the camera and ran outside for a few last shots of the day. Some of my favorites as it turns out. The low clouds were blowing through very fast and the visibility would rapidly come and go. I thought about going back inside for the tripod but noticed the trees were rocking back and forth so it really wouldn’t have helped. I cranked up the ISO as far as I dared and did the best I could hand-held.

Treasure hunters

digging for diamonds

The predicted severe weather held off long enough for a great afternoon at Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Their website calls it, “the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public”. You can pay a small fee and use either your own or rented equipment to become a treasure hunter for a day. Or, as in the case of several of the people we talked to, become “professional” diamond miners: these folks dig day after day for years, supplementing their income with their finds.

UPDATE: I had a few more free minutes this morning so I thought I’d add a couple more shots from Crater of Diamonds. First, people wet-screening for gems. Second, Dennis — one of the “regulars” who has been quite successful with his efforts. Not only in finding diamonds but also in finding a bride, which he calls his “real Arkansas gem”.

panning for diamonds

diamond hunter

Scouting

Clinton Library

Clinton Library scouting shotI’m often on a tight schedule when shooting and that’s not always a good thing. Yesterday, I had the luxury of getting into Little Rock fairly early so that I cold scout some things that I would be shooting during my stay here. Foremost among those was the Clinton Presidential Library. My scouting shot is seen in the small image and the resulting shot from later in the day is at the top of this post.

Scouting in this case was a huge help. I had originally wanted a shot from the cantilevered end of the Library. I’d seen shots like this that I thought were fairly successful. Once on site, however, I came to the conclusion that these must have been shot from the old railroad bridge that will be a future pedestrian path over the Arkansas River. Note the word “future”. The bridge is currently fenced off and has a disturbing lack of decking to walk on. These other photos I’d seen must have been made with more pre-planning and permissions than I can manage on this trip.

So, on to plan B. Walking around the Library I finally came across the fountains in front that I thought could be well used as a reflecting pool once it got a little darker. I framed up a few shots and knew where I wanted to be when I came back at sunset. I’m happy with the results but I also tried a few variations during the brief half hour of good light. Here’s another from the other end of the fountain where the water inexplicably shoots up higher. (Maybe this is a water pressure issue or maybe it’s symbolic — if I find out when I tour the Library later, I’ll let you know.)

Clinton Library, second option

Now… if only that light wasn’t burned out…

Homage

AppomattoxWatched “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” last night and was awestruck by some of the film’s imagery. It’s not at all what you would consider a typical western and it’s not something to watch if you’re interested in historical accuracy (Alberta, Canada, and the Canadian Rockies serve as the backdrop for scenes that took place in Missouri and Kentucky, if that gives you a hint) but it sure is purty. So purty that I felt compelled to make my own little homage to the movie’s warm, yet desaturated, color palette.

I grabbed this shot at Appomattox Courthouse where Lee surrendered to Grant, effectively putting an end to the American Civil War. Seemed an appropriate photo. I didn’t quite get the feel of the film but, hey, I only had a few minutes available. If you want to see the real deal, rent the movie. Just make sure you have a full evening ahead of you. It’s a long one.

The big flag

Big flag

I ran across this slide while pulling images for a stock submission this week. It’s a shot of The Big Flag near Girard, Kansas. And, yes, as you might have guessed, it’s a really big flag. I remember shooting this several years ago and being a bit frustrated by not having anything to use for scale. In the end, I think this was probably one of the more successful shots.

Distant Fire

Missouri River

Here’s a shot from a quick trip up to Atchison this weekend. As you can see, Spring is not yet here. But it’s not far off. The budding trees are a reminder of just how fast this year is flying by.

Within the last couple of weeks the calendar has begun to fill up with work. Some hard work — other work that’s almost more like play. It’s going to be crazy around here for the next few weeks… okay, maybe months… but I’ll try and keep the posts coming as often as possible. Buckle up and bear with me…

Adobe Lightroom 2.0 beta

Lightroom Learning Center

Adobe Labs has posted a beta version of Lightroom 2.0 for download. Some good resources are available on NAPP’s Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2.0 Learning Center.

Lightroom Adventure 2008More related links are available on John Nack’s blog. One that I find particularly interesting as a travel photographer is this link to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Adventure 2008, Destination: Tasmania. “A dozen top photographers overcome the challenges of nature and technology on the assignment of a lifetime…”

In April, 2008, a group of internationally renowned photographers will travel to the end of the world, literally, to the remote island of Tasmania. Their mission is to road test specialized digital photography software designed by Adobe while capturing images from one of the world’s most mysterious and varied geographic locations.
Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, photographers will upload, sort, keyword, adjust, and output their Raw images while still working in the field.

Topeka 2000 logoSounds right up my alley although I’m a little peaved that they are using a logo that’s very similar to one I designed in 1999 for a local redevelopment campaign (left). Oh well, they can make it up to me by offering me an all-expense-paid-plus-full-dayrate position on the next Lightroom Adventure. Seems only fair.